There is an artifact of playing single player RPGs that cannot fail to make me a bit melancholy when I get to it. I’ve explored the world, made lasting relationships, tackled the final mission, and defeated the final boss. My character has finally achieved that goal that has been set for them since the beginning of the story, and the world has been made a significantly better place for my actions. And then, after the credits roll, I’m put back into my characters shoes…before they saved the world.
I understand it, sometimes. Sometimes the main character of a game dies in the end, or saving the world alters it so irreparably that you couldn’t possibly go back to the game world as it was. But more often than not, if I’m still playing after the end of the game, it’s because I want to simply get the option to exist in the world after the crisis has passed, or to clean up a few more side quests that wouldn’t be altered by the main narrative.
I …