But Thou Must!: Difference between revisions

{{examples}}

 

 

* Princess Zelda from ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]'' does it, among others. In her case, she actually reacts to your refusal, but then the conversation loops right back to the same question.

** Also, in the same game if you say "No" when the Great Deku Tree asks [[Point of No Return|if you're ready to enter him and fight the evils inside]], he'll assume that you want to train some more and not open up until you talk to him again.

*** [[Skyward Sword]] does this a couple of other places too, and tends to make the answer more about personality than choice, making the above a demonstration that no interpretation of Link could possibly refuse to help Zelda.

* In ''[[Nie R]]'', {{spoiler|at the end of part one, when Kaine is blocking the door in the library that a giant regenerating Shade is in, you are given the option of petrifying her, or not. The game will not continue until you choose to petrify her.}}

* ''[[Ōkami|Okami]]'' does this a lot, played for some jokes as Issun, your sidekick, [[Won't Take Yes for An Answer|expects you to say "no"]] almost every time.

** Amusingly, if you say 'No' to Queen Himiko about calming the {{spoiler|Water Dragon}} down, she'll then say "But... you must!".

 

 

* In ''[[The Matrix]]: Path of Neo'', the player is presented with the choice Morpheus gave to Neo in the first film: the choice between the red and blue pill. If the player takes the blue pill, [[Nonstandard Game Over|the game is over]].

* ''[[Rambo]]'' for the NES console [[Lampshade Hanging|hangs a lampshade]] on this trope at the beginning of the game, where Colonel Trautman offers Rambo a mission in exchange for getting out of prison. You are prompted to either accept the mission or reply that you feel safer in prison. If you choose the second answer, the Colonel flat-out tells you that the game can't begin until you select the first answer.

 

 

* Done incredibly emotionally painfully in ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney|Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]]'', in the fourth case. The player knows during a flashback that presenting a certain piece of evidence will result in incredibly bad things happening to Phoenix. However, it's the only piece of evidence the game will accept, all others giving a loop back to the question. It won't even penalize you for getting it wrong, leaving the player's idea of committing suicide on that portion of the trial, leaving Phoenix alone. (Of course, this would probably result in a [[Time Paradox]].)

** In ''Justice For All'' in the final case, there is one part of the trial where you can't use evidence to support your case and it's up to you to decide whether or not your client is guilty or innocent. {{spoiler|Of course, it doesn't matter what you pick since Franziska bursts into the courtroom to deliver more evidence to prove Matt Engarde's guilt, which is what Phoenix was trying to do while saving Maya.}}

** As open-ended as the game claims to be, there are lots of scenarios where the game will still actively [[Railroading|railroad]] the player through certain situations. For example, early on in the game there's a scene where the player character has a precognition of a police officer examining his apartment. Being able to see this precognition to the end (and learning what he has to do to avoid capture) depends on the player passing a short [[Press X to Not Die|quick-time event]] sequence, but even if the player fails he is still expected to do these things, and should the player fail to do so the game ends immediately.

* In ''[[Spycraft: The Great Game]]'', at one point you're called into a darkened van and asked through a slot to join with the Villain. This almost seems like an aversion, since if you join the villain you continue the game, being given a mission to kill the President; however, after the mission, the villain's second-in-command comes into the room and shoots you, making this a non-standard game over.

* ''[[Back to the Future: The Game]]''. Marty seemingly has the option to lie to Doc about Edna's future, but Emmett will simply see through Marty's lies, and force Marty to give the option to tell the truth.

** Earlier, Marty gets teenage Emmett to finish his rocket-drill by claiming to be from the Patent Office. After it's completed, Emmett asks when he can expect a response from the government; no matter what you choose, Marty feels too guilty to lie to his friend and confesses the truth.

 

 

* The PC FPS ''[[Operation Flashpoint]]'''s expansion campaign, Resistance, offers the player a choice to either help the invading troops' army by revealing the location of a member of the titular resistance, or be summarily executed in the second mission. Obviously, given the title of the game, you are expected to escape and join said resistance in fighting off the invading force, but you can actually accept the invitation to help the invasion force. You're even given a unique mission to find the location of the resistance's base of operations, upon which you are again given the choice to join the resistance or carry out the mission. Of course, since the leader of the invading army is not a very [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|rewarding leader]], he'll [[Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves|execute you if you carry out your mission]] anyway, so it's pretty much in your best interests to join the resistance.

* Although it's at the end of the game, and you don't restart at the last checkpoint in ''[[Half-Life (series)|Half-Life]]'' is arguably one of these. Evidence for this is given at the end of ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' when [[G Man]] mentions offering "the illusion of free choice" while making a subtle allusion to the end of the first game.

** There's also the time in ''[[Half-Life 2]]'' when you must climb into a prisoner pod to get farther into the Citadel. Your sole options at this point are climb into one pod and get killed by an electrical beam of death or whatever a few feet down the track, or climb into the other pod and hope you find a way to get out of the thing farther into the Citadel. {{spoiler|Obviously, you do find a way!}}

 

 

* Comically used in the [[Hentai]] game ''Gloria'', which starts with the main character receiving a letter inviting him to work as a tutor at the eponymous Gloria mansion. You have the option of telling your friend you don't intend to take the job- and the game ends. The [[Something Awful]] review found this to be the best part of the game:

{{quote| This is roughly one minute into the game and makes for a pretty cool ending that needs to be featured in more Hentai games if you ask me. It's basically you taking the option of "no, I don't want to play this game" and the game apologizes for being so shitty and you're free to leave.}}

 

 

* Typically, the ''[[Give Yourself Goosebumps]]'' books will have a "choice" near the beginning where one choice is an obvious cop-out of the whole adventure ("If you want to enter the haunted house, turn to page 25. If you want to go home and read your math book, turn to page 63.") Choosing the cop-out leads you right back to the page you just came from. ("Your best friend says, 'If you leave us now, you're a coward, I'll never speak to you again, [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|and you need to give my lucky pen back!]]' You think it over. Return to page 7").

 

 

* "[[Saturday Night Live|Cheeburger! Cheeburger! No Coke! Pepsi! No fries! Chips!]]"

 

 

* Similarly, ''[[The Matrix Online]]'' simply closes the game if you pick the wrong pill. At least one player, who had mis-remembered the film and obstinately did not read dialogue, thought he had some sort of crash bug the first time he played.

* ''[[Star Wars: The Old Republic]]''

** Sometimes averted; many quests have more than one way to complete them. Otherwise, the only way to avoid doing things you don't like is to refuse quests. Which you don't get XP for. But at least you have the opportunity to refuse quests.

 

* In ''[[Rayman 2 (Video Game)|Rayman 2]]'', you are given the choice whether or not to accept a haul of treasure. You get a plot-advancing potion if you decline, and a non-standard game over if you accept.

* In ''[[Drawn to Life]]'', when Mari is pleading for your assistance as the Creator, you can break your apparent years-long silence to tell her, at her people's hour of need, that you won't help her. After hearing ''that'' from what amounts to her deity, she says she guesses it's over, and it sends you back to the [[Title Screen]]. (Selecting that file lets you skip the drawing-in-a-book stuff to go try that scene again, at least.)

 

 

* ''[[Trace Memory]]'', at the end of each chapter the main character quizzes herself. Getting the answer wrong just makes her say "No, wait... that's not right" and you can guess again. Becomes really obvious in the ending.

* In ''[[Riven]]: The Sequel To Myst'' it is impossible to convince Gehn (the villain) that you're on his side. He asks you to pop into a (prison) book to prove your faith, and once you do so, he then pops in himself, freeing you. That's the expected way for the plot to go. If you decide to side with Gehn, however, by freeing him, he tells you you're an inexplicable idiot, and the game ends. If you free him in the Rebel Age, he thanks you, tells you you're an inexplicable idiot, and the game ends. What does it take, dude?

 

 

* The [[Trope Namer]] usage in ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' -- the princess asks you to let her accompany you on your travels, which inevitably leads to her marrying you, and if you answer no, she simply says "But thou must!" and gives you the choices again. You can keep hitting "No" until the cows come home, but she just won't take it for an answer. (Telling the Dragon Lord "Yes" when he asks you to join him, however, is a [[Nonstandard Game Over]].)

** It is just possible to avoid this fate by never rescuing the princess in the first place, in which case the [[Heroic Mime|silent hero]] marches off on his own in the end for a much less dramatic ending. Technically, you're supposed to rescue her so that you can get directions to a [[Plot Coupon]], but you can find it by yourself [[Sequence Breaking|if you're willing to search blindly around a swamp for half an hour.]] Essentially, this dooms the princess to rot starving to death in the bowels of a pitch black dungeon. [[Clingy Jealous Girl|But nobody liked Gwaelin anyhow.]]

** It also plays with it near the end of the game. {{spoiler|At one point, the shapeshifting villainess Mimi disguises herself as Merlon and tells you to hit a box, in a way that's an obvious trap. If you try to avoid it by talking to her, instead of just repeating a single response, she has a variety of responses -- including direct [[Lampshade Hanging]] in the form of mention of hypothetical [[Event Flag|flags]] that can prevent you from doing what you want unless you trigger them.}}

** Inverted later on: When {{spoiler|Dimentio offers to team up with Mario and Luigi to take down Count Bleck.}} If you answer "no" a few times like you're supposed to the game continues, but if you answer "yes" a few times - as he'll continually sweeten the pot even though you're already accepting his offer, to throw up an even bigger red flag - then he'll {{spoiler|slap a mind-control plant on your head}} and give you a [[Nonstandard Game Over]].

** Also used during the full moon event at {{spoiler|a love hotel}} where you are "tempted" by the Boss. To many players' amusement and/or frustration, as much as the game gives you choices to give into temptation, you cannot move on in the game unless you resist in all three choices presented to you.

** Another blatant example is when you do not join one of the athletic clubs when they are first available. On 5/27, your composition teacher will confront the protagonist and But Thou Must him into joining the club. This was implemented most likely so you would not miss your chance to open the Star social link, but most get pretty pissed when you have to waste an entire week for sports training, for a tournament you ''can't even win''.

** Piros makes FAR more sense when you realize that he's the [[Author Avatar]] of Hiroshi Matsuyama, the president of CyberConnect2 and the director of the .hack series. Not only is Piros literally Hiroshi in the game universe (ie, the "graphics designer" who plays Piros' character is Hiroshi Matsuyama), but the real Hiroshi even sings his theme song in the GU games.

* In ''[[Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire]]'', when you're asked to return the orb (red or blue depending on the version), the old lady will not stop asking you until you finally agree to hand it back over.

*** That lady or her twin also pops up in ''[[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl]]''/ Platinum, just outside Stark Mountain, and the same scenario ensues.

** In what can only be a [[Lampshade Hanging]], there's someone in Pacifidlog Town that you can answer Yes or No to... when they ask ''where you're from''. For the record, if you say Yes, the NPC remarks that he's never heard of "Yes Town", and if you say No, he says that you have to come from somewhere....

** Kinda ironic, when you consider that if you want to save both {{spoiler|Miss Mari and Keisuke}} you have to give the bag to Kaido, NOT Miss Mari. If you give her the bag either {{spoiler|Kaido will not come to help you save Mari and will kill Keisuke before you can rescue him or if you save Keisuke, Mari will have to fight Kudlak alone, and will die just when the party reaches her.}} Thus you shouldn't even TALK with Miss Mari if you want to avoid both [[Player Punch|player punches.]] However, this game usually averts this trope quite well, although the results are usually [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|not pretty.]]

** Whenever a [[Info Dump|plot-important concept]] comes up, you're usually asked if you understand. In some instances, however, it doesn't matter how you respond -- Yuzu will protest and insist they repeat the information, simplifying it even further if possible.

* The not-so-well-known SNES game ''[[EVO Search for Eden]]'' features several of these that lead to [[Nonstandard Game Over|NonStandard Game Overs]]. Probably the best-known is {{spoiler|during the Dinosaur Era, near the ending, when "Tyrasaurus", the [[Big Bad]] of that chapter, asks you to join him in world domination; answering yes leads to being killed by a meteor shower}}. However, after viewing the outcome, you are returned to the [[World Map]], and ''forced'' to fight.

** On the next stage you encounter a strange race of bird men who are manipulating the evolution powers to become more powerful. Again, they offer to let you join them. If you do, you become part of an advanced bird race that are eventually worshiped by humanity as gods. Then it dumps you back to the map and lets you play on, again not giving you the question when you confront the birdmen this time around.

* In ''[[Phantasy Star IV]]'', {{spoiler|when Chaz is given the choice of whether or not he wishes to learn Megid. If you say Yes, Re-Faze kills him; you have to say No to both stay alive and learn it.}}

* Averted entirely by Canopus in the original ''[[Ogre Battle]]''; when asked what you're fighting for, the [[Player Character]] is offered first one option with a yes/no dialogue, then (upon saying 'no') a second option, and finally a third, at which point, if the Player ''still'' says 'no,' {{spoiler|Canopus erupts in fury, saying that you're just barbarians fighting with no cause, your [[Karma Meter]] takes a big hit, and you can't ever get either Canopus or his buddy Gilbert to fight for you.}}

** There is a more straight forward example at the beginning of the game where Jenna will get pissed if you say no and will keep asking until you say yes.

** ''[[Golden Sun]]'' is full of these things. At most, any given Yes/No input changes the next two or three lines of dialogue, and then the story gets right back to where it was.

 

 

* In ''[[Custom Robo]]'' for the Gamecube, right before the final mission, you are given the choice of either joining your friends in the mission or staying behind. Eventually, if you keep saying no enough times, you get a [[Nonstandard Game Over]] where they let you stay behind and the game goes black and a text box says that all your friends died trying to fight and one of your friends says "See, I told you to join us!"

** Subverted at one point during the final mission. [[The Lancer]] (of the comedic variety) needs to stop to use the restroom in the post-apocalyptic [[Circus of Fear|ruins of a theme park]] overrun by an evil syndicate and begs that [[The Hero]] accompany him. [[The Lancer]] will continue to beg if the player refuses, but eventually gives up and goes on his own if the player continues choosing not to follow. There is no penalty for choosing not to follow, apart from missing the opportunity to earn a few non-notable Robo parts from a battle in the restroom.

 

 

* ''[[Mario Tennis]]'' for the Gameboy gives you a large number of choices throughout the game, however no matter what they will repeat a following phrase repeatedly.

{{quote| '''HEADMASTER''': Will you ever forgive me?<br />

 

 

* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]'', the player has the chance to destroy the [[Big Bad]] with a missile, but the blast will kill the Cyborg Ninja ({{spoiler|who was revealed to be Snake's old war buddy}}) too. Although said Ninja exists solely so [[Death Seeker|he can die heroically]], if you try to take the shot Snake just says "It's no good, I can't do it".

** This is especially silly considering that in the previous game, Snake beat him to death (well, [[Not Quite Dead|almost death]]). But it wouldn't be ''Metal Gear'' without that lovely Kojima-logic.

 

 

* There was an interesting inversion in ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade Redemption]]''. In one scene, the character giving out the quest keeps delivering "but thou must ''not''" lines for a goodly long while, and the fastest way to get on with the damn quest is to agree to not go.

* In ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines]]'', this is justified as the Prince using his vampiric mind control powers (the Dominate discipline) on you when you try to refuse his orders. Prince: "You - will - destroy - the Sabbat", and you get three identical dialogue choices of "I will destroy the Sabbat".

 

 

* Subverted in the [[Infocom]] text game ''[[The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (video game)|The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy]]''. The exchange goes something like:

{{quote| '''>Aft'''<br />

 

 

* In ''[[Gun (video game)|Gun]]'', after getting thrown in jail by Hoodoo, you must break out by grabbing the jailor when he gets close to the bars after he taunts the cellmate across the hall to you. You get a couple tries to do this legitimately with new dialogue by the jailor, but the third time the jailor exclaims "You dumb sonofabitch!" (addressed to the player, no doubt) and repeats his lines over and over until you grab him like you were supposed to.

 

* In ''[[Shining Force]] II'', the player is, at the end of the game, asked if he would kiss and marry the princess who is trapped in eternal sleep... even though they've exchanged about ten words total before she fell into that sleep. The game almost plays off of this by having the lead female character storm off in anger, but your only options remain "Yes" and "I will walk around town for a while, then come back and be given these two choices once more".

** This game also has what seems to be a tongue-in-cheek reference to the [[Trope Namer]]. The king asks you to go find a historian -- a simple enough task for our [[Kid Hero]], which the king is quick to point out. If you refuse, the king's [[Evil Chancellor|probably non-evil minister]] chastises you for refusing your king's wish, and His Royal Crybaby asks, somewhat petulantly (and with weird grammar), "Does thou love me?" If you say 'no' again, the king pouts and whines, [[But Thou Must!|"...but thou must!"]]

 

 

* Used straight in ''[[Brass Restoration]]'', as it's a [[Visual Novel]], but also [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] a few times.

* ''[[Yo-Jin-Bo|Yo Jin Bo]]'' has a couple of situations like this. And, while they don't immediately impact the game's events, a couple of the early questions [[Guide Dang It|determine whose ending you can or can't get...before you've even met the guy in question]].

 

 

* Episode 2 of the ''[[Penny Arcade (Webcomic)|Penny Arcade]]'' games does this, with the main character having the option of refusing Gabe and Tycho's original request to join the party. Every time the character refuses the two spend a day looking around the remains of your house before coming back and asking you again, with Tycho getting more and more agitated with each asking. There is even an achievement for refusing to join the party five consecutive times, after which the requests start looping and it becomes obvious you ''have'' to accept.

* In the middle of a story arc which spoofs most RPG tropes, the [http://www.dragon-tails.com/archive.php?date=2006-03-26 aforementioned episode] of [[Dragon Tails]] takes on this one.

 

 

* ''[[College Saga]]'', a live-action spoof of ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' tropes that you can find [http://youtube.com/watch?v=wwLrgxtALWs here] on [[YouTube]], uses this when [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwLrgxtALWs#t=03m41s the main character sits down for a class] and is immediately asked "[[Trauma Inn|Sleep?]] Yes/No". He selects "No" a couple times, but it keeps popping back up...

** [[Truth in Television]], as anybody who has taken a college class can attest.

 

 

* In one episode of ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]'' the Ghostbusters are tricked into a game show in hell, and after surmounting their first test event, were presented with a challenge of choosing between three doors. When they tried choosing door number 2 ...

{{quote| "And behind door number two is ... Door number one!" Three guesses what was behind door number three.}}

 

 

* Every End User License Agreement ever.

 

 

 

* Most of the ''Zelda'' games use it, such as the Great Deku Tree asking for Link's help at the beginning of ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time|The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time]]'' but ignoring him if he refuses.

{{quote| '''[[Nintendo Capri Sun]]''': If you say no, it's a "But Thou Must".}}

** At one point, you are asked if you want to escape (and view the worst ending). You can say "yes", but you can still move on and pursue the best ending anyway.

* ''[[Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles]]'' offers only these in its ''[[Echoes of Time]]'' spin off. Your choice of response typically only changes the very next sentence in the conversion, if that. One conversation is especially bad, and gives you the following options: "Let's hear a song", "Let's hear a song", "Let's hear a song", and "Let's hear a song".

 

 

* Played with in ''[[The Curse of Monkey Island]]'' a couple of times: Guybrush gets prompted to give a false name to a smuggler, but no matter which alias the player chooses, the smuggler will refer to Guybrush with his real name, explaining that he has his sources.

** Played with elsewhere in the ''[[Monkey Island]]'' series as well, generally speaking as a short gag (but considering the linear path of these games, which don't even let you die no matter how bad you screw up, you might say the whole game is nothing but a series of "But thou must!" moments). For example, the first game has a moment where your ship's crew has decided to skip out on their duties and instead sunbathe on the deck of your ship. If you threaten them, one of them responds, "Guybrush, does the word 'keelhaul' mean anything to you?" You have two possible responses...both of which result in him using the first one, "I see your point, thanks." (In fairness, "To drag under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture" probably wouldn't accomplish much.)

 

 

* In ''[[Mai-Otome]]'', after Miya, who is believed to be responsible for all the schemes to get Arika expelled or worse so far, confesses (she is [[Taking the Heat]] for Tomoe), the [[Absurdly Powerful Student Council|Trias]] call Arika in for a meeting and ask her if she wants to press charges. Arika is unwilling to do so, but then, Miss Maria and Natsuki come in and tell her that Miya has been removed from the school, partly the result of her parents wanting her to leave.

 

 

* ''[[Grannys Garden]]'', an educational game for the BBC Micro, didn't even try to disguise this. At any point where you gave a response that the game didn't expect it simply ignored you, often sounding genuinely condescending. For example, shortly after starting, the player is presented with an image of a snowy mountainside with an obvious cave entrance, and this exercise in interactivity follows:

{{quote| Can you see a cave?<br />

 

 

* Early on in ''[[Sonic Battle]]'', the player is asked to give up some [[MacGuffin]] robot and is given a 'yes/no' prompt. Choosing "Yes" nets the response:

{{quote| You didn't really think I would just say "Yes," did you?}}

 

 

* In ''[[Deus Ex]]'' the player is constantly given choices that have some impact on how the game plays out. Despite this, you can't choose your allies or enemies until the game decides that you trust them. Justified barely in that having people shoot you on sight is a lot less about how you feel about them and a lot more about how they feel about you.

** In a particularly egregious example when you are given the mission of {{spoiler|killing your own brother}}, if you try to actually do so {{spoiler|he '''ignores being repeatedly shot''' and just says "stop kidding around, J.C.}}.

 

 

* This is the entire point of the [[Interactive Fiction]] game ''[http://www.wurb.com/if/game/922 Rameses]'': no matter what the player tries to get the PC to do, the PC is ultimately too cowardly and self-loathing to be assertive or honest with others.

 

 

* In ''[[The Crystal Maze]]'', each zone contained several games to be played, categorized by "genres": Physical, Mental, Mystery and Skill. The team leader had to select which games to play by selecting their preferred genre each time. However the choice of "genre" often had little bearing on the actual type of game given to the team - it ''mostly'' boiled down to whatever the production team [[Rule of Drama|wanted them to play]].

 

 

* An interesting example turns up in the MMORPG ''[[Phantasy Star Universe]]'''s Story Mode. Up until 'Episode 3', the plot has given, occasionally, a chance for a player character to express an opinion which is then summarily ignored. However, as of Episode 3's fourth mission, the developers have begun to go back through the story mode missions and edit things so that many of the responses, and player's actions during missions, can lead into entirely new branches of the story, as well as adding these conditional branches to newly released missions as well.

** However, the trope is played straight in the prelude to the Episode 3 story mission Ambition's End 2: After some boring chatter, you're given the option of taking one of four different [[NPC|NPCs]]. Now, the AI being what it is in ''PSU'', they're all useless to a variety of degrees, but each one is at least capable of soaking up some damage and dealing some in return, or providing you with some decent support to help keep you alive. No matter which you pick, you're forced to take a little girl with no damage potential, no useful support abilities, and who has proven herself to be an utter moron by, among other things, {{spoiler|1=chasing after her brother when he chases a thief, loudly announcing her presence to said thief and his two thug brothers after said brother has caught up with them, telling him off when he tells her to run, and then meandering away when the biggest of the brothers comes to grab her. Later on in the same mission, when threatened by the [[Big Bad]], she opts not to take the smart of option of fleeing, she skips over the option of using her (admittedly worthless) TECHNICs, and instead stands there and lets him beat her down}}. "Liability" doesn't even begin to cover her uselessness.

 

 

* ''[[Mario Party]] Advance'' has a ridiculous amount of examples of this. In the first cutscene of Bowser at the Pipe House, Bowser tells you that he has ten Gadgets and suggests you give up now. Choosing "I give up!" makes Bowser disappointed, but the game goes on as if you choose the "No way!" response. In the quests themselves, all of them except "Love That Princess!", "Dino of Mystery!", and "Game Mage" (the former two ending as soon as you accept them) put you in a "But Thou Must" situation almost immediately after you accept the quest. (The "Hey, UFO!" quest even offers the choices of "Call UFO" and "Call VFO", choosing the latter offers the same response as the former, followed by Mr. E saying, "You mixed up 'U' and 'V'!") However, the "Bowserstein!" quest subverts this -- if you choose the "very scary monster", it will be revealed to be a harmless Huffin Puffin from ''[[Yoshis Island|Yoshi's Island]]'', and you will be kicked out back to the Shroom City map screen without a chance to play the required Duel mini-game.

 

 

* ''Blue's Journey'' (an obscure Neo Geo platformer) has no fewer than three instances where you're given two options and it's plainly obvious which one you're supposed to pick. If you make the wrong choice, you'll see the disastrous consequences, and even "The End"... a few seconds before "Do you believe it?" creeps across the bottom of the screen and the game continues as if you'd made the right choice.

* In ''[[Mega Man Zero]] 2'', refusing to help Elpizo with [[Operation Blank|Operation Righteous Strike]] near the beginning of the game simply ends the conversation. However, there is literally nothing else to do other than roll around the base, which Elpizo snarkily [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshades]] if you initially refuse. Later on, once the operation commences, the two navigators will take turns begging you to follow Elpizo until you accept.

{{quote| '''Ford:''' ([[Dope Slap]]) How 'bout now? }}

 

 

* ''[[Puzzle Quest]]'' gives you 2 options for many quests (for instance, returning the item the [[NPC]] asked for or keeping it), but most of them don't really make much of a difference... except for an early quest that sets the path for the evil ending that initially seems to have little consequences. There is a story-related mission to escort an unwilling princess to her arranged marriage. If you refuse to do so and instead get her to safety, you get her as a companion as well as a nice sum of money, and the main storyline remains unaffected.

 

 

* The ''[[Golden Sun]]'' series is the king of this trope. The main character gets asked for his opinion every ten seconds, and his answers are completely irrelevant...

** ...Except for one of the first times in the game, where you are asked to embark on the quest or not. You can refuse, but the game then [[Nonstandard Game Over|immediately ends]]. (The CRPG ''The Magic Candle'' does this too.)

* ''[[Breath of Fire II]]'' has an instance where you are asked to cough up 900K Zenny or an Uparupa (an exceedingly rare creature) in exchange for releasing the Grass Man, Spar. After encountering and subduing the Uparupa (releasing it gives some good booty in exchange for your kindness), you can choose to give the Uparupa, the obscene sum of money, or you can valiantly refuse. MC Tusk (the guy who made the offer in the first place) chooses to kill you regardless of your answer. Cue boss fight.

** The MC Tusk situation is actually a slight inversion, in that you can actually skip the entire Uparupa sequence if you have that ridiculous sum of money. In most RPGs, such monetary offers usually exceed the player's maximum gold-carrying capacity, forcing you to follow the alternative path (in this case, catching the Uparupa), thus creating a financially-driven [[But Thou Must!]]. However, through cheats or ridiculous diligence, it's entirely possible to have 900,000 Zenny to give to MC Tusk, so that you can avoid the Uparupa cave altogether.

* ''[[Blue Dragon]]'' is full of these. You'll be asked "Do (plot required action)?" The correct answer is "yes". The characters will always just do it anyway or ask again until you answer yes.

* In the fourth part of the ''[[The Elder Scrolls]]'' game series, ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion|Oblivion]]'', the Dark Brotherhood quest line always offers three options in dialogue when talking with an involved [[NPC]], yet all three options mysteriously give the same result, except for one point where you can taunt your target into attacking you. Quite useful, as an Imperial Legion guardsman is stationed inside that very room, and will actually help you out if he attacks first.

* There's a scene in ''[[Pokémon Black and White]]'' where N tells you that you're [[The Chosen One]], then asks if that surprises you. The "right" answer is yes. If you say no (which is probably the truth, unless [[Genre Blindness|you're really new to RPGs]]), he'll get annoyed with you for one or two lines, then go on as if nothing happened.

** Also, when Alder, the Champion, tries to give you the Light Stone or Dark Stone, you are given a Yes or No option. If you refuse, he worries about you letting N fulfill his plans for a new world. If you still refuse, he'll say, "Still, I must ask you... Sincerely, I must ask you... Take this stone. Just in case it's needed!" until you say "Yes". In that case, what he says is a bit different from what he says if you just say yes the first or second time.

* ''[[Shin Megami Tensei II]]'' has Beth force you to let {{spoiler|Daleth}} live so he can flee. It still impacts your [[Karma Meter]], though.

 

 

* In ''[[Animal Crossing]]'', whenever you pay off your expensive home loan to Tom Nook, he offers to give your house an expensive upgrade, increasing the amount of room available and putting you further in debt. You are given the options "Bigger is better!" which results in him upgrading your house, or "Smaller is cozier!" which results in him upgrading your house without your consent and still charging you for it.

* ''[[Ace Combat 5 The Unsung War]]''. When your squadmates ask you a direct question there are three options: yes, no, and "no response". The choices don't matter (except if ever asked about a song), and the only thing that changes is the response dialogue from your squad.

 

 

* In ''[[WWE]] Day of Reckoning 2's'' story mode, at one point, you are given the choice of either continuing to team with [[Rob Van Dam]] in the tag-team division, or ending the team and going for the United States championship. No matter which way you choose, RVD comes up to you the next week and dissolves the team so that ''he'' can go after the US belt; you end up having to fight him and two other wrestlers for the #1 contender spot.

** [[Truth in Television|Just like in real life]], as [[Vince McMahon]] hates tag teams.

 

 

* In ''[[Metal Gear Solid 3 Snake Eater]]'' where {{spoiler|Naked Snake has to kill The Boss, his mother figure, and mentor.}} If the player doesn't pull the trigger, the game does it for them.

** ''[[Metal Gear Solid 4 Guns of the Patriots]]'' has an interesting variation on [[But Thou Must!]] during [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54LMbtUc4Co the infamous microwave hall sequence]. If Snake dies during that scene (which you ''really'' have to go out of your way to do) Snake will give out the most mournful death cry you'll ever hear (and Otacon will give out the only genuinely heartrending ''[[Say My Name|SNAAAAAAAAAKE!]]'' in the entire series). However if you select "Exit" from the Game Over screen, Exit changes to "Exist" and Liquid Ocelot taunts you "Brother! It's not over, not yet!"

 

 

* ''[[Silent Hill Origins]]'' insists that you remain in a hospital you could easily leave to find a little girl even though the hospital appears to be deserted, is crawling with homicidal mutant nurses and has numerous portals opening into a hellish nightmare world. Any reasonable person would have been out of that building long ago.

*** Except they wouldn't have a choice, as revealed in [[Silent Hill: Downpour]]; {{spoiler|When Murphy realizes he could hotwire a speedboat with missing keys, the owner outright tells him that would be [[Off the Rails|breaking the rules of the town]], and thus impossible. When he ignores that tidbit, he gets swarmed by [[Make Me Wanna Shout|Screamers]] [[Railroading|that drive him away from the boat]].}}

 

 

* A lot of the choices in ''[[Kara no Shoujo]]'' are actually this. All that's ''really'' affected are the affection point parameters for the characters involved. For example, whether or not you choose to try Hatsune's unique cooking.

 

 

* [http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=1163 This] ''[[DM of the Rings]]'' comic inverts this trope, as Éowyn offers to join Aragorn in battle, but no matter what he says she won't come.

** ''[[DM of the Rings]]'' also [http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=780 averts] this.

 

 

* This is pretty much the point of ''[http://www.kdingo.net/champ/pics/main.php?g2_itemId=8037 FreeWill]''. (There are apparently [[Multiple Endings]], but {{spoiler|they're determined in such a way that immediately replaying the game on the same computer will result in the same ending.}})

 

 

* Upon completing the final mission of ''[[Uncharted Waters]]'', the king of Portugal asks you which reward you would like for having rescued his daughter from pirates. Although you are given four choices (wealth, power, restoration of your family honor or his daughter's hand in marriage), all four choices lead to your engagement to the princess and the king naming you his successor to the throne of Portugal.

 

 

 

 

 

* In ''[[The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past|The Legend of Zelda a Link To T He Past]]'', when sage Sahasrahla asks Link if he really wants to find the Master Sword, the player's choices for a response are "Yeah!" and "Of Course!"

** ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass|The Legend of Zelda Phantom Hourglass]]'' does this a lot. There's some things Link can't say no to. Even if it's a [[Creepy Child]] on a ghost ship asking you to "rescue" her equally creepy sisters.

 

 

* Parodied in ''[[Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney|Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney]]: Justice For All''. In case 3, when the [[The Cutie|painfully cute]] Regina Berry asks Phoenix for a favor, all the responses are basically "yes", and regardless of which one you choose, Phoenix will say to himself that he just can't say no to a girl like Regina.

* In ''[[The Curse of Monkey Island]]'', the smuggler asks Guybrush if he trusts him, and all the choices offered are a variation of "absolutely not". No matter which alternative is selected, Guybrush, apparently hesitant to speak his mind, will reply "Of course I trust you!"

 

 

* [[Chess|Knight takes the Pawn on e3 for check]], and you're now forking the King and Queen. And since there's nothing that can take the Knight, I must say goodbye to Her Majesty.

 

 

* Norton example: some computers (*cough* Averatec) that come bundled with Norton will greet you with this: "protecting your PC is a serious matter. Optimized for this computer, Norton Antivirus will safeguard your purchase against spyware, viruses, and other online threats. Click next to turn it on" (next is the only button, and the close option is grayed out).

** Older versions of Norton <s>Anti-</s>Virus would also pop up a window telling you to renew your LiveUpdate subscription after it ran out. The only choices were "Buy now", "Remind me in 1 day", and "Remind me in 7 days". The only way to make it go away for more than a week was to buy a subscription, or uninstall it. But thanks to faulty programming, trying to uninstall Norton could actually do more damage to your computer and render it unable to boot. In other words, Norton itself ''was'' malware.

 

 

* ''[[Bio Shock 1]]'' [[Deconstructed Trope|deconstructs]] this by {{spoiler|revealing that you've been brainwashed so that whenever you are told "would you kindly" by your guide or other characters, you literally must}}. The deconstruction lies in the subtle commentary on how the player has been following these same orders simply because the game tells them to and that's the only way you can beat the game.

* Kind of lampshaded in ''[[Half-Life 2]]'', where the G-Man tells the player: "Rather than offer you the illusion of free choice, I will take the liberty of choosing for you..."

 

 

* Appears as a [[Parody]] in ''[[Dave Barry]] in Cyberspace'', regarding software installers:

 

 

* Browser-based MMORPG ''Travians'' lives on these, but one particular instance was at least more amusing than most:

{{quote| ''You attempt to give Lorena a letter from the main villain of the game.''<br />

 

 

* In ''[[Kirby 64 The Crystal Shards]]'', the pause menu normally gives you to options of "Continue", which unpauses the game, and "Try Again", which sends you back to the level select menu. However, pausing during {{spoiler|the fight with the [[True Final Boss]]}}, "Try Again" is replaced with "Tough it out!", which does the same thing as "Continue".

* In ''[[Super Bat Puncher]]'', when the bird asks you to help collect the spirits, your options are 'OK' and 'Fine'.

 

 

* In ''[[World of Goo]]'', in the last level of Chapter 4, you are sent through a puzzle {{spoiler|to "undelete" all the junk mail MOM has sent}}. When you get the {{spoiler|Undelete button}} to the bottom of the level, a prompt appears, asking, {{spoiler|"Undeleting everything is an irreversible operation. Are you sure you want to do this?"}} The two choices are "OK" and "yes".

 

 

* ''[[Super Paper Mario]]'' plays with it in a different fashion when Peach encounters the uber-nerd Francis. Francis treats the encounter as a [[Dating Sim]] and attempts to woo Peach in a variety of ways. After each attempt, the player is given three potential responses for Peach, ranging from calm acceptance to outright yelling at Francis. Regardless of the response chosen, Francis only finds her more attractive by the minute. Finally he mentions the possibility of marriage. The player's three responses now range from accepting the proposal to merely ''considering'' the proposal. After starting to say the chosen response, however, Peach demands to know who's choosing the answers, insists she'll never marry someone like Francis, and declares the whole thing a waste of her time.

** Also, when Mario first meets Squirps, Squirps tells him, "Your only responses should be 'Yes, sir!' and 'Gotcha!' Understand, squirkle?" It goes without saying what the available responses to that question are. <ref>[[Don't Explain the Joke|They are "Yes, sir!" and "Gotcha!"]]</ref>

** This is at the end of a series of questions in a school-exam, most of the others determining the skills your character will be good at. [[Crowning Moment of Funny|Note the extremely sarcastic tone when the teacher reads this last question]].

** The entire exam has no real bearing on the game, anyway. You can choose to not take it and manually assign your upgrades, or switch the upgrades after seeing which it recommends.

* In ''[[The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion]]'', one quest involves investigating a series of robberies for the town watch. A group of women have been luring men to a remote cabin with promises of a good time, only to take all their possessions once the men have removed their gear. If you go to a local inn soon afterwards, you will meet the women. If the player character is male, they will attempt to lure him to the cabin with the aforementioned promises. If the PC is female, however, they will offer her a place in their gang. That evening, the quest calls for you to join them at the cabin. No matter whether the PC is male or female, your only dialogue options involve revealing your status as a mole, then taking out the whole gang by yourself in combat. As a female character (who may even be a member of the Thieves Guild and/or Dark Brotherhood and whose railroaded behaviour therefore makes little sense), this seems like [[They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot|a waste of a good plot]].

* [http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/495903 Super PSTW Action RPG] is a parody of RPG clichés, so it's no surprise it includes this, with a "press space to accept the quest" option. No alternative is given. Of course, space is the only button in the game, so there are no options in the whole game.

 

 

* ''[[The Idolmaster 2|The iDOLM@STER 2]]'' - {{spoiler|Chihaya's True End. You get three options during the ''talk'' with the Swallow. 大好きなんだ　(daisuki nanda), 大好きなんだ！　(daisuki nanda!) or 大好きなんだ！！　(daisuki nanda!!)}}

 

 

* ''[[Star Control]] II: The Ur-Quan Masters'' mostly averted this, with its vastly open-ended gameplay, but for one vital decision that ensures its ultimately linear storyline, it actually [[Justified Trope|justifies]] the lack of free will you experience. That is, through in-story ''[[Psychic Powers|mind control]]''. Your only [[Dialogue Tree|dialogue choices]] then range from failed struggling to fawning agreement.

** There are a few other examples though. For the most part you are given a lot of freedom when dealing with the various alien races, and can do everything from sucking up to them, to threatening them, to mocking them, etc. But in the cases where you ''need'' to befriend a certain race (usually so they will give you one of the game's [[Plot Coupons]]) they will simply accept any abuse you heap on them. Go ahead, mock the P'Kunk's resemblance to Toucan Sam. They'll still gladly ally with you and decide to give you a crystal spindle.

 

 

* The first ''[[Sakura Wars]]'' game (a dating sim, so a game where normally your choices do matter with many branches) still manages to have a few choices where the girls just won't listen to you (which is okay, cause that will happen from time to time), but right before the final battle your character says "for us there is only one option left" at which point an option box pops up, which literally only has once choice... and if you let it time out it still goes through the exact same dialogue.

 

 

* The story for ''[[Smackdown vs. Raw|WWE Smackdown: Shut Your Mouth]]'' has more than a few inconsequential dialogue choices (especially with Reverend D-Von, who may as well be an animatronic puppet). But the most pointless happens at the very end, when Vinny Mac makes his final, horrible pronouncement. You're given a choice of three responses... all of which are exactly the same, "[[Title Drop|Shut your mouth!]]"

 

 

* Played with in ''[[Metal Gear Solid 2 Sons of Liberty]]''. If you do something depraved or senselessly violent (such as looking at pornography in a toilet stall, shooting seagulls, or knocking out a young hostage to look up her skirt) it will understandably upset Raiden's girlfriend, who's also responsible for allowing saving. If you then try to save, she replaces the SAVE|DO NOT SAVE menu with one saying I WON'T MAKE YOU SAVE|DO NOT SAVE, until Raiden apologizes to her.

 

 

* In ''[[Family Project]]'', if you choose to "Make an Excuse" in a certain point of Matsuri's route, she'll start to cry. Then you get to choose between "Confort her" and... "Confort her". The protagonist then [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|complains about only getting a single choice]].

* In ''[[Fate/stay night]]'', in the "Heaven's Feel" route, you run into a point where your options are "1: Help Ilya. 2: Help Ilya. 3: Help Ilya."

 

 

* ''[[Homestuck]]'': Sleep in the horn pile? Only 420 Boondollars! (No / Hell No)

** A friendly clown welcomes you to Land of Crypts and Helium. It seems he would like to be your guide. Will you let him be your guide? (No / Fuck No)

 

 

* ''[[Microsoft Sam Reads Funny Windows Errors]]'': Many errors have desirable options greyed out, with only the undesirable options left.