Optional Character Scene: Difference between revisions

** In fact, ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'''s main conceit is the ability to view scenes with characters you don't have with you. All of these are optional, but can sometimes net the player a nice item or piece of equipment via the offscreen characters actions.

* ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' - Used a few times. In a scene where Zell's hometown is occupied by Galbaldia,, the party enters his room at his mother house, and the scene differs pending on whichever character you have, each one revealing some different story about zell. In another example, at the Secret Lab dungeon, when heading to fight Ultima Weapon, an event plays out differently if Zell is in your party, also making things easier.

* ''[[Mass Effect]]'': Bringing Liara with you to Noveria triggers some extra dialogue between her and Matriarch Benezia. If you had Wrex and chose to save the Rachni, he would demand an explanation. Also, bringing Ashley and Kaidan to the Citadel triggers the "oceans, beautiful women, this emotion called love" scene.

** The sequel has quite a few small, optional, easily missable scenes like this. Of note is this, triggered by bringing Garrus and Tali to a specific staircase on the Citadel:

'''Garrus''': ...Maybe we'll talk later. }}

*** There are quite a few of these if you bring Legion with you on Tali's loyalty mission.

** Interestingly, in the above mentioned scene, if you have both Marle and Lucca, Marle is given top priority and you miss out on Lucca's scene.

* Extensively used in [[Ogre Battle]], where you not only get additional dialogue for having optional characters in party (often ones who were optional themselves to even recruit), but for having them be the specific character to lead certain attacks - and to top it off, recruiting certain characters or getting certain items (including ending-affecting items) can be dependent on who you have in your army and who you send to fight key enemies.

** Platinum reverts this: with a Regigigas that you can receive in a Nintendo event, you can fight the other three Regis. Naturally, as Platinum is an [[Updated Rerelease]] of Diamond and Pearl, you can use the three Regis that you've caught in this way to awaken the Regigigas in Snowpoint Temple. Moreover, you can receive a Gracidea Flower from a girl in Floaroma Town if you show her a Shaymin (that can equally be received only through a Nintendo Event). The Gracidea changes Shaymin between its Land and Sky Forme.

** Heartgold and Soulsilver have even more of these. You can again receive the Gracidea, this time by showing a Shaymin to a girl in the Goldenrod Flower Shop. Then you can receive a peculiar Pichu (one with a fluff of fur over its right ear, properly called the Spiky-Eared Pichu) by examining the shrine in Ilex Forest while having a Nintendo event shiny Pichu in the first slot of the party. You can unlock a new place, the Sinjoh Ruins, by having an Arceus (itself obtainable only through a Nintendo event, again) in the first slot of the party and talking to a person in the Ruins of Alph. This way, you can watch one weird ritual of summoning and receive either a Dialga, Palkia or Giratina at level 1, each holding its signature Orb. Finally, you can unlock a rather important story cutscene (and battle) if you bring a Nintendo evet Celebi to the Ilex Shrine.

* A wide variety of character interactions ''[[Dragon Age]]: Origins'' (and ''Awakening'') between different companions in different locations. When entering the Fade to rescue Connor's soul, you can pick from a number of companions or supporting characters to give a [[Day in The Limelight]] to.

** The sequel takes this trope to a slightly different conclusion, where the characters in your party can sometimes join in on a conversation and effect it's outcome. E.g. Varric can outright lie and charm to get out of trouble, Anders will offer magey advice, Fenris punches through people's chests.

** Near the end of [[Loveable Rogue|Jamil]]'s prologue, a short scene triggers with [[Cowardly Sidekick|Dowd]] where he asks to stay behind in South Estamir rather than be dragged along. Agreeing to this sets up a chain of events necessary for making Dowd [[Optional Party Member|recruitable in other scenarios]], entailing meeting him again later on {{spoiler|as a [[Brainwashed and Crazy]] masked assassin whom Jamil fatally wounds before learning the truth}}, making the related Sidequest [[It's Personal|more personal]].

** Triggering these with Darque is key to his Sidequest, as all of his scenes involve him [[Identity Amnesia|regaining different memories]] until he finally [[Quest for Identity|discovers who he was]]. (Which is harder than it sounds, considering {{spoiler|he actually has ''two'' sets of memories due to being possessed by another's soul, who can completely takeover if you favor her over him}}.)

* The support/base conversations of the later ''[[Fire Emblem]]'' games fill this role quite nicely, and are a large part of the series's appeal.

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