What Is the Point of Long-Form Multiple-Ending Works?

If we allow visual novels to the mix, the reason they tend to have multiple paths is because they’re gigantic mystery works. Each ending reveals a “truth” about the world, a faction of characters, and a theme – the fun in playing a true route/path is to see how everything from the different endings and routes taken will all resolve into one grand essayistic conclusion.

You can think of visual novels as essays, and each route/path is a section or chapter exploring an idea. And the final path taken is the conclusion, just a very epic one that reveals the ultimate message of the game.

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