But Thou Must be Time Fcuked!

Video games originating from Japan are notorious for using the trope "But Thou Must" to make it appear as if the game is offering the player choices, although they all lead down the same narrative path. This is evident in many Western games including "Time Fcuk"wherein the beginning you are told by a future version of the main character played, to "get in the box". Immediately I was skeptical and wanted to explore the in-game environment; however was rendered unable to do so when I was pushed into 'the box' without even a dialogue tree or choices which forced me to be able to decide. The creators of the game implied there was a choice then didn't allow for any exploration of options and used a duplicate image of my own character to push me inside! Bastards.
 At any rate, this is a useful technique to drive the narrative and continue push the player through a linear narrative. This is great for specific types of games and should be used by all gaming cultures, however, retaining the core values a culture was founded on is extremely important to the culture and the gamers who have grown up experiencing games a certain way. Time Fcuk is super flat  in that it has no depth to it. The deepest we go is further down 'the box' we must complete each level, listening to our 'future self' without actually knowing if it truly is ourselves or if we are being fooled. Our character doesn't scream in any of the subsequent rooms however, does grow a friend that is foreshadowed by the future self. The super flat concept has moved to the west as all things are in our day and age through technological advances and the internet database. The database of which super flat characters are pulled is not a physical one but one located within the grand database available to all cultures and continents. Therefore, yes, super flat has spread to the west; however what's to say narratives allowing player choice or ones that follow a grand narrative won't spread to the east or already have not begun to re-emerge?

~Andrew A.
~Gallant Gamer