Cutscenes and skipping them
Staged scenes can usually be paused and sometimes skipped, often only after you've seen them once. If the game asks whether you're sure you want to skip, take that as a reason to pause: what you'd hear may matter later.
Mechanics
Tips and mechanics
Story-driven games across genres share a lot of the same machinery. Cutscenes, quick-time events, the dialogue wheel, a journal full of notes and the warning that there's no turning back show up in quiet dramas and loud adventures alike. Once you understand these mechanics, you'll know what a new game expects from you and you'll be caught off guard less often at the worst possible moment.
A mechanic is how the story asks for your opinion. Sometimes the question comes in a whisper.
How this section works: mechanics are described in general terms. Menu items and rule details differ from game to game, so check each game's help pages for specifics.
The most common mechanics
The foundation most story-driven games are built on.
Quick-time events
In the middle of a scene a button prompt appears, and you have to press it in time. In some games a miss means a retry; in others it changes the course of events. If your reflexes let you down, look in the settings for a way to simplify these moments or replace rapid tapping with holding.
Branching dialogue
You choose a line from several options, often under a time limit. The short label on the button doesn't always convey exactly what the hero will say, so try to read the tone of the reply from context.
Drama in games (in Russian)
Journal and notes
Letters, diaries and notes you find are collected in a journal. It's the story's archive: it holds details of the characters' past, hints for puzzles and sometimes entire side stories.
Saves and points of no return
Many games save progress automatically, but before decisive events they warn you that you won't be able to go back to earlier areas. Before a point like that, finish what you've started and make a separate save.
Accessibility settings
Subtitle size and background, sound captions, speaker names, simplified quick-time events, button remapping, turning off camera shake: all of this helps you follow the story without extra effort.
How to set up a game before the first scene
Open the accessibility menu
It may go by different names and hide under audio or display settings. Go through every tab before you start playing: hunting for an option in the middle of the story is a hassle.
Adjust the subtitles
Enlarge the font, turn on a darkened background behind the line and speaker names. If sound captions are available, try them: footsteps behind a door or distant thunder are part of the story too.
Check the controls
See whether you can simplify quick-time events, turn off vibration or remap buttons. Comfortable controls let you watch the scene instead of your fingers.
Find the cutscene pause
Learn in advance how to stop a scene if someone calls you away. Nothing ruins a big moment like a missed climax.
- Guides
How to finish a story game without losing the thread: a step-by-step plan, plus the catalogue of our articles.
- Terms
A glossary: cutscene, quick-time event, branching, ending, motion capture, "point of no return" and more.
- How to judge
Your own criteria, no ratings: story and characters, weight of choices, pacing, accessibility, length and fair payment.
- Updates
New chapters and expansions, photo mode, improved subtitles and translations, and where to find out what changed.
What we rely on
- Accessibility settings in game menus (in general terms)
- Kinokorol editorial materials
We describe mechanics and settings in general terms. Every game has its own menus, option names and set of accessibility features, and they can change after an update, so check the game's own help pages and settings for exact details.