In an open-world game, one element that consistently captures the player’s attention is the NPCs. Among these, it’s the ones that react to your actions or your choices are the one that stands out the most. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released 13 years ago and it was one of the first to incorporate the reactive NPCs.
Todd Howard, director of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, wanted to make the characters in the game respond to the player’s appearance, dialogues, and actions. By setting this trend, he created a benchmark that even the likes of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Elden Ring may have taken note of.
Skyrim‘s Legacy: The Birth of Reactive NPCs
Skyrim has a vast open world for players to explore, from snowy peaks to dense forests. Due to these travels, players will come across many characters and when they talk to them, NPCs’ dialogues feel as if they were tailored specifically for them.
This attention to detail in various characters like guards and shopkeepers, elevates the game beyond a virtual adventure to a living world. When asked about the memorable characters in an interview, Howard said:
The main thing is to them reactive. A lot of times when you write a character, you want to make that character interesting for themself, what’s their story, and then there’s some character like that the players definitely care about. but the best characters are the one that reacts to you.
The generic dialogue in Skyrim, which a guard randomly throws out when players pass by has become ingrained in gaming culture. It’s not just about advancing the story from point A to point B, it’s about creating moments that connect with players long after they’ve closed the game.
Howard explained that they created a system in which certain actions by players will make NPCs react, and these reactions have multiple options for NPC to say. This randomness is what makes the character in Skyrim interesting and birthed the idea of reactive NPCs in open-world games.
The Everlasting Impact of Skyrim‘s Reactive Characters
In FromSoftware’s Souls series, the games are mostly known for their punishing difficulty and intricate level design. Character interactions with the player were not a focus for them. Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, while praised for their atmospheric storytelling and combat didn’t quite reach the same level of NPC engagement as The Elder Scrolls.
However, FromSoftware’s approach to character interaction changed with Dark Souls II and beyond. Considering Skyrim‘s success and the popularity of the reactive NPCs, they might have started taking notes. In these new Souls games, players began to encounter characters whose dialogue and actions were influenced by their own choices and progress.
FromSoftware’s Elden Ring raised an interesting question? Did they draw inspiration from Skyrim? While it’s impossible to say for certain. But The Elder Scrolls 5 is certainly the one that set the standard for reactive NPCs over a decade ago.
Whether Hidetaka Miyazaki’s Elden Ring followed Howard’s footsteps remains to be confirmed, but one thing is certain: the best characters are the ones that react to players.
