What determines a good plot is the choices. The characters’ choices dictate the plot. The plot should force the player in hearing more. I desire to witness the consequences of characters’ decisions or their subsequent actions prompted by those decisions.

Building off the plot category, did the scenes you include expand the story in a way that hurts it or improves it? Did the narration leave enough clues for me to predict the end? Did any narration outside the main plot serve a purpose?

The main characters and support characters should feel well thought out. Existing to just exist in a video game world can fall flat. The characters’ story arcs should push the plot points or crumble under the weight of other characters trying to accomplish theirs.

Overarching concepts or repeating concepts should have double or triple layers’ worth of meanings. The more themes woven together and relate to each other, the higher the score.

Does the societal and historical contexts have density? Does this time period make sense, given its history? Do characters dress and act based on their settings? What is the impact of customs and cultures on this world? Will our desire for more of this world grow after we finish the story? These questions lie at the heart of this category.