How I'd have handled the Abel choice in episode 2
Deltino
Moderator
So I largely loved episode 2. But if there's one detail in particular that kinda disappointed me, it's how the Abel choice from episode 1 played into the second episode. Or rather, how it did not play into it.
Pretty much the only thing different between the two choices is whether or not Abel has an arm. And sure, it changes a few animations here and there, but outside of that there's no real change to his behavior or personality.
So naturally, I started thinking about ideas of how they could have handled this better, and this was what I came up with:
If you didn't attack Abel in episode 1, he'd play a much more reluctant/neutral role in the episode. He'd still be allied with Lilly and the raiders, but he wouldn't display nearly as much animosity towards Clementine or AJ.
Firstly, to establish a baseline, everything he currently says in game? That'd stay the same, but it would all be limited to if you attacked him in episode 1. All the different lines of dialogue he has, namely in reference to Clementine and AJ would be entirely conditional, with different versions dependent on if you attacked him or not. The idea, as stated above, is to essentially change Abel's entire demeanor towards you and AJ. Instead of being vengeful and hostile, he'd be more neutral.
So with that out of the way, here's how I'd have made all the scenes play out if he has both arms:
The initial meet up in episode 2: it'd start the same way, Abel blasting off a shotgun shot, Clem and AJ taking cover, and Clem jumping him. However, instead of going into a QTE where you knock him down, it'd be a reversal: Abel would manage to knock Clementine down instead. He'd recognize Clementine as the person from the night before, and much like in the other option, you'd get a dialogue option towards him: saying you just want to be left alone, attempting to stand up to attack him, or insulting him. From there, Lilly would show up and cut you off, pin you to the ground, and the scene would play out normally.
Abel and AJ: Abel would be much less spiteful towards AJ here. Instead of smacking him across the face with the shotgun, Abel in this version would simply gesture for AJ to hand over the gun with his other hand. Perhaps a slight moment of hesitation as AJ considers shooting him. Abel would mutter "Come on kid, don't make this any harder," as AJ finally lets him take the gun. From there, Abel would go on to grab AJ, but not in the same forceful manner as seen in-game. He'd just walk up behind him and take his arm to simply restrain him.
At this point, Abel currently has a line towards Lilly- "I seen these two before. Fighters, both of them. You'll like 'em." I would have this line see a change as well: "I know these two. The girl's a smart one. I think you'll like her." He'd be acknowledging Clementine's decision to simply let him walk away as opposed to picking a fight. He'd be slightly impressed at her restraint, instead of being impressed at her boldness.
He also wouldn't torture/hurt AJ like he does currently, but would instead warn Clementine: "Don't make me have to hurt the boy here. Just do like we're askin."
From there, Lilly would roll you over, and the reunion between her would play out the same. Since Abel's dialogue after Lilly recognizes you is more or less neutral as is, I wouldn't change it further.
The idea here is to make it that while Abel is still against you, he's not as spiteful or openly hostile about it. He'd treat AJ more or less humanely here, and not resort to torture and making threats ("You ever seen old fruit explode after you throw it at something?"). Abel would take on a more reluctant "I just want to get the job done" kind of personality. He'd rather not make things violent, if it can be avoided. Which leads into the next part...
Abel and the chase: This would still happen regardless. No major changes to this scene. Abel would give chase and still open fire, but due to the last scene, with the added implication that he's not explicitly trying to kill as much as stop you in general.
The final fight with Abel: in the current game, Abel makes it pretty clear that he's just out to kill Clementine by this point. He tells the second raider with him to kill Clementine, and then attacks her upstairs. If he still had both arms however, Abel would still be more keen on simply capturing her; instead of telling that second raider to kill Clementine, he'd just go "The girl! Take that one!".
The line of dialogue when he tosses the molotov would also change. Currently, that line is "Fuckin' pointless. I told Lilly you wouldn't cooperate!" As you can tell, he's annoyed with Lilly attempting to appeal to Clementine, and just recognizes that they're better off attacking rather than talking. I'd have the line change to "Goddamnit. Always have to make everything a fuckin' challenge, huh?" This version would imply he's still trying to play by Lilly's rules, but he's clearly starting to lose his patience. He still isn't interested in killing anyone if it can be avoided, but he's just about hit his limit.
And finally, his two lines inside the office: Currently, once Clementine slashes his hand, he angrily yells "Fucking bitch!" in response. I'd change it to generic swears instead, making it less personal: "Gaahh, fuck! Damn it!" or what have you.
The second line is when he has Clementine pinned: currently he's basically giving a little monologue about how many people must have died for Clementine to get to this point. Pretty hostile and spiteful, right? So it would change to something like this: "You're becoming a real pain in the ass, girl. You're outmatched here, take the hint already!"
At this point, he's still simply trying to subdue Clementine as opposed to seemingly pinning her down with the intent to kill her. I'd also maybe add an extra prompt or two during the fight, make him having a second arm have a bit of a difference beyond being cosmetic. From there, Clementine would break free and attack him, and everything else from this point forward plays out the same: they both fall, Abel breaks his leg, still tries to go after Clem, and then gets mauled by Rosie.
Essentially, Abel would get an entire new set of lines dependent on the episode 1 choice, providing a conditional relationship between Abel and Clementine, similar to the changes you'd have seen in S1 with Lee and Kenny. While he'd not suddenly turn into a saint by any means, letting him walk away wouldn't just have him acting the same as he does if you attack him. He'd be more willing to try to cooperate with Clementine/the player instead of trying to get revenge for losing his arm. It'd also largely be dialogue differences, but instead of simply changing one or two lines, his entire demeanor would be conditional.
On an animation side of things, Abel does already have a few unique animations if he has both arms, interestingly enough. He occasionally holds the shotgun with both hands, gestures with his other hand, holds things in it, and uses it to pin down Clementine during the fight at the end. These would combine with him managing to subdue Clementine in the forest and the additional QTE(s) during the final fight, giving his arm a slight bit more presence, instead of just being there or not.
So yeah, I just wanted to put together a thread so I could document my thoughts on what I'd do with Abel in episode 2, in an attempt to give the player a bit more agency in regards to previous choices. Being one of the rare few that didn't attack him to begin with, the fact that there's not much change was a bit of a disappointment to me. So I wanted to try to imagine a way to give the choice a bit more weight without fundamentally changing the way the episode-- or Abel's role overall-- flows as a whole.
And yes, there's no real thread where this would fit, so I decided to make an entire thread dedicated to it. Sue me.
Comments
I was mostly annoyed with the fact that Abel was still abel
to hold his own against Clementine with only one arm, but these changes would have been great. Pls join the final season revival team.
Really like the way you thought this out. I think Telltale could've done it the way you said it, I mean, these are only different lines of dialogue so it doesn't seem to be the hardest thing to do. Sadly.. it didn't go this way but the episode was great nonetheless.
Yeah, finding out there was no real change between one armed and two armed Abel besides a cosmetic one was a bit disappointing. I really expected it'd change his attitude towards Clem and AJ. Real missed oppurtunity there, Telltale.
Anyway, nice write-up. If it happened like you described, then I'd be satisfied.
I'm glad that giving up your food to a raider didn't automatically make him your best friend for no reason.