Side Quests are a natural part of video games and build a more enriching world for the player to interact with. However, side quests have started to just feel like padding for games in order to have a longer 100% completion time.
In my gut, I feel that side quests are always a good thing to include in your games. Especially, when the game is an open world. Open world games typically fall into the trap of having an empty world with nothing to do. However, the problem now seems to be that the large open worlds are empty with worthwhile tasks to do.
A side quest should be a time for the player to explore the world, or have learned more about the characters. Side quests are largely forgettable, as they are becoming more like a series of checkboxes in your quest log.
The gold standard for this would probably be Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. The side quests are all fairly quick to complete, but the interactions you have to build the world in a unique way. The game is thematically strong, and without the side quests, the game feels less layered thematically. The quests are so meaningful it becomes almost a mandatory part of the game.
Another fantastic example is Fallout New Vegas. The quests really make you think about the world. Ironically, the side quests make you feel that the main story isn’t as important. The people of New Vegas have complex lives, and the main quest doesn’t completely affect them. However, the lives of the citizens of the wasteland are so rich that you feel a need to help.
Large worlds, Empty worlds
A good side quest is hard to make, and people spend their whole careers crafting these experiences. However, not every game can rise to these expectations. Oddly enough, the best example of this is Fallout 4 despite my love for New Vegas.
One of the biggest criticisms of the game is in relation to the fact that your choices don’t matter. I would say that isn’t completely true, but with some of the side quests, it does feel that way. The Minutemen are one of the factions of the Boston wasteland, and they are notorious for their lackluster.
A meme sprouted around this time about how annoying his requests to help an outpost were. The root of the problem is that the players become unengaged in the side quests. The bad side quests overshadow the good ones. However, the game has a grand total of 144 side quests in the base game. The problem however is that some of the missions infinitely refresh.
In a much smaller game, Pokemon Legends: Arceus has 94 in total. This is the game that actually sparked the article and even another article of the same idea. The problem is that a lot of the side quests are so unengaging that I ended up just giving up on them.
Reaching the limit
Xenoblade Chronicles is a game that I associate with side quests, as the game has a total into the 400s. The problem is that a lot of them are just fetch quests which are boring. The problem is that it is difficult to know what side quests are worth doing because the large majority are irrelevant. This doesn’t mean it is a bad game, but a game can be overloaded with content.
However, if you are counting collectibles or items on your checklist then no game is worse about this than Assassin’s Creed. The amount of random optional content in the game is actually bonkers. While I like the series it is difficult to have a desire to complete everything.
In Conclusion
Side quests can be used to make a game amazing, as you have additional ways to explore the world and the characters in it. However, at a certain scale, it is hard to maintain a level of quality to keep the players engaged.
The problem is finding out the magic number. Skyrim is one of the most beloved games ever and has a side quest number in the 300s. This is also a very difficult thing to playtest, as you would need to see how players interact with the side quests holistically. The answer is difficult to find, and if I could find it I could probably make a lot of money.