Chapter 981: Intertwining Storylines — Minor Spoilers
In Markus's storyline, players must shoulder the responsibility of a leader, fighting for the future of all androids.
Through a series of actions, Markus gradually earns the trust of the androids, but he also faces choice after choice.
When stealing blue blood and parts, an android working in the factory will beg Markus to take him along. If Markus chooses to bring him, he will not only provide a clue to more parts but also save Markus's life later in the story.
Beyond this, as a leader, Markus must make many other decisions. For example, in the "Freedom March" chapter, Markus leads the androids to seize the television tower to broadcast a message to all of humanity. However, during the takeover of the studio, a staff member runs out. Markus can choose to kill him or not. If he spares him, the guards will arrive faster, endangering everyone; but if he kills him, public opinion will plummet, affecting future route choices.
Markus can opt for a violent approach, waging all-out war against humans to fight for control of Detroit; or he can choose a peaceful route, using love to sway humanity throughout. Though this path is more frustrating, it is ultimately the easiest way to achieve a "everyone lives" ending. He could even choose to detonate a dirty bomb, filling all of Detroit with radiation and forcing humans to evacuate...
The same goes for Kara's choices. After escaping with Alice, she needs to find a place to spend the night. She can choose to steal money or rob someone to stay in a motel, take shelter in an abandoned house where deviant androids lurk, or sleep in a derelict car nearby. Different locations trigger different storylines: more comfortable places are more dangerous, while stealing money, shoplifting, or sleeping uncomfortably will lower Alice's affection...
By the final part of the story, the fates of these three protagonists will intertwine. A choice made by one protagonist will directly affect the outcomes of the others.
For example, Connor becoming a deviant android is a key choice for achieving the "everyone lives" ending, while choosing to remain a machine almost inevitably leads to the deaths of other characters. When Kara and Alice try to smuggle themselves into Canada, if Markus has chosen the peaceful route, they can pass through safely. But if Markus has chosen the war route, one android must be sacrificed for Alice's successful smuggling, or it may even result in a total party wipe.
Among these many complex story choices, it can be said that at least 30% of them are traps. Many choices that seem perfectly correct actually lead to very severe consequences, even completely ruining the final outcome. For ordinary players, simply picking what they think is right is fine, but for streamers, it's incredibly frustrating...
Especially for some female streamers, who sometimes choose relatively "indecisive" options out of soft-heartedness, and at other times pick cold-hearted ones due to misunderstanding. No matter what they choose, a flood of question marks will fill the chat, and many viewers will start cursing or even questioning the streamer's values.
Although this game doesn't have a so-called "perfect ending"—each ending has its own rationale—it's clear that viewers still want to see the "everyone lives" ending. When faced with different choices, many viewers disagree with the streamer's picks, leading to frequent arguments.
One female streamer was even driven to tears by the barrage of comments. She stayed up all night researching a guide and started the game over from the beginning the next day...
Another streamer, while playing Connor's storyline, managed to get Connor killed in every segment. First, he was shot after negotiations broke down; then, he was shot while interrogating a deviant android; later, he was run over while chasing Kara on the highway; and during a rooftop chase, he fell to his death. "Detroit: Become Human" truly sparked a craze, quickly dominating major streaming and video sites. Especially with the help of the "cinematic perspective," the game's watchability greatly increased. Many players treated the game's story as if they were watching a movie. Even though they couldn't afford or couldn't get their hands on a Matrix game pod, this didn't stop cloud players from loving the game.