We've talked about this concept of subverting the genre of horror in Gone Home a lot in our previous discussions, but I want to emphasize again how important this mechanic was to the plot of the game. Instead of just a "walking simulator," Gone Home felt like a walking simulator with a pinch of cortisol. The subversion of genres made the storytelling much more effective, and the walking part of the game set the tone for a serious conversation by creating a space for the player to become curious about the story’s details by slowing the pace.

Also connects to the section further down the page on how puzzles are an effective way of instilling agency

Interesting take, but what about stories/games with multiple endings? Like choose-your-own-adventures. Multiform stories don’t necessarily always have one ending.