Video games are filled with objectives, both to drive the main plot and to populate various Sidequests. From a pure mechanics standpoint, these can be broken down into less than a dozen goals, such as "go here," "kill this guy," "solve that puzzle," or "find the MacGuffin." Using variants and restrictions can help them all play out differently.
A quest is not limited to having a single objective. Expect to have subquests that need to be completed as part of a larger quest ("To obtain the legendary sword, find its seven pieces and wake up the blacksmith") or at the same time ("Lead the princess through the labyrinth so you can escape together").
Completing an objective may lead to useful rewards, such as Scoring Points, experience, gold, and equipment. Some objectives are necessary to advance in the game, and will grant Plot Tokens, fix the Broken Bridge to new areas, or unlock new gameplay features (e.g. secret characters, harder difficulties, Boss Rush mode). On the other hand, optional objectives might grant an achievement, a secret ending, a Cosmetic Award, or a Bragging Rights Reward. For a more exhaustive list of possible rewards, see the Video Game Rewards index.
These objectives can be handed out by a Quest Giver, and might be displayed on the Status Line. Reaching the most important objective can trigger an Instant-Win Condition.
Compare Stock Video Game Puzzle. See also Sliding Scale of Video-Game Objectives and Variable Player Goals.
Common Objectives:
Go to a location:
- Cartography Sidequest: Go everywhere on the map.
- It's All Upstairs From Here: Ascend to the top of a tower.
- Level Goal: Reach the end of the level.
- The Maze: Find an exit to the level.
- Run or Die: Go that way and don't stop.
- Escape Sequence: Run away from danger until you reach safety.
- Rise to the Challenge: Climb up until you reach safety.
Defeat an enemy:
- Boss Battle: Defeat a challenging monster.
- Gotta Kill Them All: Kill everyone on a list of targets.
- Kill Enemies to Open: Kill all the monsters in an area.
- Kill Streak: Kill as many enemies as you can without getting hit.
- Mass Monster-Slaughter Sidequest: Kill many of the same monster.
- Player Versus Environment: Defeat the computer who is controlling the game against you.
- Player Versus Player: Defeat another player who is likewise trying to defeat you.
Protect yourself or your allies:
- Escort Mission: Help a weaker ally navigate a dangerous area.
- Gotta Rescue Them All: Save all the allies in distress.
- Hold the Line: Survive by not letting the enemy win.
- Protection Mission: Defend a person or location against waves of enemies.
- Save the Princess: Rescue someone who's been kidnapped (usually but not always a princess).
Gather things:
- Fetch Quest: Retrieve one or more Plot Coupons for an NPC.
- 20 Bear Asses: Retrieve Random Drops for an NPC.
- Chain of Deals: Trade items for items until finally obtaining the one you want.
- Product Delivery Ordeal: Overcome obstacles to deliver Plot Coupons to an NPC.
- Gotta Catch Them All: Collect all the items or Live Items.
- Herding Mission: Herd animals into an area.
- NPC Round-Up Mission: Gather a group of NPCs together.
Figure out the solution:
- Companion-Specific Sidequest: Earn your ally's favor.
- Loyalty Mission: Complete your ally's personal goal.
- Romance Sidequest: Earn your ally's love.
- Mini-Game: Play a smaller game with its own rules. See the trope page for many varieties.
- Stock Video Game Puzzle: Solve a puzzle. See the trope page for many varieties.
Restrictions:
- 100% Completion: Don't miss any optional objectives.
- Challenge Run: Complete the game with optional restrictions. May be tied to an achievement, or...
- Self-Imposed Challenge: Complete the game with your own restrictions.
- Gameplay Grading: Play the game as well as possible.
- Hero Must Survive: Don't allow a specific character to be killed.
- No-Damage Run: Don't get hurt.
- No Item Use for You: Don't use your items.
- No-Gear Level: Don't use weapons or equipment.
- Speedrun: Complete objectives as quickly as possible.
- Stealth-Based Mission: Don't let enemies notice you.
- Timed Mission: Complete objectives before time runs out.
Examples:
- ANNO: Mutationem: Apart from the main objective of locating and rescuing Ryan, there are other objectives (even in side-missions) that get brought up; locating a suspect that disappeared in an elevator, bringing an object for a Fetch Quest, and protecting an ally for a duration of time from waves of enemies.
- The goal of Five Nights at Freddy's is, well, to survive for five nights at Freddy's, a Suck E. Cheese's restaurant with haunted animatronics.
- Ratchet & Clank: The mission menu depicts what's the current objective by getting to the location indicated. In Up Your Arsenal and Deadlocked, there are objectives that rely on destroying specific targets and reaching a certain area.
- Super Mario Bros. has the goal of finding and saving the princess. Except that your princess is in another castle.
- An early alpha of Don't Starve had goals such as "survive 5 days" or "collect 12 logs". These were eventually cut out because players became too dependent on them and didn't know how to actually play the game. Played straight in Adventure mode, where your goal is to complete all five levels to meet Maxwell and free him. If you do so, your previous character will become trapped and you will go back to the normal gameplay with Maxwell as your player character.
- The objective of Portal 1 is to complete all the puzzles and get the cake at the end. Except The Cake Is a Lie. Your real goal is to destroy GlaDOS and escape the facility.
- While The Sims are fairly open-ended, from TS2 onward your sims will have lifetime goals or aspirations that you get in-game rewards for completing. Players can also set their own goals, such as having 100 babies or collecting every mineral in the game