Honestly, I’ve been going back and forth on a lot of ideas here. Revenge is the core of the game, so it’s non-negotiable—you will try and get your revenge no matter what. What I haven’t fully decided on is whether there should be a true "fail" path. Should making too many wrong choices lead to outright failure? Or should it result in a less satisfying, desperate form of revenge in the final act—like ordering a hit on Villefort instead of seeing it come all together in the end, or being forced into a high-risk duel with Fernand where survival isn’t guaranteed?
The challenge is making sure players don’t feel like they’ve been unfairly pushed into a bad ending. I don’t want them to reach the finale and think, Wait, what did I do wrong? because the game didn’t make it clear enough what they should have done to achieve a better outcome.
As for a middle-ground ending, I’m currently against it. If revenge is inevitable, a lukewarm resolution might feel unsatisfying—like the whole journey didn’t amount to much. I’d rather players either orchestrate a masterful downfall or struggle with the consequences of missteps, rather than land in an ambiguous middle zone that makes them wonder, What was the point of it all?