Among the several motives we have for playing video games, experiencing the storyline of a game remains the most peculiar, especially for individuals who are not well-versed in the genre. It goes without saying that the assumption that video games cannot or do not deliver engaging stories is out of date and is gradually losing traction with the general public. However, there are moments when it seems like more people are realising that there are innumerable video game stories that are already unquestionably excellent, rather than the fact that video game stories may be great.
Great video game stories have been around almost as long as video games themselves, and chances are, if you’re reading this, you already know this. However, there are moments when it seems important to take a moment to reflect on the varied, significant, and, for the most part, original tales that gaming has given us over the years.
That’s essentially what this list is.
15. Grim Fandango
Tim Schaefer came up with the brilliant idea for Grim Fandango. Thanks to clever, hilarious writing and voice acting, as well as famous character designs that still look fantastic, this Maltese Falcon-style noir, which is set in the Aztec perspective of the afterlife, is full with endearing characters that defy the clichés of the genre.
Like any good noir, Manny Calavera and lovable lug Glottis’ four-year journey to save the pure-hearted Meche is riddled with dishonesty and duplicity. However, the game’s comedic content, four-act format, and inventive references to noir and Day of the Dead imagery distinguish it as one of the most innovative and cherished adventure game narratives ever. – BB
14. BioShock
Much praise should be given to Bioshock for its exquisitely designed universe, which will force you to consider the foolishness of utopianism and selfishness. However, the three words that most people associate with the game are “Would you kindly?”
With just one sentence, Bioshock is ranked among the best video game narratives ever. The best part is that you don’t really give it much thought at first because it’s dropped so sparsely and lightly. It’s basically an old-fashioned phrase that works well with the ’60s vibe of the game. However, when you eventually face up against Andrew Ryan, the primary antagonist of the game, you discover that the majority of the game was actually controlled by a hypnotic trigger rather than simple world-building. It’s that flawless, mind-bending turn that, although actually unexpected at the time, redefines an already amazing adventure. – CF
13. Fallout: New Vegas
In role-playing games, you are frequently the most significant character, and the games take great care to remind you of this. Prophecies, chosen ones—a host of genre clichés exist to serve as a constant reminder of your uniqueness. New Vegas, however, blatantly rejects that cliché. It makes a point of telling you that you’re not that unique or significant. It is up to you what you do in a world that obviously doesn’t care about chaos.
However, compared to other RPGs, New Vegas makes you feel far more significant by utilising that concept. Every decision you make affects you in some way as you are the only one who can determine your fate. You start navigating a complicated web of consequences when you construct your character, who has been shot in the head and is presumed dead. Every decision you make could have amazing and unexpected consequences. The fact that each of those decisions is not only deftly carried out but consistently seems to be the only one that matters is a testament to New Vegas’ literary prowess. – MB
12. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream
The video game adaption of I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream was inspired by the extremely fascinating sci-fi dystopian epic “I think, therefore I AM” by Harlan Ellison. The story explores trauma and the human spirit’s resilience in the most horrible and depraved manner.
However, the creators of Cyberdreams and The Dreamers Guild elevated the content to new levels by drawing players into the characters’ anguish and assisting them through each of their trials, which are all handled by the vengeful supercomputer AM. This adventure game, which is almost thirty years old, is nevertheless a brilliant illustration of how video games can improve and elevate narrative in ways that other media just cannot. – BB
11. Red Dead Redemption
Is it possible for a man to completely turn from his violent background and alter his ways? Although it’s a complex subject for an essentially fun open-world game, Red Dead Redemption handles it just as well as the best Old West novel or film.
Before federal officials force retired outlaw John Marston to return to his former way of life in order to hunt down his former gang members, he just wants to live in peace with his wife and son. Red Dead Redemption is a vastly different game with a greater plot than any Grand Theft Auto game, despite being mocked at first for being like “Grand Theft Auto with horses” because both games have large worlds and the same developer. This historical drama is about freedom being taken away, development moving forward unavoidably, and redemption—or the absence of it—at the end. – CF
10. Shadow of the Colossus
Shadow of the Colossus provides the bare minimum of narrative structure with only a few cutscenes. A mystic leading a group of warriors pursues after the young man, imprisoned by a god, begs the god to save a dead girl. Shadow of the Colossus employs ambient narrative to create something larger than life even in the absence of overt storytelling components.
Ruins abound in the Forbidden Lands, suggesting a vanished civilization. Dormin’s demands to eliminate the colossi raise unanswered problems. Our narrator asks us to consider whether he is truly the hero in this situation as he recite frightening warnings. Its same wordless connections to the previous game ICO are the only important aspect. In the end, every player arrives at their own interpretation of these occurrences. Its quietness is amazing. – MD
9. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Open-world games are renowned for having rich, intricate material. A game’s universe can have more side missions and narratives the larger it is. You won’t find many games with more story substance per square inch than The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.
The Witcher 3 follows Geralt, a player-controlled character, as he looks for Ciri, his adopted daughter. This main narrative is simple, but it’s well-written and has a lot of interesting characters. The fact that players may make a tonne of decisions during the game, which alters the plot in a variety of surprising ways, makes it extremely replayable.
But The Witcher 3’s side stuff is really its secret sauce. Numerous side missions and narratives that go further into the game world are abundant throughout the game, and many of these short stories are on par with or better than the main plot. This narrative achievement establishes a nearly unachievable benchmark for games of this kind. AG
8. God of War (2018)
The action scenes in the God of War video games have always been more well-known than the narratives. Their stories were never in line with the gameplay, which is not to imply that they were awful. That was altered by the soft reset.
In the 2018 film God of War, Kratos carries out his dying wish to scatter his wife’s ashes from the top of the highest mountain. Atreus’s presence and the more pronounced emotional distance between the father and son hinder the journey. The narrative swiftly turns into an engrossing road trip narrative in which Kratos must come to terms with his past and a future in which he will no longer be around to mentor Atreus, in addition to forging a bond with him.
God of War (2018) provides a compelling story on its own, but because they are familiar with Kratos’ past, God of War veterans will gain more from it. It’s a very amazing reinterpretation of the franchise’s mythology that feels like AG is both the obvious star and a part of the total.
7. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a fantastic Star Wars story for a multitude of reasons. The game seems very much on-brand because of the sympathetic and gritty characters, including the morally dubious Jolee Bindo and the inwardly conflicted Bastila Shan, and because of the Ebon Hawk’s ability to traverse the cosmos. In every manner that we usually consider and evaluate Star Wars stories, this one is as amazing as they come.
Though, let’s face it, not all of the iconic Star Wars aspects are present. The earth-shattering plot twist that fundamentally changes the story’s DNA is what sets this particular space opera apart from the others. It’s not just one of the greatest turns in gaming history, but also one of the greatest surprises in the history of the Star Wars franchise, and it’s the primary reason why fans still think highly of BioWare’s contemporary classic. – BB
6. Portal 2
Portal 2 is a master class in applying intricate storytelling to even the most basic ideas. By the conclusion of the first Portal, the renegade AI GLaDOS had already become a beloved figure. However, in the sequel, she was elevated to the status of an unusual ally in the shape of a potato, while Wheatley’s incapacity made him an even more formidable foe.
And how could one overlook J.K. Simmons’ flawless vocal rendition of Cave Johnson, CEO of Aperture? His speech regarding lemons is among the best ever written for a video game, even if it provides a tonne of background on the events leading up to Portal. This is one of those rare games where you will laugh till the very end, but even after the laughter stop, you’ll be left thinking about the surprising emotional beats and clues of a greater mythos. – CF
5. Planescape: Torment
While morality systems are included in many games, they often only have an impact on the experience’s surface elements (such character abilities or possible allies). But Planescape: Torment employs more than just a code of morality. It revolves around the question, “What can change a man’s nature?,” which serves as the main plot point.”
The Nameless One, an amnesiac who awakens in a mortuary, is the main character of Planescape: Torment. Though the cliché of an amnesiac protagonist is overdone, the Nameless One’s amnesia is ingrained in who he is and why he was mistaken for a corpse. He is an empty vessel that players can shape, surrounded by endearing and clever people who evolve alongside him.
Planescape: Torment is fundamentally a mystery. Who had been the Nameless One before? Can you rely on those who are close to him? Can the Nameless One even be trusted? Every new turn in the plot resolves some of the old issues it raises others, and some even cause you to doubt the veracity of earlier discoveries. Planescape: Torment’s enormous scale and worldbuilding only serve to highlight the story, leaving players wanting more and second-guessing every choice they make. – AG
4. Disco Elysium
Visit Revachol if you suffer from mental disease or debilitating alcoholism! Remain for its Rorschach-style approach to introspection, wherein each choice you make as the player can ultimately reveal more about you than the ill-fated investigator you’re portraying!
To divert our attention from its incisive observation, Disco Elysium gives its made-up society whimsical eccentricities, belying its cheeky awareness of the real world we inhabit. Until we realise we’re completely engrossed in the story, that is.
The odd choice of our protagonist, a police officer, to centre a narrative on one man’s praxis in a society overrun by radicals of all stripes is fitting. Regardless of how we understand his character, he has work to do, and it involves much more than a lynching behind a union bar. As we converse with opportunistic allies and capitalist cronies, we are presented with a wealth of ideas to consider. Even if the plot is linear, there are several interesting ways to go forward, which makes it a story we’ll enjoy retelling for a long time. – MD
3. Silent Hill 2
The notion that people “enjoy being scared” always surfaces when the topic of why people enjoy horror films so much is brought up. Although there is undoubtedly some truth to that, it seems that the people making that claim are referring to funhouse scares. Things that make a “boo!” soundand provide us with a brief rush. Deeper, darker, more psychological types of horror nevertheless use the same concept; it’s just that how that concept is interpreted varies. What if our true desire is for some sort of punishment and not so much for the sensation of fear?
That is only one of the numerous themes that Silent Hill 2 explores. You, as Harry Mason, must pursue a letter from your wife—who appears to be dead—into the heart of Silent Hill. You will encounter a genuinely exquisite fusion of static and dynamic story ideas there.
Henry Mason is not left with no options in Silent Hill 2. He is unique in his personality, background, and fears. Indeed, we see those anxieties come to life as different monsters and other creatures prowl throughout the town. But the story of Silent Hill 2 is very much our own. Most players won’t even be aware of it while playing because the tale subtly changes depending on how they choose to play. Suicidal thoughts, repressed sexual desires, a wish to go back in time—it’s so hard to figure out what ties Harry Mason to the player that some people would find greater comfort in letting go of the idea that the bond is too powerful to be broken. – MB
2. Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is a very simple story about time travel and planet preservation at its core, yet it is written so brilliantly that it has left a lasting impression on the gaming community and has become a classic.
The eras you travel through in the game, which span from the prehistoric and mediaeval to the distant future and, at the very end of the planet, are part of what makes it so magical. We get to know and adore Chrono Trigger’s amazing ensemble of characters through it all. A tragic hero like Frog exists, and there’s also the entirely optional Magus redemption storyline.
The entire affair culminates in one of 13 possible endings, which is a remarkable achievement considering the period that hasn’t lost much of its influence over time. Whichever conclusion you choose, the narrative seems to have reached a gratifying point. A game with this much optional material that is also so masterfully written and cohesively put together is really uncommon. And that’s actually Chrono Trigger’s greatest creative achievement. It manages to stay extremely well-paced and concentrated despite its high-minded narrative objectives, producing a masterpiece of a story that justifiably stands the test of time. – CF
1. The Last of Us: Part 1
The fact that the strongest scenes from the wildly successful HBO TV adaptation were taken verbatim, shot for shot, from the game itself is the biggest testament to the brilliance of The Last of Us’ narrative. It’s amazing that, ten years after its initial release, a 2013 video game tale has been shown to be on par with, if not superior to, any high-profile drama on television or the big screen.
Neil Druckmann and the Naughty Dog crew created a classic lone wolf and cub story that eloquently tackles the most macabre yet realistic elements of human nature, and their work has been the driving force behind the success of the entire franchise. The most multifaceted, psychologically nuanced, and fully realised video game protagonists to date are Joel and Ellie. We get to know them and their worst fears so well as their connection grows throughout their journey towards “the light” that, although we are startled by the game’s tragic conclusion, we also understand exactly where they are coming from.
The Last of Us’ story will be difficult for any game to surpass, but what’s fascinating is that it has raised the standard for the genre and will continue to have an impact on and inspire future developments in game storytelling. – Bof the narrative.