Summary
Video games are a unique medium that must find a balance between interaction and narrative. Over the last couple of decades, stories in gaming have evolved to match the complexity and nuance of films and literature.
There are many ways to create an enriched story. Some stories are strong due to their plots, others because of their character development, and some excel in their themes. Both triple-A and indie games have the means to tell a captivating story. Traditionally, JRPGs were most associated with quality storytelling, but now many genres tell memorable tales, reflecting this diversity. These are the most story-rich games available on PC.
In 2018, Sony brought back a beloved hack’n’slash series with the launch of God of War. God of War takes place within the mythological Nordic world. The story of the game never slows down, as it is woven in with the gameplay, giving God of War’s narrative immaculate pacing.
God of War delves into the delicate side of Kratos. You resonate with the father and son dynamic that grows throughout the game. Kratos, typically a character associated with one-dimensional violent vengeance, becomes a father figure with complex relationships with his son and other nuancedNordic deities.
9Lisa: The Painful
Lisa: The Painful is an Earthbound-like RPG that was fully developed by one person, Austin Jorgensen. The game is filled with vulgar jokes and brutal imagery, but it focuses on telling a tale about a narcissist who is oblivious to the fact that he is not a real hero.
The themes are an edge that Lisa: The Painful has over most games. The writing is brave, avoiding the common video game pitfall of over-explaining every detail. Lisa: The Painful doesn’t hold your hand; it attacks your emotions and leaves interpretations up to you.
The Walking Dead takes place in the same universe as the comic book, The Walking Dead. You follow the story of Lee, who is looking after a young girl named Clementine. Throughout the story, you build a crew of survivors and are forced to make difficult decisions to survive in this zombie-infested world.
The character development of Clementine is what makes The Walking Dead feel authentic. You develop a strong attachment to protecting this girl, and you begin to prioritize her in your decision-making due to this attachment.
Final Fantasy 7 is possibly the most impactful JRPG of all time. While Final Fantasy 7 is being remade with the Remake trilogy, the original plot is still unique and brilliant.
Final Fantasy 7 is most known for having one of the biggest plot twists in gaming history via a prominent character death. However, this game also tells a distinct story revolving around an identity crisis. The game follows the protagonist, Cloud Strife, who doesn’t see himself as anything more than a foot soldier, fighting against ex-war hero Sephiroth, who has deluded himself into thinking he is a deity.
A truly massive open world, Red Dead Redemption 2, takes place in the American Wild West. The world is so chock-full of detail that exploring random crevices provides nuggets of information about the protagonist, supporting character, and lore. These seemingly minor details often unfold into thrilling revelations that enrich the overall narrative.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the finest character studies in all gaming. Arthur Morgan, the protagonist, is a fully realized three-dimensional character, who is supported by a rich cast of dynamic supporting characters. Red Dead Redemption 2’s epic unfolds the layers of depth in Arthur Morgan, as well as offers brilliant social commentary on the downfall of the Wild West.
Undertale is a cute-looking RPG that packs a deceptive amount of depth. Similar to Earthbound, it has dialogue and themes that delve deeper than its seemingly childish aesthetics. Undertale employs the use of meta-humor, often breaking the fourth wall to strengthen its plot elements.
Undertale is a deconstruction of how heroes are often violent. Your choice of whether you fight your enemies as a typical RPG protagonist would oruse pacifism to solve conflictsdetermines the ending you receive.
Persona 3 was Atlus' breakout game in the West, anchoring its steady stream of quality RPGs in the American market. Persona 3 merges JRPG elements with dating simulator tropes. Your character develops their strength by forging friendships with NPCs called social links. The more you develop your social link, the more powerful you become as you discover more about theNPC’s story.
Persona 3 is arguably the darkest game in the series. Many of the plot points are commentaries on death and how to deal with impending doom.
Few games are as rich with story branches as Disco Elysium. This is an RPG that focuses almost exclusively on choices, and there are countless ways to develop the story. Nearly every decision you make in Disco Elysium changes something about how you investigate and interact with the world.
Disco Elysium explores the mysterious background of the main character, a detective who has ruined his life. Disco Elysium deals with loss, toxicity, and self-deception. Disco Elysium has little combat; the game’s progress is made by how you interact with other characters.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is the sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order, which covers the life of Jedi Padawan, Cal Kestis, as he is trying to survive in the hostile Galactic Empire. Cal Kestis is hunted down by Imperial Inquisitors, which forces the young Padawan to rapidly grow into an adult.
Jedi: Survivor introduces many conflicts and motives that intertwine with each other. While Jedi: Survivor seems like an external conflict on the surface, the thrilling voice acting and pacing unravels the thrilling internal conflict that Cal Kestis is going through as he is trying to balance being a good person with his survival.
1Steins; Gate
Steins; Gate is a visual novel that covers the story of high school students who accidentally discover time travel after jokingly pretending to be scientists. Through their invention of time travel, they discover a dystopian future and want to figure out how to stop it.
Like many visual novels, the story focuses on how the protagonist interacts with a stable of key characters. Many of these characters have tragic backgrounds that you’re able to fix with time travel but at the expense of other characters, giving you a constant stream of traumatic choices.
