What are the best games with good story?
If you’re reading this list, perhaps you’ve grown tired of the endless fetch quests or shallow death matches that are so prevalent in mainstream games.
Maybe you want more than a paper-thin plot, or are craving an adventure that you can shape as your own. If you’re on the hunt for a good story, look no further.
These games have plots so immersive and intense, you’ll almost forget that you’re playing a video game.
11. Oxenfree
Oxenfree Launch Trailer
Oxenfree is a beautifully-presented story game that relies on dialogue choices you make in real time as opposed to traditional cutscenes. You and your friends decide to visit an old military island for a slumber party. However, it doesn’t take long for an innocent conversation around the campfire to steer in a very dark direction.
By using a radio system to communicate with the other members of the group, you must close the paranormal gate that was somehow opened on the night of the party. If you ever want to go home again, you must solve the island’s mysteries that have been haunting others for decades.
You don’t get any free passes for being a jerk in Oxenfree. Every dialogue option and decision you make affects your surroundings, from what the group thinks of you to how close you are to solving the mystery.
With an all-star cast (featuring voices from Telltale’s The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, Borderlands, and Tomb Raider), this supernatural hit doesn’t disappoint.
10. Unavowed
Unavowed Dev Blog #1
Many story-based games sell you the ‘illusion’ of choice on a silver platter (one particular zombie game comes to mind). Everything just branches back to the same outcome regardless of your decisions, which makes it all feel meaningless. While Unavowed isn’t completely devoid of that formula, it hands you a new platter that is original, fresh, and funner to sink your teeth into. (We’re talking about the game, of course. Not the dinnerware.)
Choose whether you want to be a bartender, actor, or cop. It all sounds normal enough, until you encounter a group of supernatural investigators. You’ll meet four different companions that accompany you on your journey, and the bonds you form and the choices you make is what deems Unavowed a must-play title.
With three playable origin stories and a choice between a male or female protagonist, Unavowed is a game that you can undoubtedly make your own.
It may be a point-and-click adventure, but Unavowed has enough depth and complexity to rival AAA games in the big leagues.
9. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy Trailer
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is a visual novel that both crime-solving lovers and anime enthusiasts will enjoy. You play as Phoenix Wright, a rookie defense attorney who tries to prove his clients innocent.
With enough zaniness and facial expressions to make any shonen fan feel at home, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is both dramatically quirky and a blast to play. Gather your evidence, cross-examine witnesses, and defend the prime suspects. Prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your client is innocent, and reap the rewards.
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney was originally released for the Nintendo DS, but has since been remastered (along with the other two games in the trilogy) for modern consoles. Now, you can experience the courtroom’s wacky antics all over again, but this time in HD.
In between trials, you gather information by talking to police, witnesses, and clients. Back in the courtroom, use the evidence you’ve gathered to turn the tide in your favor.
8. L.A. Noire
L.A. Noire - The Technology Behind Performance
Are you a good liar? Can you tell if someone else is lying? Fear not, you’ll now have the chance to find out. In L.A. Noire, you play as Detective Cole Phelps, a detective (obviously) in 1940s Los Angeles. Donned with a very realistic and slightly creepy motion capturing system, you’ll see every frown, scowl, and smirk that the suspects throw your way.
You’ll progress through the stages of police bureaus (traffic, homicide, vice, and arson), all while interviewing victims and partaking in shootouts. After finishing L.A. Noire, no white lie will be able to slip past you. You’ll even be able to deduce who really ate the last piece of cake.
L.A. Noire has a remarkable celebrity cast. The game’s protagonist, Cole, is best known for playing Ken Cosgrove on Mad Men. Other featured faces in L.A. Noire are from The Dark Knight, Fringe, Dexter, and CSI: Miami.
The ‘doubt’ dialogue option may have been memed to death, but the interrogations in L.A. Noire are stellar. Choosing whether a suspect is lying or telling the truth is a challenge, but a fun one.
7. RESIDENT EVIL 2 Remake
RESIDENT EVIL 2 REMAKE - Story Trailer
If you’ve ever played old-school Resident Evil, you probably still can’t hear the word ‘ink ribbon’ without having flashbacks of Jill Valentine or Leon Kennedy dying right before you save (and subsequently losing hours of progress). Well, get ready to rage quit again, because Resident Evil 2 got a shiny new look and is back to further fuel your hatred for typewriters.
In case you’re wondering, this isn’t a remaster. The game has been rebuilt from the ground up, and swaps the clunky tank controls of the original for a slick, over-the-shoulder presentation. Control Claire and Leon in HD as you scour the compromised Raccoon City Police Department, trying to survive the horrors that lurk within.
There are two separate campaigns to choose from, so you can experience the story from both Claire and Leon’s perspectives.
The sleek presentation and stunning graphical overhaul makes shooting Tyrants and zombies bloodier than ever before. Good luck getting a good night’s sleep after playing this.
6. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Kingdom Come: Deliverance - Royal Edition Trailer
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is for the people who think dragons and trolls are so 2011, and would prefer a hefty dose of realism with their RPGs. Set in Europe’s Bohemia, the Holy Roman Empire has fallen into a state of corruption after the late emperor’s death.
You play as Henry, a blacksmith’s son. When your village is burned down by the powers that be, you embark on a quest for vengeance. Like most open-world RPGs, your fighting style and the perks you choose are entirely up to you.
Through meaningful choices, hard-hitting quests, and freedom to shape your character, Kingdom Come: Deliverance invokes so much realism that you’ll forget it isn’t The History Channel.
Use your oozing charm or your chilling intimidation skills to get a leg up on the world around you. Sure, you can use diplomacy to get your way, or you can just knock everybody’s heads together and be the baddie of Bohemia. Up to you.
5. Yakuza 0
Yakuza 0 Trailer
If you’re an anime fan, you know all about the tireless argument between subs and dubs. Some prefer one, some hate the other. In Yakuza 0, this argument doesn’t exist — the game is entirely voiced in Japanese with no English dub in sight, which is a refreshing feature for a game that’s sold in the West.
Yakuza 0 is a prequel to the other games in the series, and is about a man (Kazuma Kiryu) who finds himself in a whole lot of trouble when his debt collection deal goes south. You also play as Gora Majima, a proprietor of a cabaret club, and you switch off between the two protagonists as you brawl your way through Osaka and Tokyo. Fueled with an array of side quests and minigames in this dazzling open-world setting, Yakuza 0 is a game that you won’t want to put down.
While it may fool you at first glance, Yakuza 0 isn’t a GTA clone. It places a heavy emphasis on close-quarters combat, and there is no driving to be found. The point is, it’s a game that holds its own without trying to be something it’s not.
Yakuza wouldn’t be a true open world game if it didn’t have an absurd amount of random activities to partake in. You can play at a SEGA arcade, dance at a disco club, or help a confused dominatrix master her profession. No, I’m not joking.
4. Unheard
Unheard - Official Trailer
Unheard is a game that renders you theoretically blind, with only audio snippets to help you link together a string of past crimes. However, if you think all it’ll take to deduct the mystery is by listening to people’s voices, you couldn’t be more wrong.
You’ll piece together names, objects, and dates by deciphering code words and nicknames. Some of the audio is crystal-clear, but others are muffled obscurities, filled with background noise and multiple speakers. Put on your best pair of headphones, and listen up.
You’re unraveling the mystery through audio files, meaning there are no hidden cameras to identify the suspects for you. Every name, voice, and sound you hear is important.
Unheard doesn’t spoon-feed you or hold your hand. You must gather the clues and information in its time-loop environment, which can play out very differently depending on what actions you take first.
3. Mad Max
Mad Max Gameplay Overview
Yes, Mad Max is set in the same universe as Mad Max: Fury Road, the movie that basically broke the internet when it was released in 2015. While the game may lack Charlize Theron, it makes up for it through extensive vehicle customization, open-world insanity, and an action-filled plot that doesn’t miss any beats.
Accompanied by your trusty dog and a quirky fellow named Chumbucket, customizing vehicles and getting trapped in sandstorms has never been so fun.
If you’re a fan of the Arkham style combat, Mad Max is like a bloodier, wasteland version of it. Not only does it incorporate good old fashioned brawling, but it also provides the option of using weapons and explosives.
The vehicle you drive for a hefty portion of the game is called your Magnum Opus. With a little bit of upgrading, you can turn it into a lean, mean, driving machine. After all, killing your enemies is much more entertaining when done in style.
2. Mafia II
Behind the Scenes: The World of Mafia II
Mafia II is like Grand Theft Auto’s wiser and more sophisticated older brother. By that, I mean it’s more serious, less hooker-obsessed, and has a deeper story to tell. You begin your journey as Vito Scaletta, an injured soldier who returns home to a family — one that owes a lot of money to some serious sharks.
Wanting to give your mother and sister a better life, you take up illegal jobs to help mitigate their debt. However, it doesn’t take long before you’re in with the big fish, and there’s nowhere else to swim but down. Mafia II combines action-packed fun with a beautiful story, and that makes it one that you won’t want to miss.
After the game’s opening chapter, you begin your journey in Empire Bay. It’s Christmastime, and Dean Martin’s Let It Snow is playing on the car radio. Throughout Mafia II, you’ll often hear hit songs of that era playing on stereos and in buildings. Nothing says the 50s like The Ames Brothers.
Mafia II’s story spans over a decade. You begin by reliving Vito’s memories of WWII in the 40s, all the way up until he overthrows the king pins in the 50s. Along the way, he experiences the ups and downs of love, loss, failure, and triumph.
1. A Plague Tale: Innocence
A Plague Tale: Innocence - Uncut Gameplay Trailer
We’ve seen them all before: gorgeous story-based games with gameplay so dull, it feels like a tech demo rather than a full-fledged title. Fortunately, A Plague Tale: Innocence is a technical marvel that excels in both its presentation and its execution.
The year is 1349, and France is succumbing to a brutal and devastating plague. You play as Amicia, a young girl trying to get her little brother to safety. Once you escape the clutches of Inquisition soldiers, you must traverse the countryside, all while surviving the horrors that threaten to kill you.
The birds pictured above may look rather menacing, but that’s nothing compared to the rats in A Plague Tale. Only light will scare them away, so darkness is something you must avoid to stay alive.
The relentless Inquisition soldiers are after the De Rune children, and neither you or your brother are strong enough to defeat them. You must use stealth and a cunning mind to avoid being captured.
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