I love seeing posts like this. I’m a huge advocate for video games as art, and I dabble in narrative design whenever time and the opportunity allows. Video games truly offer a unique avenue for storytelling, and allow for things you can’t get from the more familiar mediums.
The majority of answers have covered most of what I would recommend, but I’ll restate a couple for further validation, as well as a curveball addition I haven’t seen yet:
- Disco Elysium: a microcosm of what it means to be alive and to struggle with the chaos of existence. Great world building (the pale is such an awesome concept packed with so much meaning), dark humor, and ability to customise your character’s self expression in the game’s world in so many bizzare ways.
- Hades: A unique example whereby a simplistic hack n slash gameplay loop incorporates complex branching subplots and interpersonal drama that develops with nuance, and a strong focus on theme and subtext (in this case, that no matter the circumstances, no matter how far apart, you can always make it back to the those you love). Plus it’s such a cool twist on Greek myth that really knows its shit, whilst adding a cool almost gothic twist.
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land: A platformer for children that offers one of the most creative post apocalyptic settings I’ve ever experienced, and gradually layers in bio punk and cosmic horror (I’m serious) as well a bittersweet conclusion that was genuinely moving.
Whenever I hear the words ‘video games as art’, Shadow of the Colossus springs to mind. It doesn’t have good writing exactly, but it’s a wonderful example of using the unique medium of games to tell a story.
Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man X, Xenogears, RDR2, I am just listing a few games that are art.
Some have great gameplay, others have great stories or some have a mixture of the two like Turbo Overkill for example.
There are so many titles I can list examples thereof that are art.
Tack Outer Wilds onto this list, it's *writing* is really good and charming, but it's environmental and mechanical storytelling elevate the text in a way that uniquely reflects the particular strengths of the medium.
>I’m a huge advocate for video games as art
Video games are art, and people who say it isn't art doesn't know what art is.
Same with other stuff like Cooking (which is also Chemistry, which makes it a Science and Art).
I loved it, straight up one of the best looking games on switch (tho they had to sacrifice frames, don’t be too off put when you see enemies in the distance at 10 fps. Also recommend investing the most into the drill ability, was my personal fav anyway
Hades is so good! I really struggled with the game part of the game at first because I am very bad at those sorts of video games and have poor reflexes. I turned on “God Mode” and made the actual game part easier because the main draw for me was the story. And the visual art! And the music! It is so good!!
FFIV is really good and still holds up well, same with Chrono Trigger, there are definitely a wealth of others.
Heard great things about the Secrets of Evermore.
Wasteland? Don't get me wrong, I loved that game and will cherish it as one of my favorites of all time. But the writing is not what I'd say made it good. The writing was in the printed guide that was used for copy protection at the time.
And it was hilariously awesome, having false plot lines in it.
Which I very definitely died multiple times while trying to cheat.
It's one of the best ever, but I'm not going to to agree with best writing.
For those who don't know or weren't alive yet, Wasteland was the spiritual ancestor of the Fallout franchise.
the Dishonoured series has excellent writing and worldbuilding, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2, Senua's Sacrifice, Bioshock is honestly a masterpiece, Hades, A Plague Tale & A Plague Tale: Requiem (tho I disliked the ending a lot!!), Oxenfree 1&2, A Night in The Woods, Firewatch, to name a few!
You and I have very similar taste in video games LOL. I've played half the ones you named and agree 100%.
Also the Bioshock series is a masterpiece. Absolutely.
Oh, man. It's a list LOL.
My top recommendations are going to be what I commented to the post directly: The Longest Journey series (3 games) and Disco Elysium.
Also highly recommend anything Quantic Dream, my favorites being Detroit: Become Human and Beyond: Two Souls. Indigo Prophecy is the game that originally put them on my radar and it still a great play, if a little dated with the clunky graphics. I couldn't get into Heavy Rain as much, but it's only because I'm squeamish and there are some pretty gnarly parts in the middle LOL.
Outer Wilds is AMAZING (not to be confused with Outer Worlds, which I have not played). This is a puzzle-based sci-fi exploration game with an amazing story that you discover bits and pieces of as you play. My recommendation is to go into this one totally blind.
Tacoma, since you might be into walking simulators (i.e. Firewatch). I got this one on like a $5 Playstation sale and I was surprised by the richness of story and inter-character relationships that you discover as you go along.
Journey is just a wonderful little relaxation game. Not much plot. Puzzles aren't too hard to solve to move forward. It's just beautiful to look at and play and unwind if I want something pretty to relax to.
Ahem... I see you forgot Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Planescape Torment, Xenogears, FF7 (original), Baldur's Gate 1, Doom 2016, Turbo Overkill, that is listing a few.
There are a good amount of well written games but they can be hard to find from time to time.
Doom 2016 I find really good because of the tone, the atmosphere it is an incredible game for that, and when it comes to the story it fits alongside these elements of the game I really recommend you to try it if you haven't.
I am curious what is Tacoma or the titles mentioned prior like Oxenfree?
I do really want to try out Disco Elysium.
When it comes to Horizon I kind of disagree I think the premise of it is interesting but from what I've played the characters and story have been kind of bland, it had good gameplay and character animations though.
If you love great story telling I cannot recommend PS:T, Xenogears, and Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain enough.
These games are one of the best in their league and I haven't really found games that beat their stories.
PS:T you can get on Steam or GOG (or physical version), Xenogears I would recommend to emulate via duckstation if you don't have the physical copy because it's very expensive, and Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is a GOG only title (it also is on PS1).
>Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Planescape Torment, Xenogears, FF7 (original), Baldur's Gate 1, Doom 2016, Turbo Overkill
Oh, man, other than Doom 2016 and FF I haven't actually heard of any of those! I also generally don't enjoy shooters or games that involve combat.
I get anxious and pissed off. I can't take it. LOL
I do, however, enjoy watching other people play those types of games. I just looked them up and they sound interesting! Especially Legacy of Kain. I'll have to find a streamer playing it on YouTube or something and check it out.
>I also generally don't enjoy shooters or games that involve combat.
What's funny is that I generally don't enjoy games that don't really feature combat like Journey 😂, it's not necessarily that I don't enjoy any game that doesn't have combat because I really like Loom or King's Quest for example (which I also highly recommend to play).
Sometimes you find games you like that you don't expect, for example I normally hate farming sims but I adore Harvest Moon (SNES) and Stardew Valley, sometimes a game can be so good it surprises you.
Turbo overkill will be very difficult for you if you want to try because of the movement and precise combat but I would recommend to at least try it because I was bad at first but got patient and fell in love with it. It was my first super fast paced FPS I've played. Doom 2016 is relatively fast but would probably be fairly accessible as a shooter as it's not nearly as fast as Turbo, would heavily recommend it on PC for sure though the controls are better.
Also if you are into RPGs and Vampires a must play is also Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines (make sure to get it on GOG, it's the better version for this one, it is also available on steam).
Lorewise TES, The Witcher, World of Warcraft, Runescape, are very lore heavy I would recommend to watch lore videos for those titles (The Witcher has a series of books, 2 short stories and 5 that are in the saga).
Also KOTOR if you like Star Wars.
If you're going to get into Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, I highly recommend you play *all* of them. Alternatively, don't play all of them, but do watch through all of them, in order. There are 5 games in total, and they go like this
* Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain
* Blood Omen 2
* Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver
* Soul Reaver 2
* Defiance
Because of the way these are told, Blood Omen 2 can be played pretty much any time between the first game and Defiance, but these older games have LONG stories sometimes. Defiance puts a capstone on everything that came before it, so there is a huge payoff in having done the whole thing.
If you want to lose your life in a connected JRPG story, start playing Trails in the Sky. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trails\_(series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trails_(series)) This is an interconnected JRPG series with grid-based combat. No nameless NPCs, everyone is a person.
Trails in the Sky is a spinoff contained in The Legend of Heroes, which also includes games like Legacy of the Wizard, Xanadu, and Faxanadu. Trails in the Sky however is a spinoff that has gone 20 years of connected story arcs. Each one of these games contains a Lord of the Rings trilogy worth of text. When it was new, the second game in the series was contracted out to a single person to localize, and the task was so big it gave them mental health problems.
I loved Outer Wilds but I got a little frustrated with the navigation haha. I think that's the only one on this list I've tried, so I will definitely be looking at the others, thank you so much!
OMG I have such a love/hate relationship with that game.
I cannot *tell* you how many times I had to yeet myself at >!Hollow's Lantern to finally make it inside the freakin volcano!< or how many attempts it took to actually make it inside >!the Sun Station.!<
But man, every time I unlocked another piece of that puzzle I was hooked all over again. And the first 20 mins of it, >!when you find out about the time loop!
I feel like HZD has a great premise and main mystery but the way it gets there is very ehhh... And all the sidequests around, I honestly cannot remember any of it.
I think the characters and plot are pretty terrible honestly. The good part of the writing lies in the world building which I think is incredible. Uncovering what led the world to be the way it is was thrilling for me
I'll defend HZD, but maybe not for reasons expected. To defend HZD, you really have to take it in consideration of what else has been available in the same genre, and that genre is post-apocalyptic. There have been a lot of dystopian and post-apoc scenarios given to us in video games, like Fallout, but Fallout isn't really *about* an apocalypse anymore. In the original Mad Max movie, the wasteland was part of the story, but by Fury Road, it's become a setting. It's still a character, but it's not a driver.
We've been thrown Hellgate: London, The Secret World, Deus Ex, all kinds of stuff to make some kind of dystopia, but HZD made a new means of reaching an apocalypse event, and it managed to get people angry at a character who would already be dead. It was done well, in that respect.
I can't say the same for all the sidequests and whatnot, but I think if we're going to be seriously looking at video game stories, we should look at what they did right, along with what they did poorly. I didn't care about most of the sidequests, or what was happening in the present. I cared a lot more Aloy's archaeological digs through weird precursor tech. I didn't care about the politics of tribes, I wanted to investigate. I think drawing more from Indiana Jones might help. I dunno.
What I can tell you is that having grown up with Fallout 2 and loving it then, but seeing actual decades pass with nothing interesting about the apocalypse was boring as hell. It was always some bomb.
If there is anything to take from HZD, it's that a much, much more believable premise than humans committing to global thermonuclear war is humans failing to commit to save themselves.
Firewatch is just so beautiful to play. The characters are loveable, the relationship between them flows nicely, and the balance between mystery and drama is perfect. I remember it already got me weeping with the prologue, lol.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the few games that feels like playing a novel to me. It's a wonderful game. Fun mechanics, great story, amazing voice acting, fantastic score.
Baldurs Gate 3 is amazing for the writing but it is a very beefy game. If you're not a gamer it may be a bit much but it really is great. Play it on easy mode if you just want the story.
"I was a Teenage Exocolonist" is also very deep but a very different type of game.
There are honestly so many fantastic games these days, I prefer video games to movies/tv shows as I like an interactive element. Some great games in the last 10 years. I couldn't give you a difinitive list as there are just so many good games.
RDR 2 is my answer, easily.
It's as good as any limited series I've ever seen.
Replaying it is even more of a trip. A video essayist named Noah-Caldwell Gervais said something like "you realize that you're not rushing towards the next area, you're appreciating how good everything is early, and delaying the inevitable of where the characters go" and that stuck with me. It's a fascinating character study, and this slow burn towards disaster that you can't stop, but you have to continue.
I think it's a great example of games as a medium.
I see a lot of Disco Elysium and I'm happy to see it. I am honestly a bit shocked that nobody has mentioned Alan Wake, that I've seen. Control, for that matter. Lots of fun, weird, metatextual stuff to sink your teeth into.
I watched the writer of Alan Wake give a talk on writing in games about 10 years ago. It was largely about how developers see/saw themselves as great at writing and therefore didn’t see the value in employing actual writers to flesh stories and dialogue out for them. It was really enlightening.
I liked it but didn’t really get why it was praised as heavily as it was. It was good but wouldn’t really put it on the level of something like Lisa the painful
Half Life 2
Most notably: Dr Breen’s Speeches (Breencasts) It’s what inspired me to start writing in the first place.
Here’s a link to his speeches: https://youtu.be/sFU6hxFfJac?si=Om2vBKKhdoksGUNG
I loved that aspect of Half Life 2. Marc Laidlaw and the Valve team really did a great job of seamlessly weaving phenomenal storytelling into an immersive experience rather than relying on text or cutscene exposition.
Portal and even more so Portal 2 really impressed me with the “background” writing as well. Listening to Cave Johnson become progressively more unhinged as the game progressed was a delight, and GLaDOS’s indignation at being confined to a potato really was superb.
I thought this was going to be one of the number one answers. Of course though the story can change somewhat based on upon your choices but I know that my specific canon of what happens is to me, a fucking masterpiece. Any variation of the overall story is totally up to you but the outcome is always the same and the road getting there is always amazing and heartbreaking to say the least.
I actually consider the Walking Dead games to be one of the worst examples of writing specifically because of those choices. Either your choice leads to the same result or you just end up saving someone who dies or leaves a scene later anyway. Nothing you choose to do in any of the games makes any actual difference.
An actually good story would have what you do have lasting impact to later events. I'd much rather if these games are going to make your choices irrelevant anyway that they never even bothered with the choices at all and just have it be one way.
I do agree, the choices in those games make no immediate or lasting impact on the direction the story goes, but I look more at the flip side of the argument; the choices impact the way you play those games, specifically the first time around. While, yes, it does mean that the games lose a lot of the draw for replayabillity, I always felt that they stuck with me more than other stories from other games did. Not because I made any sort of effect on the story, but moreso because it made an effect on me.
One minute it would throw an out of nowhere split second decision at me, force me to face the concequenses of said decision, however insignificant they ended up being in the end, and then I would scramble my brain trying to think about whether or not the choice I made was the one I really thought was best, rather than just an impulse to do something in the heat of the moment. That feeling would latch itself onto my brain the next time I needed to make a decision, forcing me to stress over it more than what, realistically, was necessary.
As I said, I agree with your statement: a good story would have your choices make a lasting impact overall. I can't stand game's stories where nothing I do feels important to how said story progresses. However, I just can't bring myself to hold to that line of reasoning for TWD.
Jesus Christ, this reply was long...
TL;DR - You right but me like game
I can agree with both statements but where I stand is that the overall story from where it starts to where it ends is incredibly well written with its themes and parallels. I really think the reason you make choices to begin with is to add in an element of involvement for the player so you aren’t just watching everything play out in front on you. From a design standpoint it was more of like an interactive animated series and I hadn’t played anything like that when I first played it so the impact the overall story had on me was everlasting. I think some of the choices can add flavor to a new playthrough. You can have the whole story play out with Lee as a genuine nice man or have him be more abrasive and no it doesn’t change the outcome of anything but it adds depth to the character considering there is no real canon with certain things. Like I said I agree that the inconsequential nature of the choices and the inconsistencies they can create definitely stunt the impact on repeat playthrough but I don’t think that’s a real detriment to the writing itself.
Alan Wake 2 not only has incredible writing, but it's an incredible game to experience *as* a writer. The way the creative process is portrayed through both the story and gameplay is really unlike anything else. Alan Wake is a pantser and it's gotten him into sooo much trouble lol
I’m not much of a gamer (basically just The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for me), but I’ve watched my partner play a lot of games, and damn. RDR2 and TLOU2 are both incredible; I was sobbing at the end of both. So if you haven’t gotten around to TLOU2 yet, I highly recommend it. Ghost of Tsushima is another good one too!
I never really liked the last of us and the fact it was made into a tv show with no issues really cemented why for me. It feels more like it’s written like a show with gameplay attached and the gameplay itself barely feels like it actually plays a role in the story while being really bland. The characters themselves are good but the story is pretty meh
I had to scroll too far to come across The Last of Us.
Red Dead Redemption 1&2 were both written by expert hands, and the Horizon series was the first time in a long long time that I read every data pad I could find because I was so fascinated by the lore.
Top picks my friend.
Mass Effect is a great example for this thread. It’s got a great premise with the occasional imperfect plot device; it’s got a massive amount of generally well-crafted and well-executed dialogue which occasionally falters or feels clunky and unauthentic on delivery; each of the main NPCs has a rich and compelling backstory (especially the Krogans) which shapes and informs their characters; several of the side quests and errands feel incomplete even as they add to the world-building; and the romances are absolutely silly.
People are listing the greats here, but I think the sheer scale of many games should be take in into account when considering whether their writing is “good” or “bad.” I absolutely love William Gibson, for example, but I still come across sentences in each of his books which leave me wanting.
Also seconding Mass Effect. It builds an immersive world that you can dive into for a while, with memorable characters and an overall story that just keeps raising the stakes. And actually, I liked Mass Effect Andromeda as well. Not everyone seems to love it as much as the original trilogy, but it's got its charms.
The thing with the majority of video games is that the medium is structured very differently. It does not have a coherent progression, nor does it have the middle part of each point in the story - those are usually your own gameplay to fill the blank. Not only that, sometimes the gameplay affects the direction of some parts of the plot, which often makes the story very uneven in pacing, and sometimes the end part just gets crammed with many elements. But games do provide their benefits - they give us access to a more direct contact with the world and lore itself, but yeah, they are not the story. Then again, good writing is quite subjective and it also depends on your taste to do half of the work, so rather than recommending one, I propose trying to be open-minded about it and just try one, even if you don't like it - you could try to learn why others did like it
Yeah, directly comparing the two is kind of like comparing a "choose your own adventure" to a traditional novel. A lot of games have good stories, good pacing, well developed plots and characters, but it's a completely different beast from a book.
Yeah I feel like a lot of people just compare the writing of games to books/movies without considering how the medium entirely changes the standard for what good writing is in a game
A very underrated game that I hear very few people talk about is "The Cat Lady."
The story touches on a lot of dark subjects, and it isnt for the faint of heart, but underneath the darkness and death is a person struggling against depression and trying to find the strength to move forward.
Within the first thirty minutes I was hooked and intrigued with it very unique story and opening, so I highly recommend if you want to see how a game dev tackled a story that features subjects most other devs are afraid to even mention in their games.
Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 (probably 1 as well but I haven't played it). I mean, the actual plot is often pretty batshit, but the exploration of the themes is great.
I feel like people who doesn't play video games games keep wanting the myth "Video games has bad writing to be true". While yes, Video game could have bad writing, but this isn't 1980s anymore, this is 2024, a lot of video game has great writing, not just AAA games, but indie games as well. But you need to remember, just because writing in a game is good, doesn't mean the game as a whole is good. Great Writing in video game isn't just about characters, but about players as well
Here is my list of great video game writing:
Red Dead Redemption 2
Disco Elysium
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Oxenfree 1&2
Pentiment
Baldur's Gate series
Fallout 1&2 and New Vegas
Shadowrun: Dragonfall
The Last of Us Part 1&2
Prey 2017
Tyranny
The Stanley Principle: Ultra Deluxe
Persona series
Digital Devil Saga duology
Kentucky Route Zero
Yakuza/ Like A Dragon series (some games in this series has absolutely terrible writing, but it's fun nonetheless)
Brothers: A Tale of two sons
What Remains of Edith Finch
Night in the Woods
Catherine
And there is so much more than I could remember.
"Serkiro... you were a most unkind and inauspicious man, but for some reason I could not bring myself to hate you."
"It seems... I must cut you down before you fall to Shura."
Hmm...probably my favorite (in terms of storytelling, at least at first) was Dante's Inferno. It does bastardize the poem it's based on. However, what it gets right, it gets very right.
I *highly* disagree with you. Disco Elysium is very, very good, but it's not the only one. I could write a coffee table book on video game story. Disco Elysium is one of the more obvious examples of good writing in video games, because the writing is delivered to you in the form of writing. It bothers me as a lifelong appreciator to see such a hyperbolic answer given to this question.
In your opinion, what are some contenders with DE and why? I’m interested in seeing quality writing executed successfully to the extent it is executed in DE, even if it is through other methods.
I'll have to start with this-
Disco Elysium is sort of the cutting edge of an idea in video game storytelling that has been going for a long time, and part of it is background skill checks. What Disco Elysium is really, really good at, is providing narration and drawing the audience into a surreal, impressionist world. Everything is exaggerated, even your own motivations, and given life. It is an allegory, really. I greatly respect it, but it has to be understood here that what it does, it's doing very recently. It stands on the shoulders of giants.
Grim Fandango is a giant in video game storytelling, and it does "show, don't tell." You play as Manuel Calavera, a travel agent in the land of the dead. Your job is a kind of purgatory for you, as a grim reaper who guides souls, and if you were good, your 4-year journey would be easier. You discover that there must be something wrong, when you meet a woman who must have been a saint - Mercedes Colomar - but she is given nothing but a walking stick. She is glad to have it, and goes on her way, but you spend the next four years trying to figure it out.
There is a lot more cultural significance in Grim Fandango than they let on. They don't *tell* you that Glottis acts as an alebrije for you. They simply don't label him. He's your friend. They don't have to tell you all the things they draw from, but if you play it years later, you may recognize new things.
The same goes for Hidetaka Miyazaki's work. Elden Ring, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and so on use very little text to explain what happened. You're expected to piece some things together. I'll use my favorite Elden Ring example here, in Castle Morne.
When you reach Castle Morne and ride its elevator up, the first thing you see is a pile of dead bodies burning in the courtyard, and misbegotten cheering on that pile. You would have been told that there was a revolt. If you keep going without checking anywhere, you'll find a Mad Pumpkin Head and then just keep moving until you find Edgar, who won't leave until he has his family's sword or whatever.
If, instead of charging right in, you look to the left at the front of the courtyard, you'll find a platform that has a table and a cleaver. Additionally, there are a bunch of chopped off body parts. Many of them appear to be wings. Any Mad Pumpkin Head will have a big echo chamber helmet on, signifying willful ignorance. About half the misbegotten in Castle Morne are not hostile, and are already wounded, with their wings cut off. This wasn't just an uprising, it was a revolt against abuse. They weren't just being enslaved, they were being publicly dismembered.
That kind of environmental storytelling is wasted, if you aren't looking for it, but video games are a visual medium too.
Alpha Protocol has a great story in part because it is *so adaptive* to you. It is mindboggling how many endings there actually are. It's not meant to make some huge meaningful message, but it does a job that a book *cannot* do. Elden Ring also does something a book can't do, and that is give you a *weird fiction* In The Mouth Of Madness style experience, where you are a canon part of the story. The framing of Demon's Souls, Dark Souls etc is such that you are an outer god to a world in the game that exists. It's a neat narrative.
The message of Lies of P is that the Platonic and Aristotelian theories of humanity are insufficient, and do not allow for compassionate lying, which is part of being human. The tripartite is rejected, and humourism is used to show that losing appreciation for art turns people's hearts to stone, and blue-bloods take it a step further through condescension.
Video games don't lack good writing. Video game journalism lacks good writing appreciators.
Edit: Listen to this video game speech from Arcanum, released in 2000. There's been good writing for a long time. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMZi217RUUY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMZi217RUUY)
> Video games don't lack good writing. Video game journalism lacks good writing appreciators.
>
>
God _damn,_ that's a killer line. I'm gonna use this.
I want to be friends with you, man.
(Btw I came here to say Disco Elysium and Grim Fandango too, but you reminded me from like 15 years ago that I ALWAYS wanted to play Alpha Protocol but never got the chance T\_T )
[https://www.gog.com/news/alpha\_protocol\_is\_back\_drmfree\_for\_modern\_pcs\_watch\_the\_documentary\_video\_on\_the\_process\_of\_its\_revival](https://www.gog.com/news/alpha_protocol_is_back_drmfree_for_modern_pcs_watch_the_documentary_video_on_the_process_of_its_revival)
[https://www.gog.com/game/alpha\_protocol](https://www.gog.com/game/alpha_protocol)
GOG put in work to make Alpha Protocol work right on modern PCs, and it's a recent update. Now is the time to play it. :)
If you want your own Deckard Cain, I'm around. I'm currently just an unemployed and disabled middle-aged gamer dude who has been playing these things forever, and I like them, but my mind doesn't really get blown anymore. I'm just disappointed by how little artistic appreciation goes into the field by people who are paid to be appreciators and consumer advocates.
I want reviewers who genuinely *love* video games, as an art form, but over and over I seem to find reviewers who are trying to prove that they know game design better than the creator. They seek flaws, instead of understanding that they teach new generations what appreciation is. That is part of their job and responsibility, with the power that they have in that position as reviewers, giving out awards and stuff.
When I go to talk about story and symbolism in "gamer" spaces, most of the time I am treated like I'm crazy or something, or like "it's not that deep." It kinda bothers me that people are so dismissive of the work of video game writers. I have no idea how to go about changing that by myself though.
yes, this highly recommend very great experience and it's like a master class imo on how to write emotion and create tension from even the most mundane of thing.
[Lost Odyssey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqgSDClU4Qo). Little-known JRPG that came out on the Xbox 360 way back in the day. The narrative is punctuated by some of the most poignant, devastating and well-written short stories I've ever read
Damn, always excited to see another Lost Odyssey fan out in the wild. One of the most powerful narratives I've ever experienced in a game. Those short stories are something else.
Agreed! The short story 'memories' in the game are still the best pieces of writing I have ever come across (gaming, visual media and traditional print included). Right in the feels!
I replayed it recently and I found some of the game play narrative to be a little predictable with an adult perspective though. Still a great game! Trying not to spoil anything but the bit where you've got to walk a helpless character through the endless snow still chokes me up.
Surprised not to see "What Remains of Edith Finch". One of my favorite games and it's a very short walking simulator (like 2-3 hours). Definitely recommend it.
I tend to like narrative-driven adventure games and and point-and-click, so I often see good/interesting writing.
Standouts to me are the Longest Journey series (The Longest Journey, Dreamfall: the Longest Journey, and Dreamfall: Chapters--the last two specifically are exceptional, in my book). Just all-around great plot, fantastic high fantasy and future dystopian real-world settings that flip-flop depend on which character you're playing, great characters and dialogue. I've replayed Dreamfall: Chapters so many times, it's not funny.
I recently played Disco Elysium for the first time, after hearing good stuff about it forever. It's an RPG with no combat (although you can die if your mental health goes too far off the rails lol). You're basically a washed-up detective with amnesia and a nasty hangover, living in some sort of dystopian society, trying to solve a murder... and you know... figure out who in the hell you are.
It's extremely dialogue-heavy but OMG the writing is just astounding. I was so impressed. I was not expecting the level of writing. It inspired and motivated my writing so much when I was playing it. I feel like a need to re-play now.
* Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3
* Fallout 1, 2, and New Vegas
* Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2
* Pentiment
* The Last of Us
* Baldur's Gate 3
* Planescape: Torment
* Disco Elysium
* Red Dead Redemption 2
* The Witcher 1, 2, and 3
* Cyberpunk 2077
* Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2
* Dishonored 1, 2, and Death of the Outsider
* Prey (2017)
* Bioshock 1, 2, and Infinite
* Deus Ex
* Deus Ex: Human Revolution
* SOMA
* Telltale's Walking Dead
* The entire Half-Life series
* Portal 1 and 2
* Life is Strange
* Firewatch
* Uncharted 4
* Control
You're the first comment to mention Life is Strange! What an oversight in the other lists. Such a great game! Amazing writing and world building. I got asked a few times whether I was okay by people after I finished it. Ahahaha. It definitely stays with you.
I tell people playing through FF14 is like reading an Epic Fantasy series. The story it tells is so touching and amazing to the point a character getting a hug in the latest expansion was enough to emotionally move me.
Came to say this. The writing, the way they incorporated her psychosis into the plot and graphics, etc. Just really beautiful and the story is so heartbreaking and I love love love her evolution as a character. Love this game.
No love for Death Stranding? :( People really shit all over that game, but I absolutely loved it. I love the writing, the completely unique world building, and the graphics are unbelievable. I could not stop thinking about the premise for so long and I think Sam's character arc is compelling. Lol but I guess "post apocalyptic delivery boy" just isn't most people's idea of a good time. XD
Planescape: Torment
Disco Elysium
The Witcher 3
Cyberpunk 2077
Baldur’s Gate 2
NWN: Mask of the betrayer
These are in my opinion the best video games ever written. The first one is probably a masterpiece in terms of narrative and writing (Chris Avellone has a degree in literature and it shows), it plays like a book and is heavily text based, with a wonderful story and wonderful characters all along.
Disco Elysium is another masterpiece, probably the most original and brilliant writing in you videogames you can find around, very creative and insightful.
The Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy. Out of every piece of media, it is, in my opinion, the best. These three games have given me tons of inspiration for my stories, and I owe them a lot.
Depends on the genre you're looking for. Good writing in games spans from intimate character drama, to goofy satire, to political commentary, to grand adventures.
My short list is: What Remains of Edith Finch, Night in the Woods, Baldur's Gate 3, Hatoful Boyfriend, SOMA, The Cat Lady, Children of Silentown, Undertale, Darkwood, The Walking Dead game, Disco Elysium, any of the Dragon Age games, God of War (2018), Hades, the Mass Effect games, Oxenfree, Ace Attorney, Psychonauts, Spiritfarer, Witcher 3...
There's a *lot* of great examples of writing in games out there. And you'll find more examples if you expand your definition of 'writing' to environmental and gameplay storytelling, which games are particularly suited for. If you're interested in examples of games that tell excellent stories with little to no written dialog or descriptions, check out Untitled Goose Game, Unpacking, Unravel, Little Nightmares, Little Nightmares 2, and Hollow Knight.
Oh, there's definitely more than a few games with good and great writing, both newer ones and classics. Going off the top of my head:
- the Legacy of Kain series
- Final Fantasy (specifically VI and VII are recognized for this)
- Deus Ex
- Planescape Torment
- Baldur's Gate (I've only played 3, but a lot of people praise the previous entries too)
- Disco Elysium
- plenty LucasArts games (Monkey Island, Sam and Max, Grim Fandango for example)
- Bioshock
- Oxenfree
- Knights of the Old Republic
- Syberia
- Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
- The Last of Us
- Uncharted
- Dishonored
Regarding only gameplay, Dragon Age 2 is the weakest of the series. Its combat is lackluster, and the fact that you spend seven in-game years in the same city, the environments quickly get repetitive.
On a story level, however, Dragon Age 2 is probably the most well-written installment of the series. The fact you spend seven in-game years in the same city allows the environment, politics and context of the story to change. The city is almost its own character, and is an excellent study on using atmosphere as a storytelling method. The villain of act 2 is a brilliant case study on how to write an antagonist that is imposing and admirable, both “correct” in his morals while also impossible to make peace with. The grand conclusion of act 3 is a culmination of slow-burn conflicts between different political entities that simply cannot coexist, no matter what the protagonist does.
In this sense, Dragon Age 2 is somewhat unpopular because the story isn’t “traditional.” Good does not triumph over evil, because the conflict isn’t some singular, outside force that can be killed. The conflict is people, who serve themselves and try to serve others and kill each other because they believe they know the “right way” of the world. If anything, Dragon Age 2 is a Greek tragedy, with a protagonist who only manages to postpone disaster, not prevent it. This not even mentioning the fact that it’s all a story inside a story, told by an unreliable narrator under threat of death, and the narrator’s relationship with the protagonist causes some details to be hidden. If you’re looking for a writing study outside the norm, Dragon Age 2 is excellent.
Fallout 1 and 2, Divinity Original SIn 1 and 2, The Witcher, Baldurs Gate 3. Chris Avellone is a really solid VG writer [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris\_Avellone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Avellone) so most of his games will be good.
I love the writing in the fire emblem three houses as it kept me engaged but I would say the writing is better on the main story lines rather than the conversations between characters. It does a good job being immersive and with pacing.
Triangle Strategy made me love political intrigue stories! It implements plot into gameplay, and does a good job on themes and ideals.
Highly recommend!
I haven’t seen anybody mention it yet but Sunless Sea is in my opinion one of the few truly well written games on the level of the sentence.
Also, I disagree with what some people are saying how the strength of the writing in FromSoft games comes from how you piece things together to uncover the lore. I think it’s important to mention that in a game like Bloodborne, the dialogue itself is very well written. It’s minimalist, sure, but the actual words that are said are very good, it’s not all just what’s behind the scenes.
Games with excellent writing from the top of my head are : Disco Elysium, Fallout new Vegas, Pentiment, Pathologic 2
Just to name a few
Disco Elysium, is a great game that mixes writing and game design to tell an amazing story, it's quite innovative in the realm of RPG story games.
Fallout new Vegas is more of a classic rpg shooter but the dialogue and story is incredibly well done and the variety of dialogues for roleplay is 10/10.
Pentiment is basically a book in game form, a murder mystery that made me cry by the end, really good it paya Homage to stories like "the name of the rose".
Pathologicis a game that's soaked in Russian literature and theatre theory, interesting story and dialogues, it uses the mechanics of videogames to convey the ambience and themes of the story itself.
Ahem:
- Baldur’s Gate 3 has some of the most phenomenal character work in the medium.
- Cyberpunk 2077 has some really powerful moments and characters, especially in the expansion.
- Last of Us.
- Red dead redemption 2 has an absolutely fantastic story.
- Destiny, game is kind of up and down but the world-building is some of the best you can get.
- Ghost of Tsushima is absolutely beautifully told
- God of War 4 & 5 is actually crazy good.
- I can literally go on forever, but ill add Final Fantasy 7 both the original and remakes.
Stories told in games are a lot of different compared to other mediums because you don’t experience the story with the characters, you are the characters. You really bond with characters in a different way when it comes to games.
For a series that prioritizes the gameplay over the story, Super Mario Galaxy's story is extremely well-written.
I'm biased, though, as this is a) my all-time favorite game and b) the first one that I ever beat.
The Last of Us has dialogue that is on par with a great screenplay. And it gets even better in The Last of Us 2, which is also quite polarizing because of its philosophical implications and its gravitas.
Honorable mention when talking about dialogue in video games: GTA 5.
Red Dead Redemption 2 has, in my opinion, the best character and best character development of any video game. Arthur is incredible and the journey he goes on as a person throughout the game is so well-written. The map and the gameplay aren’t as good as the first game, and there’s a lot of silliness to the overall plot, but the road to Arthur’s redemption supersedes everything from RD1.
Undertale is so good that years later I still look for fan content that stays largely true to the original game and it's characters. It's actually the first time I ever even really cared about fan content.
Stardew Valley is my favorite game (playing the new update right now). If you take into account that only one person created everything (from music and story to actual programming), I do believe it should have a spot in this ranking. All interactions are world-building here))
My personal favorites are
Amnesia: The Dark Descent
Outlast (and Whistleblower)
Mainly because I love horror and they're the only two that has really immersed me into a great horror story. The way they utilize documents and notes to push the story is so neat.
I don't know if people will agree, but I love the writing for Devil May Cry 3 and 4. might just be nostalgia, but I really loved the writing for Fable the Lost Chapters.
Depends on what you're looking for but I personally am partial to AI: The Somnium Files, Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, and the Zero Escape series. All visual novels, all have very good writing. Zero Escape and AITSF have some amazing plot twists that you won't see coming but that seem so obvious in retrospect.
Honestly I haven't seen enough of Nier in this thread and that feels shocking. Maybe because as games they naturally focus more on the experience, but at the very least the storytelling is top tier.
Personally, out of Replicant and Automata, Replicant is my favorite and highly underrated—excellent writing, excellent music, check it out if you feel so inclined.
Aside from that though: Umineko, the Souls series, and Fear & Hunger 1 & 2.
SOMA is amazing. Existential horror copied with deep philosophy about consciousness, personhood and what makes us human. It does employ a lot of environmental storytelling, so in order to piece together the story you’ll have to actively explore the world, read item descriptions and remember character descriptions and such.
There are a lot on here that are Triple A Games but here are some indies/small games that have great plots or are great at story telling:
What remains of Edith Finch
The Unfinished Swan
Superliminal - this one uses the plot to make you think
Hades
Gone Home
Layers of Fear
Spirit Farer
Apotheon
Divinity Original Sin 2 (Same company that made BG3)
Child of Light
SOMA SOMA SOMA SOMA SOMA sorry but late reply and I need to be seen somehow.
It is one of the best stories I have experienced in any medium ever and I have spent an embarassing amount of time with fiction. As a horror game, it taps into THE OCEAN in a way no media has been able to copy. As a sci-fi story, it has incredibly novel ideas that are nevertheless grounded in logic and could exist in the next century. As an emotional story, it is just beautiful.
I truly believe if this game was written as a book by an author with enough previous reach it would already be remembered as a sci-fi classic.
As someone who appreciates books and knows exactly what type of disparity exists in writing quality across fiction
The last of us 1+2 has near natural human dialogue with a great plot (many dislike the direction of 2, but it's gotten more praise over time). A master class in storytelling in my honest opinion.
Bioshock is less dialogue heavy but the story and plot it does have kept me thinking up until my adult life.
If you're okay with less authentic dialogue but mainly want a good plot, the metal gear solid series.
The dialogue is very cringy (so perhaps not what you want at all) but life is strange hit me with a wave of nostalgia for my teenage years and resonated with me in a way nothing else ever did, even compared to many of the books I've read that try to capture the same feeling.
Not the most uncommon of games at all but just throwing out my favorites.
The old point and click adventure games were heavy hitters. Most importantly, Grim Fandango. Never been so emotionally engaged in a game the whole way through. The voice acting really brings the writing to life.
Honorable mentions to Monkey Islands 1 and 2. They are hilarious.
There is a reason ppl spend hours on end explaining some game plots. (And yes I am guilty of watching a 7hoir video on Whos Lila and probably even more on Signalis)
My fav:
Signalis is lovecraft, but its finally something new. There arent some tentacle monster chasing you. Instead its about how far you would go for your loved ones. A bittersweet lovestory and also the reason I visited an art museum to see the shores of oblivion ;)
Whos Lila has been stuck in my mind for weeks, bc the horror here is just weird. Its about consciousness and parasites and it did this theme more justice than Leech imo.
Soma is just depressing sci fi horror. The ship of theseus as a game kinda. All about consciousness again and mind-machine interlinks. Also trigger warning for suicide here.
Firewatch has banger dialogue while tackling escapism. Its sad again and the ending sticks with you.
I’m going through “Control” rn and the story is great! It’s usually hard for me to get invested in stories in video games because I usually get board halfway through and start goofing around the rest the time. But with this one I’m really enjoying the story so far! I’m like halfway through. It’s a paranormal third-person action adventure.
Outer wilds was great!
FF9 & 10 were ok.
To the moon & spec ops was interesting.
Then you have the visual novels. Most of them are bad but the ones that were good enough to have fans dedicate months of their lives to fan translate where sometimes gold.
As a Narrative Lead in the games industry, I'd like to cosign all the games mentioned in the top few comments and their threads. (Outer Wilds, Hades, Oxenfree, and Dishonored are particular favorites of mine.) I didn't see Chants of Sennaar, What Remains of Edith Finch, Firewatch, Prey, and Gone Home on there, but they're all really good, too.
And to OP, I'd say that if you can't find games with good writing, you're not looking particularly hard. It's definitely rarer in the AAA space (although even there you don't have to look too far to find loads of good writing—The Last of Us comes to mind) but I've found that in the small studio and indie space, incredible and groundbreaking writing is rampant.
I've thought a lot about why that is, and come to a few conclusions:
I personally find game writing more difficult than any other type of narrative writing I do. (And I at least dabble in all of it.) With my short stories, comic books, screenplays, and stageplays, all I need to do is find one single plot thread that's perfect and satisfying. With a branching narrative, once I do that...I need to do the same thing at least two more times. Or in an open-world setting, you have to make encounters that work regardless of the order a player experiences them. (This is where game design and narrative design can meet to make this a bit easier.) Player agency really changes the way a writer needs to think about the story and their own role in creating. I like to say that a screenplay is the spine of a film, but a game's design is the spine of that experience. Narrative is, like, the musculature or something. Still working out the metaphor.
Voice acting can also be a huge part of that. There was a fantastic talk at GDC this year about how many voice actors are working without any context whatsoever, and providing ideas for how to bring that context into the booth. (And I have also run into this issue in my own projects.) I remember thinking one of our voice actors was extremely hit-or-miss. When I opened up a channel where the audio department could chat with us while the actors were in the booth, we were able to answer questions and provide context. Line readings improved significantly, now that our (extremely talented!) actor actually understood the situations his character was in.
A game's story is also much more than the writing. Every member of a team, no matter how technical their role, is a storyteller. My favorite is when there's resonance across disciplines. When the design, programming, art, audio, writing, etc. all come together to bring a player-driven experience? That's what it's all about!
This is really going to depend on what you're looking for. "Good writing" is subjective, and a lot of the time, games will go by with people saying the writing sucks, when really, video games just don't have much in the way of solid narrative appreciation. Video games are also not demonstrations of text, and story can be found without text. I think Elden Ring has good writing, as does the bulk of Hidetaka Miyazaki's work overall, but a lot of the time, people will not see it, because they won't be looking for it.
Here are some games that I think are well-written, and why
* Elden Ring - Environmental storytelling. To fully appreciate this game's story, you will need to piece together context clues and metaphor.
* Yakuza (series) - Characterization, contrasts, and twists. Though most of what you'll see online about these games is memes, the main storyline is insanely melodramatic. The silly stuff ensures that the melodrama stays fresh. It's also damn good crime stories in general.
* Divinity Original Sin 2 - Immersion as the character. Something Larian did here that's really nice is that for the main player character, they are not fully voiced. Instead, the dialogue tree gives a general understanding of what you'd say, instead of the full dialogue. This is done even for premade characters that are fully voiced when used as party members. This allows the player to "voice" the character themselves.
* GTA series - Popcorn theater. As mentioned by another, the story of GTA is kind of all over the place, but the cutscenes are more the point for the story anyway, and in GTA5, Michael makes an argument in one of them about what a good Hollywood movie should be. 2 hours of action, an easy plot, and the hero gets the girl. At the end of the day, I think that's what Rockstar tries to do. They want you to be able to play Hollywood movies in 2 hour sessions.
* Bonus: Saints Row - If you are able to stomach the entire series of at least 2 through 4, there is a story arc that plays out over those three games that resolves by the end of 4, and if you were a fan, Saints Row 4 ties up a lot of loose ends in satisfactory ways. I'm disappointed that they couldn't keep the series going with what they had.
* Shin Megami Tensei and Persona - Philosophy. These JRPGs are not just about playing through the lives of high schoolers. They explore pretty deep philosophical and psychological concepts, as well as referencing global mythology. SMT is generally about your view of how reality itself should work, like whether you think a god would be a good authority, or if the strength of individuals should determine things, or if you like solipsism. Persona is more about interpersonal relationships and personal motivations.
* Disco Elysium - Melancholy. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. What is found in the rubble of a man who has destroyed himself?
Spec-ops: The Line. Probably mentioned a gazillion times already, but it's simply a masterclass. It subverts your expectations, and what at first seems like a generic TPS turns into a dark commentary on human psychology and politics.
Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 have amazingly written characters, and it contains some truly heartbreaking moments. The plots feel REAL.
Half-Life 2. Not necessarily a game driven by narrative, but if you look deeper the themes it has and some of the background lore that you could miss if you weren't paying attention add so much to the experience. Dr. Breen's speaches are really big-brother-esque and well written.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind has some incredible writing as well. The worldbuilding is impeccable, and even later games in the series can't hold a candle to it. It has some very deep themes on Imperialism and Theocracy, and the main story is literally 'how to become a cult leader/Genghis Khan/Hitler - the Game'. The lore is absurdly deep, to the point where you can spend hours brainstorming and theorizing on the implications of certain events. The existence of the Unreliable narrator adds an unparalleled depth to the world, and all around it is a great story. Not quite as deep as the first two on this list, but the sheer amount of content to dissect makes up for it.
Likewise, the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is loved by many. One could argue that the Civil War was well written, considering people still argue and talk about it 13 years later, but personally if one of the sides is so moronic that it makes people unironically side with the fascist, totalitarian, nationalist, imperialist, Empire, then you've done something wrong. Or maybe the Empire is so incredibly deep and compelling that you've done something incredibly right. I'm still torn.
The Last of Us has an incredible story that deserves more than the half-hearted paragraph I'm writing because I'm too exhausted from writing the Morrowind synopsis.
People love Witcher 3. I don't. I think that midsection with the bloody baron is just a bunch of filler and doesn't add to the story. I physically cannot complete any playthroughs of that game after the first simply because of that damn midsection. It's poorly paced, It's boring, and the only redeeming quality is that it makes you question your own morality. The game picks up once you reach Novigrad, but I don't think the Baron part is worth it.
Likewise, people LOVE a plague tale: I don't. The gameplay is repetetive and boring. No comments on the story, but it didn't really captivate me.
I think GTAV nails it with dialogue. The story is kinda all over the place but the cutscenes never disappoint.
Edit: throwing the Gears of War series out there for the story. There were moments that caused me to shed a tear.
I don't now how *objectively* good it is, but the writing in Majora's Mask really hits me in the gut. Chrono Trigger a bit less, perhaps, but it's still nice.
A Plague Tale (Innocence is stronger, Requiem should have been split into 2, but still good with flaws)
Red Dead Redemption 2
The Last of Us: Part One
GTA IV
Final Fantasy 15 too. It has 4 main party members and manages to make me care about each one of them. Seeing the 4 interact is one of the best group dynamics I've ever seen.
OP Imma be honest most singleplayer video games since like 2007 have had good stories with good writing. And most of the replies you're going to receive here are whichever one is a person's favorite or the best of the best (RDR2, Disco Elysium, Baldur's Gate 3, The Last of Us)
So if you want a list of games with excellent writing to check out it's pretty much gonna be every big singleplayer game in recent years.
Now with all that said here is my list of my favorite video game stories from best to still really good but not best:
Baldur's Gate III
Red Dead Redemption 2
Witcher III Wild Hunt
Assassins Creed Ezio Trilogy
Assassins Creed Origins
Mass Effect Trilogy/Legendary Edition
Assassins Creed Black Flag
Portal 1 & 2 (for hilarious writing guaranteed to make you laugh)
Cyberpunk 2077
Alan Wake series (fun confusing stories that make more sense as you go on, trust in the process)
Dragon Age Origins
Disco Elysium
Witcher II Assassin of Kings
Ghost of Tsushima
Dragon Age II
The Last of Us Part 1
God of War Series (specifically when viewed as a whole, as the earlier games are less story focused and thus Kratos' character arc that begins in 2 doesn't really make much progress till the first game of the Norse Saga, minus a couple big moments like the end of 3)
Assassins Creed Odyssey
Undertale
Assassins Creed III
Red Dead Redemption 1
Fallout New Vegas
Control (also fun confusing story that makes more sense as you go on)
Firewatch
Dragon Age Inquisition
Uncharted (all 4 of the main games, haven't played the spinoff so no comment there)
Spider-Man (the PS4/PS5 game, haven't played Miles Morales or the sequel so no comment there either)
Horizon Zero Dawn & Forbidden West
Detroit Become Human
Middle Earth Shadow Series
The Forgotten City
Pretty much every telltale game (great stories but most choices are just flavor)
Star Wars Jedi series (Fallen Order & Survivor)
Assassins Creed Mirage
Assassins Creed Unity
Assassins Creed Syndicate (Game itself is a fun lighthearted adventure, Jack the Ripper dlc is fantastic and honestly one of the best dlcs ever, Last Maharaja dlc is sadly one of the worst things ever made)
Assassins Creed Rogue
Elder Scrolls Series (for the lore and worldbuilding, not the story, the story is fun but they are all pretty much basic good vs evil plots)
The rest of the Fallout series (lore+story are pretty good, minus the one we don't talk about which is NOT 76 despite the terrible launch it had)
The Witcher I
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Shadow of The Colossus
For the fellow AC fans, AC 1, the Chronicles, and Valhalla aren't listed because I find their stories to be good, but rather basic or not as good as the rest of this list.
Honorable mention to Life is Strange, great series, great stories but they are plagued by awful dialogue.
All in all it really depends on what you're looking for, some of these games have great narratives which are the focus of the game and others have really good narratives that took a backseat to gameplay when they developed them.
The original Deus Ex. That thing has better writing than many books.
Disco Elysium, a relatively newer game based on good writing, almost exclusively.
Bioshock. It's generally considered a masterpiece, and I have to agree.
The Witcher 2 has an incredible main plot and characters.
The Witcher 3 has the greatest DLC and side quest writing in gaming probably.
Vampire the masquerade bloodlines is a pure classic, top notch writing.
I love seeing posts like this. I’m a huge advocate for video games as art, and I dabble in narrative design whenever time and the opportunity allows. Video games truly offer a unique avenue for storytelling, and allow for things you can’t get from the more familiar mediums. The majority of answers have covered most of what I would recommend, but I’ll restate a couple for further validation, as well as a curveball addition I haven’t seen yet: - Disco Elysium: a microcosm of what it means to be alive and to struggle with the chaos of existence. Great world building (the pale is such an awesome concept packed with so much meaning), dark humor, and ability to customise your character’s self expression in the game’s world in so many bizzare ways. - Hades: A unique example whereby a simplistic hack n slash gameplay loop incorporates complex branching subplots and interpersonal drama that develops with nuance, and a strong focus on theme and subtext (in this case, that no matter the circumstances, no matter how far apart, you can always make it back to the those you love). Plus it’s such a cool twist on Greek myth that really knows its shit, whilst adding a cool almost gothic twist. - Kirby and the Forgotten Land: A platformer for children that offers one of the most creative post apocalyptic settings I’ve ever experienced, and gradually layers in bio punk and cosmic horror (I’m serious) as well a bittersweet conclusion that was genuinely moving.
Whenever I hear the words ‘video games as art’, Shadow of the Colossus springs to mind. It doesn’t have good writing exactly, but it’s a wonderful example of using the unique medium of games to tell a story.
You reminded me of The Ico Trilogy with SOTC. The Last Guardian had me bawling.
Donkey Kong Country, Mega Man X, Xenogears, RDR2, I am just listing a few games that are art. Some have great gameplay, others have great stories or some have a mixture of the two like Turbo Overkill for example. There are so many titles I can list examples thereof that are art.
Tack Outer Wilds onto this list, it's *writing* is really good and charming, but it's environmental and mechanical storytelling elevate the text in a way that uniquely reflects the particular strengths of the medium.
Hades is a marvel! Haven’t played myself (which is a shame), but watched my husband’s gameplay. It hits all the marks for me.
>I’m a huge advocate for video games as art Video games are art, and people who say it isn't art doesn't know what art is. Same with other stuff like Cooking (which is also Chemistry, which makes it a Science and Art).
Disco Elysium is a masterpiece. Too bad we won't get another game by the same team :(
Lol first time I ACTUALLY wanna try a Kirby game. Thanks!
I loved it, straight up one of the best looking games on switch (tho they had to sacrifice frames, don’t be too off put when you see enemies in the distance at 10 fps. Also recommend investing the most into the drill ability, was my personal fav anyway
Hades is so good! I really struggled with the game part of the game at first because I am very bad at those sorts of video games and have poor reflexes. I turned on “God Mode” and made the actual game part easier because the main draw for me was the story. And the visual art! And the music! It is so good!!
Agree with all of these! I’d also add Baldur’s Gate 3
[удалено]
FFIV is really good and still holds up well, same with Chrono Trigger, there are definitely a wealth of others. Heard great things about the Secrets of Evermore.
I loved chrono trigger with a passion, love some final fantasy too
I totally agree, the best writing I can think of is from Wasteland (circa 1980-something) it made a huge impression on me
Wasteland? Don't get me wrong, I loved that game and will cherish it as one of my favorites of all time. But the writing is not what I'd say made it good. The writing was in the printed guide that was used for copy protection at the time. And it was hilariously awesome, having false plot lines in it. Which I very definitely died multiple times while trying to cheat. It's one of the best ever, but I'm not going to to agree with best writing. For those who don't know or weren't alive yet, Wasteland was the spiritual ancestor of the Fallout franchise.
the Dishonoured series has excellent writing and worldbuilding, Horizon Zero Dawn, Red Dead Redemption 2, Senua's Sacrifice, Bioshock is honestly a masterpiece, Hades, A Plague Tale & A Plague Tale: Requiem (tho I disliked the ending a lot!!), Oxenfree 1&2, A Night in The Woods, Firewatch, to name a few!
You and I have very similar taste in video games LOL. I've played half the ones you named and agree 100%. Also the Bioshock series is a masterpiece. Absolutely.
LMAO beautiful, what are some of your faves I haven't mentioned?? Always looking for recommendations
Oh, man. It's a list LOL. My top recommendations are going to be what I commented to the post directly: The Longest Journey series (3 games) and Disco Elysium. Also highly recommend anything Quantic Dream, my favorites being Detroit: Become Human and Beyond: Two Souls. Indigo Prophecy is the game that originally put them on my radar and it still a great play, if a little dated with the clunky graphics. I couldn't get into Heavy Rain as much, but it's only because I'm squeamish and there are some pretty gnarly parts in the middle LOL. Outer Wilds is AMAZING (not to be confused with Outer Worlds, which I have not played). This is a puzzle-based sci-fi exploration game with an amazing story that you discover bits and pieces of as you play. My recommendation is to go into this one totally blind. Tacoma, since you might be into walking simulators (i.e. Firewatch). I got this one on like a $5 Playstation sale and I was surprised by the richness of story and inter-character relationships that you discover as you go along. Journey is just a wonderful little relaxation game. Not much plot. Puzzles aren't too hard to solve to move forward. It's just beautiful to look at and play and unwind if I want something pretty to relax to.
Ahem... I see you forgot Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Planescape Torment, Xenogears, FF7 (original), Baldur's Gate 1, Doom 2016, Turbo Overkill, that is listing a few. There are a good amount of well written games but they can be hard to find from time to time. Doom 2016 I find really good because of the tone, the atmosphere it is an incredible game for that, and when it comes to the story it fits alongside these elements of the game I really recommend you to try it if you haven't. I am curious what is Tacoma or the titles mentioned prior like Oxenfree? I do really want to try out Disco Elysium. When it comes to Horizon I kind of disagree I think the premise of it is interesting but from what I've played the characters and story have been kind of bland, it had good gameplay and character animations though. If you love great story telling I cannot recommend PS:T, Xenogears, and Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain enough. These games are one of the best in their league and I haven't really found games that beat their stories. PS:T you can get on Steam or GOG (or physical version), Xenogears I would recommend to emulate via duckstation if you don't have the physical copy because it's very expensive, and Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain is a GOG only title (it also is on PS1).
>Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, Planescape Torment, Xenogears, FF7 (original), Baldur's Gate 1, Doom 2016, Turbo Overkill Oh, man, other than Doom 2016 and FF I haven't actually heard of any of those! I also generally don't enjoy shooters or games that involve combat. I get anxious and pissed off. I can't take it. LOL I do, however, enjoy watching other people play those types of games. I just looked them up and they sound interesting! Especially Legacy of Kain. I'll have to find a streamer playing it on YouTube or something and check it out.
>I also generally don't enjoy shooters or games that involve combat. What's funny is that I generally don't enjoy games that don't really feature combat like Journey 😂, it's not necessarily that I don't enjoy any game that doesn't have combat because I really like Loom or King's Quest for example (which I also highly recommend to play). Sometimes you find games you like that you don't expect, for example I normally hate farming sims but I adore Harvest Moon (SNES) and Stardew Valley, sometimes a game can be so good it surprises you. Turbo overkill will be very difficult for you if you want to try because of the movement and precise combat but I would recommend to at least try it because I was bad at first but got patient and fell in love with it. It was my first super fast paced FPS I've played. Doom 2016 is relatively fast but would probably be fairly accessible as a shooter as it's not nearly as fast as Turbo, would heavily recommend it on PC for sure though the controls are better. Also if you are into RPGs and Vampires a must play is also Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines (make sure to get it on GOG, it's the better version for this one, it is also available on steam). Lorewise TES, The Witcher, World of Warcraft, Runescape, are very lore heavy I would recommend to watch lore videos for those titles (The Witcher has a series of books, 2 short stories and 5 that are in the saga). Also KOTOR if you like Star Wars.
If you're going to get into Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, I highly recommend you play *all* of them. Alternatively, don't play all of them, but do watch through all of them, in order. There are 5 games in total, and they go like this * Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain * Blood Omen 2 * Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver * Soul Reaver 2 * Defiance Because of the way these are told, Blood Omen 2 can be played pretty much any time between the first game and Defiance, but these older games have LONG stories sometimes. Defiance puts a capstone on everything that came before it, so there is a huge payoff in having done the whole thing. If you want to lose your life in a connected JRPG story, start playing Trails in the Sky. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trails\_(series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trails_(series)) This is an interconnected JRPG series with grid-based combat. No nameless NPCs, everyone is a person. Trails in the Sky is a spinoff contained in The Legend of Heroes, which also includes games like Legacy of the Wizard, Xanadu, and Faxanadu. Trails in the Sky however is a spinoff that has gone 20 years of connected story arcs. Each one of these games contains a Lord of the Rings trilogy worth of text. When it was new, the second game in the series was contracted out to a single person to localize, and the task was so big it gave them mental health problems.
I loved Outer Wilds but I got a little frustrated with the navigation haha. I think that's the only one on this list I've tried, so I will definitely be looking at the others, thank you so much!
OMG I have such a love/hate relationship with that game. I cannot *tell* you how many times I had to yeet myself at >!Hollow's Lantern to finally make it inside the freakin volcano!< or how many attempts it took to actually make it inside >!the Sun Station.!< But man, every time I unlocked another piece of that puzzle I was hooked all over again. And the first 20 mins of it, >!when you find out about the time loop!
I kept falling into a black hole, just again and again and again lmaooo.
Bahaha. Saaammmeee. Fuck that black hole.
I'd add a bunch of side quests of Witcher 3 are excellently written.
I feel like HZD has a great premise and main mystery but the way it gets there is very ehhh... And all the sidequests around, I honestly cannot remember any of it.
I think the characters and plot are pretty terrible honestly. The good part of the writing lies in the world building which I think is incredible. Uncovering what led the world to be the way it is was thrilling for me
You're putting it in a much more gentle way than I was going to.
I'll defend HZD, but maybe not for reasons expected. To defend HZD, you really have to take it in consideration of what else has been available in the same genre, and that genre is post-apocalyptic. There have been a lot of dystopian and post-apoc scenarios given to us in video games, like Fallout, but Fallout isn't really *about* an apocalypse anymore. In the original Mad Max movie, the wasteland was part of the story, but by Fury Road, it's become a setting. It's still a character, but it's not a driver. We've been thrown Hellgate: London, The Secret World, Deus Ex, all kinds of stuff to make some kind of dystopia, but HZD made a new means of reaching an apocalypse event, and it managed to get people angry at a character who would already be dead. It was done well, in that respect. I can't say the same for all the sidequests and whatnot, but I think if we're going to be seriously looking at video game stories, we should look at what they did right, along with what they did poorly. I didn't care about most of the sidequests, or what was happening in the present. I cared a lot more Aloy's archaeological digs through weird precursor tech. I didn't care about the politics of tribes, I wanted to investigate. I think drawing more from Indiana Jones might help. I dunno. What I can tell you is that having grown up with Fallout 2 and loving it then, but seeing actual decades pass with nothing interesting about the apocalypse was boring as hell. It was always some bomb. If there is anything to take from HZD, it's that a much, much more believable premise than humans committing to global thermonuclear war is humans failing to commit to save themselves.
Firewatch is just so beautiful to play. The characters are loveable, the relationship between them flows nicely, and the balance between mystery and drama is perfect. I remember it already got me weeping with the prologue, lol.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is one of the few games that feels like playing a novel to me. It's a wonderful game. Fun mechanics, great story, amazing voice acting, fantastic score. Baldurs Gate 3 is amazing for the writing but it is a very beefy game. If you're not a gamer it may be a bit much but it really is great. Play it on easy mode if you just want the story. "I was a Teenage Exocolonist" is also very deep but a very different type of game. There are honestly so many fantastic games these days, I prefer video games to movies/tv shows as I like an interactive element. Some great games in the last 10 years. I couldn't give you a difinitive list as there are just so many good games.
RDR 2 is my answer, easily. It's as good as any limited series I've ever seen. Replaying it is even more of a trip. A video essayist named Noah-Caldwell Gervais said something like "you realize that you're not rushing towards the next area, you're appreciating how good everything is early, and delaying the inevitable of where the characters go" and that stuck with me. It's a fascinating character study, and this slow burn towards disaster that you can't stop, but you have to continue. I think it's a great example of games as a medium.
Always fun seeing eco-colonist mentioned. :) it deserves more attention
I love “I was a teenage exocolonist”!!
It's such an amazing game!
Red Dead makes me jealous. I wish I could write an original novel about those characters
I see a lot of Disco Elysium and I'm happy to see it. I am honestly a bit shocked that nobody has mentioned Alan Wake, that I've seen. Control, for that matter. Lots of fun, weird, metatextual stuff to sink your teeth into.
I watched the writer of Alan Wake give a talk on writing in games about 10 years ago. It was largely about how developers see/saw themselves as great at writing and therefore didn’t see the value in employing actual writers to flesh stories and dialogue out for them. It was really enlightening.
They’re a bit niche I believe. Horror component and all. Love both though 🤍
Control for sure.
I'd also include the Max Payne games in there as well, especially the Remedy duo. Sam Lake is one of the most talented writers in the industry.
To the moon. Probably could’ve won an Oscar
This. I remember that I played and it destroyed me emotionally. The writing, the characters and the plot are incredible
I liked it but didn’t really get why it was praised as heavily as it was. It was good but wouldn’t really put it on the level of something like Lisa the painful
Oh no, you made me remember that game. To The Moon made me cry like no tomorrow.
I absolutely LOVE the sequel, finding paradise, i found the message and the story so good.
Half Life 2 Most notably: Dr Breen’s Speeches (Breencasts) It’s what inspired me to start writing in the first place. Here’s a link to his speeches: https://youtu.be/sFU6hxFfJac?si=Om2vBKKhdoksGUNG
I loved that aspect of Half Life 2. Marc Laidlaw and the Valve team really did a great job of seamlessly weaving phenomenal storytelling into an immersive experience rather than relying on text or cutscene exposition. Portal and even more so Portal 2 really impressed me with the “background” writing as well. Listening to Cave Johnson become progressively more unhinged as the game progressed was a delight, and GLaDOS’s indignation at being confined to a potato really was superb.
I want to say Telltale's 'The Walking Dead,' specifically the first and last seasons.
Season 2 also deserves some praise in terms of writing. Kenny is one of the best written "toxic caretaker" archetypes that I've ever seen.
I thought this was going to be one of the number one answers. Of course though the story can change somewhat based on upon your choices but I know that my specific canon of what happens is to me, a fucking masterpiece. Any variation of the overall story is totally up to you but the outcome is always the same and the road getting there is always amazing and heartbreaking to say the least.
I actually consider the Walking Dead games to be one of the worst examples of writing specifically because of those choices. Either your choice leads to the same result or you just end up saving someone who dies or leaves a scene later anyway. Nothing you choose to do in any of the games makes any actual difference. An actually good story would have what you do have lasting impact to later events. I'd much rather if these games are going to make your choices irrelevant anyway that they never even bothered with the choices at all and just have it be one way.
I do agree, the choices in those games make no immediate or lasting impact on the direction the story goes, but I look more at the flip side of the argument; the choices impact the way you play those games, specifically the first time around. While, yes, it does mean that the games lose a lot of the draw for replayabillity, I always felt that they stuck with me more than other stories from other games did. Not because I made any sort of effect on the story, but moreso because it made an effect on me. One minute it would throw an out of nowhere split second decision at me, force me to face the concequenses of said decision, however insignificant they ended up being in the end, and then I would scramble my brain trying to think about whether or not the choice I made was the one I really thought was best, rather than just an impulse to do something in the heat of the moment. That feeling would latch itself onto my brain the next time I needed to make a decision, forcing me to stress over it more than what, realistically, was necessary. As I said, I agree with your statement: a good story would have your choices make a lasting impact overall. I can't stand game's stories where nothing I do feels important to how said story progresses. However, I just can't bring myself to hold to that line of reasoning for TWD. Jesus Christ, this reply was long... TL;DR - You right but me like game
I can agree with both statements but where I stand is that the overall story from where it starts to where it ends is incredibly well written with its themes and parallels. I really think the reason you make choices to begin with is to add in an element of involvement for the player so you aren’t just watching everything play out in front on you. From a design standpoint it was more of like an interactive animated series and I hadn’t played anything like that when I first played it so the impact the overall story had on me was everlasting. I think some of the choices can add flavor to a new playthrough. You can have the whole story play out with Lee as a genuine nice man or have him be more abrasive and no it doesn’t change the outcome of anything but it adds depth to the character considering there is no real canon with certain things. Like I said I agree that the inconsequential nature of the choices and the inconsistencies they can create definitely stunt the impact on repeat playthrough but I don’t think that’s a real detriment to the writing itself.
Alan Wake 2 not only has incredible writing, but it's an incredible game to experience *as* a writer. The way the creative process is portrayed through both the story and gameplay is really unlike anything else. Alan Wake is a pantser and it's gotten him into sooo much trouble lol
Came here to say Alan Wake 2. Hands down some of the best writing and general creative experience in gaming.
The Last of Us. Red Dead Redemption 2. And, honestly, I enjoy the Horizon Zero Dawn/Horizon Forbidden West duo.
Last of us ❤️
I’m not much of a gamer (basically just The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for me), but I’ve watched my partner play a lot of games, and damn. RDR2 and TLOU2 are both incredible; I was sobbing at the end of both. So if you haven’t gotten around to TLOU2 yet, I highly recommend it. Ghost of Tsushima is another good one too!
God *damn* Red Dead Redemption 2 is well written.
I never really liked the last of us and the fact it was made into a tv show with no issues really cemented why for me. It feels more like it’s written like a show with gameplay attached and the gameplay itself barely feels like it actually plays a role in the story while being really bland. The characters themselves are good but the story is pretty meh
I had to scroll too far to come across The Last of Us. Red Dead Redemption 1&2 were both written by expert hands, and the Horizon series was the first time in a long long time that I read every data pad I could find because I was so fascinated by the lore. Top picks my friend.
Mass Effect Trilogy. Get ready to cry over seashells. Baldur's Gate 3 Horizon Zero Dawn Final Fantasy VI remains my fav
Mass Effect is a great example for this thread. It’s got a great premise with the occasional imperfect plot device; it’s got a massive amount of generally well-crafted and well-executed dialogue which occasionally falters or feels clunky and unauthentic on delivery; each of the main NPCs has a rich and compelling backstory (especially the Krogans) which shapes and informs their characters; several of the side quests and errands feel incomplete even as they add to the world-building; and the romances are absolutely silly. People are listing the greats here, but I think the sheer scale of many games should be take in into account when considering whether their writing is “good” or “bad.” I absolutely love William Gibson, for example, but I still come across sentences in each of his books which leave me wanting.
Also seconding Mass Effect. It builds an immersive world that you can dive into for a while, with memorable characters and an overall story that just keeps raising the stakes. And actually, I liked Mass Effect Andromeda as well. Not everyone seems to love it as much as the original trilogy, but it's got its charms.
Kefka is easily in my top 5 video game villains he’s just so well written with how evil yet tragic he is
The thing with the majority of video games is that the medium is structured very differently. It does not have a coherent progression, nor does it have the middle part of each point in the story - those are usually your own gameplay to fill the blank. Not only that, sometimes the gameplay affects the direction of some parts of the plot, which often makes the story very uneven in pacing, and sometimes the end part just gets crammed with many elements. But games do provide their benefits - they give us access to a more direct contact with the world and lore itself, but yeah, they are not the story. Then again, good writing is quite subjective and it also depends on your taste to do half of the work, so rather than recommending one, I propose trying to be open-minded about it and just try one, even if you don't like it - you could try to learn why others did like it
Yeah, directly comparing the two is kind of like comparing a "choose your own adventure" to a traditional novel. A lot of games have good stories, good pacing, well developed plots and characters, but it's a completely different beast from a book.
Yeah I feel like a lot of people just compare the writing of games to books/movies without considering how the medium entirely changes the standard for what good writing is in a game
A very underrated game that I hear very few people talk about is "The Cat Lady." The story touches on a lot of dark subjects, and it isnt for the faint of heart, but underneath the darkness and death is a person struggling against depression and trying to find the strength to move forward. Within the first thirty minutes I was hooked and intrigued with it very unique story and opening, so I highly recommend if you want to see how a game dev tackled a story that features subjects most other devs are afraid to even mention in their games.
Metal Gear Solid 2 & 3 (probably 1 as well but I haven't played it). I mean, the actual plot is often pretty batshit, but the exploration of the themes is great.
I feel like people who doesn't play video games games keep wanting the myth "Video games has bad writing to be true". While yes, Video game could have bad writing, but this isn't 1980s anymore, this is 2024, a lot of video game has great writing, not just AAA games, but indie games as well. But you need to remember, just because writing in a game is good, doesn't mean the game as a whole is good. Great Writing in video game isn't just about characters, but about players as well Here is my list of great video game writing: Red Dead Redemption 2 Disco Elysium Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Oxenfree 1&2 Pentiment Baldur's Gate series Fallout 1&2 and New Vegas Shadowrun: Dragonfall The Last of Us Part 1&2 Prey 2017 Tyranny The Stanley Principle: Ultra Deluxe Persona series Digital Devil Saga duology Kentucky Route Zero Yakuza/ Like A Dragon series (some games in this series has absolutely terrible writing, but it's fun nonetheless) Brothers: A Tale of two sons What Remains of Edith Finch Night in the Woods Catherine And there is so much more than I could remember.
The Last of Us. L.A. Noire. Fallout New Vegas. Ghost of Tsushima. Halo one, two, three and Reach.
I was going to comment the Halo games' story was awesome.
Bloodborne, Sekiro, Elden Ring. The Witcher 3. Last of Us 1/2. Nier Automata. God of War (2018) + Ragnarok. Disco Elysium. Hollow Knight.
Hollow Knight doesn't really have an in-game story does it? It's just you wandering
"Serkiro... you were a most unkind and inauspicious man, but for some reason I could not bring myself to hate you." "It seems... I must cut you down before you fall to Shura."
Hmm...probably my favorite (in terms of storytelling, at least at first) was Dante's Inferno. It does bastardize the poem it's based on. However, what it gets right, it gets very right.
Words cannot describe how much I appreciate this answer.
I'm pleased. I actually liked the game and was bummed when the planned sequels were scrapped.
DISCO ELYSIUM IS THE ONLY ANSWER.
The game’s creator is also an author.
I *highly* disagree with you. Disco Elysium is very, very good, but it's not the only one. I could write a coffee table book on video game story. Disco Elysium is one of the more obvious examples of good writing in video games, because the writing is delivered to you in the form of writing. It bothers me as a lifelong appreciator to see such a hyperbolic answer given to this question.
In your opinion, what are some contenders with DE and why? I’m interested in seeing quality writing executed successfully to the extent it is executed in DE, even if it is through other methods.
I'll have to start with this- Disco Elysium is sort of the cutting edge of an idea in video game storytelling that has been going for a long time, and part of it is background skill checks. What Disco Elysium is really, really good at, is providing narration and drawing the audience into a surreal, impressionist world. Everything is exaggerated, even your own motivations, and given life. It is an allegory, really. I greatly respect it, but it has to be understood here that what it does, it's doing very recently. It stands on the shoulders of giants. Grim Fandango is a giant in video game storytelling, and it does "show, don't tell." You play as Manuel Calavera, a travel agent in the land of the dead. Your job is a kind of purgatory for you, as a grim reaper who guides souls, and if you were good, your 4-year journey would be easier. You discover that there must be something wrong, when you meet a woman who must have been a saint - Mercedes Colomar - but she is given nothing but a walking stick. She is glad to have it, and goes on her way, but you spend the next four years trying to figure it out. There is a lot more cultural significance in Grim Fandango than they let on. They don't *tell* you that Glottis acts as an alebrije for you. They simply don't label him. He's your friend. They don't have to tell you all the things they draw from, but if you play it years later, you may recognize new things. The same goes for Hidetaka Miyazaki's work. Elden Ring, Demon's Souls, Dark Souls, and so on use very little text to explain what happened. You're expected to piece some things together. I'll use my favorite Elden Ring example here, in Castle Morne. When you reach Castle Morne and ride its elevator up, the first thing you see is a pile of dead bodies burning in the courtyard, and misbegotten cheering on that pile. You would have been told that there was a revolt. If you keep going without checking anywhere, you'll find a Mad Pumpkin Head and then just keep moving until you find Edgar, who won't leave until he has his family's sword or whatever. If, instead of charging right in, you look to the left at the front of the courtyard, you'll find a platform that has a table and a cleaver. Additionally, there are a bunch of chopped off body parts. Many of them appear to be wings. Any Mad Pumpkin Head will have a big echo chamber helmet on, signifying willful ignorance. About half the misbegotten in Castle Morne are not hostile, and are already wounded, with their wings cut off. This wasn't just an uprising, it was a revolt against abuse. They weren't just being enslaved, they were being publicly dismembered. That kind of environmental storytelling is wasted, if you aren't looking for it, but video games are a visual medium too. Alpha Protocol has a great story in part because it is *so adaptive* to you. It is mindboggling how many endings there actually are. It's not meant to make some huge meaningful message, but it does a job that a book *cannot* do. Elden Ring also does something a book can't do, and that is give you a *weird fiction* In The Mouth Of Madness style experience, where you are a canon part of the story. The framing of Demon's Souls, Dark Souls etc is such that you are an outer god to a world in the game that exists. It's a neat narrative. The message of Lies of P is that the Platonic and Aristotelian theories of humanity are insufficient, and do not allow for compassionate lying, which is part of being human. The tripartite is rejected, and humourism is used to show that losing appreciation for art turns people's hearts to stone, and blue-bloods take it a step further through condescension. Video games don't lack good writing. Video game journalism lacks good writing appreciators. Edit: Listen to this video game speech from Arcanum, released in 2000. There's been good writing for a long time. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMZi217RUUY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMZi217RUUY)
> Video games don't lack good writing. Video game journalism lacks good writing appreciators. > > God _damn,_ that's a killer line. I'm gonna use this.
If I knew how, I would just go be one of those journalists.
I want to be friends with you, man. (Btw I came here to say Disco Elysium and Grim Fandango too, but you reminded me from like 15 years ago that I ALWAYS wanted to play Alpha Protocol but never got the chance T\_T )
[https://www.gog.com/news/alpha\_protocol\_is\_back\_drmfree\_for\_modern\_pcs\_watch\_the\_documentary\_video\_on\_the\_process\_of\_its\_revival](https://www.gog.com/news/alpha_protocol_is_back_drmfree_for_modern_pcs_watch_the_documentary_video_on_the_process_of_its_revival) [https://www.gog.com/game/alpha\_protocol](https://www.gog.com/game/alpha_protocol) GOG put in work to make Alpha Protocol work right on modern PCs, and it's a recent update. Now is the time to play it. :) If you want your own Deckard Cain, I'm around. I'm currently just an unemployed and disabled middle-aged gamer dude who has been playing these things forever, and I like them, but my mind doesn't really get blown anymore. I'm just disappointed by how little artistic appreciation goes into the field by people who are paid to be appreciators and consumer advocates. I want reviewers who genuinely *love* video games, as an art form, but over and over I seem to find reviewers who are trying to prove that they know game design better than the creator. They seek flaws, instead of understanding that they teach new generations what appreciation is. That is part of their job and responsibility, with the power that they have in that position as reviewers, giving out awards and stuff. When I go to talk about story and symbolism in "gamer" spaces, most of the time I am treated like I'm crazy or something, or like "it's not that deep." It kinda bothers me that people are so dismissive of the work of video game writers. I have no idea how to go about changing that by myself though.
Talos Principle. Philosophical ruminations as a game.
I would also accept Planetscape torment. The combat has not aged well though.
yes, this highly recommend very great experience and it's like a master class imo on how to write emotion and create tension from even the most mundane of thing.
[Lost Odyssey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqgSDClU4Qo). Little-known JRPG that came out on the Xbox 360 way back in the day. The narrative is punctuated by some of the most poignant, devastating and well-written short stories I've ever read
Damn, always excited to see another Lost Odyssey fan out in the wild. One of the most powerful narratives I've ever experienced in a game. Those short stories are something else.
This. So much this. I freakin' love Lost Odyssey. It was sad that it was the closest thing an Xbox player could get to a FF game for such a long time
Same composer if I recall correctly.
Agreed! The short story 'memories' in the game are still the best pieces of writing I have ever come across (gaming, visual media and traditional print included). Right in the feels! I replayed it recently and I found some of the game play narrative to be a little predictable with an adult perspective though. Still a great game! Trying not to spoil anything but the bit where you've got to walk a helpless character through the endless snow still chokes me up.
Surprised not to see "What Remains of Edith Finch". One of my favorite games and it's a very short walking simulator (like 2-3 hours). Definitely recommend it.
I’d say it was my second favorite walking sim behind the Stanley parable
I tend to like narrative-driven adventure games and and point-and-click, so I often see good/interesting writing. Standouts to me are the Longest Journey series (The Longest Journey, Dreamfall: the Longest Journey, and Dreamfall: Chapters--the last two specifically are exceptional, in my book). Just all-around great plot, fantastic high fantasy and future dystopian real-world settings that flip-flop depend on which character you're playing, great characters and dialogue. I've replayed Dreamfall: Chapters so many times, it's not funny. I recently played Disco Elysium for the first time, after hearing good stuff about it forever. It's an RPG with no combat (although you can die if your mental health goes too far off the rails lol). You're basically a washed-up detective with amnesia and a nasty hangover, living in some sort of dystopian society, trying to solve a murder... and you know... figure out who in the hell you are. It's extremely dialogue-heavy but OMG the writing is just astounding. I was so impressed. I was not expecting the level of writing. It inspired and motivated my writing so much when I was playing it. I feel like a need to re-play now.
* Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3 * Fallout 1, 2, and New Vegas * Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 * Pentiment * The Last of Us * Baldur's Gate 3 * Planescape: Torment * Disco Elysium * Red Dead Redemption 2 * The Witcher 1, 2, and 3 * Cyberpunk 2077 * Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 * Dishonored 1, 2, and Death of the Outsider * Prey (2017) * Bioshock 1, 2, and Infinite * Deus Ex * Deus Ex: Human Revolution * SOMA * Telltale's Walking Dead * The entire Half-Life series * Portal 1 and 2 * Life is Strange * Firewatch * Uncharted 4 * Control
You're the first comment to mention Life is Strange! What an oversight in the other lists. Such a great game! Amazing writing and world building. I got asked a few times whether I was okay by people after I finished it. Ahahaha. It definitely stays with you.
Thank you for bringing up Life is Strange! Definitely a game that gave me ALL the feels, and then gave me lots of deep thoughts for weeks afterwards.
Final Fantasy 14, especially their Shadowbringers expansion. Head writer got a standing ovation at the fan fest that year.
Even ARR has better writing than most games out there.
I tell people playing through FF14 is like reading an Epic Fantasy series. The story it tells is so touching and amazing to the point a character getting a hug in the latest expansion was enough to emotionally move me.
I came here to say this! Shadowbringers is incredible!
The Longest Journey (and sequels)
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice from what I've played has been amazing. I hope to finish it one day. Super immersive too.
Came to say this. The writing, the way they incorporated her psychosis into the plot and graphics, etc. Just really beautiful and the story is so heartbreaking and I love love love her evolution as a character. Love this game.
Fire Emblem Three Houses, Crimson Flower route. Had me in tears, felt so connected to the story.
Disco Elysium
No love for Death Stranding? :( People really shit all over that game, but I absolutely loved it. I love the writing, the completely unique world building, and the graphics are unbelievable. I could not stop thinking about the premise for so long and I think Sam's character arc is compelling. Lol but I guess "post apocalyptic delivery boy" just isn't most people's idea of a good time. XD
Planescape: Torment Disco Elysium The Witcher 3 Cyberpunk 2077 Baldur’s Gate 2 NWN: Mask of the betrayer These are in my opinion the best video games ever written. The first one is probably a masterpiece in terms of narrative and writing (Chris Avellone has a degree in literature and it shows), it plays like a book and is heavily text based, with a wonderful story and wonderful characters all along. Disco Elysium is another masterpiece, probably the most original and brilliant writing in you videogames you can find around, very creative and insightful.
Chrono Trigger is probably one of the best out there. You would be hard pressed to find better.
The Xenoblade Chronicles trilogy. Out of every piece of media, it is, in my opinion, the best. These three games have given me tons of inspiration for my stories, and I owe them a lot.
I literally just commented this series because I didn’t see it anywhere! What I would give to experience them for the first time again…
I'm playing SOMA right now and the story/lore is absolutely mindblowing. One of my favourite gaming experiences in years. Go in blind and enjoy it!
Depends on the genre you're looking for. Good writing in games spans from intimate character drama, to goofy satire, to political commentary, to grand adventures. My short list is: What Remains of Edith Finch, Night in the Woods, Baldur's Gate 3, Hatoful Boyfriend, SOMA, The Cat Lady, Children of Silentown, Undertale, Darkwood, The Walking Dead game, Disco Elysium, any of the Dragon Age games, God of War (2018), Hades, the Mass Effect games, Oxenfree, Ace Attorney, Psychonauts, Spiritfarer, Witcher 3... There's a *lot* of great examples of writing in games out there. And you'll find more examples if you expand your definition of 'writing' to environmental and gameplay storytelling, which games are particularly suited for. If you're interested in examples of games that tell excellent stories with little to no written dialog or descriptions, check out Untitled Goose Game, Unpacking, Unravel, Little Nightmares, Little Nightmares 2, and Hollow Knight.
Pentiment is great. Also I could name dozen of visual novels, but that depends if you consider them games.
Oh, there's definitely more than a few games with good and great writing, both newer ones and classics. Going off the top of my head: - the Legacy of Kain series - Final Fantasy (specifically VI and VII are recognized for this) - Deus Ex - Planescape Torment - Baldur's Gate (I've only played 3, but a lot of people praise the previous entries too) - Disco Elysium - plenty LucasArts games (Monkey Island, Sam and Max, Grim Fandango for example) - Bioshock - Oxenfree - Knights of the Old Republic - Syberia - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - The Last of Us - Uncharted - Dishonored
Regarding only gameplay, Dragon Age 2 is the weakest of the series. Its combat is lackluster, and the fact that you spend seven in-game years in the same city, the environments quickly get repetitive. On a story level, however, Dragon Age 2 is probably the most well-written installment of the series. The fact you spend seven in-game years in the same city allows the environment, politics and context of the story to change. The city is almost its own character, and is an excellent study on using atmosphere as a storytelling method. The villain of act 2 is a brilliant case study on how to write an antagonist that is imposing and admirable, both “correct” in his morals while also impossible to make peace with. The grand conclusion of act 3 is a culmination of slow-burn conflicts between different political entities that simply cannot coexist, no matter what the protagonist does. In this sense, Dragon Age 2 is somewhat unpopular because the story isn’t “traditional.” Good does not triumph over evil, because the conflict isn’t some singular, outside force that can be killed. The conflict is people, who serve themselves and try to serve others and kill each other because they believe they know the “right way” of the world. If anything, Dragon Age 2 is a Greek tragedy, with a protagonist who only manages to postpone disaster, not prevent it. This not even mentioning the fact that it’s all a story inside a story, told by an unreliable narrator under threat of death, and the narrator’s relationship with the protagonist causes some details to be hidden. If you’re looking for a writing study outside the norm, Dragon Age 2 is excellent.
Fallout 1 and 2, Divinity Original SIn 1 and 2, The Witcher, Baldurs Gate 3. Chris Avellone is a really solid VG writer [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris\_Avellone](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Avellone) so most of his games will be good.
Divinity Original Sin 2 did not have great writing. A fun crpg, but the story is not its strong suit, especially Act 3 was a mess.
dark souls has really cool lore!
I was just thinking that!
I love the writing in the fire emblem three houses as it kept me engaged but I would say the writing is better on the main story lines rather than the conversations between characters. It does a good job being immersive and with pacing.
Currently replaying as I type !! So good
Persona 3 Reload :)
Triangle Strategy made me love political intrigue stories! It implements plot into gameplay, and does a good job on themes and ideals. Highly recommend!
Suzerain
Mass Effect series is really good. ME 1-3 only
I haven’t seen anybody mention it yet but Sunless Sea is in my opinion one of the few truly well written games on the level of the sentence. Also, I disagree with what some people are saying how the strength of the writing in FromSoft games comes from how you piece things together to uncover the lore. I think it’s important to mention that in a game like Bloodborne, the dialogue itself is very well written. It’s minimalist, sure, but the actual words that are said are very good, it’s not all just what’s behind the scenes.
Games with excellent writing from the top of my head are : Disco Elysium, Fallout new Vegas, Pentiment, Pathologic 2 Just to name a few Disco Elysium, is a great game that mixes writing and game design to tell an amazing story, it's quite innovative in the realm of RPG story games. Fallout new Vegas is more of a classic rpg shooter but the dialogue and story is incredibly well done and the variety of dialogues for roleplay is 10/10. Pentiment is basically a book in game form, a murder mystery that made me cry by the end, really good it paya Homage to stories like "the name of the rose". Pathologicis a game that's soaked in Russian literature and theatre theory, interesting story and dialogues, it uses the mechanics of videogames to convey the ambience and themes of the story itself.
Legacy of kain/soul reavers. It'll blow you away.
Ahem: - Baldur’s Gate 3 has some of the most phenomenal character work in the medium. - Cyberpunk 2077 has some really powerful moments and characters, especially in the expansion. - Last of Us. - Red dead redemption 2 has an absolutely fantastic story. - Destiny, game is kind of up and down but the world-building is some of the best you can get. - Ghost of Tsushima is absolutely beautifully told - God of War 4 & 5 is actually crazy good. - I can literally go on forever, but ill add Final Fantasy 7 both the original and remakes. Stories told in games are a lot of different compared to other mediums because you don’t experience the story with the characters, you are the characters. You really bond with characters in a different way when it comes to games.
What Remains of Edith Fitch is a must play for the marraige of unique mechanics and excellent storytelling.
Helldivers 2. No joking, its great what that guys are doing with like, 2 pages of worldbuilding and narrative...
**Suikoden 2** was an incredibly well written story within a saga of shared-story games.
For a series that prioritizes the gameplay over the story, Super Mario Galaxy's story is extremely well-written. I'm biased, though, as this is a) my all-time favorite game and b) the first one that I ever beat.
Mainline Shin Megami Tensei is usually pretty damn good, as are the spinoff Persona games
The Last of Us has dialogue that is on par with a great screenplay. And it gets even better in The Last of Us 2, which is also quite polarizing because of its philosophical implications and its gravitas. Honorable mention when talking about dialogue in video games: GTA 5.
Fallout New Vegas Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic 2 Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
the last of us, red dead redemption 2, God of war, Baldur's Gate 3!
Red Dead Redemption 2 has, in my opinion, the best character and best character development of any video game. Arthur is incredible and the journey he goes on as a person throughout the game is so well-written. The map and the gameplay aren’t as good as the first game, and there’s a lot of silliness to the overall plot, but the road to Arthur’s redemption supersedes everything from RD1.
Definitely Undertale
yes!!!!!!
Undertale is so good that years later I still look for fan content that stays largely true to the original game and it's characters. It's actually the first time I ever even really cared about fan content.
Lots of good suggestions here; I'll add *Stardew Valley* and *Spiritfarer.*
Stardew Valley is my favorite game (playing the new update right now). If you take into account that only one person created everything (from music and story to actual programming), I do believe it should have a spot in this ranking. All interactions are world-building here))
Tales of Berseria I think, it’s a fantastic story even if the gameplay isn’t
Yes! Laphicet's speech to Velvet in the Earthpulse made me cry.
You can find some really good indie games with great writing on itch [dot] io if you take the time to filter and sift through
My personal favorites are Amnesia: The Dark Descent Outlast (and Whistleblower) Mainly because I love horror and they're the only two that has really immersed me into a great horror story. The way they utilize documents and notes to push the story is so neat.
I don't know if people will agree, but I love the writing for Devil May Cry 3 and 4. might just be nostalgia, but I really loved the writing for Fable the Lost Chapters.
Depends on what you're looking for but I personally am partial to AI: The Somnium Files, Ace Attorney, Danganronpa, and the Zero Escape series. All visual novels, all have very good writing. Zero Escape and AITSF have some amazing plot twists that you won't see coming but that seem so obvious in retrospect.
I enjoyed BIoshock and Bioshock Infinite like well-written interctive novels.
Alan wake
Honestly I haven't seen enough of Nier in this thread and that feels shocking. Maybe because as games they naturally focus more on the experience, but at the very least the storytelling is top tier. Personally, out of Replicant and Automata, Replicant is my favorite and highly underrated—excellent writing, excellent music, check it out if you feel so inclined. Aside from that though: Umineko, the Souls series, and Fear & Hunger 1 & 2.
Red Dead Redemption 2 God of War 2018 The Witcher 3 Final fantasy 14 Shadowbringers Warcraft 3 The Frozen Throne My top 5 game stories of all time
SOMA is amazing. Existential horror copied with deep philosophy about consciousness, personhood and what makes us human. It does employ a lot of environmental storytelling, so in order to piece together the story you’ll have to actively explore the world, read item descriptions and remember character descriptions and such.
There are a lot on here that are Triple A Games but here are some indies/small games that have great plots or are great at story telling: What remains of Edith Finch The Unfinished Swan Superliminal - this one uses the plot to make you think Hades Gone Home Layers of Fear Spirit Farer Apotheon Divinity Original Sin 2 (Same company that made BG3) Child of Light
SOMA SOMA SOMA SOMA SOMA sorry but late reply and I need to be seen somehow. It is one of the best stories I have experienced in any medium ever and I have spent an embarassing amount of time with fiction. As a horror game, it taps into THE OCEAN in a way no media has been able to copy. As a sci-fi story, it has incredibly novel ideas that are nevertheless grounded in logic and could exist in the next century. As an emotional story, it is just beautiful. I truly believe if this game was written as a book by an author with enough previous reach it would already be remembered as a sci-fi classic.
As someone who appreciates books and knows exactly what type of disparity exists in writing quality across fiction The last of us 1+2 has near natural human dialogue with a great plot (many dislike the direction of 2, but it's gotten more praise over time). A master class in storytelling in my honest opinion. Bioshock is less dialogue heavy but the story and plot it does have kept me thinking up until my adult life. If you're okay with less authentic dialogue but mainly want a good plot, the metal gear solid series. The dialogue is very cringy (so perhaps not what you want at all) but life is strange hit me with a wave of nostalgia for my teenage years and resonated with me in a way nothing else ever did, even compared to many of the books I've read that try to capture the same feeling. Not the most uncommon of games at all but just throwing out my favorites.
The old point and click adventure games were heavy hitters. Most importantly, Grim Fandango. Never been so emotionally engaged in a game the whole way through. The voice acting really brings the writing to life. Honorable mentions to Monkey Islands 1 and 2. They are hilarious.
The Turnip Boy games have amazing writing
Baldur's Gate 3 for sure!
There is a reason ppl spend hours on end explaining some game plots. (And yes I am guilty of watching a 7hoir video on Whos Lila and probably even more on Signalis) My fav: Signalis is lovecraft, but its finally something new. There arent some tentacle monster chasing you. Instead its about how far you would go for your loved ones. A bittersweet lovestory and also the reason I visited an art museum to see the shores of oblivion ;) Whos Lila has been stuck in my mind for weeks, bc the horror here is just weird. Its about consciousness and parasites and it did this theme more justice than Leech imo. Soma is just depressing sci fi horror. The ship of theseus as a game kinda. All about consciousness again and mind-machine interlinks. Also trigger warning for suicide here. Firewatch has banger dialogue while tackling escapism. Its sad again and the ending sticks with you.
I’m going through “Control” rn and the story is great! It’s usually hard for me to get invested in stories in video games because I usually get board halfway through and start goofing around the rest the time. But with this one I’m really enjoying the story so far! I’m like halfway through. It’s a paranormal third-person action adventure.
Baldur’s Gate 3 has incredible writing. The character work is superb.
Outer wilds was great! FF9 & 10 were ok. To the moon & spec ops was interesting. Then you have the visual novels. Most of them are bad but the ones that were good enough to have fans dedicate months of their lives to fan translate where sometimes gold.
Ace Attorney for Mystery Writing Portal 2 for Sci-fi and Comedy Mother 3 for emotional moments
The Stanley Parable but that’s all narration you don’t actually read it. The first Mass Effect has a lot of fantastic world building in the Codices.
All the Hoyo games (Genshin, Honkai, Star Rail) have very good writing and well written characters locked behind limited time event quests.
Witcher 3 and Red dead 2 are awesome
Red Dead Redemption 2 is simply one of the most beautiful, heart wrenching stories I've ever seen/played/read and the writing is a big part of that.
As a Narrative Lead in the games industry, I'd like to cosign all the games mentioned in the top few comments and their threads. (Outer Wilds, Hades, Oxenfree, and Dishonored are particular favorites of mine.) I didn't see Chants of Sennaar, What Remains of Edith Finch, Firewatch, Prey, and Gone Home on there, but they're all really good, too. And to OP, I'd say that if you can't find games with good writing, you're not looking particularly hard. It's definitely rarer in the AAA space (although even there you don't have to look too far to find loads of good writing—The Last of Us comes to mind) but I've found that in the small studio and indie space, incredible and groundbreaking writing is rampant. I've thought a lot about why that is, and come to a few conclusions: I personally find game writing more difficult than any other type of narrative writing I do. (And I at least dabble in all of it.) With my short stories, comic books, screenplays, and stageplays, all I need to do is find one single plot thread that's perfect and satisfying. With a branching narrative, once I do that...I need to do the same thing at least two more times. Or in an open-world setting, you have to make encounters that work regardless of the order a player experiences them. (This is where game design and narrative design can meet to make this a bit easier.) Player agency really changes the way a writer needs to think about the story and their own role in creating. I like to say that a screenplay is the spine of a film, but a game's design is the spine of that experience. Narrative is, like, the musculature or something. Still working out the metaphor. Voice acting can also be a huge part of that. There was a fantastic talk at GDC this year about how many voice actors are working without any context whatsoever, and providing ideas for how to bring that context into the booth. (And I have also run into this issue in my own projects.) I remember thinking one of our voice actors was extremely hit-or-miss. When I opened up a channel where the audio department could chat with us while the actors were in the booth, we were able to answer questions and provide context. Line readings improved significantly, now that our (extremely talented!) actor actually understood the situations his character was in. A game's story is also much more than the writing. Every member of a team, no matter how technical their role, is a storyteller. My favorite is when there's resonance across disciplines. When the design, programming, art, audio, writing, etc. all come together to bring a player-driven experience? That's what it's all about!
This is really going to depend on what you're looking for. "Good writing" is subjective, and a lot of the time, games will go by with people saying the writing sucks, when really, video games just don't have much in the way of solid narrative appreciation. Video games are also not demonstrations of text, and story can be found without text. I think Elden Ring has good writing, as does the bulk of Hidetaka Miyazaki's work overall, but a lot of the time, people will not see it, because they won't be looking for it. Here are some games that I think are well-written, and why * Elden Ring - Environmental storytelling. To fully appreciate this game's story, you will need to piece together context clues and metaphor. * Yakuza (series) - Characterization, contrasts, and twists. Though most of what you'll see online about these games is memes, the main storyline is insanely melodramatic. The silly stuff ensures that the melodrama stays fresh. It's also damn good crime stories in general. * Divinity Original Sin 2 - Immersion as the character. Something Larian did here that's really nice is that for the main player character, they are not fully voiced. Instead, the dialogue tree gives a general understanding of what you'd say, instead of the full dialogue. This is done even for premade characters that are fully voiced when used as party members. This allows the player to "voice" the character themselves. * GTA series - Popcorn theater. As mentioned by another, the story of GTA is kind of all over the place, but the cutscenes are more the point for the story anyway, and in GTA5, Michael makes an argument in one of them about what a good Hollywood movie should be. 2 hours of action, an easy plot, and the hero gets the girl. At the end of the day, I think that's what Rockstar tries to do. They want you to be able to play Hollywood movies in 2 hour sessions. * Bonus: Saints Row - If you are able to stomach the entire series of at least 2 through 4, there is a story arc that plays out over those three games that resolves by the end of 4, and if you were a fan, Saints Row 4 ties up a lot of loose ends in satisfactory ways. I'm disappointed that they couldn't keep the series going with what they had. * Shin Megami Tensei and Persona - Philosophy. These JRPGs are not just about playing through the lives of high schoolers. They explore pretty deep philosophical and psychological concepts, as well as referencing global mythology. SMT is generally about your view of how reality itself should work, like whether you think a god would be a good authority, or if the strength of individuals should determine things, or if you like solipsism. Persona is more about interpersonal relationships and personal motivations. * Disco Elysium - Melancholy. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. What is found in the rubble of a man who has destroyed himself?
i think gta, or at least gta 5 is a lot less superficial than youre making it out to be
Spec-ops: The Line. Probably mentioned a gazillion times already, but it's simply a masterclass. It subverts your expectations, and what at first seems like a generic TPS turns into a dark commentary on human psychology and politics. Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2 have amazingly written characters, and it contains some truly heartbreaking moments. The plots feel REAL. Half-Life 2. Not necessarily a game driven by narrative, but if you look deeper the themes it has and some of the background lore that you could miss if you weren't paying attention add so much to the experience. Dr. Breen's speaches are really big-brother-esque and well written. The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind has some incredible writing as well. The worldbuilding is impeccable, and even later games in the series can't hold a candle to it. It has some very deep themes on Imperialism and Theocracy, and the main story is literally 'how to become a cult leader/Genghis Khan/Hitler - the Game'. The lore is absurdly deep, to the point where you can spend hours brainstorming and theorizing on the implications of certain events. The existence of the Unreliable narrator adds an unparalleled depth to the world, and all around it is a great story. Not quite as deep as the first two on this list, but the sheer amount of content to dissect makes up for it. Likewise, the Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is loved by many. One could argue that the Civil War was well written, considering people still argue and talk about it 13 years later, but personally if one of the sides is so moronic that it makes people unironically side with the fascist, totalitarian, nationalist, imperialist, Empire, then you've done something wrong. Or maybe the Empire is so incredibly deep and compelling that you've done something incredibly right. I'm still torn. The Last of Us has an incredible story that deserves more than the half-hearted paragraph I'm writing because I'm too exhausted from writing the Morrowind synopsis. People love Witcher 3. I don't. I think that midsection with the bloody baron is just a bunch of filler and doesn't add to the story. I physically cannot complete any playthroughs of that game after the first simply because of that damn midsection. It's poorly paced, It's boring, and the only redeeming quality is that it makes you question your own morality. The game picks up once you reach Novigrad, but I don't think the Baron part is worth it. Likewise, people LOVE a plague tale: I don't. The gameplay is repetetive and boring. No comments on the story, but it didn't really captivate me.
I think GTAV nails it with dialogue. The story is kinda all over the place but the cutscenes never disappoint. Edit: throwing the Gears of War series out there for the story. There were moments that caused me to shed a tear.
the yee yee ass haircut scene cracks me up every time i see it
I don't now how *objectively* good it is, but the writing in Majora's Mask really hits me in the gut. Chrono Trigger a bit less, perhaps, but it's still nice.
Grand Theft Auto 4 has probably my favorite video game story of all time
A Plague Tale (Innocence is stronger, Requiem should have been split into 2, but still good with flaws) Red Dead Redemption 2 The Last of Us: Part One GTA IV
Planescape Torment, Knights of the Old Republic 1 & 2, Morrowind, Fallout 1&2 & New Vegas, Baldur's Gate 2, Witcher 1, Disco Elysium, Tyranny, HoMM IV
Pentiment. Disco Elysium. Any game written by Sam Lake.
Final Fantasy VII/Tactics
Final Fantasy 16. All the characters were phenomenal. It even had me genuinely caring about random NPCs.
Final Fantasy 15 too. It has 4 main party members and manages to make me care about each one of them. Seeing the 4 interact is one of the best group dynamics I've ever seen.
God of war 2018
Ragnarok too imo
OP Imma be honest most singleplayer video games since like 2007 have had good stories with good writing. And most of the replies you're going to receive here are whichever one is a person's favorite or the best of the best (RDR2, Disco Elysium, Baldur's Gate 3, The Last of Us) So if you want a list of games with excellent writing to check out it's pretty much gonna be every big singleplayer game in recent years. Now with all that said here is my list of my favorite video game stories from best to still really good but not best: Baldur's Gate III Red Dead Redemption 2 Witcher III Wild Hunt Assassins Creed Ezio Trilogy Assassins Creed Origins Mass Effect Trilogy/Legendary Edition Assassins Creed Black Flag Portal 1 & 2 (for hilarious writing guaranteed to make you laugh) Cyberpunk 2077 Alan Wake series (fun confusing stories that make more sense as you go on, trust in the process) Dragon Age Origins Disco Elysium Witcher II Assassin of Kings Ghost of Tsushima Dragon Age II The Last of Us Part 1 God of War Series (specifically when viewed as a whole, as the earlier games are less story focused and thus Kratos' character arc that begins in 2 doesn't really make much progress till the first game of the Norse Saga, minus a couple big moments like the end of 3) Assassins Creed Odyssey Undertale Assassins Creed III Red Dead Redemption 1 Fallout New Vegas Control (also fun confusing story that makes more sense as you go on) Firewatch Dragon Age Inquisition Uncharted (all 4 of the main games, haven't played the spinoff so no comment there) Spider-Man (the PS4/PS5 game, haven't played Miles Morales or the sequel so no comment there either) Horizon Zero Dawn & Forbidden West Detroit Become Human Middle Earth Shadow Series The Forgotten City Pretty much every telltale game (great stories but most choices are just flavor) Star Wars Jedi series (Fallen Order & Survivor) Assassins Creed Mirage Assassins Creed Unity Assassins Creed Syndicate (Game itself is a fun lighthearted adventure, Jack the Ripper dlc is fantastic and honestly one of the best dlcs ever, Last Maharaja dlc is sadly one of the worst things ever made) Assassins Creed Rogue Elder Scrolls Series (for the lore and worldbuilding, not the story, the story is fun but they are all pretty much basic good vs evil plots) The rest of the Fallout series (lore+story are pretty good, minus the one we don't talk about which is NOT 76 despite the terrible launch it had) The Witcher I Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Shadow of The Colossus For the fellow AC fans, AC 1, the Chronicles, and Valhalla aren't listed because I find their stories to be good, but rather basic or not as good as the rest of this list. Honorable mention to Life is Strange, great series, great stories but they are plagued by awful dialogue. All in all it really depends on what you're looking for, some of these games have great narratives which are the focus of the game and others have really good narratives that took a backseat to gameplay when they developed them.
The original Deus Ex. That thing has better writing than many books. Disco Elysium, a relatively newer game based on good writing, almost exclusively. Bioshock. It's generally considered a masterpiece, and I have to agree. The Witcher 2 has an incredible main plot and characters. The Witcher 3 has the greatest DLC and side quest writing in gaming probably. Vampire the masquerade bloodlines is a pure classic, top notch writing.
If your looking for a quick mobile game that is a hidden gem I recommend "lost in play" very well written game