Culture is built on stories. From legends, through books, to movies and, indeed, video games, everywhere in the world storytelling is something shared and enjoyed by virtually all humans.
Video games are an especially interesting narrative medium because they allow for interactive storytelling powered by player actions and conversation choices. No other medium allows you to be in the story and in the world as much as video games do.
To give you plenty of great tales to immerse yourself in on the World Storytelling Day we’ve prepared plenty of sales and deals on the best story-focused games, as well as a short list of recommendations for titles you absolutely shouldn’t sleep on.
Planescape: Torment
| Release: | 2017-04-11 |
| Genre: | Strategy |
| Developer: | Beamdog |
One of the most beloved story-driven cRPG in history, Planescape: Torment is an obvious inclusion on any list of the best stories in gaming, and there are good reasons for that. It’s the story of an immortal, amnesiac man trying to unravel the mystery of his past and the nature of his immortality, all set in a vivid, dirty, and bizarre Planescape setting. It’s a must-play.
Planescape: Torment was built on the same engine as the all-time cRPG classic Baldur’s Gate, but it puts a much stronger emphasis on conversations and narration, while pushing combat so far into the background that it can be almost entirely avoided. If you like reading good, thoughtful fantasy, give it a shot, you won’t be disappointed.
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Red Dead Redemption 2
| Release: | 2019-11-05 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Rockstar Games |
Both installments of Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption series are all-time western classics, in their own ways. The original RDR (itself a conceptual sequel to Red Dead Revolver) followed a retired bandit, John Marston who was blackmailed into finding and dealing with the remnants of his former gang. It a lonesome experience in a large and immersive (especially for its time) world.
In the second game, RDR2, we get to witness and take part in the events which led to the gang breaking up in the first place, including Marston’s escape. In Red Dead Redemption 2 we get to play as Arthur Morgan, the right hand of the gang’s leader. RDR2 is easily RDR’s match in terms of its story and themes, on top of a stunningly detailed, vivid, rich open world.
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The Wolf Among Us
| Release: | 2013-10-11 |
| Genre: | Adventure |
| Developer: | Telltale Games |
Based on the amazing graphic novel series Fables, A Wolf Among Us is an episodic prequel to the events from the source material. It follows Bigby Wolf, the sheriff of Fabletown, as he deals with personal issues of locals while also investigating a mysterious murder. It’s one of the most respected games by studio Telltale Games, and deservedly so, because it’s done exceptionally well.
Most of the game revolves around dynamic conversations and investigating the environments you find yourself into. There’s a fair bit of action sequences, realized through extensive use of Quick Time Events to maintain their pacing and choreography. Your choices carry over between episodes and chapters, and do affect the specifics of how the story plays out and the ending you get.
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Disco Elysium
| Release: | 15 October 2019 |
| Genre: | RPG |
| Developer: | ZA/UM |
One of the most widely praised RPGs in recent years, Disco Elysium is a game with a premise unlike any other. You’re going to play a detective who drank himself into amnesia and has to solve a murder case in this weird state. That’s normal. The weird part is that your skills and traits are characters in their own right, and they frequently talk to you, not always in a helpful way.
For example, put too many points into encyclopedic knowledge and you’ll have access to plenty of useful into, but also you’ll be barraged with useless trivia. There are many interesting, unusual skills, and they all get a unique voice. You even can get your detective to develop various convictions and ideas, depending on your choices and your interactions with the world.
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Hades
| Release: | 2020-09-17 |
| Genre: | Indie |
| Developer: | Supergiant Games |
Hades’ storytelling is unusual. Although you don’t get to make any significant dialogue choices, the conversations are nevertheless very reactive. It takes into consideration things you accomplished on the previous escape attempt, improved relationships with NPCs, and many other factors. As a result you always progress the story, no matter how well or badly you do.
As for gameplay itself, it’s an isometric hack’n’slash action game with strong roguelike (or roguelite) elements, like procedurally assembled maps and randomized upgrades you can find while escaping from Hades. Your basic options are attack (normal and special), a spell, and a dodge, but they are affected by divine boons and the weapon you pick out of the core six.
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