CHAPTER 11
Case Studies – Story in Games
Games
are meant to be played, but ever since Donkey Kong introduced a story with a
beginning, middle, and an end, the digital medium has slowly recognized its
potential for storytelling as well. Over time the writing has improved, better
graphics have allowed for more interesting techniques, and every now and then a
game pushed the boundaries of just how mature a story could be. By this point
gaming is undeniably a storytelling medium, and we’ve experienced some
incredible stories in our history of gaming.
We went over the last 30-plus years of releases
to find the best written stories of all time. These narratives made us feel,
made us think, and kept us glued to the screen until we reached the resolution.
These games all told stories that only could be possible in a video game, and if
we want this medium to keep evolving, then this is the perfect time to
celebrate them.
25. Final Fantasy VI
JRPGs were ahead of the pack when it came to
quality game writing, and while later Final Fantasy titles improved the
graphics, the plot never got better than in the sixth entry. FFVI tells a
sprawling tale about the death of magic at the hands of unethical progress, and
it has one of the biggest ensemble casts this side of War & Peace. It allows players to see any of a dozen characters
as a fulfilling lead, and all would work in that context.
Moments like an impromptu opera performance, the
discovery of hidden lineage, or a heroic sacrifice are sprinkled throughout the
game, but it’s the bad guy that really steals the show. Kefka is one of the
most detestable villains we’ve ever met, and the script does an amazing job of
building up the heartless bastard. If FFVI is actually Kefka’s tale, then it’s
a well told one indeed.
24. Fallout 2
Many fantastic RPGs spawned from the 1990s, but
few of them dared tackle the mature themes presented in Fallout 2. Sure, by now
you've seen the whole post-apocalyptic survival scenario a dozen times by now,
but in 1998, that was still pretty new territory. As The Chosen One, a
descendant of the Vault Dweller from Fallout 1, it was your duty to travel the
Wasteland in hopes of saving your dying home village.
Along the way, you'd meet dozens of characters,
and how you handled those interactions had rippling effects into each new town
you'd visit. There were slavers to deal with, a rise in prostitution to quell
(or to help grow, if that was your thing), and an out-of-control drug problem
crippled some economies entirely. And then
you had to worry about the survival of mankind and overthrowing the corrupt
remnants of a shadowy government to boot. It's heavy stuff, and Fallout 2
remains one of the most grim virtual experiences out there--even if its pop
culture references got a touch out of hand.
23. L.A. Noire
The noir genre is about tough men, dangerous
women, and the grit of reality, and the same goes for L.A. Noire. You’re
dropped into the gumshoes of Cole Phelps, a beat cop with career advancement on
his mind. After solving a series of surprisingly brutal street crimes, Phelps
moves up the ranks of the 1950s L.A.P.D., taking on cases that are solved more
often with conversation than a shootout.
L.A. Noire’s writing shines brightest in the
interrogation room, a place where Cole does his best to get the truth out of
suspects. The acting and advanced facial animations do a lot of the work, but
the characterization and the resonant dialogue keep up their end of the bargain
as players try to decide guilt. Fighting crime isn’t glamorous, but thanks to
smart scripting, L.A. Noire found some beauty in that ordinary world.
22. Planescape Torment
How would being immortal alter one's perception
of the world, of life, or, indeed, one's very nature? That's the question posed
by Planescape: Torment, an oldschool RPG set in D&D's Planescape multiverse
renowned for its storytelling. The Nameless One--your character--has suffered
many lifetimes' worth of anguish, unable to piece together his past. Who is he?
Where did he come from? Why can he not die? You'll encounter many interesting
characters during your quest to answer these questions, some of whom you'll
grow to love, while the viewpoints of others may very well conflict with your
own philosophies.
Planescape isn't so much an RPG about dungeon
crawling and looting as it is interacting with the world and its characters.
Every discussion, no matter how small, can turn into a branching series of
dialogue, and every choice--no matter how insignificant it may seem--can lead
to gut-wrenching consequences. Planescape may be dated by today's standards,
but to pass it up would be a huge disservice to one of the greatest interactive
tales ever conceived.
21. Alan Wake
You would expect great storytelling from a game
that stars a novelist, and Alan Wake’s tale delivers on that front. Taking
inspiration from the best of Stephen King and David Lynch, Alan Wake sends a
troubled writer and his wife to the Pacific Northwest, searching for peace, but
only finding horror. The game does a great job of make the naturalistic world
feel alien while Alan searches for his lost wife, running into any number of
damaged people looking to do him harm.
Like any good novelist, Alan takes symbolism
seriously, as he uses light to battle the shadows that want to consume him—both
literally and figuratively. It gets even more interesting when floating words
become his enemies. The actual prose you find in the game is proof enough of
the quality writing, as is the excellent episodic pacing of how the plot
unfolds. Alan’s never sure what’s real or not, but he knows he loves his wife,
and that might be enough to see him through.
20. Braid
Memory is a sticky bastard. Devious and
deceiving, it warps reality in ways that have the appearance of truth, but are
anything but. In no context is memory less reliable than that of
love--especially when that love's gone very, very wrong. So how can you relive
the past in a way that reveals reality as it actually was? Well, it helps if an
undeniable truth is staring you in the face. Enter Braid, a devious and
deceiving puzzle platformer from game auteur Jonathan Blow.
Through its clever and innovative fast-forward
and rewind play mechanics, Braid unwinds a tale of forlorn love, yearning,
frustration, unfulfilled passion--a broken heart. But does it? In the end, the
game executes a twist for the ages, revealing that in actually you--the
protagonist, the hero, the beset man--you are actually a lousy asshole. The princess,
your lady love, needs a white knight for protection from you. Rare is the game that creates a situation where you must
correctly interpret a situation you actively want to deny. Only through
acceptance can you take in Braid's message. It's a good lesson to learn,
really.
19. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
The intriguing world of The Witcher 2: Assassins
of Kings takes you into a medieval fantasy that might not be what you'd expect
from a land filled with elves, dwarves, and wizards. Non-humans are looked down
upon, segregated, and abused by the human majority. Magic users are far from
the Gandalf the Grey-type, instead acting as calculating, political schemers.
Every decision you make in the game is morally grey, making your choices feel
all the more realistic.
When the witcher gets framed for regicide, you
must seek out the true killer to clear Geralt's name. Along the way, you'll
hunt humongous monsters to earn extra cash, make deals with high-profile
political figures, and even determine the course of an impending war. Branching
story plots, character alliances, and the welfare of the local populations are
greatly influenced by the choices you make, and will lead to completely
different conclusions. Political intrigue, betrayals, and unexpected twists
fill the plot, making the Witcher 2 a story that every gamer should experience.
18. Chrono Trigger
It’s gutsy for a game’s story to spans
millennium, let alone include a device as narratively troublesome as time
travel, but Chrono Trigger makes it look easy. It starts simply at a town
festival, but soon the unassuming Crono and his friends are thrown into a
massive adventure where he makes friends with cavemen, cursed knights, and
robots searching for humanity. And you find a way to connect to all of them.
The ever-shifting world Crono travels has much
to teach about the human condition, showing that technology may change, but
humans always have the same capacity for love, greed, devotion, hate, and honor
no matter the era. And the storytellers knew when to create quiet moments to
let the players get close enough to see some characters in a whole new light.
Keeping tracks of timelines might be complicated, but the characters’
motivations never were.
17. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
GTA's rags-to-riches stories are always
compelling, and San Andreas did it better than any of them. Over the course of
the epic story, lead goes from a penniless thug to one of San Andreas' most
respected citizens, ultimately becoming a wealthy mogul with a house in the
game's equivalent of the Hollywood Hills. You might start out beating up thugs
in a neglected Los Santos neighborhood, but by game's end you'll be hijacking
VTOL jets off of aircraft carriers.
But what really drives the game's story is its
characters. Carl, for all his gang-banging thuggery, is the most moral
character the series has produced. Carl's buddies, gang leaders Wu Zi Mu and
Cesar, are genuinely likable, and James Woods' acerbic Mike Toreno steals every
scene he's in. Meanwhile, Tenpenny--voiced by Samuel L. Jackson--is so
cartoonishly and irredeemably evil, it's impossible not to want to see him get
his comeuppance in a wildly satisfying high-speed firefight at the very end.
16. Grim Fandango
Few video game plots confront the wild life
changes that can occur in the span of four years. Fewer still can tie it all
together with the same grace as Grim Fandango. It imagines the afterlife,
called the Land of the Dead, as a purgatory not unlike our own world. It's got
all the amenities of a 1940s, Noir-style metropolis, and has living skeletons
working day jobs in place of people. Take our debonair protagonist Manny
Calavera, for instance: He's a Grim Reaper that doubles as a travel agent,
arranging the journey that fresh souls will take on their way to the peaceful
Ninth Underworld.
Throughout your own four-year journey, you'll
encounter a memorable cast of heroes and villains alike, all of whom will
irrevocably impact Manny's passage through the Land of the Dead. Classic Noir
tropes are everywhere--the femme fatale, the gaudy crime lord, the fact that
smoking is the national pastime. But Grim Fandango also offers an originality
all its own, blending Aztec mythology and Mexican culture into its gritty, art
deco cityscape.
15. Hotline Miami
Who says ultra-violent video games can't have
captivating stories? Hotline Miami gives purpose to all its gory mobster
killing by taking us down an acid-soaked rabbit hole, all seen through the hazy
eyes of our silent, unnamed protagonist (who fans have named Jacket, thanks to
his trademark varsity duds). Jacket's day-to-day in 1989 Miami involves waking
up, checking his answering machine to hear cryptic messages, then driving to
shady mob hangouts to murder everyone in sight. And oh yeah--he always dons an
animal mask before the killing starts.
Hotline Miami's plot thickens as you start to
lose your grip on reality, eventually reaching a psychedelic viscosity akin to
a cocaine-and-blood-based batter. Jacket's plagued by visions and nightmares,
unsure if the instructions he's receiving are even real or who might be
manipulating him. And even after the credits roll, the story's not over--not by
a long shot.
14. Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic
With power hungry Sith Lords, rag-tag group of
heros, and a bucket-of-bolts spacecraft, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
has all of the elements to build an immersive Star Wars experience. But what
bumps the game's story to one of the best in video games is its ability to suck
you into the new environment, allow you to explore rewarding backstories of the
fascinating side characters, and surprise you with twists that rival the
"I am your father" moments of the movie trilogy.
As an average crewman in the Republic Fleet, you're
tasked with finding the captured Jedi VIP, Bastila Shan, on the city-planet of
Taris, which launches you on a quest that spans the galaxy. You'll visit Luke
Skywalker's home planet Tatooine, the Wookie planet Kashyyyk, the Sith planet
Korriban, and other locales that take you deeper into the Star Wars lore than
any movie or game has ever done before. Bioware's classic definitely deserves a
spot as one of the best video game stories of all time.
13. Spec Ops: The Line
Military shooters don't often rank high on the
narrative front, usually favoring gung-ho G.I. Joe antics and flag waving over
character development. And, at first, Spec Ops: The Line falls right in line
with that stereotype--you take control of Walker, a soldier sent into a
sandstorm-ruined Dubai to find a missing general. But as time goes on it
becomes more and more obvious that there's something more devious afoot, and
the shooter's story transforms from run-of-the-mill to one-of-a-kind.
What unfolds is a damning criticism of shooters
themselves, questioning everything that gamers have grown accustom to. Walker's
journey sends him marching into the nucleus of the genre, playing with the
storytelling in ways no other game has. By the end you might feel anger or
sadness, but the important thing is that you'll feel something, and that's
pretty rare in military shooters.
12. Assassin's Creed 2
How often does a game’s story – it’s actual,
core narrative – hold your attention for 25 hours? Assassin’s Creed 2, which
tells the life-story of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, is one of those rare games.
It confidently introduces you to the cheeky Italian when he’s a young man,
scrapping in the street and climbing into his girlfriend’s bed via the balcony.
Then it shatters his world, leaving you to rebuild and revenge over the course
of a life, all within the beautiful surroundings of Renaissance Italy.
The fact that it takes place in a computer
simulation (based on historical memory) adds a delicious extra layer to the
plot, and provides handy background information on pretty much everything in
the game. The sci-fi ending and hidden video leaves you with a simultaneous
feeling of insignificance (the purpose of Ezio’s entire life was to deliver a
single message) and awe at the potential for the series’ overarching plot.
Which Ubisoft then over-complicate in subsequent games. Ho hum.
11. BioShock Infinite
After taking gaming subject matter to new
heights, game creator Ken Levine’s next title after BioShock had huge
expectations, all of which BioShock Infinite was prepared to meet. The
impossibly floating world of Columbia is a cutting critique on the perils of
American exceptionalism, but Booker DeWitt is only after Elizabeth, the special
girl he must abduct if he wants to be free of his debt. However, just as the
“Infinite” in the title implies, the plot is far bigger than that.
Infinite approaches so many important
subjects--racism, socialism, colonialism—but in the end it all comes back the
demons in Booker’s past. Like monstrous Songbird and the comical Lutece twins,
Booker’s choices come back to haunt him again and again, but Elizabeth’s
reality warping powers might finally give him the chance to make things right.
BioShock was about choice, Infinite was about fate, and both gave us a lot to
think about when they were over.
10. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Metal Gear games have often been trailblazers
when it comes to writing in games, but many of the franchise’s best scripts are
complicated by copious twists and conspiracies. Metal Gear Solid 3 sidesteps
all that by going to the saga’s start, which makes Snake’s story far more
personal this time around. MGS3 still had the type of betrayals and shocking
reveals you’d expect from a James Bond-infused, Cold War setting, but those
moments worked on a human level.
Not to say MGS3 didn’t take on heady subjects
like the nature of war, loyalty, and duty. The plot addressed all those things
without getting bogged down in sci-fi B.S. like nanomachines. And the
emotionally resonant script made room for some of the best boss characters and
action setpieces MGS ever had. It’s all built around the complex relationship
of Naked Snake and Boss, one of the strongest we’ve seen in gaming, which we
salute as proudly as Snake does at the game’s close.
9. Mass Effect 2
Assemble a rag-tag crew, achieve the impossible,
save the galaxy. It’s hardly original sci-fi, nor is it particularly smart, but
Mass
Effect 2 taps into one of the all time classic adventure stories: uneasy allies
versus overwhelming odds. It’s Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai played out in space,
replacing the bandits with ancient, titanic machines. It’s every bit as
punch-the-air satisfy
ing when Shepard and friends smash through the
game’s suicide mission climax.
ing when Shepard and friends smash through the
game’s suicide mission climax.
Few other games make you feel so close to the
supporting cast, either. Each crew member has a deep back-story, and most ask
you to make complex decisions to help them out, potentially souring your
friendship with another character. When/if you lose one of them during the
suicide mission you feel genuine remorse--a great indicator that Mass Effect
2’s story has left a lasting impression on you.
8. To The Moon
To the Moon proves that a game doesn't need
convincing voice acting, fancy polygons, and an orchestral score to make grown
men cry. The score did help though,
but the sad notes are a heartbreaking reminder of the tale about a dying man
with one last wish: to go to the moon. The story follows two doctors who are
trying to fulfill the Johnny's wish using technology that creates artificial
permanent memories. In order to do so, they need to hop through his memories
and implant the desire to go to the moon in his childhood so that he creates a
new life in his mind.
Along the way we learn about River, his now
deceased wife, and it's hard not to get teary-eyed when the doctors go through
their happy memories together. Or, if you want to be sadder sooner, just listen
to this.
7. Portal 2
After Portal's brilliant, minimalist narrative
introduced gamers to the silent Chell and the decidedly less silent GLaDOS,
Valve had its work cut out for it. How could a stunning short story be followed
up with a full, retail release? Could new characters really stand toe-to-toe
with GLaDOS? The answer, astoundingly, was yes. All of the new characters added
character to the world, from the curious Wheatley to the amazingly charismatic
Cave Johnson.
We were worried at first that we'd seen all
there was to see from Aperture, but that simply wasn't true. Exploring the
depths of the facility introduced us to new bits of lore, fleshing out the most
important character in the series: the facility itself. Learning Aperture's
backstory and finding out about GLaDOS's history was surprisingly touching.
Chell's story, too, ended up concluding well, turning the relatively quaint
story of the original into a saga as epic as nearly any other.
6. Red Dead Redemption
Some of the greatest film Westerns deal with the
death of the Old West, and Red Dead Redemption strikes gold exploring that
subject. Protagonist John Marston is a man out of time. He wants a steady home
life, but is pushed back into the saddle by government agents that hate his
outlaw past. Marston has to hunt down his old posse of bandits, effectively
killing off the last remnants of the era that defined him.
And it’s not just Marston and his former friends
that have trouble transitioning into the 20th century. Over and over John meets
individuals coming to terms with the end of the West, whether happily or
through gritted teeth. Marston himself wants to leave his past behind despite
being so good with his revolver, which makes him easier to connect with than
every previous Rockstar hero. The ultimate question is: will the world allow
him the happy ending he deserves?
5. Persona 4
Persona 4’s greatest strength comes from pacing.
The life of the protagonist plays out one day at a time for an entire year in
the quiet town of Inaba. You dig deep into a murder mystery while also
attending high school, working part time jobs, and (most importantly) bonding
with your new friends. You may enter a shadowy world of dungeons and monsters,
but you become so attached to your new friends that a small moment in the park
with one of them has more impact than most boss battle.
Persona 4’s tale takes more than 80 hours to
experience, but it never feels drawn out as every day is a new chance to get
closer to your friends. Characters like Teddy, Kanji, and Chie are well-defined
by scenes that shift between comedy and drama fluidly, and you express your
unique feelings for them through the expansive dialogue choices. When the story
reaches its satisfying climax, you feel like you’ve gone through a
life-changing ordeal with your best friends. When the game ultimately ends,
it’s hard not to shed tears for all you’re saying goodbye to.
4. The Last of Us
Where most tales of this type are made of good
guys, bad guys, heroic challenges and redemptive resolutions, The Last of Us
has none of these things. Instead, it has reality. Protagonist Joel is no hero.
Neither are his friends. No one at the start of the game is even particularly
likeable. They’re just broken people trying to survive a broken world by any
means necessary. The eventual change in Joel is a gradual one, forged by the
immaculately subtle evolution of his relationship with Ellie, as well as the
various pockets of humanity and brutality (both of which are experienced in
uncompromising extremes) discovered along their journey.
Through delicate, fragile interactions with each
other, most often subtly supported by gameplay, both characters change and
evolve almost imperceptibly, they and their relationship becoming completely
unrecognisable by the end of the game. Their story comes with no clean morality
or neat solutions. But that is exactly why you’ll care, and ultimate be more
affected by The Last of Us than any other action game. Epic, apocalyptic
scenario, small, intimate human story. That’s why it works, and that’s why it
will stay with you.
3. The Walking Dead
An intense, emotional ride until the very end,
The Walking Dead was our game of the year in 2012 because of its gut-wrenching
story. Lee Everett, a man on his way to prison, plays the unlikely hero who
stumbles upon Clementine, a young girl whose parents were vacationing in another
city when the zombie apocalypse happened. Their unexpected journey takes them
to Savannah, where her parents should be, and along the way you meet a cast of
characters that you grow to love (or hate with a burning passion). It's okay
though, because there are instances when your choices affect their chances of
staying in your group.
The game's strengths are its dialogue and
character development, and it's impossible not to feel sad, guilty, or angry
whenever Clementine witnesses or experiences anything horrible. It's a given
that when the dead start walking that there will be gruesome scenes, but the
pacing, the execution of each scenario made The Walking Dead stand out.
2. BioShock
Would you kindly... recognize Irrational Games'
BioShock as the second best story to be found in games? Ha, that's a trick.
You've actually had your free will stripped by Andrew Ryan, mastermind of the
utopian-cum-dystopian underwater city Rapture, so yes, you certainly will
recognize the greatness of BioShock. This is a very exciting day, for you.
Released in 2007, BioShock reoriented the conversation of whether games could
achieve a higher purpose beyond headshots, warlocks, and Italian plumbers--
yes, games have artistic merit.
The game
did so through its repurposing of Ayn Rand's objectivist allegory, Atlas Shrugged. However, whereas Rand's
diatribe against socialism leads to a perfect world built by the perfect man,
John Galt, game director Ken Levine unspooled a tale that lays bear the hubris
of Man. Andrew Ryan, in believing that he had found The Way, in actuality
created a society fueled by hedonistic vanity, unchecked ambition, and extreme
moral ambiguity. It was delicious in its depravity, and the utter corruption of
the city was revealed beautifully through innovative narrative devices, such as
the audio-logs strewn about levels. Yes, BioShock's ending felt too
predictable, but the game's ultimate contribution to game stories can not be
denied.
1. Silent Hill 2
There’s a sinister genius to the story-telling
in Silent
Hill 2. It starts off as a mysterious love story--James Sunderland is
searching for his wife after receiving a letter from her one year after her
death--and ends up as something far darker and more complex.
Silent Hill 2 tells its intricate story on
multiple levels. While its spoken narrative leaves you in little doubt about
what kind of man James Sunderland is, the way you play and interact with the
world also has a bearing. Spend the game at half health (or lower) for example,
and you’ll get a different ending – because your lack of regard for his health
tells the game that you think James is suicidal. Symbolism also plays a big
role--every disgusting creature in the game is a manifestation of James’
twisted psyche; physical representations of his sexual hang-ups and guilt. By
the end, you’ll have lost every shred of empathy you had with the game’s
protagonist--how many modern games are ballsy enough to let you play as the
real monster?
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