There are some great video games out there with narratives just as compelling as TV shows. Typically, the best stories come in the form of narrative-driven adventure games, like any number of Telltale games, titles from Supermassive Games for horror fans, or Dispatch is a new example. While the stories and choice systems are great from those examples, the RPG genre can offer more immersion or better storytelling devices.
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Sacrifices in the name of the greater good have to be made in these RPGs, but they’ll be far from easy.
RPGs, in general, are powerful in a number of ways, from branching narratives to custom character creators. The following examples showcase why they stand above even the best narrative-driven adventure games out there. By comparison, they offer players something far beyond what most games can provide.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Bloody And Full Of Heart
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt gives players control of two characters, Geralt and Ciri, with the main story following Geralt as he looks for her across a wide open-world. Players can make dialogue choices as they go from main interactions to side content, and these decisions actively change the change. As a supernatural warrior bred to fight monsters, the life of a Witcher is not an easy one, as decisions don’t come lightly.
For example, sparing a monster to free children could seem like a good decision until it leads to the destruction of an entire village. The weight of these decisions and the visceral combat can help players immerse themselves more in the role, and if that wasn’t enough, another CD Projekt Red game, Cyberpunk 2077, could also be considered for the sci-fi crowd out there.
Baldur’s Gate 3
Tell Your Story
Baldur’s Gate 3 gives players complete control over their digital lives from minute one. They can create their character’s looks, race, and class, or they can choose a premade character. From there, this tactical RPG will evolve based on what players decide to do. Siding with a villainous camp to kill a nearby village is one way to solve an early area’s issue before moving on, and that’s only one example.
Players can recruit party members, each of which will divulge more backstory the more players interact with them, which can also feed into the narrative. No matter what players do, they will create a story unlike any other player out there, and swapping scenarios with friends is half the fun.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Branching Friendships
Fire Emblem: Three Houses gives players a big choice upfront, whether they want to follow one of three teams who represent nations: Golden Deer, Blue Lions, or Black Eagles. Players will then gain the leader of their team as an ally, along with other party members from that camp. This is where most of the choices stop, although players can bond with party members that they feel are the most praiseworthy, so that’s another factor to consider.
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The rest of the gameplay loop is a bit more linear as players will go from major battle to major battle, resting in between to talk to party members, in this tactical RPG. Even though the story isn’t as broad as others, the three campaigns all feel distinct, giving players an ownership in this war-torn narrative more so than other Fire Emblem games and story-heavy games in general.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Never Give Up
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 doesn’t have much in terms of choices other than the ending and who players want to romance at camp, with a VERY limited pool. That said, the narrative weaves humor and drama together expertly to create a moving tale of redemption. The titular Expedition 33 is determined to stop the age-based genocide of their brethren by defeating an entity known as The Paintress once and for all.
It’s a brutal world they live in, where the future is robbed from them every single year, giving the heroes more motivation to save the world than in most RPGs. Of course, the story wouldn’t be as entertaining without a few twists along the way because the idea of good vs evil is not so cut and dry.
Undertale
Not All Monsters Are Scary
Undertale is unique for turn-based RPGs from a story and gameplay perspective that subverts the genre. In most turn-based RPGs, players will attack monsters, gain EXP, and then move on. While that is an option, this route will lead to a more unhinged story, considered to be a bad one because players will kill their enemies and prove monsters are right about humans: they are evil.
However, players can also talk their way through random and boss encounters, leading to a more altruistic ending. It’s an RPG that makes players think about their actions as fans, and there’s nothing else quite like it from a storytelling perspective.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
More Story Than RPG
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is almost all narrative-based, but it’s unlike most scenarios in gaming. Players will swap between different characters and time periods, all affected by a future war involving mechs, invaders, and the extinction of humanity. Players will have to solve mysteries in chapters, one character at a time, which will all add up in the end.
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There will be segments wherein players must fight, but these battles aren’t as intense as other tactical RPGs, as they are included more like storytelling devices. The visuals are one reason why this Vanillaware game is so beloved by fans, but the final twist is another. Suffice it to say, most players won’t see this one coming, which is what helps it stand out.
Disco Elysium
Roll The Dice
Disco Elysium is another game that focuses purely on the narrative, and it may seem barely like an RPG from the outset. That said, unlike most games with story choices, Disco Elysium uses stats and dice rolls to affect the outcome of scenarios. For example, if players have high enough stats or skills for combat, and they choose to punch or shoot an NPC, then the outcome will often go as players hope.
Low combat stats and a lack of any skills may have the scenario backfire. How players deal with any one character or situation is all stat-based and relies on the luck of dice rolls, sort of like playing an interactive tabletop game set in a dystopian society. For players into detective games, Disco Elysium will make players feel in control even when things go haywire.
The Banner Saga
The Norse Oregon Trail
The Banner Saga is told in three separate game episodes, and each one draws from past decisions. The gameplay can be effectively described as a combination of The Oregon Trail and Final Fantasy Tactics. The story is a pilgrimage about a group of settlers oppressed by the world and an encroaching darkness.
Players will need to make decisions in between grid-based battles, which will affect supplies and how characters will act. Combat is challenging, so players have to be extra careful with their strategies. All gameplay decisions affect the overall story, which is devoid of joy even in the best cases. It’s a dark journey, but enriching all the same if players decide to persevere and never give up.
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