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The Best Video Game Stories Of The 2020s (So Far) – CBR

Video gameDecember 6, 2024
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Video games were once seen primarily as an outlet just to entertain and kill time for kids, but some developers realized the storytelling potential of the medium. Thanks to those early efforts, storytelling in video games has never been better than it is in the ninth generation of consoles. Older generation games had very simple premises: advance, fight bad guys, save the day. Stories were relegated to a few simple lines in a booklet. In the arcades, games had demo screens that could tell players about what was going on and why they should care.

It’s an old phrase now, but the quality and care of video game stories have evolved to the point where players are almost experiencing a feature film. Visuals have become unimaginably realistic, and with the advances in motion capture technology, most triple-A game studios are able to utilize an actor and, in some cases, a character’s voice actor to fully bring the character to life on a set and then layer everything on top of that performance. These are some of the best of the decade so far.

10

Star Wars Jedi Survivor

This Game Challenges What We Know About Jedi

Cal Kestis stands next to Bd-1 in Jedi Survivor.

The continuing adventures of Cal Kestis and the crew aboard the Mantis took players to the edge of the galaxy in this second installment. After surviving the purge and being hunted by Darth Vader and relentless Inquisitors, Cal has parted ways with his team and, after suffering massive damage to his ship, decides to reunite with some of the crew. Throughout his time, he discovers an ancient droid that served the Jedi during the time of the High Republic. Cal explores further and finds a Jedi inside a Bacta tank. He frees the Jedi, hoping he’s found a new ally, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Jedi Survivor takes players on a massive adventure across several planets and gives them the chance to really connect with Cal as a character. Throughout the story, Cal’s faith in the Jedi way is challenged, and he begins to question everything he’s ever been taught. It shows that the Jedi may not necessarily have been the perfect heroes that many believe they are and that you shouldn’t mindlessly follow any sort of teachings. It’s an incredible adventure that any Star Wars fan should experience.

9

Spider-Man 2

Sling Us a Web Tonight

Venom fights the Spider-Men in Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for the PS5.

Developer Insomniac hit an absolute homerun with the first Spider-Man game and continued that success with Spider-Man: Miles Morales, a spin-off focused on the younger hero. Spider-Man 2 had a lot to live up to, and it delivered. The game is set shortly after the events of the previous games, and Kraven is initially seen as the main antagonist. He is quickly replaced by Venom, the big bad symbiote fan favorite character teased throughout the events of the first game.

The gameplay primarily focuses on players controlling Peter Parker or Miles Morales through the main story. The same level of care that players come to expect from Insomniac’s previous web-slinging adventures is on display here with a story that features incredible action set pieces, deep levels of personal drama, struggling with one’s inner issues, and the continuing difficulties that come with the transition from adolescence into adulthood. All that being said, the game does, of course, feature a lot of levity. This is a Spider-Man game, after all.

8

Tears of the Kingdom

It’s the Biggest and the Best

Link crouched atop one of the floating islands in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom cover art.

The biggest Legend of Zelda game to date takes players back to the skies of Hyrule and deep into its terrifying depths. After the final battle in Breath of the Wild, Ganon was sealed away, seemingly never to cause harm again. Years later, a substance called gloom begins infecting people and places across the kingdom. Zelda and Link investigate the source beneath Hyrule Castle, where they discover the decrepit remains of Ganon. He reawakens, injures Link, destroys the Master Sword, and casts the castle into the sky. During the chaos, Zelda is lost. Link eventually recovers and sets out to rescue the Princess and defeat Ganon once more.

Tears of the Kingdom, like Breath of the Wild, uses long, fully voice-acted cutscenes to convey much of the story, while the rest unfolds through mostly silent scenes with dialogue boxes. Although the game may not have been the sequel many players expected, it builds on its predecessor in every way. Beyond expanding the game world, it enriches the lore and gives players a glimpse of ancient Hyrule, seen through the eyes of its main characters rather than through paintings or carvings. The game takes players on an emotional journey unlike any other in the series, culminating in one of its finest boss battles.

7

Baldur’s Gate 3

Roll Your Way Through an Epic Journey

The Dungeons & Dragons fandom has been eating well lately with the rise of multiple live-play shows, the game’s appearance in popular television series, and a feature film that exceeded all expectations. Baldur’s Gate 3 was released to widespread acclaim, earning incredible reviews and high praise across the board. The story begins with the player character waking up on a ship controlled by a Mind Flayer, one of the series’ most fearsome monsters, with a parasite implanted in their brain. The player must find a way to remove it before succumbing to its dark influence.

Lae'zel, Astarion, and Gale from Baldur's Gate 3

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​​​​​​Where the game truly shines, both in story and gameplay, is in the freedom it offers the player. Almost anything the mind can conjure, the player can do. Pairing up with any of the numerous expertly crafted party members, creative ways to solve puzzles or get themselves out of trouble. The game is a master class in sword and sorcery storytelling that everyone should experience.

6

Alan Wake II

This Sequel Was Worth the Wait

Alan Wake 2 Screenshot

The long, long-awaited sequel to the 2010 Xbox 360 exclusive sees the titular character, Alan Wake, return for another harrowing journey into darkness. The original game followed horror author Alan Wake as he took his wife to a secluded cabin, hoping to finish work on a new manuscript. What ensued was a waking nightmare. Shortly after their arrival, Alan’s wife disappeared, and his attempt to save her led to a blackout. He woke up behind the wheel of his car with no memory of how he got there. As he searched for his wife, the world around him grew increasingly terrifying. Alan was stalked by shadowy monsters, which could only be defeated by weakening them with his flashlight before using firearms.

The sequel finds Alan trapped in another dimension, where he is desperately trying to rewrite the world around him to find his way back home. Players also take control of Saga Anderson, an FBI agent investigating a series of murders. Alan Wake 2‘s story is a perfect fit for fans of horror, detective thrillers, and masterfully crafted games, and it’s got plenty of surreal surprises.

5

Cyberpunk 2077

What Does It Mean to Live?

Cyberpunk 2077 key art featuring V holding her pistol.

Cyberpunk 2077 was pushed through the wringer and beaten down by every single person possible upon release. The game featured countless bugs and issues, but after tons of updates and a banger of a story DLC in Phantom Liberty, the game is in a much better state. While Cyberpunk 2077 has had its share of issues, it’s always told a fantastic story. The world of Night City feels like a real place that is full of dangers and adventures for players to uncover. That’s incredible storytelling on its own, but the actual main campaign of the game holds something special.

Cyberpunk 2077

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Players control V, who can have a multitude of backgrounds chosen by the player. Jackie joins them, and they become mercs together. Things go wrong on a job, and V is left for dead. After waking up, V starts having visions of Johnny Silverhand, a musician and terrorist who died years prior to the story. Silverhand’s consciousness is slowly overtaking V’s body, and V will die as a result unless they can find a way to stop the process. This forces V to reanalyze their life and see things differently. It’s an excellent story about facing one’s own mortality and what really matters in life.

4

Life Is Strange: True Colors

A Beautiful Tale About the Powers of Emotion

Life is Strange: True Colors Alex playing her guitar

The Life Is Strange series is full of incredible stories. The anthology features various protagonists with unique abilities, such as rewinding time or, in True Colors, the power to see emotions as auras surrounding others. In True Colors, players follow Alex Chen as she arrives in the scenic town of Haven Springs, Colorado. There, Alex reunites with her brother after years in the foster care system.

Alex and the residents of Haven Springs feel genuine. They’re exactly the kind of close-knit, small-town characters one would expect in such a community. Everyone knows each other’s business and secrets. The interactive elements of the world expertly tell the town’s story and its history. At its heart, True Colors explores Alex’s struggles with her anxieties about her powers and how they affect those around her, which are issues anyone can identify with.

3

Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Gone Is the Dragon of Dojima. Enter the Hero of Yokohama

Ichiban Kasuga wears a red suit while being thrown in the air in Yakuza: Like a Dragon.

The Yakuza series has never been short of incredible storytelling and drama, though there’s some debate about Yakuza Dead Souls. Like A Dragon is the perfect jumping-on point for newcomers to the series. Yakuza‘s original protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, is gone and has been replaced by newcomer Ichiban Kasuga. Everything fans of the series loved previously returns, with a new combat system and an English voice dub. This was the first mainline game to have an English dub since the very first game in 2005.

Ichiban and Yakuza Franchise

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In Yakuza Like a Dragon, Ichiban took the mantle of main character from Kiryu. While some think it’s a bad move, it actually made the series better.

​​​​​​Like a Dragon‘s story follows Ichiban, who takes the fall for a murder to protect his clan’s reputation. After being released from prison, Ichiban, angry that his family patriarch never gave him a second thought while locked away, confronts him and is left for dead in another town as a result. Ichiban must then piece together a massive conspiracy and web of secrets to uncover the truth behind his attempted murder. The story is full of twists, incredible emotional beats, and ridiculously hilarious subplots. Players should have no issue connecting with Ichiban, one of the best and most likable game protagonists around.

2

Ghost of Tsushima

Challenge Everything You Know

Long before Assassin’s Creed went to Japan—something fans had been begging them to do for years—Sucker Punch Productions took players on the epic samurai journey of their dreams with Ghost of Tsushima. This game is a stunning work of art, featuring beautifully rendered cutscenes and gorgeous scenery intercut with levels of violence that can rival 1980s anime. Multiple voice language options and screen effects allow players to customize their immersion, including a mode that makes the game look like an Akira Kurosawa film.

Ghost of Tsushima follows Jin Sakai after his home is invaded by Mongols, leaving his clan in ruins. Jin embarks on a one-man campaign across Tsushima, recruiting allies and building forces to drive out the invaders and rescue his captured uncle. Along the way, he adopts tactics and strategies that clash with his samurai teachings of honor and tradition. His willingness to embrace these controversial methods earns him the title “The Ghost.” Like Jedi Survivor, Ghost of Tsushima follows someone discovering that what we are taught is not always right or the best way to accomplish something.

1

The Last of Us Part II

Revenge Is Good for Nothing

A close-up shot of Ellie's stern face in The Last of Us Part II.

The sequel to one of the most acclaimed PlayStation 3 games of all time, The Last of Us Part II, was released to absurd levels of controversy, most of which had nothing to do with the game itself. As players, we often expect our heroes to act in ways we deem right. Joel’s decision at the end of the first game—to save Ellie and let a potential cure for humanity die—was always intended to cause discourse. Many players feel they would have done the same thing in his position, but was it right to take that choice away from Ellie, who might have been willing to make that sacrifice? There’s no one right answer; the series is designed to challenge player’s understanding of right and wrong.

The Last of Us Part II is a tragedy from start to finish. Everything that can go wrong for Ellie does. By the third act, she hasn’t yet lost everything yet, but her quest for vengeance leads her to make decisions that ultimately cost her what little she has left. By the time she comes home, she’s lost more than most could imagine. Abby, the game’s other playable character, is often seen by the fandom as a villain, primarily because she isn’t Joel or Ellie. However, everything Abby does is exactly what most people would have done in her position. The game forces players to look at things from another perspective, creating powerful conversations with its themes and ideas. That’s what good art does, and that’s what makes it the best gaming story of the 2020s.

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