I should start this post by saying that I consider myself a ‘casual’ gamer – in the sense that I never have the latest tech (or the latest games, for that matter) and am never hugely invested in the industry. That being said, I do really enjoy videogames, and I have a particular affinity for single-player campaigns: most notably those with absolute knockout storytelling.
Storytelling—and good writing in general—can obviously fall comfortably outside of my chosen medium (if you’re new here, I write novels). Movies, TV shows, plays and videogames are home to some of the best stories that our species has ever spun up. Here are my top five from that latter camp, with plenty of honourable mentions at the end (because whittling it down to just five was really tough!)
Soul Reaver 2
Part of the Legacy of Kain series of games, Soul Reaver 2 is, in my opinion, the most refined of the bunch—but graphics and gameplay aside, what I really enjoyed most about this game was the story.
SR2 expands the gothic, semi-apocalyptic world-building crafted in its predecessors by a hundredfold. We are taken—quite literally, through the mechanics of time-travel—through the history of Nosgoth and the rise and fall (and rise again) of vampires as they battle for dominance against humans, their sorcerers and their murderous crusaders. What starts as a simple pursuit of revenge quickly turns into our protagonist’s desperate plight to uncover the truth and free himself from the manipulative puppet-master games that he suspects are being played by other characters in the story.
It’s dark, it’s brutal and it’s goth as hell. And absolutely no one will be surprised to hear that this game actually influenced my decision to pen The Sins of Steel and Shadow, book 1 of the Turned series.
Elden Ring
Speaking of things being goth as hell. This one will no doubt make a lot of peoples’ lists, especially if you also (like me) enjoy reading grimdark fantasy.
Cards on the table, on my first playthrough I understood maybe 15% of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s widely-acclaimed masterpiece (not forgetting that some of the world-building was provided by George R. R. Martin, of course). And on my second go around, I upped that understanding to 20% (25% if I’m being generous) – but you know what? I still absolutely loved it.
But this isn’t a post about the game, it’s about the stories inside the games—so, you might ask, how can I include it if I didn’t even understand it? Simple, I did what all writers do. I did some reading.
The breadth and depth of lore, histories, conflicts and individual arcs that sweeps across Elden Ring (not to mention all of the Dark Souls games, too) is breathtaking in its ambition. Imprisoned eldritch gods, warring factions vying for supremacy, monumental betrayals and heinous acts, a poisonous affliction called the Scarlet Rot and dark magic coming out of every orifice, Elden Ring has it all, and it places you, a Tarnished, right in the centre of it all.
Simply put, it’s an epic story.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Speaking of…no, hang on, RDR2 has none of that* but it does have an epic story nonetheless.
The storyline primarily follows Arthur Morgan, a member of the down-on-their-luck Van De Linde gang, existing as outlaws in a wild-west frontier that’s starting to become more and more “civilised” with each passing day. Led by charismatic gangleader, Dutch, the group struggle to survive as they pursue “one last heist” that will provide them with enough booty to retire in peace. There are two things that I love most about the story in RDR2.
Firstly, the world is massive, but Arthur will interact (and intertwine) with characters everywhere. While some things might be inevitable, the manner of how they play out is influenced in no small way by these “sub-plots” – it’s masterful storytelling and something that the best novelists do, too. Little—apparently innocuous—details that have a major impact, later on. Butterfly effect, etc etc.
Secondly, the depth of the character work in this game is remarkable. Better than many books, even. The characters in RDR2 make good decisions and they make bad decisions. They do the right thing for the wrong reasons and the wrong thing for the right reasons. Their motivations, relationships and allegiances are murky, muddled and ever-changing. Most importantly, they make you care about what happens, to them and to others in the world. It is a masterpiece in character-led storytelling.
*RDR2 does, sort of, share one thing with Elden Ring, but I’ll spoil a major part of the story by outlining exactly which one. Cough cough. IYKYK
Grand Theft Auto V
Created by the same developers, Rockstar, Grand Theft Auto V’s inclusion on this list might raise a few eyebrows, but stick with me here.
The GTA series has always been an exercise in black comedy and pushing the envelope. Stereotypes are turned up to 11 and risqué content, oftentimes extremely (and purposely) offensive, is the name of the game. It’s crass and it’s puerile, but I love the commitment to the style and the approach. It oozes from every detail (just turn on the radio while you drive around in-game and you’ll see what I mean, with faux-news reports documenting developments in the in-game story from different angles).
Larger-than-life (albeit quite cartoonish) characters are everywhere you turn. Petty delinquents and hardened criminals from all walks of life (and varying states of sanity) come together to once again form the backbone storyline of the dark side of “the American dream” – the recurring theme from nearly every game in the series.
I’ll be honest, I could’ve included any of the more recent entries in this series here, as proper storytelling started to become more prevalent since the games moved away from the “aerial view only” gameplay, and characters started to become more meaningful, multi-dimensional parts of the games. GTA San Andreas put police brutality under the microscope (as well as riffing plenty from real-world movies and other pop-culture) and GTA IV had Scarface parallels of an immigrant literally pursuing the American Dream (and, inevitably, finding such a thing to be a hollow lie), but GTA V was ambitious in that it told the stories of three main characters (all of which end up crashing together) – it puts outlandish plot-lines alongside fairly shallow characters and layers dark humour throughout.
I’m not saying it’s genius, but it’s storytelling that sticks to its guns.
Final Fantasy VIII
No that extra I in the numeral isn’t a typo. Most gamers seem to lean towards this game’s direct predecessor (FFVII) but, for me, Final Fantasy VIII was a formative part of my childhood, so I will always pick it over any others in the franchise.
What always draws me in to the Final Fantasy stories is the sheer scale of them. They are ambitious, and—much like Elden Ring—they don’t hold your hand by explaining every little thing that you come into contact with. Storytelling like this is is a brave move from the writer(s), but it’s also a much better way of conveying things and—more importantly—delivering a more rounded experience to your intended audience. It’s more engaging and more compelling, and it shows that you both trust and respect your audience. After all, only babies like being spoonfed.
Split between flashbacks and a “present day” setting – the story of FFVIII follows an epic quest to overcome a dangerous, corrupt sorceress, and it delivers some incredible action sequences throughout. Whether it’s a carefully-planned assassination due to take place during a one-time-only parade, a prison-break from a jail shaped like a giant underground drill, or a huge battle raging between two flying mega-structures and their respective quasi-magic, cyberpunk-adjacent security forces, this game provides some massive set-pieces that certainly unlocked a plethora of ideas in my own imagination.
In short, this story did exactly what great stories should do – it made me dream bigger.
Honourable mentions
Videogames are an incredible source of storytelling, and I will forever be in awe of a team of people who can not only concoct a story, craft its characters and pen its dialogue — but are then also able to bring it to life both visually, stylistically and translate it into a great gaming experience all at the same time. It’s a special kind of magic, so here are some of the other great stories from gaming.
- The Last of Us – A great examination of good intentions, ends justifying means, and the complexity of the human condition.
- Bioshock – In particular, the first in the steampunk-adjacent series is a masterpiece in how to write a brilliant final-act twist.
- Resident Evil – Corrupt mega-corp develops bio-weapons, it all goes wrong (naturally).
- Metal Gear Solid – Thematically heavy and a story that can go a bit too deep at times, but epic nonetheless.
- The Witcher – Only not included because they were novels before they were (fantastic) game adaptations. Go read the books first!
- Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 – Mad, meta-storytelling of worlds-within-worlds. But brilliant humour and humanity, plus huge twists!
- Fallout – Incredible atompunk stories from a complex wasteland and moral decisions that are never quite as simple as they seem.
Did I miss any? Stick your thoughts in the comments below!
📚✌🏻SP
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Steve Pannett is an author and designer based in Yorkshire, UK.
He writes primarily in the fantasy genre, combining character-led storytelling with epic, gritty world-building to create dark tales with plenty of action and lots of twists along the way.
He has self-published multiple books and is active online.
