Summary
- The rise of the gaming industry has led to advanced character models, skilled voice actors, and immersive storytelling in games like Life is Strange.
- Road 96 offers players an interactive indie adventure with unique procedural generation, life sim elements, and a politically charged narrative.
- Nobody Wants to Die presents a narratively driven detective drama set in 2329, featuring a futuristic noir detective story with a powerful narrative.
The prominent rise of the gaming industry over the last few years has enabled game studios to create meticulously detailed character models with impressive motion capture. It has also left them able to afford skilled voice actors and scriptwriters. This has resulted in games telling more immersive and captivating stories, exemplified by titles like Life is Strange.
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Life is Strange was developed by Dontnod Entertainment and tells one of modern gaming’s most well-constructed stories. Life is Strange fans looking for something else to play in the same genre can look into numerous other titles that offer similarly impressive and encapsulating narrative experiences.
Updated February 10, 2025 by Michael Llewellyn: Life is Strange is the kind of series that can hook its players like a good mystery drama/thriller series on Netflix or Prime. It is enhanced by the level of interaction and the way it takes its players on a journey that feels personal to them. This list has been updated to include two additional games that fans of Life is Strange should add to their playlist. It also features updated tags and information.
1
Road 96
An Innovative Take On The Adventure Genre
- Released
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August 16, 2021
- ESRB
-
T For Teen // Mild Blood, Suggestive Themes, Drug Reference, Violence, Language, Use of Alcohol And Tobacco
- Developer(s)
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DigixArt
Road 96 is an interactive indie adventure game similar to Life is Strange but lets players take part in what is essentially their own road trip. It uses procedural generation to make every journey feel unique. It’s innovative, ambitious, and tells a powerful and politically charged story. Road 96 puts players in the shoes of teenagers as they’re trying to escape a dictatorial regime in a fictional South American country called Petria.
There are multiple choices based on the many characters the teenagers meet, their political allegiances, and more that will change the outcome of the story. There is also a life sim element where players must ensure the protagonists’ energy is maintained with food and drink. This ensures they can continue their journey to the border via hitchhiking, buses, and cabs.
2
Still Wakes The Deep
A Compelling Interactive Horror Adventure
- Released
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June 18, 2024
- ESRB
-
M For Mature 17+ Due To Intense Violence, Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Use of Tobacco, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
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The Chinese Room
Still Wakes the Deep is an adventure horror game that is set on an oil rig during the 1970s. Players take on the role of Caz, an electrician for the rig who’s on the verge of getting fired from his job. Fans who loved Life is Strange’s realistic characters will enjoy the authenticity of the game’s lead character and the NPCs Caz interacts with before things take a turn for the worse on the oil rig.
It’s effectively a linear walking simulator with more than a few nods to John Carpenter’s The Thing, but the dialogue tension makes Still Wakes the Deep an easy recommendation to fans of adventure games. Still Wakes the Deep is a visually stunning achievement, showcasing realistic environments and detailed characters. The sound design and voice acting are exceptional, evoking a gritty, realistic drama reminiscent of Amazon Prime’s The Rig.
3
Nobody Wants To Die
A Narratively Driven Detective Drama
Nobody Wants to Die is the debut title from Critical Hit Games. It’s a narratively driven adventure detective game set in 2329. The dystopian New York setting is a beautifully crafted world that merges 1930s style and decor with a cyberpunk backdrop, reminiscent of the Altered Carbon Netflix series and Richard K. Morgan’s novels.
Like Altered Carbon, Nobody Wants to Die features a world where immortality is achieved by transferring a person’s consciousness into a new body for a price. The game resembles a point-and-click adventure and is more linear than the Life is Strange games. However, it features a futuristic noir detective story where players take on the role of James Karra. The narrative is just as thought-provoking as the Life is Strange series, showcasing a great script and narrative that will keep players engaged from the opening cinematics.
4
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One
A Prequel That’s Arguably The Best In The Series
- Released
-
November 16, 2021
Sherlock Holmes: Chapter One is both a prequel and a soft reboot of the series developed by Frogwares. It features a younger but no less clever Sherlock Holmes going back to his childhood home on the island of Cordona. While fans might long for the gritty Victorian ambiance of Whitechapel and its environs, the island provides a refreshing change of pace.
It isn’t as polished or as cinematic as Life is Strange, but those who enjoy the murder-solving aspects will love playing the most well-known detective in the world. The detective mechanics are more in-depth and there are lots of cases to solve as the young SherlockThe game further explores the protagonist’s psyche, grappling with his mother’s death and the loss of his companion, Jon.
5
Broken Sword: Shadow Of The Templars
A Globe-Trotting Adventure With Amazing Characters
- Released
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October 14, 1996
- Developer(s)
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Revolution Software
The Broken Sword series is among the most popular point-and-click games of all time. It pulls players into a globe-trotting murder mystery through the eyes of George Stobbard an American tourist and Nicole Collard a journalist from Paris. The two uncover a plot connected to a cult of modern-day Knights Templar taking them across Europe and the Middle East. It boasts timeless, hand-drawn visuals, beautiful music, challenging puzzles, and well-written characters.
The sequel, Broken Sword 2: The Sleeping Dragon, was released a year later, featuring the same visual style. It brought George and Nicole together again for another mystery adventure reminiscent of Indiana Jones, this time with a narrative linked to the Ancient Mayans. The next two games Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon and Broken Sword 4: The Angel of Death dropped the hand-drawn style in favor of a 3D style adventure, but they still felt like Broken Sword gamed with excellent writing and great characters. However, it was Broken Sword 5: The Serpent’s Curse that felt, looked, and played like the first two games with its modernized 3D characters prerendered and saved 2D frames. There’s a lot to play, but thankfully, the series doesn’t drag and Life is Strange fans will fall in love with the leads, George and Nico, along with the brilliant cast of characters they encounter throughout their adventures. The classic adventure title was remastered as Broken Sword: Shadows of the Templars Reforged and launched on modern consoles with updated graphics and quality-of-life improvements. Fans can even switch between the old and new character and environment designs.
6
Blade Runner Remastered
A Side Story Connected To The Blade Runner Series
Blade Runner
- Released
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November 13, 1997
- Developer(s)
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Westwood Studios
Blade Runner puts players in the shoes of Ray McCoy, a Blade Runner/detective tasked with hunting down dangerous Replicants. His role is similar to that of Rick Deckard (played by Harrison Ford in the 1982 movie) with the events of the game taking place after the end of the Blade Runner film. The movie features returning characters portrayed by the original actors, such as Sean Young, James Hong, and the late Brion James, among others, reprising their roles.
There are some minor action sequences, but Blade Runner is a point-and-click mystery adventure game with an incredible atmosphere and several mysteries to solve. Life is Strange fans will love the multiple endings that reflect their choices, providing plenty of incentive to dive back into the game for another playthrough in one of the greatest realizations of cyberpunk ever created.
7
Beyond A Steel Sky
A Futuristic Telltale-Style Adventure Game
Beyond A Steel Sky
Beyond a Steel Sky is a sequel to the classic 1994 point-and-click adventure game Beneath a Steel Sky from the same team that created the Broken Sword series. It immerses players into a fully 3D futuristic world and there are enough allusions to the original classic that new players can dive in without prior knowledge of the original game. However, there is no reason why players shouldn’t grab Beneath the Steel Sky as it was released as freeware on the Steam platform.
It’s the perfect marriage of old-school point-and-click gameplay with modern Telltale and Life is Strange-style storytelling with a greater emphasis on exploring the wonderfully realized Union City. There are mysteries to unravel and puzzles to solve as the protagonist, Robert Foster tries to locate a missing child. Beyond a Steel Sky’s Union City is packed with NPCs and side missions to complete as Foster discovers its citizens are forced to live under a strict regime where their life is determined by their social status score.
8
Twin Mirror
A Mystery Drama From The Creators Of Life Is Strange
- Released
-
December 1, 2020
Twin Mirror is a mystery drama that places the player in the shoes of an investigative journalist named Sam who returns to his hometown and attends the funeral of an old friend. In typical Don’t Nod fashion, the town holds dark secrets that reveal themselves as Sam investigates his friend’s death and encounters old acquaintances and enemies alike.
The detective mechanics will be familiar to fans of Life is Strange and the Sherlock Holmes games. Twin Mirror is one of the studio’s more cinematic outings and feels like a big-budget detective miniseries where the player controls the story’s direction based on their choices.
9
Oxenfree
Unique Visuals And An Intriguing Coming-Of-Age Saga
- Released
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January 15, 2015
- Developer(s)
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Night School Studio
Oxenfree is a graphic adventure game originally launched in January 2016 for OS X, Windows, and Xbox One with other platforms getting their version the following year. The game puts players in the shoes of a teenager named Alex, who accidentally lets a paranormal force loose on an island and must find a way to stop it.
Oxenfree turned heads upon launch with its unique visuals. The players have to guide Alex and his friends as they explore a mysterious island and discover how to contain the mysterious dark power, and their discoveries form the basis of the story.
10
Broken Age
Modern Point And Click With A Compelling Story
The first episode of Broken Age was one of 2014’s most highly-anticipated launches, as the game was the first point-and-click adventure to be worked on by Tim Schafer since Grim Fandango. The hype for Broken Age was reflected in the game’s crowdfunding performance, at the time, it became one of the highest-funded video games on Kickstarter.
The game didn’t reach the heights of the classic Grim Fandango. However, it’s still a tremendous modern point-and-click game like Life Is Strange that is well worth playing for anyone interested in the genre.
11
Baldur’s Gate 3
A Myriad Of Possibilities Depending On Player Choice
The official launch date was in 2023, but Baldur’s Gate 3 was in development for several years, which might have something to do with how polished the finished product is, especially the detailed storyline. The Early Access version featured the narrative’s first act and has been available since September 2020, closer to when Larian originally intended the launch.
This game is already famous for the myriad of possibilities that open up or close off depending on the character’s decisions and choices as they progress through the story, along with the equal amount of gear and customization choices. This is an RPG game that really takes roleplaying and narrative seriously.
12
Gone Home
Artistic Merit And A Complex Story
- Released
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August 15, 2013
- Developer(s)
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Fullbright
This game was launched for Windows in 2013 but was on all the available platforms as of 2018. The story takes place in 1995, and why the setting has a late 20th-century aesthetic adding to the immersion factor. Gone Home is a point-and-click mystery-solving puzzle game that focuses on a lonely house in Oregon.
The main character comes home from a long absence to find her family has vanished without a trace. The artistic merit and complex story are the game’s positive features, but those looking for tension and combat might be slightly disappointed.
13
Night In The Woods
Bright And Cheerful Design That Crafts A Profound Story
- Released
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February 21, 2017
- OpenCritic Rating
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Mighty
Night in the Woods uses a bright and cheerful cartoon-like design to build a serious and profound story. It follows the story of a young woman who recently returned home after dropping out of college. She finds unexpected changes and strange occurrences during the story, and the what and why is a mystery she has to unravel.
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14
Tell Me Why
An Episodic Adventure Featuring Twins And Telepathy
Tell Me Why was developed by Don’t Nod Entertainment, the same studio that made Life is Strange, making it easy to recommend to fans of the series. Keeping with the story’s episodic nature, each “chapter” was launched a few weeks apart in the fall of 2020.
Tell Me Why is an episodic adventure separated into three chapters that follow a pair of twins with the supernatural ability to communicate telepathically. The game is notable for being the first triple-A game to feature a transgender main character.
15
The Wolf Among Us
A Complex Horror Serial Narrative
- Released
-
October 14, 2013
The Wolf Among Us was developed by graphic adventure and storytelling specialists Telltale Games. It was launched episodically, part of the effect of being a complicated serial narrative, between October 2013 and July 2014. The retail version hit stores a few months later in November.
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The Wolf Among Us puts players in the shoes of Bigby Wolf, formerly the Big Bad Wolf from fairytales and folklore, and tasks them with investigating various murders.
16
Firewatch
An Exploration Game That Evolves Into A Rich Story
- Released
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February 9, 2016
- Developer(s)
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Campo Santo
Firewatch begins with a somber text adventure that reveals why the protagonist, Henry chooses to leave his normal life and become a forest fire lookout. Firewatch initially appears to be a casual exploration game like Life Is Strange but soon delves into an intriguing and intense mystery adventure. It features a thought-provoking story and ending that will stay with the players long after they have ended their journey in the Shasone National Forest.
Firewatch does an amazing job of capturing the feeling of being alone for a significant amount of time and anyone who’s worked similar jobs be it in a forest or anywhere will be able to relate to being in the shoes of Henry.
17
Beyond: Two Souls
A Complex Story Featuring Hollywood Stars
Beyond: Two Souls is an interactive drama starring Elliot Page and Willem Dafoe. The game was developed by Quantic Dream, the team that made Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, so it seems to be a recurring theme with products from this studio.
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Like Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, the game received somewhat of a “love it or hate it” reception for its gameplay and storytelling. It’s not for everyone, but Beyond: Two Souls is a good selection for players who like a complex story.
18
Last Day Of June
A Tragic Story With An Uplifting Moral Lesson
- Launch Date: August 31st, 2017
- Developer: Ovosonico
- Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch
How many games are based on music? This one is, and it’s one of the details about it that is so beautiful and brilliant. Last Day Of June is based on Drive Home, an album by Steven Wilson inspired by the atmospheric and experimental work of the progressive 1970s rock band Pink Floyd.
The story of Carl and June is, at times, tragic, as the title suggests because this is the name of a character and not a reference to the month of the year. The plot has an inevitable ending, but the moral of the story is that even when the outcome seems bleak, there are still choices and hope for the future.
19
What Remains Of Edith Finch
Unravel The Mystery Of Each Family Member’s Death
- Released
-
April 25, 2017
- Developer(s)
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Giant Sparrow
What Remains of Edith Finch was first launched in April 2017 for Windows and PlayStation 4, with all other platforms getting the title by 2022. It tasks players with returning to the protagonist’s family home as they investigate numerous premature deaths that have occurred and are said to be the result of a curse.
What Remains of Edith Finch impressed fans and critics with its story and the great variety of gameplay mechanics. Players must use every available ability to experience and unravel the retellings of each family member’s death.
20
Quantum Break
A Time-Bending Adventure With A Great Story
Quantum Break had a large weight of expectations on its shoulders leading up to its launch. This was the first action-adventure title from Remedy Entertainment since the highly-regarded Alan Wake.
Like Life Is Strange, 2016’s Quantum Break puts players in the shoes of a protagonist who can manipulate time. Despite this unique mechanic, the game’s most interesting aspect is that it features an integrated live-action television show, where the actors perform the player’s in-game choices.
