Video games are an incredibly unique art form that is truly unlike any other. Rather than observing a scene or staring at an image, people are actively engaging with it, playing as a character within the world and experiencing all of the pain and hardship firsthand.
29 Great Story-Driven FPS Games
These FPS games aren’t just about moving from gunfight to gunfight. They also tell a great story as players progress.
For many story-driven games, it can take quite a while for the emotional payoff to be fully realized, but some managed to condense that journey into a much shorter experience that can be fully absorbed in just a few hours. These games feel more like interactive movies, taking players on an emotional roller coaster that explores everything from grief to self-doubt to more abstract ideas surrounding identity and meaning.
Before Your Eyes
A Story That Unfolds With Every Blink
Details:
- Web-cam integration
- Narrative that confronts the fleeting nature of reality and memories
Before Your Eyes is a truly one-of-a-kind video game that takes the concept of life flashing by and makes it the central game mechanic. With a webcam connected, players can blink to make scenes change and objects appear, moving the story forward slowly just by closing their eyes.
From the moment the game begins, it is obvious that there is going to be some pain involved, but nothing can prepare players for the ride it takes them on. Everything from death to regret, to memories themselves, is explored and presented in the most beautiful way, and by the end, tears are almost a guarantee.
That Dragon, Cancer
Embodying Grief In The Most Beautiful Way
Details:
- Personal experiences made interactive
- Based on real events
That Dragon, Cancer is less a traditional game and more an interactive expression of grief. Drawing directly from the developers’ personal experiences, it places players inside moments of fear, hope, and unbearable sadness, with the abstract visuals reinforcing the emotional instability of the characters.
10 Best Story-Driven JRPGs, Ranked
These JRPGs deliver compelling tales and vibrant worlds, perfect for players who crave rich storytelling.
Rather than offering a happy ending or a resolution, it instead leans into the nature of reality, often being cruel and making people feel helpless in their darkest moments. The inability to change outcomes also makes the short runtime feel even more painful, as players would so desperately love to go back and watch things unfold differently, but much like real life, they simply can’t.
As Long As You’re Here
Experiencing Memory Loss First-Hand
Details:
- Heartfelt yet unsettling exploration of dementia
- Inevitability makes it all the more painful
As Long As You’re Here started as an even smaller project, but slowly grew into a longer experience that fully captures the essence of what it is like to live with dementia. Told within a single apartment for the most part, players slowly find themselves losing track of their surroundings and feeling less in touch with their thoughts, no matter how hard they try to fight back.
It never strays too far into the absurd and keeps things as grounded as possible, using side characters and the thoughts of the protagonist to guide players on a distressing yet deeply personal journey. In just under an hour, players can go from smiling and cheerful to a puddle of tears on the floor, thanks to the powerful emotional resonance that the game creates in such a short amount of time.
What Remains of Edith Finch
A Different Kind Of Family
Details:
- Multiple stories, each exploring aspects of mortality and memory
- Abstract yet still deeply emotive
What Remains of Edith Finch thrusts players into the history of a cursed family, following several stories that are each presented with a unique gameplay style and emotional tone that corresponds to the character it represents.
The brilliance lies in how the game blends creative visuals with grief, as a lot of the scenes appear quite imaginative, yet still remain incredibly impactful. The tone also shifts quickly between sorrow and wonder, emotionally destabilizing players before finally concluding in a self-reflective manner that will have players thinking about the game for far longer than they actually played it.
Old Man’s Journey
Actions Louder Than Words
Details:
- Entirely visual storytelling
- Conveys themes of regret and forgiveness without uttering a single word
Old Man’s Journey tells its story without ever using a single piece of dialogue, instead leading players with its hand-painted landscapes and simple interactions that manage to convey an entire lifetime in just a short few hours. Players guide an elderly man across hills and landscapes that physically reshape over time, symbolizing memories and how one’s perspective can change gradually.
20 Best Story-Driven Games You Can Play In Co-Op
These games are perfect to be played between friends, featuring not just great gameplay but a deep and meaningful story.
The lack of words forces attention onto the subtler elements in the environment, as well as the music that perfectly mimics the emotional weight of the story. As moments of joy and pain come and go, players are shown firsthand the impact that time has on a single individual, especially one living the burden of regret that so many others struggle with every day.
Florence
Short But Sweet
Details:
- The complexity of relationships condensed into a short experience
- Covers the full cycle of love
Florence is a warm snapshot of what it means to be in a loving relationship, showing all the ups and downs that come with it. There are very minimal mechanics, with the focus instead being on the character interactions and the emotional connections that are slowly built up and broken over the course of the narrative.
Because of how simplistic the visuals are, it feels all the more relatable, as nothing is exaggerated, yet it is still able to feel incredibly meaningful. By sticking to a more realistic story, the game manages to portray heartbreak and love in an honest way that so many people can relate to, whether in their or the lives of those around them.
Gone Home
Discovering What Was Left Behind
Details:
- Intimate exploration of identity
- Slow reveals over time
Gone Home takes place in a large, empty house that hides a troubling personal story that only becomes clearer with every step. Through notes, objects, and entire rooms, players begin to build up a picture of the life of the family, with all the struggles and triumphs being shown through images and writing alone.
The sense of isolation enhances the feelings of intimacy, as players feel closer and closer to the characters despite never seeing them in person. In the end, the revelations feel less like a shock and more like coming to terms with reality, allowing the game to conclude in a somber yet optimistic way that still manages to hit pretty damn hard.
Last Day of June
Testing Love With Time
Details:
- Visual presentation of grief
- Shows the cost of trying to fix the past
Last Day of June centres on a relationship broken apart by tragedy, with the goal being to prevent even more heartbreak from occurring. Through simple yet engaging puzzles, players begin to understand that every one of their actions carries a consequence, sending ripples throughout the rest of the story in unexpected ways.
The true power comes from the repetition, where players relive moments but with a newfound context that deepens their impact and meaning. Despite how short it is, the final message about acceptance still manages to be pretty significant, relying less on a huge range of moments and more on a select few important ones that are each as memorable as the last.
To The Moon
One Final Ride
Details:
- Blending memories and regret into one
- Builds towards an emotionally devastating climax
To The Moon follows an intriguing tale that follows two doctors who end up exploring a dying man’s memories to fulfill his final wish. The story is fairly slow but well-paced, layering humor and warmth over the grander feeling of sadness that grows over time.
Despite simple visuals and mechanics, the game manages to feel far more emotional than most bigger-budget titles, thanks to the writing that emulates the pain of regret effortlessly. Having memories at the heart of the narrative makes it feel so relatable, as no matter who the player is, they will almost certainly have a past filled with hardship and pain.
Emily Is Away
Pixelated Affection
Details:
- Recreation of early 2000s chat rooms
- Small choices that feel hugely impactful
Emily Is Away could not be any simpler, yet that simplicity is what gives it the unique charm that so many players have come to love. It follows a story about friendship over an online chatroom, with the player’s choices feeding into how the conversations evolve and what the characters will say in response.
The basic nature of the interface contrasts sharply with the emotional complexity beneath it, being a prime example of a game that is far more sophisticated than the appearances make it seem. Also, because the entire story is contained within dialogue, players are able to relate much closer to each character and interaction, feeling personally attached and devastated by the time the end credits roll.
Best Story-Driven Games With Great Gameplay
It’s not easy to find a game that marries a focus on storytelling with stellar gameplay, but these video games do a fine job of it.
