Over the last two decades, advancements in technology have allowed video games to reach new heights. As well as the huge improvements in graphical fidelity, these changes have allowed developers to focus more on narrative-driven gameplay. Photorealistic cutscenes and professional voice actors help to create cinematic experiences that the gamers of old could only have dreamed of. Some though have taken it even further.
The idea of players choosing their own adventures is nothing new. It’s been around in gaming for more than two decades and longer still in books and tabletop games. Many titles merely provide the illusion of choice but there are some that are able to masterfully weave the player’s decisions into their narratives. It’s this interactive element and the branching storylines that it creates that really set them apart from other games.
10 The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope
Supermassive Games’ latest title builds on the foundation laid by Man of Medan and offers an incredibly solid experience. It might not be their best work, but it’s certainly their best looking game yet. The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope is beautifully put together and laden with narrative twists and turns that are entirely in the hands of the player.
Its ghost town setting is a little cliché, but it provides plenty of gripping moments that will have players sitting on the edges of their seats and holding onto their controllers for dear life. Although on the surface the characters appear to be fairly stereotypical, there’s an extra layer of depth to them that makes them surprisingly relatable. As such, watching them die due to a bad decision can be incredibly upsetting.
9 Until Dawn
When creating Until Dawn, Supermassive Games was able to concoct the perfect recipe for interactive survival horror games. It’s one that they’ve not quite been able to replicate with their more recent titles which, although perfectly serviceable, just don’t deliver the same thrills found throughout Until Dawn.
The game is at its best when it’s at its most brutal, forcing players to make split second-decisions that will almost certainly have serious consequences. Some may not like being placed on the spot like this, but given the game’s story and setting, the scenarios that the player faces feel right at home. It’s perhaps a niche genre, but it’s one in which Supermassive Games are peerless.
8 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
When players are faced with decisions in video games, the ramifications are usually predictable and the consequences almost immediate. Whilst The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, certainly features its fair share of those life or death moments that players have become accustomed to, the magnitude of many of the game’s decisions is a lot more subtle.
A choice that may seem insignificant at the time can pay off in a big way much further down the line. It’s a refreshing change, as there are plenty of games that are littered with these kind of decisions simply to provide the player with a false sense of freedom. Not every choice in the game matters, but knowing that they might gives players cause to stop and consider them first.
7 The Stanley Parable
For a game that started life as a Half-Life 2 mod, The Stanley Parable is incredibly impressive. The game’s presentation is on par with games with budgets that far exceed its own and its narration is top notch. It may be short in length, but its depth can be deceiving. There are 16 possible endings and so experiencing all that the game has to offer can actually take quite some time.
Players who are accustomed to following instruction will take little away from the game. Those willing to stray from the beaten path though will find an adventure that is both thought-provoking and rewarding. Almost every action has a noticeable consequence, although whether or not they are truly meaningful is left up to the player to decide.
6 Ace Attorney
Despite its cartoonish graphics, the Ace Attorney series does a wonderful job of mirroring real life. The unexpected turns that play out in the courtroom require players to think on their feet and a wrong decision can have catastrophic consequences. Those who think simply in terms of winning and losing may remain oblivious to them, but the implications of an innocent person going to jail or a guilty one going free are huge.
What makes the games truly great though is that there is often more than one way to arrive at the correct destination. Players may ask the wrong question or miss an important clue here or there. Providing they have their heads screwed on though, it’s usually possible to get back on track. As a result, both justice and an enjoyable experience can be served.
5 Undertale
It seems like only yesterday that Toby Fox’s smash hit was on the lips of gamers everywhere. It may come as a surprise to many then to learn that it’s been more than five years since Undertale‘s release. Even as time passes though, it remains just as brilliant today as it has ever been. For an indie title, that’s quite some feat.
Pacifist runs have been around for a while now, but rarely are they implemented as well as in Undertale. Not only does it provide a completely different way of playing the game, but it also alters its outcome. The way that the narrative responds to the player’s actions encourages them to really think about their choices rather than diving in with reckless abandon.
4 Detroit: Become Human
David Cage games are often incredibly divisive due to how much emphasis is placed on their choice-based narratives. While it’s certainly true that Detroit: Become Human can at times feel more like an interactive movie than a video game, to many, that’s a cause for praise rather than something which should be used as a stick with which to beat it.
Whilst the writing can at times lack subtlety, the way that the narrative shifts to accommodate the player’s choices is masterfully done. Some of the choices can at times feel a little forced, but ultimately, they still feel meaningful. Cage’s style of storytelling is clearly an acquired taste, but it’s an incredibly distinctive one that’s delivered with both passion and purpose.
3 Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain was the third game that David Cage wrote and directed and is arguably the one during which he really found his signature style. It may not be as good as some of his later efforts, but given the gaming landscape at the time of its release, it is arguably his most impressive.
Earlier games had already experimented with this style of interactive storytelling, but Heavy Rain was the first that really nailed the formula. Its story is as deep as it is depressing, with players constantly made to feel the full weight of their choices. Cinematic experiences may be common place in modern gaming, but at the time of its release, there was nothing else quite like this.
2 Mass Effect
It can be difficult to effectively implement branching narratives in games that are part of a series without making the choices feel meaningless. Ultimately, most games need to arrive at the same conclusion in order for their sequels to be able to pick up where they left off. Although Mass Effect still faced this limitation, it did a much better job of combatting it than similar titles.
By enabling the player to carry over their save file, choices made in the first game still matter in those that follow. Its sequels are arguably better at providing the player with meaningful choices, but it was the groundwork laid in the original game that allows them to do this so effectively. Commander Shepard’s story is masterfully told and is all the more enjoyable thanks to the player’s influence.
1 NieR Automata
Nier Automata‘s story can at times be very complicated, but this is in large due to its many branching pathways and multiple endings. There are 26 in total, with the routes to reach them tied to many of the player’s decisions. In that sense, it is a game of choices. While many of them alter the destination though, players will all typically arrive at the same truth.
Given the huge variety of titles available, few gamers have time for multiple playthroughs of a video game these days. If ever there was a game that deserved to be played more than once though, it’s this one. At the very least, players owe it to themselves to check out some of the additional endings on YouTube.
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