Do you like beautiful stories , those whose narration makes you feel emotions and whose scenario connects you to its characters ? What if you could live an interactive adventure in which your actions have an impact on the rest of the plot ? On PCs , consoles or smartphones , more and more developers are making a name for themselves with multiple-choice video games. In these titles, our controller- in-hand decisions involve direct consequences on what happens on the screen : the content of the dialogues , the relationships between the protagonists , even their own survival. The advantage of these interactive stories ? By focusing on storytelling rather than gameplay , they are very accessible, even for the uninitiated. Whether you are a beginner player wishing to open up to the genre, or an assiduous gamer in search of new playful fiction , discover our top 5 narrative video games below .
WHAT ARE NARRATIVE VIDEO GAMES?
These are games whose storyline is the heart of the experience. Because if most video games tell a story, the American game designer Chris Crawford humorously states, in his book On Interactive Storytelling , that the latter is generally “constipated” ( constipated story ). Indeed, two phases follow one another permanently, distinct and hermetic one compared to the other: the narrative sequences (the cutscenes) and the playful sequences (the gameplay), the access to the first being blocked – from where metaphor — by seconds. The player’s actions have no impact on the plot; they are presented completely parallel to, or even external to, the screenplay.
“It’s like watching a movie on DVD, except that the DVD requires you to jump through hoops before showing you the next chapter of the story. » Chris Crawford (French translation by the author of this article)
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This linear approach to storytelling proves frustrating in an interactive medium, which should paradoxically give us control over it. Also, some studios opt for a different vision, placing the player as co-author of the script. The latter makes decisions, traces his path among several alternatives, and thus influences the course and conclusion of the story – in the manner of the “books in which you are the hero” of yesteryear. This kind of branching plot was popularized by Heavy Rain (2008) or The Walking Dead (2012), and this form of interactive storytelling even caught the attention of Netflix! Since then, many narrative video games have followed suit… Including the 5 that we now recommend.
➡️ Are you interested in how digital is transforming the way we tell stories? Find out more about storytelling on the Web Writing Training blog!
TOP #5 – EMILY IS AWAY | THE VIRTUAL DATING PC GAME WHERE YOU CONTROL
Emily is Away is a free narrative PC game that takes us back to the vintage interface of a computer from the 2000s. When the game begins, the hero connects to instant messaging software, which mimics the late AIM or MSN Messenger . A conversation ensues with Emily, with whom the protagonist seems madly in love. It’s up to the player to find the right words to conquer it, by selecting lines of dialogue from several proposals – to end up, at the end of this romance, in an idyll (or a rake). In the era of Tinder and consorts, this touching story reminds us that chatting has been around for a long time, and that it has always had its share of joys… And disappointments. Will our lovers finally admit their attraction? It’s up to you to decideEmily is Away .
TOP #2 – DETROIT: BECOME HUMAN | THE MULTI-BRANCHING SCI-FI GAME
Originally released on PlayStation 4, then ported to PC in 2019, Detroit: Become Human is developed by French studio Quantic Dream, and inspired by the short film Kara released in 2012. The story takes place in the near future, in which androids are released to the general public. It puts you in the shoes of three of these robots with almost human emotions: Markus, the home help of an artist in a wheelchair; Connor, a police officer assigned to investigate crime scenes; and Kara, a housekeeper recently acquired by a father. Each of them is quickly confronted with difficult choices, which will affect the way in which they will emancipate themselves (or not) from the limits of their artificial intelligence. This science fiction story turns out to be one of the titles with the most alternatives and therefore epilogues offered to the player, each part proving to be unique. Now all you have to do is create your own in Detroit: Become Human .