Summary
It’s safe to say that story-driven video games are a top pick for many gamers out there, with countless players falling in love with the butterfly effect andchoices that matter in video games, ultimately driving a narrative to be individual to whoever chooses to play. Some of the most incredible experiences in gaming have come from such ideas, withDetroit: Become HumanandLife Is Strangedelivering perhaps the greatest of these journeys.
There’s something distinctly different about the indie game experience, though. While often containing fewer of these integral choices and spanning branches due to smaller scales, their narratives seek to explore more out-of-the-box ideas and featurestriking storytelling that stands out. Countless indie games feature great stories, but some are arguably better than others.
Led by a feline protagonistthat can’t verbally interact with the world,Straymay feel like an outlier for indie games with incredible stories, but perhaps that reason alone is what makes its storytelling that bit more memorable. As a cat that’s torn away from its family after a fall into dark towns and cities below ground,Strayimmediately establishes so much without needing to say a word. Through the overgrown land above and the robot-occupied cities below, it’s shown rather than told that something has happened to humanity.
In an attempt to get back home, players will explore not just the populated areas but those left abandoned and in quarantine, searching for both answers and a way out. Interacting with the human-like machines that display consciousness and finding snippets of knowledge strewn around the world about what may have come to be, this slow burn offers an incredibly engaging story.
Onthis procedurally generated road trip,Road 96takes players across the country of Petra, seeking to head north in an attempt to cross the border. With the nation in a state of unrest due to the mixed political opinions on the upcoming electoral candidates, many of the younger folks find themselves hitchhiking to escape, and the player just so happens to be one of them.
Each attempt to cross the border is one that offers the chance for players to meet a handful of characters selected by their own choices with money and location, all before ultimately choosing their own means to get past the final hurdle - a giant wall and relentless police. But regardless of whether these characters live or die as they attempt to gain freedom, players will always re-start the game a handful of times, meeting some of the same people along the roads and learning more of their stories in the eyes of new travelers. On the final ride to get free, players will see the effects of their decisions throughout, changing the country of Petra forever.
WhileSeason: A Letter To The Futureis a linear, non-choice-based narrative, the story it chooses to tell is one that’s guaranteed to stay with players for a lifetime.Led by the young female protagonist Estelle, whose dream it has always been to travel the world, players will embark on a bicycle journey through the open lands and towns to unravel the mysteries of the world they’re thrust within.
The storytelling itself is rather open-ended, tasking players with recording the end of a ‘Season’ and uncovering what that means in this strange but magical world. Through Estelle’s camera, journal and collected snippets, the player will piece together slithers of different stories to tell a tale for future generations to read and learn from, as well as speaking withthe locals who have much to share and reveal. It’s more than that, though, covering topics of worldwide conflict, small human stories and communities, grief and loss, and plenty of other themes, too.
Quirky in every way possible,Paradise Killerstands out not just for making one’s choices matter but for exploring a world tinged with funky retrowave art. It features unique and peculiar characters and a mystery that gamers will struggle to walk away from.Playing as the exiled detective Lady Love Dies,Paradise Killerrevolves around the unexpected murder of the entire Syndicate Council, requiring Lady Love Dies to leave her imprisonment and begin her detective adventures.
Through her return to this world, players will learn of the obscure experimental nature of this island, revealing how the Syndicate will ritually slaughter citizens in a continued cycle to perfect society. This time around, though, the transfer to island 25 is put on hold, awaiting the results of Lady Love Die’s investigation to bring justice to those who were killed on the Syndicate Council. Everything about this title toes the line of morality. Uncovering the secrets of those in power and the incredibly well-written characters throughout the open-world requires true detective work, and one final courtroom battle will give players the chance to convict whoever they believe committed the crime.
Set during the soviet nuclear scare era,South of the Circleis a game enriched by its ties to reality, taking players ona real journey through historical eventsbut with a new spin on the tale being told. Experienced through the lense of protagonist Peter and closely following his love interest Clara, the game explores the difficulty of choosing between following love, politics, or careers.
As Peter crashlands in Cold War Antarctica, the story takes place mostly through his scattered thoughts that struggle to keep up, journeying through his mismatched past and present memories to uncover the true events that occurred. With a narrative that’s hard to put down,South of the Circlewon’t just promise to captivate with its own story; it will hook players with the real-world facts of the tale it tells.
There’s something charming and realistic about the story ofNight in the Woods,encompassing that sense of dread that comes with stepping into adulthood for the first time, trying to figure it all out while still feeling like a child. With quirky zoomorphic characters, this tale is led by the feline woman Mae, returning to her hometown after dropping out of college and struggling to grapple with what to do next.
With so many changes that she was unprepared to face, the town is no longer what she once knew, between the closing of the town’s coal mines and her own friendships that had gone some time without a catch-up. Harboring a darker secret below, this coming-of-age narrative is one that’ll resonate with many for its themes of fear, grief, self-criticism, and more.
There are few games that stand out the wayKiller Frequencydoes, both for feeling incredibly unique in how it plays and for a story that’s completely enthralling from start to finish. Playing as the ex-famous radio host Forest Nash, the narrative begins at a small local radio station in a town known as Gallow’s Creek on a seemingly normal day of settling in to a new job. Filled with bad jokes and banter with the co-host, it’s hard not to instantly love this indie title.
It’s not long before it all changes, though, receiving alarming call-ins from locals about a deadly killer on the loose. With the police out of action, it becomes the players' responsibility to keep everyone that calls alive, selecting the correct dialogue choices and searching the station for clues on how to hotwire a car or escape a maze. If done incorrectly, everyone can ultimately meet a terrible demise. But perhaps the best part ofKiller Frequency’s narrative is in the voice acting, selling the part of each character and truly building relationships that matter.
Murder-mysteries are often storiesexpected to be fronted by great detectives, butThis Bed We Madeflips this expectation on its head, leading with an everyday protagonist working as a hotel maid. Clued into all the guests through their personal belongings and dirty laundry, the protagonist, Sophie, quickly begins to piece together the clues of a terrible crime that spans further than she could ever imagine.
Set in the past like many great games,This Bed We Madefeatures old-school dial-up phones, intermittent and atmospheric black and white shots, and little clues and details that otherwise wouldn’t be so readily available to the player. While snooping through luggage, rooms, safes, and more, it’s the player’s job to find the truth, all with a character that feels closer to home than many games dare to go.
Praised as one ofthe greatest indie games of all time,Outer Wildsembraces a vast open-world, non-linear exploration, and an incredibly elaborate story, all for a very modest price tag. As players awake as the newest member of the Outer Wilds Ventures, a space program for younger astronauts to begin their own exploration of the planets that surround their home, it doesn’t take long before embarking on an interstellar trip of a lifetime.
On every planet, space-station, and mysterious moon lurks something to uncover. Between varying puzzles and logs previously lost in time, players are rewarded for their ability to think outside the box and go deeper. Players aren’t alone either, meeting other Outer Wilds Ventures travelers that have found themselves making camp on many of the differing planets. With so much enriching lore, historical knowledge, and the thrill of setting foot in the stars,Outer Wildsoffers an experience gamers will never forget.
Aspart of the Netflix games catalog,Oxenfreeoffers a narrative that is accessible to more than ever before, whether players want to curl up on their phones or immerse themselves fully on the big screen. Regardless of how it’s played, though,Oxenfreeguarantees an unforgettable paranormal night to remember, following young protagonist Alex and her high school friends.
Seeking to escape for a night away on Edward’s Island, the youngsters get more than they bargain for when they interact with an unusual triangle in the sky, tuning in with their handheld radio to open a rift to the other side. From here on, things are not as they seem, taking the group across the differing areas, conversing with one another, and ultimately making decisions that matter. With characterizations that look to be relatable and real, it’s difficult not to connect with those laid out before the gamer, especially in their most vulnerable moments.
