Of course, discussing just what makes these games special may require MINOR SPOILERS, but these are avoided as much as possible. After all, in order to truly experience the stories they plan to tell, most of these games are enjoyed better with very little information going in. For the players who desire great narratives that go along with good gameplay and an immersive atmosphere, here are the best stories in video games released in 2022 in no particular order.
RELATED: 4 PS4 Games With Simple Stories But Deep Lore
A Plague Tale: Requiem
A Plague Tale: Requiem takes place six months after the first game, A Plague Tale: Innocence, and sees the de Rune family making their way to a new town where an organization called the Order has offered them a place of refuge. Once they arrive, however, it’s made clear that the sickness and plague-filled rats are slowly destroying their new home. As Hugo de Rune has strange dreams of an island that can free him of a curse he carries, known as the Macula, his sister Amicia and their friend Lucas search for the answers in the hopes that everything can be stopped once and for all.
The actress for Amicia, Charlotte McBurney, was nominated for the Best Performance Award of the 2022 Game Awards for a reason. Her acting helps put players in Amicia’s shoes as she does what she feels is right for her brother Hugo at every turn. It’s hard for players to not feel something for the de Rune family as they play, watching as Hugo battles the Macula and as Amicia, Lucas, and Beatrice do their best to try and keep their family together. Fans are left dealing with plenty of emotions as the game fits the title of “requiem,” a Mass to help the dearly departed rest peacefully. A Plague Tale: Requiem is a reminder that not all great stories have happily ever afters.
Elden Ring
Highly anticipated since its announcement, FromSoftware’s Elden Ring launched early this year and impressed players everywhere thanks to the title’s wide open-world scope and classic From Software difficulty and detail. With world-building from A Song of Ice and Fire writer George R.R. Martin, fans are simply thrown into the game with literally nothing to their name, free to explore the world however they please, in hopes of repairing the Elden Ring.
As the world is completely open to players, so are the characters and bosses fans can encounter. The world feels alive under the weight of the players’ decisions, culminating in six different endings that fans can earn depending on their actions throughout the game. Due to the sheer depth of the game’s lore and the truth behind its story, Elden Ring is a game as vast as its landscape, which makes it a delight to explore and learn about.
God of War Ragnarok
After fans were left waiting since 2018, God of War Ragnarok marks the next piece of Kratos and Atreus’ story as Fimbulwinter had begun and Ragnarok approached. It sees Kratos having to toe the line of being a protective father while allowing Atreus to discover himself and his powers, who’s been looking into the truth of Ragnarok behind his back. With his son’s discoveries painting a new light on the situation, they set out on yet another emotional journey.
God of War: Ragnarok brings players back in with a great, welcoming presence with great continuity and writing behind the series’ beloved characters. There’s weight between each and every character’s actions as they try their best to thwart Odin and avoid the huge calamity that’s said to pass. Ragnarok leaves no stone unturned as almost every important character’s given the time to shine and showcase just how far they had come. If players are looking for a lengthy adventure with plenty of lore and secrets to discover along the way, God of War: Ragnarok is an excellent choice.
Horizon Forbidden West
When a blight begins breaking down plant life and threatening Earth after the events of the last Horizon game, Aloy goes hunting for the cause. She finds that Sylens has stolen Hades, and chasing after him takes her to the Forbidden West, an entirely new territory that fans get to discover alongside Aloy. However, what awaits her there are things she never thought possible, including having to face herself in more ways than one. Horizon Forbidden West has a classic story of uncertainty, with themes of being resilient with a bit of the classic power of friendship trope mixed in.
Altogether, the game hands players an incredibly detailed story about discovery with plenty of character development for each of the cast from new characters like Beta to old faces like Sylens and Aloy. At the end of it, players are rewarded with a strong and powerful ending, with a bit of a tease of a third game to excite fans that the trials Aloy has faced so far are not over yet. Horizon Forbidden West is an adventure fans won’t want to miss, and while playing Zero Dawn first is recommended, new players won’t be alienated as the game comes with plenty of informational reading material to get them up to speed with no trouble.
Immortality
In Immortality, players are tasked with restoring 3 films that were never released to the public, all dealing with missing actress Marissa Marcel. Just like Sam Barlow’s other indie games, Her Story and Telling Lies, these films are showcased through real live-action video clips that fans need to watch and study in their restoration efforts. As they do so, they uncover the mystery and truth behind Marissa Marcel herself.
The secret narrative to the game doesn’t at all hold the player’s hand, offering itself as something fans will need to think about in order to figure out. Unlike Pentiment, there is a true ending lingering in the narrative, but fans will likely discover it before they have all the pieces. This makes Immortality into a thrilling mystery that will leave players thinking, but viewer discretion will need to be advised regarding if this game is for them or not before fans pick it up.
Norco
Norco is a point-and-click adventure game that takes place in a futuristic Norco, Louisiana. Norco is where the developer of the game grew up, so the game is portrayed with the exact same melancholy with a taste of rust that one would expect from a town surrounded by oil refineries. It helps ground the game in detailed realism despite Norco’s more sci-fi elements. Players are put in the role of Kay, who’s come to Norco after her mother passed away.
The game tasks players with solving numerous puzzles, both of regular point-and-click adventure fare and those of the town itself. As fans interact with the world, they interact with friends, family, and even Kay’s inner thoughts through a dialogue box that manages to give the game a detailed yet poetic hue. The writing carries the game through many plot twists and multiple endings, making it a worthwhile adventure.
Pentiment
Pentiment is a role-playing game that takes players back in time to the 16th century, as told through the pages of an illustrated book. The tome comes alive in players’ hands as the entire game is made out of the book’s illustrations, complete with a matching art style and dialogue boxes written in medieval calligraphy and handwriting in ink. Its attention to detail is outstanding in itself, going so far as to even use an “Italian Hand Gesture Consultant” on Pentiment to make sure the game was accurate. The same care, if not more, is notably shown in the game’s story, as well.
As the church frames an elderly priest who has shown no ill will as the culprit in the murder of a baron, Andreas conducts a personal investigation to which there is no right answer. Despite this, the player must gather evidence to make an estimated guess on who did it. The entire town changes depending on who Andreas chooses, no matter who it is, and there’s plenty of mystery beyond the first murder. Pentiment handles the realism extremely well, which always leaves fans asking if they should have done anything differently at the end.
Return to Monkey Island
It’s been twenty years since Ron Gilbert worked on Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge, but Return to Monkey Island proves that he hasn’t lost his touch. The game is a quirky and fun adventure from start to finish with plenty of puzzles to get players thinking. Many players are adoring how the game fits in perfectly with the games that came before it, and for new players, it’s a great point-and-click pick-up.
Compared to the other great stories of 2022’s games, Return to Monkey Island holds humor just as close as it does its mystery, and players are sure to enjoy being along for the ride as Guybrush Threepwood tells his son the story of how he finally found the true secret of Monkey Island. They’ll need to swab LeChuck’s deck, reunite with old friends like Elaine, and more in order to get there, and every single step is rewarding and hilarious. Some fans may not like the main ending of Return to Monkey Island, but it fits the message of the game rather well.
Stray
When Stray was first announced, many future players were excited at the prospect of a game where they played as a simple tabby cat in a futuristic, robot-ruled world. The setting of Stray has a lot to offer players from basic platforming, horror-like sequences, and a dedicated meow button. All of this is tied together in a narrative about hope and humanity - even in robots.
At first, it seems like it’s just a story about helping a lost cat get back to his family, but that’s only where things begin. Alongside a little droid known as “B-12,” fans follow the unlikely duo across an adventure that left players feeling all sorts of emotions. Truly, it’s perhaps the most unusual narrative on this list, but that’s because some of the best parts of its story are told through its environment, rewarding players who are as invested in it as they are in anything else. As the cat and robot help the mechanical populace heal one step at a time, the kitty in Stray doesn’t die, but there are still plenty of sacrifices to make to get back home.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 starts off in a world where people live to fight between two nations, Keves or Agnus, and only live for ten years at best. When squads between the two warring countries meet by accident, they stumble into the truth that the two factions share a “true enemy.” The instant this truth gets out, the teams led by Noah of Keves and Mio of Agnus are forced to seek it, or else they’ll be killed by those they fought for. With heavy stakes, the party of eight chases toward their leads and embark on the start of the epic story that changes everything they know.
The game’s core message is unity, though it isn’t just about unifying Noah and Mio’s teams, but it also serves as a way to tie Xenoblade Chronicles 1 and 2 together as well after the two were separated through parallel universes. Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s story isn’t perfect, but overall it plays with fans’ heartstrings. It serves as both a climactic finale to the trilogy, while also looking ahead to the future.
MORE: The Nintendo Switch May Never Top 2017 When It Comes to Its Highest-Rated Games
