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2022 has been one of the most exciting years in gaming, as it took players on a journey that kept spewing out story-rich games month after month. Multiplayer games are what bring people together while carving out endless hours of competitive gaming, whereas story-based games allow players to sit down, relax, and embark on a mesmerizing journey with the characters they’re playing as.
While most of the big release windows in 2022 were dominated by high-profile AAA games, some deserving indie games also made the cut as far as their narrative was concerned. Let’s take a look at the ten best story games of the year.
Disclaimer: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.
Elden Ring, God of War Ragnarok, and eight other best story-based titles in 2022
1) Pentiment
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Pentiment is a unique game by Obsidian Entertainment that tells the tale of a talented 16th-century artist in Bavaria who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. The game’s art style has received a ton of praise since its release in mid-November, as the entire in-game world is seen as an illustration inside a large book that tells the story of the artist’s day and age.
Any player who likes history will certainly adore Pentiment, as the manuscripts inside the game try to stay as accurate as possible to live in the 16th century. Players can follow Bavaria’s historical journey and artists as the nation goes through counter-reformation and war.
One of the best things about Pentiment's story is that players can truly shape the story to their liking by making specific choices at certain points as the game progresses.
2) Norco
Point and click adventure games are often known for their stories as opposed to any complicated mechanics, and Norco most certainly does not disappoint.
The story of this game takes players to a city in the southern part of Louisiana, where the protagonist is trying to find their missing brother. They must explore various city sections while interrogating the locals and forging relationships with them.
While the mystery of the missing brother continues to deepen as the game progresses, one thing that stays consistent throughout the story is the grim and eerie theme, a lot of which is signified by the state that Louisiana is in. The pixel-art style of the game, combined with the calming and sometimes ominous music, puts together an adventure reeking of mystery and awe.
3) Persona 5 Royale
Japanese RPGs have long been known for their intricate and emotional storytelling, and Persona 5 Royale is no different.
One of the highest-rated games on Steam, Royale was released in October 2022 as a beefed-up version of the super popular Persona 5. Players delve into the eventful life of a high school student with a troubled past, whose recent transfer to a new school comes with all sorts of challenges.
Accused of assault and being expelled from his previous school, the protagonist, who goes by the alias "Joker," quickly makes new friends and alliances with other students in the school. Soon, Joker and other students gain special abilities that allow them to manifest their inner selves into physical entities known as Personas. Players then get a chance to battle mysterious demons called "Shadows" while trying to save others from the dangers of a dimension known as the Metaverse.
4) Immortality
Games from independent developers continue to surprise, with Immortality being one of the latest to hit the store. Nominated for Best Narrative among other awards at the 2022 Game Awards, Immortality takes players on a journey that follows a popular film sensation named Marissa Marcel, who mysteriously disappears after three of her movies go through with production but are never released.
Immortality is a trilogy that takes a unique approach to storytelling, as its entire story is presented using a series of movie clips, both on and off the screen. Furthermore, players will notice that the clips aren’t in chronological order, with some even showing signs of tampering. All of this only adds to the mystery of the disappeared actress.
5) The Last of Us Part 1
As gaming hardware and technology advance, many developers see fit to rebuild older games from the ground up in an effort to present their best games to newer generations in a more optimized and technologically up-to-date manner.
The Last of Us Part 1 is a remake of one such game, rebuilding 2013’s The Last of Us from scratch for PlayStation 5 and Microsoft Windows. One of the biggest games of the decade, The Last of Us, follows the story of Joel, a smuggler living in Boston 20 years after the outbreak of a deadly virus that turns most of humanity into mindless beings known as the Infected.
Entrusted with escorting Ellie, a thirteen-year-old immune girl, to safety, players embark on a dangerous but life-changing journey across a post-apocalyptic rendition of the United States, fighting the Infected as well as other human factions who pose a threat to them. The Last of Us Part 1 is an enhanced game edition that boasts unlocked framerates, higher resolution, updated combat mechanics, and much more.
6) A Plague Tale: Requiem
The sequel to 2019’s A Plague Tale: Innocence, A Plague Tale: Requiem continues the story of siblings Amicia and Hugo, who try to survive after escaping their home as the brutal black plague continues to ravage the Kingdom of France, eating up everyone they know and love. This grim sequel takes the duo all the way to the south of France, where Hugo’s powers reawaken, and he unknowingly endangers himself and others around him.
Set in the darkest period of the 14th century, players are given the role of Amicia, who tries to protect herself and her little brother as the pair evade hoards of infected rats as well as medieval inquisition soldiers. Amicia has a wide variety of weapons at her disposal this time, including a knife and her iconic sling from the first game, a crossbow, and other throwable objects.
7) Stray
Yet another gem from Annapurna Interactive, Stray is a game every gamer has been yearning to play since its announcement back in 2020.
Set in a mysterious dystopian world full of robots, mechanical structures, and mutated bacteria, the game follows the journey of a cat who gets separated from its clutter and accidentally falls into a tunnel. Following its recovery from the fall, the cat explores further and discovers the ruins of an abandoned facility, thus marking the start of a journey to the surface in hopes of reuniting with its group.
Despite being an independent game, Stray manages to engulf the player in one of the most beautiful and atmospheric worlds in gaming with its impeccable art, sound design, and ability to connect with the player.
8) Horizon Forbidden West
February 2022 marked the return of everyone's favorite Nora Huntress, Aloy. Horizon Forbidden West was one of the biggest reveals of 2020, especially considering the fact that it was introduced as a launch title for the PlayStation 5. Forbidden West’s story picks up a few months after its predecessor, Horizon Zero Dawn, with Aloy trying to eliminate a new threat from the Guerilla Games post-apocalyptic world.
While the first game is a masterpiece in its regard, Forbidden West improves upon almost every aspect with updated animations, improved combat, a bigger, more vibrant world, and tons of new machines.
However, the best part about the game is its story, which perfectly bridges the gap between itself and the first game while setting up the upcoming third game to complete the Horizon trilogy, as announced by Guerilla Games.
9) Elden Ring
Elden Ring was one of the most highly anticipated games in the world after its reveal at E3 2019. Described as the evolution of the first Dark Souls game by developer FromSoftware, Elden Ring features a massive open world filled with all kinds of monsters and other creatures. Keeping in line with FromSoftware’s style of games, Elden Ring contains many beautifully crafted boss fights in all locations, each of which is as complex as the next.
The story of Elden Ring revolves around a Tarnished who previously belonged to a group exiled from the Lands Between. However, a massive conflict has led them to return. The player’s main objective is to gather every piece of the shattered Elden Ring, ultimately becoming the Elden Lord.
10) God of War Ragnarok
How do you improve upon the “game of the generation”? Release a bigger, better sequel that steals the title from its predecessor. God of War Ragnarok is the epitome of a perfect sequel and rarely disappoints in that regard, as the story of Kratos and Atreus continues after a three-year gap.
Coming back to Midgard, players witness the start of Fimbulwinter. This prophesized a three-year period that marks the beginning of the end for the Norse Pantheon of Gods and is destined to end in a realm-shattering conflict called Ragnarok.
Players embarked on a journey throughout the nine realms, battling gods, primordial entities, and all vile creatures. However, the imminent threat of the end of the world doesn’t sway the game’s central theme: family. As the father-son duo work on defeating the Allfather, they’re also working on their relationship, something that every player is sure to empathize with.
Videogame stories are a great example of media that can positively influence a person. Each game campaign has something new and unique to offer, which increases the chances of players relating to characters they might encounter in their game. This fact, combined with video game music and gameplay, makes story-based games the master of video game genres.
