5 games with good storylines but terrible graphics

There are plenty of games with good storylines, and there's also a handful with great graphics. However, only a few can combine these two elements into a masterpiece. That doesn't mean we can't appreciate titles with good plots, especially if you are the type to play games primarily for the story.

Here, we compiled five games with good storylines but falter in the aesthetic department. While these titles may look outdated with their old-school graphics, they are on par with modern games in terms of plot. Check out our list and see which one you want to try next.

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Cruelty Squad and other games with good storylines but bad graphics

1) Cruelty Squad

Cruelty Squad features a plot centered on a capitalistic society (Image via Consumer Softproducts)

Cruelty Squad tackles a dystopian world where corporations hold significant power and the government means nothing. Corporate and technological advancements allow resurrection, and with everyone immortal, your job is to be a professional assassin.

If you can stand the flashy colors and bad graphics, you find yourself immersed in a truly captivating plot. There are three main endings in Cruelty Squad: the usual ending, the secret item, and the final level that unlocks everything. Each ending holds a different message but they all feature a common theme about the dangers of being stuck in a capitalistic society.

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2) Chop Goblins

Chop Goblins features a PS1 aesthetic (Image via David Szymanski)

Chop Goblins is a microshooting FPS game that is set in a wide range of periods. In this game, you unravel interesting events as you break in and steal from a local museum. What's also interesting is how the title incorporates the idea of goblins into different eras, including a modern-day setting.

There are five different levels in the game, with each one getting fiercer than the one before it. However, the game is relatively short and designed to be completed in one sitting. It's something you can truly enjoy for the plot if you don't mind the PS1 aesthetic.

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3) Golden Light

Golden Light is a horror game with an engaging storyline (Image via Mr. Pink)

Golden Light is a survival game in which you’ll experience everything from creepy creatures to jump scares. With its eerie gameplay, unnerving music, and scary plot, the game's bad graphics add to the horror element with meat-like creatures.

As the main character, you get flashbacks of a room, and your journey revolves around trying to find your girlfriend, who gets sucked into the Gut, the main villain in Golden Light. There are four different endings in Golden Light, that will trigger depending on how you play the game. There’s a normal ending, a pacifist ending, a genocide ending, and a secret ending. Be warned though; the game is not meant for the faint-hearted.

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4) Murder House

Murder House is a horror game with old-school graphics (Image via Puppet Combo)

If you are looking for more scary games with good storylines, Murderhouse is the way to go. It features old-school graphics which adds up to its overall creepy aesthetic. The game's story revolves around a brave news team entering an abandoned house. They intend to dive into a ghost story put up by the locals, but end up finding something different.

Despite its terrible graphics, Murderhouse tackles different horror elements with its impressive plot.

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5) Shadow Man

Shadow Man gameplay (Image via Nightdive Studios)

Shadow Man is all about fighting voodoo and death masters, and it has graphics reminiscent of old-school games like World of Warcraft. In this game, the main goal is to stop two conniving antagonists called Jack the Ripper and Legion. Both of these entities plan to bring about the destruction of the whole world by resurrecting the souls of five notorious serial killers. It’s one of those epic games with a good storyline, but it could be better with modern graphics.

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This wraps up our list of games with good storylines but bad graphics. If you're looking for more options, you can check out our list of the best games with storylines revolving around Nordic mythology.