Video Games with Critically Acclaimed Storytelling

In general, gameplay in modern video games takes precedence over story, but in recent years the debate about whether games can be considered legitimate forms of expression has coincided with deeper or more central stories which complement or deepen gameplay, in addition to providing a motive and setting for players. Below is a look at three highly successful games known for their story, their story construction, and the pros and cons of the widely different ways to impart story to players.

Myst (1993)

Myst is the CD-ROM game which drove adoption of the optical disc format and sales of personal computers; until 2002, the series was the best-selling computer game series of all time. The game begins with the player (who remains faceless and unnamed in the game and all other sequels) discovering a mysterious book which links the player to the Island of Myst. Myst is home to the explorer Atrus and his family; Atrus practices an ancient method that allows skilled writers to travel to other worlds known as Ages by writing a descriptive book of the Age. As you arrive, however, Atrus is nowhere to be seen; his sons, Sirrus and Achenar, are trapped in two separate books. Each swears that the other brother is guilty of plundering their father's ages and killing their parents, and entreat the player to find special pages so that they might be free. The player travels across Atrus' undamaged Ages to find the pages and uncover the truth.

In Myst, there is next to no character interaction for most of the game. Aside from the brother's pleas to the player, the only knowledge the player has is the content of Atrus' journals and clues found in the brother's domiciles on each Age. Achenar seems a bit deranged, and his living quarters on the other Ages are filled with torture instruments and sharp, pointy objects- not exactly someone you'd leave your kids home alone with. On the other hand, Sirrus' rooms are richly adorned with expensive tapestries and filled with gold- seemingly confirming Achenar's testimony that his brother grew greedy for power and money. With each page added to their books, their small window through which they speak to the player grows clearer and they emphatically blame their brother for growing corrupt with the power Atrus gave them. As it turns out, both brothers are lying, and Atrus and his wife Catherine are alive, but saving Atrus is the only good ending out of four different possible ways to finish the game; saving either Sirrus or Achenar results in the player being trapped in the book while the brother gleefully tears pages from your new prison, while traveling to Atrus' Age without following his instructions results in both of you being trapped forever.

The lack of people on the abandoned Ages provides a sense of eerie and uncertain discovery which I relish, but many reviewers were put off by the lack of people on the lonely worlds. The game has a deep story which is only hinted at in scraps of information, but it is up to the enterprise of players to discover all this background. In many ways, Myst is half and game; by playing its devilishly difficult sequel, players bring the story arc to a fitting conclusion and discover much more about Atrus' background and the mythology of the games. Overall, however, the games are heavily story-driven, even without characters jabbering at the player; it's a unique and stressless way of telling a story, leaving players free to choose in the end.

BioShock (2007)

BioShock is in many ways similar in storytelling style to Myst, but it is in many ways a clone of a previous title by the developer, System Shock 2. Both games stick you right in the middle of "something's not right" situations; in BioShock, a mysterious plane crash brings you to a secret underwater city known as Rapture, where society has crumbled. Both games have unseen characters direct you via radio, and have audio logs for players to discover and peruse for story information. The games even have similar plot twists; in System Shock 2, you learn that the good doctor Janice Polito who has been advising you for much of the game is in fact the menacing AI SHODAN from the first System Shock. Likewise, BioShock reveals that Atlas, the player's radio buddy, is in fact a mobster called Fontaine who wants the secrets of Rapture, and created the player as a genetic weapon against Rapture's creator. After being misled, a repentant doctor aids the player in stopping Fontaine's reign. Depending on the player's actions regarding children known as Little Sisters (there are good or evil actions), there are two fundamentally diametric endings.

The problems with BioShock's storytelling style are that it is easy for players to miss audio logs or key bits of story information, making it occasionally confusing to follow the plot or gain a "bigger picture" of what went on in Rapture before you arrived. On the other hand, it involves the player in uncovering the plot, like in Myst, and aids the cultivation of a creepy atmosphere which in turn supports the gameplay. Overall BioShock provides a more mainstream method of game storytelling than Myst, but one which is no less powerful.

Halo: Combat Evolved (2001)

Halo: Combat Evolved is set in the year 2552, as a lone human ship flees a xenocidal cabal of aliens known as the Covenant, in the process stumbling across an ancient alien ringworld known as 'Halo'. Players assume the mantle of the Master Chief, a soft-spoken, big-stick carrying supersoldier, as he fights the Covenant and unravels Halo's secrets, learning that while Halo is a weapon as the Covenant believe, it is also meant as a weapon of last resort that will kill all sentient life in the universe in order to prevent the spread of a frightening parasite known as the Flood.

Halo is an excellent example of great linear storytelling. Between gunfights, you get story information and appraisals from your AI helper Cortana, meaning the level design aids plot progression. Halo's twist, the surprise appearance of the Flood halfway through the game, sets it above similar linear shooter plots. I personally don't remember first meeting the Flood when I picked up Halo in 2003, but then again I was playing co-operative play with my brother in a well-lit room. Going back and playing the level '343 Guilty Spark' alone with the sound up now still gives me a sense of unease. And that's where the game's story excells. From strange shapes lurking in the forest to blood-splattered walls and a crazed Marine screaming about monsters and devils, Halo builds up the tension and then sweeps the rug from under your feet as you have to fight another enemy with entirely different tactics from the Covenant. This story development also aids the gameplay by adding two and three-sided battles where the player can jump in, hang back to polish off the victorious faction or casually snipe targets of opportunity on both sides; this helped make the closing levels of Halo much more fun and varied.

The downside of Halo's storytelling is paradoxically its strength; by hitting you with the bare elements of story, Halo's plot moves along quickly without distracting from gameplay or getting bogged down in excessive cutscenes. On the surface, you don't miss much, but just read one of the bestselling Halo spinoff novels, and you'll realize how much more richly textured the Halo universe is than it appears in the games; Halo's storytelling means the setting isn't as "real" to the player as it could be. There's more to the faceless Master Chief and his compatriots than is ever told in the games, although Halo 3 does a good job of at least hinting at these facets under the surface.

Conclusion

Overall, it should be noted that not only do the above games have good stories, but they are excellent games from a simply gameplay perspective as well. The key difference is that the gameplay is enhanced by the story, which sets video game storytelling at a different level than stories for films or television; by using the unique aspect of audience interaction, game stories can be more varied and ultimately more meaningful.