I live for narrative games. An expertly crafted plot that leaves the player with profound feelings at its conclusion is something to be treasured. Lucky for me, there’s been an uptick of them recently, withDisco Elysiumas something of a poster child of how good they can be; it’s deeply thought-provoking, emotionally heart-wrenching and sardonically funny. The premise of a drunken nihilistic detective rediscovering himself while solving a murder is deeply compelling, and the dry wit of sidekick Kim Kitsuragi is the icing on the cake. Disco Elysium was a big hit, and rightfully so (even if ourRobert Webb believes it was a bit short on actual detective work).
2022 has seen a swathe of impressive narrative games hit the market.Obsidian’s recently releasedPentimentearned plenty plaudits (yep, from myself included). Andreas Maler’s 16th-century trip through the intrigue-ridden Bavarian town of Tassing is the best narrative adventure I’ve played in years, oozing attention to detail, and it’s pretty apparent from playing it that the development team were passionate about the subject matter.
Pentiment is also a great example of the potential of triple-A narrative games. Obsidian is a massive developer, but Pentiment was actually developed by a small internal team led by Josh Sawyer. The financial capabilities of the studio allowed them to implement some very neat features. For example, text boxes in Pentiment appear as if written on a manuscript. Unique systems were developed just to facilitate accurate pen strokes and fonts, not something every indie studio could afford. Not to mention the myriad experts who were consulted to ensure the game’s historical accuracy.
Sawyer himself saidthat Pentiment owes its existence to Game Pass.Microsoft’s popular subscription service has opened up a new avenue for those with unproven pitches. The high barrier of needing to recoup development costs purely on sales numbers has been lowered with Game Pass agreements that see developers paid upfront. For first-party developers like Obsidian, it allows projects like Pentiment to be greenlit. “Game Pass always needs more games” is a convenient excuse to pursue all kinds of projects. The point is, Game Pass is going to make it easier for developers to pursue quirkier plans, like off-beat narratives.
RELATED:Pentiment Review
Another example of a Game Pass narrative hit isCitizen Sleeper. Developed by a one-man studio, Jump Over The Age, Citizen Sleeper is a sci-fi dystopian ‘narrative RPG’ set aboard a space station called The Eye. You play as a “sleeper,” a human who has had their mind uploaded to a robot body for use by a mega-corporation. The sleeper has escaped to the Eye, a haven for outlaws and outcasts.
The game plays out entirely over an elevated view of the space station. You traverse between menus representing different locations on the Eye. It’s a pure narrative experience with role-playing elements. I had my emotions dragged to and fro during this game, and despite how hopeless things may feel at times, it also rejuvenates my belief in the good nature of humanity at a time it’sreallybeing tested.
According to creator Gareth Damian Martin, Citizen Sleeper is inspired by the precarity of the modern-day gig economy. Martin is highlighting the story of those engaging with the peripheries of capitalism and it shows in Citizen Sleeper’s characters. For example, you may encounter a man who needs you to babysit his daughter while he works long hours on a corporate spaceship. you may form a bond with the pair, promising to help them get off the Eye. Citizen Sleeper is full of these types of stories, of people who have been struck down by late-stage capitalism but still maintain their enduring spirit. For those, like me, who enjoyed the base game, it now has a pair of free expansions to dig into too!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mentionThe Quarry(which isn’t on Game Pass). Though Supermassive has largely focused onThe Dark Pictures Anthologyin recent years, The Quarry is seen as the spiritual successor to their slasher-horrorUntil Dawn, which in 2015 set the studio on its current trajectory. With a cast of B-list actors, very impressive facial tracking and a classic horror premise (abandoned summer camp), it’s a well-written and self-aware slasher that’s a freaky delight to get through with friends.
To this end, its “pass the controller” was a great inclusion. In this mode, you can play through the game with each member of the ensemble cast being assigned to a different player. I was able to wrangle seven friends together to play through the game and it wassoworth it. The decision-making, tension and horror elements are all elevated in a group setting - so much so that I’d even say The Quarry is best enjoyed as a multiplayer experience. It’s fantastic schlock horror, very well produced with multitudes of different endings based on player choice. Supermassive has introduced some great quality-of-life features too, such as the game’s cinematic mode.
2022 produced very high-quality narratives and I really hope that this trend continues into the new year. There aren’t many narrative games currently on 2023’s plate, but hopefully we get some surprises as the year progresses. If not, then at least I always have the medieval Bavarian town of Tassing to go back to…
NEXT:Pentiment’s Final Act Is An Exercise In Boredom, But Maybe That’s The Point?
