How a story is told is often part of the experience of the story itself. This is especially prevalent in video games, with developers deciding every single part of the story that players are presented with.
Sometimes, though, these narratives tend to be a lot more complex than first glance.
10 Amazing Photography-Focused Games
Take a picture, it’ll last longer — even in a video game.
Whether it be the lore of the game or the game itself, some games tend to be a bit of a head-scratcher when it comes to their stories. It could even lead players to research the game to figure out what exactly is going on.
One thing is certain about these narratives, though: they’re incredibly complex. The stories they tell are deep and full of meaning, but only if players are ready to start digging deeper.
This article will contain spoilers for these franchises and the games within them.
10The Legend of Zelda
Mind-Bending Timelines
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The magic aboutThe Legend of Zeldacomes from the fact that anyone can play any game, and nobody needs to understand what came before.
Any game could be someone’s first Zelda game, with each story distinctly unique, apart from a couple of sequels.
That is, untilNintendodecided to connect all the games together ina timeline that splits into three pathways. Yes,every single canon Zelda game, thanks to the events ofOcarina of Time.
To put it bluntly, it’s incredibly messy, and it gets even more complicated because Nintendo is starting to be a bit more vague with newer entries.
Players have to theorize where games likeBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdomgo, which tends to defeat the whole purpose of that timeline.
While the stories within these games are pretty easy to follow, it’s not until players get to the overall canon that things get meta.
9Detroit: Become Human
So. Many. Pathways.
Detroit: Become Human
Detroit: Become Humanis a game about choice. Every action that players take is documented in a tree, which spans three different characters and eventually overlaps with each other.
The story is differentdepending on the choices players make, leaving open tons of replayability options and endless new dialogue. It’s incredibly thorough, encouraging exploration and fine detail.
The sheer number of choices presented is overwhelming, but thankfully, it’s balanced with simple gameplay. It’s genuinely impressive to see how each tree spirals with choices, with some characters having more to their stories than others.
It’s all beautifully interwoven in a way that feels much less complicated than what it is, no small part to chronological order. That would be an entirely different conversation if it wasn’t in that order.
8Bloodborne
The Most Complex of Souls Games
Bloodborne
Games likeDark Soulsare known for having complex narratives and rich lore, butBloodbornetakes the richest cake by far.
The lore of Bloodborne is an eldritch rabbit hole, spiraling through a vast universe beyond the city ofYharnam. Even though the game on the surface may seem smaller than others, it’s not until players begin to dig a little more that they see how deep this hole goes.
10 Open World Games With No Combat
Sometimes, all players want is to explore without fighting. These games offer that exact experience.
It iseasy to missall the finer, tragic detailsthat this game offers, which allows players to learn something new with every new playthrough (or spend real-life weeks filtering through materials;either works).
This doesn’t even take the dream into account, either—needless to say, Bloodborne is absolutely packed.
7The Elder Scrolls
A Rich, Lived-In World
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The Elder Scrollsseries is jam-packed and full of lore. It’s rich in characters, story, world-building and environmental storytelling. For players who want to immerse themselves fully in this world, it’s completely possible, and even more so for those willing to dig for more detail.
The Elder Scrolls games often throw players into the world without context or explanation, but are meticulously built to offer bite-sized chunks frequently as players explore and acclimatize to Tamriel.
The amount of reading material in these games alone is enough to keep players busy for literal hours. Some are in-universe stories, and others are “history books” that allow players to learn about the lore.
Even after going through all the materials, players are leftfeeling like they earned a degree in these games.
While it’s unclear if and when we’ll get theElder Scrolls VIat this rate, one thing is for sure: there will be an endless amount of lore to back it up.
6Assassin’s Creed
Desmond Was Only The Beginning
Assassin’s Creed
With each entry, Assassin’s Creedgames tell two stories simultaneously: the real world and the onetaking place inside theAnimus, a machine that reflects ancestral memories.
The stories within the Animus are pretty straightforward,following various assassins through different points in historyaround the world. Even when these assassins stumble upon ancient artifacts beyond their comprehension, the real world is easy enough to follow.
That is, until the protagonist of the first three games,Desmond Miles, sacrifices himself to save humanity from the evil goddessJuno. I get that I just dropped that in with little to prepare you, but the whiplash from this information is about as severe in the games, too.
From there, the lore basically goes nuts, using these artifacts to allow these ancient assassins to live in the modern age.
At this point, some players simply don’t pay attention to what’s happening outside the Animus, since it’s way easier to handle the story this way.
5Silent Hill
What’s Connected and What’s Not?
Silent Hill 2
TheSilent Hillgames are shrouded in mystery, especially when it comes to the overall lore.
The games tend toalternate between being a cult story centered aroundAlessa Gillespie, the catalyst for the entire series, and pure psychological horror centered around the protagonist.One such case isJames SunderlandinSilent Hill 2(and,by extension, theSilent Hill 2 Remake).
10 Underrated Indie Horror Gems
As Halloween draws closer, it’s a great time to explore underrated horror gems, including games. Here are some indie games that could use more love.
To this day, it’s not clear how the worlds are connected other than taking place in the same sleepy town.
Each game also oozes with metaphors and multiple meanings, down to the monster designs (such as reflecting fears and/or psyche). The story is told with little context, encouraging players to be curious and explore to learn more about the world around them.
With the upcoming release ofSilent Hill F, the line is a lot less clear about how this town works and how Alessa’s curse affects others overseas. Hopefully, that can be something that’s given more detail with new entries.
4Five Nights at Freddy’s
The King of Insane Fan Theories
Five Nights at Freddy’s
Five Nights at Freddy’s(FNAF) made a household name for itself among the indie horror genre, which was only amplified by the movie adaptation. At first glance, it’sa terrifying experience with an incredibly unique gameplay mechanic, told in a relatively easy-to-follow surface story.
It’s not until additional games are added that the plot thickens — as does the confusion.
Five Nights at Freddy’s is notoriously unclear about its own lore, requiring fans to find hidden messages in literal coloring books and separate novel releases.
That’s barely scratching the surface. Without any of that context, many names would be unfamiliar, and much of the story wouldn’t make sense.
It’s not uncommon to see videos explaining these games and their lore, with each of these videos garnering millions upon millions of views. It’s a lot that people genuinely don’t have the time for, so it’s easier to watch a video that breaks it down in several hours instead.
3Warhammer 40K: Space Marine II
Over 40 Years of Lore to Catch Up On
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine IIis thankfully a simple enough game to follow on its own, especially considering the sheer amount of lore players would need to know before going in.
Warhammerhasexisted for over 40 years, beginning in 1983, and has grown in popularity with other tabletop games such asDungeons and Dragons. Its lore is incredibly complex and spans multiple games, books, tabletop modules, and much more media.
Thankfully, fans ofWarhammeragree that players can hop intoSpace Marineto learn about the lore, asit makes the lore incredibly easy to digest.
There’s still a ton that’s left unsaid and leaves a lot to be researched, but it’s a great start for players who want to get into the hobby.
2Kingdom Hearts
The Ultimate Fanfiction Experience
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts, in the best way possible, feels like fanfiction. A crossover betweenDisneyandFinal FantasyIPs, the story followsSora,Donald, andGoofyon their quest to save the world from darkness.
That’s about what most players understand if they haven’t played the game, as many are too intimidated to even jump in. The story is incredibly convoluted and hard to follow, and it only gets more complex with each game.
10 Cute Games With Dark Narratives
Just because a game looks wholesome, doesn’t mean it always is.
This isn’t even considering the expansive number of entries in the series, ranging from side games to main titles. The franchise has many intense characters and stories, and keeping track of them is often too difficult.
Even for thorough players, there is a lot to remember and even more to forget, making following the narrative a daunting task.
1Metal Gear
No, Seriously, What’s Going On?
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
TheMetal Gearfranchise is, without a doubt, the most complex game series – especially regarding its narrative and lore.
With several different Snakes that are related but also different (Solid, Liquid, and Solidus),The Bossvs.Big Boss(also calledNaked Snake), vs another Big Boss (who is calledVenom Snake), and several other code names, it’s incredibly easy to lose track of characters.
This isn’t even considering how many people were presumed dead but aren’t actually dead andall the other plot twists these games throw at players.
The story isn’t told in chronological order, either, meaning that it’s not easy for players to pick up a game and understand what’s going on. Context is missing and often revealed too late, and by that point, players are typically already lost.
It hits all theHideo Kojimastaples of being incredibly convoluted, with a narrative that is equal parts commentary, satire, comedy, and drama.
That said, once players can piece this puzzle together, the story becomes quite tragic, while the stealth and combat remain insanely fun. Hopefully,Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eaterwill help make the first entry of the story easier for new fans to follow.
10 Best Games Like Silent Hill
Fans of Silent Hill tend to be hungry for more horrifying games similar in style — maybe with the fog not included.
