Best Games That Have Deeper Stories Than They Need To

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Video game stories are much more intricate now than they used to be. It’s a far cry from the past, when games like Tetris and Pong were enough to entertain players.

Today, gamers appreciate games that require dedication and skill, and a compelling narrative quickly draws them in. However, some games overcomplicate things, and their stories become difficult to follow or enjoy.

Blue Prince

The Story May Be Riveting, But Dealing With RNG To Uncover It Is Frustrating For Many

Choosing this will likely be divisive, as Blue Prince’s amazing story is definitely a standout part of the game. While the initial ending appears after completing Room 46, experienced players understand that’s only the beginning.

Players need to return to this room to understand the next step, but remember that Blue Prince is a roguelike puzzle game. Randomness significantly impacts how players advance, so it can be really annoying when bad luck repeatedly stops them from discovering more of the story.

Void Stranger

An Epic Narrative, But One That Punishes Players With Its Brutal Difficulty

Void Stranger is fundamentally a Sokoban-style puzzle game, and it’s quite difficult. However, the game features a surprisingly captivating story that will likely keep players engaged and returning for more. While the game starts off challenging, players can progress by solving specific puzzles and discovering items that simplify the gameplay.

However, Void Stranger remains consistently challenging, requiring players to replay levels if they fail to complete them in an ‘Unvoided’ state or encounter later game-over scenarios. It can feel quite unfair at times, as the complex story takes unexpected turns that become frustrating to follow, especially since players must solve some of the most difficult video game puzzles ever created to understand the full narrative.

Detroit: Become Human

The Racial Allegories Are Downright Tasteless In The Eyes Of Some

While David Cage’s games offer enjoyable and visually impressive experiences, the narratives sometimes fall short. This is especially noticeable in Detroit: Become Human, which draws parallels between the emergence of artificial intelligence and the historical race riots that occurred during a troubled time in American history.

Had the game featured a truly compelling narrative, it could have offered a meaningful look at the struggles of the marginalized. However, Detroit: Become Human‘s shallow treatment of discrimination feels deeply offensive. The storyline would have been better off avoiding overly simplistic comparisons to real-world events, particularly exploiting historical riots for dramatic effect. This ultimately makes the story *seem* more profound than it actually is.

Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag

The Real-World Plotline Was Even More Boring, Especially After Desmond’s Death

Black Flag is widely considered a fantastic video game, and for good reason. Playing as Edward Kenway and exploring his adventures is incredibly fun, however, the storyline involving Abstergo in the present day can become quite tedious after a while.

Earlier Assassin’s Creed games were somewhat enjoyable even with their modern-day sections, largely thanks to the character Desmond. But after he died in the third game, players took on the role of an unnamed character and had to suffer through frustrating parts – like pointless walking and repetitive minigames – just to reveal a story that was overly complex and ultimately not very engaging for most players.

Five Nights At Freddy’s

The Lore Of This Series Is Off The Charts, Perhaps To An Unreasonable Extent

It’s surprising how much backstory there is for Five Nights at Freddy’s, considering it’s a game about scary robotic characters causing trouble in a pizza place at night. What started as a potential series of quick scares became a passion project thanks to its creator, Scott Cawthon.

Actually, the backstory gets so incredibly complex that many players struggle to follow the story in the newer games. This is a major reason why they feel aimless, but it’s also true that the overuse of simple frights might disappoint players who are hoping for a game with more depth and meaningful FNaF elements.

Kingdom Hearts 3

The Poster Child Of Overly Complicated Stories

The initial two Kingdom Hearts games had complex stories, but they were still easy to follow as the start of a larger narrative. However, Kingdom Hearts 3 was much harder to understand. By the time it came out, so many side games had been released on different consoles that keeping track of the plot became incredibly confusing.

It attempted to connect all the plot threads, but it didn’t succeed. Fans were lost because the story had become far too complicated to follow. The excessively complex plot of Kingdom Hearts is the reason many people have a complicated, love-hate relationship with Tetsuya Nomura’s storytelling style.

Xenogears

The Game Ran Out Of Budget And Had To Cram A Ton Of Story In Verbose Slideshows

Tetsuya Takahashi is now receiving the recognition he’s earned, but his inexperience as a game director became clear with Xenogears. The first disc features exceptional storytelling for a JRPG, giving the game a feel similar to watching Neon Genesis Evangelion. However, Takahashi aimed for too much given the project’s limited budget and timeframe.

These limitations forced Takahashi to condense large parts of the story into poorly-received slideshows that didn’t improve the narrative. Players were simply moved quickly between key moments, with lengthy explanations making things even more confusing, ultimately resulting in a lackluster ending to what had initially seemed like a great game.

Final Fantasy 13

If A Story Requires A Lorebook With Numerous Complicated Terms, It Might Be A Bit Too Much

While Final Fantasy 13 is visually stunning, the opening sequence immediately overwhelms players with complicated terminology that they need to look up in the game’s glossary. This is only the beginning of the numerous issues that caused the game to become the least favored title in the Final Fantasy series.

The game’s world felt overly complicated and wasn’t explained well, and the story’s pacing was inconsistent. As the game progresses, the plot becomes increasingly confusing. It’s also frustrating that there isn’t much variety in the levels or freedom in gameplay until Chapter 11, which is likely why many players stop playing long before the game truly opens up.

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2025-10-03 05:35