10 Best Stories That ONLY Work As Video Games

If you can't play it, then why bother at all?

Mass Effect 2
Bioware

Ever since video games hit the world, there have been detractors who claim it's a form of niche entertainment rather than a vessel for storytelling. Well, those who think that way have certainly been on the losing side of the battle these last couple of decades.

Nowadays, video games have so much scope, beauty, and narrative potential, turning the medium into the perfect platform for stories that wouldn't work on a static screen.

Whether it's a triple-A experience that plays with something unattainable in real life or an indie project that uses the lens of interaction to paint something extraordinary, there's no denying that the gaming industry can generate some once in a lifetime stories.

These coming titles are the ones that go above and beyond to create something unique to the gaming sphere. They crafted expert experiences that would have had little to no effect were they in any other medium, proving that video games are undoubtedly worthy of being called art.

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There is a big old spoiler alert on this one, as we will be discussing most of these narratives in detail. So, be warned!

10. Doki Doki Literature Club

Mass Effect 2
Team Salvato

Here's another spoiler warning in case you're years late to this party.

Doki Doki Literature Club is an experience unlike any other, so long as you go in blind. You take on the role of a nameless protagonist who joins his friend's literature club and begins to romance three of its members. However, things take a drastic turn when you discover that the fourth, non-romanceable girl (Monica) is fully aware she's a character in a video game.

She then manipulates the code to try and become the object of your affection and ends up creating some incredibly horrifying experiences, killing off the other girls and eventually deleting herself and resetting the game.

How can you make a story about a sentient video game character who breaks the fourth wall and messes with the player in a medium other than video gaming and expect it to work?

This story of a game character growing sentience is flawless here as the fourth wall breaking makes it feel uncomfortably real. This ties in with some incredibly cathartic scares, which centre on the mechanics you've experienced thus far, making this a true video game story.

Contributor

Michael is my name, overanalysing comedy is my game! Anime, wrestling, TV, movies and video games all live in my head rent free!