10 Perfect Stories Told In Video Games

7. The Longest Journey

While there are games like The Last of Us that I couldn’t get away with not including, I’ve tried to throw you some curveballs in this list that you might not have played because AAA studios haven’t cornered the market on perfect stories.

For this entry we’re heading back to 1999 when Funcom released the fantasy point-and-click adventure game, and my favourite game of all time, The Longest Journey.

A true high fantasy narrative with a firm grasp on telling the realistic story of an 18-year-old living in a future metropolis, while incorporating the parallel world of magic that exists in tandem and the sociopolitical chaos unfolding across both worlds, there’s a lot going on here. But whether the story is focussed on protagonist April’s relationship with her best friend or her fraught family life, or switching gears to helping various magical races reunite or trying to reinstate a magical ancient guardian into his realm to restore the balance of the twin worlds, the writing is sublime.

Beyond that, the game boasts a suite of enigmatic and fascinating characters bolstered by brilliant performances and each of them feel unique and palpably realised adding weight to the narrative. This is back when adventure games didn’t let you make choices beyond proving you could solve puzzles and perhaps making one call as to whether you want to spend the night out with a douchey guy or with your mates. The Longest Journey has a meticulously designed story to tell you and wants you to experience it as intended.

The Longest Journey is just that, a fantastic and unforgettable hero's journey that is just an absolute joy to watch unfold.