7 Confusing Video Game Plots That Make More Sense Than You Think

Back in the day, video game storytelling used to be a simple case of saving the princess or defeating the faceless evil, but now many of the stories in games rival novels and film scripts in length and complexity.

It makes sense. When it comes to creative expression, boundaries are always being pushed farther, and in a world with so many video games, developers want - nay, need - theirs to stand out. With this change in the times, however, alternate forms of storytelling have emerged - techniques that go beyond basic exposition and narration.

Put simply, these new-age methods of storytelling differ wildly, and with certain franchises literally lasting for decades, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Yet many of the games that are regarded as being insanely confusing are actually deceptively simple - you need only take a little bit of time to examine what it is they're doing (and how they're doing it).

From alternate timelines to stories told through item descriptions, here are seven confusing video game plots that make much more sense than you think.

For most people, Bioshock Infinite is pretty easy to follow up until the second half. There's a floating island in the sky, a self-proclaimed prophet named Comstock and a grim darkness lurking just beneath a vibrant, colourful cityscape. If you've spent any time in Rapture, you basically know what the score is – it's a similar set-up, except in Infinite you experience it before the collapse of society, not after.

The main reason people have difficulty with Infinite's plot isn't because it involves multiple timelines, it's because it isn't told chronologically. The moment the multiverse pops up, it's quite natural to feel overwhelmed by the sheer scope of possibility. But when you place events in order, it's all actually rather simple.

In essence, Columbia is run by Comstock, who adopted Elizabeth, who he plans to use to take over the city when he dies. Elizabeth has the ability to create tears in space time and can interact with alternate universes. Elizabeth is held prisoner by Comstock so that he can utilise her powers by using a “Siphon”. Booker is brought to Columbia by a pair of scientists who know the truth about him, and what is that truth? That in many timelines, Booker IS Comstock, having changed his identity after war atrocities.

Bioshock Infinite's plot is a great example of achieving mystery through messing with chronology, feigning complexity when the whole thing is actually rather simple.