I'm tired of saving the world. I'm tired of demons and aliens and all manner of other foul creatures, tired of vague storytelling devices like "corruption" that serve no other purpose than to justify my killing of every NPC that crosses my path. Did I just describe several of my favorite games? Certainly. But nevertheless, I've grown weary of their drawn-out conventions.
No other medium has video games' homogeneity of concepts and story premises. Films and books don't have to be about the world ending to be popular, but for whatever reason, the AAA scene seems largely repulsed by the idea of a game with no life-and-death stakes, or even worse, no combat. Indeed, the notion that video games need to be action-packed to be enjoyable is a common myth, one that I hope will die as the medium continues to mature. The following games demonstrate, clearer than most, that interactive entertainment can be just as much about love, social structures, culture, and community, as about saving the galaxy from the corruption of the evil alien demons from outer space.
An important criterion for the following list is that the games be almost completely about relationships, romantic or otherwise. Thus, games like Mass Effect, despite featuring great interpersonal relationships, have been excluded.
Catherine
Maybe Next Time You'll Think Before You Cheat
Catherine is my favorite love game. You don't take a break from fighting monsters to speedrun a romance with a party member, nor are you "rewarded" for certain choices with sex scenes and the like. Rather, Catherine depicts a thoughtful, introspective, hilarious, and anxiety-inducing mural of adult dating. It follows Vincent, a man in his early thirties who, after getting embarrassingly drunk, cheats on his long-term partner with a young woman who is inexplicably enamored with him. The story unfolds from there, giving you a glimpse into the complex world of sexual frustration, guilt, and commitment issues. Vincent also spends his nights trapped in a hellish nightmare realm reserved for unfaithful men, but that's beside the point.
Catherine Classic is the original, 2011 version of the game, but 2019's Catherine: Full Body is the definitive experience, with better visuals, new game modes, and more.
The Alters
Cut Yourself Some Slack
11 Bit Studios is the studio behind the excellent This War of Mine and Frostpunk duology, all of which are personal favorites of mine, but I'll be damned if The Alters doesn't blow them both out of the water. After crash-landing on an alien planet, everyman Jan Dolski discovers that he is the only member of his mining expedition to survive. Via some sci-fi mumbo-jumbo, Jan "alters" himself to repopulate the dead crew. That is to say, he creates numerous clones of himself, each one imbued with memories from an alternate timeline. For instance, if one of the Alters doesn't go to college, his career, values, and personality would turn out to be different from Base Jan Dolski.
Within this outlandish science-fiction concept is a compelling social simulation and psychodrama: Jan Dolski has to find peace within himself via his Alters, essentially wrestling with different facets of his psyche, all of which have developed independent from him. Every Alter is well-defined and robust, and it's a miracle that The Alters' choice-based system holds water long enough to get to the end credits. It's hard to say much more without spoiling the game, but please, please play The Alters. You won't regret it.
Pentiment
Pillars of the Earth
Obsidian Entertainment is best known for its Bethesda-style RPGs, like Fallout: New Vegas and Avowed, and while I appreciate those games, nothing in the developer's body of work comes close to its magnum opus, Pentiment. Set in 16th-century Bavaria, Pentiment tells a beefy, emotional tale about a small town and its adjoining abbey, which plays host to no shortage of drama. As far as ever-unfolding, player-driven narratives go, Pentiment is the cream of the crop, presenting the player with countless unique, well-written, and dynamic NPCs to befriend, threaten, investigate, and more. It's not exactly a social simulation as much as it is a dense, literary journey into history and religion, but its complex web of believable relationships is what carries the day. Get your tissues ready: Pentiment is one hum-dinger of a story.
Pentiment
-
OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 86 /100 Critics Rec: 87%
- Released
- November 15, 2022
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
WHERE TO PLAY
From Obsidian, this game is a historical narrative-driven game focusing on character development, heavily stylized art, and choice-driven storytelling in early 16th century Bavaria. Players will play as Andreas Maler, a clever illustrator caught up in a series of murders in Tassing and Kiersau Abbey over the course of twenty five years. Players will be responsible for conducting their own investigation to decide the fate of the community, but each decision will have lasting consequences and inexorably draws Andreas closer to the center of an underlying conspiracy.
Illustrated world: Experience 16th century Europe as the master artists of the time saw them. Art inspired by great illuminated manuscripts and the earliest printed books becomes a living, breathing world in Pentiment.
Uncover mysteries: Choose different academic and social backgrounds and meet a colorful cast of characters as you discover the stories and secrets that lie within the small Bavarian town of Tassing and nearby Keirsau Abbey.
Impact a changing world: In an era of great religious and political change, each decision you make can have a profound impact on the community’s future. Find your own way through this turbulent time and see the consequences of your choices play out over generations.
- Engine
- Unity
- PC Release Date
- November 15, 2022
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- November 15, 2022
- PS5 Release Date
- February 22, 2024
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- February 22, 2024
- Genre(s)
- Adventure
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 15 Hours
