Many of us grew up playing video games with the simplest storylines– the good guy must defeat the bad guy, like Super Mario saving Princess Peach from the evil Bowser or Link fighting against the destructive Ganon. But as time passed by, these iconic franchises and more video games have delivered intricate stories and concepts deviating from this formula. Some of these games have even further blurred the line between good and evil, forcing players to make the hard decisions that somehow, question their morality.
If you like playing this kind of games, we’ve got a list for you! Here are some video games that will pit you against hard choices, most of which will ultimately affect the outcome of your game’s story!
The Walking Dead Series
Available on PC, Android, iOS, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch
Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead series is as gripping as the TV show. While it is set during a zombie apocalypse, the selling point of the game is also its interesting story which you affect with your character’s choices. You play Lee Everett, a convicted criminal who is being taken to prison when the zombie outbreak happened. During the confusion Lee gets to escape and stumbles upon a young girl named Clementine. Lee then makes it his mission to help Clementine survive in this world plagued by the undead, but doing so will force him to make dangerous choices.
Life is Strange Series
Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch
Life is Strange also delivers narrative adventures, this time with a supernatural spin. Each game follows individuals with superhuman abilities, but with very human and grounded stories that are also shaped by the player’s decisions. The first game follows Max and Chloe as they rewind time to determine the future of Arcadia Bay; the second game focuses on two brothers’ journey to seek safety in their father’s hometown; and the thrid game revolves around Alex Chen who must use her powers to find out the truth behind her brother’s death.
Papers, Please
Available on PC, iOS, and PS Vita
Papers, Please is an indie video game with simple but eye-catching pixel graphics, and unique gameplay that will touch your empathy, emotions, and principles. The communist state of Arstotzka has just ended a 6-year war with its neighbor state and reclaimed its rightful half of the border town, Grestin. Your job as an immigration inspector is to control the flow of immigrants entering the country, and filter out suspicious individuals who could be smugglers, spies, and terrorists. The concept may sound simple enough but its reflection of poor citizens and a corrupt government will definitely manipulate your decisions, even if you just want to do the right thing within the game.
Undertale
Available on PC, PlayStation, PS Vita, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch
Despite its retro look and simple mechanics, Undertale rose in popularity thanks to its innovative concept for a game. The game takes you to the Underworld where you must face and defeat various kinds of monsters. What makes this title different is that the player can choose to converse with the enemies instead of killing them. This adds more depth to the game and you get to know more about your foes, reminding you that there is another way than just violence.
The Last of Us Series
Available on the PlayStation
Much like The Walking Dead, this popular video game franchise follows a man and a young girl as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world. Set in the United States where a fungus has turned human hosts into hostile creatures, The Last of Us tells the story of the smuggler Joel who is tasked to escort a girl named Ellie across the ruins of the country. While the game has a linear story with no alternate outcomes, there are moments in the game that will still make you wonder if what your character does is right or wrong, considering that you’ve been thrown into a world where your chances of survival are slim.
Bioshock
Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch
Bioshock is a popular first-person shooter game that has an interesting story concept imbued in its rich, biopunk world. The game tells the story of Jack, the sole survivor of a plane crash in the middle of Atlantic ocean. Here, he discovers an underwater world called Rapture, left in ruins after a civil war. As you play the role of Jack, you are faced with a huge moral decision involving the Little Sisters–genetically altered young girls who you might perceive as threats or mere victims in this game’s twisted world. Why this has a great bearing on the game is up to you to find out!
Fallout 4
PC, PlayStation, and Xbox
There are plenty of moral choices in each game from the Fallout franchise, but for this list, the fourth title takes the cake as it spotlights the Synths– machines embedded with human DNA. While the Institute, the creator of Synths, thinks that the creatures must only be used as tools, you as a player must wrestle with the moral dilemma of sharing that perspective or seeing the Synths as equal to humans.
The Outer Worlds
Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch
This vibrant game, much like the Fallout franchise, is a first-person shooter with a captivating story that gives the players the ability to make choices. While The Outer Worlds mixes funny decisions to keep the atmosphere light at certain parts of the game, it does not shy away from tackling themes about greed and other social class issues, and it drags the player into these issues by putting them into fictional but grounded circumstances and letting them choose if they will play hero or choose the easier path of greed.
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