Video games are full of excellent concepts or fascinating worlds, which for thus many that’s actually all you want. If I am simply right here to rack up an arcade rating, I need not know the tragic backstory of my hero. But, there are many video games we do wish to get misplaced in a very good world or study a fantastic character, and there is lots of writing on the market price recognizing that goes above and past or provides us one thing we have by no means seen earlier than.
Listed here are the nominees for TechRaptor’s 2024 Greatest Writing Award for excellent storytelling, worldbuilding, and character creation.
Take a look at right here for our different award classes.
Third Place – 1000xRESIST
Developer: Sundown Customer | Launch Date: Could ninth, 2024
Written by Tyler Chancey
Sundown Customer’s narrative recreation tells a potent story, one which blends a number of themes with messy three-dimensional characters. The story of Watcher and her glimpse into the lifetime of her sovereign The All Mom is a nuanced highlight on the consequences of traumas small and enormous cascading into society. It’s a meditative expertise about what we do with our emotional baggage and the way it can result in essentially the most horrible acts and essentially the most noble of sacrifices.
For a debut title by a brand new studio, it’s a narrative with measured confidence. One which expresses itself with ardour, one that’s spellbinding to expertise begin to end
Second Place – Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle
Developer: MachineGames | Launch Date: December ninth, 2024
Written by Andrew Stretch
You possibly can create a recreation with an enthralling lead man with a fedora and a bullwhip that solves historical puzzles, however it will not really develop into Indiana Jones if the writing does not match the texture. An ideal mixture of educated investigation into historical cultures, sinister enemies monologuing, and quippy banter (however not an excessive amount of of the final half.)
Indiana Jones and the Nice Circle finds that blend introducing the gamers to a thriller and persevering with to develop upon it, to new memorable characters that really feel totally fleshed out on this planet and giving us an Indiana Jones to embody that nails the unique aesthetic to fulfil the nostalgia. All whereas providing new followers to the style a trustworthy take to proceed to discover the larger franchise (besides Crystal Cranium… you possibly can ignore that one)
Winner – Metaphor: ReFantazio
Developer: Atlus | Launch Date: October eleventh, 2024
Written by Robert Scarpinito
For everybody who cries out in opposition to politics of their video video games, Metaphor: ReFantazio defiantly asks, “What if every part within the recreation was political?” It has the subtlety of a nuclear bomb, with metaphors veiled so thinly you might barely see the shrink wrap. Nonetheless, it is a poignant, significant story, particularly amid the fact we have all (type of) shared these previous few years.
Metaphor: ReFantazio goes past merely saying, “This factor is unequivocally dangerous.” There’s nuance in its messaging, offering the participant a launchpad to critically assume for themself. For instance, racism socioeconomically harms folks, so we must always see everybody as equals. However if you happen to go too far, will we lose what makes every individual and their tradition particular?
Louis and Sanctism aren’t fairly 1-to-1 caricatures of real-life figures, however there are sufficient parallels that the road between fantasy and actuality can blur a bit. Is strongman management all it is cracked as much as be? Is a church state actually about faith, or energy?
That blurring of actuality and fantasy appears to be Studio Zero’s purpose, as portrayed by the (barely convoluted) fantasy e-book throughout the recreation. The protagonist and his occasion usually consult with a e-book a couple of skyscraper-laden utopia, each idealizing and questioning it. It is a direct commentary on what the participant can and may do with the sport itself.
Very similar to the Persona video games earlier than it, it is easy to return away with the general message portray humanity in a foul gentle. However in actuality, it is about discovering the inner will and hope to battle for a greater tomorrow for your self and those round you.
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