So, you want to play a game with a story? Well, you're in luck, since Steam's story-rich tag is full of games with unique narrative experiences. But where to begin?
It can be fairly overwhelming to sift through the thousands of available titles and find exactly what you're looking for. Even more so if you're looking for titles you haven't heard about yet — everybody loves Dragon Age and Final Fantasy, but perhaps you've seen everything they have to offer. If you're looking to whet your palette with a taste of new adventures, look no further! This list will serve you some lesser-known greats on a silver platter.
10 The♊ Silver Case
Grasshopper Manufacture is well-known for the No More Heroes series, head developer Suda51's pet project. What you may not know is that 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:in No More Heroes 3, the most recent installment in the series, several characters from one of Grasshopper's earliest titles make an appearance.
The Silver Case is a mystery thriller told between two perspectives: that of a detective investigating a string of ongoing murders, and that of a journalist who becomes involved with the story following a series of strange emails. Both characters are tasked with tracking down a mysterious serial killer who seems to transcend reality, becoming a cybernetic abstraction who asks the public to "believe in the net". The game also has a unique approach to art direction: the two protagonists' gameplay sections have radically different visual styles, perhaps to represent the psyches and personalities of each character.
9 LiEat
LiEat follows the story of a wandering con artist named Theo and his plucky "daughter", Efina. Efina is no ordinary little girl, however — she's a dragon!
In the world of LiEat, it's said that whenever a human makes a powerful wish, a dragon egg appears — and after hatching from her egg, Theo was the very first person Efina saw. Ever since, the two have traveled together from town to town in search of information to sell, but always seem to end up resolving greater troubles within each community they visit. In so doing, the duo learns more about each other and the true nature of humans and dragons alike. The game delivers a charming found family narrative that tackles challenging themes of guilt, self-denial, and acceptance.
8 ෴ The ꦫShivah
is a prolific developer of classically-styled 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:point and click adventure games, who most recently published the critically-acclaimed title . The Shivah was lead developer Dave Gilbert's very first project, initially made for a small game jam and then later redesigned with additional polish and full voice acting.
The story is a modern take on the noir murder mystery genre; it follows Rabbi Russell Stone, a man who is in financial distress until he mysteriously receives an inheritance of $10,000 from a former member of his congregation. As such, Rabbi Stone becomes an immediate suspect in this person's murder, and finds himself at the center of a conspiracy to find the killer. The game delivers a sincere exploration of guilt, recompense for past wrongs, and Jewish identity with a charming point-and-click interface.
7 ⛎ Impostor 🧔Factory
Impostor Factory (very sus) is the third and most recent installment in the To The Moon series by , self-described as a "narrative-driven adventure game that is categorically out of its mind". Like its predecessors, this game follows characters with connections to Sigmund Corporation, a company that utilizes cutting-edge technology to help those on their deathbed experience their life's goals while dreaming.
You play as a young man named Quincy, who receives an invitation to attend a private event at a wealthy investor's mansion — from there, the story takes off into a whirlwind of psychological trickery and heart-wrenching interpersonal trauma, and it doesn't look back. It's a must-play for fans of science fiction that contends with the everyday reality of our psyches, wishes, and expectations.
6 The Swapper 🔯 🅘
In 2013, writer Tom Jubert of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:The Talos Principle, alongside Finnish development studio Facepalm, released a new atmospheric science fiction puzzle platformer: The Swapper. Though the game received many accolades at the time, it has since tragically faded from the public eye — fans of 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Frictional Games' recent title Soma, for example, would love what The Swapper brings to the table, especially its themes of existential horroꦺr, scienc❀e ethics, and self-identity.
Like the best puzzle platformers, The Swapper offers a unique mechanic that you'll learn in order to progress: a device that lets you create multiple clones of yourself and swap your consciousness between them. You'll need to think on your feet (and your clones' feet) as you play, all the while navigating through and learning the history of the abandoned space station you find yourself in. Beware of falling (and talking) rocks...
5 ZeroRanger 💯
168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Shoot 'em ups are not particularly known for their narrative components (aside from exceptions like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Radiant Silvergun, Raiden 5, and Astebreed). While 🐽ZeroRanger at first appears to be a standar💦d vertical shooter, it quickly reveals its true nature: an examination of death and rebirth through a Buddhist lens.
The concept of a scoring system in games is ubiquitous — ZeroRanger immediately calls into question our urge to play each stage over and over again for a higher score, holding onto the numbers as a form of material attachment. To truly succeed, players must transcend the conventions of the game and fight their way into something greater. With a striking green and orange color scheme and innovative, fast-paced level design, it's hard to resist indulging in what this game has to offer.
4 💯 🌠 Library of Ruina
South Korean developer Project Moon emerged into the indie scene with guns blazing — their first title, Lobotomy Corporation, is a wildly successful psychological horror 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:management simulator that paved the way for the studio's next title: Library of Ruina, an emotionally-intense card-based RPG.
Library of Ruina is a direct sequel to Lobotomy Corporation, though you can play it without knowledge of the latter. It follows the story of a man named Roland as he stumbles into a mysterious, magical library containing living records (literally) of all those who dared trespass upon its gates. It's hard to blame the bookkeeper, Angela, for beefing up security. The City where the library resides is a grueling, violent wasteland where cannibal gangsters and poverty-striken workers in a draconian, hyper-capitalist society fight constantly to survive. The game unambiguously portrays the cruelty of both the unregulated and hyper-regulated labor market, offering a powerful commentary on capitalism both in South Korea and on a global scale. Beyond its class narrative, the story is also a gripping, tumultuous ride that contends with our darkest desires and deepest regrets.
3 Tales From Off-Peak Ciཧty
has been making fringe, experimental adventure games since 2014. Tales From Off-Peak City is among the latest in a lineage of games that pull you into topsy-turvy worlds that you'll never want to leave.
As you traverse the alleys and intersections of July Avenue and Yam Street, you'll encounter a colorful array of characters and places of business. But you aren't just here to enjoy the sights: two mysterious strangers need your help to steal a prized saxophone belonging to former jazz legend turned pizzeria owner, Caetano Grosso. Along the way, you'll learn more about the quirky residents and history of Off-Peak City. If you're looking for an abstract, magical realism experience chock-full of pepperoni, jazz, and absurdist humor, book yourself a hotel and stay awhile.
2 Who's Lila?
When Tanya Kennedy goes missing, Will is immediately implicated in her disappearance — he was the one who saw her last. Unfortunately, Will has difficulty expressing himself... liteꦍrally.
Your task in this unnerving point and click adventure is to help Will manage his facial expressions while friends and detractors both ask him tough questions about his feelings, the weather, and Tanya's whereabouts. The game's controls are deliberately a bit slippery when posing Will's face, leading to both hilarious and unsettling outcomes. They say it takes fewer muscles to smile than to frown, but your fingers may say otherwise. Overall, Who's Lila is a delightful mystery with unique one-bit visuals, reminiscent of .
1 Milk Inside A Bag Of Milk🤡 Inside A Bag Ofไ Milk
Yes, you read it right: Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk is a short experimental narra🌼tive game about helping a young girl buy some milk from the store. While it posits itself as a traditional visual novel on the surface, the game has much to say about the bifurcation of character and player identity, the nature of games as a form of escapism, and coping with trauma.
Its Virtual Boy-esque visuals deliver the nಌarrative with a distinctly unsettling, abstract tone, serving to both obscure gorey details and generate a palpable fear of the unknown. If you love the game, be sure to check out its equal🐻ly verbose sequel, .