The Last of Us will forever remain one of the best stories ever told in a video game because the developers did not just rely on the characters to convey it. The plot may revolve around Joel, Ellie, and Abby but their surroundings play an important role in the overarching story and make it feel lived in with dynamic personality.
The environment is a powerful tool in telling stories and a few game developers prioritized making the in-game world feel real to a certain extent. Here are five great video games that nailed telling ambitious stories through the evolving environment.
5. Ghost of Tsushima
Sucker Punch Productions struck gold with this original tale set during the darkest times in Japanese history and culture. The game developers spent most of their time perfecting Ghost of Tsushima and achieved great feats that stood out to the gaming community, especially for an open-world game.
After falling from a great height, Jin awakens to see his homeland ravaged by the Mongol invaders. The invading force destroyed and occupied countless strongholds and villages throughout the island leaving death and destruction in their wake as seen by the piles of bodies.
The developers thought of a creative way to help players navigate the island through the guiding wind feature. Players could swipe the touchpad and the wind will direct Jin to the next objective without taking much space of the HUD and showcase the in-game world sceneries with fewer distractions.
4. Subnautica
It can be scary to be the lone survivor after a space shuttle crashes on an alien planet with no idea of what to expect. Players take control of Ryley Robinson and fight to survive on an ocean planet riddled with dangerous wildlife and fauna that is hellbent on hampering the players’ chances of survival.
Throughout the course of the campaign, players must accomplish a series of tasks to advance the story and acquire blueprints for new submersibles that would make their trek much more convenient. The views may vary since the game featured a day and night system that could affect exploration.
3. Death Stranding
Hideo Kojima is no stranger to environmental storytelling and the first Death Stranding game has that in spades. The world is ravaged by the BTs transforming the landscape everywhere and forcing the survivors to reside in isolated cities with no direct contact with the outside world.
The open-world design allowed Kojima to create unique stories through Sam’s limited interactions with the remaining survivors while doing his job and delivering precious cargo. Unfortunately, not even Norman Reedus could understand Kojima’s creative vision; however, he did not let doubt and fear prevail trusted the process, and did his best to convey the story the director had in mind.
2. Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar Games has upped its game with this entry into world-building and one of the studio’s best projects. Players take on the role of Arthur Morgan as they explore different fictional states in America with diverse landscapes and biomes. The environment will change throughout the campaign and stories like a family building a house that can be seen fully built once enough time has passed.
Certain NPCs will react realistically toward player activity, as well as their physical appearance. Players could attack shopkeepers and see the consequences of their actions, the shop will be closed the following days giving the shopkeepers enough time to recuperate from their wounds sustained with bandages wrapped around the areas where they have been harmed.
Players must maintain the characters to keep them fit and healthy, otherwise, it will greatly reflect their appearance and movement. John will inherit Arthur’s journal where he would write his thoughts after certain events. The journal serves as a deeper look into the character and how the world affects him and some fans think this feature should be carried over to GTA 6 to play with the themes of socialization in real life.
The Last of Us Part 1 and 2
Naughty Dog wanted to show the world what would happen if nature took over. The foliage in the original game was dense but the sequel took it to a whole new level which visually depicts the changes that occurred after the five-year time jump and is a testament to how long the world has fallen after Outbreak Day.
The infected are great examples of environmental storytelling, these creatures evolve and transform into something much deadlier than a regular runner or clicker, and other players are eager to see how far these feral beasts will change in The Last of Us Part 3 soon.
Both games feature the same in-world collectible system by picking up notes left by survivors before their untimely demise. These notes are small pieces of a much smaller story that can be told fully and in great detail if players could find all of them to understand the outcome like in Hillcrest leading up to Boris’ big reveal and revenge against his neighbors.
Which game had the best example of environmental storytelling? Let us know in the comments section below!
