StoryScan: Critical Hits
Strengths in Individual Game Stories
12 Minutes:
Theme
12 Minutes develops the theme of mindfulness, by connecting it to plot, character, and setting.
Alan Wake:
Paratext
Alan Wake uses its abundant paratext to blur the line between fiction and reality.
BioShock Infinite: Exposition
Bioshock Infinite avoids the dreaded ‘info-dump’ by concealing crucial exposition deep inside its setting.
Chrono Trigger:
Structure
Chrono Trigger tells a memorable story by hitting all of the key beats of the Three-Act Structure.
Cyberpunk 2077: Subplots and Side Stories
Cyberpunk 2077 uses the Sinnerman quest-line to reinforce themes of redemption and salvation.
Disco Elysium:
Theme
Disco Elysium uses broken things as symbols to emphasize the theme of redemption.
Final Fantasy VII:
Opening
Final Fantasy VII’s memorable opening succeeds by weaving in character, setting, theme, and conflict.
Final Fantasy IX: Character
Vivi the Black Mage is well-remembered because he has strengths, weaknesses, goals, and obstacles.
Final Fantasy XIV: Character
Final Fantasy XIV establishes its villain’s character through an arc that forces him to make difficult choices.
Final Fantasy XIV: Subplots and Side Stories
Final Fantasy XIV’s Dark Knight job quest-line adds depth to the main narrative by developing the characters, the setting, and the themes.
Final Fantasy Tactics: Character
Final Fantasy Tactics uses a Corruption Arc to show what happens when a character compromises his integrity in pursuit of his goals.
Final Fantasy Tactics: Theme
Final Fantasy Tactics explores the corrosive effects of political in-fighting through the powerful and the powerless.
Goldeneye:
Adaptations
Creative use of the source material makes Goldeneye (N64) a stand-out among cinematic adaptations.
Guilty Gear Strive:
Tone
Guilty Gear Strive uses its gleefully absurd tone to illustrate its themes while staying true to both genre and franchise conventions.
Hades:
Structure
Hades integrates the protagonist’s goals into its structure, marking the end of each act with a change in direction.
Kingdom Hearts:
Opening
Kingdom Hearts satisfies three separate audiences with an opening that emphasizes conflict and character development.
Inside:
Tension
Inside creates tension by withholding critical information from the audience, feeding into the fear of the unknown.
Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver: Opening
Soul Reaver’s opening efficiently establishes the story’s plot, characters, and setting.
Portal:
Character
Portal’s AI antagonist keeps things interesting by making the impersonal personal.
Prey:
Setting
Prey (2017) maximizes its setting, a labyrinthine space station, by using it to illuminate the plot, the characters, and the theme.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard: Theme
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard reinforces its themes of survival through self-sacrifice with the recurring motif of the family.
Resident Evil Village:
Setup and Payoff
Resident Evil: Village uses setup and payoff to create tension surrounding the mystery of the protagonist’s unique abilities.
Snatcher:
Inspirations
Snatcher combines its cinematic influences with original ideas, resulting in a story that could have only come from Hideo Kojima.
Spec Ops: The Line:
Theme
Spec Ops: The Line leaves a lasting impression on players by reinforcing its theme, the high cost of heroism, at key plot points.
Super Mario RPG:
Tone
Super Mario RPG makes the most out of its lighthearted, comedic tone by integrating it in both story and scene.
Tales of Arise:
Inciting Incident
Tales of Arise combines global and personal conflict to create a compelling Inciting Incident.
Team Fortress 2:
Paratext
Team Fortress 2 uses paratextual videos and comics to overcome the storytelling limitations of the genre.
Trover Saves the Universe: Stakes
Trover Saves the Universe grounds its absurd story by periodically raising the stakes.
Until Dawn:
Influences
Until Dawn excels at scaring the player by borrowing terror-inducing techniques from some Hollywood horror classics.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon:
Character
Yakuza: Like a Dragon uses both kindness and cruelty to make the audience sympathize with its protagonists.