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What are the best episodic storytelling games for PC?

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Dec 9, 2021

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9 Games Considered

Best episodic storytelling games for PC	Price	Steam Rating	Genre
-- The Wolf Among Us	-	-	-
-- Life is Strange: Before the Storm	$16.99	Very Positive	Adventure, Narrative
-- The Walking Dead	-	Overwhelmingly Positive	Narrative, Adventure, Survival Horror
-- Tales from the Borderlands	$24.99	Very Positive	Adventure, Story Rich
-- The Beginner's Guide	9,99	Very Positive	Simulator

The Wolf Among Us

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Top Pro

Characters feel real

The writing is so well done that the character and their story fell very real, even when realizing the story takes place in a fairy-tale world. This allows for immersion in the game that is often not matched by other point and click adventure games. See More

Top Con

May be too gruesome for kids

With all of the cursing and the not to mention the severed head, this story may not be appropriate for children. See More

Top Pro

Refinement of earlier success

With the success TellTale achieved in their Walking Dead series, The Wolf Among US takes every good aspect of that gameplay and refines it even further. See More

Top Pro

In game encyclopedia

For those that want more back-story into the Fables comic there is an in game encyclopedia that allows for a more in depth analysis of the characters and their surrounding story. See More

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

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Top Con

Third episode falls flat in some areas

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is an all-around stand-out title, with the first and second episodes building up to an impactful third installment that feels lacking in certain aspects. Without getting into spoilers, there are a few plot holes that aren't wrapped up by the end, and much of the tension in the episode falls flat because of these glaring holes that none of the characters bother to address. See More

Top Pro

Choices have consequences

Much like in the first game, Before the Storm features several choices throughout the game that have an impact on future plot points across the three episodes. How these choices end up impacting the ending are debatable, but there are still a myriad of choices that change the outcome of a single playthrough, such as Chloe's decision to handle certain sums of money, or whether or not she's willing to accept her mother's unlikable new boyfriend. Chloe and Rachel's interactions can also be limited to friendship or expanded into a romantic relationship through player choice. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Adventure, Narrative

Top Con

Feels more like a prologue to be played before the much better prequel

Top Pro

Improved writing over the first game

The original Life is Strange suffered from some instances of awkward lines that sounded like a middle-aged adult trying to emulate how teenagers speak; thankfully, Before the Storm has a much clearer, down-to-earth script that helps the characters sound more authentic and real. Rachel's use of "hella" is more amusing this time around, as it gives context as to why Chloe picked up on it and used it frequently in the first game. Overall, each of the characters in the game are more well-rounded across the three episodes thanks to the smooth writing. See More

Top Con

Limited exploration

With much of the focus on the storytelling, it's still unfortunate that Chloe can't leave the designated story areas without turning around and repeating the same line about how she's supposed to focus on her objective. The limited areas to walk around in are understandable, yet disappointing, with missed opportunities for Chloe to walk down the street from her home and see what her neighbors are up to, or for her and Rachel to hang out in more places around Arcadia Bay together. See More

Top Pro

Great soundtrack

Daughter, the indie folk band from England, worked on the tracks for Before the Storm, pulling together many of the game's great moments with thoughtful acoustic tunes and moody piano tracks. The more upbeat, hopeful tracks fit in incredibly well with Chloe's adventurous scenes with Rachel, giving a sense of wonder as the two explore Arcadia Bay together. One song in particular, 'All I Wanted', is a memorable, catchy folk track that captures the feeling of Chloe and Rachel supporting one another through their struggles, which is what Life is Strange: Before the Storm is all about. See More

Top Pro

Chloe is more likable this time

In the first Life is Strange, many players complained that Chloe was insufferable and selfish as Max's best friend, complaining in order to have more of her time when she might not have deserved it. This time around, watching the events of Before the Storm unfold from Chloe's eyes is enjoyable, largely thanks to how easygoing she is with Rachel--for the most part--and how far she's willing to go to sacrifice for her throughout the plot. Chloe makes dorky jokes that don't always land and back-talks school staff at Blackwell Academy with harmless ease, making her a much warmer, sillier character compared to her prickly, temperamental self in Max's adventure. See More

The Walking Dead

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Top Con

Graphics

Top Pro

Difficult decisions have to be made

The Walking Dead requires that the player make decisions throughout, these typically will be in the form of action or conversation options. In many of these situations there is no obviously correct or best choice yet these decisions must be taken in stressful situations often giving a matter of seconds. They can be morally testing as you can attempt to do what is 'right', what is best for the group or what is best for yourself as well having differing repercussions on how your character is perceived by different people. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Narrative, Adventure, Survival Horror

Top Con

Superficial player impact

While the game may on the face of it appear to have far reaching consequences for the decisions taken by the player. At times it can appear that these consequences cause mainly only superficial differences as the story progresses. See More

Top Pro

Engrossing storyline

The Walking Dead tells a genuinely gripping story which can be a testing and exhausting experience for the player. It is told through the interactions between people fighting to survive in a new world in which resources are scarce and threats can come from both the living and the undead. Perhaps the major strength of the game in creating a compelling story telling experience is that it causes the player to care about the characters involved. This is an all too uncommon experience in gaming, and in The Walking Dead adds much greater meaning to the decisions which must be made along the way. See More

Tales from the Borderlands

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Hilarious and awesome action sequences

While most action is handled through basic quicktime events, the accompanying onscreen theatrics are intense and filled with explosions, fighting, bandits, armored vehicles, robots, weird animals, and crazy futuristic weapons around every turn. One particular demolition derby scene very early in the game is especially well done. As you race around a track with armored vehicles and fight off heavily-armed bandits, a crybaby bandit king with a malfunctioning megaphone helmet is fighting against a teleporting bounty hunter on the platform above the race. To top off the strange scene, a very large monster being kept captive by the bandits somehow escapes its cage and joins in the fun. Chaos is everywhere, and you're right in the middle of it. The action throughout the game is all just so fantasically bizarre and utterly hilarious, that you can't help but really get into it. See More

Top Con

A couple "gross out" moments

There are few scenes with some rather gross subject matter that some people may find disturbing or disgusting. Thankfully, they are few and far between. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Adventure, Story Rich

Top Pro

Impactful character introductions

Rather than just "showing up" on screen, characters are introduced into the story with flashy introductions. Their name will appear big and bold on the screen along with their picture and a humorous observation about them. This goes a long way towards making each and every character memorable, and making each character introduction into the plot feel like a grand entrance of sorts. See More

Top Con

Long quicktime events

Some of the quicktime sequences are rather long, and if you mess up, you have to do the entire scene over. While they're fun to watch, it can be overly punishing having to replay things in a story-based game where the plot should keep moving at a steady pace. See More

Top Pro

Standalone adventure makes it easily accessible for all

While there are some crossover characters and references to the other Borderlands games, you can still understand this game just fine without any prior knowledge. Whenever a character or location is introduced, the story itself does a great job of letting you know why and how it's important without a lot of fluff. This is great for people who haven't played Borderlands, and allows it to be enjoyed by all. See More

Top Con

Graphical glitches

Sometimes characters disappear for a split second before returning to the screen in a slightly new position a few pixels away. This usually occurs during dialogue choices, and it's as if the game needs to queue up the animation for the specific chosen line of dialogue. Overall, it's not too jarring, but it tends to happen quite often. See More

Top Pro

Keeps you highly invested in the story thanks to interesting choices

Each of the five episodes features many different choices you can make which changes the course of the story and the fate of various characters. These might be minor details such as a dialogue choice or which location you want to visit. At the end of each episode, it presents you with a major choice that will greatly influence the way things unfold. Pondering each one and then wondering if you made the "right" choice keeps you highly invested in the plot and characters, knowing it was your choices that are shaping the story. See More

Top Con

Starts off fairly slow

The first couple of hours are rather slow while certain key characters are being introduced, and there's quite a bit of weaving through side stories before the main plot gets rolling. Thankfully, the game does pick up after the first episode. See More

Top Pro

Entertaining and likeable characters

Each character is charming in their own way, with their own personalities, hopes, and special talents. For example, Rhys is corporate guy who dreams of striking it rich, and has a cybernetic eye that lets him scan and hack almost anything electronic. Fiona is a conwoman with a sarcastic attitude and quick to draw her gun, whose biggest goal in life is protecting her daredevil younger sister Sasha, another member of the team who is constantly taking risks. Their differences help compliment both the story and humor, as they are constantly debating how to best handle the predicaments they find themselves in. You can't help but laugh along and cheer them on during some of their oddball schemes as they work together. All in all, there are over a dozen recurring characters, both protagonists and antagonists, all with their own refined quirks and plot lines. The character writing is consistent and excellent, helping to make each and every one endearing as they learn and grow over the course of their adventures. See More

Top Pro

Very funny

The banter among the various characters is very humorous, often featuring strong levels of sarcasm and silly dialogue options even when they find themselves in dangerous situations. Additionally, most of the story is told as a flashback, with the two main characters (Rhys and Fiona) retelling events of the story with plenty of funny embellishments. They will also try their best to make the other character look bad. For example, when Rhys is telling how he used his smarts and wits to make a deal with a smuggler, Fiona will remind him that he actually broke down and cried, begging the smuggler to accept his offer. Rhys and Fiona have a lot of back and forth like this throughout the game which really brings the humor to a new level, and gives the story a lighthearted comedy vibe. See More

Top Pro

Thrilling and engaging storyline

The story is about a ragtag group of misfits who team up to find a treasure vault on Pandora (a rather dangerous planet infested by deadly wildlife and bandits) that is guaranteed to make them incredibly rich. This unlikely crew comes together through a series of unfortunate events chronicled in episode 1, and is led by corporate middleman Rhys, an employee of the Hyperion corporation with cybernetic enhanced parts, and conwoman Fiona, a young streetsmart woman who makes her living swindling. Between them and their treasure are murderous bandits, explosions, a greedy corporation, betrayals, bounty hunters, revenge, secret identities, and plenty of shocking plot twists. See More

The Beginner's Guide

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Top Pro

You'll think a lot about this game

Its story will haunt you for a while. See More

Top Con

Almost as much replayability as a regular book can give

There's no much sense to start it again unless you're into re-watching movies, for example. See More

Vospi's Experience

Beautiful thing that more people should be aware of. Also, a perfect game to give to an arty friend who doesn't like games and associate them with mindless killing or stupid jumping. Even renowned The Stanly Parable didn't came close to it in that respect for me. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Simulator

Co-Op:Single Player

Top Pro

Goes against a lot of conventions

To a point when it's hard to find an analogous game (the closest one being The Stanley Parable, which is still pretty different), this game is unique in its tone. See More

Top Con

Not for people who like action

The most action here is reaction. You look, you listen, you sometimes gasp, you think. You're not required to collect any special things, there's no multiplayed by definition; the mechanics are inside of you: "to watch", "to listen", "to think". See More

Jakob's Experience

story rich sad game See More

Top Pro

Perfect game for a non-gamer

Narrative combined with very unconventional, but simple action and with a lot of social factor built in the story brings together the best from a short novel and throws away all the grinding and the likes of it which non-gamers don't like or even hate. See More

Top Con

Difficult to understand

Many people get the game wrong and think it's "stolen" and "boring". See More

Dreamfall Chapters

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Top Pro

Puzzles fit well with the storyline

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

The Journey Down

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Top Pro

Quality presentation

The characters are 3D rendered on top of beautiful hand painted backgrounds with it all blending nicely to a very neatly finished look. See More

Top Con

Chapters are extremely short

Even though the game is broken up into separately purchasable chapters, each chapter is pretty short, even when considering all chapters combined the game in full will still be short. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Satisfying puzzles

The Journey Down offers challenging puzzles that give the user quite a bit of satisfaction when solved. Not that they are too difficult but just not that the game hands the answers to the player on a platter either. See More

Top Pro

Unique Style

Self described as an "afro-caribbean" vibe. With character faces that resemble tribal masks as well as the main characters sporting Caribbean accents there is no doubt the game was designed with black culture in mind. See More

Kentucky Route Zero

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Top Pro

Camera movement pulls player in

Unlike a lot of adventure games that have static cameras, Kentucky Route Zero has a camera that pans, zooms and rotates, giving a deeper sense of immersion. See More

Top Con

No puzzles

Deviating from the norm of a point and click adventure, there are no puzzles to be found in the game. So for those looking for a traditional point and click may be disappointed. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Top Pro

Very atmospheric

From the soundtrack and sound effects to the stylistic graphics, Kentucky Route Zero exudes atmosphere. See More

Top Pro

A game about the journey, not the destination

Players can casually play Kentucky Route Zero without being punished. See More

The Walking Dead: Season 2

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Top Pro

Choice of protagonist increases emotional impact

Viewing the story through the eyes of Clementine, a young child from the first season, is an interesting choice and makes some of the decisions you have to make even more heartbreaking. Not only is she growing up, she is growing up in the midst of a brutal zombie apocalypse where survival is rough, and life or death choices have to be made on the fly. Experiencing some of the game's situations from the viewpoint a young girl make them even more disturbing and troubling, increasing their emotional impact. See More

Top Con

May distress some people

There is a lot of violence, gore, and very disturbing situations. Some people may not react well to some of the scenes. Despite the fact that the main character in this game is a young girl, this is a game for adults. See More

Specs

Genre:Adventure, Narrative, Survival Horror

Top Pro

Gripping and emotional story

TWD: Season 2 continues the story about the struggle to survive during a brutal zombie apocalypse. You play as Clementine, a young girl from the first season, who is growing up in a cruel world. Food and resources are scarce, and people will do whatever they feel they must do to survive. Not only are the hordes of zombies a constant threat, but people are also dangerous with hidden motives. The story does a really good job showcasing the lengths people will go to to survive, and constantly offers up interesting and tough decisions for you to make. It hits on every emotional level. There are moments of horror, sadness, tragedy, and even a little humor thrown in. Through meaningful dialogue and character interactions, the game is able to flawlessly switch gears between them creating a very gripping and emotional story. See More

Top Con

Some obnoxious quicktime events

While this game is almost fully story based, there are still some fairly long and annoying quicktime events during action sequences. There are a few in particular that feel like they drag on a bit too long, and if you hit the wrong key/button at any point, you'll have to restart the event. See More

Top Pro

A huge amount of replayability

Resembling an interactive novel, TWD: S2 plays out as a series of dialogue choices or decisions that result in specific actions. It's pretty interesting to replay the game many times and choose all the different ways of handling situations just to see how they play out. See More

Top Pro

Stellar voice acting brings the characters to life

Voice actors deliver their lines with a lot of emotion, never feeling forced or fake. This excellent acting really helps draw you into the story and its characters. There's a lot of great chemistry between the various voice actors as well, resulting in conversations that flow well and sound very natural. See More

Top Pro

Standlone story makes it accessible for all

Even if you don't read the comic or watch the TV show, you can still play and enjoy this game. It's a completely standalone story. While there are some mild easter eggs for fans of the show/comic, you can still understand the game just fine without any prior knowledge of The Walking Dead. See More

Top Pro

Dynamic and impactful decisions

Surviving in the midst of a zombie apocalypse is hard, and oftentimes decisions will require you to make heart-wrenching choices to progress the story. In most cases, there are no easy or pleasant solutions to most of the scenarios the story places you in. However every choice you make, be it through dialogue or an action, will influence the story playing out in a new way. Characters will also remember your past interactions with them, which results in the story playing out in dynamic ways. For example, at times you can choose whether or not to help other characters. If you do, they may remember your kindness later in the game. If you don't, they may not trust you in the long run. Characters also remember your dialogue choices, and it will always influence later events. See More

Life is Strange

The Last of Us Remastered

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