GOTY 2015: Narrative

Honourable Mentions

The writing in Fallout 4 is simply excellent, and this is perhaps most evident in the extensive side content. The pop culture references, the bizarre vault experiments and their almost inevitable failures, the wonderfully imaginative deep dives into the back stories of the companions (we particularly enjoyed Nick Valentine and his dark inherited memories). There's attention and care been put into every little prop, every terminal entry and note left in the wasteland. It's all tied together and it does wonders for our immersion when wandering the Commonwealth.

The narrative in Fallout 4 is told in many different ways. For the first time ever the dialogue is voiced, and to the credit of Bethesda the execution of the countless lines of dialogue is excellent for the most part. But we still tend to enjoy the storytelling that's presented via props, notes and terminal entries even more. Perhaps they provide a welcome break from the brutal nature of the Commonwealth, or perhaps it's just how we've grown used to experience the story of this irradiated RPG behemoth.

In fact the side content is so good that it overshadows the main story, it distracts us and leads us away from our path and learning more about the mysterious Institute. It's not that the main story is necessarily bad, and it does a great job of introducing us to various possible side attractions, but as it should be in this sort of open world sandbox it always feels a bit optional. After all if you're coming out of 200 years of cryo-sleep, what's the hurry?

It should be said that Fallout 4 isn't really breaking new ground in terms of the narrative, but still the level of execution here needs to be commended and celebrated. There is good reason why we found ourselves completely immersed with the various stories and why we took such a liking to certain dwellers in the Commonwealth. The sheer volume of story that has been written for this game and the incredibly high level of quality throughout makes Fallout 4 stand out in what is a highly competitive category in 2015.

Dontnod delivered a superbly captivating story that both managed give us something as unusual as a look at the everyday life of a young teenage girl, while also touching a lot of other themes, all the time managing to somehow make it feel cohesive and meaningful before the end.

This sort of game naturally has an edge when picking the best narratives, as they are incredibly focused on that side of things. There's no minute to minute gameplay here, everything is there to service the story, but Life is Strange provided us with a lot of side content and extra material to take in. Things that made the game feel like more than a linear on-rails experience with a number of branching choices. Whether it involved overwatering a plant, trying to make sure that Alyssa didn't get hit in the head by ball or fall into the pool; it all felt meaningful and it fed into the story and its themes.

Initially Life is Strange felt as though it was going to be a bit more laid back in its narrative than most episodic roller coasters, but that was a false first impressions. There are plenty of truly shocking moments here, the ending of episode 3 and beginning of episode 4 were especially memorable as we got to experience an alternative timeline with a very different Chloe.

There are also some truly creepy moments, particularly the things that dealt with Kate Marsh. It wasn't just what she had been subjected to, but it also forced us to look at the effects of someone's reputation being tarnished and how family members reacted. In a gentle way the different aspects of religion where brought into play, whether it was compassion or something more dogmatic.

As we finished the last of the five chapters we couldn't help but shed a tear as the powerful ending was conveyed. It's an adventure we may relive in a year or two, and we're already looking forward to it.

Sam Barlow designed and directed this unique adventure game, and thanks to a wonderfully simple technique that required us to think outside the box and then search for scraps of information, he had us eating out of his hand for several hours while we experienced the story of Hannah, slowly piecing together the puzzle of her past. The player is invited to sit down at an old-school computer terminal and watch short clips of footage, and slowly, over an extended period of time, confusion makes way for understanding, and the truth is revealed.

The performance of Viva Seifert is ultimately what the success of Her Story hinged on, because without the subtle delivery of the script, this experience would have flopped. Instead we went with the flow, allowing ourselves to get lost in the experience. The script, while for the most part excellent, also served a double function in the form of a search engine feature. The player is invited to search a database of clips, typing in keywords that hopefully yield results. A well chosen word will offer up a selection of new videos to watch, each one potentially revealing another important detail as you search for the underlying truth.

It leads to a thought provoking experience that demands the player invest, both emotionally and intellectually. While many games will test your reflexes, Her Story is a workout for the mind, and the interaction between player and game ensures a memorable experience. What's even more tantalising is the range of potential interpretations, and the ambiguity in the story that can lead different players down different paths of thought. There is one series of events that appears the likelier, but are you going to be one of those that follows conventional thought? You'll have to hit the forums for post-completion discussion about what happened, and even then you might not agree with the consensus.

All in all Her Story delivers in a variety of ways. An interesting story intersects with decent writing, and a clever performance from Viva Seifert is experienced over time via non-linear exploration of a cleverly constructed database. These elements coalesce into an unforgettable experience that not only innovates, but satisfies. It made us feel like detectives piecing together a mystery, and it was one of 2015's most affecting titles.