There are narratives really for just about every video game, though some take it a bit deeper than others. If you enjoy adventure titles that keep you pulled in from the story alone then you’ll want to check out our list below. We have jotted down our favorite adventure games that kept us playing to uncover more of the story until the bitter end.
These titles were not only fun to play mechanically, but a treat to enjoy as you dug deeper into the story in search of the ending. Here are the best narrative video games to have launch on the PlayStation 4 in the last five years.
#20 Detroit: Become Human
- Developer: Quantic Dream
- Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Set in Detroit, Michigan, and developed by Quantic Dream, gamers who enjoy choice-driven narratives will want to keep tabs on Detroit: Become Human. This is a futuristic neo-noir thriller that’s based off an old 2012 tech demo from Quantic Dream that became viral online.
Players will take control of three different characters, all of which are androids. You will have Kara, a female android that has escaped the factory from where she was made. There’s also Connor, who is a male android that is tasked with hunting down deviant androids. Lastly, there is Markus, another male android who has begun an android revolution against the human race.
This video game is all about choices and it certainly seems that there will be a ton of them to choose through within the story. In fact, there are so many choices that each will alter the narrative storyline and can have grave consequences with your characters. Because of the amount of choices players can make we imagine that there will be plenty of replay value in this title.
#19 A Way Out
- Developer: Hazelight Studios
- Publisher: EA Originals
A Way Out is an action-adventure journey from Hazelight Studios which is the second video game directed by Josef Fares after his release of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.
This is a unique action-adventure video game as it will require two players with the display being split-screen regardless of playing the video game locally or through online. All-in-all, the narrative is based around two prisoners who must survive and escape a prison. Their stories will be told simultaneously and while one character may be in a cutscene, the other will be able to freely move and execute their tasks.
As you can likely imagine, A Way Out will focus on gamers having to work together in order to escape the authorities and complete goals.
#18 Oxenfree
- Developer: Night School Studio
- Publisher: Night School Studio
Developed as their first debut title, Night School Studio released Oxenfree. This is a supernatural adventure video game that puts players into the role of a teenage girl named Alex. It’s within her weekend trip to a local island that events turn for worse leaving her and a group of friends stranded with a mysterious being.
Most of the game is revolved around choices when speaking to the other cast of characters while you explore the island in search for a means to escape. There will also be a few puzzles to solve as well, though the main center of focus is the story. Speaking of the story, the game will give players the ability to go back and replay the narrative a few times as there will be multiple endings available depending on the choices that you make.
#17 Until Dawn
- Developer: Supermassive Games
- Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment
Until Dawn is a PlayStation 4 exclusive and a horror adventure title. Developed by Supermassive Games, Until Dawn follows a group of eight characters who decide to hold a holiday retreat at a cabin within a fictional mountain resort in western Canada.
However, their holiday retreat quickly turns sour as they learn a psycho killer is on the loose forcing our group of eight to survive until sunrise. If you enjoy choice-based video games then this title will be a must play.
Gamers will be able to control the characters at various points in the narrative while making critical choices along the way. Depending on the choices made will alter the narrative and even result in potential characters not making it through the night.
#16 The Vanishing of Ethan Carter
- Developer: The Astronauts
- Publisher: The Astronauts
The development team known as The Astronauts, currently only has one title out, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. This an adventure game that follows Paul Prospero who is a paranormal investigator that received a fan letter from a young boy named Ethan Carter.
Inspired by the letter, Paul ventures out into Ethan’s hometown only to learn that something tragic had happened. Now players are left to solve the mystery and find out where Ethan is and the events that occurred prior to his arrival.
