#15 The Walking Dead: The Final Season
- Developer: Telltale Games
- Publisher: Telltale Games
Telltale Games has really become a leading development studio over the years thanks to the careful story narrative they take players through. Each IP is handled delicately and delivers fans a unique look at some of their favorite franchises such as The Walking Dead. We’ve been following this narrative journey since it first released in 2012 and now we’re gearing up for its final season.
The Walking Dead has mainly followed a young girl who was raised and adapted to a world filled with chaos and fleshing eating monsters. It’s hard not to love Clementine and cheer for not only her survival but happiness in this world as she overcomes the odds with each season that releases.
This installment came out with its first episode on August 14, 2018, for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC platforms. Much like the past stories, this season will follow Clementine and will be concluding her story. Unfortunately, the Telltale Games disbanded since the release of the first two episodes but Skybound has since stepped up and took over the game to deliver the last couple episodes in the near future.
#14 Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Developers: Ubisoft
- Publisher: Ubisoft
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey is set in 431 BCE where players will have the choice of being a mercenary that fights for Athens and the Delian League or the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. Either way, players will be a descendant of Spartan King Leonidas I during the Peloponnesian War.
Much like the previous Assassin’s Creed installments, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey will feature a modern day protagonist as well. Ubisoft will be reintroducing players to Layla Hassan who was present during Assassin’s Creed Origins.
Developers over at Ubisoft seems to also be working more on an RPG progressive system in this title which ranges from dialogue choices to a skill tree that can help in aspects such as stealth and combat.
Likewise, due to the fact that players will have choices when it comes to the dialogue the story narrative is capable of changing. As a result, Ubisoft has incorporated multiple endings giving players an incentive in going back to replay the game.
#13 Yakuza 6: The Song of Life
- Developer: Sega
- Publisher: Sega
For those familiar with the Yakuza series, the seventh main installment of the series is slated to launch worldwide in April of this year. Of course, if you’re unfamiliar with the series, you may want to go back and play through some of the past installments as Yakuza 6: The Song of Life picks up the story from the previous game.
The game has already released in Japan where it has received a positive reception. Gamers can still expect a brawler type gameplay set in an open world environment. Players will also step into the shoes of Kazuma Kiryu once again who is on a mission to learn what has happened to Haruka after being locked away for three years.
Likewise, the game series of Yakuza is a rather long narrative journey as a whole making this another chapter for fans to go through. Yakuza 5, the predecessor to Yakuza 6: The Song Life, took gamers an average of forty hours to complete the main campaign story and as such you’ll want to set aside some time to really enjoy this game.
#12 Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- Developer: Ninja Theory
- Publisher: Ninja Theory
Hellblade is a hack-and-slash title described as an independent AAA video game from Ninja Theory because of the game being developed by a small indie studio though with the level of detail expected from a major AAA video game release. The story of Hellblade follows a Celtic warrior named Senua as she travels through Hell. However, this Hell Senua is seeing is through her own psychotic manifestations because of her mental illnesses.
Senua suffers from hallucinations, delusions, anxiety, and depression. Because of these illnesses, our protagonist must embark on a very personal journey, one that Ninja Theory is taking the utmost care to assure it’s accurate and sensitive.
#11 Life is Strange
- Developer: Dontnod Entertainment
- Publisher: Square Enix
Life is Strange was developed under the studio Dontnod Entertainment. This is a mature adventure game that was broken up originally as an episodic format but now that the full game is out, players can enjoy all the episodes rather seamlessly.
Within the game, players take on the role of a female student named Max Caulfield who returns to her hometown in order to attend a prestigious academic school. Early on, Max discovers the ability to rewind time followed by reacquainting herself with her former best friend.
Now with the new ability at hand, Max can aid her best friend Chloe in discovering what happened to a local missing girl. This is another title that focuses on choices and consequences as you dive deeper into the world and the characters that dwell within it.
