The action-adventure genre dates back to the late 70s and early 80s. Yet, games in those days were very different from the action-adventure titles you see today. Naturally, these days, the games are more technologically advanced. Also, they typically provide better main narratives.
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Of course, not every recent action-adventure game delivers exceptional storytelling. But there is a growing number that put plenty of focus on the main story. And the ones that do it well tend to have great writers at the helm, as good writing is integral to a compelling story. This is certainly evident in the following titles.
8Batman: Arkham Asylum
Arkham Asylum is the perfect Batman game in several ways, as it excels in everything from combat to voice acting. The latter is partially down to the fantastic voice cast, which is comprised of the people who lent their tones to the critically acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series.
Yet, the script deserves plenty of credit, too. Almost every character is extremely well-written, as they’re compelling and accurate adaptations of their comic-book counterparts. The overall story is also interesting. In it, the titular hero is trapped inside Arkham Asylum with many of his classic rogues who have taken over the place. It sounds simple, but the tale provides plenty of twists and turns throughout.
7Tomb Raider
Lara Croft has gone through many changes over the years, especially in the 2013 reboot, simply titled Tomb Raider. The writers of this game took the likable but slightly generic action hero and grounded her. So, instead of being an unflappable adventurer, they have her show emotions like fear, sorrow, and doubt.
As a result, the moments she does stand up to major threats or survive dangerous situations mean a lot more. This change is made possible due to the main narrative that sees the naive adventurer get trapped on a dangerous island. Before she can escape her perilous predicament, she has to learn how to survive.
6Yakuza 0
It’s a testament to the writing of theYakuzaseries that they can continually deliver serious and engrossing stories while generally being wildly over-the-top games. Yakuza 0 certainly follows that trend. One minute, you’re able to be training a dominatrix, while the next, you can be witnessing a scene where someone is debating killing their best friend to spare them future pain.
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The premise of the story is rather simple. Multiple different groups are looking to get their hands on a very important empty lot of land. This leads to plenty of death and betrayal, not to mention a fair few genuinely surprising twists. Some excellent writing means the narrative remains captivating throughout.
5Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End
The Uncharted games don’t have the most unique plots. After all, most of them revolve around the hero, Nathan Drake, looking for fancy ancient treasures. The fourth game does have the added wrinkle of the protagonist coming out of retirement, but it still isn’t the most original narrative.
However, the writers still deserve plenty of credit for the dialogue, particularly in the fourth game. The characters aren’t over-the-top action heroes spouting cliched ‘inspirational’ quotes every few seconds. All of them talk and interact with each other like real people. This is what makes the main characters Nate, Sully, and Elena one ofthe best trios in gaming.
4God Of War
The early God Of War games were more focused on delivering high-octane hack-and-slash combat than good writing. The 2018 game, however, changed things up by providing a different sort of God Of War title. It still features Kratos, but he’s flanked by his son, Atreus, as the two go on a journey to scatter the ashes of the kid’s mother at the highest peak of the Nine Realms.
The high quality of writing in the game is shown throughout their journey, mainly in the interactions between the two primary characters. Despite being related, the two are very different from one another. Yet, they organically form a closer bond during their adventure.
3Marvel’s Spider-Man
There have been manydecent Spider-Man games over the years. But most fans of the web swinger consider the 2018 game to be significantly better than most. A lot of the credit should be given to the writing. After all, it isn’t the only Spider-Man game to have fun swinging mechanics and enjoyable combat - albeit, it may be better than most in those categories. Yet, not many Spider-Man games before it had the level of dialogue and storytelling that this one boasts.
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While playing the game, you will laugh and cry at different moments as Peter Parker goes up against various rogues that are causing problems in New York City. And most of those villains have realistic and understandable motivations.
2The Last Of Us
The story ofThe Last Of Ushas garnered extra attention and appreciation since the HBO adaptation. And that TV series received plenty of praise for its writing. This is also an area where the original game excels.
The writer penned an emotional story about a smuggler who has to take a young girl through monster-filled territory. He does it begrudgingly at first, but along the way, the two characters bond. The interactions between these two protagonists and the development of their relationship is where the writing shines the most.
Red Dead Redemption 2lives up to its name by delivering a tale of redemption for its protagonist Arthur Morgan. He begins the game as a cold killer who is truly committed to his life as an outlaw and member of the Van Der Linde Gang. Throughout the game, however, he goes through many things that alter how he feels about his life.
He doesn’t just suddenly change his mind - he goes through a gradual transformation over the entire game. This was a great choice as it makes the redemption arc feel more organic and rewarding. The RDR2 writers also deserve praise for the dialogue, which is enjoyable in both serious and silly scenes.
