Unforgettable characters, plot twists and endings that linger long afterwards: some games tell stories worthy of the greatest novels. This Top 100 gathers the retro games with the most memorable storylines, based on RomWize's reassessed scores. For each one: its current score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"Become a Grey Warden on the eve of a monstrous invasion, a hero must rally a divided kingdom against an ancestral scourge. A dark fantasy of weighty choices, the tale weaves political betrayals, memorable companions and moral dilemmas. This dark, adult fresco revived the ambition of the Western RPG."
"As humanity teeters on the brink of extinction, a handful of soldiers wage the final battle for its survival. The conclusion of a macho trilogy, the tale this time embraces losses, mourning and sacrifices with assured gravity. Its poignant farewells deliver an ending worthy of its weather-beaten heroes."
"Descending into an undersea city built on absolute selfishness means facing a dystopia where every audio log narrates a downfall. Objectivist philosophy turns into tangible horror, and a famous twist forever questions the player's own free will."
"An elite agent thrown into a geopolitical crisis on the brink of war, Sam Fisher foils a digital conflict with global ramifications. An espionage thriller in the Tom Clancy mould, the tale wins you over with its taut realism and its hushed dilemmas. Its cold, credible tension makes it a peak of narrative stealth."
"Three endless days, a looming moon and a doomed world: seldom has an adventure been so anxious and melancholy. Behind each mask one senses a grief, a regret, a life on borrowed time. Strangely adult for its era, this parable of time and loss keeps haunting those who explore it."
"Woken after years in a coma, a broken soldier hunts those who annihilated his unit, haunted by a phantom pain. The tale takes on revenge, language as a weapon and the loss of self with a chilling ambiguity. Its final twist, which questions the hero's very identity, extends the series' boldest reflection."
"Twenty-two minutes, a dying solar system and curiosity as your only compass. No weapons, no imposed goal: only knowledge that accrues until it changes everything. This archaeological ode to discovery delivers one of the most moving endings the medium has produced."
"Haunted by an obsession inherited from his mentor, Nathan Drake hunts a lost city in the Arabian desert against a secret society. This time the tale digs into the hero's past and his filial bond with his old partner. Between breathless chases and more intimate emotion, this flamboyant entry extends Drake's legend with panache."
"Back home after his mother's death, a young man finds himself swept up in gang wars and police corruption. A vast fresco on family, loyalty and social ascent, the tale embraces a whole era with unprecedented scope. Funny, brutal and surprisingly sincere, it has stayed cult."
"To end a galactic war, a super-soldier wages the final confrontation against a fanatical alliance and a devouring scourge. The epic conclusion of the first trilogy, the tale combines grand spectacle with the bond between a hero and his AI. Its breadth and its farewells sealed the legendary status of the saga."
"In a small town drowned in fog, a string of murders pushes a group of high schoolers to hunt for the truth inside a televised world. Beneath the investigation hides a luminous point about self-acceptance and the courage to face one's shadows. Warm and clever, this tale of friendship remains one of the most beloved of the genre."
"Haunted by an obsession inherited from his mentor, Nathan Drake hunts a lost city in the Arabian desert against a secret society. This time the tale digs into the hero's past and his filial bond with his old partner. Between breathless chases and more intimate emotion, this flamboyant entry extends Drake's legend with panache."
"Washed up in an underwater city given over to the madness of a libertarian dream, a man discovers the underside of a utopia turned nightmare. The tale questions free will and ideology up to a twist that became legendary. A political critique disguised as an FPS, its writing proved that the genre could think as much as it shoots."
"Against a backdrop of war between empires, a fallen princess leads a resistance where reasons of state, revenge and a quest for legitimacy intertwine. More political and adult than its forebears, the tale embraces a near-geopolitical scope. This narrative ambition, long debated, today wins over with its maturity and coherence."
"Betrayed and left for dead, a silent criminal climbs the ladder of crime in a metropolis riddled with corruption. A pioneer of the narrative open world, the tale distils revenge and mob ascent with unheard-of bite. The founder of a whole genre, it redefined the way stories are told in video games."
"Rebuilt against his will after an attack, an augmented security agent investigates a conspiracy entwining biotech and power. An ambitious prequel, the tale questions transhumanism, identity and control, leaving the player to decide. Its mature reflection and open choices make it a striking speculative thriller."
"Trapped in an asylum the Joker has seized control of, the Dark Knight faces his entire rogues' gallery in a single night. The tale distils a remarkable psychological tension, down to nightmarish plunges into the hero's own mind. This mature writing, faithful to the myth, at last gave the vigilante a great game worthy of him."
"On the emperor's death, an anonymous prisoner finds himself charged with closing the gates of a demonic invasion. A legendary sandbox, the main tale rubs shoulders with a myriad of quests that tell a world more than a plot. Its freedom and the depth of its universe marked a generation of players."
"Infiltrating an isolated nuclear base becomes the pretext for a breathless espionage thriller, where betrayal lurks behind every codec call. Cloning, deterrence and the burden of heredity feed a surprisingly grave reflection. Cinematic staging and finely honed dialogue made it a monument of video games."
"Trapped in an asylum the Joker has seized control of, the Dark Knight faces his entire rogues' gallery in a single night. The tale distils a remarkable psychological tension, down to nightmarish plunges into the hero's own mind. This mature writing, faithful to the myth, at last gave the vigilante a great game worthy of him."
