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.
"Prematurely aged, a legendary soldier sets out to end one last war in a world ruled by the economy of conflict. A monumental conclusion to the saga, the tale ties all its threads in a melancholy farewell about duty and sacrifice. Dense to the point of vertigo, it gives its characters a moving, well-earned ending."
"The scenario is among the most adult and political in the Japanese RPG: wars of succession, manipulation by the Church, class struggle, betrayals. Rewritten and fully voiced in this version, it gains even more force, revealing all the Shakespearean darkness of Ivalice."
"A plunge into the origins of the Cold War, this espionage tragedy follows an agent forced to gun down the woman who was his master and his model. Loyalty, duty and love tear at each other here, up to a shattering denouement. A peak of the series' writing, its tale of sacrifice and patriotism haunts you long after."
"Older, alcoholic and gnawed by remorse, Max takes a bodyguard job in São Paulo that turns into carnage. The tale moves its noir-novel fatalism to the tropics, between corruption, ruin and impossible redemption. Its feverish narration and sincere darkness worthily extend the character's legend."
"Cast into a world ravaged by a cyclical scourge, a young man joins the pilgrimage of a summoner doomed to sacrifice. Beneath the adventure hide a shattering romance and a biting critique of religious dogma. Carried by unforgettable farewells, this tale moved an entire generation of players to tears."
"Caught between a ruined Tokyo and a demon-haunted wasteland, the tale presses the player toward hard philosophical choices about order, chaos and free will. Its dialogue refuses easy answers, asking you to own your worldview. Mature writing rooted in dense mythology that lingers long after the credits."
"Witness to the murder of his family, a young Renaissance Florentine embraces the way of the Assassins to slake his revenge. Blending real history, Templar conspiracy and apprenticeship, the tale lends its hero a striking humanity. This vibrant fresco, carried by an unforgettable Ezio, redefined the narrative ambition of the series."
"An amnesiac mercenary, a mega-corporation and a dying planet: behind the eco-thriller hides a shattering inquiry into memory and identity. A chilling antagonist and a drama that became legend marked an entire generation of players. A pillar of gaming culture, this ambitious tale still fascinates without end."
"To bring a young girl back to life, a lone rider agrees to bring down sixteen colossi that asked for nothing. Almost wordless, the tale questions sacrifice, love and the price of despair with unheard-of tragic force. A peak of environmental storytelling, this melancholy epic haunts you long after the credits."
"Haunted by his father's murder, a young man walks the Yokosuka of the 1980s in an investigation where every passerby and every shop seems to live its own life. The tale, slow and melancholy, blends revenge, grief and coming of age with rare precision. This pioneering narrative ambition still fascinates today."
"Haunted by his father's murder, a young man walks the Yokosuka of the 1980s in an investigation where every passerby and every shop seems to live its own life. The tale, slow and melancholy, blends revenge, grief and coming of age with rare precision. This pioneering narrative ambition still fascinates today."
"Caught up by his past and a romance doomed to fail, Max plunges back into the spiral of grief and betrayal. More intimate and disenchanted, the tale pushes its noir-novel fatalism further still, between impossible love and refused redemption. An urban tragedy of dark elegance, magnified by its storytelling."
"A plunge into the origins of the Cold War, this espionage tragedy follows an agent forced to gun down the woman who was his master and his model. Loyalty, duty and love tear at each other here, up to a shattering denouement. A peak of the series' writing, its tale of sacrifice and patriotism haunts you long after."
"Sent into a cursed city on the trail of a cult leader, an elite agent unravels a plot tangling magic, power and sin. Carried by a theatrical pen of unheard-of richness, the tale chisels every line like a piece of tragic dialogue. This rare literary ambition makes it one of the most admired scenarios on the console."
"Cast into a world ravaged by a cyclical scourge, a young man joins the pilgrimage of a summoner doomed to sacrifice. Beneath the adventure hide a shattering romance and a biting critique of religious dogma. Carried by unforgettable farewells, this tale moved an entire generation of players to tears."
"In the thick of the Cold War, a soldier tries to reconstruct manipulated memories at the heart of covert operations. Blending conspiracy, mental conditioning and paranoia, the tale dares a fractured structure and a striking twist. This narrative ambition, unusual for the series, left a lasting impression."
"Pressing his quest for vengeance into the teeming alleys of Hong Kong and Kowloon, Ryo watches his journey widen into a genuine tale of apprenticeship and destiny. Encounters, masters and long silences nourish a contemplative, almost initiatory writing. This vast, inhabited sequel keeps an aura that remains intact."
"At the origins of the legend, a young knight of the sky descends to the surface to save his childhood friend and confront an ancestral evil. A founding tale of the saga, it weaves romance, destiny and sacrifice with an emotion new to the series. This story of love and courage gives Zelda's roots a devastating depth."
"In a world of ruins and ancient creatures, a young hunter bound to a mysterious dragon uncovers a buried truth about a lost civilisation. The tale blends melancholy, mystery and wonder with rare poetry. An exceedingly rare jewel of the Saturn, its twilight epic remains one of the most admired in the RPG."
"A carefree tourist trapped on an island given over to pirates, a young man slips little by little into violence and madness. Carried by a magnetic antagonist, the tale questions the savagery lurking in everyone with a disturbing darkness. Its ambiguity and its cult villain left a mark on the open-world FPS."
