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.
"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."
"Emerging from a vault to find his vanished father, a young man discovers the irradiated ruins of old America. Between retrofuturist nostalgia and stark moral choices, the tale turns exploration into a succession of striking human stories. Its freedom and disenchanted tone revived a cult saga."
"Transformed into a wolf and swept into a world of shadows, a young man must free Hyrule from a spreading twilight. Darker and more adult than previous entries, the tale combines melancholy, metamorphosis and an unforgettable companionship. This grave tone, carried by Midna, makes it one of the most striking Zeldas."
"Emerging from a vault to find his vanished father, a young man discovers the irradiated ruins of old America. Between retrofuturist nostalgia and stark moral choices, the tale turns exploration into a succession of striking human stories. Its freedom and disenchanted tone revived a cult saga."
"Across two millennia and a dozen protagonists, the writing weaves a fresco of cosmic horror in which each era illuminates the next. Fates interlock around a cursed tome, and madness gnaws at the tale as much as at its characters. This narrative ambition, long unmatched, lingers with the player for good."
"By giving voice to a fallen enemy as much as to its hero, this entry complicates its galactic conflict with a real look at faith and betrayal. More ambitious and nuanced, the tale pushes its mythology toward a tragedy in two voices. Its abrupt finale, long debated, only stoked the passion of players."
"Back among the undead of space, an engineer eaten away by dementia faces his hallucinations as much as the monsters. The tale blends science-fiction horror, madness and a fanatical cult with oppressive intensity. Its hero, at last given a voice and a broken psyche, lends the nightmare a genuine depth."
"Famed for its river-deep writing, the Trails saga opens here with a patient coming-of-age tale: every town, every side figure is sketched with a care that makes the world believable. The slow build toward a resounding finale rewards attention, laying the foundations of a sprawling epic."
"Bringing together several Valve gems, this collection gathers some of the most striking writing in the shooter. From resistance against an alien regime to the caustic humour of a booby-trapped lab, each tale innovates in its own way. A concentrate of narrative inventions that lastingly influenced the medium."
"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."
"A gallery of broken heroes, a deranged tyrant and an opera that became legend: the adventure dares a choral tale of rare scope, to the end of the world and beyond. The writing fuses despair and hope with a maturity striking for its time. Often cited among the genre's finest stories, it has not aged."
"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 amnesiac detective, a city gnawed by politics and an inner dialogue where your very skills argue inside your skull. This sprawling investigation trades combat for mountains of text of staggering literary richness, where every line sculpts who you become."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
