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.
"Unjustly cast out, a high schooler joins a band of phantom thieves who strike at the corrupt hearts of adults. Beneath its flamboyant style, the tale mounts a sharp critique of society and the abuse of power. Carried by magnetic characters, this cry of youthful revolt became a phenomenon."
"Choosing a house means choosing friends the coming war may turn into enemies. Beneath the polish of school life simmer politics, faith and betrayal, and each route reveals another face of a continent on the verge of catching fire."
"On a planet doomed to fall, an elite squad wages a battle lost before it begins to buy humanity a reprieve. A prequel whose ending is known in advance, the tale draws its strength from the inevitable and from anonymous sacrifice. This heroic tragedy, with no false hope, is one of the series' emotional peaks."
"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."
"The first human admitted into a galactic elite, Commander Shepard uncovers an ancient threat looming over all life. A space opera of structuring choices, the tale blends investigation, diplomacy and moral dilemmas with rare scope. This branching epic laid the foundations of a beloved science-fiction saga."
"Four ordinary children set out to face a cosmic evil at the heart of a strange, colourful suburban America. Beneath the absurd humour and the tenderness surfaces an insidious dread, up to a finale of shattering strangeness. This unique writing, funny and deeply moving, made the game a beloved cult object."
"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."
"Travelling across the ages to avert an apocalypse: such is the wild premise of a tale where every era visited reveals its own dramas. Endearing characters, multiple endings and a plot chiselled by a trio of geniuses make the adventure a model of narrative elegance. Timeless, its story remains an absolute benchmark of the RPG."
"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."
"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."
"Woken by a call for help on a stormy night, a young boy uncovers a plot that binds his kingdom to a world of darkness. A founding quest of the saga, the tale unfolds a clear, spellbinding legend, carried by the duality of two worlds. Its mythic structure has inspired countless adventures since."
"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."
"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."
"Lured into a ghost town by a letter from his dead wife, a man faces monsters that are nothing but the reflection of his guilt. A masterpiece of psychological horror, the tale explores grief, desire and punishment with rare finesse. Its shattering ambiguity has made it an unequalled peak of the genre."
"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."
"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."
"At the heart of a desperate war against a subterranean horde, soldiers descend to the source of the evil to save humanity. Beneath the testosterone and the din, the tale makes room for an unexpected sadness, carried by a comrade's heartrending quest. This emotion beneath the brutality surprised and marked players."
"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."
"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."
"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."
