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.
"A mansion drifts through the centuries, every stone holding the memory of broken loves and quiet cruelties. Carried by gorgeous prose and a haunting score, this visual novel weaves fates that slowly answer one another. Tenderness meets horror here, and its closing emotion lands hard without ever cheating."
"Having unleashed, out of pride, a sand that turns men into monsters, a prince must undo his mistake by rewinding time. Told like a tale from the Thousand and One Nights, the story blends adventure, romance and a lesson in humility with rare charm. Its elegant narrative frame left a lasting mark on the action-adventure."
"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."
"The scenario is a vertigo of intelligence: a meditation on free will, narrative and the illusion of choice, carried by an unforgettable Narrator. The writing, at once hilarious and profound, keeps folding back on itself to question the player."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"Over a single day in Shibuya, five fates intersect through a kidnapping case where any one character's smallest choice upends the others'. A choral tale of clockwork precision, it blends thriller, humour and emotion with rare virtuosity. A benchmark of the gaming novel, its writing remains a model of the genre."
"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 zombie apocalypse, a man with a murky past watches over a little girl he learns to protect as his own. A choice-driven tale of rare emotional force, it makes human relationships, not the undead, its true stakes. Its harrowing ending redefined what a narrative game could be."
"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."
"Having unleashed, out of pride, a sand that turns men into monsters, a prince must undo his mistake by rewinding time. Told like a tale from the Thousand and One Nights, the story blends adventure, romance and a lesson in humility with rare charm. Its elegant narrative frame left a lasting mark on the action-adventure."
"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."
"An immigrant come to chase the American dream in Liberty City, a former soldier collides with violence and the ghosts of his past. Darker and more adult than its forebears, the tale paints disillusion and revenge with unexpected gravity. Carried by a tormented hero, this bitter portrait of a city still fascinates."
"Two nations locked in eternal war, soldiers who die at ten: this is the soil of a stirring fable about life, death and the right to exist. The bond between Noah and Mio gives flesh to a meditation that reaches past mere conflict toward something universal."
"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."
"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."
"Walking through the home of a family marked by misfortune means opening a sequence of short tales, each room recounting a life and its end. This intimate anthology turns wandering into shared mourning, its poetic writing making the medium feel like a storybook come alive."
"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."
