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.
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"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."
"A hero with no voice at first, a shattered blade and the promise of a future where no one controls another's fate. Carried by a winning cast and a rare theme of free will, this epic moves from the clash of war to quiet intimacy without ever losing its thread."
"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."
"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."
"Millennia before the saga, an amnesiac traveller finds himself caught up in the war between Jedi and Sith. Renowned for one of the most famous twists in video games, the tale questions identity, fate and redemption. Its moral choices and its writing left a lasting mark on the RPG and the Star Wars universe."
"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."
"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."
