Xbox users are spoilt for choice when it comes to video games and the Xbox Game Pass subscription service is turning out to be one of the best deals in gaming for players. The Xbox Series S and Series X consoles offer an amazing gaming experience with a game pass roster of over 400 games.
Modern video games are expansive and can sometimes get overwhelming with the sheer amount of things to do and content to soak in. Thankfully, the Xbox consoles also offer plenty of fantastic narrative-driven games that take you for a ride on an emotional rollercoaster and can often leave you crying.
10 Life Is Strange: True Colors
The latest addition to the fantastic Life is Strange series of video games is Life is Strange: True Colors. Created by the same developers, Life is Strange: True Colors is all about emotions, told through the lens of a heartfelt narrative with well-written characters.
Separated from her older brother as a child after their father abandons them, Alex reunites with him as an adult after he invites her to live with him in Haven Springs, a small mining town in Colorado. Alex gets embroiled in the town’s mysterious and dark history and must navigate complex relationships with the townsfolk.
9 A Plague Tale: Innocence
A Plague Tale: Innocence is a fantastic survival-psychological horror game developed by Asobo Studio and available to play on Game Pass. The game is set in France during the Black Plague and follows the story of Amicia De Rune and her ill brother, Hugo, the children of a wealthy Nobleman during the onset of the outbreak.
The game is a harrowing experience, to say the least, as common folk that is desperate for survival during the plague absolutely loathe the wealthy, and Amicia and Hugo must survive angry mobs and plague-infested rats alike. Along their journey, the siblings run into some pretty interesting characters that have their own backstories. A Plague Tale: Innocence also captures the experience of being an elder sibling beautifully.
8 Celeste
Celeste is a puzzle-based 2D platformer that was released by a small group of developers in 2018. The game is an absolute trip aboard the feels train. Celeste follows a young woman called Madeline, who takes it upon herself to climb and reach the summit of Celeste Mountain against all the advice she’s received to avoid such a journey.
Along this trek, Madeline must battle and overcome her own insecurities which are embodied by Badeline (as referred to by the community), who acts as the antagonist of the game. There are also plenty of interesting characters that players will encounter along the way. The narrative this game delivers becomes all the more important, considering Madeline was confirmed as trans by the developer, making her quest to accept herself so much more challenging.
7 Tell Me Why
From the developers that made the now-famous Life is Strange series, Tell Me Why is Dontnod’s first foray beyond Life is Strange. The game follows a similar episodic theme and gameplay that revolves around player choice and consequence much like in the Life is Strange series but in its own unique way.
Twins Tyler and Alyson Ronan have been reunited as adults after they were separated as children because of an incident that caused the death of their mother. The game explores complex emotional themes like childhood trauma, LGBTQIA+ issues, mental health, and indigenous rights. The story itself is an absolute trip and players must navigate interesting puzzles throughout the game in order to relive the past and uncover the mystery around the mother's death.
6 Ori And The Blind Forest/Will Of The Wisps
Among the most popular and beloved indie games to be released over the last decade, Ori & The Blind Forest and its sequel, Ori and the Will of the Wisps are absolute tearjerkers and are video gaming experiences that everyone must try at least once. The games are set in a stunning 2D platforming landscape and follow the story of Ori, a Guardian Spirit separated from its spirit tree as a child and raised by a giant, adorable creature named Naru.
Ori’s story is filled with grief, loneliness, and anxiety as the player must solve various puzzles and navigate the dark forest in order to prevent a cataclysmic event. Players will find themselves reaching for kerchiefs right at the beginning of the game as it delivers an emotionally overwhelming narrative in a beautiful and artfully delivered game world.
5 Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
Ninja Theory’s Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is a unique third-person action-adventure video game that delivers an intense, mortifying narrative about Senua, a Celtic warrior that is dealing with schizophrenia and psychosis. Senua’s story deals with intense trauma inflicted upon her by her father and the pain she has to deal with because of her illness.
The game is set in a nordic setting and the most interesting aspect of it is that while it is visually an action game where players must fight various Norse Gods and entities, the battles are actually taking place in Senua’s mind. It delivers a unique audio experience where players with a good set of binaural headphones will be able to hear the “voices” in Senua’s head as they play the game, and it is a dark, gruesome psychological horror.
4 Coffee Talk
Coffee Talk is a mellow narrative-based video game that is set in a small cafe in Seattle, Washington. The players control the café barista, also the owner as the story takes place over two weeks during which the café receives several visitors that come and have conversations with the player about their lives.
Characters in the game represent different races of creatures like elves, mermaids, orcs, and fairies. It’s a comfortable gaming experience that explores intertwined lives and connections between different people and encourages empathy and perceptiveness in the player to understand various personal issues that different people face.
3 What Remains Of Edith Finch
What Remains of Edith Finch, developed by Giant Sparrow, is an absolute gem of a story-based walking simulator. The game puts players in the shoes of Edith Finch as she explores the Finch House in search of answers about her family history as she is the last Finch alive. The house is massive and players are accompanied by a commentary from Edith as she recalls family memories.
The game is as mysterious as it is emotional as players indulge in one of the most interesting stories a video game can deliver. Available on Game Pass, Xbox Series S/X owners can get right into it.
2 Kentucky Route Zero
Nominated for best indie game of the year at the 2020 Video Game Awards, Kentucky Route Zero is a narrative masterpiece that provides a streamlined experience that feels more like an interactive comic book than a video game. What's amazing about this game is how it delivers its story along with the gorgeous art style that will leave players feeling like they were caught in a fever dream.
Kentucky Route Zero follows Conway, a truck driver, and his dog that the player can name. Conway is hired to make a delivery and gets lost on Interstate 65 in Kentucky. In a bid to find their way to the right delivery address, players come across complex characters with troubled backstories and challenge their worldviews because the game prompts players to introspect on their lives.
1 Firewatch
Firewatch is another indie gem developed by a small studio called Campo Santo and is available to play on Xbox Game Pass. The game is set in the forests of Wyoming and is a first-person walking simulator. The story follows Henry, a man who takes up a job as a fire lookout in a forest after his wife is diagnosed with dementia. Henry gets embroiled in a tragic mystery that involves the disappearance of two teenage girls.
It’s a beautifully intense story that is delivered in the gorgeous world of the Wyoming mountain range and the art style is absolutely incredible. Players are in for the waterworks as the game’s most emotional moments challenge the player’s mindset and cause them to introspect.