Sci-fi games with better stories than the Mass Effect trilogy

The Mass Effect trilogy is often hailed as the pinnacle of sci-fi video games in terms of story, and it's easy to see why. Between the Paragon and Renegade options, there's plenty of room for great Shepard roleplay. The story isn't convoluted, but there's a sense of heroic urgency and the responsibility of a commander whose choices have a real impact. Most importantly, it features some of the best and most memorable supporting characters and romantic partners in gaming history. Garrus and Liara lovers will understand.

Needless to say, it's pretty hard to beat, though Mass Effect 3 the ending was a big let down for many after three rock solid games and hours of questing. However, if we're talking purely about plot and narrative, their depth and emotional payoff, there are a few contenders that can probably beat the trilogy's story, if only by a small margin.

Minor spoilers await for the following games.

BioShock

A simply iconic story with a captivating twist

Everyone loves a good, gut-wrenching twist, and no game does it better than the first one BioShock. But it's not just about the infamous “Would you kindly?” a twist that makes the story so alive. BioShock it does not rely on dialogue or cutscenes to tell the story, yet it is still considered one of the best video game plots in history. how?

The main reason is the clever world-building that shines through environmental storytelling (the idle chatter of enemies and random graffiti on the walls) and the various audio recordings that reveal what really happened in the underwater city of Rapture, into which the protagonist Jack is thrust after a mysterious plane crash by a lighthouse. Without spoiling too much, these events are much less random than one might think.

Prey (2017)

Story-wise, Arkane's underrated title is a gem

Speaking of twists, another game known for turning things upside down is 2017 Spoil from Arkane Studios. Although this game didn't become a huge hit and was actually considered a bit of a flop, its storytelling is incredibly good despite some flaws. Much like BioShock, Spoil can rely on environmental cues and voice recordings to tell the unique story of Talos Station and its inhabitants and what exactly happened. Very few main characters are ever directly seen on screen, such as BioShockbut when you find hints of their lives scattered around the station, you quickly come to care about them and their ultimate fate.

The beginning of the story itself, when Morgan finally breaks out of his simulated reality, is jarring enough to engage the player. Completing various side quests throughout the game will determine the ultimate fate of some of the survivors, as well as what the final ending will look like for the player. It's a game where your actions really shape how you move through not only the environment, as it's an immersive simulator, but also Morgan's story. It's an unexpectedly emotional journey that can also be challenging Mass Effect story.

SOMA

Simon's journey is lonely but meaningful

SOMA's The story begins with a car accident that changes the life of the protagonist Simon forever. After a brain scan, things go horribly wrong and he finds himself in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean on Pathos-II. From the very beginning, Simon's loneliness and fear is palpable as he faces the perils of the dilapidated station, and finding Catherine is almost a moment of relief as the players have a real human connection. It is a glimmer of hope in the darkness.

Unfortunately, there is nothing real or human about him anymore SOMA; that's the tragedy. And discovering that slowly, watching and feeling how not only your hope, but also Simon's hope dies, is something balanced Mass Effect most emotional moments try to imitate. That narrow hope? He is gone, just as the inhabitants of Pathos-II and the world as Simon once knew it are now gone. The ending is not for the faint of heart as it makes you ask yourself what it means to be human and to live.

Cyberpunk 2077

The story of V is full of sorrow

CD Projekt Red takes no hostages with its writing and storytelling and Cyberpunk 2077 demonstrates this quality to perfection. In recent years, this is one game that easily surpasses depth Mass Effect storyline with some of its deep, dark and gritty themes of humanity and survival. V's fight for survival starts from the first act, which already hits the player in the gut when an Arasaka heist goes horribly wrong.

The whole game is about finding a solution for even a sliver of hope, but Night City lacks it. It's this desperation that makes you root so hard for some of the game's standout characters, like Panam and Judy, but their struggle is felt all the same. After so much suffering and loss in various missions, depending on the ending the players choose or get, Cyberpunk 2077 you can feel almost liberating marching into Arasaka HQ ​​solo, or enlist the help of Aldecaldos, for example. However, every decision costs something, and it is felt as strongly here as in Mass Effect.

Detroit: Become Human

Your choice, your story, your tragedy

Mass Effect is all about choice and another game that does it well is Detroit: Become Human. Your choices fully shape the outcome for each character and the ultimate ending of the game, and that's not always easy as the game tests your ethics and principles in a really bad way by driving you into a corner. Will you do anything, even if it hurts people, to protect your loved ones? For what purpose will you go to find out the truth? Would you kill someone for it?

Detroit: Become Human asks all these tough questions as players tackle the story from three different perspectives: Markus, Kara, and Connor. Everyone has their own goals and interests, which sometimes coincide. If played right, anyone can make it to the end and live happily ever after, but no journey is without challenges and heavy sacrifices.