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Adventures in Storytelling

Our coverage of interactive experiences that heavily prioritize narrative over gameplay.

Why you shouldn't wait: A mid-season reflection on Life Is Strange 2

With three of five episodes now complete, we've taken the unusual approach of exploring why it's worth catching up now instead of waiting until the end.

Read Jun 14, 2019

The Red Strings Club

It sets a low bar for interactivity, but this dialogue-heavy cyberpunk sim serves up an intriguing narrative experience.

Read Jan 2, 2019

Please Knock On My Door

This minimalist interactive drama excels with its hard-hitting, intensely personal examination of dealing with depression.

Read Jul 18, 2018

The Pillars of the Earth

The complete three-part adaptation of Ken Follett's epic historical novel proves to be a monumental achievement in interactive storytelling.

Read Jun 29, 2018

The Invisible Hours

Gameplay is nowhere to be seen, but this voyeuristic whodunit provides a compelling murder mystery in the style of immersive theater.

Read Jun 27, 2018

Detroit: Become Human

Quantic Dream's gorgeously cinematic neo-noir android thriller misfires on the larger story beats but nails the more choice-driven personal moments.

Read Jun 8, 2018

The Inpatient

Our diagnosis: The horror-themed VR pseudo-prequel to Until Dawn is afflicted by both story and gameplay deficiencies.

Read May 11, 2018

Walden, a game

Walking a mile in Henry David Thoreau's shoes proves to be more of a tedious chore than an inspiring transcendental experience.

Read Apr 18, 2018

Batman: The Enemy Within – The Telltale Series

The Caped Crusader's second season doesn't pack the same punch as its predecessor, but does save the best for last.

Read Apr 13, 2018

Hidden Agenda

A gritty police procedural takes over from the campy horror of Until Dark, providing thrilling multiplayer fun but still without much actual player control.

Read Feb 16, 2018

Minecraft: Story Mode – Season Two

The second season stays true to the source material, but isn’t likely to build much interest outside of diehard series fans.

Read Jan 26, 2018

Finding Paradise

While not quite reaching the heights of its predecessor, To the Moon fans won't regret their time with this thoughtful character-driven sequel.

Read Dec 18, 2017

Adventure Hour: Scéal, Leaving Lyndow

You'll flit through these two short but lovely explorations of serene pastoral settings without ever having to walk away.

Read Dec 6, 2017

Late Shift

In lieu of traditional adventuring, player choice drives this cinematically impressive interactive live-action crime movie.

Read Nov 8, 2017

Kona

This entertaining wintry survival adventure is a breeze to live through, though it misfires in a couple areas that lessen its impact.

Read Oct 9, 2017

Batman: The Enemy Within – The Telltale Series: Episode One – The Enigma

Riddle us this: What has great production values, compelling characters, hard decisions, and mind-numbingly easy gameplay?

Read Aug 21, 2017

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier

The zombie survivor franchise is still alive with plenty of bite, though the third season covers a lot of familiar ground.

Read Jun 5, 2017

Night in the Woods

This stylish slacker drama branches into intriguing darker themes, but is too rooted in aimless repetition to build any momentum.

Read Jun 2, 2017

What Remains of Edith Finch

This creative, emotionally powerful exploration of a family's tragic past soars to impressive storytelling heights.

Read May 12, 2017

Corpse Party

The revived Japanese port is bigger and gorier than ever, though more an old-school visual novel than interactive adventure.

Read Mar 27, 2017

Batman: The Telltale Series

The Bat-season is now complete, exposing both the light and dark elements of a somewhat uneven five-part thrill-ride.

Read Jan 13, 2017

The Walking Dead: A New Frontier - Episodes One/Two: Ties That Bind

The new season kicks off with a two-part debut that's slicker than ever, though it ventures largely through very familiar territory.

Read Jan 6, 2017

Orwell

This unique "privacy invasion thriller" has a thought-provoking surveillance concept that is hindered somewhat by its suspect dialogue and imposed linearity.

Read Dec 20, 2016

Burly Men at Sea

This charming Scandinavian folktale may be lite on gameplay but offers a surprisingly hefty choose-your-own-adventure experience.

Read Dec 14, 2016

Adventures in Storytelling: Fragments of Him, Virginia

These stylistically different him-and-her games are both emotionally powerful but broken down by largely non-interactive storytelling.

Read Nov 25, 2016

Chase: Cold Case Investigations – Distant Memories

This extremely short and disappointing 3DS detective mystery from former Cing designers never really builds up any momentum.

Read Nov 21, 2016

ABZÛ

Though light in actual gameplay, there’s nothing shallow about this breathtaking underwater excursion.

Read Aug 19, 2016

Batman: The Telltale Series - Episode One: Realm of Shadows

The first episode pulls its punches somewhat, but gets the series off the ground with a solid stage-setting debut.

Read Aug 15, 2016

1979 Revolution: Black Friday

Iran's struggle for independence is recounted in cinematic style, though providing just a partial picture with little to actually do.

Read Jul 29, 2016

The Beginner's Guide

The Stanley Parable's Davey Wreden leads a thought-provoking, experimental reflection of games-as-interactive-art.

Read May 18, 2016

The Walking Dead: Michonne

The now-completed three-part miniseries has a compelling protagonist, but the formula may be starting to outlive its welcome.

Read May 16, 2016

Knee Deep

The unique swamp noir theater mystery takes the final plunge with a bizarre third act performance.

Read May 4, 2016

Minecraft: Story Mode

Building on Mojang's colourful world, Telltale's five-part season is now complete, with one bridge piece left over for expansion.

Read Apr 15, 2016

That Dragon, Cancer

Pulling no punches, this exploration of one family's courageous battle against terminal illness is a deeply moving experience.

Read Mar 16, 2016

Oxenfree

The slickly presented, narrative-driven horror story is effectively tuned into the authentic teenage experience

Read Feb 22, 2016

Firewatch

Be on the lookout for this rich character-driven journey, even if some of its smouldering promise is snuffed out along the way.

Read Feb 10, 2016

Masochisia

This raw, dark and disturbing story-driven experience cuts to the bone of child abuse and mental illness.

Read Feb 3, 2016

Caffeine: Episode One

This three-part sci-fi exploration series barely begins percolating with a debut installment that doesn't fully mine its premise.

Read Jan 18, 2016

Sun Dogs

This unique text exploration of a transhumanist future feels coolly detached but largely stellar in execution.

Read Dec 16, 2015

Game of Thrones

The House Forrester saga comes to a head in the dramatic season finale, though a key story branch gets lost in the woods.

Read Dec 9, 2015

The Park

Funcom's Secret World spin-off is a short but effectively creepy horror ride driven by story rather than gameplay.

Read Nov 13, 2015

Tales from the Borderlands

The final episode pays off handsomely in a wonderful series short on gameplay but packing loads of narrative punch.

Read Nov 11, 2015

Beyond Eyes

This lovely watercolour journey demonstrates how beauty can still be in the eye of the beholder even when the beholder is blind.

Read Oct 7, 2015

Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

There are no living people or puzzles to find, but there's a mystery to uncover by those who see the light in this gorgeous open world adventure.

Read Sep 25, 2015

Home Is Where One Starts...

Those who enjoy puzzle-free exploration games may find themselves drawn home once again.

Read Jul 22, 2015

Epanalepsis

This minimalist short story starts out strongly, but can't repeat its early success through multiple eras of abstraction.

Read Jul 14, 2015

Sunset

All's fair in love and war, but reactions will run both warm and cool to Tale of Tales' latest interactive story.

Read Jul 1, 2015

Drizzlepath

This exploratory journey has plenty of gorgeous environments, but no puzzles and only a sprinkling of obscure storytelling along the way.

Read May 27, 2015

Adventures in Storytelling: The Detail, Grail to the Thief

They may not be everyone's cuppa, but two very different quests await for the puzzle- and even visually-impaired.

Read Jan 27, 2015

Adventures in Storytelling: Unrest, The Shopkeeper

From ancient India to Victorian England, you couldn't buy a puzzle in these experimental narrative experiences.

Read Jan 9, 2015

The Old City: Leviathan

Submerged beneath the gorgeous visuals of this surreal exploration is an abstract story that never really grips.

Read Dec 3, 2014

A Bird Story

Far more story than game, this short but sweet tale from the developer of To the Moon really soars in its poignant simplicity.

Read Nov 21, 2014

Adventures in Storytelling: The Maker's Eden, 80 Days

Light on gameplay, heavy on reading, adventures like these are turning the page to a newer breed of visual fiction.

Read Sep 17, 2014

Adventure Hour: Stranded, The Moon Sliver

For some short but sweet adventuring all in one sitting, these two solitary exploration games should be just the right speed.

Read Jul 25, 2014

The Novelist

This haunting family drama offers a different type of Choose Your Own Adventure in between its stealth-based gameplay.

Read Jan 8, 2014

The Stanley Parable

You can choose to do differently, but you'll surely want to buy this outstanding storytelling experiment that turns videogame control on its head.

Read Dec 13, 2013

Sorcery!

Part one of Steve Jackson's acclaimed Fighting Fantasy series comes to iOS in a superb interactive Choose Your Own RPG adventure.

Read Jun 10, 2013

The Secret World

A secret no more, Funcom's hybrid MMO may just expose adventure gamers to a whole new world of story-driven horror/sci-fi/fantasy roleplaying.

Read May 6, 2013

Home

This haunting interactive story is light on gameplay, dark in setting, but earns a resounding "yes" as to whether it's worth experiencing.

Read Jul 12, 2012

Adventures in Storytelling: Home and The Thirty Nine Steps

Two unique interactive experiences were on display at the Games Developers Conference, and our first-look tells the story.

Read Apr 25, 2012

Dear Esther

It may not even be a game, but this beautifully surreal story-driven exploration offers plenty to write home about.

Read Mar 9, 2012

Lux-Pain

This unique interactive novel is in a class of its own, but it’s far too anti-Silent for its own good.

Read Apr 13, 2009

The Path

Tale of Tales' artistic, experimental new offering may be worth exploring, but anyone seeking a traditional adventure should keep on walking.

Read Mar 30, 2009
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