The narrative that captures our hearts and minds delivered in video game form
From one subjective award category to another. This one’s even more subjective and open to interpretations.
But it’s always the one time everyone can freely talk spoiler-free about a game’s story they like, what moments landed and worth gushing about. Yes, if you’re listening to the full deliberations, it’s full of spoilers.
Past Winners: Psychonauts 2, Yakuza: Like A Dragon, The Outer Worlds, Red Dead Redemption 2
Best Story Nominees
- Citizen Sleeper
- God Of War Ragnarok
- Return To Monkey Island
- The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe
- Weird West
How The Winner Is Decided (Deliberations Summary)
Link to the full podcast episode featuring the deliberations will be added soon
Another long session of spoiler talk. The takeaway from the games we shortlisted were games that not necessarily have the best-written story, but the story that impacts us as players the most.
Weird West gets a nod in the nominations thanks to the many watercooler moments you can have for progressing the story in your own way, with many interlinking systems that can generate storylines of its own. On top of the weird tales where you play as different characters going through different journeys. The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe makes it here because of the new jokes, including questioning the very game’s own existence (is it a remaster or a sequel or what?). We’re a fan of meta-jokes.
Return To Monkey Island resolves a long-left cliffhanger to set up another standalone story with such finesse that we can’t stop holding ourselves from being impressed. God Of War Ragnarok’s story of family interactions amongst gods as the world is heading towards an apocalypse will be touching to a lot of dads, dads-to-be and folks with a dad still around.
But what deeply impacted us the most was Citizen Sleeper. Its portrayal of living in destitute and must figure out how to survive every day -make ends meet or meet the end- hits us deep. It also helps that the game communicates this struggle through its RPG gameplay. But this game left each one of us with a different story, as we take different paths. And how the game implements how and when the story branches, and limits you from experiencing everything in one life/playthrough, really made a lasting impression. It’s not all dire- the fact that you can carve out your own space, or belong somewhere in a community, as you hustle through your struggles every day to get enough money for food and repairs is a story of optimism, inspiring us that we too can make it through each day.
Best Story Winner
Congratulations to Citizen Sleeper for winning Best Story!
Check out the GM GOTY Awards 2022 hub for the rest of the categories and winners. The page will be updated as we announce the winners every day until December 31.