exposition isn’t the only way to get
information across welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’ll be
counting down our picks for the top ten
games with environmental storytelling
before we begin we publish new videos
every day so be sure to subscribe for
more great content to this list we take
a look at games that use elements of
level design to tell players about
events that happen before you arrive
there or to further fill out the world
around you while these design features
may be supported by audio logs or
journal entries on their own they may
just be a hint or an indication to the
occurrence of something a bit more
complex how it always starts first the
building and the whole block number 10
left for dead
at first glance valves co-op zombie
shooter might simply seem like an
endless slaughter of undead hordes and
it certainly can be that if you wanted
to be but for those who are happy to
take a bit of time to absorb the
desolate post-apocalyptic surrounding
you’ll find inferences to a story that
many critics thought was absent as it’s
common for the genre the narrative is
left intentionally vague with desperate
walls drawings from other survivors
appropriately being used instead of
exposition headed cutscenes as it’s the
end of the world some typical methods of
imparting information can’t be employed
so set pieces like pill bottles next to
a corpse give you enticing snippets to
interpret as you wish peltier number 9
Resident Evil series what’s that calm
down lady
I’m Mozambique Capcom’s survival horror
series may have lost its subtlety when
it moved into action heavy territory but
early in its life Resident Evil had some
of the most detailed believable worlds
in gaming you explore these environments
with limited capabilities and through
disorienting camera angles adding to an
atmosphere of unsettling desperation
that was quite an achievement during the
infancy of 3d games there’s so much
detail in fact that some intriguing
elements added by developers are while
contributing to an overall feel
inconsequential compared to the
unexplained happenings of the outbreak
that are often central to the games
puzzles unlike Chris Redfield Boulder
punching exploits the early games have a
restraint that never closes any avenue
of story interpretation
number eight uncharted for a thief’s end
you’re gonna want to see this Naughty
Dog’s
Uncharted series is often compared to a
Hollywood movie yet as Megan Sam
discovered the ruins of pirate utopia
Liberty Leah gaining shows it can
surpass what conventional cinema can
achieve looks like our hosts didn’t
stick around to clean up their mess well
that was a very gracious of them each
part of Henry Avery and Thomas Tunes
tropical environment is meticulously
crafted with big and small details about
a possible uprising just waiting to be
investigated for a game that’s
relatively reliant on its story nothing
is rammed down your throat with just the
brothers broad theorizing and
discoverable documents shedding light on
the possible reactions behind such a
large-scale battle Jack’s shops and
grand halls brought to light with
breathtaking graphics he’d get a complex
social structure that we may never fully
understand
alena these are the pirate captains it’s
founded with the calm the hell happened
here number seven abduction right that’s
where all of our Easter
brought to us by the creative minds of
mist the spiritual successor to the afro
mentioned classic tells a story that you
will barely realize is unfolding until
journal entries and recordings come
together in a thoroughly nonlinear
narrative how much you find out about
hon Rath and its absolute citizens
actually depends on your willingness to
scour each diverse world for secrets or
information that are not just exposition
but clues to drive you forward to
another world
my name is Yosef I am the mayor here you
are most probably a bit confused and
disoriented as your character is
entirely silent you’re never subjected
to an internal monologue overtly
explaining family photos and other
emanates from CW and Farley’s former
community make sure you’re critical of
everything you think you learn it’s
guaranteed to influence your later
decisions number 6 gone home used to
tell you everything and if I can’t do it
in person because you’re off
gallivanting around who knows where I’ll
tell it to this journey as soon as Katie
Greenbrier returns home from her travels
in Europe it’s clear something’s not
quite right at the family household her
parents and sister are nowhere to be
seen and moving boxes populate the lobby
causing unusual home decorations in
paraphernalia to suddenly take on
unlikely significance money brought her
hair dye over today she said I need to
fix these root thank you could help
childish drawings feature the same
imaginary characters grunge music
reflects your sisters rebellious
character and even scribbles on the TV
Guide flesh out the father’s love for
conspiracy theories
despite hints towards the supernatural
every relatively ambiguous sliver of
evidence builds a tangible feeling of
domestic discontent and upheaval to
complement your spookily uninhabited
surroundings number 5 half-life 2 wake
up
the ashes you ever wondered why there
are so many strong clutching theories
circling valves classic FPS flame the
developers enticing environmental
storytelling after repelling does any an
invasion and going into a two
decade-long stasis in the first game or
debris Minh is thrust into city 17 a
post-invasion urban area controlled by
the conquering combine the dictatorial
climate is established within seconds as
abort solemnly sweeps up and guard
threatened every fearful identically
dressed worker that comes off the train
the more you talk to each downtrodden
NPC the rule you’ll learn about the Big
Brother s conditions they live under a
situation built so convincingly that as
a player you feel as though the events
would still play out even if you weren’t
there number four the Last of Us to
create such an emotionally testing game
Naughty Dog’s strives to capture the
human response to the end of the world
with unique detail in every remnant of
pre-apocalypse civilization with more
emphasis on exploration than the
challenge of completion store shelves
and other mundane elements a regular
life show you how people have endured
the infection while desperately hanging
on to small shreds of normality we’re
almost done stay focused this man while
Joel’s Redemption narrative is pretty
clear-cut the causes of the wider
epidemic are only hinted at through
nuggets of human existence you
discovered throughout a world rapidly
reclaimed by Mother Nature don’t expect
to see a single copy base native
environment in this cataclysmic version
of Earth maybe they hit a match or
something to tell us where they were
going how far are we going to take five
it needs to go number three fallout
series
sneaking done I think even before
bethesda acquired the now legendary atom
punk RPG a rich lore outside the central
narrative has been established through
an environmental storytelling that would
go to another level once the series jump
to 3d Skyrim jam-packed fantasy world
certainly gives it a run for its money
but the macabre humor that permeates
ball has varied sections of radiated
world sets it apart for us o the series
of scale makes getting to the deepest
depths of its lore nearly impossible but
every skeleton model or purposely placed
item has its own story further filling
out a retro-futuristic world already
richer than most since 1997 but
wasteland has gradually revealed its
secrets and we can’t wait to immerse
ourselves and yet another nuanced
nuclear landscape number two inside with
minimal sound and no dialogue this eerie
puzzle platformer leaves it entirely up
to level design to tell an indistinct
story that has sparked considerable
online hypothesizing we can just about
gather that some shady organization is
experimenting on the population with
mind control but other than that it’s
down to you to rationalize your
dilapidated surroundings
[Music]
the puzzles combine gameplay and
interpretive storytelling meaning you’ll
be contemplating its meaning for the
duration of your playthrough is the boy
a zombie is the whole thing a commentary
on our own mindlessness and lack of
control just if you think you’re getting
closer to an answer there’s also an
alternate ending which we’re not going
to spoil but it will provide you with a
whole new perspective before we reveal
our top pick let’s have a look at the
modern ball mentions
[Music]
[Music]
number one Dark Souls series
everything about From Software’s bizarre
grandiose series will test your limits
it’s the maddening combat doesn’t drive
you to the brink of insanity then poring
over it’s carefully considered symbolism
subtext and world building certainly
well
character interaction is minimal and
confusing the NPCs odd way of speaking a
potentially misleading sideshow to a
lure that is created through visual
design and artifacts that carry their
own personality in history there’s
little narrative value in completing the
game if you don’t reflect on the world
and what you do in it death is
everywhere if you’re not just dying
yourself the game forces you to ponder
mortality and its effects on life and
you thought it was just about slaying
extraordinary monstrosities and bragging
online
do you agree with our picks check out
these other great clips from watch mojo
and subscribe for new videos every day
information across welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’ll be
counting down our picks for the top ten
games with environmental storytelling
before we begin we publish new videos
every day so be sure to subscribe for
more great content to this list we take
a look at games that use elements of
level design to tell players about
events that happen before you arrive
there or to further fill out the world
around you while these design features
may be supported by audio logs or
journal entries on their own they may
just be a hint or an indication to the
occurrence of something a bit more
complex how it always starts first the
building and the whole block number 10
left for dead
at first glance valves co-op zombie
shooter might simply seem like an
endless slaughter of undead hordes and
it certainly can be that if you wanted
to be but for those who are happy to
take a bit of time to absorb the
desolate post-apocalyptic surrounding
you’ll find inferences to a story that
many critics thought was absent as it’s
common for the genre the narrative is
left intentionally vague with desperate
walls drawings from other survivors
appropriately being used instead of
exposition headed cutscenes as it’s the
end of the world some typical methods of
imparting information can’t be employed
so set pieces like pill bottles next to
a corpse give you enticing snippets to
interpret as you wish peltier number 9
Resident Evil series what’s that calm
down lady
I’m Mozambique Capcom’s survival horror
series may have lost its subtlety when
it moved into action heavy territory but
early in its life Resident Evil had some
of the most detailed believable worlds
in gaming you explore these environments
with limited capabilities and through
disorienting camera angles adding to an
atmosphere of unsettling desperation
that was quite an achievement during the
infancy of 3d games there’s so much
detail in fact that some intriguing
elements added by developers are while
contributing to an overall feel
inconsequential compared to the
unexplained happenings of the outbreak
that are often central to the games
puzzles unlike Chris Redfield Boulder
punching exploits the early games have a
restraint that never closes any avenue
of story interpretation
number eight uncharted for a thief’s end
you’re gonna want to see this Naughty
Dog’s
Uncharted series is often compared to a
Hollywood movie yet as Megan Sam
discovered the ruins of pirate utopia
Liberty Leah gaining shows it can
surpass what conventional cinema can
achieve looks like our hosts didn’t
stick around to clean up their mess well
that was a very gracious of them each
part of Henry Avery and Thomas Tunes
tropical environment is meticulously
crafted with big and small details about
a possible uprising just waiting to be
investigated for a game that’s
relatively reliant on its story nothing
is rammed down your throat with just the
brothers broad theorizing and
discoverable documents shedding light on
the possible reactions behind such a
large-scale battle Jack’s shops and
grand halls brought to light with
breathtaking graphics he’d get a complex
social structure that we may never fully
understand
alena these are the pirate captains it’s
founded with the calm the hell happened
here number seven abduction right that’s
where all of our Easter
brought to us by the creative minds of
mist the spiritual successor to the afro
mentioned classic tells a story that you
will barely realize is unfolding until
journal entries and recordings come
together in a thoroughly nonlinear
narrative how much you find out about
hon Rath and its absolute citizens
actually depends on your willingness to
scour each diverse world for secrets or
information that are not just exposition
but clues to drive you forward to
another world
my name is Yosef I am the mayor here you
are most probably a bit confused and
disoriented as your character is
entirely silent you’re never subjected
to an internal monologue overtly
explaining family photos and other
emanates from CW and Farley’s former
community make sure you’re critical of
everything you think you learn it’s
guaranteed to influence your later
decisions number 6 gone home used to
tell you everything and if I can’t do it
in person because you’re off
gallivanting around who knows where I’ll
tell it to this journey as soon as Katie
Greenbrier returns home from her travels
in Europe it’s clear something’s not
quite right at the family household her
parents and sister are nowhere to be
seen and moving boxes populate the lobby
causing unusual home decorations in
paraphernalia to suddenly take on
unlikely significance money brought her
hair dye over today she said I need to
fix these root thank you could help
childish drawings feature the same
imaginary characters grunge music
reflects your sisters rebellious
character and even scribbles on the TV
Guide flesh out the father’s love for
conspiracy theories
despite hints towards the supernatural
every relatively ambiguous sliver of
evidence builds a tangible feeling of
domestic discontent and upheaval to
complement your spookily uninhabited
surroundings number 5 half-life 2 wake
up
the ashes you ever wondered why there
are so many strong clutching theories
circling valves classic FPS flame the
developers enticing environmental
storytelling after repelling does any an
invasion and going into a two
decade-long stasis in the first game or
debris Minh is thrust into city 17 a
post-invasion urban area controlled by
the conquering combine the dictatorial
climate is established within seconds as
abort solemnly sweeps up and guard
threatened every fearful identically
dressed worker that comes off the train
the more you talk to each downtrodden
NPC the rule you’ll learn about the Big
Brother s conditions they live under a
situation built so convincingly that as
a player you feel as though the events
would still play out even if you weren’t
there number four the Last of Us to
create such an emotionally testing game
Naughty Dog’s strives to capture the
human response to the end of the world
with unique detail in every remnant of
pre-apocalypse civilization with more
emphasis on exploration than the
challenge of completion store shelves
and other mundane elements a regular
life show you how people have endured
the infection while desperately hanging
on to small shreds of normality we’re
almost done stay focused this man while
Joel’s Redemption narrative is pretty
clear-cut the causes of the wider
epidemic are only hinted at through
nuggets of human existence you
discovered throughout a world rapidly
reclaimed by Mother Nature don’t expect
to see a single copy base native
environment in this cataclysmic version
of Earth maybe they hit a match or
something to tell us where they were
going how far are we going to take five
it needs to go number three fallout
series
sneaking done I think even before
bethesda acquired the now legendary atom
punk RPG a rich lore outside the central
narrative has been established through
an environmental storytelling that would
go to another level once the series jump
to 3d Skyrim jam-packed fantasy world
certainly gives it a run for its money
but the macabre humor that permeates
ball has varied sections of radiated
world sets it apart for us o the series
of scale makes getting to the deepest
depths of its lore nearly impossible but
every skeleton model or purposely placed
item has its own story further filling
out a retro-futuristic world already
richer than most since 1997 but
wasteland has gradually revealed its
secrets and we can’t wait to immerse
ourselves and yet another nuanced
nuclear landscape number two inside with
minimal sound and no dialogue this eerie
puzzle platformer leaves it entirely up
to level design to tell an indistinct
story that has sparked considerable
online hypothesizing we can just about
gather that some shady organization is
experimenting on the population with
mind control but other than that it’s
down to you to rationalize your
dilapidated surroundings
[Music]
the puzzles combine gameplay and
interpretive storytelling meaning you’ll
be contemplating its meaning for the
duration of your playthrough is the boy
a zombie is the whole thing a commentary
on our own mindlessness and lack of
control just if you think you’re getting
closer to an answer there’s also an
alternate ending which we’re not going
to spoil but it will provide you with a
whole new perspective before we reveal
our top pick let’s have a look at the
modern ball mentions
[Music]
[Music]
number one Dark Souls series
everything about From Software’s bizarre
grandiose series will test your limits
it’s the maddening combat doesn’t drive
you to the brink of insanity then poring
over it’s carefully considered symbolism
subtext and world building certainly
well
character interaction is minimal and
confusing the NPCs odd way of speaking a
potentially misleading sideshow to a
lure that is created through visual
design and artifacts that carry their
own personality in history there’s
little narrative value in completing the
game if you don’t reflect on the world
and what you do in it death is
everywhere if you’re not just dying
yourself the game forces you to ponder
mortality and its effects on life and
you thought it was just about slaying
extraordinary monstrosities and bragging
online
do you agree with our picks check out
these other great clips from watch mojo
and subscribe for new videos every day
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