Best Story of 2015

Some gamers want amazing graphics and others want cutting edge sound. Some of us just want to run around, murdering every evil demon in sight with a chainsaw while screaming “Hail to the king”. In times where irreverent fun is the name of the game, we can appreciate titles which throw story and narrative to the wind. However, there’s something within us that just likes to go on an adventure, unsure of the outcome and whether the world will be better for our actions. Sometimes we want to encounter a strange band of characters, run hither and thither with them and have a fun time.

There may be mysteries afoot, both unorthodox and foul, and we can’t resist wanting to learn more. Maybe the ending will leave us polarized as a result? Who knows. You don’t always need a story to push you forward in a video game. However, the nominees for the best story/narrative in 2015 more than encouraged us to take a few steps outside of our comfort zones.

Nominees:

• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
• Undertale
• SOMA
• Tales From the Borderlands
• Life is Strange
• Her Story

Winner: The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt

CD Projekt RED’s masterful open world action RPG had it all – drama, intrigue, love, loss and of course, heart. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt saw Geralt of Rivia embarking on a quest to save his adopted daughter Ciri from the clutches of the Wild Hunt. In this beautiful, bold world we learned about Geralt’s profession, his various relationships to the women he loved, his bonds to the only family he held dear and of course, the ties that bound him to his daughter. For its part, The Witcher 3 also did an excellent job with presenting an alternate protagonist in Ciri that we could care about and get behind. Whatever reason you may find to like The Witcher 3’s story, whether you’ve read the novels or not, you’ll come away from a once in a lifetime experience populated by unforgettable characters. The battle of good versus evil will live forever but it’s the tale of love and the places we find it which will stay with us.

Note: GamingBolt’s Game of the Year categories, nominations and awards are selected via an internal nomination, voting and debate process. You can check the rest of categories and the respective winners here.