Pick a Genre, Get a Video Game Recommendation
By: Ysabel Sarinas
Edited by: Caelin Sullivan
As someone who loves storytelling in many forms, one of the best parts of these past few years has been getting to discover just how much I enjoy narrative-heavy video games. Whether you’re a reader who’s looking to get into story-driven games, or just looking for recommendations on what to play next, try these picks based on book genres (both general and hyperspecific) that you already gravitate towards.
Fantasy: Baldur’s Gate 3
It feels right to start with the video game that got me into proper gaming. If you are a fan of fantasy novels, then fantasy RPGs (roleplaying games) are going to be your best friend, and this one is one of the best on the market. This game follows you, as a character of your own creation, escaping a kidnapping and dealing with the consequences—meeting compelling companions and making significant choices along the way. This game’s world and mechanics are heavily lifted from Dungeons and Dragons (though no prior knowledge or experience is required to get into it), so you get to be as magical, mighty, or manipulative as you want (or some blend of the three). But most importantly, this is a choice-based game, so many of the decisions you make in your journey may come back to help or haunt you. You could even romance vampires, tieflings, and a bear shifter (if you play your cards right). There are an astounding number of ways to make the story experience unique to you. This game is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Mac.
Cozy Fantasy: Fields of Mistria
If you’re looking for something a little less “battle and blood” and more “magic and whimsy,” this is a farming sim that takes the pace of slice-of-life, but brings it into a fantasy, magical-girl-type setting. Think casting spells to water your farm, or infusing magic into your crops. The art style of this game is adorable (reminiscent of a 90s Sailor Moon) and the characters you get to interact with around town are all really fun and charming. While technically fully playable on Steam, this game’s still in early access, so updates are still being made to it every so often, but overall it’s a really relaxing, visually pleasing, and chill casual game. This game is available on PC and Steam Deck.
Superhero Action: Dispatch
If you took equal parts Invincible and The Office, you would get the superhero office comedy that is Dispatch. You play as Robert Robertson III (also known as Mecha Man) after his Iron Man-esque suit gets damaged to the point of disrepair. Getting the suit and your “powers” back means working as a superhero dispatcher for a team of newly (and maybe not fully) reformed villains. Part choice-based visual novel and part dispatch simulator, this was a really enjoyable story about redemption, found family and exploring what it means to be a hero. The distinct cast of characters is super entertaining to interact with. The dialogue is hilarious and I could genuinely play the dispatch simulator portion of the game for days. It also has one of the most replayable soundtracks I’ve listened to in a while. This game is available on PC, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch.
Southern Gothic: South of Midnight
Full of folklore, mythology, and some of the absolute best music I’ve ever heard in a video game, South of Midnight centers a young woman named Hazel who unlocks magical powers as disaster strikes her town, causing her to go on a journey throughout the Deep South—fighting creatures, mending supernatural traumas, and learning more about her family’s history. This game has such impactful storytelling and beautiful worldbuilding, weaving a fable of its own that feels both rooted in reality yet perfectly paranormal. I really believe that this game is underrated and deserves its due, so I highly recommend it if you’re interested in what you’ve heard so far! This game is available on Xbox and PC.
Sci-Fi: Mass Effect
Do you want a game series that not only makes you feel like a galactic space hero, but THE galactic space hero? Do you want a series where choices you make in the first hour of Game One have the potential to impact all the way to the last hour of Game Three? Or do you just want to romance hot aliens? If you said yes to any of the above, Mass Effect is the answer. You play as Commander Shepard (a customizable character), a space operative who gets caught up in an intergalactic power grab and has to save the world galaxy. Getting to spend three games playing as the same character and developing the same reputation and relationships across games was one of the most rewarding gaming experiences I’ve had in a while. I love a found family, and the companions and crew of the Normandy (your character’s ship) give this game a much richer and fulfilling experience. The story alone makes it worth putting up with an older game that features a good amount of shooting combat, I promise. This game is available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Cozy Sci-Fi: Citizen Sleeper
If shooter combat is not your thing, and you still want a really well-done sci-fi story, Citizen Sleeper is a hidden gem. You play as a “sleeper,” or a human consciousness inside of a synthetic body, escaping your existence as a laborer and trying to start a life of your own by sneaking onto a space station. It’s very slice-of-life—you can make friends, cook food, and find work. You can even make decisions to push back against the systems that made you, in both big and small ways. The mechanics for this game involve choices and dice checks but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier to navigate. Overall if you are in need of a well-written, hopeful story about life blooming in spite of capitalism and industry, this game is worth checking out. Citizen Sleeper is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
Romance: Date Everything
When it comes to romance recs, I have dating sims a dozen, but this recent release is perfect if you like to read a wildcard (possibly sentient object?) romance now and then. You play as a recent shut-in who receives a mysterious pair of glasses that turns all of their household furniture into people and you spend the game dating, hating, or befriending all 100+ characters. It’s super satisfying getting to discover all the hidden characters throughout the house and unlocking new storylines. This game had me blushing over a BREAKER BOX and getting ragebaited by my dishwasher. Bonus fun if you’re the type of person who likes to google voice actors, because this cast is stacked with voices you might recognize from anime, other video games like Baldur’s Gate 3, and TV. Overall, Date Everything is a short, silly, ride to match the wildest of romance novellas. This game is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
Horrormance: Slay the Princess
What seems like a simple visual novel about someone tasked with slaying a princess turns into a much more complicated, layered story. Slay the Princess has one of the most intricate plots I have seen in a game—and if I had the chance to experience it all for the first time again, I would take it in a heartbeat. I know I’m recommending this in a very vague way, but I’m afraid that if I say too much it will give the best parts of the plot away, so I recommend checking it out for yourself, preferably knowing as little as possible. This game is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
Thriller: Killer Frequency
For the folks that love true crime or grew up loving Nancy Drew, Killer Frequency may be the game for you. Set in the 80’s, you play as a small-town late-night radio host who has to cover for the town’s 911 operator while a serial killer haunts the town,helping civilians navigate danger, piecing together the slasher’s identity, and spinning tunes in between. While not the scariest or goriest of games, you get an almost Scooby-Doo sense of spookiness as you try to solve puzzles to help callers get out of some sticky situations. The overarching mystery was really fun to unravel as the game unfolded, and a lot of the music really had me feeling immersed into the time period. This game is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
The best part is that even if this roundup did not have the game for you, it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist—it may still be out there! Bonus points if you can support a local game store (because we LOVE indie). But if you did find something you want to try from this variety, good luck and have fun!