5 Story-Driven Games Like Tales from the Borderlands

Not in the mood for a movie? Looking for something a little more engaging? Then you've come to the right place. Story-driven games are like a movie or TV show's playable counterpart. And if you got a taste of that with Tales from the Borderlands, you surely don't want to skip out on any of the story-driven games like it, in this list. With all the games compiled from the same developer, Telltale Games, as Tales from the Borderlands, you can rest assured these games are entirely driven by narrative.

What goes hand in hand with story-driven games is the multiple storylines that are influenced through decision-based dialogue and gameplay. Just like in Tales from the Borderlands, all of these games come with alternative endings that are solely influenced by the player's decisions. Your choices matter and the consequences of your decisions will tear at your heartstrings in all these titles. So grab you're popcorn, because it's time we look at the five story-driven games like Tales from the Borderlands.

5. Minecraft: Story Mode

When Minecraft first came out in 2011, it captivated us all with its limitless potential for creation and exploration. Beyond that, players were expanding the capabilities of the game by releasing their own story-driven adventures on Youtube. It was only a matter of time before Mojang teamed up with Telltale Games to give Minecraft its own official story-driven adventure in 2015, with the Minecraft: Story Mode. The story mode is more of a family-friendly Telltale, however, it's nothing short of amusing with it's loveable characters and witty punchlines.

You play as Jessie, but you're accompanied by your pals Axel, Olivia, Lukas, and your adorable pet pig Reuben; the star of the show. The game starts off slowly while it develops the story, but it picks up speed as you compete in the yearly build festival, which turns sour. Since the games made by the same developers – Telltale Games – as Tales from the Borderlands, you have the same elements of fast-paced and consequential point-and-click gameplay. The story isn't as in-depth as the other titles in this list and for that reason, it takes the fifth spot. Regardless, it's still a fun light-hearted story-driven title that most gamers will get a laugh from.

4. Tales of Monkey Island

One of the oldest standing story-driven games is the Monkey Island series. It was originally released back in 1990, and the first four installments were developed by no other than Lucasarts games. Who knew they once had a video game sub-division? Then in 2009, Telltale Games stepped in to play to take over the fifth title, Tales of Monkey Island. This was around the time when Telltale Games was demonstrating the potential of story-driven games, and with Tales of Monkey Island, they created a refreshing experience that drew many fans back to the series.

You play as Guybrush Threepwood, a quirky and unlikely hero. Without giving too much away, you're dealing with the main antagonist LeChuck once again, but this time he's in human form, and you're not sure if you can trust him. Under the game's cartoon art style and friendly characters, Tales of Monkey Island made a huge comeback with its story. It's the progression of this story that has fans hyped for the new game. Return to Monkey Island, which doesn't have an official date yet, but is marked for a 2022 release.

3. Batman: The Telltale Series

When you have a dark gothic city, like Gotham in a Telltale game, it's hard not to develop an immersive atmosphere. On top of that, the incorporation of a “Hero's Journey” storyline, makes it all the more investing. That's exactly what Telltale Games delivered with Batman: The Telltale series. Playing as both Batman and Bruce Wayne, Telltale Games gave a great mix of combining Batman's alternative personalities into one full-circle story.

In typical tell-tale fashion, Batman: The Telltale Series, defines its stories through player decisions. Which in this case is perfect, because one play-through of this game isn't enough. Batman's story is already very immersive and the alternative storylines just are begging to be played to their full extent. This story-driven game really is a hidden gem and delivers on all fronts as Tales from the Borderlands does.

2. The Wolf Among Us

Right in the heart of story-driven games, is The Wolf Among Us. Unlike, the fifth and fourth games in this list, The Wolf Among Us is developed for a more mature audience, with a rather grim and gritty storyline. Based on the Fables comic series, The game brings fairytales to life, with the incorporation of murder mystery. What do I mean? Well, you play as Bigby Wolf the sheriff of Fabletown, who's tasked with looking into a series of murders.

However, the more grim fairytale aspect comes into play as Bigby Wolf, as the name suggests is also a werewolf. However, becoming the big bad wolf comes down to the player's decisions across the storyline. Which never falls short. From start to finish, the game strings its intense narrative across all five episodes. Amongst all story-driven games produced by Telltale Games, The Wolf Among Us is lauded for delivering a great story in all five episodes.

1. The Walking Dead

The ultimate goal of story-driven games is to deliver an impactful and telling story. And, of all the great story-driven games out there, The Walking Dead has elicited the most visceral feelings from its players. That's because of the timely in-game decisions that need to be made come with an unbearable weight to them. You can't help but feel conflicted, and you don't want to make a choice because of how important it is to you and the other characters.

As soon after the first episode, you can't help but feel drawn into the story and its characters. The game show's the true power of story-driven games and is undoubtedly Telltale Game's best. If you enjoyed Tales from the Borderlands then buckle in, because The Walking Dead is our number one pick for the best story-driven games like Tales from the Borderlands.

Do you agree with our list? What other story-driven games like Tales from the Borderlands do you feel should be included? Let us know in the comments below or over on our socials here!

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