10 Best Story-Driven Games Like Back Then

If you love story-driven games, you probably know how special Back Then feels. It’s the kind of game that sticks with you, with its deep narrative and emotional moments. But if you’re looking for more games like that, don’t worry, there are plenty of gems out there. Here’s the list of best story-driven games like Back Then. Let’s dive in, starting with number 10!

10. Gone Home

Gone Home is a story-driven exploration game. You play the role of a girl who comes back to their empty family house, but something is odd, and you have to figure out why it happened. The game’s idea is the finding of clues, which will open drawers, read letters, and examine objects to uncover the story. There are no enemies or puzzles to get solved; you can concentrate on exploration. Everything you find helps put together the lives of the people who lived there. The story gets emotional, and you learn about family and relationships. It is a kind of solving a quiet mystery, but it feels personal and real.

9. Dear Esther

Dear Esther is a super relaxing exploration game with a very deep story. You kinda just walk around and listen to this voice reading parts of a letter. The letter really digs into things like love, loss, and some mysterious goings-on. You keep uncovering new pieces of the story. There isn’t anything else to do or anyone else to take down. It is literally just you, the story, and the atmosphere of the world around you. The game focuses on the feeling created by the story. You’re exploring, listening, and then connecting the dots.

8. Kona

The game Kona is a mystery adventure where you play as a private detective, Carl Faubert. You’re hired to check out strange happenings in a small, quiet town. But when you arrive, the place feels completely deserted and weird. Something’s definitely up, and it’s your job to figure it all out. You’ll explore empty houses, gather clues, and connect the dots to solve the mystery. The game also throws in survival elements, so you’ll need to keep warm and stay healthy while digging deeper. There’s cold weather, some tough challenges, and even a bit of supernatural stuff. The mix of solving clues and surviving keeps it interesting, and each discovery pulls you closer to the truth.

7. Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture

Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture is a story-driven exploration game. It is about uncovering what happened in an empty village. The game focuses on exploring the quiet surroundings. You walk through houses, farms, and streets, finding clues to piece together the story. Strange lights guide you, and you hear voices from the past. These voices reveal fragments of events that happened before everyone vanished. You simply explore and listen to the memories left behind. Radios and phones hold important pieces of the mystery. The environment tells a lot, too, like abandoned toys and empty laundry lines. The game’s soundtrack and visuals make it feel emotional and immersive.

6. The Unfinished Swan

The Unfinished Swan is a really creative and unique adventure game. You play as a kid named Monroe who’s chasing a swan from a painting. At first, the whole place is blank and completely white. You have to throw black paint to uncover walls, paths, and objects hidden around you. It’s like revealing a secret world with every splash of paint. As you move forward, the game introduces new and fun mechanics. Each part of the game feels fresh and exciting. The story has a magical, fairytale vibe, and the visuals are super dreamy.

5. What Remains of Edith Finch

What Remains of Edith Finch is a story-driven game about a family and their strange, tragic past. You play as Edith, a young woman trying to learn about her family’s history. The game takes you through the Finch house, which is full of hidden secrets and personal stories. Each room holds a memory of a family member, and you explore their lives through short, unique stories. Each story is like its own mini-game, and every one feels different. Some are happy, some are sad, and all of them are creative. You always see things from the first-person view, which makes it feel personal. But in the end, every story shows how that family member’s life came to a close.

4. Eastshade

Eastshade is a relaxing adventure where you play the role of an artist; it’s an adventuring game where you explore and paint the places that you have visited. You’re carrying a canvas with you which you then set up to paint beautiful landscapes and scenery around you. When you can paint whatever you see, from rivers to trees, even sunsets, you just get out there, discover scenery, and capture it through art. You can take a few small quests to pick up some supplies for painting. It’s super chill; no fighting, no pressure at all. You just walk around, soak up the beauty, and paint whatever inspires you.

3. Before Your Eyes

Before Your Eyes is an emotional storytelling game. It uses a very cool unique where your real-life blinking controls the game. You’ll go through a series of memories from the character’s life. Every time you blink, the game skips forward to another moment. It’s like watching life flash by, one blink at a time. Also, the gameplay is super simple. You just sit back, take it all in, and blink when it happens. Sometimes you’ll want to keep your eyes open longer to stay in a moment, but time moves on anyway. The game focuses on deep feelings and important life moments.

2. Tacoma

Tacoma is a story-driven game about exploring a mysterious space station. You play as Amy, who is sent to find out what happened to the station’s missing crew. The game lets you rewind and watch 3D recordings of the crew’s past conversations. These recordings help you uncover secrets about their lives and what led to the strange events. You explore rooms, pick up objects, and dig through files to piece everything together. It’s all about solving the mystery step by step. The more you discover, the deeper the story pulls you in.

1. Firewatch

Wrapping up, Firewatch is a narrative-driven adventure game that feels calm yet engrossing. You play as Henry, a man who takes up a fire lookout job in an attempt to find some peace. But things turn weird pretty fast, and soon you find yourself investigating in order to solve the mystery. You’re never out of touch with Delilah, your boss, via a walkie-talkie. The talk between the two of you feels real, making the storyline personal. It’s also super simple in terms of gameplay.

So, which of these games will you play first? Or do you have a favorite we missed? Let us know on our socials here!