The 2022 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Narrative-Driven Game
Best Narrative-Driven Game is a new award for the Golden Issues in 2022. In previous years, this category simply acknowledged the best single-player game of the year, which proved to be a bit too broad when comparing titles against one another. Instead, we wanted to now place an emphasis on single-player games that contain excellent writing, performances, world-building, and everything else that comes with crafting a compelling storyline.
Over the past decade or so, technology has advanced to a point where video games are now able to tell stories that are arguably more engaging than what is seen in TV in film. While games on their own have always been more captivating given that they rely on player input to progress, a number of developers from around the globe have been able to continually show just how powerful stories can be when told in this manner. 2022 proved to be no different on this front as it featured some of the most unique and interesting narratives that we have seen in years that came from studios both big and small.
With all of that being said, the winner of the 2022 ComicBook.com Golden Issue Award for Best Narrative-Driven Game is...
Despite a contentious slate of nominees, no other game in 2022 showed what the video game medium is capable of on a storytelling front like God of War Ragnarok. In some ways, it's expected that Ragnarok would again be a high point for narratives in video games as its predecessor, 2018's God of War, won numerous accolades for its own writing and story. Still, for Santa Monica Studio to have shown with Ragnarok that God of War was by no means an outlier and is instead a high bar that the developer can consistently reach is greatly impressive.
Not only does God of War Ragnarok captivate players from start to finish with its intricate plot, but it also contains some of the best performances that have likely ever been seen in any game. Christopher Judge's role as Kratos continues to be phenomenal, while Sunny Suljic continues to come into his own even more as Atreus. Newcomers to Ragnarok with Ryan Hurst and Richard Schiff, who play Thor and Odin respectively, add more depth and variety to Ragnarok while also portraying completely unique versions of characters that many fans were already likely familiar with. From top to bottom, God of War Ragnarok contains one of the most varied and impressive casts ever assembled for a game.
On virtually every front, God of War Ragnarok is a masterclass in storytelling. Even if the plot itself takes some twists and turns that may have divided fans, it's hard to say that Santa Monica Studio hasn't once again shown that it's among the best developers in the world when it comes to crafting stories that push the gaming medium forward.
Congrats to Santa Monica Studio and PlayStation for the win!
The full list of nominees for Best Narrative-Driven Game included the following:
- A Plague Tale: Requiem
- God of War Ragnarok -- WINNER
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Stray
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3