Cutscenes fulfill many roles in gamin, they create suspense, show off action or even create a cinematography-type experience making players feel as if they are experiencing a film instead of playing a game. However, another great thing about cutscenes is how theyassist a title in telling its story.
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Countless genres rely on its cutscenes to explain past events in-game as well as help to move on the story as the players witness a substantial event that they may need to solve or escape from. Although many games have used cutscenes only a few have used them to help in making great storytelling.
10Dragon Age Inquisition – Meeting Corypheus
Dragon Age Inquisitionblends its cutscenes into the dialogue as the player progresses through the story. In many of the cutscenes that gamers will experience they will still get to have control of their character’s dialogue options.
Dragon Ageis rich with story so many cutscenes have great storytelling, but one is by far the best, and it isn’t the scene where the whole camp bursts out into song. Meeting Corypheus for the first time is a suspenseful moment, as is witnessing his troops march over the snowy hills with the opposite party the player didn’t save and therefore revealing the real story.
9Dishonored – Wrapping Up The Story
Dishonoreddoesn’t actually have many cutscenes and many that are inside the game are only brief moments of dialogue before the player is thrown back intoits grim world. By far the best storytelling cutscenes appear at the end of the game once players have completed the main story.
Depending on how the player approached various situations in the game, the ending will be different. This also alters the final cutscene forDishonoredwhere the camera pans through freeze frames of the events in the future with the Outsider narrating and explaining what story came after.
8Silent Hill – A Great Story Through Great Cutscenes
Known notoriously by players as being one of the greatest horror games available to play with an intriguing story to go along with it.Silent Hilldidn’t only make its success through its scares but also its interesting cutscenes that tell its dramatic story.
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Although it faces the graphics of 1999 this doesn’t stopSilent Hillfrom using cutscenes to introduce its monsters as well as present the main character’s struggle in the fog as he searches for his daughter. Going deeper into the game reveals more of its story in these eerie scenes.
7Call Of Duty Black Ops 4 Zombies – Easter Egg Ending
Fans of the zombie game modes onCall of Dutywill recall that there is actually a deeper story in play across the variety of maps. By far one of the most intriguing cutscenes that play out is during theTag Der TotenDLC map where players can unlock its Easter Egg ending.
It’s quite an emotional scene for those that have been playingZombiesover the years as it concludes the story of some fan-favorite characters who have been on the search for a way to finally stopthe zombie virus.
6Horizon: Zero Dawn – The Outcast
Starting a new franchise can be difficult especially when it is showcasing an all-new story that has not been done before.Horizon: Zero Dawndoes this beautifully as it introduces the main protagonist Aloy as a baby through a cinematic cutscene.
It introduces the player to not only the world they will be exploring as the fatherly figure Rost explains how they survive, but also how Aloy herself is seen as a bad omen of the Nora tribe. This five-minute scene already helps players understand the story being told.
5The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild – Flashbacks
Breath of the Wildis quite an open tale, players are free to explore wherever they wish with hardly anything stopping them as well as a few cutscenes to explain what is really happening. As Link is arguablya silent protagonisthe doesn’t explain what is happening either.
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While exploring the world of Hyrule players can stumble upon Link’s forgotten memories that will send the player into a flashback cutscene revealing things from the adventurers long gone past while urging the player to continue the main story.
4The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion – Lore Of The Land
Anothergreat opening cutsceneplays when starting a new game inOblivion.The Elder Scrollsfranchise is filled with interesting lore and this cutscene introduces only a small fraction of it. The game starts by introducing the current Emperor who warns that there is a danger on the horizon.
It gives not only the first glimpse of the story of the game through the gates of Oblivion that the emperor demands to be sealed shut, but also a sneak peek at the world of Cyrodill. The home of the Imperials and the world players will be adventuring in.
3Borderlands 2 – So You Want To Hear Another Story
Starting out strong players are already privy to the events of the previous game as well as what’s to come due to the great starting cutscene ofBorderlands 2. The memorable line from Marcus who asks the player if they want to hear another story that then leads into the drawn cutscenes revealing its tale helps those that may have never played the first game.
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This then transforms into the actual cutscene of the game that introducesthe different charactersgamers can play such as Zero or Maya and many more as they search the train for Handsome Jack.
Red Dead Redemption 2is praised by many players for its in-depth and thoughtful story that explores the life and downfall of the character Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang. Throughout the adventure, players will interact with people from Arthur’s past as well as introduce him to new friends that expand or elaborate on his tale.
However, by far the most emotionally charged scene with by far the greatest storytelling is near the end of Arthur’s chapter. Without giving any spoilers putting the lid on Arthur’s adventure after experiencing so much with him makes for a great storytelling experience.
1The Last Of Us – How It Begins
With not only a remaster but also a remake, the beginning ofThe Last of Usstill hits home for many players. The opening cutscene reveals the beginning of thezombie apocalypseas they escape the city and reveals how the world players with be exploring began.
Not only this but the opening also reveals why the main protagonist Joel is the way he is, through the emotional scene at the beginning which may already have players in tears. This sets players up for the harsh story they will become a part of.
