Finishing a Game and then Sadness...
Ever finish a video game and be sad that it's over? Ever finish a video game and be sad there's no more story?
Last year I finally got around to playing the game Horizon Zero Dawn on the PS5. I had heard good things about it and was not disappointed. I spent well over 30 hours playing it and it was a lot of fun. It also had a fantastic story to go along with it.
The great story is what led me to start playing its sequel, Horizon Forbidden West. I spent even more time in this one, enjoying the gameplay, and again, the story. I enjoyed it so much, that I bought the Burning Shores expansion and played through that as well.
After completing Burning Shores...I was done...I was all caught up in the story with nothing more to do. Not to spoil things, but it did set the game up for another sequel, but that hasn't even been announced.
It made me sad. I enjoyed the game and got invested in the story and the characters, and now I have to wait for a sequel to see how the characters and story progresses.
I don't necessarily feel this way about every game, but the two games for me that really stand out to me for wanting more of are Halo and Horizon. I've enjoyed the story (Halo 5's misses aside) of both games, and it's just a bummer that I have to wait to see where things go.
This is also not to say that the games that don't do this are subpar or bad or anything. Some games give me this feeling, while others do a good job telling a story, wrapping it up, and leaving me glad I played the game.
It got me thinking though about how games have in many ways caught up to books, TV shows and movies with their storytelling. The stories now have depth and can be quite intricate. Some of them, like Horizon leave you wanting more. You want to know what happens to characters, what does the world do about this or that, and so much more.
Am I alone in this? Are there other games where the story has sucked you in, only for it to end with you wishing there was more? If so, what games?
For those gamers out there, I would highly recommend the Horizon Series. Both games are available on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, & PC (well, Forbidden West comes out in March 2024 on PC...so soon...will give you plenty of time in Zero Dawn).