The Game Awards, hosted by Geoff Keighley, will be taking place on December 12. The biggest award coming out of the showcase is, of course, the coveted Game of the Year, but it’s far from the only worthwhile award there. Some may consider the Best Narrative category to be one of the most important because, while gameplay is more than enough to carry a game, an enthralling story goes a long way too. This is self-evident in the two games that were nominated for both Best Narrative and Game of The Year at The Game Awards, namely Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Metaphor Refantazio.
The Best Narrative nominees include Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, and Silent Hill 2. Each game has an obviously strong story behind it, whether that’s the classic story in FF7 (with a minor twist), the emotional story of Kiryu and Ichiban in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, or the idealistic nature of Metaphor‘s hopeful story. Narrowing this category down is hard, but it seems safe to say that, out of these five, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, or Metaphor: ReFantazio is the likeliest to win. That’s nothing against Hellblade 2 or Silent Hill 2 of course, as both are exceptional experiences in their own right, but looking at the overall narrative direction and reception (as seen below), it’s clear that these two lag a little behind.
OpenCritic Reviews of Best Narrative Nominees
- Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Metaphor: ReFantanzio
- Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2
- Silent Hill 2
Narrowing it beyond that is a crapshoot, but the likeliest winner feels like Metaphor: ReFantazio. It’s not uncommon for a game or two to sweep up multiple awards at The Game Awards, and if there is a game capable of doing that this year, it’s Metaphor: ReFantazio. Technically speaking, Astro Bot and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth have one more nomination (at 7) than Metaphor (at 6), but while they each appear in multiple categories, Best Narrative feels more likely to go to Metaphor. Regardless, fans can expect FF7 Rebirth and Metaphor to pick up multiple wins easily (and Astro Bot as well, though that’s neither here nor there right now).
That said, if there is a possible “dark horse” here, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is an excellent game deserving of the win too. Where FF7 Rebirth tells a classic, though familiar story and Metaphor introduces, fleshes out, and expands upon a beautiful, engrossing world, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth takes from the best of both worlds. It fleshes out Kiryu, Ichibian, and Hawaii’s story much like Metaphor does it world, and it’s familiar in the way that FF7 Rebirth is while telling a new story. Of course, some find Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth‘s story to be a bit “much” and overly complex with too many twists, whereas FF7 Rebirth and Metaphor are much less divisive in this regard. Division can be good sometimes, though, because it shows how strongly people can feel over something.
Either way, FF7 Rebirth, Metaphor, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (if to a lesser degree) lead the pack, and if I were a betting man, I’d be going all in on Metaphor: ReFantazio. Its win here would be well-deserved, but for now, fans have to wait and see what happens on December 12.