Does Story really matter?

[LazyKirby]

Seriously, Im pretty sure if it wasn't for this games story it wouldn't be rated this high. Why does the story matter to a game that much? If this story was about Madeline just climbing the mountain for the hell of it, it would've had a 7/10 rating. not 10/10 The only thing that makes a game good (in my opinion at least) Is the game play,replay factor,fun,graphics and how polished it is (not glitchy or buggy) Things like story or characters shouldn't contribute to that. Don't get me wrong, I like good stories but they shouldnt be part of the reason as to why a game is good. Lets say a bad game that had terrible mechanics, was a glitchy mess and overall not fun would get a 6/10 rating instead of a 2/10 all because it had some killer story. Does that make any sense to you?
Edit: I already got my answer. Feel free to put any more responses or whatever

[live22morrow]

I didn't care for the story that much. Thought it was fine but a bit too on the nose at times and sometimes wish there was an auto skip cutscene option. Game is 9/10 for me based on the gameplay, and also music.

[SmallGespenst]

look at it this way: you have a cake, it's a really nice cake and it's absolutely delicious, but it's just cake, there's no icing there's no decoration it's just a block of cake. you can eat it and it's wonderful... but it doesn't quite feel right, there's no variety, it's almost boring. a video game without story is like a cake without icing, sure the gameplay can be great, and the mechanics can be perfect, but without any kind of story it's nearly impossible to get the player invested in the game, there's nothing to drive them onwards, they might end up giving up part way through because there's not really any reason to continue, they might finish the game and wonder what the point of any of that was.
If a player finishes a game and doesn't feel like they've achieved something, they won't remember the game, they won't recommend the game to friends, it'll fade into obscurity. all because the devs didn't put the effort in to make the player want to play the game.

TL:DR story does matter, it's VERY important and can make the difference between "just another hard platformer" and a game with the popularity and acclaim of Celeste.

[dripkidd]

The story was actually a negative aspect for me.

Rich bored kids doing expensive extreme sports as a way of self-discovery and self-medication is not exactly something I can empathize with. She can afford to take weeks off from her job, risking losing it, with the missed wages, the gear and equipment she needs. Go to therapy you sad little sh*t. You can afford it. That will help you. And then go and help others instead of constantly thinking about yourself. GoPro addicts, Insta-influencers, and their J o u r n e y makes my blood boil.

(The only mountain-climbing rich a**hole I can tolerate was a weird angry guy with a giant moustache and he at least wrote some pretty neat books meanwhile.)

[lizziebe]

I loved the plataform sections, and as someone who loves this kind of game, I am positive it is a great experience for anyone who also does. But it was indeed the story what made me love Celeste to pieces. It is a simple one simple indeed, kinda like a fairytale, but most of those are the greatest ones, wouldn't you agree? Those stories that stick with you for ages not only because they are good, but because their themes and morals align with your own.

On top of that, I've been struggling with depression for a long time and, even though I am doing therapy and taking my pills, it is a state of mind that is so damn hard to make sense of. And Celeste has helped me to put many thoughts of mine in perspective. It has helped me to learn how to deal with many doubts I've been having about my abilities and sense of worth; both gameplay and story provide a great metaphor on this, as you climb through really hard paths (sometimes with a personal objective on your mind, sometimes professional, and so on) and there is that voice in your head that does its best to pull you down, that makes you feel awful about yourself. because it is in your head, you can't make it shut up no matter how badly you want to achieve that goal.
What's more, sometimes just talking about it and reflecting upon these despair inducing feelings is just not enough. It wasn't for me. However, I was able to kind of project my fears and desires on Celeste and Madeline; facing your fears in a ludic way is almost a therapy in itself. I am really glad for having played it.

[SonicBoomNFA]

No

[LazyKirby]

Originally posted by awhurley:

look at it this way: you have a cake, it's a really nice cake and it's absolutely delicious, but it's just cake, there's no icing there's no decoration it's just a block of cake. you can eat it and it's wonderful... but it doesn't quite feel right, there's no variety, it's almost boring. a video game without story is like a cake without icing, sure the gameplay can be great, and the mechanics can be perfect, but without any kind of story it's nearly impossible to get the player invested in the game, there's nothing to drive them onwards, they might end up giving up part way through because there's not really any reason to continue, they might finish the game and wonder what the point of any of that was.
If a player finishes a game and doesn't feel like they've achieved something, they won't remember the game, they won't recommend the game to friends, it'll fade into obscurity. all because the devs didn't put the effort in to make the player want to play the game.

TL:DR story does matter, it's VERY important and can make the difference between "just another hard platformer" and a game with the popularity and acclaim of Celeste.

That's a good way of putting it. But i think you exaggerated a bit. Wouldn't a player still be invested in a game because the game play is fun, even if there isint any point to an adventure? If the gameplay is still fun and has replay value they would still remember it for that and even recommend it. Might just be me though

[LazyKirby]

Originally posted by ShadowHawk152:

First off, ratings should aim to be as objective as possible, but there is always a level of subjectivity. If you don't care about the story, the game won't have as much impact on you as someone who does care about it. In opinion this game rated so highly not just for the story, but the fantastic music and, most importantly, impeccable level design. This game is very challenging but never frustrating which is a very difficult balance to achieve.

Now I think story is a very important element in a lot of games, as good stories leave an impact on you. There are multiple genres of story-based games that focus ONLY on the story on not much emphasis on gameplay (not saying there isn't any gameplay, but that gameplay exists purely for the story). If we rate games by that criteria, all story based games would have very mediocre to bad scores. Thats a problem because there are some types stories/story elements that can only really be told through the medium of video games. However, if we go by your example, a game with outright terrible/glitchy mechanics would probably get worse than a 6, despite a good story.

There are games like that? Can I have an example if you dont mind

[SonicBoomNFA]

Originally posted by LazyKirby57:

Originally posted by ShadowHawk152:

There are multiple genres of story-based games that focus ONLY on the story on not much emphasis on gameplay (not saying there isn't any gameplay, but that gameplay exists purely for the story).

There are games like that? Can I have an example if you dont mind

Every Telltale game ever.

[LazyKirby]

Originally posted by lizziebe:

I loved the plataform sections, and as someone who loves this kind of game, I am positive it is a great experience for anyone who also does. But it was indeed the story what made me love Celeste to pieces. It is a simple one simple indeed, kinda like a fairytale, but most of those are the greatest ones, wouldn't you agree? Those stories that stick with you for ages not only because they are good, but because their themes and morals align with your own. On top of that, I've been struggling with depression for a long time and, even though I am doing therapy and taking my pills, it is a state of mind that is so damn hard to make sense of. And Celeste has helped me to put many thoughts of mine in perspective. It has helped me to learn how to deal with many doubts I've been having about my abilities and sense of worth; both gameplay and story provide a great metaphor on this, as you climb through really hard paths (sometimes with a persona objective on your mind, sometimes professional, and so on) and there is that voice in your head that does its best to pull you down, that makes you feel awful about yourself, and because it is in your head, you can't make it shut up no matter how badly you want to achieve that goal. What's more, sometimes just talking and reflecting upon these despair inducing feelings is just not enough. It wasn't for me. However, I was able to kind of project my fears and desires on Celeste and Madeline; facing your fears in a ludic way is almost a therapy in itself. I am really glad for having played it.

Sorry to hear that you have been going through depression:( Hopefully you get better soon. But the problem with your response is that the story only connected with you (and possibly other people with depression).Other people might not have that connection that you have. Also I said I liked good stories and I agree, but it shouldn't be a reason why a game is good. Its fine if a story can connect with you in someways but in the end a story shouldn't be included in the main review as to why a game is good.

[LazyKirby]

Originally posted by SonicBoomNFA:

No

best comment ive seen on this chain

[SonicBoomNFA]

Originally posted by LazyKirby57:

Originally posted by SonicBoomNFA:

No

best comment ive seen on this chain

Lol. But seriously, the story does serve to drive positive emotions and give some charm to the game, and it is integrated pretty directly into some parts of the game, but the gameplay itself is the main attraction.

[n a z a]

es muy bueno el juego! yo recién lo empece!

[lizziebe]

Originally posted by LazyKirby57:

Sorry to hear that you have been going through depression:( Hopefully you get better soon. But the problem with your response is that the story only connected with you (and possibly other people with depression).Other people might not have that connection that you have. Also I said I liked good stories and I agree, but it shouldn't be a reason why a game is good. Its fine if a story can connect with you in someways but in the end a story shouldn't be included in the main review as to why a game is good.

thanks!
but with my response, I didn't mean to say I only liked the game because of the story. I love plataform games, it is one of my favorite genres, and I would have loved Celeste even if it was pure gameplay like the original version. the story and the connection I had with it was what made it become really special. the story does matter; I didn't mean to say I only liked because of it though.

ultimately, I agree with awhurley and the comparison with cakes. Celeste is a great game, and I would recommend it for anyone who likes plataforms, story or no story. because it has a good story, however, I would recommend it for even more people, those I know love good stories in games.

I also do believe astory should be included as a reason for the quality of a game! why shouldn't it, if most games are played to experience a character's narrative? if not, books and movies would have been just enough. of course it is not the ONLY reason, as there are games with good story and bad gameplay (see Telltale's TWD S1). but if it is an intrinsic part of the work, it should be counted as such on the account about its qualities. it is like I said above, Celeste is great on its own gameplay, but it is made even better and memorable because of the story (if you like it, of course, this part ultimately depends purely on taste).

[mango]

If it’s a David cage game

[LazyKirby]

Originally posted by lizziebe:

Originally posted by LazyKirby57:

Sorry to hear that you have been going through depression:( Hopefully you get better soon. But the problem with your response is that the story only connected with you (and possibly other people with depression).Other people might not have that connection that you have. Also I said I liked good stories and I agree, but it shouldn't be a reason why a game is good. Its fine if a story can connect with you in someways but in the end a story shouldn't be included in the main review as to why a game is good.

thanks!
but with my response, I didn't mean to say I only liked the game because of the story. I love plataform games, it is one of my favorite genres, and I would have loved Celeste even if it was pure gameplay like the original version. the story and the connection I had with it was what made it become really special. the story does matter; I didn't mean to say I only liked because of it though.

I also do believe astory should be included as a reason for the quality of a game! why shouldn't it, if most games are played to experience a character's narrative? if not, books and movies would have been just enough. of course it is not the ONLY reason, as there are games with good story and bad gameplay (see Telltale's TWD S1). but if it is an intrinsic part of the work, it should be counted as such on the account about its qualities. it is like I said above, Celeste is great on its own gameplay, but it is made even better and memorable because of the story (if you like it, of course, this part ultimately depends purely on taste).

Wow. This along with the other two answered my question. If stories can do that much to enhance the gaming experience then it should be a reason as to why a game is good! (also I've never played any games like your examples other than Celeste, so I never understood as to why people always included it into game reviews. The main reason I made this post is because I saw a childhood game of mine lowly rated due to a bland story, and since I never played any games with stories until now I got confused) Thanks,and good luck battling depression!