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 atThe Game Awards, namelyFinal Fantasy 7 RebirthandMetaphor Refantazio.
The Best Narrative nominees includeFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirth, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2, andSilent Hill 2. Each game has an obviously strong story behind it, whether that’s the classic story inFF7(with a minor twist), the emotional story of Kiryu and Ichiban inLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, or the idealistic nature ofMetaphor’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, orMetaphor: ReFantaziois the likeliest to win. That’s nothing againstHellblade 2orSilent Hill 2of 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.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth vs. Metaphor: ReFantazio vs. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Narrowing it beyond that is a crapshoot, but the likeliest winner feels likeMetaphor: 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’sMetaphor: ReFantazio. Technically speaking,Astro BotandFinal Fantasy 7 Rebirthhave one more nomination (at 7) thanMetaphor(at 6), but while they each appear in multiple categories, Best Narrative feels more likely to go toMetaphor. Regardless, fans can expectFF7 RebirthandMetaphorto pick up multiple wins easily (andAstro Botas well, though that’s neither here nor there right now).
That said, if there is a possible “dark horse” here,Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthis an excellent game deserving of the win too. WhereFF7 Rebirthtells a classic, though familiar story andMetaphorintroduces, fleshes out, and expands upon a beautiful, engrossing world,Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealthtakes from the best of both worlds. It fleshes out Kiryu, Ichibian, and Hawaii’s story much likeMetaphordoes it world, and it’s familiar in the way thatFF7 Rebirthis while telling a new story. Of course, some findLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s storyto be a bit “much” and overly complex with too many twists, whereasFF7 RebirthandMetaphorare 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, andLike 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 onMetaphor: ReFantazio. Its win here would be well-deserved, but for now, fans have to wait and see what happens on December 12.
