Summary
Experiencing a self-contained, singular story can be a wonderful, unique experience. Still, there’s something about the excitement that comes with finding out there’s a continuation of your favorite series that ended on the cliffhanger of a lifetime. There are not many other feelings like that. It’s a little less exciting if it’s a spin-off or a non-canon game, but you’re excited all the same.
Playing games that have a single, continuous timeline to dive into is on another complete level. It gives you the sensation of growing older with your favorite characters, and each new entry is you seeing what they’re up to lately. So, we’ve taken a trip down the lane and come up with games that take full advantage of their world and give us long stories in return. Enjoy!
7Nier Series
Time Span: Approximately 10,000 Years
The Nier series is a story that is tangentially tied together through the ‘existence’ of humanity. WhileNier Replicanttells a tale of an attempt to save humanity in the form of your younger sibling, for better or worse, Nier: Automata is a conclusion of sorts as to what happened that one time you tried to save humanity. This is a loose interpretation, of course, but it’s better experienced than read about.
Thewhole timeline is the span of a minimum of 10,000 years, longer still if you throw in the series’ predecessor, Drakengard, which one of the endings served as the starting point for Nier. As much as it deserves to be higher on the list, there simply isn’t enough of a tangible story you can play that explores the time in between the two games.
6Kingdom Hearts Series
Time Span: 13 Years
That’s right, canonically speaking, the entire span of the Kingdom Hearts Series, all nine console games, takes place over 13 years. Though, it would be understandable if it felt more like 25 years than 13, considering how many games are spread over the myriad of systems over the years.
It makes sense that it feels a little longer than it is.You save several worlds multiple timesas Sora, with the assistance of the other temporary controllable protagonists, such as Roxas and Riku, and even get to travel between dimensions to find yourself and your friends one last time. Too many lifetimes in such little time.
5Metal Gear Series
Time Span: 50 Years
When you have a story as heavy and insightful as theMetal Gear Seriesdoes, it’s bound to be a generational tale that many would doubt at face value. It makes you question the surrounding things, to keep trying to differentiate between the truth given to you and the truth hidden from the public.
The juxtaposition of meaningful commentary on the sociopolitical landscape, and the sight of mechs, psychic soldiers, and aliteral flaming whale flying through the sky, could be overwhelming, but this generational political theater is worth experiencing at least once.
4Yakuza Series
Time Span: 34 Years And Counting
Kazuma Kiryu has spent decades fighting against the waves of violence and betrayal as he attempts to escape theYakuzalife that had raised him. It’s a bloody crawl, but one that he believes is worth enduring if he can finally be free. It’s an honor to be able to experience the highs and lows of his life, with all the quirkiness that journey invites.
One minute, you’ll be bursting through fire and flame to save an old enemy from a former friend and vice versa. The next, you’ll find yourselfhelping grown men in diapers track down the formula for uh, personal reasons. It’s a wild ride, but an unforgettable journey.
3Star Ocean Series
Time Span: 762 Years
Time and space mean so little when you’re just a tiny ship in the sea of infinity. In most of theStar Oceanseries, you and your rag-tag crew of aliens take on the latest philosophic villain as they threaten the very fabric of time and space. Nothing new, right?
Chronologically speaking, each protagonist introduces the universe to something new. The ‘first’ protagonist, Edge Maverick, is the first one to introduce spacefaring on a small scale, Roddrick from SO1 makes it widely available. Fayt Leingod, near the end of the timeline, renders it all but inconsequential with his discoveries. The way each game narratively builds up to the next one is entertaining.
2The Halo Series
Time Span: 27 Years
The cost of the Human/Covenant War was astronomical. Not only in the cost of human lives and resources, but imagine what fighting that long does to a soldier’s spirit. Even if you were as badass as a Spartan, much less Master Chief himself, it’s bound to make you weary and wish for just a moment’s rest.
After finally beating the Covenant, The Flood, and other threats, you’d think the universe would be ready for a moment’s peace. However, there’s no respite for the wicked, and Halo Infinite opens up the whole world and its newest threat to the balance of the galaxy: The Balanced. The timeline continues.
1Resident Evil Series
Say what you will about the direction of some of the later games in the series, but the lore and storytelling of all 12 games are surprisingly cohesive, for what that is worth (not everyone is a fan of the story). You could write offResident Evilas a high-quality zombie romp with good weapons, but it’s obvious to the story and lore hunters that a lot of love went into this series.
The characters are interconnected and sometimes cross over as cameos into some of the spin-off titles, like Code Veronica and Revelations, and it makes for fun moments for those who love them. Maybe sometime in the future, Sheva can make a reappearance and be properly integrated into the fight against the virus once again.
