Android games don’t always have to be casual titles made for killing time. There are some great story-driven games available for Android devices, whether they’re mobile ports of PC and console games, or originally developed for smartphones.
In this article, we’re going to look at 10 of the best story-driven games you can play on Android today. For more great games, you can check out this collection of games from the Friv network here.
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons
Originally published for Xbox One and PS4 and later ported to mobile, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons offers a rich adventure with a compelling storyline. The game has won numerous awards for its console versions, but the Android version is no less fulfilling, as it remains the same full game with only controls being adapted to mobile.
Crashlands
A top-down RPG that focuses on exploration and crafting, Crashlands offers a survival-like game experience, but with much more emphasis on action and questing. You can choose to do missions that further the storyline, or just roam around, kill monsters, and go fishing. It’s an epic crafting game as well, somewhere between Minecraft and Forge of Empires.
Critics praised the story writing, and great use of silly, sarcastic humour in a survivalist setting.
The Wolf Among Us
The Wolf Among Us is an episodic story-driven game from Telltale Games, who is responsible for other story-driven games later on this list. It’s more of a cinematic experience, as players make dialogue choices that alter the storyline, with numerous endings to achieve, aside from the main canon ending.
There are currently 5 episodes available, and a sequel was announced in late 2019.
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is fondly remembered as one of, if not the best JRPG ever made. Originally released on the SNES console in 1995, the Android version is not just an emulated port, but a faithful remake with upgraded features for mobile gameplay.
At the time of its release, Chrono Trigger offered unique and complex JRPG mechanics, and an incredible story that at times bordered on fantastical, but was an overall rich and rewarding tale.
Final Fantasy
The Final Fantasy series is another famous JRPG series praised for its mechanics and storyline, and there are plenty of Final Fantasy games available on Android. Many of the FF games on Android are mobile ports of the console games, and you can enjoy Final Fantasy I through IX on your phone, but there are some original mobile titles such as Final Fantasy Dimensions.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
Originally released for the Xbox console in 2003, KOTOR was highly praised for its detailed story, and amount of player choices that can alter the storyline and change the character’s alignment from light to dark. The story takes place 4,000 years before the rise of the Galactic Empire.
The original story was critically acclaimed, and the game has been included on many greatest of all time game lists.
Game of Thrones
Another episodic content game from Telltale Games, Game of Thrones is similar to their other titles like The Wolf Among Us and The Walking Dead, but set in the Game of Thrones universe. The episodes of the game run concurrently to the events of the television series, but rather than putting you in one of the main Houses from the books and TV series, you play as representatives of the House Forrester, a smaller House that is affected by the events of the War of the Five Kings.
Overall, Telltale Game’s Game of Thrones offers a fantastic alternate viewpoint of the television series’ events, and with most Telltale Games, the actions and dialogue choices the player makes will ultimately affect the behaviour of other characters.
The Walking Dead
The final episodic content game by Telltale Games on our list (they just make so many of them!), this one follows the events of the comic book series, but introduces original characters to the story. There are 5 episodes available, plus an additional epilogue episode in the form of DLC.
The Walking Dead is played from a third-person perspective, as the player controls survivor Lee Everett, and works together with other survivors. Other characters’ attitudes towards the player depend on actions and dialogue choices made by the player. The writers wanted the story to feel really organic, and had written over 32 story variations based on the players actions by the 5th episode.
Her Story
A unique FMV-driven game, Her Story puts you in the shoes of a homicide investigator. Gameplay revolves around watching live-action interview videos, and piecing together clues from the dialogue. The interview videos are broken up into hundreds of smaller clips, so you’ll be tagging lots of individual videos to go back and rewatch them for more clues, or searching through transcripts.
The game won numerous awards, including Game Awards Best Performance for actress Viva Seifert.
Banner Saga
A trilogy series of beautifully artistic RPGs with a unique, interactive storyline that is altered by the player’s actions. Banner Saga was originally released for Windows and Mac, then ported over to mobile and consoles.
Each title in the trilogy has been critically acclaimed by critics, with each title winning numerous awards and accolades.
