Best Don’t Nod Games
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Highlights
- Don’t Nod has proven that they are a versatile game developer, creating games ranging from episodic narratives to supernatural RPGs.
- While some of Don’t Nod’s games have received mixed reviews, they have cemented themselves as a developer with a future in the gaming industry.
- The Early Access game Jusant shows Don’t Nod taking a different approach with vibrant visuals and a focus on climbing mechanics, promising a fresh and smooth gameplay experience.
French video game developer Don’t Nod burst onto the video game scene with its 2015 effort Life is Strange to critical and commercial acclaim. Although Life is Strange spawned a series of games, the IP is far from the only one that Don’t Nod has been involved in creating.
From episodic narrative stories with the player in the driving seat to supernatural action-adventure RPGs, Don’t Nod has proven that the game that makes a developer need not be the game that defines them. As is standard across the industry, the developer’s journey has not always been smooth sailing but Don’t Nod has cemented itself as a video game developer that has a place in the gaming sphere well into the future, despite some of its games being received less favorably than others.
9 Twin Mirror
Don’t Nod released the detective game Twin Mirror in 2020, which placed in the shoes of investigative journalist Sam Higgs, players are tasked with returning to their hometown to understand the death of a close friend better. The game heavily relies on the player finding the right clues and talking to the right NPCs, with Sam having the ability to enter his “mind palace” to examine found evidence.
Despite the interesting premise and pleasing visual design, Twin Mirror fell flat upon its release, with many critics pointing negatively to the protagonist’s personality and the main gameplay mechanic. Another criticism focused on the game’s short length, this being due to the game being designed for episodic release but ultimately hitting consoles as an unbroken experience.
8 Remember Me
It took Don’t Nod five years to create its debut game Remember Me, an action-adventure game that casts the player as the amnesiac Nilin who fights a totalitarian company that controls memories. As Nilin, players can fight enemies using a choose-your-own combo system and change memories using Nilin’s Memory Remix ability.
As a debut game, Remember Me was a valiant effort on Don’t Nod’s part, being both ambitious and intriguing. Indeed, aspects such as the characterization of Nilin, the game’s soundtrack, and the world-building were critically lauded. In the end, however, a multitude of mixed responses led to Remember Me falling into obscurity, with the irony of this far from being lost on video game journalists to this day.
7 Vampyr
A doctor-turned-vampire struggles with the duality of saving lives and his newfound bloodlust in a gothic 1918 London. If this sounds up one’s street, then 2018’s Vampyr is the perfect experience. Chronologically the first team-up of Don’t Nod and publisher Focus Home Interactive, Vampyr is a supernatural action game with elements of RPG.
Regarding reception, Vampyr was met with a mixed response. One of its greatest strengths was its inclusion and interweaving of player choices that have a lasting impact on the game’s narrative. All in all, Vampyr is a game with brilliant ideas that fell slightly short of delivering on them from a gameplay perspective.
6 Harmony: The Fall Of Reverie
Released in June 2023, Harmony: The Fall of Reverie casts the player as Polly, who has returned to her hometown to explore her mother’s mysterious disappearance. A narrative experience, Don’t Nod leaned more heavily than ever into the decision-making mechanics they have become known for.
The game mixes a beautiful art and animation style with an intuitive decision-making system that allows players to peek into the future to see where their decisions will lead. Harmony: The Fall of Reverie is a visual treat that engrosses players in its world and creates investment in the stakes of decisions they make.
5 Life Is Strange 2
After the success of the first game and prequel Life is Strange: Before the Storm, Don’t Nod released the mainline sequel Life is Strange 2 episodically through 2018 and 2019. Keeping the leafy American Mid-West aesthetics, supernatural elements, and decision-making gameplay of those before it, Life is Strange 2 tells the story of brothers Sean and Daniel as they flee interstate from the authorities due to an incident involving Daniel’s telekinetic abilities.
Apart from a shaky release on PC, the game was met with positive reviews across all platforms. Critics and fans praised the narrative and the relationship between the two sibling protagonists. At its heart, Life is Strange 2 tells an intimate story of one brother’s attempt at providing his younger sibling with guidance and parenthood. Along with spatterings of relevant political themes, the game more than earns its place with the other games of the Life is Strange franchise.
4 Jusant
Taking a more vibrant approach to the “lone wanderer explores a ruined civilization” type of game, Jusant looks to be a step in a different direction for Don’t Nod. Unlike many triple-A adventure games, the climbing mechanics come to the forefront here, with a large part of the gameplay seeing players climb an impossibly large tower to discover the remains of a lost civilization.
Slated to be released at the end of October 2023, Jusant has already received positive feedback from those who have had early access to the game. A much-needed breath of fresh air from Don’t Nod, this explorative platformer looks stunning and seems intent on giving players a smooth gameplay experience.
3 Tell Me Why
Always one to keep consistency, Don’t Nod has carved out a niche in giving players autonomy in making choices that affect the narrative. Released in 2020, Tell Me Why sees telepathic twins Tyler and Alyson investigating the death of their mother after ten years apart.
With the bulk of gameplay tasking players with experiencing memories from both protagonists’ perspectives, Tell Me Why gives players more of the narrative-driven, decision-making gameplay that Don’t Nod has proven its expertise in. Adding that to complex protagonists and an engaging setting leaves Tell Me Why as a brilliant narrative experience.
2 The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit
The fact that 2018’s The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit was created solely as a teaser for the then-upcoming Life is Strange 2 and yet still is bursting with charm and intrigue just goes to show the amount of love and care that it is made with. Following young boy Chris Eriksen and his creation of superhero alter-ego Captain Spirit after the death of his mother, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is an intimate and heartfelt portrayal of grief and childhood.
Packaged as a teaser for Life is Strange 2, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit far outgrows this title, telling an intricate and charming tale of one boy’s attempt to rebuild his family after tragedy. In its very essence, the game is an absolute delight from start to finish and its short runtime leaves players wanting more.
1 Life Is Strange
There is no doubt that 2015’s Life is Strange was received well on its release, with the game succeeding both commercially and critically and netting Don’t Nod a variety of awards and honors. These accolades were not misplaced either, with Life is Strange not only saving the developer financially but also pushing the boundaries artistically in relation to player-driven narratives and the exploration of taboo subjects within such a context.
Overall, players were smitten with protagonist Max Caulfield’s journey from an 18-year-old aspiring photographer who just wants to fit in to a time-bending investigator attempting to solve mysterious disappearances and save her hometown from looming destruction. It would not be hyperbole to state that Life is Strange set the benchmark for not only Don’t Nod’s future releases but all narrative-driven experiences after it.
Honorable Mention – Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden
The second partnership between publisher Focus Home Interactive and Don’t Nod, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden is an action RPG set to be released on November 7, 2023. Along with Don’t Nod’s other upcoming releases, this game marks a turning point in the developer’s focus, shifting their tried-and-tested decision-making gameplay and transplanting it into more expansive worlds and gameplay.
Playing as ghost hunters Red mac Raith and Antea Duarte (the latter of which is herself a ghost), the game will envelop players in the world of New Eden as they battle specters with a myriad of conventional and supernatural abilities. By expanding and innovating Don’t Nod’s usual formula, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden looks to be an intriguing step in a different direction for the developer.
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