Much like meeting a new person,playing a new game is all about first impressions.Whether the rest of the game is bad or not, a well-executed opening will have you looking back fondly, remembering the strong emotions invoked by that opening.
A strong opening makes all the difference in setting up the tone for the rest of the game,as ittugs on your heartstringsand leaves a lasting impression on you even when you’re hundreds of hours deep into the game.
10 Games with Amazing Opening Levels
These video games understood the assignment on making a strong impression.
We’ll be ranking these video game openings based onhow emotional they get, especially feelings like dread, awe, and even gut-wrenching sorrow. Maybe even a combination of the three.
Spoiler Warning: This list contains spoilers for the opening moments of the below titles.
11Life Is Strange 2
A Tale Of Two Brothers
Life is Strange 2
Nobody was prepared for just how out of control things could turn out for theDiaz brothersinLife is Strange 2.
Shifting from Chloe and Max to Sean and Daniel Diaz,the story revolves around the brothers running away from the authorities after a tragic accident.
The first hour ofLife is Strange 2sets up this air of mystery and impending dread byshowing you dashcam footage and then transitioning to Sean’s perspective, who goes about his mundane teenage lifetalking to his crush, until he finds his brother being shoved around by a bully.
The ensuing altercation escalates uncontrollably into a traumatic encounter with an officer, who shoots the brothers' father,causing Daniel to destroy half the block with his latent supernatural powers.
The fear and desperation in this opening scene creep up on you throughout the episode before exploding into this deeply tragic moment. With the weight of the world on his shoulders,Sean has no choice but to run away with his brotherand leave behind his father’s body.
10Fallout 4
War Never Changes
Fextralife Wiki
Fallout 4gives you afalse sense of security by placing you in the idyllic life of a 1960s nuclear family, complete with a happy couple,a baby, and even a robot butler.
But anybody familiar with the series knows that a comfortable life in anyFalloutgamedoesn’t last long, as dread envelops the scene when you find out that your life is about to change forever when the nuclear war finally begins.
The sense of impending doom is palpable, especially when you seea nuclear bomb go off in the distance right as you’re about to evacuate into a vault with your family.
On top of that,Fallout 4evenmakes you helplessly watch your spouse get killed by mysterious figures and take your son away.The game even allows you to take your spouse’s wedding ring to remember them by as you set off into apost-apocalyptic Commonwealthto find your spouse’s killer and your son.
9Mass Effect 2
Commander Shepard Dies
Mass Effect 2
If you’ve played thefirstMass Effectand have imported your save, then you’ve most likely already grown attached to your crew and the Normandy ship.
ButMass Effect 2destroys all of that, wrecking the Normandy andkilling the crewin a brutal attack by an unknown assailant.
Commander Shepard is thrown out the Normandy and suffocates from a suit breach, and there’s nothing you can do butwatch your beloved character die.
Mass Effect 2makes a first impression by–you guessed it–killing Commander Shepard at the very beginning of the game.This was incredibly shocking forMass Effectfans as Shepherd has become one of the most beloved protagonists in gaming.
Thankfully,Shepherd doesn’t stay dead for more than a minute, as theIllusive Manhad already created plans in motion to resurrect Shepherd with the Lazarus Project. Still, this hit hard for a lot of people as this meant thattheir valuable gear and progress were gone.
No Cats Were Harmed
This rule applies to both movies and games:if ananimal is the protagonist, then the story is guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings.Strayis no exception.
As a relativelyshort gamecentered around an adorable tabby cat,Strayhas no dialogue, and yet it tugs the heartstrings so well in the opening,as you and your cat family are traveling through an abandoned city after a storm.
But of course, things don’t go smoothly, and the cat is separated from its family, slipping from a pipe and falling into a deep, dark ravine. The most heartbreaking moment is when the cat struggles to cling to the concrete ledge while its family watches helplessly.
you’re able to’t help but yell “NOOOOOOO!” when the cat loses grip and lets out a sad yelp.The extra emotional damage was just too much.
Thankfully, the cat survives and licks its wounds, but damn if it isn’t sad to watch a cat limp helplessly and call out in vain to its family before setting off onits journey.
The Pain Of Losing Lee Lingers
The Walking Dead: Season Two
It’s been more than a decade, andTelltale Games’The Walking Deadstill has an emotional impact on the gaming communityafter the heartbreaking loss of Lee in Season 1.
Whether Clementine decides to shoot Lee or leave him to turn, she survives and reunites with Omid and Christa, leading to the events of Season 2.
Clementine is probably one of the most resilient young protagonists in gaming, perhaps even in fiction.She’s survived through so much, and even after losing a father figure like Lee, she still can’t catch a break.
10 Saddest Video Game Endings, Ranked
These games have pretty impactful endings!
At the beginning of Season 2, she’s forced to deal with losing Omid when she gets robbed at gunpoint by a random bandit at a rest stop.
The grief of losing Omid hangs heavy with Clementine and Christa,and things don’t get any easier for Clementine for the rest of her story in Season 2 and beyond.
6God Of War
Lo, There Do They Call To Me
God of War
BothGod of War (2018)andGod of War Ragnarökbegin with the death of a loved one.And unlike their Greekpredecessors, Kratos’s new story in a world ofNorse mythologyis a lot more somber and quiet.
Between Faye’s funeral and Fenrir’s passing,Faye’s funeral made a much more memorable first impression due to its dramatic shift in tone compared to the original trilogy.No shade to thegood boy™.
While we don’t know much about Kratos’s late wife inGod of War (2018), nor do we meet her until her appearance in flashbacks inGod of War Ragnarok,her presence and emotional impact can be felt through Kratos andAtreusas they prepare for her funeral.
The game opens with Kratos chopping a tree down, and the way he composes himself shows how much grief and pain he’s got pent-up deep inside.
Combined with Bear McCreary’s masterful musical composition,Faye’s funeral is an emotional send-off to a character only the father-son pair have known and loved.It’s a somber yet beautiful opening that sets the tone and message for the rest of the game, setting off the beginning of a meaningful and epic journey to Jotunheim shared by father and son.
5That Dragon, Cancer
In Memory Of Joel Green
That Dragon, Cancer
I once read that"When someone has cancer, so does their family and everybody who loves them.“That Dragon, Canceris an artistic autobiographical story about parents Ryan and Amy Green asthey show you the heartbreaking and touching story of their son Joel, who lost his battle with cancer at the age of four in 2016. Ranking this entry any lower would be doing an injustice, and its placement here is well-deserved.
That Dragon, Canceropens with a seemingly happy scene where the Green family is enjoying a day in the park with Joel, until you leave the area,transitioning to a sullen hospital room where Ryan is carrying Joel in his arms, who’s hooked up to an IV.
Using real-life clips from home videos and voice notes from the Greens and their friends and family,That Dragon, Cancerpaints a visceral picture of what it’s like to have a loved one fight cancer.It’s a poetic portrayal of the long and grueling battle, the terrifying uncertainty and despair that creeps inside, and the fear of the inevitable.
There’s a sense of raw authenticity to every single moment of this, and the love that Ryan and Amy had for their son is palpable here as they hold on to their faith through this beautiful demonstration of"video games as an art form.”
4Ori And The Blind Forest
An Orphan Once More
Ori and The Blind Forest
Inspired by works likeThe Iron Giant,The Lion King, and Hayao Miyazaki’s works,Ori and the Blind Forestweaves together a beautiful and heartfeltdialogue-lessstory aboutOri’s quest to restore the withering forest of Nibel.
The first ten minutes of the game introduce Ori, a guardian spirit,who is adopted by a fuzzy creature named Naru, who raises him as her own.Throughout those minutes, we witness their bond strengthen as they build bridges, gather fruit together, and snuggle during the night.
But abeautiful story isn’t just going to leave things all fine and dandy, as the Spirit Tree withers and so does the surrounding flora, causing Ori and Naru to starve.Naru dies of starvation because she gave him her last fruit,but not before Ori ventures out to collect some food for her. Ori has no choice but to leave, and eventually collapses and dies near the Spirit Tree before it revives him, beginning one of thebest Metroidvaniasin recent memory.
Maybe the real blind forest was the players blinded by the tears flooding their eyes.
3Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Tomorrow Comes
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Here’s one that’s hot off the presses at the time of writing, and if you’re looking for a new game to make your eyes wet, Clair Obscur manages to make that a reality in record time.
Playing as Gustave in the fractured safe zone of Lumiere, you’ll explore this beautiful city, which is preparing for a grand festival, and there is a real party atmosphere.But, even still, something seems off.
Well, as it turns out,The Paintress who sits on the monolith beyond the mountain is about to trigger The Gommage.An annual ritual where a new number is written upon the Monolith, and everyone of that age dies, evaporating in thin air and drifting off in the wind as a flurry of rose petals.
It’s a harrowing scene where you must say goodbye to your romantic interest, and watch what feels like half the city’s population dwindle in an instant. It’s brutal, it’s poetically beautiful, and if that wasn’t enough to make you blubber,the rousing score will push you over the edge for sure.
2Firewatch
Stop Running Away From The Here And Now
Firewatchis a considerablyshort exploration gamewhere you play as Henry,a middle-aged man who volunteers as a lookout in the Shoshone National Forest in the Rocky Mountains.
His only form ofhuman connectionin the middle of nowhere isDelilah, a fellow lookout who speaks to him through his walkie-talkie.
The game sets the tone with a slow and wistful opening,shifting between Henry’s two-day trip to his tower and a text-based flashbackof Henry’s love story with his wife, Julia.
Despite having absolutely no spoken dialogue throughout the opening sequence,the game makes you take your time to choose the tiny details in Henry and Julia’s relationship, which blossoms from a meet-cute to a beautiful and grounded romance.
Things seem fine untilJulia develops early-onset dementia at the ripe age of 43,and you understand why Henry has chosen to get away from it all and volunteer as a lookout.
As someone who has witnessed family members suffer from dementia, this opening made me cry. Watching a loved one’s consciousness deteriorate is heart-wrenching, and though it is only for an opening sequence,Firewatchportrays dementia with terrifying accuracy.
