Summary
- Narrators guide players through video game worlds & set tones effectively.
- Narration can be used as a core gameplay mechanic in games like The Stanley Parable and Disco Elysium.
- Legendary narrators like Ron Pearlman, Logan Cunningham, & Bruce Campbell enhance games.
Narration has long been a common feature in video games. When navigating the unfamiliar territory of a new game world, it is helpful to have someone guide the player through their actions and provide insight into the overall narrative of the game — even when they aren't all that trustworthy.
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Narrators play a crucial role in determining the tone and story of a game, whether they're narrating the consequences of the player's actions in an end-credit cutscene or helping players 'learn the webs' of how to be Spider-Man. Some of the most legendary games of all time are renowned for their narration, so here's a list of the best narrators in video games.
10 Ron Pearlman
The Fallout Franchise
Fallout: New Vegas
- Released
- October 19, 2010
- Developer(s)
- Obsidian Entertainment
- Genre(s)
- RPG
"War never changes." These words are all too familiar to longtime fans of Bethesda's post-apocalyptic franchise. Ron Pearlman lends his iconic deep and weathered voice to each entry in the Fallout series.
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However, his voice is only present during the games' introductions and post-ending summaries. He perfectly sets the tone for the well-worn world of Fallout, all the way from the Mojave Desert to the Commonwealth; even when summarizing just how evil the player's actions may have been. If Fallout could talk, it's easy to imagine it would sound something like Ron Pearlman.
9 Rucks
Bastion
Bastion
Logan Cunningham's delightfully smooth tone and gravelly inflections blend perfectly with the heavily-stylized isometric action game from Supergiant Games — Bastion's 'Rucks' is with the player on every step of the journey.
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Hints and reflections about the game's key moments and characters, all with the added layer of emotional depth and self-reflection provided by Rucks, wistfully guide players through the story. The character's personal involvement later in the story adds another layer of increasingly intriguing depth to this legendary narrator.
8 Handsome Jack
Borderlands 2
Borderlands 2
Though he serves as the game's main antagonist, Handsome Jack's disembodied voice is constantly present in the world of Gearbox's Pandora, constantly berating the player and belittling their every achievement.
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Handsome Jack puts the series' dark humor in the spotlight, Dameon Clarke's relentless snide remarks and maniacal monologues are the beautiful soundtrack to Borderlands 2's chaos. When he's not busy naming his next Diamond Pony, Handsome Jack serves as President of the Hyperion Corporation. Racked with guilt, money, and a 'face' mask — this narrator fully plans to use all the tools at his disposal to rid the world of those pesky Vault Hunters.
7 Silas Greaves
Call Of Juarez: Gunslinger
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
Having someone narrate the story of their own cowboy-western life is always going to lend itself to some inaccuracies. Where Call of Juarez: Gunslinger excels, however, is when it actively embraces the concept of an unreliable narrator.
At times in the story, Silas Greaves completely pauses and retells the story to make it sound more extravagant than it really was — making the player actively replay segments with added details. The late John Cygan's weathered voice would sit right at home behind the two-way doors of an old-timey saloon, and is the beautiful horse through which the game gallops itself to the credits.
6 Bruce Campbell
Spider-Man (2002-2007)
Spider-Man 2
- Released
- June 28, 2004
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch
- Platform(s)
- PS2, Xbox (Original), GameCube, PC, PSP, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure, Open-World
The legendary Bruce Campbell voiced the tutorials for each of Activision's movie-licensed Spider-Man games. Though his helpful tips and important lessons do include exceptional sarcasm and irony, there's no better way to learn the ropes.
Given his roles in every one of Spider-Man director Sam Raimi's movies, it's no surprise that Bruce Campbell would find himself dropped into the world of Marvel games as well. The witty one-liners and comical tone made the tutorial all the more bearable and easy to follow.
5 Max Payne Himself
Max Payne
Max Payne 3
Max Payne, a grieving detective whose mental state seems to be deteriorating as the series progresses, often solves his problems by repeatedly diving from side to side and firing his gun(s). This might not seem like the most appealing character to have narrating their actions.
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Max's tortured psyche is what makes the franchise so over-the-top gritty. The crime-ridden and drug-filled world of Max Payne is perfectly narrated through the eyes of the seasoned protagonist himself, whose head is filled with his own contradictory thoughts, vices, and an overall rapidly-spiraling mental state.
4 GLaDOS
Portal 2
Portal 2
Akin to Borderlands 2, Portal's main narration is all done through one of the most iconic villains in gaming. Ellen Mclain's distorted and robotic voice is the vessel for Valve's legendary puzzle-based platformer to deliver some of the industry's most iconic and hilariously nihilistic lines.
GlLaDOS is undoubtedly the audience's favorite maniacal murder-bot. Any hint of the protagonist's success is almost immediately met with disappointment, resentment, and all the burning hatred that a self-aware robot can store. She is always present, always watching and always has something to say.
3 The Subconscious
Disco Elysium
Disco Elysium
- Released
- October 15, 2019
- Developer(s)
- ZA/UM
- Platform(s)
- PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Stadia
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Harry Du Bois, the somewhat loveable trainwreck and protagonist of Disco Elysium, is the embodiment of an internal narrator. Each in-game conversation sees the protagonist's actions being narrated by various aspects of his own subconscious.
Whether it's listening to Harry bluntly stringing "facts" together in his own head with Logic, or just the incredibly positive affirmations of Volition to see him through his turmoils, narration is at center stage in Disco Elysium. It's a core gameplay mechanic, and each aspect of the protagonist's thoughts are also a skill to be upgraded. This also leads to some hilarious moments, and subsequently slightly sadder ones , as each voice scrambles for dominance to influence player choice.
2 The Dungeon Master
Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Amelia Tyler's soft-spoken and clear voice almost sounds like having a book read to oneself as they gently fall asleep. The Narrator in Larian Studios' award-winning RPG takes the role of the Dungeon Master in this adaptation of the classic Dungeons and Dragons franchise. Their voice is with the player every step of the way, narrating their every action.
Delightfully descriptive when it needs to be, and comically cartoonish when it can be, the narration in Baldur's Gate 3 was a key role to get right. Which, of course, they did. Amelia Tyler's narrator brings the beauty and intrigue of Dungeons and Dragons to life, with each word making the player want to lean in closer as they're whisked away to the fantastical Sword Coast.
1 The Narrator
The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable revolves solely around its narrator, or, well, The Narrator. Will the player do as The Narrator says, abide by his word, and return to the mundane reality of office life? Or might they will go directly against his instructions, just to see what can happen?
Kevan Brighting delivers each of his lines with just the right amount of deadpan. His stone-cold delivery of some of the game's more outrageous lines makes rebelling against the increasingly frustrated narrator all the more entertaining.
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