Summary
Most games are pretty easy to follow in terms of chronology. A game comes out, and then the next one is either its sequel, or prequel. You might get some twists in there with a concurrent story, but that’s the typical process. A nice and simple timeline to follow.
Ah, but that’s too easy for some. Certain games like to make connections in subtle ways, linking them with games you hadn’t considered, while others throw in some time-travel shenanigans to really muddle things. Regardless, these are some games that act as prequels without you actually knowing at first.
The Bayonetta series isn’t exactly renowned for storytelling, and that’s OK. They are stories that (for the most part) fit the game that is being made but offer you enough crumbs to follow along with some genuine interest. When Bayonetta 2 released years after the original, it was safe to assume it would be a straightforward sequel.
Not exactly though. Bayonetta 2 introduces a younger version of Balder, the antagonist of the first game. Except the events at the end of the game reveal that the very reason Balder is corrupted in the first place is because of the events of the second game. And thus he is sent back in time, the events of Bayonetta 2 technically the prelude to the original.
Bioshock came to fame for its vivid depiction of the fictional Rapture, a metropolis beneath the waves built by the rich, for the rich. It was a capitalist’s utopia, and the bane of the poor. Bioshock Infinite went in a completely separate direction, bringing you to the cloud city of Columbia, clumsy politics included.
For the most part, these games seemed entirely disconnected. Infinite was clearly pulling from an earlier real-life aesthetic, though overall seemed like it didn’t actually link up with the original games. Until the Burial at Sea DLC, where Elizabeth sees the fateful day that Jack’s plan crashes by Rapture.
It might sound funny to say thatDon’t Nod really are action game developerswith a side helping of a choice-based narrative. Like many people got into their games through Life is Strange, it all started with Remember Me. Vampyr saw a return to those action roots, and Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden only goes further.
Of course, Banishers doesn’t stop at just building upon the action combat last seen in Vampyr, it connects the two games. While not featuring any of the same characters (it is set in the 1695 after all), you may find notes speaking of the very same types of vampires present in Vampyr.
Don’t Nod pre-release even called the game a spiritual successor, making this link all the stronger.
The history is games is already a rather complex one, though when we get around to the invention of the FPS genre, there’s a bit more clarity. While many existed before it in varying forms, Wolfenstein 3D is seen as the example that really defined what a First-Person Shooter could be. It also introduced the character of BJ Blazkowicz, which is central here.
A year following Wolfenstein 3D came Doom, one of the most ported games in the world. Before all of that though, there were the Commander Keen games and protagonist Billy Blaze. Billy Blaze was later confirmed to be the grandson of Blazkowicz and the father of Doomguy, offering an unseverable link between all the games.
Final Fantasy is well-known for creating a new setting for each new entry in the series, and it is very rare these settings are reused outside of direct sequels. The sole exception to this is the setting of Ivalice, first introduced with Vagrant Story. Created by Yasumi Matsuno, Ivalice has served as the basis for many of his games, regardless of Final Fantasy affiliation.
Which leads us to the connection. Vagrant Story, released in 2000, also uses the Ivalice setting of Final Fantasy Tactics, released in 1997. Tactics takes place before Vagrant Story by a rather significant amount. Even more fascinating though is Final Fantasy 12, released in 2006, that takes place in one of theearliest periods of the history of Ivaliceentirely.
Kingdom Hearts, as a series, is no stranger to some funky chronology. In fact, it is best to follow the games in release order rather than chronological order if you actually want to experience the story in a tangible way. That is how they are written. The first proper prequel game in the series was Birth By Sleep, and you absolutely should not play that first.
Birth By Sleep is a prequel to the main series, that much is obvious. However, it also presents itself as a prequel to much of Disney’s own works as well. You get to see a scrawny Hercules, Stitch before he comes to Hawaii, and even a young Zack Fair from Final Fantasy.
Many of Yoko Taro’s games are intended to be mostly disconnected from one another in the most immediate ways, with scene dressing existing between games to tie them together. This is true of Nier, and it is also true for Drakengard. That should mean that Drakengard 3 being a prequel shouldn’t be all that surprising.
And for the most part, it isn’t. Set 100 years in the past, you play as Zero withher dragon, Mikhail. Except, as you might expect, the story and the game, as well as the endings within, don’t actually seem to link up with the future games whatsoever. And seeing as Drakengard already links to the Nier games, Drakengard 3 ironically stands mostly self-contained.
There’s a lot that can be said for Days Gone. It’s setting, though beautiful, was hardly inspired. Protagonist Deacon St. John was indeed a character that existed, and the zombies, ‘Freakers’ as the game called them, didn’t exactly feel like the freshest interpretation of zombies. All that said, it was a fun little adventure to have that was refined enough to be enjoyable.
Parts of the story, especially those at the end of the NERO plot, imply that the heroes of Syphon Filter failed to save the world, resulting in the Freaker Virus. Even more, you’re able to acquire the IPCA Taser for Deacon, a favoured weapon of the IPCA in the SYphon Filter games. Too bad that connection will never see the light of day.
