Though it might seem like Brandon Sanderson spends all of his time writing, his incredibly disciplined routine makes time for a longstanding love of video games.
Video games offer a unique storytelling experience compared to books or movies—as an active participant in the narrative, the player gets a different level of immersion. Sanderson has been an avid gamer since he was young, and has compiled an impressive collection of games.
These are the 10 games Brandon considers his personal favorites. Not necessarily the best games in an objective sense, but the ones that have left an impact on Brandon. From classic titles to unsung heroes, there’s something for every gamer on this list.
10. Katamari Damacy
Katamari Damacy is a game that came out in 2004 for the PlayStation 2. Brandon begins talking about this game by saying, “I love games that make me look at the world in a new way.” This puzzle-adventure game is a fever dream of imaginative concepts and bizarre visuals that add up to an incredibly unique gameplay experience.
While this isn’t the most polished game in the world, Brandon notes that the lack of sheen added to the charm and overall enjoyment of the game.
Brandon says that this game is probably “the closest [he’ll] ever get to understanding what it’s like to do drugs.” And, if that isn’t a phenomenal sales pitch, what is?Katamari is a great example of the kind of out-of-the-box storytelling that you can do with a video game. A world that might be otherwise difficult to visualize and connect to comes to life through innovative gameplay and interactive storytelling.
9. Undertale
An indie darling, Undertale is a game that feels like a novel. Brandon fell in love with the creative use of perspective and the amount of personality the creators put into this story. “The humor was just my kind of wonderful/terrible, and I was instantly enamored with the characters,” he says.
The other unique thing about Undertale is that while Brandon says the above would be reason enough for him to include it on this list, the game deconstructs the medium of video games as a whole. This intriguing aspect is only improved by the innovative game play mechanics and the clever packaging of the whole thing.
Undertale highlights what a game designer can do with a narrative that’s isolated to a single character’s perspective, and the immersion is next level. Brandon says, “This is a work of genius that everyone should at least try.”
8. Fallout: New Vegas
Brandon’s played all of the core Fallout titles, and says he might’ve been among the minority, but was excited when they switched from turn-based to first person shooter (FPS). He was a bit disappointed by Fallout 3, saying it didn’t have the charm of the first one. But Fallout: New Vegas was everything he hoped for—charming gameplay, sharp writing, and imaginative quests.
“New Vegas combines everything I like in gaming into one package,” says Brandon.
7. Super Mario World
This classic Nintendo title makes it onto Brandon’s favorites list partly due to nostalgia, and partly because it’s just a really fantastic game. Though this is the only platformer on Brandon’s list since they aren’t his usual style, he says, “One makes an exception for Mario.”
As one of the most polished and elegant gameplay experiences ever, it deserves that exception. Brandon says that while he typically prefers FPS or RPG games, even he has to admit that the Mario games are solid. He picked Super Mario World specifically because it’s the one he comes back to and plays most often.
6. The Curse of Monkey Island
Do you miss the golden age of adventure gaming? So does Brandon, which is why he comes back to The Curse of Monkey Island. “I don’t know if anyone ever got it as right as they did with [The Curse of Monkey Island],” Brandon praises. He even goes so far as to say that this game is “the pinnacle of the genre.” (No offense to Grim Fandango fans.)
The game came out at an interesting time for the industry. Everything was about to move to a 3D animation style that would take some time to mature, so the graphics were pretty terrible. But right before that shift, The Curse of Monkey Island was released with its gorgeous art pieces that resemble cels from Disney movies. It had everything you could want in an adventure game—gorgeous art, streamlined controls, and fantastic voice acting.
Brandon says the game still plays remarkably well, saying it’s one of the few he’s been able to get his non-gamer wife (hi, Emily! 👋) to play through with him. “It’s a lovingly crafted time capsule of a previous era of gaming,” Brandon says.
5. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
“This one has my kind of humor,” Brandon says, and we’re inclined to agree. If there was a game that was made for Brandon Sanderson’s taste in storytelling, it’s Breath of the Wild. “[Breath of the Wild] combined the magic of classic game play with modern design aesthetic,” Brandon says, doubling down on the fact that he loved this game.
Without going into too much detail, as this game is already well-loved on the internet, Brandon shares that a few of his favorite aspects were the nonlinear narrative, clever use of flashbacks, and vibrant open world.
4. Halo 2
In a recent writing lecture, Brandon called out his “Halo homies” in the room, which just goes to show his love for this franchise. He considers Halo 2 to be the unsung hero of the group, saying this is the only one he’s ever wanted to replay (he’s done so two or three times already and even beat it on legendary mode).
Now, Brandon does give a caveat that he focuses on the single player aspects of games, which is why you won’t see any MMOs on this list (an MMO is a massively multiplayer online game). So it makes sense that many people prefer the more balanced and polished multiplayer experience on the other titles in this franchise. But for Brandon, someone who prefers to game alone, Halo 2 is his favorite.
As you probably would expect, Brandon pays close attention to the way games are written. His favorite video game writing comes from enhancing the style of the game. He says, “Just dumping a bunch of story at me isn’t enough. It has to be suited to the game play and the feel of the game. In that context, I’ve rarely encountered writing as good as Halo 2.” Brandon also cites the impressive, subtle worldbuilding and the way they use music to tell the story (he says he envies them for that, because movies and games get to use music to influence emotion, and books don’t have that advantage).
3. Final Fantasy X
“You knew this was coming,” Brandon jokes. People often ask Brandon if the way the Final Fantasy games handle magic influences his writing. “All I can say is that I’ve played them since the first one, so they’re bound to have had an influence.”
While he admits that this game franchise doesn’t always make sense and is often very strange, they’re always ambitious. Final Fantasy X is Brandon’s personal favorite because he thought the worldbuilding was the strongest and he related the closest to the protagonist of this one, because instead of a moody teenager, it’s a “stable, happy-go-lucky jock” that leads the narrative in this game.
The addition of full voice acting and an incredible soundtrack sealed Final Fantasy X’s fate as one of Brandon’s favorite games of all time, with him calling it “the perfect Final Fantasy game.”
2. Bloodborne
If you’ve ever heard Brandon Sanderson talk about video games, you probably know how much he loves Bloodborne. Brandon says that he loves all of the Souls games, even saying that he could’ve put any of the games on this list, but he chose Bloodborne as his favorite. Having followed FromSoftware’s games since the King’s Field games, Brandon thought that “Demon’s Souls was a huge triumph.”
Brandon’s love for cosmic horror is a big part of why Bloodborne is his favorite. He loved the mix of cosmic and gothic horror, and he prefers difficult (but fair) games, so this is an ideal combination. “Dark Souls is difficult like a stern instructor, expecting you to learn, but giving you the tools to do so.” It’s challenging without being hard for no reason.
This game is another great example of how writing can enhance the style and experience of a game. “You have to construct the story like an archeologist, using dialogue and lore from descriptions of in-game objects.” Brandon says he finds this style of storytelling fascinating, especially because it tells stories in a way that books never could.
1. Civilization VI
As the game Brandon has put the most amount of time into, Civilization VI is at the very top of the list. It’s the “sheer weight of gameplay time” that crowns the Civilization franchise the winner—having discovered the first game on a friend's computer during his freshman year in college and staying up all night playing. That night-owl pattern hasn’t stopped with the subsequent games in the series!
Though he has some issues with the franchise, Brandon asserts that he truly loves these games. A lot of people consider the fourth game to be the pinnacle of the series, but after the additions from games five and six, Brandon doesn’t feel like he can go back to playing the fourth one.
Calling this franchise “the grand patriarch of the 4X game genre,” Brandon has a lot of praise for Civilization.
Brandon Sanderson: The Gamer
Brandon’s diverse interests are all part of what makes him the storyteller he is. He says at the beginning of the video essay that he’s sharing this favorites list with you all so that you can get to know him better through his favorite titles, so if you’ve played through any or all of them, leave a comment below! What did you take away from these games?
If you’d like to listen to Brandon talk through these games along with some honorable mentions, you can watch the video essay.
