Coming of age stories have been prominent for centuries, with notable examples including To Kill a Mockingbird, Stand By Me, The Wizard of Oz, and Catcher in the Rye. The term "coming of age" can relate to many things, though generally speaking, it refers to a child maturing into an adult, often through facing a challenge that they must rise to.
Over its short history, the gaming industry has continuously improved its ability to tell fleshed-out and detailed stories. Unsurprisingly, the industry has had its fair share of coming of age stories over the years, some of which rank among the best across all forms of entertainment.
10 Never Alone
Never Alone is a puzzle-platformer that was originally released on PC, PS4, and Xbox One in 2014, before coming to numerous other systems in the following years, including Wii U and iOS.
The game puts players in control of both Nuna and her pet fox, who are both needed to solve many of the game's puzzles. Never Alone was well received by fans and critics and even won a BAFTA in 2015 for Best Debut, beating high-quality competition like Hitman Go and Shovel Knight.
9 Broken Age
Throughout the 90s, point-and-click adventure games had a sharp rise in prominence to become one of the leading genres of PC gaming. Along with providing tricky puzzles, the genre became known for having some of the best storytelling available at the time.
Unfortunately, the genre struggled to recapture its success in the 2000s, predominantly due to a lack of evolution. Still, the occasional point and click gem releases every once in a while, and Double Fine Productions' Broken Age is one of the best recent examples. The game also proved that point and click adventures are still sought-after, as it received significant backing on Kickstarter.
8 Life Is Strange
Episodic graphic adventure Life is Strange received its first episode in January 2015 and has since gone on to become a large media franchise.
The first Life is Strange was centered around a young photography student who possesses the ability to rewind time, inevitably creating a butterfly effect. The game won multiple awards for its storytelling, including Excellence and Innovation in Digital Storytelling from the Peabody-Facebook Futures of Media Awards and Use of Narrative by the Develop Industry Excellence Awards.
7 The Walking Dead
In the years surrounding 2010, the entertainment industry was being filled with zombie-related media. Books, films, and video games were prominently featuring post-apocalyptic settings, with the undead creatures or infected people being a reoccurring enemy.
One of the most successful franchises from this period was The Walking Dead. The TV show of the same name began in 2010, based on a comic book series that originated in 2003. The episodic video game has its own story and features tons of interesting character arcs, including the coming of age tale of Clementine.
6 Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Coming of age stories are very common in JRPGs, and Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age features one of the very best.
Dragon Quest XI was originally released in Japan back in July 2017, before releasing worldwide the following year. The game instantly grabs the viewers' attention with its beautiful visuals that are bursting with color and holds their interest with its engrossing story, which sees the protagonist travel to meet the land's King before being thrown into prison for being a suspected evil entity.
5 EarthBound
EarthBound is the oldest game on this list, releasing all the way back in 1994 in Japan and North America in 1995. The game was released by Nintendo on the SNES, while the development was handled by Ape and HAL Laboratory.
Interestingly, the game was largely dismissed in North America upon release, receiving lackluster results in terms of both sales and critical reception. However, the game soon rose in prominence through word of mouth and has since become recognized as one of the best RPGs from the decade.
4 Persona 4
From one beloved JRPG to another, Persona 4 was initially released in 2008 on PlayStation 2 before coming to PC and PS Vita years later in the form of an expanded version titled Persona 4 Golden.
The game begins with the protagonist spending their days in school, which may seem initially seem like little more than set up for the story. However, it soon becomes clear how important the time spent interacting with classmates is, as the social bonds built have implications on numerous other aspects of the game, such as combat.
3 The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' coming of age story is somewhat infamous due to its divisive opening act. The opening hours of Twilight Princess see Link pottering around his home village, carrying out mundane tasks such as goat herding.
The slow start is disliked by those who just want to get straight to the dungeons and boss fights, but it's necessary to show Link's journey and growth from his humble beginnings. Twilight Princess' ranking amongst other Zelda games is, highly debated, though one common piece of praise for the game is how well-designed its dungeons are.
2 Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue were the first installments of the Pokémon game franchise and introduced the gameplay formula that the series has continued to use in every main series game up until this day.
After leaving home and being given their first Pokémon, the player is free to venture away from their home and explore the game-world, catch other Pokémon, battle numerous trainers, and earn gym badges.
1 The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Ocarina of Time is the highest-rated game in Metacritic's history with a near-perfect score of 99 out of 100 and, despite releasing all the way back in 1998, is still thoroughly enjoyable to play today. The game features a common coming-of-age story where the protagonist must leave their quiet home to embark on a dangerous adventure but takes the concept a step further by having Link literally grow older when he obtains the Master Sword from the aptly named Temple of Time.