The Best FMV Games of 2021
Full Motion Video (FMV) games were a massive trend in the 90s when graphical technology was a myth and video games made people look anything more than characters out of an ‘unstreamlined Lego movie.’
With technological advancements over the years, however, and people looking for a nostalgic fix, the FMV genre is not still a classic.
That said, here are some of the best FMV steam games to take you back to the good old days.
Her Story (2015): Available on PC
Would you make an award-winning profiler? How are your listening skills? What about your discernment? Can you tell a lie from a half-truth? Well, if you check these boxes, then Her Story should be on your top FMV games list.
The steam game is exceptional in its ability to convey a story through atypical means. It tests your attention to detail, ability to piece information together, and perception skills to reach a comprehensive conclusion.
Reviewing a woman’s police interrogations one clip at a time, you have to uncover the mysteries behind specific phrases in the database, read between the lines, and solve the case of what happened to the missing husband.
Like most FMV games, it’s a bit complicated to go back to once you’ve gone through all the clips, but Her Story does an incredible job of captivating its audience while maintaining a hands-off approach that you’ll want to give the game another go.
The Bunker (2016): Available on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox, and PS4
If you love a good scare, this award-winning Wales interactive game will knock your socks off. The psychological horror involves a John, born underground during the cold war era and struggles to survive the loneliness and darkness that comes with war.
Therefore, when the alarm goes off, a catastrophic chain of events starts, and you have to choose between escaping the dark bunker or remaining in safety…and, what dark secrets does the past hold?
The top recent FMV game provides you with multiple choices/endings and involves a steady yet bloodcurdling story — especially if you’re a horror genre enthusiast.
Late Shift (2016): Available on PC, Xbox, and PS4
Have you ever wondered what it’d feel like being part of a robbery crew? Or perhaps, a member of the famous ‘La Casa De Papel’ family?
Well, Late Shift, a high stakes FMV crime thriller, allows you to enjoy the sweat-drenching and nerve-wracking incidences that come with being forced into a brutal London heist.
The game puts you in the shoes of Matt, a mathematics student whose life unexpectedly spirals out-of-control depending on the decisions you make. While working as a car-park valet, Matt inadvertently gets forced into a heist that quickly descends into London’s most vicious and violent criminal network. This experience makes him question his actions as he goes off the deep end of the events that transpire around him.
When Matt is faced with a choice, it is up to you to figure out the best response or action, and every decision made has real consequences on the outcome of Matt’s fate.
Contradiction — Spot the Liar! (2015) : Available on PC
Have you cleared your crime and mysteries section? Are you tired of the same old crime investigative CBS shows? Well, how about living the detective dream with an all-video murder mystery adventure?
Contradiction is an FMV game that might have sparked an insurgency had it been released when the FMV genre was a hot new ticket in the gaming industry. Nevertheless, launched in 2015, the video game is a unique and underrated glimpse into what could have been.
The story follows the life of a detective who’s trying to crack open a mysterious death case in an otherwise quiet neighborhood. The FMV game asks you to parse truth from lies and uncover the potentially eerie mysteries hiding out of view.
An award-worthy play for those who soared by FMV titles in the 90s, Contradiction is a must-play — especially for crime-drama fanatics.
The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker (2017): Available on PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox
There has been a murder, and you’re at the helm of the ship to figure out ‘whodunit.’
The goosebumps-sparking Lovecraftian thriller, the kind that hasn’t been seen before, serves as a proof of concept on how mind-blowing FMV games can be in the 21st Century, with its free-text input.
In your line of interrogation as the replacement psychologist for Doctor Dekker, you get to question his former patients, and unlike other FMV games, you’re free to ask whatever you think will help you solve the murder mystery.
The FMV game also has six-plus storylines, 1600 unique HD FMV sequences, and a randomized murderer per playthrough, meaning you can’t cheat your way through.
So, the question is, how smart are you to catch the notoriously sly murderer?