Summary
Video games love to mess with history. Whether they’re reimagining major events or putting abizarre twiston familiar stories, some games are downright bold when it comes torewriting the past.
Instead of just setting the stage, they grab historical events by the collar, shake them up, and spit out a world that’s both familiar and entirely alien. Sometimes it’s horrifying, other times it’s just plain weird, but it’s always intriguing. These are some ofthe best games that dared to flip history on its head, creating worlds where reality takes a back seat and imagination drives.
There’s something uniquely unsettling about the world ofWe Happy Few. Set in an alternate 1960s England, this game takes the swinging sixties and smothers them in a fog of forced happiness. Imagine a world where everyone is perpetually cheery, not because life is good, but because they’re all hooked on a hallucinogenic drug called Joy. It’s like if Orwell’s1984had a brightly colored cousin who just can’t stop smiling.
The game follows three characters, each dealing with the fallout of refusing Joy, and in doing so, seeing the grim reality of their lives. The world they live in is one where England lost World War 2, leading to German occupation and a whole lot of trauma the population would rather forget—hence the drugs. The town of Wellington Wells is a blend of vintage aesthetics and creepy vibes, and the contrast between the facade of happiness and the horror lurking underneath makes for a memorable experience.
What’s remarkable is howWe Happy Fewdoesn’t just rewrite history—it rewrites how society copes with it. It asks uncomfortable questions about the lengths people will go to escape guilt and despair. Beneath its bizarre and colorful presentation, there’s a chilling commentary on howsociety can breakwhen faced with the unbearable.
Resistance: Fall of Mandoesn’t just change history—it obliterates it with a plague of alien monstrosities. Instead of WW2 tearing through Europe, an alien race called the Chimera sweeps across the continent in the 1950s, turning humanity into grotesque bio-weapons. Britain becomes the last bastion of hope as the rest of Europe falls to this unstoppable force.
The protagonist, Sergeant Nathan Hale, battles otherworldly horrors while dealing with his own infection that threatens to turn him into one of the aliens. The game’s environments are a gritty mix of war-torn England and twisted alien technology, making it feel like a sci-fi horror flick hijacked the Second World War.
Thebrutal realismof the weaponry clashes with the grotesque Chimeran tech, giving combat a grounded-yet-futuristic feel. It’s likeSaving Private Ryanfeatured an alien invasion midway through. The lore is deep, too, explaining how the Chimera were originally humans mutated by an ancient virus, adding a disturbing layer to the story.
If Victorian London wasn’t already atmospheric enough,The Order: 1886cranks up the moodiness with werewolves,steampunk weaponry, and an ancient order of knights sworn to protect humanity. This isn’t just any London—it’s a city gripped by both technological progress and the primal terror of supernatural creatures.
The titular Order has been around for centuries, tasked with battling half-breed monsters that blend human and animal traits. The game’s lore cleverly intertwines historical events with its dark fantasy narrative. Nikola Tesla even shows up as the group’s gadget maker, crafting arc lightning guns and thermite rifles like he’s moonlighting as Q fromJames Bond.
It’s not just about monsters and gadgets. The story digs into themes of duty, corruption, and the clash between tradition and progress, as the Order’s once-noble purpose becomes tainted by secrecy and internal conflict. It’s a unique twist on Victorian history, blending myth and technology to create a world both grim and fascinating.
What if the Cold War paranoia of the 1950s never stopped, and nuclear war actually broke out? That’s the premise behindFallout 4,a game where America’s post-WW2 obsession with atomic power led to a worldfrozen in retro-futurism. Instead of moving past the atomic age, society doubled down on it, resulting in a pre-war world full of gleaming chrome and 1950s optimism—right up until the bombs fell.
After emerging from Vault 111 two centuries later, the protagonist finds a world that’s both a ruined wasteland and a relic of mid-century Americana. The fusion of futuristic technology and old-world charm defines the aesthetic, from rusted soda machines to combat robots stuck in a time warp.
It’s not just about the visuals. The game’s factions, from the idealistic Minutemen to the technocratic Brotherhood of Steel, all reflect different interpretations of how humanity could rebuild after the fall. It’s a chaotic reinterpretation of America, where history didn’t just end with the war—it splintered into fragmented ideologies trying to find their way back.
What if North Korea became a global superpower and invaded the United States?Homefront: The Revolutionruns with that grim scenario, showing a war-torn Philadelphia occupied by the Greater Korean Republic. Thebleak urban landscapesare riddled with propaganda, surveillance drones, and a population too beaten down to resist.
It’s a guerrilla war, fought in the alleys and crumbling buildings of a city that’s lost its identity. Armed with scavenged weapons and makeshift gear, resistance fighters strike from the shadows. The game’s story is a bitter commentary on how easily a powerful nation can become the oppressed, a theme that’s as bleak as it is thought-provoking.
The Nazis won World War 2. That’s the horrifying premise ofWolfenstein: The New Order, where the Third Reich has dominated the world through brutal force and twisted science. B.J. Blazkowicz, the series’ long-standing protagonist, wakes up after 14 years in a coma to find a world where resistance is all but extinguished.
The game doesn’t just show a Nazi-controlled world—it imagines the terrifying advancements they could have made, from moon bases to robotic super soldiers. It’s a relentless fight to retake what was lost, combining pulpy action and surprisingly heartfelt storytelling.
Blazkowicz’s grit and unyielding spirit make him acompelling heroin a world that desperately needs one. It’s a cathartic, explosive, and unapologetic take on rewriting history with a big, angry fist.
