Great First Impressions: The Prologue that sold you the game

[Bakuma1997]

As the title implies, post that prologue that made sure you HAD tobeat the game (Not exactly a single level, what could be considered the starting point until the game truly begins)

Terranigma, the first world sells you a basic "Bad God was beaten by Good God and now you must stop his rising after you clean your mess" plot, a nice way to lure you from the fact the game literally happens in our world, the best part must be the first town, Crysta, with a tune that sounds slighly too sad to be First town music, preparing for a hopeful-yet-absolutely-soulwreaker ending

Mother 3, similarly you are lulled into a sense of fake safety by playing the intro as more Earthbound nonsense fun, then Chapter 1 makes clear you are going to play the miserablest RPG in the GBA game ever

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, i'll be real, i never played Rondo Of Blood until i got my PSP, so i couldn't tell what the frick was going on, despite that i fell in love with it due to its fire prologue, the iconic DIE MONSTER, a battle with Dracula as a tutorial (With even the impossibility to lose) and after that you see a guy running faster than Sonic reaching to Castlevania with the Narration implying the guy you played the intro was missing and then you are revealed to be DRACULA'S SON... i had to lay down after Death steals my crap to digest it

Crash Bandicoot 1, not exactly the fairest of the trilogy, but still a great game and the Intro works great both as an Subtle tutorial but also as a nice way to show how lighthearted our quest will be

Hollow Knight, this game will not be easy, only the Tutorial will have any semblance of mercy, but then you are literally dropped in a well, ready to face your first struggles in the Forgotten Crossroads, even before that the animated intro sells a world that has decayed, after the intro with cryptic mentions to Higher Beings and your first town being literally a ghost town with a single man being a sad bug that reminiscents about the days of Glory of Hallownest, next to the Hollow Knight statue scene, that made me realizes i spent 10 buck well spent

 

[Badseed]

As the title implies, post that prologue that made sure you HAD tobeat the game (Not exactly a single level, what could be considered the starting point until the game truly begins)

Terranigma, the first world sells you a basic "Bad God was beaten by Good God and now you must stop his rising after you clean your mess" plot, a nice way to lure you from the fact the game literally happens in our world, the best part must be the first town, Crysta, with a tune that sounds slighly too sad to be First town music, preparing for a hopeful-yet-absolutely-soulwreaker ending

Mother 3, similarly you are lulled into a sense of fake safety by playing the intro as more Earthbound nonsense fun, then Chapter 1 makes clear you are going to play the miserablest RPG in the GBA game ever

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, i'll be real, i never played Rondo Of Blood until i got my PSP, so i couldn't tell what the frick was going on, despite that i fell in love with it due to its fire prologue, the iconic DIE MONSTER, a battle with Dracula as a tutorial (With even the impossibility to lose) and after that you see a guy running faster than Sonic reaching to Castlevania with the Narration implying the guy you played the intro was missing and then you are revealed to be DRACULA'S SON... i had to lay down after Death steals my crap to digest it

Crash Bandicoot 1, not exactly the fairest of the trilogy, but still a great game and the Intro works great both as an Subtle tutorial but also as a nice way to show how lighthearted our quest will be

I agree with Castlevania SotN. Who can ever forget...

 

[Tonberry]

Final Fantasy 15

Right after the big boss tease prologue where you see how strong their bonds are, the part where Stand By Me starts playing had me hooked and I immediately knew that I was going to love the main cast.

And I was right, they carry the whole game (I don’t even think it’s as bad as its reputation aside from the combat and the chapters of the story that literally got rewritten and redesigned post-launch) and make the whole experience worth it, to me.

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

Terranigma’s prologue is a masterclass in quiet devastation. You start in Crysta, a town sealed beneath the surface, where the music is just a little too mournful for a first town theme. The game lures you in with a mythic tale of Good vs. Evil gods, but the real hook is the slow realization that you're rebuilding Earth itself, our world, not a fantasy realm. That shift from cosmic legend to personal responsibility hits hard, especially when the hopeful tone begins to unravel into something soul-wrecking. Mother 3 pulls a similar trick, opening with Earthbound-style whimsy before Chapter 1 slams you into tragedy. The forest fire, the loss, the slow descent into fascist absurdity, it’s a tonal pivot that makes you realize this isn’t just quirky fun, it’s the most emotionally brutal RPG on the GBA. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, on the other hand, grabs you with pure theatrical flair. You start as Richter Belmont, face off against Dracula in a fight you can’t lose, and then bam, you’re Alucard, Dracula’s son, sprinting into the castle like a gothic superhero. Death steals your gear, the narration hints at a missing hero, and suddenly you’re in a mystery layered with legacy. It’s iconic, even if you never played Rondo of Blood. Crash Bandicoot 1 keeps things simple but effective: no dialogue, just a lab escape and a beach landing that doubles as a subtle tutorial. It sets the tone for a lighthearted quest, but don’t be fooled, the platforming will test your patience. Each of these prologues doesn’t just introduce a game; they sell the emotional contract. Whether it’s sorrow, mystery, or chaos, they make sure you’re in it for the long haul.

 

[Badseed]

View attachment 114011
Right after the big boss tease prologue where you see how strong their bonds are, the part where Stand By Me starts playing had me hooked and I immediately knew that I was going to love the main cast.

And I was right, they carry the whole game (I don’t even think it’s as bad as its reputation aside from the combat and the chapters of the story that literally got rewritten and redesigned post-launch) and make the whole experience worth it, to me.

What game is this from?

 

[Tonberry]

Terranigma’s prologue is a masterclass in quiet devastation. You start in Crysta, a town sealed beneath the surface, where the music is just a little too mournful for a first town theme. The game lures you in with a mythic tale of Good vs. Evil gods, but the real hook is the slow realization that you're rebuilding Earth itself, our world, not a fantasy realm. That shift from cosmic legend to personal responsibility hits hard, especially when the hopeful tone begins to unravel into something soul-wrecking. Mother 3 pulls a similar trick, opening with Earthbound-style whimsy before Chapter 1 slams you into tragedy. The forest fire, the loss, the slow descent into fascist absurdity, it’s a tonal pivot that makes you realize this isn’t just quirky fun, it’s the most emotionally brutal RPG on the GBA. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, on the other hand, grabs you with pure theatrical flair. You start as Richter Belmont, face off against Dracula in a fight you can’t lose, and then bam, you’re Alucard, Dracula’s son, sprinting into the castle like a gothic superhero. Death steals your gear, the narration hints at a missing hero, and suddenly you’re in a mystery layered with legacy. It’s iconic, even if you never played Rondo of Blood. Crash Bandicoot 1 keeps things simple but effective: no dialogue, just a lab escape and a beach landing that doubles as a subtle tutorial. It sets the tone for a lighthearted quest, but don’t be fooled, the platforming will test your patience. Each of these prologues doesn’t just introduce a game; they sell the emotional contract. Whether it’s sorrow, mystery, or chaos, they make sure you’re in it for the long haul.

Did you just run Bakuma’s post through an AI to get this…?

Post automatically merged: Today at 2:31 AM

What game is this from?

Sorry, should’ve put it in there. It’s Final Fantasy 15.

 

[bjork]

The intro videos for both characters in NiGHTS, where they're performing poorly in their chosen passion (singing and basketball, respectively) and they realize it's a nightmare. I wanted to see where the story went, and the endings wound up being satisfying.

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

Did you just run Bakuma’s post through an AI to get this…?

Post automatically merged: Today at 2:31 AM

Sorry, should’ve put it in there. It’s Final Fantasy 15.

Yes, but to fix the mistakes of my original sentence.

 

[Tonberry]

Yes, but to fix the mistakes of my original sentence.

What? Are you and Bakuma1997 the same person or something?

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

What? Are you and Bakuma1997 the same person or something?

No.

 

[Tonberry]

No.

But why would you just copy-paste his post into an AI and use that as a reply lol?
Why not come with your own examples or experiences instead of mimicking the OP?

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

But why would you just copy-paste his post into an AI and use that as a reply lol?
Why not come with your own examples or experiences instead of mimicking the OP?

I wrote the original sentence myself, then ran it through an AI to clean up the grammar and make it flow better. The core idea and phrasing are still mine I just polished it a bit.

 

[Tonberry]

I wrote the original sentence myself, then ran it through an AI to clean up the grammar and make it flow better. The core idea and phrasing are still mine I just polished it a bit.

Fair enough
I only asked because it looked kind of weird how you listed the exact same games as Bakuma, and didn’t structure it like you were responding to their examples, which is why it felt suspiciously much like you just lifted his post.

 

[RETRO-VETRO RETRO-VETRO]

Fair enough
I only asked because it looked kind of weird how you listed the exact same games as Bakuma, and didn’t structure it like you were responding to their examples, which is why it felt suspiciously much like you just lifted his post.

It's fine! honestly, I think I just sound like that. People have told me before that my writing or phrasing gives off that kind of feeling, so I’ll take it as a compliment. I didn’t copy anything or run someone else’s post through a tool, I just cleaned up my own grammar and flow a bit. The tone’s mine, the thoughts are mine, and if it feels familiar.

 

[virtua_willdu]

Batman: Arkham City from my younger days on the 360.

From then, I've known Batman from his first two LEGO games: Lego Batman 1 (On the Wii and the 360) and LEGO Batman 2 (On the 360) and from some DC animation films (not the more adult ones) like The Batman (2004) and JL Unlimited...
but getting into these scenes:

(Sorry for the lower quality)

to being able to don the batsuit:

was an incredible entry for an early teen me.

Well, I have seen some mature themes on some the kid friendly DC animated films but never to the extent that Arkham City went with.

 

[Segadude113]

the tutorial for Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People

 

[Turbo Kid]

13 Sentinels is essentially several tutorial based visual novel style prologues intermingled with flash forwards in time where you're in mechs having tutorial based battles with kaijus. It's only after you're properly introduced to every character and all of the compelling sci fi mysteries surrounding them and have tasted all of the combat mechanics that the game starts proper, at which point you are given the freedom to decide how you want to experience the rest of the game. It's like a three hour tutorial that never gets boring.

Technically not prologues, but every Mega Man X game from 1-4 had a kick ass first level with kick ass music. The first 3 in particular each had a moment that players remember from the Vile fight, to "The Little Green Dude", to "WE'RE FUCKING PLAYING AS ZERO!!!!!"

The games always started with a bang.

Final Fantasy 7 was amazing, instantly throwing you right into the thick of things.

Epic and cinematic opening to Beyond Good and Evil

The village fight in Resident Evil 4, after which you get the game's title sequence

Until Dawn's awesome opening

 

[MasterEn]

i would say that dragon ball heroes world mission, disgaea 6 and 7, and blaster master zero did this for me; alongside some city management games that i found on the nintendo e-shop.

 

[Mal]

Honestly, right now Dragon quest V (im playing the ds version)
from the small little things like having your father show up to protect you and then heal you cause he didnt thought you would go that far off and get in trouble.
to all your companions have things to say for EVERY NPC CONVERSATION + almost every new area.
how gorgeous the game looks and the music while not super memorable still highly effective in letting me have this down time to just feel like relaxing in a place live in it for a bit, see the peoples lives in there.

im honestly impressed and if this keeps going this feels like an easy win for my favourite jrpg in the console.

 

[Turbo Kid]

This one really grabbed me back then. It immediately puts the focus on the camera which is a big part of the game

Darksiders literally starts with an apocalypse

Both Darkness games

 

[Rox00]

One of my favorite prologues in a game is KH 2. It's a slow buildup that then leads up to one of the most heartbreaking parts of the game that then leads to the actual beginning of the game that hits back to classic KH vibes, I love any game that takes it time to do setup for a strong moment within a story before the real journey can begin.

Spoiler: KH 2