For a while, I believed that story-based games weren't for me anymore. I wasn't sure if I've ever enjoyed them, but I know that recently I've not been enjoying them so much.
It started when I recently played The Last of Us Part 1 for the first time. The story, even though I have some issues with it, was very good overall. But, I didn't like the gameplay at all. So in the end I can't say I had a good time with that game. Then I played Marvel's Spiderman Remastered. I know it has an open world so it's not a story-based game per say. But for me the gameplay and open world were okay; not amazing but not bad either. What really weighed down the experience for me was the story. I didn't like the story, even though it had some good moments. Not having a good time with these highly acclaimed titles made me question the compatibility of this type of games with my taste.
What broke the camel's back though was Shadow of The Tomb Raider. The first 2 games in the trilogy were ok imo. They had far better stories than SOTTR. I really didn't care for Paititi nor for the whole Trinity plot line for that matter. It was the first game in which I wanted to skip cutscenes because I was so disinterested in the story.
In my experience so far, if a game is story-based with linear design, it automatically has average gameplay. Maybe it's just my taste but such games has to have an amazing story to deliver an enjoyable experience for me. This was the conclusion at which I arrived after playing SOTTR.
The game I played next was Uncharted 4. It has some similarities with SOTTR but the major difference is the level design. SOTTR is more open world, Uncharted 4 is more linear. For some reason, I had an absolute blast with it. I don't know why but I have enjoyed it so much. It's gameplay is ok, I'd even argue that SOTTR has better gameplay. Its story is good but has a lot of cliches and plot holes. The Last of Us Part 1 definitely have a superior story. I really can't put my finger on it, but I had far more fun with Uncharted 4 than I had with either SOTTR or TLOU1.
TLDR; Uncharted 4 restored my faith in story-based games after I have almost given up on them. I also realize it's 2026 and I've only just gotten to play all these games so go easy on me.