A scene from “Colossal Cave 3D Adventure,” the new game from Roberta and Ken Williams.

When I think of the games I’m most curious about in 2023, one word comes to mind: story. Well, maybe two words: story and characters.

The modern video game era has been a showcase for interactive narratives, and it seems like the rest of the entertainment industry is starting to pay attention. Two of the most acclaimed animated series over the last year were ones inspired by “League of Legends” and “Cyberpunk 2077,” and in a few weeks, HBO will launch an anticipated show based on “The Last of Us.”

More so than competition, challenges or even puzzle solving, it’s the video game stories I’m most looking forward to in 2023.

Here are some on my short list.

Colossal Cave

Release date: Jan. 19

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PC, Meta Quest 2

To gamers of a certain age and disposition, the following words are as sacred as any Shakespeare: “You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building. Around you is a forest. A small stream flows out of the building and down a gully.” That is the opening text of William Crowther’s “Colossal Cave Adventure,” credited as one of the earliest computer games and one that helped ignite the adventure game movement of the 1980s.

And now that game is being reimagined by a pair of legends. Roberta and Ken Williams were the game duo behind Sierra On-Line, home to Roberta’s “King’s Quest” series, a landmark in interactive storytelling. “Colossal Cave” is Roberta’s first game in more than two decades, and the fantasy tale promises a number of her hallmarks — head-scratching puzzles, humor and vividly drawn fantastical characters.Season: A Letter to the Future

Release date: Jan. 31

Platform: PlayStation consoles, PC

A love letter to travel, solitude, meeting strangers, taking photographs and writing, “Season: A Letter to the Future” looks to be a thoughtful road trip adventure, one in which we bike ride through a vast changing world. One of the joys of games is the ability to disappear into a world, and the one of “Season” looks familiar, but just off-kilter enough to create space for us to sit, play and contemplate.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Release date: March 17

Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC

“Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order” was a joy. The 2019 game relied heavily on old “Star Wars” standbys — cringe-inducing, hokey dialogue and a Jedi on a journey. And that was more than fine, as this was a “Star Wars” tale more than worth digging into, as we got to know Jedi-on-the-run Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan) as he stumbled his way into a host of lesser-explored “Star Wars” mythologies. “Survivor” looks to darken things up a bit — and fine-tune some of the often wonky combat sequences — but if it continues to mix puzzles and the ability to use the Force, expect this to be an action adventure worth taking.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Release date: May 12

Platform: Nintendo Switch

Nintendo has kept much of “Tears of the Kingdom” under wraps, but what we’ve seen looks striking.

Early images show our hero Link soaring among the clouds, traversing a kingdom with floating mountains, giving us all new terrain to scale and explore. The “Zelda” lore is a bit convoluted and complex these days, but individual goals of each particular game are always clear. And this sequel to “Breath of the Wild” is so highly anticipated because the latter redefined how we approach open-world games, as it gave us an universe to wander rather than tasks to simply tick off. It was an approach to nonlinear storytelling in which we could go in any direction and missions were largely optional, allowing us to create our own “Zelda” tale.