Games that fix the problems people have with modern RPGs

When it comes to the golden age of RPGs, most people tend to think of examples from the 80s, 90s and 2000s. Systems like the SNES, PS2, and DS were all filled with unique experiences that gave RPG and JRPG fans something to look forward to. At the beginning of the HD generation, starting with the Xbox 360, it seemed that RPGs of all varieties started to lose focus.

Now, many RPG experiences can feel too similar, and they don't have what many old fans want. That's where these RPGs come into play, mostly from the last decade. They offer experiences that buck trends, develop ideas or return to classic mentalities that fix certain problems that modern gamers have.

Baldur's Gate 3

Flexible at all levels

Baldur's Gate 3 brought back the golden age of PC gaming and expanded the scope to make it feel more like a modern game, and one that rewarded players with many choices. Players could customize their character from their appearance to their class and even race, and these choices could have meaning later with dialogue choices.

Not many games take race into account when breaking down dialogue trees, but this game does. With an expansive feast, all equally well written, players were treated to a challenging tactical RPG where choices were everything, giving players more reasons to replay.

Fire Ring

An open world without a checklist

Fire Ring was a new type of open world game that was a Soulslike, meaning it didn't hold the players hand. After an initial encounter, players were given the freedom to go wherever they wanted, unburdened by a story, quest system, or a series of checklists to constantly beat down.

It was an open world RPG that encouraged exploration and discovery more than anything else, with the RPG elements helping to dictate the level of challenge. Although it came out in 2022, Fire Ring still has no challengers that are exactly the same, and that's something the developer, FromSoftware, can be proud of.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Modern Old-School

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 took the world by storm by being a mid-budget game that felt like a AAA experience. It was a turn-based RPG complete with a party system with characters that all played differently, and there was an active element to countering enemy attacks.

The classic RPG world map also returned, not seen in its prime since the PS1 days. With an expansive world and a competent combat system, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proved that there was still a hunger for turn-based games like this, and they could be made and sold relatively cheaply.

Cyberpunk 2077

Build your future identity

Most RPGs tend to be fantasy-based, and playing similar worlds back-to-back, even with good quality, can get a little tiring. That's why Cyberpunk 2077 was so refreshing to see, because it took place in the future, but it wasn't a perfect society. It was a dirty cyberpunk world where the rich got richer, and the scum of society had to climb the ladder.

The themes were unique, but beyond that, the game encouraged players to build their character to their liking, whether they wanted to be a heavy-handed enforcer or a criminal hacker sneaking around the law. Most missions were open and allowed all types of constructions to be developed.

Sea Of Stars

A throwback to the 90s

Sea of ​​stars has a similar appeal to Clair Obscur: Expedition 33because it brought the old school mentalities of the 90s into modern times. The big difference here is that this game took a retro approach to its design, complete with pixel art that's too good to be from the SNES age, but that's the vibe it was really going for.

The game featured a world map, text-only dialogue, and a linear progression through an epic story. The best part was the combat system, which drew inspiration from Chrono Triggeras characters could combine techniques, making the party dynamic more strategic compared to just picking favorites. It's another example of an indie RPG that gives old fans what they want.

Pokemon Legends: ZA

Getting closer to the action

Pokemon Legends: Arceus delivered something close to what Pokémon fans had been calling for a while, a more open game with looser capture mechanics. Although excellent, Pokemon Legends: ZA came even closer to delivering a more active combat system, which was another big request from fans.

As players explore their expansive city, they can enter capture zones and either battle Pokémon to capture them or simply throw a ball and hope for the best. Pokemon were still limited to four moves, but they all ran on cooldowns, meaning players could spam attacks more actively, so Game Freak is getting close to perfection.

Fantasy Life in: The Girl Who Steals Time

Make your life

Not every RPG has to be an epic adventure that involves saving the world, and Fantasy Life in: The Girl Who Steals Time proves it. It's a more relaxed experience as players can go into dungeons and do the usual RPG routine alone or with friends as warrior classes, like Paladins, and none of the battles are that difficult.

Alternatively, they may have a more passive character and live as cooks, tailors, fishermen, lumberjacks and so on. In addition, players can even decorate their house and create a life for themselves, as the title suggests.

No one saves the world

Classes With a Purpose

No one saves the world is a top-down Zelda-like adventure with a blank slate of a hero who gains the power to transform into different classes through magic. More classes are unlocked as the game progresses and as players branch out from their skill tree.

They can turn into combat-heavy classes, like a knight or archer, or they can turn into classes that can get them into tricky places, like turning into a mouse to enter holes. The idea of ​​a class system being useful beyond combat when it comes to traversal and puzzle elements is a rare treat, and No one saves the world deserves much more attention for this innovative, if strange, idea.

Disco Elysium

An RPG without combat

Disco Elysium is more of a tabletop game than a console or PC-based RPG, and that's wonderful for many fans. Dungeons & Dragons is basically a conversational game where players can make dialogue and combat choices with their own words without heavy controls.

That was apparently the idea behind it Disco Elysiumas players can build their detective in varying stats and skill trees to enhance aspects of their character. The better the stats, the more likely a dialog choice, with a dice roll, will be. It takes some getting used to, but in this quality there is nothing else like it Disco Elysium.