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Got hooked up on playing RPGs? Not sure what your next conquest should be? We should be able to give you a few very easy picks to choose from!
Role-Playing Games are a genre that goes back to original TTRPGs (table top role-playing games). There are multiple subgenres that have their own style and target audience, but most of them share typical RPG mechanics. Such as levelling up and character improvement, collecting gear and its customization, performing tasks (quests) to either further the storyline or simply get rewards.
There’s a lot more to the topic, of course. It probably deserves a full article to talk about RPGs and its subgenres…
It’s very important. And not in the silly “oh others like it so I must like it too” way. Popularity of a video game is important for multiple reasons.
The game developers provide more support if the game is successful, meaning they can either produce more content for it or even create a sequel to capitalise on the success.
What’s potentially even more important is the content produced by the users themselves. It is not an overstatement to claim that a really passionate community is a great boon to a franchise.
Simply check out any modding community. True heroes, every single one of them.
There are plenty of games that deserve being talked about but we’ll try to keep it short and sweet.
The third title in “The Witcher” series released by CD Projekt Red. It’s based on the original books created by a Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski.
The Witcher is a series of novels that focuses on the character named “Geralt of Rivia” who, unsurprisingly, is the titular “Witcher”.
They are a type of human who was enhanced by the use of special potions and brutal training at a very young age to fight monsters and supernatural creatures in a European mediaeval-like fantasy world.
The story in the third instalment continues sometime after the conclusion of the previous one with Geralt together with his mentor Vesemir in search of Geralt’s missing lover, Yennefer. After a short introductory gameplay, the main storyline begins.
The game itself allows a lot of freedom in a true open world fashion.
The players can tackle the main story line at their own convenience or simply enjoy the vast world with hours upon hours of optional content like exploration, combat, side quests, crafting, alchemy and more.
Combat is very satisfying and easy to learn. There are multiple builds that you can test out and it’s up to you whether you specialise in one or go jack of all trades route.
The Witcher 3 released in 2015 and was both critically and financially successful. It was praised for impressive world building, enjoyable combat and gameplay, visuals etc. It struggled a bit with some technical issues but it was fairly minor and mostly expected in video games.
It is considered one of the best video games ever created for a good reason.
Skyrim was originally released in 2011 by Bethesda Softworks and re-released on multiple occasions long since then. It’s a very popular action RPG with both casual and more dedicated gamers, mostly due to its modability and very large community support.
The game has the player character drive in a cart with a few other prisoners. After arriving at their destination the player can customise their character. Once complete and the player’s about to be executed, a massive dragon shows up and causes chaos that allows the basic game mechanics introduction.
After that the player is allowed an open world free roam, with the main quest tracker guiding towards a nearby settlement.
As with previous instalments in the franchise, you have complete freedom to pursue anything within the game. Quests, exploration, crafting, combat etc.
First time players should play vanilla Skyrim before modding for maximum fun.
The game was a welcome addition by many fans of the series. There were many improvements in terms of graphics and overall quality of life in comparison to the ES IV: Oblivion. There were some technical issues on the release with some game breaking bugs, which have been tackled since.
The game of the year from 2023 developed by Larian Studios.
The game is set within the D&D world of Toril on the continent of Faerun, a fantasy world where magic, monsters, gods and heroes are an everyday occurrence.
The game begins with a cutscene, which then cuts into the character creation screen.
From here you can decide to either create a custom character or pick one of the premade story companions.
After the prologue is concluded you begin on a beach and attempt to find a way to cure yourself from an Illithid parasite.
The game has an impressive amount of choices and consequences, great dialogue, fun gameplay, fantastic writing and characters. Whether you’re a seasoned RPG enthusiast or a casual enjoyer, there’s something for both to be found here.
Extra bonus if you enjoy turn-based combat!
The game was released as an early access in 2020, while the official full game was released in 2023.
It quickly became very highly praised by critics and the players alike for it’s impressive
There are certain factors that contribute to the overall success and popularity of any game.
Having a great story that makes players want to see it to the very end is often a great seller. We often want to see conclusions that the characters receive at the end of the game and how our choices affected that. Quite often leaving opportunities for multiple playthroughs to see all the potential endings.
That and satisfying the completionist urge of seeing all the content available.
The game just has to be enjoyable to play. It’s not rocket science, it must offer a good level of enjoyment, it must be engaging enough to keep the player's enjoyment for as long as possible. Whether it’s introducing new and fun mechanics or simply maintaining a constant challenge to the player.
Multiplayer and online communities can be huge factors in the game's success. Once the players complete their single player experience, they can then move onto competing or cooperating with the wider audience to further unlock new things about the game.
Sometimes the experience changes completely due to the content produced by the fans themselves.
If the game gets very popular, there could be an issue with stream sniping taking place. Especially in the ones with large playerbase.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is still going strong in terms of popularity as the players still discover new things within the game and Larian Studios is still adding new things into it.
Undisputed top selling RPG in the world is the Pokemon Red and Blue by Nintendo.
Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt is a very easy recommendation but so is Baldur’s Gate 3. Mass effect Series can be very enjoyable if you’re willing to put the time into all 3 games.
RPGs are easily one of the most played genres in the world. Since even games that aren’t strictly RPGs often borrow its mechanics.
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