Dear stopgamers, we present to your attention an article that examines the history of the RPG genre from the time of its inception to the present day. Most iconic games will be reviewed and analyzed. The trend in the development of the genre over time will also be described. Despite some analytical nature, the article reflects the subjective opinion of the author, which may differ from yours. Please take this into account and treat with understanding.
What, what, what, what are our role-playing shoes made of??
The debate about what exactly is considered an RPG continues to this day. Due to the shift in genres, it has become more difficult to determine whether a game belongs to one of them. Just go to any forum dedicated to games such as “Witcher”, “Mass Effect” or “Diablo”, and you will see how “fathers” explain to “schoolchildren” what true-rpg-experience is and where they saw their shelters with rifts. The youngsters do not remain in debt, and counter with the fact that the title of “RPG of the Year” is not given for beautiful rolls, but in a role-playing game, the main thing is to play the role; by what means will this be realized – secondary.
In such conditions of total rejection, it is simply necessary to somehow “define” the genre, endowing it with the main features that, together or separately, would allow us to characterize the game as a role-playing game. This work was carried out by the RPG Watch portal. As a result of a year of discussions, a list was compiled that allows you to assess whether the game belongs to the role-playing genre. Naturally, no one obliges us to consider this opinion an absolute, but this is the most complete and specific dotting of the i’s that I have ever seen in connection with this problem.
All elements of a computer role-playing game are divided into four main categories:
— Role system. Describes ways to create, change and develop characters to increase their effectiveness in the game.
— Study. Describes how a character can move around the game world, everything he can find, see, and interact with. For example, game areas, items and other objects.
— Plot. Includes all the elements of the narrative, such as the game world, its history, characters, dialogue, tasks, descriptions, plot lines and how these components interact.
— Combat system (optional). Explains the influence of the role-playing system, exploration and story on the outcome of the battle (or, more generally, on the outcome of the conflict resolution).
According to the portal, the pillars of the computer role-playing game genre are character development, exploration and story, while combat is often present but not mandatory.
To reflect the fact that the genre of computer role-playing games has constantly changed – from the first adventure games to modern story games – and not all elements were present in all subgenres, a second level of classification was introduced for each of the four main categories.
The list was divided into groups: necessary (“should be”) elements and important (“may be”) elements. Thus, we get the opportunity to build a very flexible system covering all types of computer role-playing games.
Below are three main categories (role-playing system, exploration and story), the degree of presence of which in a game must be assessed in order to recognize it as a Computer Role-playing Game (or CRPG). Any proposed computer role-playing game must contain all three main categories and all the necessary elements included in it to receive the title of a primitive role-playing game. All of these categories should offer some form of progression from the start of the game to the end.
So, we have the following scenarios, reflecting the diversity of games in the genre:
— If at least one necessary element is missing, the game is not a role-playing game.
— If all the necessary elements are present, this is a primitive computer role-playing game.
– If all the necessary elements are present and some important ones are present, it is a role-playing game, the subgenre of which needs additional evaluation.
— If all the necessary and important elements are present, we have a full-fledged computer role-playing game.
Describes ways to create, modify, and develop characters to improve their effectiveness in the game.
Required items:
— You control one (incarnation, avatar) or several (group, party) unique characters (not faceless dummies). This is a prerequisite for all role-playing games. Unlike pure strategy games, your characters are unique and have a name.
– You gradually improve your characteristics and/or skills (through in-game values, most often experience points received for completing tasks, exploring the world, dialogues, battles, etc.).
— During the passage, characteristics and/or abilities/skills are checked.
— Characters can improve their characteristics and/or abilities/skills using pieces of equipment. It’s theoretically possible to create a computer role-playing game without gear, but I haven’t seen one yet. The absence of equipment items can serve as an identifying mark of adventure games, which often use equipment exclusively for items that are used to solve puzzles.
Important elements:
– You can create your own characters. In modern computer role-playing games, characters predefined by the developers are a common occurrence.
— The player must plan the development of the character(s). This element reflects the strategic aspect of character creation and development, as well as the combination of skills in the group.
— The main way to solve problems, interact with the game world and overcome obstacles is the tactical use of the skills/abilities of a character/group of characters (the skills of the player themselves are secondary). If this condition is not met, then most likely we are looking at one of the types of action movies in which the skills of the player, not the character, are decisive.
Describes how a character can move around the game world, everything he can find, see, and interact with. For example, game areas, items and other objects.
Required items:
– Your character can interact with the game world and find new game areas.
– Your character can find items and store them in inventory. It is theoretically possible to create a computer role-playing game without inventory, but in this case you will end up with an example of a rather specific and rare game for the genre.
– Your character can find sources of information. A computer role-playing game without searching for information is impossible in principle.
Important elements:
— There are characters in the game. This element is considered important because the first adventure games often did not have other characters besides the one controlled by the player.
— You can choose your path (at least from several options). There are linear, on-rails CRPGs with almost no world exploration, such as The Banner Saga.
— The character can influence the game world (pull down levers, press buttons, open chests). It’s hard to find a computer role-playing game without the ability to influence the game world, but it’s possible.
— The game world affects the character(s) (weather, traps, poisoned places). Not all computer role-playing games affect characters using certain states of the game world.
— There are initially inaccessible areas of the game world that can only be accessed by improving the character’s skills, completing a task or solving a puzzle (open a castle, overcome an obstacle, repair a bridge, dispel magic, etc.). Exploration of the game world should also depend on skill.
Includes all the elements of the narrative, such as the game world, its history, characters, dialogue, tasks, descriptions, plot lines and how these components interact.
Required items:
— Your character can receive information from information sources (hints, goals, tasks, skills, spells, training). This element is closely related to the third required element of the Research category. Once the source of information has been found, it must be obtained.
– Your character can complete quests (there is at least one story quest). Are there role-playing games without tasks?? No, otherwise it will be a sandbox or a simulator.
— Your character moves through a chain of related events and plays his role in them. To varying degrees, in-game events should allow the character to perform actions specific to his role. Otherwise, choosing a role becomes meaningless.
Important elements:
— The plot depends on your decisions, character actions and characteristics/abilities/skills. This is a prerequisite for tabletop role-playing games. Unfortunately, this is not always the case in computer games.
— The character can interact with sources of information (for example, talk to characters). Dialogues and other methods of interaction are typical for many modern computer role-playing games, but this element was absent in ancient adventure games.
— During the interaction, the character can make a choice. This element should be in computer role-playing games, but it is not always there.
“At least some of these choices should have consequences.”. This element should be in computer role-playing games, but it is not always there.
— Progress through the story requires the player to think about it (moral dilemmas, puzzles). The player must use their brain to progress through the story. However, there are pure sandboxes and mindless hack’n’slash.
Explains the influence of the role-playing system, exploration and story on the outcome of the battle (or, more generally, on the outcome of the conflict resolution).
Important elements:
— Effectiveness in battle depends on the character’s characteristics and skills (amount of damage, hit chance, ability to use certain types of weapons, etc.). A combat system that is not tied to character stats and skills is a sure sign of an action game that relies solely on the player’s skills.
— There is an element of chance in battles (rolls of in-game dice). Virtually all computer role-playing games feature virtual dice rolls and probability functions.
— Battles should have some complexity (the need for preparation, the use of tactics and environmental elements).
— If the game fits into the categories Role-playing system and Exploration, but does not have a Plot, then it is an adventure game or a “dungeon crawler”.
— If a game fits the Exploration and Story categories, but does not have a Role-playing system, then it is an adventure game, strategy game or action game.
— If a game fits into the RPG and Story categories, but does not have Exploration, then it is a simulation or linear computer role-playing game.
In general, this guide quite competently describes all the features inherent in the genre, which should put an end to disputes about the involvement of a particular game in the RPG genre. The only question that remains is sub-genre and usefulness, in the spirit of “game X is a 100% RPG, unlike game Y”. There is a classification for this case. Someone Josh Beiser offers a characterization of role-playing games based on the abstraction of player skills.
— 100% skill abstraction: These are the first CRPGs and tabletop role-playing games. Here you just give a command to the character, and that’s where the interaction with the game ends. Calculations based on the indicators and characteristics of the hero and opponents determine the outcome of the battle.
— 75%: The standard combat model of MMOs like World of Warcraft or EverQuest. The player can control the character’s movement, like in an action movie, but the battles and interaction with the world are carried out by the game. The player can still only give commands and watch how they will be executed and what will come of it, but at an accelerated pace compared to games with 100% skill abstraction, since the parties act simultaneously, and not in turns.
— 50%: The design of the game shows elements of action films, as, for example, in the first “The Witcher”. The player can freely control his character, which has a greater impact on the outcome of the battle. In The Witcher, a well-timed mouse click initiates combo attacks. However, the design is still largely abstracted from the player’s skills: the characteristics of the character, his weapon and level are the main factors influencing the outcome of the battle. A lot of JRPGs, like the Mario RPG series, have followed the same path. The player can influence the use of attack or defense skills by pressing keys at the right moments in the battle. But the determining factor is the characteristics and equipment of the character.
— 25%: a very specific type of game. These include European RPGs (the Gothic series, for example), and Bethesda Softworks brought them popularity with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout 3 series. In these games, character control is similar to the action genre. Fights take place in real time, the player independently dodges projectiles and aims his attacks. As soon as an action is selected (shoot, or try to pick a lock), the game comes into play and calculates the result.
In my opinion, a fairly simple and sensible division is obtained. And by combining both mechanisms together, you can quite accurately calculate how much RPG there is in your favorite game. Although this information is unlikely to help disputants find the truth, since hardcore RPG fans will only recognize 100% role-playing games, modern players, who have never seen the classic game series, will prefer a mixture of genres to a purebred RPG.
Class issue
Having more or less understood what a role-playing computer game is, we should pay attention to the types of subgenres that it can offer us. And there are quite a few of these varieties, and they have enough differences, to the point that fans of one subgenre will absolutely hate the other.
I’ll start, perhaps, with the most popular genre in the past – party RPG. As the name implies, the basis of this subgenre is the party – a group of game characters who are directly controlled by the player. The approach to creating a party differed in different games. Sometimes they were allowed to create the entire party at once, and sometimes the player was limited to creating one single character with whom he identified himself, recruiting other team members along the way. The number of party members in different games varied from one to eight adventurers. It is noteworthy that if you had a fully staffed group, then all the experience earned was divided equally between the participants. Accordingly, the fewer heroes a player recruited into his party, the faster they grew in levels. Gameplay of party RPGs also differed from each other. There were isometric games, and games with a camera “from the eyes”, and top-down role-playing games. The combat system also varied – real-time battles, turn-based battles, and sometimes both. I would like to note on my own that party RPGs have accounted for the lion’s share of the most significant titles throughout the existence of the genre.
Next worth noting hack’n’slash – a subgenre that has lost many of the features of “classic” RPGs, such as social skills, dialogue, and a branched plot, but has elevated the destruction of monsters to the absolute level. In such games, leveling up your character is an end in itself. The whole process of the game comes down to killing as many enemies as possible at the current level in order to upgrade the hero and go to the next level. An integral part of such games is randomly generated equipment, of which there is an exorbitant amount in games of this type, as well as mobs that need to be sent to another world with the help of this equipment. Unlike the previous subgenre, hack’n’slash has very dynamic gameplay.
Rogue-like. They are named after their progenitor – a game called Rogue, which is almost the progenitor of the entire genre. Appeared at a time when there were no graphics in games as such – all objects in the game were displayed exclusively as text symbols. Typically highly complex and with complex role-playing systems. Most representatives of this subgenre had a permanent death mechanism, that is, after death the player had to go through everything again. The gameplay was turn-based and was an “adventure” game in which the player had to go through several levels, usually a generated dungeon, in order to reach the final goal. Along the way, there were monsters of different difficulty levels, by killing which the player leveled up. In principle, hack’n’slash can be called a very light version of the roguelike.
One example of mixing genres is https://pokerstars-casino.uk/withdrawal/ Action-RPG. In this case, in addition to the skills of the game character, the player’s skills also play an equally important role. Usually the player has direct control over his alter ego and it depends on his reaction and “straightforwardness” whether the enemy will get into the crosshairs, or whether all the shots will go “into the wind”. Quite often, leveling up a character in such games becomes a victim of cinematography. There are indeed other examples when direct control over a character is only a means of interaction with the world, and role-playing elements are fully revealed. As a rule, in an action-rpg the player controls only one character, although he may have 1-2 companions under his command.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the Japanese-style RPG, or jRPG, because they are radically different from their Western counterpart. In such games there is usually no choice of character, non-linearity, freedom of action, but much more attention is paid to other aspects. This creates high-level development and relationships between well-developed characters, an interesting linear plot and dialogue. In general, this is an interactive narrative, often with deep meaning, with breaks for fights.
The last subgenre can be considered MMORPG. Most often they represent a hack’n’slash genre transferred online, that is, when in addition to you there are many other living players on the level. With the introduction of the online component, such aspects of gameplay as roleplaying, with an impact on the game world, as well as a more or less sane plot, are absent. The whole point comes down to constantly leveling up your character and killing mobs, so that you can then measure your strength with other players.
Origin of life
The history of the RPG genre begins around the mid-seventies of the last century. The first role-playing games were, as expected, text-based. Not only that, they were also multi-user. All this was called MUD and in fact it was more of an adventure game, or something like a forum RPG. Quite soon the genre switched to the same textual, but pseudo-graphic mode, in which the map and the world surrounding the player are drawn with letters and other symbols. The first sign was exactly the same Rogue that I already mentioned above. He was followed by others who gained fame in the game in those days. Nethack and ADOM(Ancient Domains of Mystery) – names that you might have heard today.
It is clear that there was no graphics as such in such games, but this did not mean that all other aspects of the projects were carried out primitively. Bagels were not easy games at all. The lack of plot was compensated by a well-thought-out role-playing system and opponents. And there were many opponents, despite the limitation on the number of enemies by the number of Latin letters multiplied by two (capital and uppercase), since there were subtypes of enemies. So the dragon could be fiery (red D), poisonous (green D) and so on. And there were quite a few opportunities to interact with the world. So, it was possible to tame an animal even then.
Early eighties. The simplest pixel graphics began to appear in games. These green dots are grass, and these blue dots are the sea. At this time, series were born that would truly become the founders of the genre and largely influence its development.
1981. Two games are released, marking the beginning of two great series. One of them is Ultima, created by Richard Garriott. The series includes nine numbered games, one MMO (one of the first MMOs), as well as many individual games included in the series. In addition to the fact that the game, in principle, became the founder of the genre, there was one idea in it that, in one form or another, is used in role-playing games to this day. Making certain ethical choices, the hero was inclined towards the corresponding virtue, or, on the contrary, towards sin. Already in 1981, the plot and the game itself could change depending on which path the hero chose. This idea is still used in games today. However, if in 1981 a character had as many as eight virtues, today it is a maximum of one “angel-devil” scale.
The second series, launched the same year, is called Wizardry. The first part of the game even then (1981) could boast of three-dimensional graphics of dungeons and was a party RPG with a view from the eyes and turn-based battles, where the player, before the start of the move, gave instructions to his heroes, which were carried out already in the speech of the move itself. The second and third parts were no different from the firstborn, except for the plot. But game number four brought with it serious changes in concept. David Bradley became the head of the development of new parts of Wizardry, and he is famous for several things. Firstly, starting with the fourth game in the series (1987), for the first time in the history of role-playing games, the player had the opportunity to play evil characters, and the ending of the game depended on his actions. In addition, Bradley introduced a system that I personally have only seen in “Space Rangers”, namely alternative heroes who also roam the world, sometimes completing quests, from time to time robbing treasuries – in general, the player’s competitors. Among other things, the games in the series, of course, offered a considerable selection of character classes/races with corresponding characteristics. In the last, eighth, part, released in 2001, there were 11 races (including walking dogs, fairies and dragons), as well as 15 classes. All this could be combined in any order, which provided a large margin of replayability. If you personally asked me which game of the past I would like to be reincarnated in modern realities, I would choose Wizardry.
The third pillar of the genre at that time was the Might&Magic series. Yes, yes, long before the wonderful “Heroes of Might and Magic” appeared, it was a series of successful party RPGs that stood at the origins of the genre. The first game was released in 1986 from under the wing of New World Computing, and was written, like many games then, by one single person – John Van Caneghem. It’s still the same party RPG with a first-person view. We choose a group of characters, different classes, races, worldviews – and set off to save the world. Quite a specific world, for a fantasy game. The games take place on Varna, a spaceship built by the race of the Ancients, inhabited by characters from the fantasy Middle Ages. In addition to the Warns, the Ancients also built cyborgs to protect inhabited planets. One of these cyborgs fell apart. The players caught him until the fifth part of the series. The game easily combined elves and mages with droids and blasters (though only in the later stages of playthrough). The first five parts of the games, which were released until 1993, were turn-based and featured an abundance of text riddles. Starting from the sixth part, the concept has changed a lot, but more on that later. At the same time, “Heroes” appeared, the action of which took place in the same universe. In general, the world of Might&Magic is so vast and multifaceted that it is worthy of a separate “History of the Series”. In any case, Might and Magic has rightfully gained a foothold in the pantheon of role-playing games for its unique, interesting world, exciting character development, and most importantly for its sense of adventure.
But that’s not all.
However, you should not think that, in addition to the series I listed above, there were no worthy role-playing projects in those days. There were, and there were not only worthy, but also legendary. However, I’m just a person, and I can’t be knowledgeable in detail about absolutely all RPG games, so I’ll mention some only in passing, for which I ask you not to judge strictly.
It’s impossible not to mention one of the pillars of the jRPG genre – the Final Fantasy series. The first part of the game was released in 1987 and spawned over a dozen sequels. The games in the series are very popular and also financially successful. It is also worth noting the games of the Phantasy Star and Zelda series, which have become cult.
In 1985, the game Bard’s Tale was released, the first project of Interplay, which would still make itself known. It was followed by two sequels and one remake. The game was quite successful and was the first RPG that could compete with Ultima, besides Wizardry. The Bard’s Adventures are inducted into the Video Games Hall of Fame.
1988 released Wasteland – the progenitor of the great and terrible Fallout. And, in principle, the progenitor of all post-apocalyptic games. Wasteand was a party-based role-playing game with global map travel, turn-based combat, and the ability to level up numerous character attributes as you please.
Golden calf
Here begins the era of Dungeon and Dragons board games. First, SSI acquired the rights to computerize this successful and developing desktop game and created a universal engine called Gold Box. It was possible to easily insert more and more new scenarios into it, taken from the same desktop version of the game. This is where and exactly how the first game pipeline appeared. The engine, by the way, was very progressive for its time, pseudo-three-dimensional and could display a world map. The first role-playing game for Gold Box was Pool of Radiance, released in 1988. It was followed by Curse of the Azure Bonds, Secret of the Silver Blades and Pools of Darkness, which all formed one evolving story. And these were still party RPGs with a first-person view. Most of the games were based on the Forgotten Realms setting, but there were no less successful examples in the Dragonlance universe (Champions of Krynn, Death Knights of Krynn and The Dark Queen of Krynn). In 1991, Neverwinter Nights, the first graphical MMORPG, was released on the Gold Box engine. And in 1993, the first editor called Forgotten Realms Unlimited Adventures was released, after which the modding community became more active, supplying more and more scenarios for the Gold Box. To top it all off, the engine made it possible to transfer characters from one game to another, which is now considered a kind of norm when developing sequels.
And then, in 1990, Eye of the Beholder came along and brought dynamics to party RPGs. Combat was no longer turn-based, but took place in real time, so the player had to make sure to give orders to the characters in time so that they would put in maximum effort in battle. And as you understand, this is where the percentage of abstraction from the player’s skills begins to decline. Nevertheless, this is still a full-fledged role-playing game with an interesting adventure and exciting leveling up of the group. The first part was followed by two sequels, which only improved the original. The game became incredibly popular and for a long time it was associated with the computer version of DnD.
In general, the early and mid-nineties can be considered the pinnacle of development of the genre of party role-playing games with a “view from the eyes”, or as it is sometimes called “dungeon crawler”. This period saw many great games, such as Betrayal at Krondor, Lands of Lore, Realms of Arkania. The latter, by the way, is one of the few games made not under the DnD license. The game is based on the German tabletop role-playing system Das Schwarze Auge (The Dark Eye). This system is almost deeper and more detailed than Dungeons and Dragons. So, this is the only game in my memory where, when creating a character, we determine not only positive characteristics (standard strength and dexterity), but also choose what weaknesses our hero will have. How do you like a warrior who has a fear of heights?? Or a superstitious magician? Or maybe a money-hungry gnome who is also afraid of the dead? And all these negative characteristics were not just for show, but influenced the gameplay. A character with claustrophobia will be nervous in dungeons, necrophobia will cause the player to cower in a corner when fighting the undead, and a character with acrophobia will flatly refuse to walk uphill.
Few people know the game Realms of Arkania: Blade of Destiny, but even fewer people know that its HD re-release was released not so long ago. Not everything is as smooth with it as we would like, however, if you are not put off by crooked animation and angular models, I advise you to join the classics and feel the spirit of those games.
At the same time, games in the Final Fantasy series continue to be released, developing and improving jRPG ideas. The seventh part, released in 1997, is considered one of the best games in the genre to this day. New titles also appear, such as Chrono Trigger, which have gained no less popularity.
And again the sword, and again the magic
1998 marked the revival of the Might and Magic line of games. The sixth part appeared before the world in an updated form, and appeared triumphantly, eventually becoming the pinnacle of the series. It resembled its predecessors only in the role-playing system, but otherwise it was practically a new game. Huge 3D world with many quests and areas to explore. Moreover, the game has moved to real time, albeit with the ability to switch to step-by-step mode. There were more enemies, the battles became more dynamic, and overall the game was more lively than the previous parts. The game was long and difficult, which was reflected in subsequent parts. Thus, M&M number seven was an improved predecessor in every way, but it turned out to be much shorter and simpler, despite the fact that many consider seven to be the best in the series. In Might and Magic 8, the role-playing system was significantly changed – so the classic race/class combination disappeared. From now on, it was possible to choose only a previously prepared option – a human cleric, an elf archer, completely new classes appeared – troll, vampire, dragon. And although this is not new for role-playing games, it is at least unusual for the world of Might and Magic. In addition, the player did not create the entire party at the beginning of the game, but only one character. The rest were recruited as the game progressed. In addition, the game turned out to be even shorter and changed the atmosphere from medieval fantasy to dark. The ninth part, released in 2002, unfortunately did not find great fame and buried the series for 12 long years. The graphics, which were not the most modern at the time of the game’s release, many bugs, as well as the once again revised role-playing system (initially there were only two classes to choose from – a mage and a warrior) played a cruel joke on the game. And in general, the game no longer resembles the world of Might and Magic in spirit.
However, this is not the last word in the story of Might and Magic. This is just the end of another chapter that puts an end to the history of classic party RPGs with a view from the eyes. And even if the ending is not the most successful, Might and Magic, especially the second wave of games, will forever remain in the hearts of players. The indescribable spirit of adventure, coupled with intelligent and interesting leveling up of a group of characters, did their job and left an indelible mark on the history of the RPG genre. For people unfamiliar with the series, I advise you to overcome their dislike for the outdated graphics and the first repulsive impression of the controls and play the sixth and seventh parts in order to enjoy the world of Might and Magic.
Give me Action!
In 1994, another iconic series was born – The Elder Scrolls, which marked the development of the Action-RPG genre. The first game with the subtitle Arena laid the foundations – direct character control, a large open world, and most importantly complete freedom of action. Two years later, a sequel was released – Daggerfall. The game with the largest world in the history of gaming. 160,000 square kilometers, 15,000 settlements and 750,000 NPCs to talk to. In addition, as in all games in the series, complete freedom of action and opportunity. And also a lot of bugs, many of which have not yet been fixed.
The essence of The Edler Scrolls is the ability to go where you want, be who you want and do what you want. The character leveling system allows you to develop skills through their direct use. True, with each game in the series these skills became less and less. In general, using the example of The Elder Scrolls series, one can trace the trend of simplifying and rendering role-playing games, but more on that later.
Before moving on to the next round of evolution of party RPGs, it’s worth talking about a game that made a lot of noise and gave birth to a new genre – hack’n’slash. Of course everyone knows the legendary Diablo. The game was released in 1996 and followed the canon of the roguelike genre. The player chose a hero (warrior, robber, mage) and went into the dungeon to annihilate the evil spirits, clearing the level for… but what am I telling you, you already know everything. The first part was followed by the even more legendary second. And then came a bunch of imitators, the most famous of which are Sacred, Dungeon Siege, Titan Quest. Such games do not have their own genre; they are called nothing more than Diablo-clone. All such games are distinguished by a huge number of different randomly generated items, as well as an even larger number of enemies.
The relative simplicity compared to classic role-playing games attracted a new audience to the genre, dividing the world into two camps – those who consider Diablo an RPG, and, accordingly, the rest. It’s useless to argue with both of them, but one cannot help but notice that hack’n’slash games really have a highly simplified role-playing component and world interactivity. Surprisingly, the third part, released in 2012, managed to simplify everything even more. No matter what anyone says, it’s a landmark game for the genre.
At this point I would like to make a small digression. Here ends the reign of the founders of the genre – first-person party RPGs. Their popularity is gradually fading, giving way to new technologies and games. However, it is worth remembering that these were great games, pioneers, role-playing pioneers. Having laid the foundations and developed the main ideas, they paved the way for no less great luminaries of the genre. But their time has passed, because evolution even in the gaming industry does not stand still, and the Golden Age of isometric RPGs has come..
Nothing will ever be the same again
I would like to continue the further story in chronological order, looking at individual years and the games that were released then. There are many worthy representatives of the genre and there is constant evolution, in one direction or another. Therefore, I will try to briefly characterize the development trends of the genre.
The first Fallout is released. A game that will definitely find its place in any top of not only the best role-playing games, but also just games. The best transfer of the atmosphere of a post-nuclear wasteland in games. A unique role-playing system, a strong influence of characteristics on the gameplay, a large, detailed world, freedom of action, many moral choices, non-linear progression, an excellent turn-based combat system – this is just a small part of what can be said about this game. Fallout is a cult and a legend. One of the standards of the RPG genre, a classic as it is. Above I listed the signs of a role-playing game. They apply completely and completely unconditionally to Fallout.
On the wave of the success of the first part, Fallout 2 is released. And it becomes even better than its predecessor. If in some top of the best games there is no place for the first Fall, the second one will definitely take it. Everything that applies to the first part is also true for the second. It’s stupid to talk about this, you have to play it. Unfortunately, both parts were not commercially successful, as a result of which the developers from Black Isle went bankrupt. It’s a pity, since no one has been able to repeat or do something similar so far.
BioWare releases Baldur’s Gate, a game that will forever change the world’s understanding of fantasy role-playing games. The Infinity engine used pre-rendered images as 2D backgrounds, which looked incredibly beautiful and detailed at the time. However, the game was not famous for its graphics alone. Using DnD, already familiar to gamers, the game once again managed to captivate us with the development of its party. Races, classes, characteristics, spells, weapons, armor, it was all in abundance. Among other things, the game was remembered for its interesting and well-written partners, each of whom was a personality with his own problems, which is worth Minsk alone, with its own space hamster. The game turned out to be long and difficult, the very first goblin could send the hero to his forefathers with one poke, and in case of incorrect leveling he could easily start again. An interesting plot, many side characters, beautifully detailed locations – all together elevated the game to cult status. The game can and even should be played now – I personally verified it.
Firstly, this year there will be an addition to Baldur’s Gate – Tales of the Sword Coast, which has raised the already high difficulty level. New locations, things, enemies, history, quests – just what was needed to return to the world of Baldur’s Gate again. The expansion was great and quite long compared to modern DLCs.
Planescape: Torment is a game that many fans of the genre will put first in the list of the best RPGs. Despite the fact that we are not given much choice of character, the game is still a purebred role-playing game. One of the best plots in history, brilliant dialogues and relationships with superbly thought out party members, wonderful black humor, a unique world – these are Planescpe’s trump cards. The game focuses on the story and dialogues and gives many options for passing. If you haven’t played Planescape: Torment, you haven’t experienced all the facets of the RPG genre.
As with Fallout, Baldur’s Gate’s sequel, Shadows of Amn, surpasses the original. Everything in the game remained the same, plus several new classes (or rather subclasses) were added, there were more diverse beautiful locations, even more quests, quests for party members, romance novels, castle management, legendary artifacts, and God knows what else. There is so much content that the completion time easily exceeds the 100 hour mark. It’s difficult to play, especially for beginners; at any time a lich can jump out from around the corner of another cave and kill a well-pumped party. The pinnacle of BioWare’s creativity, a masterpiece that rightfully shares the leadership bar with the second Fallout.
The same year, another Infinity game was released in the Forgotten Realms universe – Icewind Dale. This time, the developers from Black Isle returned to the roots of the party RPG genre and made a kind of “dungeon crawler” in isometry. We were allowed to create a party ourselves at the beginning of the game, as was the case in the old games. Despite their superficial similarities, Icewind Dale and Baldur’s Gate are very different games. Here, the personal story of one character gives way to the epic adventures of a group of characters. Overall, this is such a combat-oriented Baldur’s Gate. And although Icewind Dale does not reach the level of its older brother, it is no less legendary, and most importantly a complex and interesting classic role-playing game.
An addition to Baldur’s Gate II – Throne of Bhaal – is being released, which only makes the game more beautiful. In principle, everything is standard, a new story, new locations, items, spells, in general a lot of things. However, I don’t dare call the addition a craft. It’s still interesting to play, not least thanks to the beautiful backdrops and the plot, which, although it doesn’t live up to the original, ends the protagonist’s story. This is BioWare’s last game using the Infinity engine. And their last classic RPG, the following games are, in my opinion, far inferior to the Baldur’s Gate Trilogy.
Also released was an add-on for Icewind Dale, which is nothing remarkable, simply extending the time in the game. It may be ok for some, but, as for me, it’s already trash.
A new series is emerging in the Action-RPG subgenre – Gtohic. The first part rather outlines the concept and is a long demo of the second part – excellent. The role-playing system is not particularly deep, although it is thought out in detail, but the world is magnificent. Social interaction is taken to a new level here. Three factions with which the hero must interact, eventually joining one of them. An open living world, freedom of action, gradual character development from a complete weakling to a mighty warrior – these are the principles of Gothic.
The pearl of this year, in my opinion, was the game Arcanum: of Steamwork and Magic Obscura. People from Black Isle got together and created the studio Troika Games. And with the very first project they created a masterpiece. Arcanum is a Fallout from the world of steampunk, where magic is intertwined with technology. Much of what is true for Fall also applies to this game. Non-linearity, large open world, subtle character development, in addition to this, an interesting concept of magic and technology. Unfortunately, there were some flaws, such as some imbalance and poor development of the turn-based combat system. Which, in principle, does not prevent the game from being one of the best representatives of the genre.
He gave us two games at once based on the third edition of the DnD rules. The first is Icewind Dale II. The sequel, in good tradition, again surpassed the original, the third edition showed itself quite well, making leveling more flexible and fun. By the way, this is the last game on Infinity. The locations are as beautiful as before, leveling up, as I already said, is exciting, but otherwise it’s still the same classic party role-playing game, in isometry.
The second DnD3 game was a new BioWare project – Neverwinter Nights. The developers decided to follow the path of the Gold Box engine and create a toolkit for future modules, and along the way they riveted the game together. The game wasn’t that bad and even created some kind of sensation, after all, three-dimensional graphics, realistic shadows and all that, but it was already a step away from classic RPGs. Firstly, the main character walks alone, at most he can take an assistant with him, who, however, cannot be controlled. This immediately cut out such a layer of gameplay from the game as group management. It was impossible to be a magician, a warrior, a druid, and a thief at the same time, which greatly affected the diversity, and also affected the balance. Not all characters are equally good for passing – the monk is just a killing machine, capable of taking down a dragon with his bare hands, and the bard is a stupid useless musician. The plot also began to limp – go around four locations, collect four items, repeat in each chapter. It became much easier to play, which also did not add interest. Despite all this, leveling up, thanks to DnD, was good, and the locations with enemies were varied, which kept you playing.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind was released the same year – the best game in the series. However, even this, compared to its predecessor, was trimmed down and simplified. Fewer skills, smaller world size, some elements removed, but no one paid attention to this, since no one offered what Morrowind offered. A huge unique open world and absolute freedom of action, a ton of quests, monsters, races, free leveling, guilds to join… (a very long list)… and most importantly a detailed world with its own unique atmosphere. In my humble opinion, this game is the pinnacle of the Action-RPG genre. It was possible to live in the game, spending more than 300 hours there, and still not having discovered all the secrets. The two expansions that were released – Tribunal and Blood Moon – only expanded the game without spoiling anything.
Gothic II is the best of all Gothic games and games that imitate it. Compared to the first part, absolutely everything was improved and multiplied by at least two. The game is unique in its own way, you won’t find another like it, I assure you. An interesting character development system, non-linear progression, a wonderful world, but what’s up, everything is great in this game. The Night of the Raven addon made an already masterpiece game basically unattainable for competitors. Stands on the same pedestal with TES III.
This year saw the release of two expansions for Neverwinter Nights – Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark. I personally consider the main merit of these additions to be the improved plot, otherwise it is the same game, with new locations and even more interesting leveling due to the introduction of prestige classes.
Troika Games decided to return to the roots of the genre again and, armed with a set of DnD rules version 3.5 and the Greyhawk setting, issued the game The Temple of Elemental Evil. Again a classic party RPG, turn-based combat system, worked out to the smallest detail. In general, the game is considered the most thorough transfer of board rules to a computer game. TOEE used the technology of 2D backdrops and 3D objects and looked a little outdated compared to its competitors, but it gave the experience of old “dungeon crawlers”.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The game I beat to death at one time. An attempt to transfer the d20 tabletop system to the Star Wars universe. The attempt was successful, the game became a cult. However, despite my sincere love for the game, I cannot help but note the following. It was this game that became the pattern by which BioWare makes all its games to this day. A party of a maximum of three people (NWN didn’t even have this, thank you anyway), and all the other companions are supposedly right there nearby, but you can’t take them with you, you can only exchange one for another, which is absolutely pointless and illogical. The “visit N planets collect N parts” level plot haunts every BioWare game to this day and, honestly, is already causing rejection.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords is coming out, this time from Obsidian. In my opinion, the game turned out to be much deeper and more interesting than the original. Dialogues have become more interesting, the game itself is more non-linear. However, because of the publisher, it was necessary to cut a lot of content and release the game in an incomplete state, and therefore not everyone appreciated the full potential of the sequel. Although the plot has improved, it inherited the formula “visit N planets, find N Jedi”.
Troika Games releases its third and final game. As always brilliant, as always commercially unsuccessful. Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines – although it had action combat, I can’t put it in the Action-RPG subgenre. This is because the game uses the thoughtful role-playing system of the World of Darkness board game, albeit simplified for the computer version. Non-linearity, dialogues, atmosphere, world, quests, characters – at their best. Everything is spoiled by the combat and numerous bugs. To remove them would be a masterpiece. And so the game did not gain much success, and the office, unfortunately, closed.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion showed us the graphics and simplification of the role-playing system compared to TES III, which in turn was simplified compared to TES II. There are even fewer skills, they cut guilds, levitation, spell creation, introduced a boring plot and an unoriginal world. It is worth noting that the world is still large and detailed. However, compared to Morrowind, it was a big step back in everything except graphics. I won’t guess who is to blame for this, but the regression of the genre has begun to gain momentum.
This year saw the release of the last, in my opinion, of the classic party role-playing games. Neverwinter Nights 2, developed through the efforts of Obsidian, tried to return to the concept of Baldur’s Gate, and it must be said that it succeeded. What we saw was more of a continuation of Baldur’s Gate than of Neverwinter. A classic batch of interesting characters, group management – the same gameplay, and even with beautiful 3D graphics, what more could you want?? And overall everything was fine. Some simply indecent number of classes and races could detain you for a long time just in the character creation menu. Leveling up has become even more interesting compared to NWN, thanks to new races and prestige classes. They gave me control of the castle again. Except that the plot let us down, Obsidian got infected from BioWare with the syndrome of collecting parts of something, but the gameplay was addictive, and that’s good. The game was replenished with two additions of varying degrees of success and marked the end of the era of classic role-playing games.
Let me make one more small digression. A little negative on my part this time. From that moment on, for me personally, the genre went downhill. RPG games have become less popular due to their complexity for new gamers, so they are more often crossed with other genres. What happened is what happened – for some it’s joy, for others it’s sadness. Classic role-playing games began to be forgotten, and new projects appeared on the scene..
Dark times.
… the genre has arrived. Once great series began to fall. This is what happened with Gothic, for example. The fourth part is simply embarrassing for a decent person to look at, and Risen, who took the baton, clearly went into the wrong steppe. And if the first part was more or less good (the second half of the game was simply merged), then the second part began experiments with pirates, firearms and traveling between islands. This completely killed the entire atmosphere and principle of the chamber, but elaborate world of Gothic.
The Elder Scrolls is no further away. Skyrim, the fifth installment, while being an essentially good game, simplified the series even further. There are even fewer skills than in Oblivion, magic and armor have been cut, thanks at least there is a large, well-developed world left. Although it is not as impressive as Morrowind once was.
They revived Fallout, but they revived it in such a way that it would be better if it rested in peace. Now it’s Oblivion with guns. Even New Vegas, which turned out to be better than the third part, is not one iota closer to the legendary status of Fallout 2. In essence, the games themselves may not be very bad, but the bias towards the action component makes itself felt – the game feels completely different. Although, compared to everything else, New Vegas is the best thing that has happened to the genre in recent times.
BioWare has completely gone into dynamics and cinematography. The first bell was the awkward Jade Empire, then everyone’s favorite Mass Effect came out, turning the genre into a TPS with covers and rolls. If the first part still tried to portray pumping and had a sane plot, then the second and third moved an incredible distance away from the classic role-playing game. In essence, these are good games, not without flaws, but there are almost no RPGs left in them. More precisely, it has changed, and in my opinion, not for the better.
There was an attempt to return to the classics – Dragon Age: Origins. And it seems like a good game… you think you won’t play Baldur’s Gate II yet. DAO is inferior to its progenitor in almost everything except graphics. The second part should be anathema and forgotten like a bad dream.
I apologize for this emotional digression. All these, in general, are not bad games (well, with the possible exception of DA2). It’s just that compared to the titles of the past, they don’t stand up to criticism. But I want the level of games to grow not only in graphics technologies, I want a high-quality product, the same as it used to be, but for some reason was forgotten.
New birth?
I, like many other fans of role-playing games, am glad about the advent of Kickstarter and Indie development. Thanks to them, classic games are being revived. And this is a very good trend.
The first successful example was the Legends of Grimrock project, which revived the dungeon crawler genre. The gameplay of the game copies that from Eye of the Beholder. The game became popular, and in the wake of this popularity the Might and Magic series was revived. Not long ago, Might and Magic X – Legacy was released, which returned to the origins of the series. Perhaps not everything in it is perfect, the balance is not verified, the step-by-step is controversial, but it’s better than nothing. The game gives you a feel for the old school gameplay, and that’s the main thing. I advise those who have never encountered this genre to try it, an unusual experience. If there is a demand for such games, competition will appear, and then lo and behold, the quality will only increase.
Just recently released Divinity: Original Sin, an old-school RPG with turn-based combat, and it’s already a huge success. Wasteland 2 is coming, the successor to its predecessor Fallout. In development are Pillars of Eternity and Torment: Tides of Numenera – the ideological heirs of Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment. All this gives me hope in my heart that the genre is experiencing a new birth, so I really hope for these projects. Well, for now, not all the classics have been completed yet, so we have something to do.