I have tried a ton of RPGs, and most just don’t click for me. Here are a few:

  • Skyrim - enjoyed Morrowind for the side content, Skyrim just felt empty
  • Chrono Trigger - enjoyed until about halfway through with the battle with Magus; felt very RNG dependent, or maybe I was under leveled; I bailed after 5 or so attempts that all ended the same way (healer got killed and everyone got picked off)
  • Pillars of Eternity - burned out somewhere in Act 2 (20-25 hours); combat system annoyed me, and I dislike picking new abilities
  • Banner Saga - story is great, but I hate the combat, so I bailed

Some things about me:

  • I don’t care about leveling up/character builds, it feels like a chore; abilities also don’t interest me
  • I hate grinding
  • using items feels like cheating, so I tend to just use character abilities (I will heal if needed); I’d rather “git gud” than buy and use items
  • turn based combat (tactics) is generally boring, but I do like puzzles, so that can make it acceptable
  • I don’t like the feeling of being OP, I want to struggle through the end
  • I don’t like loot

That said, here are a few that I’ve really enjoyed:

  • ARPGs like Ys and Zelda - items are rare or are tools in a puzzle-like system; favorites are Ys 1, Ys Origin, Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Zelda: Skyward Sword (probably because I played Skyward Sword recently); I dislike BotW, and Memories of Celceta has been dragging a bit (I’m near the end, but excited to finish)
  • interesting RPGs like Undertale - short and very unique experience
  • Souls-like games - challenge involving melee/dodging keeps me going
  • Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - not a fan of the combat, but the story is interesting somewhat at least; I’m about 2/3 through I think (30 hours), but I’ve taken a multi-month break; likewise, Xenoblade Chronicles is interesting so far, but I’m not super excited about it (may bump down to story mode to get through it, the combat sucks imo)
  • Nier: Replicant - great story, leveling stayed out of the way, and I never felt like I needed to grind or upgrade gear

I really like the storylines of RPGs, I just don’t like actually playing them. Unfortunately, my preferred ARPG genre is filled with loot nonsense, and I’ve played most of the ones that don’t really on that as a mechanic. Perhaps my favorite RPG-adjacent game not mentioned already is Yakuza 0, I’m not a fan of the combat, but he story is amazing and the side content is fun.

Does anyone feel similarly? Do you have any suggestions for other games to try?

  • RobertoOberto@sh.itjust.works
    111·
    1 year ago

    If you’re into FPS games, here are a few suggestions that have RPG elements:

    • Deus Ex
    • Borderlands
    • Bioshock
    • FarCry (#3 and after have progression elements, not so much for earlier entries)
    • kurcatovium@lemm.eeEnglish
      10·
      1 year ago

      Borderlands is loot heavy (looter shooter) so it’s probably not the right game, but Bioshock on the other hand… highly recommended.

      I’d also add Dishonored and VtM: Bloodlines.

      • RobertoOberto@sh.itjust.works
        31·
        1 year ago

        I’ve heard BL described as a “looter shooter”, but found that I can mostly ignore the loot aspect. Like OP, I’m not a fan of grinding for special drops, managing a shitload of inventory items, or memorizing loot stats. I just play through the games, occasionally checking drops for something better than what I have, and moving right along. It never felt like a burden to me because I didn’t care about having the “best” gear.

    • sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.worksOP
      3·
      1 year ago

      I couldn’t stand Borderlands, the first game felt like a loot fest and I bailed really early. There was pretty much no plot, just a bunch of fetch quests to get loot to upgrade stuff. I liked the humor at the start, but the core loop just didn’t click at all.

      I do like BioShock though, but I’m not very interested in the powers and whatnot.

      I’ll try Deus Ex, I hear it’s fantastic.

      • RobertoOberto@sh.itjust.works
        2·
        1 year ago

        If you don’t mind old shitty graphics and mechanics, start with the original Deus Ex. I played it when it first came out and it blew my little stupid mind. I still replay it once every couple of years. It really taught me what an art video games can be, which was totally new to me after growing up on Wolfenstein and Doom.