It seemed that the CRPG was long thought a dead genre by AAA developers and publishers. They were seemingly overtaken by the third person or first-person RPGs like Mass Effect and Fallout 3. While those are fantastic titles in their own right, they weren’t the natural evolution of the RPG that many fans and even developers first thought.
Games like Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment still offered its players far more choice and consequences for their actions the worlds felt for more dynamic as a result. Even BioWare’s excellent Dragon Age series couldn’t escape its feeling of linearity.
However, from 2013 onward gamers have seen something of a renaissance for the classically styled CRPG with help of Kickstarter crowdfunding methods. As a result, fans have got some of the best CRPGs of all time with many being as good as if not better than the games that inspired them all without an AAA budget. Let’s take a look at 10 of the best modern CRPGs.
Updated December 23rd, 2020 by Michael Llewellyn: The classic CRPG has not only made its way back into the hearts of RPG fans but it’s also reintroduced a new generation of gamers of just much choice and freedom as a game like Divinity: Original Sin or Disco Elysium offers its players. It’s also interesting to see how well these titles do on the console as well as the PC and are succeeding in finding a brand new audience. The modern versions of the computer RPG are just as immersive and story-driven as the classics like Baldur’s Gate series that they were inspired by.
15 Age Of Decadence
Released in 2015 for the PC, Age of Decadence is an isometric RPG developed with classic CRPGs in mind. Unlike most fantasy RPGs, however, Age of Decadence is set in a more grounded and realistic world even though magic still exists in the game’s world.
The game features a heavy emphasis on politics, alliances, and allegiances as opposed to good and bad choices. If one was to think that an RPG that sounds like the videogame equivalent to Game of Thrones and HBO’s Rome sounds complicated, then that would be a fair assessment. Age of Decadence is brutally difficult and completely unforgiving.
14 Pathfinder: Kingmaker
Developed by Owlcat Games, Pathfinder: Kingmaker was released on PC in 2018 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. A console port for Pathfinder has been confirmed with a release due sometime in 2020.
It’s based on the tabletop RPG Pathfinder Roleplaying Game released in 2009 and inspired by classic CRPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights. Just like those games, Kingmaker is very faithful to the source material offering players an in-depth choice and consequence system. There are lots of dialogue options with consequences meaning their impact can create a very different experience in every playthrough.
13 Encased
Released in 2019 for the PC Encased is an open-world isometric RPG developed by Dark Crystal Games. It’s a science fiction RPG that pays tribute to the classic Fallout games. It’s currently in Early Access on Steam so it’s not the complete experience yet but the fan response is very positive so far.
Despite being in Early Access, Encased is still bigger and more complete – after several patches – than many big-budget AAA RPGs that have released plagued by bugs. It also offers the kind of freedom and world-building one would expect from a game like this.
12 Torment: Tides Of Numenera
Torment: Tides of Numenera was released in 2017 for the PC, PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One. Torment holds the record for the highest-funded videogame on Kickstarter after raising over $4 million.
The game is based on the tabletop RPG Numenera created by Monte Cook taking inspiration from the Planescape universe which he had a hand in designing. As a result, Torment: Tides of Numenera is considered to be a spiritual successor to the critically acclaimed Planescape: Torment. It retains the importance of character choice, interaction, and narrative over combat and looting. Additionally, Numenera is one of the most unique gaming worlds ever designed.
11 Wasteland 2
Developed by inXile Entertainment, Wasteland 2 is a sequel to the 1988 PC original. It was released in 2015 on the PC in 2014 with the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch version releasing a year later.
The first Wasteland was the inspiration for the original Fallout games on PC and Wasteland 2 continues that legacy with its visual style, great writing, dark sense of humor, and turn-based combat. It’s unapologetically old-school but it has the kind of charm to keep players pushing forward in Wasteland’s world of weird and wonderful characters.
10 Dragon Age: Origins
Developed by BioWare to be a modern-day spiritual successor to the Baldur’s Gate series Dragon Age: Origins released on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and the PC in 2009 to much critical acclaim. While most players tackle the game in its third-person perspective mode, it’s the classically inspired isometric viewpoint that makes Dragon Age feel more authentic.
In addition to some great gameplay, Dragon Age features an excellent story that while not as free or as open as some other games on this list, it’s easily as epic and feels every bit the AAA RPG it should be.
9 Tower Of Time
First released on the PC in 2018 and on consoles in 2020, Tower of Time is a classically inspired computer RPG that incorporates a tactical real-time combat system. It’s a game that’s heavy on the story with great writing and is sure to please fans of the genre from start to finish.
In combat, positioning the player’s characters on the map to gain an advantage and planning ahead is incredibly important and offer a good change from the usual stop-pause and turn-based systems that are usually found in a game like this.
8 Pillars Of Eternity
Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Pillars of Eternity was released on the PC in 2015 after a successful Kickstarter campaign. It was later ported to the PlayStation and Xbox One in 2017 and the Nintendo Switch in 2019.
Pillars of Eternity was one of the first games released on modern machines taking inspiration from classic RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale. Just like the games it inspiration from the writing in PoE is incredible, the combat complex, and beautiful artwork really brings its world to life.
7 Tyranny
Released for the PC by Obsidian Entertain in 2016, Tyranny was built on the same engine that was used in Pillars of Eternity. Just like Pillars, Tyranny is a high fantasy RPG that places the same emphasis on story, characters, and moral choices as its predecessor.
However, Tyranny’s story is unique because the game starts after the game’s big bad, the godlike Overlord Kyros has already won. In turn, the player is also encouraged to become a villain too with some truly despicable choices laid out on the table. The story is, at times twisted and beyond dark but it also utterly compelling.
6 Divinity Original Sin
A prequel to the Divine Divinity series developed by Larian Studios, Divinity: Original Sin was a crowdfunded project that released to critical acclaim in 2014 on the PC. Inspired by the Baldur’s Gate series, Original Sin offered players the same kind of limitless choice and experience.
Furthermore, Larian created one of the most beautiful and open worlds in a generation. The turn-based combat is reminiscent of the XCOM series where the environment can work either for or against the player. Divinity: Original Sin is a hardcore roleplaying experience that takes quite a bit of learning but the pay-off is worth it.
5 Wasteland 3
Released in 2020, Wasteland 3 is a post-apocalyptic RPG and the second sequel to the classic game that inspired the Fallout series. Like its predecessors, Wasteland 3 is filled with dark humor and unusual character but the consequential choices are still as complex as ever.
It’s challenging but well-balanced and a lot of fun but more importantly it has the best narrative and dialogue choices in the series so far. In addition to multiple paths, the game features a satisfying and enjoyable turn-based combat system and stunningly details maps.
4 Shadowrun Hong Kong
Developed by Harebrained Schemes, Shadowrun: Hong Kong was released in 2015 on the PC. A sequel to Shadowrun Returns, Hong Kong is a futuristic CRPG with a cyberpunk setting filled with fantasy-based characters like elves, dwarves, orcs, and trolls.
The Shadowrun universe is based on the tabletop RPG series of the same name and carries over the same themes into the games. Despite running on the same engine, Hong Kong took everything that was great about Returns and polished it. Atmospheric, immersive, and unique, Shadowrun: Hong Kong is one of the best games in the CRPG renaissance.
3 Pillars Of Eternity II: Deadfire
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire was first released on PC in 2018 and on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the Nintendo Switch in 2020. Deadfire takes place five years after the events of the first game and features some returning characters and themes.
The second game in the series once again excels in its writing, musical score, and voice acting. It’s mature, believable and expertly told. Instead of the Suikoden-like stronghold building in its predecessor players are now tasked with upgrading their ship, sailing, and battling at sea. In addition, Deadfire now includes the option to use turn-based combat as well as the real-time pause system offering players even more choice.
2 Disco Elysium
Released for the PC in 2019 with console releases to follow in 2020, Disco Elysium is both a classical looking CRPG with deep visual novel elements having a larger focus on storytelling and character interaction. Disco Elysium puts its players in the shoes of a narcotic and alcohol addicted detective investigating a murder in one of the most unique settings in a generation.
Elysium is set in a 1950s alternate universe after the collapse of a communist revolution. It left the fictional city of Revachol in poverty and under the control of a capitalist alliance called The Coalition. The game’s story is also developed depending on what stats are developed in relation to the human psyche. It’s a system that’s completely different from other games in the genre making it a landmark title in more ways than one.
1 Divinity: Original Sin 2
Divinity: Original Sin 2 was released in 2017 on the PC, in 2018 on the Xbox One and PS4, and in 2019 on the Nintendo Switch. Developers Larian took everything they got right with its predecessor and created one of the most polished and open experiences in RPGs.
More than ever before, Divinity: Original Sin’s world of Rivellon reacts and develops around the decisions and actions the player makes in a realistic and believable way, perhaps more so than any of its rivals. Additionally, the story is a step up from the sometimes overly whimsical nature of its predecessor.
That’s not to say the game doesn’t have a sense of humor because it does with some really amusing character interactions among the party. Where Original Sin truly shines is in the seemingly smaller side quests for which there’s no perfect solution. Even when one feels as though they have tied things up neatly, the impact of those decisions can be felt later in time it’s incredibly dynamic. There’s little doubt that Divinity: Original Sin II will be considered as one of the greatest RPGs ever created.
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