Game Universes That Would Be Great Settings For RPGs
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Highlights
- RPG adaptations of popular game franchises like Dishonored, Crash Bandicoot, and Devil May Cry could provide fresh perspectives and deeper exploration of their rich worlds.
- Control and The Legend of Zelda could benefit from a strategic or party-based RPG format, offering tactical gameplay and the opportunity to interact with captivating characters in new ways.
- Starcraft, Jak & Daxter, Mortal Kombat, and BioShock have the potential for MMO, open world, action, or first-person RPG adaptations, expanding their lore and delivering immersive experiences to fans.
Role-playing games have always been hugely popular in the gaming world. Whether isometric, action, turn-based, or first-person, the opportunity to step into the shoes of an alter-ego in another world filled to the brim with richly detailed NPCs, deep, discoverable lore, and meaningful choices will likely never lose its appeal.
While there are already so many RPGs to choose from (especially of the European fantasy variety), there are still plenty of classics crying out for an entry in the RPG format, either because players would love a chance to dig deeper into their worlds, it would be awesome to explore them from new perspectives, or because the medium would offer a much-needed shake-up for the series.
10 Dishonored (Isometric RPG)
The Dishonored franchise simply drips world-building magnificence: The Victorian whale-punk setting (with smatterings of occult mysticism) would make for a splendid isometric RPG. Stealth, combat, and (appropriately grounded) magic mechanics would all be present, of course, but a top-down perspective would be ideal for allowing the developers to flesh out the world and its inhabitants without breaking the bank on graphical fidelity.
The lore of Dishonoredcontains some truly scintillating details about islands, continents, and even parts of the cities between each game that go unseen by the player. While there is some RPGish customization available in the series, having a more meaningful way to interact with people in the known world other than slitting their throats or simple text boxes would be sublime.
9 Crash Bandicoot (Paper Mario Style)
While bringing the Bandicoot into role-playing space may seem strange at first, consider the success of the Paper Mario or Mario RPG series. With plenty of iconic locations and memorable characters to draw from in the series, a sidestep into the realm of role-playing may bring a splash of variety to the Crash family of games.
While Crash himself isn’t much of a talker (besides the occasional “W O A H”), protagonists without very much to say in RPGs are hardly unheard of. There would even be room for classes, elemental magic, and character customization (although for Crash, much of that would likely be relegated to masks, jeans, or the occasional biker jacket).
8 Devil May Cry (Hack-And-Slash RPG)
With Final Fantasy having completely broken its ties with the turn-based party format and opting for a Devil May Cry style of gameplay with the advent of Final Fantasy 16, what better way for DMC to swoop up a bunch of new fans than by producing a turn-based party spin-off game?
Dante already made the jump into the medium with his appearance in Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne. A hack-and-slash open-world format (in which the player creates their own hunter) may be controversial to fans who expect fast, stylish action from their DMC, but greater customization, especially for player character models, done right, might add an extra dash of panache to the experience.
7 Control (Strategy RPG)
Remedy’s Control offered gamers a glimpse into the day-to-day operations of the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC): a shadowy (and often sinister) government group intent on keeping dark, reality-tearing forces under wraps and away from the light of day. In a strategic RPG iteration, the player could take control of a squad of FBC agents as they navigate eldritch occurrences and attempt to lock away potentially world-ending Objects of Power.
Taking a cue from the XCOM series, a ControlSRPG could put special emphasis on tactics, team customization, squad management, and permadeath features. There could also be roguelike elements with its level design, especially if the game were set within the seemingly-infinite confines of the Oldest House.
6 The Legend Of Zelda (Party-Based RPG)
Adventuring in the open lands of Hyrule and beyond is a lot of fun, as Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have demonstrated. That being said, some of the most magical moments in the Legend of Zelda series happen between Link and the amazing cast of characters. Now imagine a Dragon Quest-style game set in the LoZ universe.
While the RPG isn’t the only genre Zelda has tried, nor is it the only one the series should try out, there are so many elements that would make it a perfect fit. Interesting races, deep lore, and characters who have demonstrably acted as perfect class archetypes (Zelda as a magic user, Darunia as a warrior, Sheik the rogue, and so on).
5 Starcraft (MMORPG)
While it’s been a while since anyone heard a peep from the IP, with its three iconic factions (Zerg, Terrans, Protoss), Starcraft seems primed for a boots-on-the-ground sci-fi MMO sequel.
Then again, it is unlikely that Blizzard would attempt to lure its own WoW fans away from their subscriptions in favor of a World of Starcraft (or Galaxy of Starcraft), but anything is possible in the world of video games. Perhaps when the company feels the need to draw an ace, such an idea may yet arise in some far-off business huddle.
4 Jak & Daxter (Open World Action RPG)
When the Yakuza franchise launched its soft reboot with Like A Dragon, they went down the party-based RPG path, and it worked spectacularly. For any gamers missing the eco-punk feel of Haven City or the burning expanse of the Wasteland, a Jak and Daxter RPG might be the perfect way to serve long-standing fans and introduce new ones into the mix. Just imagine a Jak sequel with Naughty Dog’s modern capabilities!
With such a versatile setting brimming with magic (eco), deadly creatures, and mysterious lore, a fresh start in a new genre could be the start of something special for the series. In the new “Precurser’s Legacy” game, players could step into the boots of a new character, choose their looks, faction, and class (warrior, ego-sage, engineer, dark hunter), and ride or fly on mounts and eco-powered vehicles.
3 Shovel Knight (Classic Turn-Based)
It’s almost too easy to see how a Shovel Knight prequel RPG might look and play: a top-down, pixel RPG featuring some of the classic SK characters from Shovel Knight’s past: Shield Night, King Knight, and Black Knight along with Magic systems, menus, midi bleeps, bloops, and tropes all lovingly inspired by NES classics such as the original Final Fantasy.
It is rumored that the Yacht Club, the developers behind Shovel Knight, often joke about following Mario’s broad trajectory of games, starting with a sequel by the name of “Shovel Knight 64.” If this hearsay is true (and since they shifted into doing a puzzle game, it’s possible), then someday gamers might clap their eyes on a Shovel Knight RPG, a game akin to Paper Mario.
2 Mortal Kombat (Action RPG)
While there has technically already been a Mortal Kombat RPG (Onslaught), the mobile auto-battler didn’t quite speak to MK fans the way the rest of the series does. A real MK action RPG could be just as visceral, crass, and funny as the legendary 2D fighter, but balanced with some forward-thinking storytelling. It could deliver an epic tale set across the six realms, drawing on the incredible lore of the series, which is as deep as it is bloody.
The developers could ensure that an ARPG Mortal Kombat game packed the same punch by programming in a wide variety of finishing moves to keep players entertained as they rip through their opponents in Outworld and beyond.
1 BioShock (First-Person ARPG)
As fun as it was running around a ruined Rapture, many players of Bioshock 1 and 2 have wondered what it would have been like to have experienced the underwater city before the disaster that turned pretty much every human into a mad plasmid addict. Such a setting has the potential to birth stories with deep reactivity, subtlety, and, of course, madcap violence.
While the first game expertly dealt with themes of agency, free will, and power, an RPG could take those ideas much further afield with branching story paths and meaningful consequences. Failing that, a Bioshock RPG could walk on the legs of a horror role-playing game in which the player, one of Rapture’s denizens, attempts to retain their sanity as the whole city goes under.
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