Who can resist the appeal of a good and consistent game of Dungeons & Dragons? With the right DM, it can be one of the most freeing gaming experiences anyone can have. There are plenty of great games based on Dungeons & Dragons, too, for those who don’t directly like tabletop games, like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Baldur’s Gate: Dark Alliance.
Beyond actual Dungeons & Dragons games, there are plenty of games that emulate the feeling of playing a great campaign with friends. These include a lot of RPGs across a wide variety of platforms. For those who cannot get enough, these are the games worth recommending.
Crimson Shroud was released on the 3DS digitally in North America under a special project within Level-5 called Guild. While it cannot be purchased anymore in the eShop, fans can still import it, thankfully for those curious. The game is short, featuring three playable characters who will travel deep into a dungeon, looking for adventure. All movement features little statues that move while exploring or attacking, which is what makes it feel like D&D the most, but it’s so much more than that. Final Fantasy Tactics fans will appreciate it the most since Yasumi Matsuno, the director of that game, helped design Crimson Shroud.
Demeo
FULLY Immersive
Demeo is a must-play for anyone who loves D&D and has a VR headset, which includes PSVR, too. While not required, it enhances the experience as players will go through dungeons from a top-down perspective. The dungeons are brief, but they are packed with monsters, traps, and treasure. There is a narrator, but she won’t continually droll on about a huge epic story. Demeo puts its card-based tactical gameplay first, and that should prove to be mighty fine with a lot of D&D fans.
Dragon’s Crown
A 2D Detour
Dragon’s Crown doesn’t have a tabletop presentation, but it emulates D&D in spirit. This Vanillaware game was inspired by Capcom’s D&D games of the 90s, Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara, and Dragon’s Crown features many returning core concepts. Players can choose one of six characters, ranging from melee fighters to mages.
In dungeons, they will fight in real-time, and there are branching paths wherein choices will be given after meeting NPCs. These moments are like being guided by a DM, opening things up for replay if players so choose. Four players can party together and create their D&D-inspired memories, or they can go at it alone.
Hand Of Fate 2
Heart Of The Cards
Hand of Fate 2 is sort of like a choose-your-own-adventure game spliced with D&D, as a mysterious stranger will guide the fates of players to their eternal rewards or doom. They can use cards to move around a table, and if enemies are encountered, a quick arena battle will commence in real-time. Besides these battles, the design is simple but effective, thanks to the stranger having a creeper aura about him. Saying much more would spoil things, but let’s just say there’s more to this adventurous card game than meets the eye.
Knights Of Pen And Paper
Gather Round The DM
Developer: Behold Studios
Publishers: Paradox Interactive, Seaven Studio
Released: October 30, 2012
Platforms: Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One
Knights of Pen and Paper is directly drawing from D&D campaigns with a DM sitting in-between a handful of party members, all placed in chairs. As the campaign progresses, the backdrop will change to set the mood from a vibrant forest to a lava-filled dungeon. The gameplay is simple as a turn-based RPG, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. There were sequels, including a sci-fi version called Galaxy of Pen and Paper. They’re all worth recommending, but Knights of Pen and Paper, in any of its forms, is the best one to check out first.
Pillars of Eternity
A Baldur’s Gate Successor
Obsidian Entertainment has made one game based on the D&D universe, Neverwinter Nights 2, but Pillars of Eternity is more like a spiritual successor to other D&D games like Baldur’s Gate. Set in a new universe, Eora, players can set up their character and then adventure through a slow-paced campaign, gathering allies along the way.
While it takes a bit to get going, Pillars of Eternity does harken back to the good old days of PC RPGs and D&D. Explore new lands, expose shadows to find treasure or enemies, and unwind a compelling story through dialogue choices.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
Fantasy Guns
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is based on the Borderlands license and is actually an expanded concept that started with DLC for Borderlands 2 called Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. The game starts with Tiny Tina narrating another D&D-like game called Bunkers and Badasses. Players can choose their class and then explore a world map, jumping into dungeons as they appear. It’s still a shooter, but one with a fantasy twist as players can use magically gifted crossbows to explode skeletons, for example. It’s kind of like getting the best of both worlds, fantasy and sci-fi, and Tiny Tina can be humorous as a DM on occasion.
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
Choose Your Fate
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars is the first entry in the series, with two more to follow that more or less expand the universe. It’s another card game like Demeo and Hand of Fate 2, but with a different setup. Key characters are represented by cards as they talk to NPCs or are in battle. Each party member can attack with cards in turn-based battles that should go by quickly. The map is laid out with face-down cards, and players move around on them with what looks like a chess piece. It’s a low-rent design, but a finely polished game all the same, with a lot of wild twists appearing as players explore.
