Role-playing games have advanced by leaps and bounds. Players love the idea of either playing a pre-determined character or controlling one of their own making as they get immersed in massive worlds full of things to do.
This genre has a massive history in the realm of video games, with fans loving the epic stories, memorable characters, and everything else along the same lines that most RPGs are known for. Several innovations have ensured that this genre becomes one of the most popular and revered ones in gaming.
May 27, 1986
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Chunsoft
Japanese role-playing games have progressed by leaps and bounds, with games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy paving the way for this incredibly popular genre. These games were inspired by the D&D gameplay loop and led to the creation of something special.
JRPGs dominated the fifth generation of gaming, allowing players to experience magical adventures crafted by talented Japanese developers. Even after the genre lost its relevance somewhat in later generations, it took little to no time for JRPGs to make a comeback with the success of titles like NieR: Automata and Persona 5 Royal.
JRPGs had become so popular by the end of the 80s and into the 1990s that some players eventually got sick of the tropes that dominated this genre. This is why EarthBound was such an important title, even if it failed to move too many units when it launched.
It eventually became a cult classic and inspired the anti-JRPG trend that indie games have expanded on. Amazing games like Omori, Undertale, and Deltarune make it clear just how important EarthBound was to the genre as a whole.
As quaint as the early pioneers of 3D video games might seem now, 3D graphics were monumental when they first hit the scene. The idea of finally exploring 3D spaces instead of seeing developers making the most of a 2D art style was a huge deal and helped several popular genres excel through this exciting new frontier.
This, of course, includes the RPG genre, which let players enjoy some of the best 3D games players could get their hands on in those early years. Titles like The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind and Final Fantasy 7 were mind-blowing and ushered in a new wave of success for their respective franchises.
It would be impossible to talk about innovations in the RPG landscape without talking about the rise of open-world gaming. Developers realized quickly enough that massive, open sandboxes worked perfectly within the role-playing genre, providing unparallel freedom to explore strange new worlds.
This is what made titles like Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim massive successes, since Bethesda was able to tap into this formula and let players enjoy some of the best open-world RPGs of all time. To this day, the combination of these two genres generates a ton of intrigue, but developers must ensure that they execute and integrate both concepts masterfully for these titles to live up to the hype. When everything comes together, and the RPG and open-world elements mesh seamlessly, the experience is unlike any other.
One of the more recent innovations in the action RPG genre arrived courtesy of FromSoftware. Developing hardcore games with a focus on stamina management and metroidvania-style progression and navigation turned this company into one of the biggest names in the video game industry.
Titles like Demon’s Souls, Bloodborne, and Elden Ring have shown just how incredible this gameplay structure is, leading to the rise of the Soulslike genre in the modern landscape. Titles like Lies of P, Nioh, and Nine Sols make it clear just how influential this genre has become, with these RPGs carving a soft spot in the hearts of many fans.
Turn-based combat dominated the role-playing landscape for a long time. JRPGs were especially well-known for this style of gameplay, with the best games in the genre focusing on turn-based combat systems with many upgrades and nuances for players to feel engaged in the strategic action.
Western RPGs are no stranger to this either, with old-school titles like the first two Fallout games and modern games like the Divinity: Original Sin duology and Baldur’s Gate 3 also using tactical turn-based combat systems to great effect, making their own tweaks and improvements to stand out against their competitors.
Speaking of CRPGs, it would be impossible to talk about role-playing without highlighting the genre that arguably started it all. While Baldur’s Gate may be the most popular mention when talking about the rise of this genre, old-school franchises like Wizardry, Ultima, and Might & Magic are just as important for the rise of CRPGs.
Fans were saddened to see this genre’s relevancy fade out over time as the gaming industry seemingly left it behind. Thankfully, modern CRPGs by companies like Obsidian Entertainment and Larian Studios have helped the genre become relevant again in the eyes of many.
Another way role-playing games have evolved is by letting players acquire loot of varying rarities, helping them feel like they’re getting stronger. When these systems are executed well, then the progression curve in some loot-driven ARPGs is unrivaled.
The success of the Diablo franchise is proof enough of how much fun it can be to loot everything in sight in an RPG, hoping to get lucky and find a particularly rare piece of equipment that will aid players for the next few dungeons.
