Summary
High fantasy games generally have fully fleshed-out worlds filled with monsters, various races, and magic.The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis a great example with deep deep lore thanks to the books and prequels that came before it. Players can hunt monsters in that game using various spells and potions, and spend countless hours exploring.
TheDragon Ageseries is another good example withDragon Age: The Veilguardbeing the latest entry. Those are Western high fantasy examples though but there are plenty of Japanese games to dig through too. Let’s rank these games and worlds based on how vibrant and colorful they are to explore.
Bravely Default 2is technically the third game in a series of turn-based RPGs aimed atold-schoolFinal Fantasyfans. The world has a standard fantasy setup from warring kingdoms, monsters, and magic. LikeFinal Fantasy, some crystals control the elements and an evil entity is hellbent on controlling the world via these crystals.
The heroes can gain abilities through Jobs, the class system, which will be rewarded after boss battles. The color palette is fairly drab so it’s not the most exciting fantasy world to live in but the art style is unique like everyone is made out of plastic.
Graphically,Fire Emblem Awakeningisn’t that far off from the world ofBravely Default 2as there isn’t a lot of color in the world. The character designs are more vibrant though with a heavy emphasis on anime. There’s also a bit of sci-fi edge to the story as there is a point wherein players can fall in love with allies and create children who will emerge from time portals all grown up and ready to join the fight.
It’sa tactical RPGabout warring nations in an endless bloody battle.Fire Emblem Awakeningis set in a medieval fantasy world with magic and other creatures like dragons, pegasi, and anthropomorphic rabbit people called Taguel.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remakeis a remake of the third entry in themainDragon Questseries. It’s the one that first introduced a class system via Vocations.Dragon Quest, as a franchise, is one of the most wholesome fantasy worlds players can inhabit which is both good and bad. There are dark things that happen but everyone is fairly jolly and even the monsters don’t look that menacing like the adorable Slime variants.
With Vocations at the ready, players can create mists of ice, call upon swarms of poisonous gas, heal their allies, and so on.Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remakeis gameplay forward as there isn’t much to the story which may be more appealing to RPG fans who love experimenting with mechanics.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Starsis the firstRPG spinoff starring Mario. The Mario games were always fantastical up to this point from magical mushrooms that helped people grow to flowers that gave people fire powers.
This RPG helped define the Mushroom Kingdom beyond a few stages in a 2D game though. It was vibrant and colorful with everything practically jumping out of the screen. It was a turning point for turn-based RPGs because of the active input system and now thankfully more people can enjoy it beyond the SNES original because it was remade for the switch.
Kingdom Heartsis a dream come true for Disney fans always wishing they could go into one of their favorite movies. The game starts with Sora longing with his friends, Riku and Kairi, on a beach to travel somewhere distant. Soon their island gets swept into a void, his friends go missing, and Sora appears in a town, seemingly like his own, except he is staring in the face of Donald and Goofy.
It’s a weird but mesmeric story wherein Sora gets a magical Keyblade that can unlock and lock pathways toclassic Disney WorldslikeThe Little MermaidandAladdin. In battle, Sora can hack and slash away at enemies and cast spells like Fire.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witchbegins somberly with Oliver, the young hero, losing his mom. His tears awaken his doll, Mr. Drippy, who takes Oliver into an alternative universe. It’s a classic Isekai scenario as Oliver soon learns to cast magic and control cute monsters in turn-based battles akin to thePokemongames.
This world has the aesthetics of aStudio Ghibli moviethat lent its hand in creating some key art and animated cutscenes. It’s truly a magical experience across an epic open world that begs players to join the adventure.
Metaphor: ReFantaziois the latest game fromthePersonateam, a series known for its low fantasy vibes. This game though is as high fantasy as any game can get with a thoroughly crafted world. There are tons of human-like races, magical machines, factions, kingdoms, monsters, magic, and so much more.
It’s a living, breathing world that’s hard not to get addicted to and horrified by at the same time. Some monsters in particular are quite graphic. The blending of action and turn-based mechanics also helps it stand out as one of 2024’s best.
Who wants to go on an adventure? That should have been the subtitle ofFinal Fantasy 9. For the series, it was a goodbye letter to the old-schoolFinal Fantasygames that put high fantasy above low fantasy likeFinal Fantasy 7.
Final Fantasy 9made a return to aspects like crystals, airships, pirates, tons of mini-games, and a cast that was as lovably as they were flawed. Every kingdom feels unique too and not just set-dressing. If this game ever gets remade, hopefully, Square Enix will keep the sense of adventure alive and not go too dark with a reimagining.
