Summary
The RPG genre began with turn-based gameplay, which dates back toDungeons & Dragons. Over the years, video games have shifted the turn-based battle system to make it feel less archaic. TheFinal Fantasyseries, for example, has tweaked it so many times that one battle system is almost unrecognizable from another.
While the idea of turn-based games is still around, action RPGs are seemingly the next wave forward. Some games are content with simple hack-and-slash action while others feel more evolved. They give players skill trees, weapon wheels, and more to make each combat encounter feel unique. Here are some standout examples to get the blood flowing.
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesiawas the last game in the series to hit the DS. Instead ofanother Belmont clanmember, players assumed the role of Shanoa who worked for a secret society also tasked with taking down Dracula. Players could equip her with the usual armor and accessories as the other RPG Metroidvania entries but weapon and ability acquisitions were different.
Shanoa could absorb skills and weapons via glyphs and then players could map those to buttons. Weapons, for example, could be mapped to the X and Y buttons on the DS and different weapons could create different combos and they could even sometimes combine into new abilities.
6Disgaea 7: Vows Of The Virtueless
Dive Deep On Weapons And Skills
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtuelessis the latestturn-based tactical RPGin the series but any game would suffice. From the start on the PS2, theDisgaeaseries has been at the forefront of customization. Players will gain hero characters who will learn abilities naturally exclusive to them.
They can also equip weapons to learn skills from them and upgrade their potency. For example, a basic healing spell can be upgraded on how much it heals for and how many squares it will apply to on the tactical grid. Weapons can also be dived into in mini-dungeons to increase their power. The game and series are a lot, so anyone with a spare thousand hours,Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtuelesswill give RPG fans a run for their money.
Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skywas a big step in the series for many reasons. It was thefirst mainlineDragon Questgameon a portable, it featured co-op, and players could see enemies running around in the field and dungeons. Players would customize their character and then create three more party members and assign them Vocations which was their class system.
Leveling up earned players skill points and those skill points could level up various attributes in a Vocation and then those skills learned could be transferred into new Vocations. For example, Vocations with an affinity to spears could learn an early skill called Mercurial Thrust which would sometimes allow that user to strike first in battle.
Final Fantasy 16continues the non-turn-based route in this beloved franchise by giving players a solid action RPG. Players can control one character, Clive, who is the Dominant of Fire via Ifrit. In this world, people who house Summons within their body, also calledEikons, are named Dominants inFinal Fantasy 16. Jill, a comrade, is the Dominant of ice via the Eikon Shiva as another example.
Clive also has the rare ability to absorb other Eikons into his body as he defeats key characters. Titan, is one example, the Eikon of Earth. Players can gain new skills trees the more Eikons they absorb and then equip those skills to their weapon wheel. Different selections of powers will result in new combos in battle.
Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleepis a prequel in the series, giving players access to three Keyblade wielderswho came before Sora. They can play as each in three separate campaigns via Aqua, Ventus, and Terra. While their Keyblade skills may different, they will all have the ability to experiment with a fusion-based magic system.
Players can get standard spells in the series like Fire and Cure which they can equip and perform in action-based combat. To get the best spells, players will have to fuse several together and it’s a long list. For example, Blizzard+Blizzard will give players Blizzara which is a stronger form of the spell and that’s only the tip of the experimental iceberg.
ThePokemonserieshas been about customization from day one likeDisgaea. Players can form teams of six and every Pokemon in their roster can learn four moves they can bring into battle. Moves can be forgotten to learn new ones during leveling up or items called TMs and HMs can teach them moves too.
Pokemon HeartGoldandPokemon SoulSilverare remakes of the second series of games which was a high point for the series. They are still a good jumping-off point for beginners because they incorporate the original’s map as post-game content, giving players more to do than any other game in the franchise.
Xenoblade Chronicleswas Monolith Soft’s third attempt at making a “Xeno” game followingtheXenosagatrilogyon the PS2. It’s vastly different from that franchise featuring a huge open world to explore and automated combat like in an MMO. As any party member, players can execute abilities on a toolbar that runs on cooldowns after use.
Using abilities with party members can break enemies and they can create chained team attacks. To get anywhere with bosses, it is important to decipher this combo system quickly. Every character has three skill trees and skills earned can be upgraded in a separate menu to strengthen their effectiveness which can then be equipped to the toolbar.
