Liked/Hated The New Dragon Age? Here Are The Top 10 RPG Alternatives To Play After
Dragon Age: The Veilguard is out right now, and so far the reception for Bioware’s big comeback game has been mixed. On one hand, the game is a “return to form” from mainstream press. On the other, it’s a blight on the legacy made by past Dragon Age and Mass Effect games.
Us? We’re in the middle: we liked the graphics & gameplay (for the first few hours anyway), but didn’t like the middle bits and the majority of the writing. We’re looking at you, Taash/discount Karlaach.
However, if you feel like your wallet is feeling a little heavy (thanks, end-of-month paycheck!) and rather take your chance on another role-playing game, boy do we have a bunch of selections for you! Even if this year is stacked with role-playing games aplenty, there are still cheaper picks hailing from yesteryear and earlier.
Here are the best role-playing game experiences you should check out that aren’t huge disappointments, in no particular order. Our main criterias to be on this list are:
- They have to be set in a fantasy world in a fantasy setting. Sorry, Fallout series and The Outer Worlds; you’re great but you’re classified as sci-fi.
- They have to be more than 10-hours long and have elements of role-playing and/or choice-making that affect the world & narrative in some form. RPGs don’t need multiple endings to feel like role-playing games, but that does help.
#1. Metaphor: ReFantazio (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series)
The obvious choice for fantasy-themed role-playing game of 2024, this recent title from the makers of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5 is what happens when you have vision, creativity, and a message you want to express and relay in your D&D campaign. In video game form, of course.
The story starts off from being an assassination to a literal political race against time, you go from city to village doing quests and getting support for your presidential candidacy, and you bond with your party members as you fight off all manners of monsters and abominations called “humans”. You also get different class powers from a guy named More who is stuck in a magic academy with a Vitruvian Man statue behind him. And you come across all this in the first 10 hours of the game, out of the 70-100 you’ll be spending in this lovely and dangerous yet alluring fantasy world of Euchronia.
It’s also one of the only triple-A games this year in which we awarded a perfect score. Whether you’re a fantasy newbie or a JRPG veteran, you will enjoy Metaphor: ReFantazio more than most RPGs that are out this year.
#2. Unicorn Overlord (PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch)
Another top fantasy pick, developer Vanillaware decides to go back to swords & sorcery after delving into scifi with its hit visual novel tactics title 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim.
Unicorn Overlord has you setting up armies and playing out battles automatically through action orders and army arrangements. However, it’s not completely by chance as you are given all the tools to sort out attack orders, unit type placements in armies, and even leader abilities you can activate pre-battle on a real-time(ish) field. Think 90s SNES real-time tactical strategy role-playing game Ogre Battle but with better user interface, intuitive controls & options, and timeless art.
Yes, Unicorn Overlord may not be for everyone, especially for strategy game veterans. It does get easier and a little long-winded battle-wise near the end where you get all the best units with the best combinations for parties. But for those who prefer the fantasy role-playing game experience and don’t mind having an overpowered team to play around with and auto-battling every scenario in the second half of the game? Unicorn Overlord should be your jam. No, not the jam used in the bread served to your party in the game’s tavern, but that all looks luscious too thanks to Vanillaware’s trademark art.
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