Top 10 Lists: The Top 10 Most Original Role-Playing Games

The most beloved and endearing games are often defined in terms of the nostalgia they represent. Memorable heroes, villains, situations and songs all contribute to the originality of each individual game. While many commercially acclaimed games or series’ have a renewable appeal and are destined to remain fan favorites for years to come, many other games, legendary in their own right, have fallen by the wayside and are reduced to mere folklore amidst today’s commercially-driven gaming industry. Whether they suffered from a lack of publicity, negative critical reviews, or were simply hard to find, such games are now considered buried treasures by their die-hard fans. Of course, one beautiful aspect of gaming is that games are widely accessible. Even an old, obscure title can be drudged up and restored to its former glory if a gamer seeks it out. So often is the case that these obscure, ‘cult’ titles were bold, original and on par with the gaming world of yesteryear. They even offer fresh play to date. This is where we delve deep into the world of role-playing games and draw the distinction between influential and original. Detractors of RPGs often knock the genre, citing a lack of originality in games. We all know the clichés involved: Slaying dragons, rescuing the princess, the endless, slow-paced tedium of random encounters. These are some games that break that paradigm. The following list of games holds a special place in the hearts of gamers bold enough to brave their dungeons, solve their riddles, and, yes – even frag their own chummers. Get ready to get outside of the role-playing box.

SpellCraft is one of the most bizarre games I have ever played. A minimalist action/strategy game with obvious RPG overtones, at a glance it seems to be about as cliché-ridden as they come. You play as Robert, an apprentice wizard and travel the world, slaying your typical heinous monsters. But the clichés end there. Heavily drawing upon fantasy elements à la Dungeons and Dragons, in SpellCraft you must find ingredients (called ‘aspects’) and recipes to learn (or ‘impart’ in SpellCraft lingo) each of your spells. To do this, Robert must adventure throughout various realms. Each of these realms has an elemental wizard boss who you must defeat before passing on to the next realm. Rather than random encounters, enemies will appear on the map screen. You can either cast offensive spells against them from a distance or engage them directly in combat. Despite how basic the game is, there are some interesting aspects to it that make it unique. First of all, SpellCraft is an console RPG developed by an American company. Think about that for a moment. There aren’t a whole lot of games out there which you can say that about. Secondly, the game is virtually unknown. There was little or no publicity for it whatsoever. This is because the game was actually ported over to SNES from a very different MS-DOS version. Overall, SpellCraft manages to be a competent and addictive game. It’s worth playing if you can get your hands on a copy, just be prepared to bring your patience with you.

Rounding out the excellent Legacy of Goku trilogy for the Game Boy Advance, Buu’s Fury blends together just the right amount of action and RPG elements. While the game arguably received less publicity than its predecessors, it represents the pinnacle of DBZ gaming and story-telling. Spanning the entire Buu Saga (about 90 episodes) the series is as fresh as ever. In fact, while playing this game I couldn’t help but imagine I was encountering the extraordinary cast of characters for the first time. For those who have never watched Dragon Ball Z, you are introduced to an unprecedented amount of clever, colorful characters, all of whom are absolutely integral to the story. It is in this sense that the game is off the charts for originality. On the downside, this game is very short and can easily be beaten in half a day. The gameplay itself is quite linear, but still offers a few twists on the role-playing genre. For example, leveling up occurs at an extremely high rate and levels reach far into the 100s. One would be hard pressed to find another game for the GBA where players can amass 150 levels and 2500 HPs. Buu’s Fury has received bad reviews from some critics and gamers but fans of DBZ and adventure seekers are bound to enjoy this game.

Lufia II took everything that made its predecessor solid, polished it up and made it better. Contrary to what the title may suggest, this game is actually a prequel to Lufia & the Fortress of Doom. Lufia & the Fortress of Doom was a solid RPG, but fell short of the top tier. It had a memorable story, its own list of magic spells, decent music, but almost everything else about it was average and too similar to other RPGs. Three years later Taito came back with Lufia II, a game hardly recognizable from the original. At the core remained the memorable characters and intriguing plot. Outside of that, almost every area had been improved upon and many new innovations had been introduced to the mix. The most significant change was arguably the addition of puzzles (some of which are exceedingly complicated) integrated into every dungeon. In order to solve these puzzles the player must utilize various tools acquired throughout the game (think of the flail from Secret of Mana used to cross gaps). Also, in an interesting twist that has since been adopted by Lufia: The Ruins of Lore, dungeons are completely free of random encounters. Instead, all enemies and their locations are always predetermined for each dungeon. They appear as sprites on the screen and remain stationary until the player moves. This added a strategic element: If you were able to maneuver behind an enemy you could get the benefit of the first strike. Conversely, if an enemy attacked you from behind, it would get the first strike. There are also pets called Capsule Monsters in this game that can be acquired to fight with your party. As you feed them more items, they grow in strength and become major assets in battle. And finally, Lufia II contains one of the absolute all-time greatest sidequests in any RPG bar none: The Ancient Cave. Picture a dungeon consisting of 99 floors, each floor randomly generated every time you enter. You begin with no items and no experience and have to attempt to fight your way to the bottom. The rarest items in the game can only be found in the Ancient Cave. A very well-rounded game any old-school RPG fan should enjoy.

Star Ocean for the Super Famicom was the first installment in the critically acclaimed series. Sadly, this seminal effort was never released outside of Japan, though unofficial English language patches do exist. The game is notable for several reasons. It is inextricably tied to Tales of Phantasia, as it was created by the same developers and employs a very similar system. Incidentally, these are the only two Famicom games ever to use 48 Megabits – a major milestone for the console. The game is a smooth, straightforward RPG in the vein of Tales of Phantasia. It features all kinds of interesting twists on the genre, as well as lays down the groundwork for the signature Star Ocean style we know today. For example, one thing I have always admired about the Star Ocean games is that no matter if you play them once, twice or fifteen times, chances are there is still more that you have not seen. The reason for this is because Star Ocean employs a system of outcomes and probabilities, where your actions dictate the course of the future. There are enough playable characters so that you can opt to take only the ones you actually like along for your adventure. Add to all of this a marked Macross influence and you have Star Ocean. If you enjoyed Tales of Phantasia, this is one classic game that you will not want to pass up.

Sega’s legendary series reached a climax with Phantasy Star IV. The series’ history and acclaim is rather sporadic, so I will quickly outline it. The original Phantasy Star was a flagship of the Sega Master System and among the pioneers of console RPGs. Phantasy Star II was the quintessential RPG for the Sega Genesis and the turning point in regards to the series truly taking off in popularity. Although it was a bare-bones attempt at role-playing, PS II had a unique sci-fi appeal that stuck with its fans. What PS IV did was put all of this together in a cohesive and straightforward format. Whereas PS II left players clueless as to what to do next, PS IV was given a much friendlier format and smoother gameplay. The result is a very addictive game with many original innovations. Firstly, the environment is rather interactive. Bookshelves, kitchens, cupboards – everything can be examined and the player will comment on it. The graphics are well done and presented in an anime style comic-book format. The famous tech system remains virtually intact, and the battle system is improved by giving players the ability to perform combination attacks with party members and to use special skills of which each character is given a limited number. The musical score for this game is also very good. The one knock against this game is that it is perhaps too easy. PS II was a renowned game among fans for being immensely difficult and time-consuming, whereas PS IV can be completed within a couple days if one logs enough hours. Still, PS IV is a tremendous advancement in the series and in RPGs as we know them.

Long before captivating, comic-book-style animation and theatrical voice acting was in vogue, there was the Sega CD, a beacon of light for role-players who sought more sophistication in their games. Back in those days, Dark Wizard delivered. Though difficult and sometimes tedious, Dark Wizard is a challenging and addictive turn-based tactical game of the distinct Sega standard - somewhat along the lines of Shining Force. The player will build an army consisting of humans, gnomes, dragons and other creatures. You then advance across various terrains, subduing enemy battalions and ultimately overtaking enemy castles. As with Shining Force, your contingent can be promoted and grow stronger when a sufficient level is reached. Most of the game takes place on various hex-map battlefields, where taking control of enemy castles is generally a lengthy affair. The great thing about Dark Wizard is that it is wholly original. That is, it was not adapted from an anime or novel. Instead, it presents four distinctly unique stories through anime style cut-scenes. Dark Wizard should be familiar enough to a fan of tactical turn-based games, but original enough to keep gamers interested.

Just when thought you knew Link, the follow-up to his best-liked game drastically changed our beloved protagonist and the world around him. From the cooky, nonsensical characters to the dreary landscape of Termina, Majora’s Mask saw Nintendo exploring a bizarre, previously unknown side of the Zelda franchise. Seducing us with the same format as its predecessor and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack, Majora’s Mask is able to stand on its own merits independently of Ocarina of Time. While it may seem out of place in the Zelda series, this game has its finer points and proves to be starkly original. The story centers around a quest Link undergoes at the urging of the Happy Mask Salesman, of all people. Link cyclically travels through time to repeat the same 72 hours during which the quest must be completed. The gameplay should not disappoint most fans of Ocarina of Time. Majora’s Mask features four intricate and massive temples and a plethora of sidequests. All things considered, this is not your typical ‘hero-slays-dragon-rescues-maiden’ RPG. The storyline and the character’s purpose are unlike anything offered by any other game out there.

Xenogears is one of the great sleeper hits on the PlayStation console and one of my personal favorite games. It was conceived under all sorts of budget and time constraints, has unflattering in-game graphics, is not as fluid as other Squaresoft games were at the time, but still manages to amaze gamers. I will detail some of the reasoning for this now. The characters are quite memorable and the story is simply excellent, incorporating such elements as Chinese folk legend, science-fiction twinged so-called ‘space drama’, mythos of ancient civilizations, and even the Freudian realm of multiple personalities and alter-egos. Further bolstering this game is an aesthetically pleasing, nostalgic atmosphere. Contributing to this atmosphere is the game’s soundtrack, simply a marvel to behold and composed by none other than Yasunori Mitsuda of Chrono Trigger fame. There is also a number of beautiful anime style FMVs in the game, to contribute to story-telling. The game is rather difficult and you can expect the final boss to pose a challenge, even at a high level. The battle system is interesting but not revolutionary. The world map and the way you travel are at times similar to Chrono Trigger, while the aesthetics of the game are reminiscent of Final Fantasy VII. The second disc is also interesting in that it diverges from the main story and begins telling the story from Fei’s point of view. Xenogears has its groundbreaking aspects and remains a cult favorite among fans. It is another quintessential RPG that fans of FF VII ought to enjoy.

Icewind Dale is simply a triumph for the Forgotten Realms. The landscape and setting of this game was made popular through novelist R.A. Salvatore’s writings, and subsequently adopted into D&D lore. The game is played in real-time and follows the rules of Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition. The presentation of this game is theatrical, replete with computer animated cut-scenes and gifted voice acting. The gameplay itself is captivating and thorough. There are vast amounts of items, books, weapons, shields and other garments to collect, each with detailed stories as to how they came to be. The world of Icewind Dale is large and impressive and the player’s journey throughout it will take quite some time. Character creation is familiar to anyone who has played D&D before, but to those who have not it is simply a treat. There are two different types of magic a player can learn: Priest or mage. There is a massive number of spells to choose from, each with detailed explanations of how they work. The battle system is very well designed and similar to that of Baldur’s Gate. You have the ability to pause as many times as you like during battle, so that you can set up your spells or direct a myriad of actions upon your targets. A multitude of bosses and enemies makes this game a great challenge and one that will yield hoards of treasure. The dungeons are vast, intricate and often dark places where the player can expect to spend a lot of time battling monsters. Icewind Dale will take a long time for an uninitiated gamer to learn, but for anyone familiar with D&D 2nd Edition rules, this game is a fantastic and original experience.

Ah, how ironic and unlikely that the very pinnacle of originality would be found on a 16-bit console. The creativity of Shadowrun has remained uncontested to this day. Before it, there was nothing like it, and today there is still nothing like it. This action-RPG game came with an impressive, built-in backdrop in its adaptation from the eponymous pen-and-paper RPG. It draws players into a unique world, whose concepts and intricacies are far too detailed to explain here. You may think that you know your way around a 16-bit console, but the learning curve is pretty steep in this game. You will be introduced to a variety of unfamiliar concepts and terms (i.e., ‘Johnsons’, ‘deckers’, ‘Matrix’) in addition to some unorthodox gameplay. From its theatrical onset, the game launches you into Seattle, 2058, where you play the Shadowrunner, taking jobs and earning cred so that you can get the information you seek to avenge your brother’s murder. The game is rather hard and the story is quite good. Luckily, it offers plenty of jobs, equipment and character advancement to bide your time with. The sheer number of innovations this game brings to the table is mind-boggling. The depth of the backstory is comparable only to Dungeons and Dragons or Star Wars. Anyone who has ever picked up a Shadowrun manual for the pen-and-paper game knows exactly what I’m talking about. The legacy of Shadowrun is infamous inside and outside of console gaming. Bottom line: If you ever play a Shadowrun game, make this it.

RPGs have come a long way and changed a lot over the past 20-odd years. But what gamers want has remained the same: Adventure, challenge, freedom, originality and something that will leave a lasting impression. Sometimes a great game is not the most talked about. It might be so dated that current-generation gamers will not touch it. But it pays to check into the old-school generations of gaming. Many wonders can be found there. As this list shows, some of the most original games have enjoyed less than commercial success. It just goes to show that good things come in small cartridges. Here is a brief list of honorable mentions I considered for this list: Legend of Kartia, Brain Lord, Illusion of Gaia, Seiken Densetsu III.

List by ManillaRoad (08/01/2006)