Recommend me an RPG

[omgFIREBALLS]

I've been gaming for two decades and like to think I've figured out what I want out of an RPG. I seem to have depleted the selection that fits my criteria, however. I'm posting here hoping to be proven wrong. Without further ado...

 

Likes

- Medieval. Swords, spells. Not modern, not post-apocalyptic, not sci-fi. Arcanum=too modern.

- Not a total dungeon crawler like Diablo, but I still want to focus mostly on combat rather than choosing among myriad responses in dialogue.

- Single player. And not the "Well, I guess that would be technically possible, but..." kind of single player.

- Controlling a small party of heroes in top-down view.

- Isometric if the alternative is lego graphics 3D. Actually, isometric regardless.

 

Dislikes

- Complete RTS aspects. I don't mind - I even like - the stronghold of PoE1 for example, but I don't want to manage income, buildings and little minions in real-time.

- Turn-based combat, though it's not a definite no.

- Lack of scaling for spellcasters. I want to throw bigger fireballs, not just more fireballs.

- Ported games. I have bad experience with games that weren't designed for PC firsthand, for example I tend to feel there's a lot of functionality needlessly missing because the game wasn't originally made to be played with a keyboard available.

 

All the games I feel I should mention here:

Pillars of Eternity: Interesting party combat and it's isometric! <3

Baldur's Gate: Let's just say I have fond memories of it. Today if I fire it up I realize I'd rather play PoE instead because I feel it's the game's spiritual successor. But I could say that despite its age, I do not take issue with its graphics.

Icewind Dale: Like BG but not as good since it's a bit too dungy-crawly.

Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne orc campaign: A small squad of heroes with a few abilities each. It's really enjoyable; would crowdfund spiritual successor immediately. And believe me, I've exhausted the selection of custom WC3 maps on the internet.

Heroes of Might and Magic IV: Somewhat like this when I run around with a team of only seven heroes and utilize magic cleverly to win battles.

 

Now for the games I'd rather not touch...

 

NWN: the painfully evident square grid, unattractive 3D and perhaps just third edition combat rules don't do it at all for me.

Sword Coast Legends: I dubbed this game Dungeons and Diablo because it came with too many absurdities like "teach your wizard to wear heavy armor so they have more options available to them for stacking crazy cooldown reduction so you can perma-CC monsters".

Tyranny: I binged hard on this for a few months but the story didn't really do it for me (Kyros is childish; doesn't get what they want = EDICT!!!1), minmaxing was a little too annoying to pull off and bugs didn't get fixed fast enough for my liking.

DOS 2: Picked it up very recently but combat feels too slow for me and I have big time issues with the camera, even after modding it.

 

I want y'all to know I have on many occasions tried to solve this myself. I am certainly not asking out of laziness. ^^

 

P.S. I've long been curious about the arguments for and against isometric as opposed to 3D from a game developer perspective. Because there are too many 3D RPG's that look like total trash and a pannable camera doesn't redeem them.

[Chilloutman]

try Expeditions: Vikings I loved it and its more combat oriented than talky RPG

[Humanoid]

Ultima 7

[Taevyr]

Ever tried Dragon's Dogma: Dark arisen? It's a dark age setting with a heavy focus on combat, has one of the best combat systems and skill development that I've seen, and the companion AI is brilliant when set up well. Bad points would be that it isn't isometric (third-person view), and that you don't directly control your companions, though the AI is amazing with a few tweaks. No need (or even possibility) to micro companions once set up.

 

It's a JRPG though, which isn't everyone's cup of tea. Over-the-top story and combat are included, and while the story's better than I expected, it still focuses mostly on combat and exploration, with a few role-play opportunities. Also audible in the great soundtrack.

The world's interesting enough to explore it on your own, and combat's amazing. Very notable freedom of movement, including climbing large enemies to reach weak spots: no need to repeatedly stab a giant's toe to take him down, though it 's still possible.

 

Some examples:

- Climbing a landed dragon to stab his heart, and hanging on as it takes flight

- Casting a literal tornado at a group of enemies (less fun when aimed at you)

- Having a ranger pawn snipe a cyclops' eye from across the battlefield without player intervention, or a strider pawn climb up to its eye all on his own

- getting one-hit killed by death because you were stupid enough to try and parry its scythe

- generally being terrified at night at lower levels

[bugarup]

What about "Divine Divinity"? Swords, spells - check, isometric - check, single player - check. Scaling spells. No party though, and somewhat Diably-crawly, but the story is there, if a little forgettable. 

[SonicMage117]

I second the recommendation Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen. It has everything you're looking for except it's not isometric.

[kastle]

The Legend of Zelda I personally consider it the best RPG game.

How to miss out on what is considered the best RPG game and still continues to amaze players?

Edited August 1, 2018 by kastle

[rjshae]

Knights of the Chalice

[Katphood]

Not an isometric crpg but have you tried Hero U?! I've seen that game get a lot of positive feedback, especially on these boards.

 

There is also 'Nox' which is quite an epic game and fits most of the criteria you have mentioned. You can only find it on GOG tho.

Edited August 4, 2018 by Katphood

[renz]

drakensang 1 & 2  -  not isometric crpg but you can change the camera angle anytime you want but most importantly it's more like "true medieval fantasy setting" than the typical dark and gritty setting you see in most crpgs (POE, POE2, Baldur's Gate, Dragon Age).  

prince of qin

[injurai]

Sure you don't want something a little RTS-y? Spellforce 3 hits most of your list, but imagine you have a slightly larger than average party.

[Melusina]

Any interest in Ghost of a Tale?

[Hulk'O'Saurus]

Trully sorry to hear you're not into non-medieval rpgs. 

 

And I don't mean only Fallout and it's ilk--NV. 

[LittleArmadillo0]

Dragon Age Origins would fit the bill nicely. Although it is not out yet, keep an eye out for Pathfinder:Kingmaker it looks right up your alley.

[Harry Easter]

NWN 2 and addons aged quite good and it is different enough from game 1 to be it's own unique thing.

[Maf]

Try Lionheart (Legacy of the Crusader) which was rushed near the end (unfortunately) or Tower of Time (small little indie gem).

[daveyd]

try Expeditions: Vikings I loved it and its more combat oriented than talky RPG

I second this. It's a fantastic CRPG with great combat and a decent amount of choice & consequences.  Decent story / dialogue though combat is the main focus.  And even if you're not crazy about turn-based combat, the combat in this game is pretty fast paced.

 

Also, have you tried Masquerada: Songs and Shadows?  I haven't played this myself but it's a fairly recent released isometric RTwP / party based RPG.  Steam reviews are "very positive". I believe the setting is inspired by Renaissance (not sure if that's "too modern" but it doesn't look like there are firearms or anything)

Edited August 28, 2018 by daveyd

[kastle]

The Legend of Zelda I personally consider it the best RPG game.

How to miss out on what is considered the best RPG game and still continues to amaze players?

[omgFIREBALLS]

Thanks all around for the suggestions. I have looked into each of them, but nothing caught my interest well enough. Except, of course the upcoming Pathfinder: Kingmaker game, though I already knew about that ^^

 

With four days to go, I can feel the hype building. While hype is not entertainment, it is the expectation thereof, and it shall keep me for the time being.

[Gorgon]

[Gorgon]

Did someone say Divinity reboots. They're pretty good imho. 

[omgFIREBALLS]

This went over my head. Is it a meme?

[majestic]

No, that's not a meme, it's an RPG launcher. Specifically an RPG-7 by the looks of it.

[Gorgon]

Ultima 7

You are like a broken record.