Good RPGs without saving the world

[Lilura]

The Witcher 2 is about hunting an assassin, clearing your name, and recovering your memories.

Sounds boring.

 

[Zetor]

Jagged Alliance series (you're just "saving" a random third-world country)
Telepath Tactics (you're fighting local bandit lords and slavers, irrelevant on a global scale)
Battle Brothers (I think)
Wizardry 4, Paper Sorcerer (pretty sure you aren't saving the world in either of these)

 

[thexsa]

The Sims.

 

[Emily]

Wtf guys
VTM is not abouut saving anything. You are not a good guy by any strech of imagination,you are just a nobody stuck into damned world. I never felt i was saving anything other than working for Lacroix in hopes of making it to higher ranks.

And the ancient vampire is not even a 5 th generation. He is just a 6th or probably 7th elder.(cause you are 8th generation,evidenced by ingame power)

Jesus Christ have you played trough endings?
Spoiler:
It was all a joke made by Jack and the said ancient vampire (elder),while he is powerfull he is nothing compared to say 4th generation or antedeluvians.

That was also the point of the ending,to understand everyone was freaking out over even a bit of power. And they each murdered each other to get that power while Elders just laughed at the whole thing manipulating it from the dark.

 

[Irenaeus III]

From 2015 that I played:

The Age of Decadence
Pillars of Eternity

 

[laclongquan]

Wrrrrrong! You are a freaking nobody whose power is just in your own mind. The things you accomplished? Jack and your hidden manipulator did it all, or facilitate so that you can do it. Do you think a nearly thinblood like you can do that well?

 

[Vandringsmann]

The Witcher 2 is about hunting an assassin, clearing your name, and recovering your memories.

Sounds boring.

Good time to point out that Planescape Torment is merely about recovering your memories.

 

[Baron Dupek]

If Jagged Alliance count then there are Apeiron games inspired by JA2 - Brigade E5, 7,62 High Calibre + Hard Life and Marauder: Man of Prey.
Plus Planet Alcatraz (not sure about sequel) where you're ordered to destroy spaceship to escape from planet.

 

[Mustawd]

Jagged Alliance series (you're just "saving" a random third-world country)
Telepath Tactics (you're fighting local bandit lords and slavers, irrelevant on a global scale)
Battle Brothers (I think)
Wizardry 4, Paper Sorcerer (pretty sure you aren't saving the world in either of these)

If we're including SRPGS/tactical games then I'd go with Halfway as well.

 

[SquidLord]

Arguably every fallout game. You stop genocide in most of them but not save the world.

 

[Neanderthal]

First Witcher you're stoppin bloke whose trying to save world, nice reversal I thought. Course any nutter who thinks hes saving world is probably one fucked up individual, an needs stopping.

 

[kwanzabot]

in NWN you only save waterdavian creatures ,not the world

 

[Beastro]

Isn't one of the things about PST that you're rebirths are somehow damaging existance and if you don't stop it and finally die it'll fuck everything up?

I haven't played the game yet, but given my dislike of the typical D&D, reading something like that makes me want to refuse the good ending just to destroy the setting.

Geneforge can be get downright world-savish when you think about it. Save the world from the Shapers' rigid domain, or save the world from Shaping run amok?

Issue especially in the second one is the drakes or whatever going nuts producing super powerful beings to eventually attack and wipe out everything non=engineered.

From 2015 that I played:

The Age of Decadence
Pillars of Eternity

PoE is the antithesis of saving the world in that there's nothing to save and just give a big depressing existential sign.

Just goes to show you need something compelling to make the story involving.

 

[NullFlow]

The Witcher series, except for the third because you aid your messianic daughter to save the multiverse, so I guess it doesn't count.

 

[Irenaeus III]

PoE is the antithesis of saving the world in that there's nothing to save and just give a big depressing existential sign.

Just goes to show you need something compelling to make the story involving.

No idea what the fuck you are talking about since I saved Dyrwood from the Hollowborn curse. Big depressing existential sign? You sound like a nihilist teenager.

 

[Beastro]

PoE is the antithesis of saving the world in that there's nothing to save and just give a big depressing existential sign.

Just goes to show you need something compelling to make the story involving.

No idea what the fuck you are talking about since I saved Dyrwood from the Hollowborn curse. Big depressing existential sign? You sound like a nihilist teenager.

Sigh.

No, the game feels that way given the ending and the issue about the gods that's so central to the damn story.

If there's anything thematically consistent about the game it's the futility of life in Eora.

 

[Neanderthal]

Oh Ultimas IV an VI, first one deals wi an eternal quest o self improvement, second averting a war spurred on by racism an your own ignorant actions.

 

[Lurker King]

Prelude to Darkness

 

[Xzylvador]

Alpha Protocol.

 

[ProphetSword]

Pool of Radiance

It's a mission-based adventure to liberate the city of Phlan from its overlord.

I'll also add Curse of the Azure Bonds, which is about being cursed...with azure bonds, and trying to liberate yourself from the curse and uncover who is behind it.

And, Secret of the Silver Blades, which is about stopping the Dreadlord from breaking free of his icy prison.

Also, Gateway to the Savage Frontier seems to be about stopping a coming war. While that affects one large region of the Realms, it doesn't affect the whole world.

The rest of the Gold-Box games, especially the Krynn series, dive hard into save the world territory, though.

 

[Baron Dupek]

Curse...Curse...
What about Evil Islands - Curse of Lost Souls? I remember that's about releasing from curse (duh) recovering memory and find what happened with ancient race, then got into pants of that hot chick because - turns out - she was your gf in previous live (best twist ever, why live doesn't work that way).
She didn't recognized you because through-dimensional journey washed out your skin color (from indian-like into p.white).
It's russian game after all so this thing can fly in the air.

 

[vonAchdorf]

WL2. Darklands. EoB. Ravenloft. I think Wizardry 7 (since the world saving happens in 8), definitely 6. Wiz 1. MMX. Dark Sun you just fight against tyranny. There are a ton. I think more than not. At least for crpgs and not console bullshit or jrpgs where the little kids who like that shit like to save the universe and be the best hero ever invented.

In Darklands, you save the world (prevent the apocalypse by defeating the ultimate evil) if you follow the story, the ending is pretty epic. You just don't have to, but that's true for e.g. all the Bethesda games as well.

 

[Mycroft]

Mask of the Betrayer. Technically you're only saving yourself.

Evil ending is definitely not about saving either.

 

[Roqua]

WL2. Darklands. EoB. Ravenloft. I think Wizardry 7 (since the world saving happens in 8), definitely 6. Wiz 1. MMX. Dark Sun you just fight against tyranny. There are a ton. I think more than not. At least for crpgs and not console bullshit or jrpgs where the little kids who like that shit like to save the universe and be the best hero ever invented.

In Darklands, you save the world (prevent the apocalypse by defeating the ultimate evil) if you follow the story, the ending is pretty epic. You just don't have to, but that's true for e.g. all the Bethesda games as well.

Thanks. I didn't know that. I don't think I've ever even come close to beating it.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Basically, you can choose if you want to be the "Chosen One" in Darklands. It doesn't force your hand by placing Oblivion gates everywhere, if you don't follow the "main quest". Stumbling across the "Good Witch" which tells you that you are "the Chosen Ones" isn't extremely likely, since she lives in a backwater castle of which there are dozens and dozens.