Good solo rpgs?

[okashii]

Here is a challenge for all of you who love sharing their favorite titles. Recommend me a fun rpg which can be played and completed with a single character, this includes all strictly single player games and ones where you form a party, either at the start or optionally through recruit-able npc's, but can still be played and finished solo. Let me give you some examples:
Fallout 1
Arcanum
Temple of Elemental Evil
Jagged Alliance 2 1.13
X-Com Enemy Unknown
X-Com Terror from the Deep
The Fall Last Days of Gaia
Arx Fatalis
Deus Ex
Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines
Silent Storm/Silent Storm Sentinels

And as an added difficulty to this task, the system requirements have to be quite low. Nothing higher than shader model 1.1 as far as graphics go, so more or less up to & including release year 2004 or above if still easy on hardware.

Here is a list of titles you do not need to suggest: [Either already know/played or simply not interested]
Planescape Torment
Morrowind
Torchlight
Diablo 1/2
Fallout 2
Baldur's Gate 1/2
KOTOR 1/2
Divine Divinity
Lionheart
Nox
Sacred
Gothic 1/2

Will add more titles as I remember them.

 

[Bruma Hobo]

Most party based games can be finished with a single party member, most roguelikes, Geneforge series, Ultima: Underworld, Dodgysoft's Dark Disciples, 2400 AD, Wizardry IV (AFAIK), the NES version of Ultima IV

 

[Crooked Bee]

Wizardry 6-7-8.

There is no way to solo Wizardry IV: you won't even make it out of the first room without using the summoning pentagram.

 

[Fowyr]

Anvil of Dawn, Darkspyre, The Summoning, Eye of the Beholder, Aleshar

 

[Jaesun]

Ultima IX

 

[okashii]

Ultima IX

What's a Paladin?

 

[felipepepe]

Fallout Tactics is soloable, but hard. Still, not as insane as soloing JA2...

 

[Gozma]

How the fuck can you possibly do X-Com solo, that's... it's...

 

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

A more interesting question would be IMO "what party RPGs *aren't* solo-able" - in terms of being just way too difficult for a solo, not some scripted/story restrictions.

 

[Fowyr]

How the fuck can you possibly do X-Com solo, that's... it's...

In the X-COM1 you guaranteed to get bug with byte overflow of action points from too much kills.

 

[Gozma]

Thinking about it... you probably could solo X-Com if you took about 5000 turns per mission smoke grenading while checking the safe approach to every single tile. You could get kills by stepping back after spotting an alien and then shooting/throwing pre-primed grenades. You would probably need to cheat to get a good PSI and to avoid that bug but it does seem vaguely possible. I have played that shit about every other year since it came out and never tried that though

 

[felipepepe]

A more interesting question would be IMO "what party RPGs *aren't* solo-able" - in terms of being just way too difficult for a solo, not some scripted/story restrictions.

I found impressive that people were able to even solo Etrian Odissey... probably via insane grinding thought...

 

[RyuRanX]

 

[Kalin]

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne would probably be quite challenging. Not impossible, I think, but definitely difficult.

 

[Freelance Henchman]

Halo.

 

[Revenant]

Neverwinter Nights

 

[Gord]

The original Realms of Arkania trilogy can be solo'ed from what I've read.

Although a few puzzles need to either split your group or use magic (teleport) to advance.
So I'm not sure if it can be done with a non-magic character without at least temporarily taking an NPC with you.

 

[RK47]

Can you solo Dark Sun?

 

[eric__s]

No, I don't think it lets you start until you have four party members.

 

[RK47]

well you can technically let the 3 party member die in the first combat you entered.

 

[Gord]

Also, relatively new:

Legend of Grimrock, but you have to unlock Toorum-solo-mode first by going through the game with a party of 4 (you can let 3 of them die, though).

 

[Excommunicator]

Neverwinter Nights 1 is quite fun as a solo wizard. Minimal amount of cheese, minus the final battle IIRC

I tried to play NWN2 as solo as possible but it still forces companions so no

IWD 2 is excellent. I played a wizard (the only class who can really be overpowered enough to do this kind of thing in AD&D) and it was the best solo I've done in a game that isn't "meant" for solo


I believe it is impossible to solo either Dark Sun game


The key to a good solo game is a game that spreads the XP between party members (meaning 4-6x faster progression with 1 char), which is why AD&D games tend to all work on some level

 

[Machine]

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne would probably be quite challenging. Not impossible, I think, but definitely difficult.

Im trying to imagine even beating Matador solo. Would require insane amount of grind I guess.

 

[Rpgsaurus Rex]

IWD 2 is excellent. I played a wizard (the only class who can really be overpowered enough to do this kind of thing in AD&D) and it was the best solo I've done in a game that isn't "meant" for solo

Did you try it in Heart of Fury mode?

 

[octavius]

A more interesting question would be IMO "what party RPGs *aren't* solo-able" - in terms of being just way too difficult for a solo, not some scripted/story restrictions.

Trial of the Luremaster? I was able to solo the rest of Icewind Dale, but perhaps I was not asperger enough for TotL?