Name some single-player RPGs that makes you feel part of a group thanks to the companions!

[Lord_Potato]

Has anyone tried Lazarus lately? Just wondering if DS1 and the Lazarus module actually work on newer windows.

I recently installed it and Project U6 on a desktop with Windows 10. It started ok. Don't know if there are troubles deeper into the game.

 

[Alkarl]

Wizardry 8 man. That game is great, no other game on the planet gives me the impression I'm actually on an adventure with a real party.

It's just odd we'd get that out of the blobber/crawler genre which classically treats the pc party as a bunch of impersonal blank slates, leaving any details up to time, chance, and the players imagination. Not even Bioware's massive budget bloated content crappers give me the feeling I get from Wizardry 8. Even when companions in most other games do interject, it always seems to happen when you're standing directly under a jet turbine while they're 40 yards off.

Anyway, to add to the list, I guess.. hm.. Planescape Torment certainly deserves a mention, I feel. Npc's are very fleshed out for the most part, especially the ones who know you from past incarnations, Dakkon, Morte, Ignus, Vhailor. Not only do these characters feel alive, but they feel resentful, they have a desire to lie to your face when they can, they'll get angry, jealous, go mad with rage, and some even seem to have their own agendas completely.

 

[King Crispy]

Fallout.

The twenty-third time Ian shot me in the back with his SMG I knew he was a true friend.

 

[a Goat]

Kill urself

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Trails in the Sky. In the first game the other people who join you are basically just some bros (and sistahs) you pick up along the way. By the end of SC and 3rd, you’re like the fucking Avengers, annihilating everything in your path.

Trails of Cold Steel. Start off as classmates, but you end TOCS 2 as heroes of Erebonia, everyone bringing something different to the table.

The Witcher series has already been mentioned. Dandelion and Zoltan are great characters who aren’t dependent on Geralt at all, but ask for favours from time to time and reciprocate. Triss and Yen are more like eye candy and are pretty devoted to Geralt although I think both see him as a means to an end (power).

KOTOR 2 had strong companions in terms of their writing, but their impact is lessened when you learn they are only with you because you are subconsciously dominating them.

 

[Incendax]

Betrayal at Krondor has great NPCs that “talk” frequently.
It’s also in my top 20 RPGs ever list.

Recently, Mutant: Year Zero did a good job with NPCs.

I suppose Bioshock: Infinite because of Elizabeth.

FF6, because it put real effort into making several NPCs into memorable characters.

Darkest Dungeon didn’t make me think of them as individuals, but as vulnerable people who I was subjecting to horrors.

 

[Elevrilnar]

There are a few. First of all Planescape Torment. It has probably the most unique companions in history of RPG gaming. Your team is weird as hell and includes personalities that hover around borders of design creativity. Rarely ever after game developers moved these borders even further. NWN2 Mask of the Betrayer reached an area that's close to this achievement, but it didn't surpass it. But where else where we can find a companion that's a god placed in a bear body? Or an entity composed of thousands devoured souls? I also find pleasing the concept of half-celestial cleric who revolted against the order established by Myrkul. There were also a few single companions from other games which got close to the PT design level. We've got Oom from Torment Tides of Numenera for example. Again a very original and memorable concept. He doesn't have a human body. He doesn't even have a body at all in its standard meaning. The communication with him is executed through symbols and mind images. The concept of a child companion in TToN is also a quite fresh idea.

We're talking mostly about whole parties however. Final Fantasy XV made me feel like a true member of a boysband. Companions from this game have interesting personalities, but they really start to shine in a team. This effect is strengthen by team based combos and different but complementary tasks that these companions do in the team. The relaxed form of relations between the four also provides an atmosphere that enables the player to get deeper in the role of a member of the team.

BG2 is of course well known for a team of nice personalities. Minsc, Jan Jansen, Viconia and Edwin are one of the most memorable characters from cRPGs. It feels good to have companions that provide some interesting flavor to the gameplay and BG2 companions fulfill this role more than enough.

Dragon Age series also has a good feeling of being a member of a team. The characters aren't as original as the one mentioned in the first part of my post, but have quite a nice characteristics. Most memorable from DA1 are Morrigan and Leliana.

Recently I played Pillars of Eternity a lot. Companions from this game aren't as memorable as these mentioned above, but the game provides a nice team based experience. Companions have a lot to say, they have a developed dialogue trees and you can't deny they have interesting personalities. There's Aloth who struggles with soul dissociation, there's Durance who has inner conflicts regarding his goddess and Grieving Mother which seems a very interesting character (I still have to explore her story).

 

[rusty_shackleford]

KOTOR 2 had strong companions in terms of their writing, but their impact is lessened when you learn they are only with you because you are subconsciously dominating them.

can't say I remember this part tbh

 

[Prime Junta]

NetHack, taking care of my little kitten and watching it mature into a deadly large cat is pure

 

[Deleted member 7219]

KOTOR 2 had strong companions in terms of their writing, but their impact is lessened when you learn they are only with you because you are subconsciously dominating them.

can't say I remember this part tbh

It’s part of the revelations at the end, explained by the Jedi Council and Kreia. It’s basically a story explanation for the influence system and why you can change your companions so much by your actions throughout the game.

 

[Deleted Member 16721]

Anachronox

 

[Alkarl]

KOTOR 2 had strong companions in terms of their writing, but their impact is lessened when you learn they are only with you because you are subconsciously dominating them.

can't say I remember this part tbh

It’s part of the revelations at the end, explained by the Jedi Council and Kreia. It’s basically a story explanation for the influence system and why you can change your companions so much by your actions throughout the game.

I thought the explanation they give is to how you "lost" and subsequently regained your force abilites. Not that you were dominating them, but feeding off their force sensitivity like a parasite. I don't remember them ever saying anything about your companions. The reason you can bend them is just Star Wars, it just has themes of corruption, coercion, and redemption.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

KOTOR 2 had strong companions in terms of their writing, but their impact is lessened when you learn they are only with you because you are subconsciously dominating them.

can't say I remember this part tbh

It’s part of the revelations at the end, explained by the Jedi Council and Kreia. It’s basically a story explanation for the influence system and why you can change your companions so much by your actions throughout the game.

I thought the explanation they give is to how you "lost" and subsequently regained your force abilites. Not that you were dominating them, but feeding off their force sensitivity like a parasite. I don't remember them ever saying anything about your companions. The reason you can bend them is just Star Wars, it just has themes of corruption, coercion, and redemption.

I remember this part vaguely, but yeah I don't remember anything about companions.

 

[Deleted member 7219]

KOTOR 2 had strong companions in terms of their writing, but their impact is lessened when you learn they are only with you because you are subconsciously dominating them.

can't say I remember this part tbh

It’s part of the revelations at the end, explained by the Jedi Council and Kreia. It’s basically a story explanation for the influence system and why you can change your companions so much by your actions throughout the game.

I thought the explanation they give is to how you "lost" and subsequently regained your force abilites. Not that you were dominating them, but feeding off their force sensitivity like a parasite. I don't remember them ever saying anything about your companions. The reason you can bend them is just Star Wars, it just has themes of corruption, coercion, and redemption.

This is from before the full truth of the echoes is revealed:



Later in the game, with the echoes stuff (Jedi Council/subsequent encounters) it is explained more about what your effect is on the Force and others around you.

 

[SausageInYourFace]

Dragon Age Origins and Dragon Age 2 was pretty good at this.

The localized setting in DA2 added to the feeling of being part of a crew who just hung around the block together in Kirkwall, and got to know each other and the city better over the years. Despite ithe games flaws I found this to be a pretty wholesome experience.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

KOTOR 2 had strong companions in terms of their writing, but their impact is lessened when you learn they are only with you because you are subconsciously dominating them.

can't say I remember this part tbh

It’s part of the revelations at the end, explained by the Jedi Council and Kreia. It’s basically a story explanation for the influence system and why you can change your companions so much by your actions throughout the game.

I thought the explanation they give is to how you "lost" and subsequently regained your force abilites. Not that you were dominating them, but feeding off their force sensitivity like a parasite. I don't remember them ever saying anything about your companions. The reason you can bend them is just Star Wars, it just has themes of corruption, coercion, and redemption.

This is from before the full truth of the echoes is revealed:



Later in the game, with the echoes stuff (Jedi Council/subsequent encounters) it is explained more about what your effect is on the Force and others around you.

I'll have to listen again when I'm not tired, but it sounded more like an implication that you could influence them, not that you are — and it's blurring the line between the power of a charismatic leader and purposely manipulating them.

 

[EverlastingLove]

Mass Effect: Andromeda - a friendly group of people that always watch your back and share their life stories with you, great writing, fantastic VA and incredible face animations.

Spoiler

Anyway, Mask of the Betrayal had great companions. They were very closely connected to the main events in the story and to the protagonist, they interacted frequently with each other and were generally very well written.

Jagged Alliance 2, Betrayal at Krondor, Wizardry 8 - yeah, those are all great picks. I especially like what they did in Wizardry 8, companions in that game just feel so alive, they vividly react to what is happening, talk to each other, shout in combat, it all just feels great, it's magic man, magic!

 

[Alkarl]

This is from before the full truth of the echoes is revealed:



Later in the game, with the echoes stuff (Jedi Council/subsequent encounters) it is explained more about what your effect is on the Force and others around you.

Ok, so this is a bit misleading since the person recording has removed all context from the conversation. Listening to it this way could lead one to believe that Kreia is saying that their willingness to follow is based on some power you have.
The fact is she states at least a few times that they do it because you are a leader, you represent to them something either worth being or fighting against.
The key word here is either, proving they have agency in how to respond to your presence. The one going around using the force to manipulate people is Kreia, it could be argued certain members only follow you becaause of her, such as the Wookie, Hanhar.

The only concern the council ever had was that you were a parasite, leeching the force from every being you come in contact with. Both Kreia and the council believe this, this is why the council wants to destroy you and conversely why Kreia wants to preserve you. Neither of them really care for or about your allies. Kreia is the only one who is seemingly contentious about them and not because you are force-breaking their will or anything like that, but simply because they might disuade you from being her perfect puppet or figuring out what Kreia is truly about before she is ready to reveal it.

Edit: Ok, so this isn't directly mentioned in this game but I think I know what you're getting at Rean:

So, both Kreia and the Council believe the Exile to be a wound in the force, parasitically sucking the force out of others, and that this could result in the "death of the force". The truth ends up being that you suppressed your own force abilities after Malachor V and went into hiding. You do still carry the echos of everything that happened during the Mandalorian Wars and it's this that causes the Council and Kreia to see you as a wound. You are able to reawaken your force powers because of force bonding, a usually very difficult technique to even pull off once, but something the Exile not only does easily, but to almost everyone they come across, and all subconsciously. It is very likely the force bond could be manipulating your allies, the same way Revan is able to use it to save/turn Bastilla in the first game.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

First of all Planescape Torment. It has probably the most unique companions in history of RPG gaming. Your team is weird as hell and includes personalities that hover around borders of design creativity.

This last sentence describes Planescape: Torment and a few dozen other JRPGs. Granted, such a strange team of pre-generated party members was highly unusual for a Western-developed CRPG of the time.

 

[Alienman]

Remembered another game that has pretty active and well written characters that actually chime in on going ons, and that is Original War. I know, not 100% RPG either, and you are not really running a party...
It's more of a strategy game, but it does have pretty strong RPG mechanics! Anyway, a lovely game with wonderful and funny characters that makes the world come alive and remove some of the feeling that it is you alone in the room in front of the computer against the world (in the game).

 

[naossano]

I have yet to play Dead State, but it seems that a lot of focus is given to companions.
I am tempted to include rimworld which isn't an rpg, but the characters you supposedly control can take a lot of initiatives.

 

[Bigg Boss]

Earthbound.
Final Fantasy Tactics.
Anachronox.
Fallout 2.
Any Might and Magic game.
Planescape Torment.
KOTOR 1 and 2.
Jade Empire...maybe.

 

[eggdogg]

Mass effect 1 and 2 had strong companions regardless of anything else.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Realms of Arkania HD

 

[toro]

Kenshi