Balance is for nerds anyways. If you can't defeat a level 20 Devil Lord with a level 1 party all the while being assaulted by a posse of high level spellcasters. Then you are not worthy for the Holy Chalice.
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What is the best RPG of the CRPG Renaissance?
- Thread starter <3sRichardSimmons
- Start date
Adenocaulon
Educated
- Joined
- May 17, 2021
- Messages
- 74
I am puzzled that the list is full with tactic games, even if arpgs or some roguelikes are excluded for not being just "rpgs", the same criterion should apply to exclude tactic rpg subgenre.
Shaki
Arbiter
We don't really need another "what is RPG" discussion, since in his kindness, a wise man Funposter already settled that argument for us, once and for all. No other explanation is needed.
fantadomat
Arcane
By the look of it,a lot of people care a lot about witcher 3.....like yourself and mister wastedump 3. The fuck is wrong with you? A pretty ok action rpg from 5 years ago that most people don't have strong feelings about and just don't talk about it,yet you are butthurt enough to bring it out every few threads and bitch about it lol. Did the witcher didn't fuck you or something ???
'Cause they never stopped making those kinds of games. I see stuff like Pillars as a "renaissance" because stuff like BG2 stopped being made.
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2021
- Messages
- 9,215
I was replying to someone who saw the Witcher win as an overall decline of the Codex. The point is, nobody is demanding for that action game to be included in this poll - not even you.
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2017
- Messages
- 28,272
We live in a world with a few dimensions. One of them is time. "Turds" like D: OS 1 and PoE have had time to be played, and thus garnered a reaction.
I'm unaware if the same can be told about KotC 2.
Don_John
Barely Literate
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2022
- Messages
- 1
Really good list to dig some of the more unknown titles of the genre!
I got some possible new (and older) entries for you:
- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (2021)
- Black Geyser - Couriers of Darkness (2022)
- Expeditions: Rome (2022)
- Weird West (2022)
- Vampire The Masquerade - Swansong (2022)
- The Tower of Time (2018)
- Masquerada - Songs and Shadows (2017)
- The Hand of Merlin (2021)
I got some possible new (and older) entries for you:
- Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous (2021)
- Black Geyser - Couriers of Darkness (2022)
- Expeditions: Rome (2022)
- Weird West (2022)
- Vampire The Masquerade - Swansong (2022)
- The Tower of Time (2018)
- Masquerada - Songs and Shadows (2017)
- The Hand of Merlin (2021)
Oh, look! An alt in its wild habitat: the necro.
Last edited:
Alex
Arcane
I haven't played many of the games in the list. Of the ones I have played, I want to mention:
Grimoire: Awesome blobber and one of my favourite from the list. There is a whole lot of talk from people that are annoyed at Cleve that may sometimes muddle how people see this game. But I believe that the game considered by itself has the quality of capturing the spirit of games of yore (possibly because it started as one). It does have a bit of usability issues sometimes but nothing unsurmountable.
Heroine's Quest: This game is a real gem and I still don't understand how it could be given out for free. There are a couple of issues here and there. Perhaps the most obvious is the feminine main character. While I feel this doesn't mesh well with the rest of the nordic setting, the gender swapping doesn't extend to other characters. NPCs fit more with the setting and the game doesn't try to cram some feminist message down your throat. Another point is that how the skills you pick at the start will open or close certain ways of solving the puzzles, which may feel a bit artificial and weird (sorry for not being specific, it has been a while since I played). Still, this game managed to capture the spirit of Quest for Glory in a way none other managed, being perhaps even better than some of the sequels.
Elex: A great Piranha Bytes game that has a few glaring issues but rises above them. For one, the skill system is a bit generic, with all trainers able to teach you all skills from their respective fields. Coupled with that is a stat system that is only used to qualify you to things (weapons, traits, etc) and quite a few useless or uninspired skills. Another problem is the combat that could stand to be a bit more fine tuned. This may sound like a lot of flaws, but with a bit of work I believe all of these flaws could have been fixed rather quickly and if they were this game would have beaten Gothic II in its own qualities. Still, while Elex has these flaws, it also has a very interesting quality; it brings the use of heights and the verticality of level design to a new standard. With the use of the jetpack, it is now possible to explore areas in ways that previously just weren't possible. And since exploration is such a big draw of the PB games, this really makes the game shine even despite its flaws.
Caves of Qud: I haven't played this in a long while, since before it stopped being free. Nor am I going to play it anytime soon since I don't want to support these particular devs. But despite this, I will admit the game had an enormous potential and had a very interesting setting and rules-system. The setting seems very similar to the old Gamma World RPG and the various mutant powers, items and whatnot you can find are amazingly detailed and crafted. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that the developers seem to implement things not based on "balance", but rather on what they should do, given what they are. This can lead to lots of cheap tricks, exploits and whatnots... but that is what is awesome about this game.
Underrail, is a rather interesting game with many good qualities. In particular, I rather liked some aspects of how it implemented crafting. The game is nice and when I played it, it had a very good balance that allowed you to play around with different builds and strategies. In particular, I found it very fun if a bit challenging to play as a psychic trapper, and found it particularly nice when I finally became able to combine both abilities by blowing up mines with psychic powers, managing to damage enemies that would otherwise sidestep the trap. I understand the balance of the game has changed a lot and it was even made easier in some parts, and I find it a pity you can't choose what version you want to play exactly. I haven't voted for it only because I believe Underrail shines more as a a strategy game than an RPG.
Grimoire: Awesome blobber and one of my favourite from the list. There is a whole lot of talk from people that are annoyed at Cleve that may sometimes muddle how people see this game. But I believe that the game considered by itself has the quality of capturing the spirit of games of yore (possibly because it started as one). It does have a bit of usability issues sometimes but nothing unsurmountable.
Heroine's Quest: This game is a real gem and I still don't understand how it could be given out for free. There are a couple of issues here and there. Perhaps the most obvious is the feminine main character. While I feel this doesn't mesh well with the rest of the nordic setting, the gender swapping doesn't extend to other characters. NPCs fit more with the setting and the game doesn't try to cram some feminist message down your throat. Another point is that how the skills you pick at the start will open or close certain ways of solving the puzzles, which may feel a bit artificial and weird (sorry for not being specific, it has been a while since I played). Still, this game managed to capture the spirit of Quest for Glory in a way none other managed, being perhaps even better than some of the sequels.
Elex: A great Piranha Bytes game that has a few glaring issues but rises above them. For one, the skill system is a bit generic, with all trainers able to teach you all skills from their respective fields. Coupled with that is a stat system that is only used to qualify you to things (weapons, traits, etc) and quite a few useless or uninspired skills. Another problem is the combat that could stand to be a bit more fine tuned. This may sound like a lot of flaws, but with a bit of work I believe all of these flaws could have been fixed rather quickly and if they were this game would have beaten Gothic II in its own qualities. Still, while Elex has these flaws, it also has a very interesting quality; it brings the use of heights and the verticality of level design to a new standard. With the use of the jetpack, it is now possible to explore areas in ways that previously just weren't possible. And since exploration is such a big draw of the PB games, this really makes the game shine even despite its flaws.
Caves of Qud: I haven't played this in a long while, since before it stopped being free. Nor am I going to play it anytime soon since I don't want to support these particular devs. But despite this, I will admit the game had an enormous potential and had a very interesting setting and rules-system. The setting seems very similar to the old Gamma World RPG and the various mutant powers, items and whatnot you can find are amazingly detailed and crafted. Perhaps the most interesting thing is that the developers seem to implement things not based on "balance", but rather on what they should do, given what they are. This can lead to lots of cheap tricks, exploits and whatnots... but that is what is awesome about this game.
Underrail, is a rather interesting game with many good qualities. In particular, I rather liked some aspects of how it implemented crafting. The game is nice and when I played it, it had a very good balance that allowed you to play around with different builds and strategies. In particular, I found it very fun if a bit challenging to play as a psychic trapper, and found it particularly nice when I finally became able to combine both abilities by blowing up mines with psychic powers, managing to damage enemies that would otherwise sidestep the trap. I understand the balance of the game has changed a lot and it was even made easier in some parts, and I find it a pity you can't choose what version you want to play exactly. I haven't voted for it only because I believe Underrail shines more as a a strategy game than an RPG.
GentlemanCthulhu
Arbiter
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2019
- Messages
- 1,308
Your poll is incredibly flawed. The RPG renaissance was the period when we got Pillars of Eternity, Wasteland 2, and Divinity: Original Sin. Anything after that is the post-renaissance era. Also you are retardedly including remasters which is retarded, you retard.
The best is Kenshi.
I'm in awe of the ambition. A strategy/RPG hybrid set in a MASSIVE reactive sandbox filled with warring factions and monsters. The overall dullness is offset by wonderful organic moments that take form from the game's systems rather than be preordained by a designer.
Honorable Mentions:
-Atom RPG: Ukrainian Fallout. Most of the jokes/references flew right over my head but it's not like I couldn't engage with the writting at face value; Hexogen was a very funny character either way. Side content was great.
-Expeditions: Conquistador: really fun tactial RPG with a very unique setting.
-The Chronicles Of Myrtana: Archolos: Puts anything Piranha Bytes has done in more than a decade to shame. At times its a bit "cinematic" for my taste but otherwise it knows what works about Gothic and it knows it well.
I'm in awe of the ambition. A strategy/RPG hybrid set in a MASSIVE reactive sandbox filled with warring factions and monsters. The overall dullness is offset by wonderful organic moments that take form from the game's systems rather than be preordained by a designer.
Honorable Mentions:
-Atom RPG: Ukrainian Fallout. Most of the jokes/references flew right over my head but it's not like I couldn't engage with the writting at face value; Hexogen was a very funny character either way. Side content was great.
-Expeditions: Conquistador: really fun tactial RPG with a very unique setting.
-The Chronicles Of Myrtana: Archolos: Puts anything Piranha Bytes has done in more than a decade to shame. At times its a bit "cinematic" for my taste but otherwise it knows what works about Gothic and it knows it well.
The game has nice soul but terrible combat, no tactical depth whatsoever. Copied the bad sides of Fallout 1-2 for no reason.
BanEvader
Guest
In no particular order:
ELEX
Underrail
Age of Decadence
Pathfinder Kingmaker
Battle Brothers
That's an extremely impressive post to ignore ratio, if I do say so myself.
ELEX
Underrail
Age of Decadence
Pathfinder Kingmaker
Battle Brothers
The Bulgarian won't hold that title for long. I have 115 posts and I'm already ignored by 14 posters.
That's an extremely impressive post to ignore ratio, if I do say so myself.
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