Ask Choicest Games – Best RPG for replay value


Thought I'd start this kind of article since I've received my very first game recommendation question via Twitter!


I love giving game recommendations so thanks for the tweet Portugaz B. Jan! Unfortunately, due to Twitter's 140 character limit, it's probably a bit difficult to ask questions via the medium so I'm going to attempt to translate what is being asked here:

Hi Choicest Games,

Can you please recommend an RPG that provides more challenge/content before encountering the final boss, e.g. clearing 100 floors of a tower before encountering him? Thanks!


There is a short and long answer to this.

Short Answer
Assuming you're talking about heaps of content before encountering the boss or at least something more challenging, then RPGs that leap to my mind (that are based off my experience) include Skyrim, Guild Wars 2 and Torchlight 2.

Why did I pick these three? Well firstly because I've actually played them (only want to speak from experience). In terms of individual reasons:

Skyrim because while the game's actual main quest chain is relatively small compared to the rest of the game, there are heaps of side quests (and side bosses) to encounter which means high replay value (close to 200 hours I believe). Add to that the number of mods you can use to customise the game and you'll be playing it for a very long time.

Guild Wars 2 because it's an MMORPG – there's lots of stuff to do here and lots of challenging dungeons to romp through.

Torchlight 2 because it's the action RPG candidate in the bunch and probably my preference over Diablo 3. Runs better, is cheaper, and it's closer to the classic Diablo 2 experience than Diablo 3 itself!

Long Answer
The question asks for an RPG but that is such a broad term nowadays. Here's what I mean:

  • MMORPG (e.g. World of Warcraft, Guild Wars 2, etc.)
  • Action hack 'n' slash (e.g. Diablo, Torchlight, etc.)
  • Roguelike (e.g. Rogue)
  • MUD (e.g. Realms of Despair)
  • CRPG (e.g. Fallout)
  • D&D CRPG (e.g. Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, etc.)
  • JRPG (e.g. Final Fantasy)
  • Hybrid FPS/RPG (e.g. Deus Ex)
  • Hybrid Adventure/RPG (e.g. Quest for Glory)
  • Hybrid Puzzle/RPG (e.g. Puzzle Quest)
  • Sandbox RPG (e.g. Skyrim)
  • Party Dungeon Crawls (e.g. Wizardry)
  • Hybrid Strategy/RPG (e.g. Disciples)

And I'm sure I haven't covered all possible permutations either!

I guess what I'm saying is a good starting point involves you choosing which of these RPG sub-genres you like and then extrapolating from there. It's all well and good for me to recommend Skyrim for example, but if you're only looking for hack 'n' slash Diablo clones, it's obviously not useful advice.

And if you're literally wanting a dungeon crawl where you have to go down 100 levels before you meet the boss, I'm sure there are games out there like that but none that I have played. A most recent dungeon crawl game that I own (but sadly haven't got around to playing yet) is Legend of Grimrock which I've heard good things about. Be warned though that it's a throwback to games of yesteryear (so could be unforgiving if you've never played these sorts of games)!

Roguelikes are obviously the sort you'd aim for if you're looking for multiple procedurally generated dungeons/levels leading up to a boss. If you're wanting a challenge and don't mind a bit of sci-fi, check out FTL since that's a game which should provide a challenge before you encounter the final boss. Not quite an RPG although it does have RPG elements (if you consider your ship itself as a player character).

Hope that helps! Anyone else have recommendations on challenging RPGs or ones with good replay value? Does anyone know if one exists that requires you to delve through 100 levels before a boss?

Comments

  1. thanks for the recommendation dude~
    i will try out the game.. ^_^

    -Portugaz B.Jan-

    ReplyDelete
  2. No worries mate. Hope I answered your question and find some of my recommendations fun :)!

    ReplyDelete

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