Shining Force is a 1992 turn-based tactical role-playing game for the Sega Genesis console. It is the second entry of the Shining series of video games, following Shining in the Darkness. While primarily a traditional fantasy-themed game, it contains some science fiction elements.
Tactical role-playing games, also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as simulation RPGs, are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical strategy video games. The formats of tactical RPGs are much like traditional tabletop role-playing games and strategy games in appearance, pacing, and rule structure. Likewise, early tabletop role-playing games are descended from skirmish wargames such as Chainmail, which were primarily concerned with combat.
Eschalon: Book I is an isometric turn-based role-playing video game by Basilisk Games. In the style of classic role-playing video games, it features a large and openly explorable game world, comprehensive management of character stats and skills, and a non-linear storyline. It is the first in a trilogy of games set in the fantasy world of Eschalon.
Loki is an action role-playing video game developed by Cyanide and released for Microsoft Windows in June 2007. The game combines Aztec, Egyptian, Greek and Norse mythologies and allows the player to take on the role of a hero, each drawn from one of the four different mythologies.
Moon: Remix RPG Adventure is a role-playing adventure game developed by Love-de-Lic and first published in 1997 by ASCII Entertainment for the PlayStation in Japan. Moon is set within a fictional role-playing game where "the hero" has wreaked destruction, killing hundreds of creatures and looting homes. The player takes on the role of a supporting character in this world, attempting to undo the damage done by the hero. Moon has been praised by critics for how it parodies the conventions and tropes of role-playing games.
Yume Nikki is a 2004 adventure game created by pseudonymous Japanese developer Kikiyama. The player controls a girl named Madotsuki and explores her dreams, collecting 24 effects that change her appearance and equipment. Random events also occur throughout the game in the form of cutscenes and unique gameplay sequences. The game was developed using RPG Maker 2003 without a traditional plot or battle system. Gameplay instead focuses on exploration of the dream world.
Costume Quest is a party-based role-playing video game developed by Double Fine Productions and published by THQ on October 20, 2010. In the game, the player controls a child who is trick-or-treating with their twin on Halloween night when they encounter a monster that kidnaps their sibling. The player must travel around the local neighborhood collecting items for their costume, candy, and fellow children as companions in order to face the leader of the monsters and rescue their sibling. The costume aspects are used in turn-based battle segments, where the player character and companions are transformed into whatever they are dressed as to fight other monsters; the costume aspects are also used for abilities outside of battles.
Armello is a digital role-playing strategy board game developed by Australian independent game studio League of Geeks as their debut project, first released in 2015. Announced as an iPad title in September 2012, the game has been in development since mid-2011, with music by composers Lisa Gerrard and Michael Allen. Between April and May 2014, a successful Kickstarter campaign was started to help fund a port to Steam and GOG.com, as well as stretch goals to bring the game to Android and Windows tablets. The game was chosen to receive additional support from governmental funding agencies Screen Australia and Film Victoria.
Saturday Morning RPG is a role-playing video game, created by developer Mighty Rabbit Studios. The game was first released for iOS in April 2012. It has been released on PC, Mac, and Linux through Steam. It is also available on Ouya, and was a launch title for the system. In the game, players control Marty, an average high school student who gains an extraordinary power through a magical notebook that resembles a Trapper Keeper. This power allows him to use everyday objects in battle against the evil forces of the HOOD. As players advance through the game, they will discover new battle objects and new foes to fight. Mighty Rabbit Studios has supported Saturday Morning RPG with updates since its release in 2012 - adding two new episodes: To Bot or Not to Bot and Ho Ho HOOD. The game is steeped in 1980s nostalgia - many of the enemies and battle objects draw directly from the pop culture of the time.
Undertale is a 2015 2D role-playing video game created by American indie developer Toby Fox. The player controls a child who has fallen into the Underground: a large, secluded region under the surface of the Earth, separated by a magical barrier. The player meets various monsters during the journey back to the surface, although some monsters might engage the player in a fight. The combat system involves the player navigating through mini-bullet hell attacks by the opponent. They can opt to pacify or subdue monsters in order to spare them instead of killing them. These choices affect the game, with the dialogue, characters, and story changing based on outcomes.
Lisa: The Painful is a 2014 post-apocalyptic role-playing video game developed and published by American indie studio Dingaling Productions. The game was written, designed, and composed by Austin Jorgensen, and was released for Windows, OS X, and Linux on December 15, 2014. Lisa: The Painful is the second installment in the Lisa trilogy, preceded by Lisa: The First (2012), and followed by Lisa: The Joyful (2015), a standalone DLC that concludes the series.
Heartbound is an upcoming role-playing video game developed by American indie developer Pirate Software. The game centers around a boy who deals with depression, anxiety, and fear as he embarks on a journey through different locations in search of his dog, Baron. The narrative changes with different pathways and endings, depending on how the player interacts with the environment, other characters, and combat system. Each choice or interaction has the potential to change the game by adding dialog, encounters, or interactive objects to the world.
OneShot is a puzzle-adventure game developed by indie studio Future Cat and published by Degica. Based on a free version made in 2014, it was released for Microsoft Windows via Steam on December 8, 2016, and on Itch.io on March 12, 2020. A console adaptation, OneShot: World Machine Edition, was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on September 22, 2022.
Off is a French-language role-playing video game released in 2008 by the Belgian team Unproductive Fun Time, consisting of Martin Georis and Alias Conrad Coldwood. It has garnered a cult following for its story, characters and atmosphere, particularly after its officially sanctioned fan translation into English in 2011. It is about an enigmatic humanoid entity known as the Batter, who is described as being on a "sacred mission" to "purify" the world of Off. The Batter travels through four bizarre Zones in the world, revealing more about the world as the game goes on.
Legrand Legacy: Tale of the Fatebounds is a role-playing video game developed by Semisoft and published by Another Indie. Semisoft describes the game as a "nostalgic love letter to classic JRPGs". The game was released in January 2018 on Microsoft Windows, and was released in 2019 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Deltarune is a role-playing video game developed by Toby Fox. The player controls a teenage human, Kris, who is destined to save the world together with Susie, a monster, and Ralsei, a prince from the Dark World. During their quest to seal the Dark Fountains prophesied to end the world, the group meets the inhabitants of the Dark World, some of whom try to stop them. The combat system is based on bullet hell attacks the player must dodge. Similar to Undertale, enemy encounters can be resolved peacefully or through violence.
Super Neptunia RPG is a side-scrolling role-playing video game in the Hyperdimension Neptunia series developed by Artisan Studios, with assistance from Idea Factory and Compile Heart. It was published by Idea Factory for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows via Steam. In the game, Neptune, Noire, Blanc, and Vert, all suffering from amnesia, oppose Bombyx Mori, a group that forces citizens to create 2D video games while forbidding other games.
Cris Tales is a role-playing video game developed by Colombian indie game studios Dreams Uncorporated and Syck, and published by Modus Games. It was released for Google Stadia, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on July 20, 2021.
Omori is a 2020 role-playing video game developed and published by indie studio Omocat. The player controls a hikikomori teenage boy named Sunny and his dream world alter-ego Omori. The player explores both the real world and Sunny's surreal dream world as Omori, either overcoming or suppressing his fears and forgotten secrets. How Sunny and Omori interact depends on choices made by the player, resulting in one of several endings. The game's turn-based battle system includes unconventional status effects based on characters' emotions. Prominently portraying concepts such as anxiety, depression, psychological trauma, and suicide, the game features strong psychological horror elements.
