Incline RPG Codex's Best RPGs - 2024 - VOTING IS CLOSED

[BosanskiSeljak]

Butter what min-reviews are missing at the moment?

These are the ones I currently have:

Disco Elysium: 2 (felipepepe, BosanskiSeljak)
The Chronicles of Myrtana: Archolos: 2 (Konjad, Optimist)
Knights of the Chalice 2: 1 (CryptRat)
Baldur's Gate 3: 1 (Konjad)
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous: 0
Elden Ring: 1 (Hell Swarm)
Brigand: Oaxaca: 1 (Konjad)
Caves of Lore: 1 (BosanskiSeljak)
Dungeon Rats: 2 (Konjad, CryptRat)
Prelude to Darkness: 1 (Konjad)
Avernum: Escape from the Pit: 0
Titan Outpost: 1 (Optimist)
Blackguards: 1 (CryptRat)
Colony Ship: 1 (Konjad)
Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children: 0


Still need:
1 for Knights of the Chalice 2
1 for Baldur's Gate 3
2 for Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
1 for Elden Ring
1 for Brigand: Oaxaca
1 for Caves of Lore
1 for Prelude to Darkness
2 for Avernum: Escape from the Pit
1 for Titan Outpost
1 for Blackguards
1 for Colony Ship
2 for Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children

I'll probably do one for Titan Outpost. It's not the end of the world if we get more than 2 for some games.

I'll do you one for Avernum: Escape From The Pit as I've just replayed it.

What word count you looking for chap?

250-350 word count approx.

 

[Hell Swarm]

Well, cool. So what exactly is H. P. Lovecraft's Cat's problem?

Wait, I already know. He's drunk again.

I apologize for bothering you all with this. I should have known. Carry on.

He goes into multiple threads to rant about DD2 and how great it is. Most his posts in Elden Ring's thread is this garbage and yet he's not thread banned for it.

Dark souls 2 has 3 votes. Drag queen's dogma has 1 vote. That means Dark souls 2 is 3 times better than the drag queen game.

Why do you hate Dragon's Dogma 2? Show me on the doll where it touched you.

Aren't you the one who wants a sex doll because no woman wants you? If you weren't such an annoying faggot shitting up every thread with Drag queen's dogma 2 it would be less hated here. You annoy people so much they dislike it because you constantly want to drag threads off topic with it.

Blackguard collection is on sale on Green man gaming. You can get all 3 games (2 and a DLC I think?) for £1. I picked it up yesterday and intend to try it later on steam deck.

 

[processdaemon]

In the end I did a BG3 mini-review anyway, but if someone comes along who actually put it in their top 10 go ahead and replace it.

Baldur's Gate 3 is a revival of the Baldur's Gate series, although the degree to which it lives up to that association is up for debate. While Larian's origin system means that the backstory of your protagonist can vary, one thing they all have in common is waking up on a Mindflayer ship with an unwelcome guest lurking behind their eye. BG3 is the story of how you and a colourful cast of libidinous companions deal with this, with twists and turns along the way that align the story more with the original saga (something more apparent in certain origins than others).

BG3 is an RPG with mainstream appeal, and it's not hard to see why; Larian's budget gave them the opportunity to make a game with full voice acting, motion capture and an accessible combat system in the form of Larian's adaptation of D&D 5e. 5e's simplicity is enticing to new players but can be offputting to long-term cRPG fans. This has only been exacerbated by Larian's itemisation which can change the game from easy to trivial as your build comes online in later acts, with a decline in the quality of the encounter design as the game progresses also contributing to this. The combat goes from genuinely enjoyable at the start to serviceable at the end when Larian were clearly struggling with balance.

At its best, BG3 is a character focused romp through a well-crafted world with memorable NPCs (like Auntie Ethel and Raphael) that makes you feel like the actions of your protagonist impact the game world. At its worst, it can be narratively incoherent and it becomes apparent on replays that your choices matter less than the game might lead you to believe. At times it feels like a pantomime; bright, exciting, dramatic, and even complete with a villainous musical theatre number, but requiring substantial suspension of disbelief to overlook plot holes and the shallowness of some of the less well developed characters. It's a game that worth playing, but if you are a fan of the original series you should manage your expectations.

 

[Harthwain]

In the end I did a BG3 mini-review anyway, but if someone comes along who actually put it in their top 10 feel free to replace it.

This is a good suggestion.

 

[Cohesion]

Baldur's Gate III - @whydoibother
Elden Ring - @Cryomancer

Get to work, bitches.

Imagine their revios.

 

[Morpheus Kitami]

I didn't vote for Brigand, but I'll give a review a shot anyway:

When you first load up Brigand: Oaxaca, you wonder why someone told you this ugly abomination is actually a good game. The strange, barely human looking characters that dot the landscape look like a stretch even for a post-apocalyptic game. After a short dialog, and you get control of your character, you wonder why people like something that controls this jankily. How does a game that feels like it does everything wrong get so much praise? It's just another ugly, post-apocalyptic RPG.
Despite everything, the game is more than the sum of its shoddy looking parts. The game offers unparalleled freedom, there's very little you can't do, or can't go, if you have the right skillset. With enough agility, you can jump over any hill. There's usually stuff up there too. Quests can be solved pretty much any way you can think of, if you want to switch sides you very likely can. Quests often have multiple ways of solving or even outright two entirely different ways of winning.
Exploration is where the game truly shines, wandering around post-apocalyptic Mexico, on the constant look-out for bandits, demons and various treasures. You spot a treasure you didn't before. Then you see in the distance a demon. You stand still and carefully aim. Direct hit. One of his friends charges after you, and your companion goes after him, with a lead pipe instead of her gun. You curse, as she dies and four more demons show up. Such is life in Oaxaca, and you wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[Butter]

Titan Outpost

Your mission to the Saturnian moon Titan has not gone entirely to plan. After a botched shuttle landing, you're alone, your outpost has little power, and you need to begin harvesting liquid methane to ship back to Earth. To complicate matters, you're soon contacted by corporations, eco-terrorists, and even the Chinese, and they're all interested in what you're doing out here.

Titan Outpost combines exploration, base-building, survival mechanics, and traditional RPG character systems, but without the expected RPG combat. The result is one of the most freeform experiences outside of sandbox games like Kenshi; it always feels like player choice is the driving force of the narrative. There are multiple endings, some rather obscure, and the ability to solve problems in different ways makes it highly replayable.

Perhaps the game's greatest strength is its hard sci-fi setting. You'll find no ray guns or aliens or FTL drives here. It takes years to travel from Earth to Saturn. You will freeze to death if you spend too long outside, and different surfaces have different rates of conductance, meaning they can cause you to freeze to death even faster. You will spend a significant portion of the game just trying to keep yourself alive while somehow finding spare power to expand your outpost and conduct scientific research.

Titan Outpost released in 2019 to minimal fanfare, and it deserves much better. It was quite bug-riddled on release, but it has been improved significantly since then. It is a true hidden gem, and if you're getting tired of endless fantasy RPGs, you owe it to yourself to give the game a try.

 

[Butter]

Reviews still needed:

1 for Knights of the Chalice 2
1 for Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
1 for Elden Ring
1 for Caves of Lore
1 for Prelude to Darkness
1 for Avernum: Escape from the Pit
1 for Blackguards
1 for Colony Ship
2 for Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children

 

[Hell Swarm]

I've just started blackguards and it's really charming. In another few hours I can write a review if it's still needed. I think 5 hours of gameplay is enough to understand what makes the game tick.

 

[Gandalf]

I'm not a good writer, I think, but I'll try to write something with my broken English.

 

[Hell Swarm]

I'm not a good writer, I think, but I'll try to write something with my broken English.

This is a trick! Faggot wizard!

 

[Butter]

I'm not going to alter the substance of what anyone writes, but I will attempt to fix spelling/grammar/lack of clarity/formatting. CryptRat's reviews are going to be broken up into multiple paragraphs for ease of reading.

 

[Gandalf]

Knights of the Chalice 2 is one of the most interesting titles released in recent years that offers extremely rich experience for cRPG enthusiasts. This piece of software ships with Tutorial and Augury of Chaos modules for you to play and also contains extensive editor that allow you to create your own magnificent scenarios and campaigns.

My translator stopped to work with me. Let me know if this is any good. If yes - I will continue tommorrow. If no - I will stop.

 

[behold_a_man]

For Blackguards:

Blackguards, based on 'das Schwarze Auge' ruleset, is a game focused on combat, and all its other elements are subservient: lightning-fast exploration is reminiscent of a puzzle game without puzzles, dialogues are straight and forward (usually towards the battle), and audiovisuals are best described as utilitarian.

As expected, the combat system is splendid. The game featured myriads of ways to develop characters, especially mages, ranging from giving them the ability to resist knockdowns or get enemies' stats to creating impenetrable walls or showering seven adjacent fields with arrows. There were no level-ups; every skirmish gave a certain amount of experience points, which can be used to buy abilities directly - what follows, the game features a strong sense of progression, as one can reinforce some characters before any string of fights. Different types of weapons offered different sets of properties (such as range or added abilities), unique items didn't become commonplace as the game progressed. Each encounter is handcrafted; the game didn't lose its grip even at the very end, as each of its five chapters provided quite a few memorable challenges with diverse enemies and interactive environments. Understanding the battlefield was oftentimes more important than knowledge of the combat system, as a lot of maps featured unique traps or constraints requiring tailored strategies.

The game had some hiccups, though: despite being combat-focused, the party is determined by the plot rather than by a player - which is a shame, as a lot of the encounters begged for testing them with a different party setup. Very few choices had actual consequences; while it's nice that the game doesn't reward do-gooders with unrealistic benefits, the game feels very linear most of the time. Both of those things limit replayability.

 

[MF]

For Prelude to Darkness

"Pyrrhic Tales: Prelude to Darkness" by Zero Sum stands out as an exemplary CRPG, excelling in numerous aspects. The game features an intricate character system, challenging turn-based combat, and meaningful choices that truly impact the gameplay and story. It blends traditional fantasy, folklore, and Lovecraftian horror within a captivating setting confined to a single valley, creating a concise world map that feels real.

The incorporation of non-combat skills like bartering and music as genuinely useful elements is a welcome addition. The game cleverly combines skill point assignment with a learn-by-use approach. Its fast travel system enhances exploration without detracting from it, complemented by random encounters that are both engaging and logically integrated. However, it does suffer from a limited enemy variety and quest reactivity tends to be somewhat isolated.

Graphically, the game has an early 3D awkwardness that some may find charming, though most will call it ugly. The major downside, however, stems from its technical issues.

The game was plagued with severe bugs, including frequent hard crashes. Despite these issues, the game's content compelled me to complete it. Today, with the source code available, the worst of these critical issues have been resolved by dedicated fans. I highly recommend revisiting Prelude to Darkness.

 

[Gandalf]

For Knights of the Chalice 2:

Knights of the Chalice 2 is genius in its pure form.
It is a real treat for fans of cRPGs. Born out of love and passion, this OGL 3.5-based creation is a true gem when it comes to this type of games.

In fact, no more needs to be written about this wonderful software containing, among other things, the excellent Augury of Chaos campaign and an editor for creating your own modules.
(There is a another mini-review about KotC2 that explains the details a little more, go read it if you haven't already).

However, it is worth mentioning that the game is still being updated and improved. Somewhere on the horizon, one can already see the next campaigns being developed under the watchful eye of Heroic Fantasy Games, the creator of the series.

There are people who have bounced off KotC2, accusing it of high difficulty levels and an unattractive look.

Well, I can agree that the graphical style could be better, more unified, but with the accusations of exaggerated difficulty I cannot agree.

Are you guys crazy to the core? To reject THE RICHEST and FUN to play combat system in the cRPG genre? Some people...

Don't worry guys. Here's a tip.

Every rule and nuance of the game is clearly described in the help menu, which can be recalled with a single click or a keyboard shortcut. There is no need to panic, no need for despair, no need to memorise anything, because everything is made clear and accessible at the touch of a finger! I recommend all complainants to get acquainted with this feature instead of talking nonsense about the game being unfair.

Anyway, I recommend KotC2 to fans of adventure, puzzles, turn-based combat and of course mighty DM's that would like to create their own scenarios and campaigns.
It's a real treat and one of the best cRPG experiences to date!

317 words ,1,776 characters. I hope it qualifies.

 

[Zumbabul]

Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children

If you look at the Steam page of this game, you may think that this is a piece of Asian shit. Don’t let your eyes fool you! This game is a piece of Asian art. The developers tried to make a game with a combat of nu-Xcom and a build porn of Final Fantasy Tactics (FFT). They tried, and they succeeded.

Combat-wise, the game feels like a more relaxed nu-Xcom. There are no random-generated missions, all of them (around 100) are handcrafted. They are pretty diverse: simple kill them all, rescue missions, reach the objective, eliminate the target, stealth mission, defense missions, missions with time limits, slugfests with about 100 enemies, etc.

While the game's appearance is close to the nu-Xcom, its essence is closer to the FFT. The game is story-oriented. Each character has a name, personality, story, and unique skills. Furthermore, the strongest feature of the game is its build porn. It is simple to understand and the same time extremely deep and satisfying. Compared to Troubleshooter, the build porn of the Pathfinder games is just a light build erotic.

Finally, the developers respect your intelligence. The game has a decent difficulty. Sometimes you will kick ass and feel good about yourself. However, often the game will kick your ass, forcing you to stop and re-think some of your builds. Usually, in RPGs, the last part of the game is easy. In this game, the difficulty goes up until the very end.

The most significant flaw of the game is its beginning. The first chapter of the game (5-10 hours out of about 100-200 hours) is boring. However, starting from the second chapter, the game is incredible.

Secondly, the story is intentionally cryptic. At the end of the game, you will feel deeply attached to your team. However, you will have no idea what was going on during the story. To get it, you will need a second run and mental efforts to decipher it.

Overall, this is an outstanding game that definitely has a soul. It gave me hope that great games were not only in our childhood, but some of them are waiting for us in the future.

 

[Beans00]

Colony ship

Colony Ship RPG: A Post-Earth Role-Playing Game" was highly anticipated by fans of isometric RPGs due to its promising premise and the pedigree of its developers, Iron Tower Studio, known for their work on "The Age of Decadence." However, upon release, it fell short of many players' expectations, leaving a sense of disappointment in its wake.
One of the main criticisms of Colony Ship RPG was its lackluster execution of its intriguing setting. While the concept of a colony ship lost in space, filled with political intrigue and factional conflict, held great potential, the game struggled to fully immerse players in this world. The narrative failed to deliver on the complexity and depth that was expected, with many quests feeling repetitive or underdeveloped.
Additionally, the game faced criticism for its dated graphics and clunky user interface. While some players may have been willing to overlook these shortcomings in favor of engaging gameplay and storytelling, the overall experience was hindered by technical issues and a lack of polish.
Combat, a crucial aspect of any RPG, also fell short of expectations. Many players found the combat system to be unbalanced and lacking in strategic depth, leading to repetitive encounters and frustration.
Despite these criticisms, Colony Ship RPG did have its strengths. The game offered a variety of character build options, allowing players to customize their characters to suit their preferred playstyle. Furthermore, the game's branching narrative paths provided some replay value, as players could explore different choices and consequences in subsequent playthroughs.

In conclusion, while Colony Ship RPG had the potential to be a standout title in the isometric RPG genre, it ultimately failed to live up to expectations. Its lackluster execution, technical issues, and underwhelming gameplay left many players disappointed. However, it still holds some merit for fans of the genre who may appreciate its attempts at branching narrative and character customization.

 

[stephensmall]

Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children

This game's main selling point is very simple — the tons and tons of build options it provides. There are over 800 different skills available, with each unique character, each sub-class and each element bringing something new to the table once they're unlocked. Most of the skills also provide additional benefits when they are combined in a certain way, adding yet another layer of customization and turning even a seemingly useless or niche option into a potential centerpiece of your new build.

While the insane breadth of options Troubleshooter provides might seem daunting on paper, the game does a remarkable job easing the player into the gameplay loop. Initially unimpressive array of skills and mechanics present gradually expands throughout the story, letting you master your available options and preventing you from being overwhelmed. Furthermore, if you find yourself struggling, Troubleshooter has a highly customizable difficulty system with levels to cover all skill ranges, as well as several additional modifiers for those seeking extra challenge.

Speaking of battles — the game doesn't disappoint in that regard either. While you will undoubtedly stumble upon a few filler levels during the game's 200 hour run, there is almost always something to shake up the routine, be it an entirely new enemy faction which will make your old builds obsolete or an uneven map layout that will force you to spread out your party in increasingly risky ways. Troubleshooter will demand more and more from you as your knowledge of the game deepens and your arsenal expands, and even exceedingly powerful builds will not allow you to put the game on autopilot or turn it into rocket tag.

The game's story, while not bad, may turn some people off due to it's uneven translation and distinct narrative style that presents the events in a somewhat hard to follow way. Flashbacks occur after damn near every mission and even the minor plot threads set up in the early game may only be resolved eighty odd hours later(if at all).

Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children is an amazing game and hopefully a start of a great series, with its sequel already on the way.

My deepest apologies for not noticing the ping earlier. I would also like to apologize for going a couple words over the proposed limit. Apologies for apologizing as well.

 

[Hell Swarm]

My deepest apologies for not noticing the ping earlier. I would also like to apologize for going a couple words over the proposed limit. Apologies for apologizing as well.

Never apologise. Just stick your dick in their ass and say "Now what faggot"?

 

[Jedi Master Radek]

Didn't vote because I got behind on games, but now I feel regretful for not making Sengoku Rance into the Hidden Gem category. The paradox of trying to be fair leading to results being less fair.

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

Butter

Are 2 reviews needed for every single new game? Some of these are really long and if you compare to the 2019 list, sometimes they'd have 3 reviews but combined still the same length or shorter. I think you can get away with it, especially if those voting for games don't feel the need to write a review.

 

[Butter]

Butter

Are 2 reviews needed for every single new game? Some of these are really long and if you compare to the 2019 list, sometimes they'd have 3 reviews but combined still the same length or shorter. I think you can get away with it, especially if those voting for games don't feel the need to write a review.

I'm not sure what you're suggesting. The 2019 list is a little inconsistent about review length. Sometimes it's a single paragraph, other times it's several. At 250-350 words, the reviews I've solicited might average longer, but not to an inappropriate degree. I don't mind having 3 shorter reviews instead of 2 longer ones, if people feel intimidated by 250 words.

 

[BosanskiSeljak]

Butter

Are 2 reviews needed for every single new game? Some of these are really long and if you compare to the 2019 list, sometimes they'd have 3 reviews but combined still the same length or shorter. I think you can get away with it, especially if those voting for games don't feel the need to write a review.

I'm not sure what you're suggesting. The 2019 list is a little inconsistent about review length. Sometimes it's a single paragraph, other times it's several. At 250-350 words, the reviews I've solicited might average longer, but not to an inappropriate degree. I don't mind having 3 shorter reviews instead of 2 longer ones, if people feel intimidated by 250 words.

I was thinking more of a suggestion/getting your thoughts about delaying things due to lack of reviews (i.e. only 1) if that one review is quite long and covers all major aspects.

 

[Butter]

Butter

Are 2 reviews needed for every single new game? Some of these are really long and if you compare to the 2019 list, sometimes they'd have 3 reviews but combined still the same length or shorter. I think you can get away with it, especially if those voting for games don't feel the need to write a review.

I'm not sure what you're suggesting. The 2019 list is a little inconsistent about review length. Sometimes it's a single paragraph, other times it's several. At 250-350 words, the reviews I've solicited might average longer, but not to an inappropriate degree. I don't mind having 3 shorter reviews instead of 2 longer ones, if people feel intimidated by 250 words.

I was thinking more of a suggestion/getting your thoughts about delaying things due to lack of reviews (i.e. only 1) if that one review is quite long and covers all major aspects.

It's not ideal. I think it's desirable that each game gets more than one perspective, even if both reviewers agree that it's a masterpiece or whatever. But I can live with it if nobody steps up.

By my count, we still lack one review each for Caves of Lore, Wrath of the Righteous, Elden Ring, Avernum: Escape from the Pit, and Colony Ship.