I've been delving into the world of JRPGs recently and I've had many people recommend Falcom's games to me. I'm not really the biggest fan of turn-based games, though. That's why I knew I had to try this demo, especially after what I had read about its action combat and open world/exploration mechanics. The typically linear fashion of storytelling I had witnessed in the genre in the past was something I wasn't super keen on so that really appealed to me... ... which is why it's disappointing that this demo doesn't give any sample of that aspect of the game. Instead, what you get here is an apparently standalone set of two dungeons that give you a delicious taste of how the fantastic combat system works. By the time I got to the end of the second dungeon, I felt like I had a very good grasp on how to use the system overall. Not only that, but I quickly came to understand where the different characters' styles truly balanced each other out. With the action-based combat and the ability to switch out your party members on the fly, it makes for a combat system where you truly feel like you're fully in control over the way you face your enemies. This is particularly evident in the four different boss fights across the two dungeons; each boss was challenging enough, but challenging in a FUN way. As someone who hates the 'git gud' mentality with video games of any sort, I want to be challenged in a way that's fun, rather than frustrating, and this game appears to do just that. It also doesn't hurt that the dungeon design and overall art style are both aesthetically-pleasing and superbly atmospheric. As I ran through them, I felt that glorious feeling you get from old school dungeon crawlers, which is really refreshing as many studios have forgotten how to do that. Altogether, I wish I could have gone free roaming a little but this demo certainly convinced me to keep an eye out for a good deal on this game because I'll absolutely be buying it someday!
Daggerfall is the single most ambitious RPG from the 20th century. Period. It also could be among one of the most ambitious RPGs ever made. This game took what worked in Arena and threw in a boatload of features that allow the player to experience the game world. You can own a house, a ship, a horse. You can join factions with dedicated questlines. You have loads of skills, some that are entirely useless except in specific cases, such as language skills that let you talk to different sorts of creatures. You can create your character to mesh better with the nobility at the cost of having a low reputation among the beggars (and vice versa or somewhere in between). The possibilities are, at risk of dipping into a cliche, completely limitless. All of this happens in a truly gargantuan game world that surpasses almost every other game. Its game space is reportedly 209,331 square kilometers in a 1.1 scale. You CAN walk from one end of the world to the other but the amount of time it'd take would be so long that you literally HAVE to fast travel if you don't plan to play this game for the rest of your life. The downside is that there aren't many hand-crafted areas, thus the detail isn't as high as later games. However, it does give a sense of phenomenal scale. Add to that the fact that this game has a much better plot than Arena and it makes for one of the most epic adventures you'll have. Arena was incredibly ambitious for its time but lacked features and refinements. Daggerfall took the ambition to the next level, refined many of the rough edges and created a game that, in some ways, better represents the promise of this series: to live another life in another world. It has its issues, though: many bugs, lack of world detail, a rough combat system. However, none of those detract from what is otherwise one of the greatest RPGs ever made. PS: As others have mentioned, I recommend Daggerfall Unity. In addition to its fixes, it opens the game up to modding which is great.
The Elder Scrolls franchise is my favorite game franchise of all time. I started with Morrowind and have loved every game since. I'll never forget the first time I played Arena when Bethesda originally made it free. I rolled a character and entered the starter dungeon, only to get stomped every time I tried to complete it. It was only in recent years that I decided to go back to Arena and Daggerfall to give them a proper try and I'm very glad I did. While these games are absolutely unforgiving in the early moments, it makes it that much more rewarding as time goes on. This is an old school RPG in every way, having a lot more in common with tabletop RPGs than any modern cRPG (even among TES). You have to be smart when you create your character, crafting a build that specializes in one or two things, and you have to be cautious as you explore the world. That brings me to where this game is particularly brilliant. While a few RPGs had tried the open world at this point, most still focused more on a very simplistic story and party management. Arena doesn't do that. Instead, this game encapsulates the rawest version of the Elder Scrolls fantasy: create a character and go do what you want. Sure, it's not as sandbox or story-driven as Daggerfall and later games are but once you get out of that brutal starter dungeon, you're free to seek adventure in any way you see fit. The main flaw comes in the form of the features it lacks. Daggerfall would introduce all these awesome ways you can 'live' in the game world and interact with its people but Arena is more about building your character, exploring the world and crawling through dungeons. It's fun, but it's not very refined, as you're essentially always going to be some sort of warrior or wizard. As such, you really have to go in with the proper expectations. If you do, you'll find a fantastic old school RPG with every ounce of that Doom-era 90s game charm, tied together with all the nerdy fantasy you could ever want!
I've always been intrigued by the character building, gear customization and fast-paced combat aspects of action RPGs like Diablo or Grim Dawn. However, as much as I do enjoy games like that, I've always wished for them to have a deeper focus on story. Enter: Children of Morta. I got this game for free during a promo GOG ran in 2020 and I'm glad that I did, because it is fantastic. I've always been a huge fan of story-driven games ever since my dad crafted a small pen-and-paper adventure game for me to play, long before I got into video games. Children of Morta combines the best of adventure games with easy-to-understand RPG skill systems and great dungeon crawling gameplay and the result is glorious. The story tells us a tale about the Bergson family who have been tasked with protecting the world. This family theme is great because most people can deeply relate to family-themed stories, regardless of what their family is/was like. This also helps the game feel more like an adventure, instead of a loot grind like most ARPGs and dungeon crawlers do. This also creates interesting gameplay mechanics, as the Bergson family home functions as a calm base where you can break from the chaos and experience the home life of the family. Another interesting element is how each family member has their own personality and each one represents a different take on the traditional RPG "class". Also, pixel art can be a bit divisive to some people but I've never met a person who didn't at least admire the art in this game. It's probably the prettiest pixel art game I've ever seen, due to the gorgeous color palette, the fantastic detail in the art itself and the great use of lighting and effects. As pixel art tends to do, it creates a very nostalgic feel but it also does a good job of making you feel immersed into the world and the story that is woven into it. If you've ever enjoyed ARPG gameplay but wish there was a greater focus on story, Children of Morta is absolutely your game.
