Summary
- RPGs evolved beyond turn-based/action—now they span weird, musical, tactical, and time-limited experiments.
- Quirky indies like EarthBound, Undertale, OFF and Contact flip RPG rules with humor and heart.
- Some RPGs reinvent mechanics—timed runs, word-battles, musical combat, and infinite leveling surprise.
RPGs used to come in primarily two styles. There were turn-based RPGs like Dragon Quest, and then there were action RPGs like the various Ys titles. After the launch of the NES, RPGs began to diversify themselves, and today, there is an RPG out there for every type of gamer.
Players can hunt for monsters, weed their farms, or even fish to satisfy their RPG hunger. Some of the best RPGs are the ones that don’t play by the rules. Some barely classify themselves as RPGs but still have that great role-playing vibe. Let’s go through some classic and modern RPGs that redefined the genre by subverting it.
EarthBound
The First Scratch And Sniff RPG
EarthBound was advertised heavily and packaged with a huge guide in North America when it launched in 1995 on the SNES. Despite its push as the next great RPG, it was not a commercial hit, and it definitely wasn’t trying to be a mainstream RPG that would appeal to the masses.
It was weird, from the story involving small-town gossip to talking about piles of trash. Battles were also odd, as players had a roulette wheel that ticked down HP whenever they were hit. EarthBound does not fit well next to its RPG contemporaries on the SNES, but that’s a good thing, as it was the first proof of concept that RPGs could still work if they got a little weird with it.
Undertale
Who Needs To Battle
Undertale questions the very nature of RPGs by disregarding battles as something only a sociopath would engage in. Instead of fighting monsters, the game encourages players to dodge attacks while trying to reason with their enemies.
Every encounter can be completed with timed dodges and dialogue, even bosses, which may be why it stood out to so many RPG fans in 2015. Now, the game can be played like a traditional RPG by killing monsters for EXP, but it’s not the way to experience this indie RPG darling, nor is it the best reflection of what makes this game so special.
Half-Minute Hero
Save The World With Time
Half-Minute Hero
- Released
-
May 28, 2009
- ESRB
-
everyone e10+
Half-Minute Hero was originally released as a PSP game in 2009, followed by an HD port on the Xbox 360 in 2011 called Half-Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax. Players are a chosen generic hero pulled straight from early Dragon Quest games. The twist is that the evil lord puts a curse on the world, giving players only half a minute to defeat him.
Thanks to a goddess’s power, players can level up in the world to build their strength, then rewind time to start again. It sounds more complicated than it is, and after the first campaign, it will become both effortless and addictive because the gameplay loop and humor cannot be beat.
Living Inside The DS
Contact is a hard game to explain, as there are dimensions to the experience. First, there is a 16-bit professor and his dog who are communicating with the player directly through the DS on the top screen. There is also a young boy, Terry, who is lost, and players control him the bottom DS screen, which has a completely different art style.
The bottom screen is played like a traditional action RPG, and items found within this world can help the professor out in his top-screen world. It’s an obscure DS gem that would do well in a post-Undertale world with modern RPG fans if it were readily available again.
Off
Batter Up!
Off was released in 2008, in a time before indie games really took off globally, despite the efforts of the Xbox 360. With a crude art style and a simplistic world, Off didn’t look too engaging from an outsider perspective, but that was the point.
There was something deeper inside, beyond battling and puzzles, and only those who dove into Off’s depths could see how it subverted the RPG genre. Now, almost two decades later, a bigger audience can appreciate it thanks to its recent remaster. It’s a short ride, but a memorable one despite the simplistic graphics and gameplay.
Segagaga
The Dreamcast’s Hidden RPG
Segagaga resembles a fan game due to its unusual, seemingly pieced-together art style, but it was an official release from Sega for the Dreamcast. The main character is a fully realized sprite, but he battles everything from flat anime art to FMV cutouts of real developers working within the offices at Sega.
Instead of weapon-based combat, players use words to berate their foes. Fans will recognize many cameos from franchises like Sonic and Phantasy Star, and Segagaga is definitely self-referential in its humor. It was never released outside of Japan, unfortunately, but fans are still working hard to create an English-language patch.
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
What If Disney Made An RPG?
- Developer: NIS
- Publisher: Atlus
- Released: July 30, 2000 (NA PS1 Version)
- Platforms: DS, PC, PS1, PS5, Switch
There are a lot of music rhythm games out there, from Rock Band to PaRappa the Rapper, but there aren’t many musical RPGs. For this reason, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure stood out on the PS1 in 2000 as much as it does now.
Combat was randomized, but instead of turn-based battles, characters could move on a grid, not unlike mini-tactical encounters. The story added full-blown Disney-like musical numbers, albeit with light choreography given the limitations of the platform. It was a short, silly RPG that some PS1 fans still remember fondly.
Disgaea: Hour Of Darkness
What If Everything Leveled Up?
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness was a fully tactical RPG, complete with character classes and grid-based maps. It was anything but standard, though, as the story was over the top and often broke the fourth wall. Beyond that, gear and curative items could level up by having characters physically dive into them and fight through randomized floors.
Characters, through government hearings, could gain boosts or be reincarnated back to level one while retaining some stats. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness played with RPG norms way back on the PS2, and the series hasn’t stopped innovating since.
