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Gaming 101: Role Playing Games

In this series, we are learning how different aspects of video games work by playing games that offer an easy introduction to this one concept. This is designed for people new to gaming and aims to identify games with the least barriers. In this entry, we are looking at Role Playing games.

A role-playing video game, sometimes called role-playing or RPG for short, places the player in control of a character living in a deep fantasy or futuristic world. Like the table-top role-playing (Dungeons & Dragons) games they grew from, the focus is on creating an experience from the perspective of another person.

Role-Playing games form a strong backbone for other genres like Adventure and Narrative games. A strong sense of character is created by allowing the player control of the appearance, decisions and direction of the game. Some games create this with tight Fighting mechanics, or intricate dungeon Puzzles while others focus more on offering wider expansive choices with Open-Worlds and Strategic decisions.

This list includes 18 games from the last 23 years, with 455 likes. They come from a range of different genres and play-styles and are all good games if you want to play your first role play game.

List Details

PEGI Ratings: PEGI 3 to PEGI 18
ESRB Ratings: ESRB EVERYONE to ESRB MATURE 17+
Australian Ratings: G to R 18+
Genres: Action, Adventure, Battle, Brain Game, Collecting, Communication, Creative, Fighting, Narrative, Platform, Puzzle, Rhythm, Role-Play, Sequencing, Shooting, Simulation, Sports, Strategy and Traversal
Total Likes: 455

Related Lists

We have other Getting Started lists of games:

Rainbow Billy

Release Date: 05/10/2021

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon and Hand-Made

Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan is a role-play adventure where you save the world from colourless darkness. Unusually, battles are won through listening and conversation rather than traditional attacks. It combines the excitement and strategy...

Fable

Fable (Series)

Release Date: 14/09/2004

Out Now: Mac, PC, Xbox, Xbox 360 and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Day and Night and Open World

Fable is an adventure role-playing game set in a fantasy world where your interactions with the world and villagers, and decisions about your use of magical power, substantially alter the story and the environment.

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Release Date: 17/11/2011, updated in 2022

Out Now: DS, PC, PS3, PS4, Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Cartoon

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is a role-play game and an expanded version of the DS game Ni no Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn. In it, you play a young boy who travels between worlds and battles enemies in an attempt to save his mother. It...

Wildermyth

Release Date: 15/06/2021

Out Now: PC

Skill Rating: 9+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead, Grid and Hand-Made

Wildermyth is a medieval role-playing game about diverse heroes and themes. You take on evil in a number of stories, each with different heroes and settings. The focus is on the characters as much as their adventures, who are believable, diverse and...

This War Of Mine

Release Date: 14/11/2014, updated in 2016

Out Now: Android, Mac, PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and iOS

Skill Rating: 13+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On and Day and Night

This War Of Mine is a narrative strategy game inspired by the 1992–96 Siege of Sarajevo, this is a war game where you play the civilian trying to survive during the fighting. You face tough decisions on how to spend time and resources each day to...

Moonglow Bay

Release Date: 07/10/2021

Out Now: PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Blocks, Cartoon and Day and Night

Moonglow Bay is a role play game where you play a rookie angler. Unlike other slice-of-life games, fishing isn't tucked away as a side quest here, it's front and centre. Set along the Canadian coastline in the 1980's, you live in a fishing town that has...

Paper Mario: The Origami King

Paper Mario: The Origami King (Series)

Release Date: 11/08/2000, updated in 2020

Out Now: 3DS and 2DS, DS, GameCube, Switch, Wii and Wii U

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Hand-Made

Paper Mario: The Origami King is a role-play game featuring Mario and other Nintendo characters. Although cute and cartoon-like in appearance, these games are known for the quality of writing and the well-balanced and enjoyable turn-based combat.

Eastshade

Release Date: 14/08/2019

Out Now: Mac, PC, PS4 and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds

Components: 3D First-Person, Day and Night and Open World

Eastshade is a slow exploration game in a world you explore by walking around. Here, though, you play as a painter of landscapes rather than typical hero. Your mission is to paint your deceased mother’s favourite sights, but it's the world and its...

Reigns

Release Date: 11/08/2016

Out Now: Amazon Fire, Android, Mac, PC, Switch and iOS

Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On, Hand-Made and Text

Reigns is an adventure strategy game where you take charge of a kingdom, one decision at a time. Each choice is presented to you as a playing card with some advice or a question from one of the 38 different characters. Swipe left or right to make a...

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

Release Date: 21/09/2019

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 12+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person and Hand-Made

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling is a role-play game reminiscent of the Paper Mario games. You play three bugs, Vi, Kabbu, and Leif, as they search for The Everlasting Sapling. Explore, level-up and take on fun battles in this lovable adventure.

Mario & Luigi

Mario & Luigi (Series)

Release Date: 17/11/2003, updated in 2017

Out Now: 3DS and 2DS, DS and Wii U

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person

Mario & Luigi adventure games feature Mario and Luigi as the heroes, accompanied by playable characters from the Nintendo pantheon. Each adventure pits you to defeat Bowser in different ways. Progress is through talking to characters, exploring,...

Boot Hill Bounties

Boot Hill Bounties (Series)

Release Date: 15/12/2017, updated in 2020

Out Now: PC and Switch

Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On, Open World and Pixels

Boot Hill Bounties, following on from Boot Hill Heroes is a comedic adventure into the Wild West. It combines spaghetti western gunslinging, outlaws, brave lawmen, and the untamed wilderness with a role-play experience.

Transistor

Release Date: 20/05/2014, updated in 2018

Out Now: Mac, PC, PS4, Switch and iOS

Skill Rating: 10+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead

Transistor is an action role-playing game where you explore a futuristic fantasy world. It mixes real-time fighting with an unusual turn-based system that allows you to pause time, plan out your combat in advance, before unleashing your powers on to...

Takeshi and Hiroshi

Release Date: 18/08/2020

Out Now: Mac, Switch and iPhone, iPad

Skill Rating: 6+ year-olds

Components: 2D Side-On and Hand-Made

Takeshi and Hiroshi is a role-play adventure game about two brothers. Its unusual animation and light touch battles, where you chose your enemies rather than how to fight them, make it an ideal game to introduce the genre and for younger players.
...

Dragon Quest Builders 2

Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Series)

Release Date: 12/06/2019, updated in 2021

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds

Components: 3D Third-Person, Cartoon and Open World

Dragon Quest Builders 2 is an open-world base-building adventure that takes the popular Minecraft idea in a role-play direction. Play involves exploring the world, crafting equipment and buildings and developing your character as they fight ever more...

Forward: Escape the Fold

Release Date: 29/03/2022

Out Now: PC and iOS

Skill Rating: 8+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead, Grid and Hand-Made

Forward: Escape the Fold is a dungeon adventure where you traverse by selecting a path through a grid of cards. Play is making choices about which cards to land on, that either provide health or enemy counters. It stands out for the challenge to balance...

Golf Story

Release Date: 28/09/2017

Out Now: Switch

Skill Rating: 11+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead and Pixels

Golf Story is an adventure game where you play golf over eight different courses as a story unfolds. You play a golfer forced to give up all that he holds dear for one last shot at accomplishing his dreams.

RPG Time: The Legend of Wright

Release Date: 10/03/2022, updated in 2022

Out Now: PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One

Skill Rating: 7+ year-olds

Components: 2D Overhead and Hand-Made

RPG Time: The Legend of Wright is an adventure game set in a hand drawn notebook brought to life by an inventive schoolboy. Your adventure takes you through the pages of the book with varied challenges that suit younger players.

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User-generated content:	No
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Motion:	Motion Aiming Motion Pointing Motion Tilting Motion Gesture Motion Camera
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Button Combinations:	Holding Down Buttons Optional Rapid Repeated Pressing Optional No Simultaneous Buttons
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Getting Started
Onboarding Before Play:
Assistance Getting Starting:	Tutorials Practice Area View Control Mapping Assistance With Controls Reaction-Time Not Critical Low Pressure Adjust Speed No Jump Scares
Assistance For Progressing:	Guaranteed Progress With God Mode Bank Progress With Frequent Checkpoints Assisted Progress With Boosts Assisted Progress With Hints Assisted Recall for Characters Assisted Recall for Narrative and Dialogue Save Progress Anytime

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Gaming 101: Role Playing Games

List Details

Related Lists

Rainbow Billy

Fable (Series)

Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch

Wildermyth

This War Of Mine

Moonglow Bay

Paper Mario: The Origami King (Series)

Eastshade

Reigns

Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling

Mario & Luigi (Series)

Boot Hill Bounties (Series)

Transistor

Takeshi and Hiroshi

Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Series)

Forward: Escape the Fold

Golf Story

RPG Time: The Legend of Wright

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Visual
Contrast:
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Audio Cues for Visual Events:
Narration for Visual Elements:
	Motion Sickness Friendly
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Audio
	Balance Audio Levels
Audio Events:
	Play Without Hearing

Communication
Player-to-Player Online Communication:
Online Communication Assistance:

Difficulty
Difficulty Options:	Simple and Full Version No Memorisation Advantage No Hidden Information No Deceit Advantage No Colour Advantage No Mathematics Advantage No Weighing Decisions

Getting Started
Assistance Getting Started:	Clear Manual Electronic Version of Manual Electronic Version of Manual for Screen Readers Getting Started Video Digital Version Reference Aid
Assistance Progressing:	Play Order Tokens (Or play order doesn’t change) Reaction-Time Not Critical Low Pressure Low Impact Catch Up Rule

Reading
Reading Level:
Necessary Text Visibility:	Large Clear Text on Board (Or no text required) Large Clear Text on Cards (Or no text required) High Contrast Text (Or no text required) QR Code For Text (Or no text required) Primary and Secondary Text Distinguishable (Or no text required) Information Orientation Clear Icons

Physical
Pieces:	Components are Distinguishable by Touch Components are Replaceable No Non-Standard Dice (Or No Dice) No Tiny Pieces No Paper Money No Sprawl
Cards:	Large Card Size Standard Card Shape Limited Hand Management No Excessive Card Shuffling No Right-Handed Advantage
Placement:	No Unbound Placement Player Components Not Shared No Fiddly Placement Easily Verbalised Actions

Visual
Printed Visibility:	Colour Blind Friendly Design Double-Coding Colour High Contrast Colours
Component Identifiability:	Outline Key Elements No Busy Backgrounds Easily Verbalised Game State No Close Inspection Disadvantage Playable Without Sight

Audio
Communication:	Audio Cues Mirrored Visually (Or no critical audio signals) No Pressured Reveals No Pressured Communication Playable Without Hearing

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