- 20 hours ago
When 100 hours is only the beginning.
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00:00Now, in a sense, every single video game can be considered a role-play game.
00:04Whether you're shooting your way through battalions, platform puzzle-solving, or slogging
00:08it out in the ring, you're always playing a character. These steps in another person's
00:12shoes, however, pale in comparison to the true RPGs of the video game landscape, sprawling
00:18adventures where you take a lowly scrub across a grand adventure, making friends, hoarding loot,
00:23and gaining XP to become the greatest hero the world has ever known. Whilst many players are
00:28perfectly content to drop into these worlds, grind clearly marked side quests, and scour
00:33for collectibles, some are desperate for a real challenge worthy of only the greatest
00:37of gamers. I'm Jess from WhatCulture, and here are the 10 toughest RPGs that are incredibly
00:43rewarding.
00:44Number 10. Pathologic
00:46For many people, gaming is a way to kick back and relax in a stressful and often terrifying
00:51world. Not all gamers are made equal, however, and some enter these virtual realms to push
00:56their limits amongst the impossible worlds both strange and macabre.
01:01Scratching this itch in the most terrifying way is survival horror RPG Pathologic, a little-known
01:06title often described as one of the most stressful gaming experiences out there. Starting the game
01:11as one of three characters, the player must investigate a mysterious sand plague infecting
01:16a small isolated town, completing main quests to save the inhabitants, and side quests from passing NPCs
01:23to gain money and equipment. So far so RPG, you might think, but Pathologic imposes a non-negotiable
01:3012-day time limit, whether or not you complete the quests. Characters can die, side quests can be missed,
01:35and entire plots can be completely overlooked as the player attempts to balance the story alongside a harsh
01:41in-game economy representing the isolation and needs of the town. Taking several playthroughs to wrap your head
01:47around, dedicated players will find themselves constantly drawn back in attempting to unlock the mysteries of the
01:53peculiar town, whether they want to or not. Not for everyone, but an unforgettable experience for a certain
01:59masochistic fear.
02:01Number 9. Neo
02:02Following the rampant success of Dark Souls and Bloodborne across the 2010s, the term Soulsborne was created to house a new
02:10subgenre of RPGs. Punishingly difficult in a tough but fair way, games of this ilk are designed to challenge a
02:16player into improving their performance, not through grind and leveling up, but through practice and skill.
02:21One such game to throw down this gauntlet is Neo, an action RPG combining Soulsborne combat mechanics with hack-and-slash
02:28elements in a lush world absolutely teeming with Japanese folklore. Players control William, an Irishman arriving
02:35in Japan in the midst of an invasion by supernatural yokai. He's trained in the way of the samurai to combat the
02:41threat and the English alchemist's responsible. Whilst the game takes its cues from FromSoftware's
02:47genre-defining trilogy in a combat sense, the inclusion of hack-and-slash mechanics, particularly from the
02:53enemies, creates a much more kinetic environment compared to the more deliberate and tactical battles of its
02:58predecessor. Add to this the Japanese aesthetics woven into the yokai and level design, including
03:04options to alter the frame rate for a more cinematic experience, and you end up with a visually stunning
03:09world that could kill you at a moment's notice.
03:12Number 8. Vagrant Story
03:14Overshadowed in its time by the likes of Final Fantasy IX and Chrono Cross, Squaresoft's Vagrant Story is widely
03:21regarded as one of the original PlayStation's true hidden gems. Playing as the, frankly, ridiculously named
03:27Ashley Riot, the player must investigate the town of Leomond and its catacombs, uncovering a link between
03:34a dangerous cult and Duke Bar border of the Valendian parliament. All this sounds pretty standard square
03:39so far, but what sets the game apart from its label mates is its crafting and battles. With no NPCs or
03:46shops, weapons and armor are crafted and modified to exploit specific enemy weaknesses, and the limited
03:52inventory space forces players to think well ahead when preparing for an oncoming fight.
03:56In battle, attacks are strung together through a rhythm-like chain system, utilizing Ashley's
04:01individual body parts, and Ashley suffers from risk as battles go on, reducing his stats to turn
04:07even the simplest of encounters into a perilous game of attrition. All this adds up to one of the most
04:12challenging battle systems in gaming, but one which reaps colossal rewards for those with the time to
04:18master it. Add to this an overworld filled with puzzle platforming and gorgeous presentation of a
04:23thrilling story, and we're left with one of the most diverse and deep games of a generation.
04:28Number 7. The Banner Saga In the real world, there are a huge amount
04:32of consequences, from sleeping in late to skydiving without a parachute. Any one of your actions could
04:38spell trouble down the road as we try to navigate this life we have. Video games are usually a nice
04:43little escape from this. Usually. Inspired by Norse mythology, the Banner Saga follows two main
04:48characters with intertwining storylines, as they attempt to save the world from the Dredge,
04:53a resurrected force of evil monsters. Players control a caravan of heroes and must build a
04:59party of fighters in between turn-based Final Fantasy tactics-style battles. Eschewing the
05:04phoenix downing of the Square Enix behemoth, the Banner Saga's battles all come with weighty
05:09consequences, as downed characters suffer stat reductions due to injury, and certain losses can
05:15set off intensely negative effects further down the line. Rightly well regarded upon release,
05:20the Banner Saga received as much praise for its gorgeous visuals and story as it did for this
05:25unique approach to combat and consequence. Players try desperately to keep their party alive
05:30and well-managed both on and off the battlefield, as one wrong move could spell the end not just for
05:36their favorite fighter, but for the world as a whole. Number 6. Disco Elysium
05:41Reading the title of this game, you wouldn't exactly think Detective RPG, would you? But that's
05:46exactly what it is. One of my favorite games of all time, Disco Elysium, stars an alcoholic,
05:51drug-dependent detective tasked with solving a murder in the midst of a full-blown amnesiac
05:56hangover. Presented in an evocative oil-painting-like art style, the game eschews traditional turn-based
06:03combat in favor of intricate dialogue trees and skill checks, similar to that of a tabletop game.
06:08As Harry attempts to solve the crime, he's joined by NPCs to discuss ideas and theories,
06:13but also has the option to contend with the fractious elements of his own personality,
06:18represented by the thought cabinet of ideas that can be unlocked as the game goes on.
06:23Whilst thinking through a conversation may sound less challenging than, say,
06:27contending with Ornstein and Smao in Dark Souls, the sheer dearth of options available enshrouds the
06:32right path in obscurity, whilst opening up red-herring-filled rabbit holes all over.
06:37Add to this a storyline once described by the Washington Post as conspicuously well-written,
06:42striking visuals and a vibrant alt-rock soundtrack, and you'll have an arresting and challenging
06:47thriller which rewards every sense with each playthrough.
06:50Number 5. Bloodborne
06:52If we're being completely honest, you could probably fill this entire list with FromSoftware
06:56games and call it a day. In 2015, the infamous studio flipped the script and unleashed Bloodborne
07:02onto the world. Following the ludicrous success of the Dark Souls franchise, and heavily inspired by
07:07Bram Stoker and H.P. Lovecraft, the player takes on the role of The Hunter, an anonymous fighter tasked
07:13with finding the source of a mysterious contagion and releasing the terrifying gothic city of Yharnam
07:19from its grasp. Full of tough-as-nails, disease-ridden enemies, and a fair share of eldritch horror shows
07:24as bosses, Bloodborne was rightly hailed as a classic upon release, owing to its rich world-building
07:30and punishing difficulty. Whilst this game largely follows the difficulty model of its Souls-based
07:35predecessors, it reworks the parry and dodge-based combat mechanics of the former into a much more
07:41aggressive do-or-die approach, with forceful combat and quick counters recovering health,
07:46and wrong-footing the nightmares who would do you harm. Tough but fair, getting to grips with this new
07:51gaming paradigm reaped fantastic rewards for those wanting to prove their worth.
07:55Number 4. Etrian Odyssey 5. Unlike most dungeon crawlers, Etrian Odyssey 5 tasks the player
08:01with drawing their own dungeon map as they progress, using the Nintendo DS's second screen and stylus.
08:08Whilst the mechanic and chibi-like cover art would make most people think of this as a soft and
08:12slightly childish RPG, the real experience is anything but. Combat in Etrian Odyssey is more akin to a
08:19puzzle than your conventional RPGs, with fully customizable characters encouraging you to form a balanced
08:25party with specific skills so you can contend with oncoming threats, instead of the pot-lumbered heroes
08:31an RPG would normally put in your command. Encounters are not random, but are signposted in a way to give
08:37the player agency over their tactics when the enemy strikes. Character classes can change, and party
08:42formation is just as important as character skills, making this one of the most customizable RPGs around.
08:49Etrian Odyssey 5 can be a tough map to draw, but a unique and personal one all the same.
08:54Number 3. Kingdom Come Deliverance
08:56One criticism that has often plagued gaming is just how overpowered your chosen one protagonist can be
09:02against the foes in your path. With access to skills and accessories that these minor grunts could
09:07only dream of, it's no wonder that you're the hero of every story. Kingdom Come Deliverance has no time
09:13for such hand-holding, and throws you into the world of 15th century Bohemia with about as much power as a
09:18lowly peasant would have in this historically accurate setting. Coming up against brigands in the early game?
09:23You're dead. Try and take a swing from a sword with no armor? Dead. Stumble off a cliff face and fall any
09:29further than your own height? Bleeding, broken bones, and you got it. Dead. Add to this a needs system
09:35requiring food and sleep, as well as degrading equipment and spoiling resources, and you have
09:40possibly the most realistic role-playing game ever devised. Whilst the dense and intricate mechanics of the
09:46game can be difficult to get to grips with, mastery affords the player a chance to experience a rich
09:51storyline and a dynamic battle system. 2. Elden Ring
09:55From Software's latest assault on the gaming landscape, 2022's Elden Ring boasts the writing
10:01skills of fantasy heavyweight George R.R. Martin, yes, the Game of Thrones guy, in a world teeming with
10:08myth, magic, and absolute mayhem. Taking on the role of the tarnished, players explore the lands between,
10:14a world corrupted by the shards of the titular Elden Ring. Each shard is in the possession of a ruthless
10:20and terrifying demigod whose underlings impede the player with all the challenge you'd expect from
10:25such a developer. Unlike the usual solitary journey that this genre has made a name with,
10:30the tarnished can enhance their combat options with a noble steed, and players the world over
10:35have been rejoicing at the inclusion of horseback combat, adding another avenue for arduous battle
10:40scenarios. As well as the horses, which are kind of a big deal, Elden Ring's extensive open world has
10:46also garnered its fair share of critical praise, with the sense of exploration being one of its
10:51highlights. Contrary to obvious signposting of some contemporaries, many players find the most
10:56rewarding aspect of the game to be the moments when they stumble upon side quests or new areas,
11:01whilst looking for something completely different. It's an adventure in the truest sense of the word.
11:061. Darkest Dungeon
11:08The party-based dungeon crawler is a game which has fallen out of favor in recent decades,
11:13largely replaced by the single-player open worlds of Assassin's Creed or Horizon Zero Dawn.
11:18As with any niche gaming interest though, there's always an indie developer ready to jump into the
11:23fold. This studio would be Red Hook, and with Darkest Dungeon, they were not playing around.
11:28After inheriting an ancestor's manor, the player must recruit a band of adventurers to explore the
11:33catacombs underneath, full of horrors accidentally released by the previous owner which threaten the
11:38safety of the entire world. The roster of heroes must explore a procedurally generated,
11:43dungeon whilst fighting off these threats in turn-based combat, using all their skills and
11:48equipment against some truly challenging horrors. What sets the game apart from its more conventional
11:53turn-based brethren is the affliction system, where long-term isolation from light and resources
11:59increases characters' stress levels, inhibiting their performance in battle and striking them down
12:04with negative statuses. Add to this a dreaded permadeath feature, and the game becomes a relentless
12:10balancing act of management, with a genuine emotional bond to the characters that only the
12:15most skilled of heroes can overcome. That's the end of our list, but do let me know down in that
12:19comment section if you can think of any other extraordinarily tough RPGs that are incredibly
12:24rewarding. As always, I've been Jess from WhatCulture. Thank you so much for hanging out with me.
12:30If you like, you can come say hi to me on my Twitter account where I'm at JessMcDonnell,
12:34but make sure you stay tuned to us here for plenty more gaming goodness.
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