As years have gone by, some developers have shifted their attention to improving art direction, gameplay, and storytelling, while others have focused fully on making their upcoming game more realistic than the last one. In an era where there is an abundance of RPGs, ranging from indie to AAA, finding the right games for you has also only gotten increasingly difficult.
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One quality that sets a good RPG apart is its ability to slither its way back into your thoughts, long after you’ve finished playing. Among the plethora of titles lie some gems that have truly set themselves apart, by blending the fantastical with the realistic. Therefore, from all the titles I have played throughout the years, here, I will be highlighting some of the best hyper-realistic RPGs.
RPGs embrace realism in all kinds of ways, and so we’ll celebrate hyper-realistic graphics as well as realistic themes, mechanics, and RPG elements in this rundown.
9Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
A JRPG Set In Hawaii
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
While not the traditional RPG most players had in mind, the intriguing thing aboutInfinite Wealthis how unrealistically realistic it is.
The Like A Dragon series made its transitionfrom the brawler beat-‘em-up to a turn-based JRPG with the release of Like A Dragon 7. While you can’t dictate your own ending, the game introduces RPG elements such as choosing your own gear, comical enemy design and hilarious special abilities.
The franchise accommodates this sudden shift by introducing a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga,who imagines himself as an RPG character and lets his imagination run wild during combat sequences.
One aspect that enhances the realism of the franchise in Infinite Wealth is that you are no longer the all-powerful Dragon Of Dojima who could defeat a hundred men alone.
Rather, you have your own party to even the playing field, who have their own specific weaknesses, and you are required to ensure that you have the proper support items and gear before starting a battle.
8Cyberpunk 2077
Dystopian Horrors Beyond My Comprehension
Cyberpunk 2077
While not realistic by today’s standards, you might well agree thatCyberpunk 2077seems to be the most realistic representation of a dystopian future that we seem to be heading towards.
Perhaps in a hundred years, we will look back and wonder why we didn’t put Cyberpunk 2077 in the first spot.
In recent years, Cyberpunk 2077 has been one of the most hyper-realistic RPGs we have gotten, as players are given the freedom to explore the world at their own whims, decide how to take on the mega corporations by choosing the weapons and cyberware that fit their playstyle, complete side content to make their presence known, and just enjoy an early representation of an imminent dystopian future.
If we’d fast-forward a bit in time to 2077, I honestly think that Cyberpunk providing the option to choose and install your own cyberware will be more realistic than we care to consider.Visually, too, the game’s hyper realism shines through.
7Fallout New Vegas
Fallout: New Vegas
The Fallout games have always done a phenomenal job ofshowcasing post-apocalyptic worldsand how humans have tried to salvage the nuclear wastelands and create settlements.
We have the will to keep living despite the state of the world, which, honestly,is one of my favorite realistic premises for a video game. It is always captivating to see the indomitable human spirit in action.
Fallout New Vegasserved as a benchmark for how RPGs are supposed to be, as each choice you make can have dire consequences later on. Didn’t like what the Legion did at Nipton and decided to stand against them? Have fun being hunted throughout most of the game.
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Making friends as you explore the aftermath of a nuclear winter, experiencing chance encounters, using your charisma to get your way in conversations, and upgrading your character build one stat at a time … these are all small elements that come together to form one of the best RPGs ever created.
Somehow, The World Has Ended More Than Three Times Already
Kenshi is one of the rare titles that feels like a true RPG from start to finish. It is anopen ended RPG where you start off your journey with nothing, as a random nameless character with a stick.
The beauty of Kenshi is that it does not have a set path andgives you the means to do whatever you want, how you want. Want to become an assassin who survives off of what they find on others? Kenshin gives you the option to do that.
Maybe that’s not your style, and you want to earn an honest living as a trader? you’re able to do that as well. Kenshi takes the realism as far as to implement unique systems that see injuries and lack of supplies harm your characters’ statistics and abilities.
With all the possibilities that Kenshi offers, you’re able to replace your real life with it very easily (I know I did for a month).It is one of the most authentic RPG experiences one can experience nowadays.
5Persona 3 Reload
The High School Experience
Persona 3 Reload
The Persona series has always had a great footing whenever the “Best RPGs” topic has come up. The remake of the original Persona 3 is no different.
Persona 3 Reloadimproves on nearly all aspects of the original PlayStation 2 classic, furtherenhancing the beauty of its world and story with cutting-edge graphics, new interactions, and quality of life improvements.
It is among the very few RPGs that offers anauthentic and realistic high school life simulator, in which you are at liberty to spend your free time how you want it, whether it be making new friends, strengthening your bond with them, orimproving your character statsby performing specific activities (which further unlocks more things for you to do).
Aside from experiencing high school again, let’s not forget that Persona 3 Reload is a turn-based JRPG, in which you can choose your own party members and design your gameplay build by choosingPersonasof your own choice. It blends realistic elements of high school life with the wonders of JRPGs.
4Disco Elysium
How Can You Solve A Murder When You Can’t Even Remember Who You Are?
Disco Elysium
Perhaps the most innovative RPG in modern memory,Disco Elysiumis a post-modern detective RPG that puts you in the shoes of an amnesiac cop trying to solve a murder amid political turmoil.
While the game constantly delves into the metaphysical,it’s an altogether realistic narrative that makes you feel like a small cog in a machine you have little control of. The standout aspect of the game is how it handles the severity of its subject matter.
Disco Elysium: Best Skills Ranked
No need for min-maxxing–these skills instead provide a treasure trove of insight into the world of Disco Elysium.
Even the traditional RPG stats take a new form here. Instead of putting points into various stats that aid you in combat or conversation, you instead put points into each aspect of your character’s personality.
Want to be someone who tries to understand people? Put points into Empathy. Want to intimidate people as a cop? Stack some points in Authority. Want to speak to forces beyond our understanding? There’s always Inland Empire.
It is the wayDisco Elysium takes its mechanics and narrative to such a realistic extent that makes me start craving a replay once every few years.
3S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
The Most Realistic Post-Apocalyptic Setting RPG
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl
STALKER 2 is among the few RPGs that truly hit the mark in offering a gritty post-apocalyptic experience, and one that doesn’t hold your hand while doing so. While Fallout feels very forgiving in this aspect of surviving in an untamed world, STALKER offers more of a survival horror-like, sandbox exploration experience.
The world itself is brutal and you are responsible for your own survival, as your equipment will degrade over time as it would in real life.During battle, you have no indicators telling you whether enemies are still left in the area, which further enhances the immersion and realism.You never know if you are truly safe or not.
In terms of RPG elements,players can gain better armor,weapons, weapon attachments, and artifacts. They can also join the right faction by completingside contentto increase their chances of survival in an already unforgiving world. A bit of preparation can go a long way in the Zone.
2Baldur’s Gate 3
The Pinnacle of CRPGs And RPGs In General
Baldur’s Gate 3
Aside from being hailed as one of the greatest RPGs of all time,Baldur’s Gate 3also offers some of the mostrealistic character and world developmentI have ever seen in gaming.
Baldur’s Gate 3 caters to all your RPG needs, no matter what they are, from offeringcountless combinations of builds to an alluring open world filled with a diversity of locales and secrets to uncover.
Baldur’s Gate 3 takes realism to a whole new level. Every companion you meet will naturally be wary of you as you meet them for the first time, but will occasionally grow more comfortable around you as you spend time with them and increase yourcompanion approval.Spending quality time with Shadowheart was certainly my priority throughout most of my playthrough.
It is one of those games in which you have to take a step back and think about every choice you make, as it may potentially affect the world and your character’s place within it.
1Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2
One Of The Most Hyper-Realistic RPGs To Date
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2is one of the most realistic RPGs ever made. In fact, the team has specifically designed this game to mimic some elements of what it would be like to survive in medieval times.
From swordplay to your interactions with the world, Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 has it all in terms of realism. The world opens up with you having nothing in your name, and you have to slowly build yourself up and climb your way out of your predicament.
How you do this is entirely up to you, whether by completing jobs, stealing from others, gambling your hard-earned money, or selling your loot after battles.I look back at the time I walked from Appolonia to theblacksmithat Tachov overencumbered, just so I could make some groschens selling the armor and weapons of the knights I killed.
In terms of combat,thesword play itself feels clunky at first because Henry has lost all his skills, but the combat grows on you as both you and Henry learn the arts of a sword over time,in true medieval fashion. This ensures that even the most obscure details maintain realism.
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