PC2019 was a great year of gaming, with various amazing games getting released on all platforms. In this article, we would list out some of the best RPGs this year.
10 – Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - PC/PS4/Xbox One/Switch
Bloodstained has reinvented the Metroidvania side scroller 2D genre and bring it up to a modern standard. The game is just the usual combat and style of the older games in the franchise, along with decent quests, puzzles, and level designs. Fans of the classic Castlevania would find themselves at home playing this title – or maybe even more comfortable, as the controls are streamlined. You would get hooked to the action in no time, as you get through rooms upon rooms. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a prime example that even a modern Metroidvania game would be able to reach the level of the originals.
9 – Children of Morta - PC
Children of Morta’s amazing art direction and engaging storytelling method have elevated just a run off the mill roguelike dungeon crawler into something more. Fight against enemies and bosses is pretty nice, however, the fantastic story arc and solid character development are actually what keeps the game on the top. You would definitely feel a connection to the Bergson and their struggle against the corruption playing this game. The replayability is just the cherry on top, as you have a lot of unique characters to try and randomly generated maps to beat.
8 – Dragon Quest Builders 2 - Switch/PS4/PC
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a new take of the usual Dragon Quest RPG formula. In this game, the RPG elements are combined with various mechanics from other genres, such as sandbox building, exploration, town management, and questing. Overall, it employs the “quantity over quality” formula, and if you get hooked on this, chances that you would be playing the game for quite a while.
7 – Kingdom Hearts 3 - PS4/Xbox One
Kingdom Hearts 3 is the long-awaited sequel to the amazing Kingdom Hearts series. In this game, the usual story takes a backseat to the fluffs, as things like world-ending darkness, time-traveling villains or body-snatching aren’t anything new anymore. The meat of the game is probably the parts in which you get to interact with many of Disney’s best characters. From cuddling with Pooh, fighting against Davy Jones to taking Rapunzel out for a date… You would get to fulfill your childhood dreams playing this game.
6 – Pokemon Sword and Shield - Switch
The latest sequel to the famous Pokemon franchise, Sword & Shield has been following the core methods of the series to the letter, cutting out the bloat and bringing in qualify of life improvements. You aren’t held back by anything now – after the game start, you can just wander into the Galar region and battle new Pokemons right away. This title is part of the reason the Switch is selling so fast these days. There would be further support of Sword and Shield in the future, based on the current trend of modern gaming.
5 – Monster Hunter: World – Iceborne - PS4/Xbox One/PC
This expansion is a great improvement to the base game of Monster Hunter, with a lot of new content to explore and monsters to beat and capture. The best thing is that all the new improvements were built with the base game in mind – it is a seamless integration for players who are currently playing the game. This expansion has further lengthened the life cycle of the game – and with this success, there would definitely be more Monster Hunter in the future.
4 – The Outer Worlds - PS4/Xbox One/PC
From the developers of Fallout New Vegas, the Outer Worlds is pretty much Fallout in Space. The game is created with the classic RPG mechanics in mind – it is twice an RPG as Fallout 4 ever was. The main quest isn’t that long, but to complete the array of side quests, it would take quite a while. The quest designs are super as well, as there are multiple layers, each with multiple ways to fulfill. Your decisions in the game would also cause far and wide repercussions, which isn’t something a normal RPG would have. This game is a prime example of how to bring the classic RPG experience to a modern audience.
3 – Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Switch
This game is Switch’s flagship RPG for 2019. People have been buying this system left and right just to play this game – an indication of how good this game is. Three Houses is filled to the brim with contents, with three factions to join and hundred of characters to recruit and talk. There are three routes that you can get into, which increases the replayability threefold. The gameplay mechanics are also pretty complex, with a lot of hidden depth that you could explore during your various playthroughs.
2 – Disco Elysium - PC
This game is one of the best Indie RPG of the decade – it has been pretty successful in bringing the unique experience of classic RPGs into the modern era, with a unique story and settings to boot. The game begins with just a simple case of murder – which quickly escalates into a mysterious adventure into the unknown. Overall, the game is a unique take on a topic that hasn’t been touched ever before – how all people are shaped by the world around them.
1 – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice - PS4/Xbox One/PC
Japanese themed Dark Souls Sekiro is 2019’s Game of the Year – for a good reason. The gameplay of the infamous Dark Souls series was honed and modified to make the combat fresher. Combined that with the introduction of the Stealth system, you would get a unique style of gameplay similar yet different. The boss fights in this game are focused more on parry and evade than roll, which in turn creates a dance-like rhythm. This element is the reason why the boss fights in this game are so seamless and spectacular.
Interested in more of our top lists? Please check out this post for the best video game reboots of the Decade.