Not having a lot of money doesn’t mean an RPG is bad, and these games should be looked at.
As long as Triple-A (AAA) RPGs have been around, Double-A (AA) RPGs have been around too. They have their own place in the game world. These games could have been better. These RPGs usually leave the player needing just a little more, whether it’s because of limited time or money or a lack of people on the small team.
But this doesn’t mean that AA RPGs should be thrown away as forever “What ifs?” The creator doesn’t have to worry about making an instant hit with great pictures that sells millions of copies. This lets them try new things and make a truly unique experience. Some have done this in ways that stand out more than most AAA RPGs.
ELEX (Piranha Bytes)
Piranha Bytes really took a chance when they decided to mix medieval fantasy, sci-fi technology, and magic into a world after the end of the world. Along the same lines as their previous games Gothic and Risen, ELEX is both difficult and rewarding once the main character, Jax, has gained new levels and magic powers. The fighting system, on the other hand, has hitboxes that aren’t the best.
With a great story about a mysterious group called the Albs who want to eat all the valuable ELEX in the world, Jax and the other groups must work together to stop this threat to the world. There was a follow-up book in 2022 because the world and story were so interesting.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance (Warhorse Studios)
The great story and careful attention to historical detail in Kingdom Come: Deliverance can be summed up as a historical tale in video game form. The story takes place in early 15th-century Bohemia, which is now the Czech Republic. It is about Henry, the son of a blacksmith who survived the shootings in his town and joins the fight against the Hungarian King who ordered the attack.
The fighting is great and different from other RPGs because it focuses on exact hits to weak spots instead of the usual “swing until the enemy dies” style. The setting of Kingdom Come: Deliverance is truly unique; it takes place in the Middle Ages without any magical elements. A great game for people who are interested in history.
Greedfall (Spiders)
Greedfall has an interesting setting and idea because it blends a time period of history—in this case, colonialism in the early 18th century—with mythology and magic. You have to decide whether to help the locals of a newly found island full of magic and monsters or the colonial forces. This creates interesting moral problems, and the game can be played more than once because there are multiple endings.
There are different ways to finish some quests in Greedfall, which is based on conversation choices. There isn’t anything too amazing or terrible about the fighting in Greedfall. It’s fun and rewarding to fight the different monsters that live on the island of Teer Fradee and find hidden items and places with a group of interesting friends.
Divinity 2 Ego Draconis/The Dragon Knight Saga (Larian Studios)
It’s not the same as Divinity: Original Sin 2. Divinity 2 Ego Draconis, also known as The Dragon Knight Saga re-release, was Larian Studios’ first and only third-person RPG. In 2009, they did an experiment that resulted in a very fun and unique world with well-written, funny conversation, a fun battle system focused on action, and the ability to play as a real dragon.
An big RPG, Divinity 2 had a lot of cool skills and ways to play. The plot and quest design are both pretty good, and there are a lot of different places to explore to find more loot and meet more funny and interesting people.
Shadowrun Returns (Harebrained Schemes)
First on this list is Shadowrun Returns, a turn-based RPG with beautiful graphics. Shadowrun Returns takes place in a world with powerful cyber technology and fantasy races like orks, elves, dwarves, and trolls. It’s a mix of cyberpunk and fantasy.
When magic and sci-fi come together, it makes for a unique way to explore the world, meet new and interesting people, and figure out the plot of the story. An old friend of the person has been eliminated. Who did it? Why? That’s the player’s goal, and a nice 100,000 nuyen (games cash) prize makes them even more motivated.
Titan Quest (Iron Lore Entertainment)
Through the view of Greek mythology, Titan Quest has great isometric gameplay and lots of room to explore a colorful world from ancient times. It’s not a surprise that Titan Quest has been around for so long in the RPG genre. The fighting is fun, and the game’s growth system lets you play in a lot of different ways.
Great Greek stories like the Gorgons and the Minotaur are fought in the game. It has things for all kinds of players, even history buffs. This great care for detail and dedication to the setting of ancient Greek myths makes for a truly great experience for players.
Two Worlds II (Reality Pump Studios)
In Two Worlds II, Gandalf, Harry Potter, and Merlin would all be jealous of how good the player character is at magic. The best thing about Two Worlds II is its magic system, so focusing on a full magic build is the best thing to do. The story is interesting, and the basic fighting is fine.
There has never been a game with such a deep magic system that lets you make some of the most powerful and unique spells in gaming history. Do you want rocks to fall? Call up an army of skeletons? Or maybe the player is good at building a stone stair lift to get to the top of a mountain. All of this and a lot more is possible in Slope Game thanks to its amazing spell creation system.
The Witcher 1 (CD Projekt Red)
The beginning of one of the most famous figures in video games today. In The Witcher, the player takes on the role of Geralt of Rivia for the first time. The story is very interesting, with lots of people that are worth getting to know. People who are willing to look past the bad character models and buggy gameplay will find a great game hiding in this writing.
The Witcher set the standard for where the series would go in the future with this humble start to the epic story. It has a lot of choices that have big effects later on, a cast of unique and interesting characters, and a lot of funny moments along the way.
Wasteland 3 (inXile entertainment)
Before there was even a Fallout, there was the Wasteland series. Those games kept the isometric view, while Fallout switched to first- and third-person RPGs. The newest and best game in the series is Wasteland 3. The story takes place in Colorado after the end of the world, and the Arizona Rangers are sent there to help the “Patriarch” stabilize the area.
Wasteland 3 takes place in Colorado and lets players decide what will happen to the land and the home of the player character and their group. The game’s team and turn-based squad gameplay is fully customizable, and there are many options with different results. Some of the best parts of the game are the well-written characters, like the Patriarch, Santa Claus, and the AI Ronald Reagan.
Pillars of Eternity (Obsidian Entertainment)
What’s it like to be born without a soul? Pillars of Eternity gives an answer, and it’s really scary. In this very deep and engaging RPG, you have to solve this problem and bring peace to thousands of people who were born with the disease. That Pillars of Eternity made this list is no surprise—it has some of the best writing I’ve ever seen and a world full of amazing things and scary things to discover. It’s really one of the best AA RPGs ever.
Pillars of Eternity was made possible by the hard work of everyone who contributed to its creation. It was first funded on Kickstarter.
