Action role-playing game
Encyclopedia
Action role-playing games (abbreviated action RPG, action/RPG, or ARPG) form a loosely defined sub-genre of role-playing video game
s that incorporate elements of action
or action-adventure
games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu
-based combat. These games often use combat systems similar to hack and slash
or shooter game
s.
: if the party didn't move, neither did the enemies. Dungeons of Daggorath
, released for the TRS-80 Color Computer
in 1982
, combined a typical first-person
dungeon crawl with real-time elements, requiring timed keyboard commands and where enemies move independently of the player. The game lacked numerical statistics such as hit points or vitality, but instead used an arcade
-like fatique system where the heart pulsates to indicate the player's health, a concept inspired by the 1978 arcade game Space Invaders
where a heartbeat-like sound gradually increases pace as enemies advance towards the player.
The following year, ASCII
released the Sharp X1
computer game Bokosuka Wars
, considered an early example of an action RPG, though it is also considered an early strategy RPG
. In Bokosuka Wars, each soldier was able to gain experience
and level up
through battle, while the action occurred entirely in real-time.
, with their recently aroused interest in the RPG genre, created a new brand of action/RPG, combining the RPG genre with arcade
and action-adventure
elements. The company initially at the forefront of this new genre was Nihon Falcom, whose Dragon Slayer series is regarded as the progenitor of the action RPG genre, abandoning the command-based battles of previous RPGs in favour of real-time hack and slash
combat that requires direct input from the player, alongside puzzle-solving elements. The original Dragon Slayer, released for the NEC PC-88
computer in 1984
, is considered to be the first action-RPG. In contrast to earlier turn-based roguelike
s, Dragon Slayer was a dungeon crawl RPG that was entirely real-time with action-oriented combat. The game also featured an in-game map
to help with the dungeon-crawling, required item management due to the inventory being limited to one item at a time, and introduced the use of item-based puzzles which later influenced The Legend of Zelda. Dragon Slayer's overhead action-RPG formula was used in many later games. Another early action RPG, The Tower of Druaga, was an arcade game
released by Namco
the same year. Both Dragon Slayer and The Tower of Druaga laid the foundations for future action RPG series such as Hydlide, Ys, and The Legend of Zelda.
Another influential early action RPG was Namco's 1984 arcade release Dragon Buster
, the first game to feature a life meter, called "Vitality" in-game. It also introduced side-scrolling platform elements and a "world view
" map similar to Super Mario Bros.
released the following year. Another 1984 release, T&E Soft's Hydlide
, while influenced by Dragon Slayer or The Tower of Druaga, introduced its own innovations. For example, Hydlide introduced the ability to switch between attack mode and defense mode, quick save
and load options which can be done at any moment of the game through the use of passwords
, and the introduction of a health regeneration mechanic where health and magic slowly regenerate when standing still.
Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu
, released in 1985
, was a fully-fledged action RPG with many character stats
and a large quest, with action-based combat setting it apart from other RPGs. It also incorporated a side-scrolling
view during exploration and an overhead view during battle, though some rooms were also explored using an overhead view. The game also allowed the player to visit towns, which had training facilities that can improve statistics, and shops that sell items, equipment that change the player character
's visible appearance, and food that is consumed slowly over time and is essential for keeping the player alive. It also introduced gameplay mechanics such as platform
jumping, magic that can be used to attack enemies from a distance, an early Karma
morality system where the character's Karma meter will rise if he commits sin which in turn affects the temple's reaction to him, and individual experience for equipped items. It is also considered a "proto-Metroidvania" game, due to being an "RPG turned on its side" that allowed players to run, jump, collect, and explore. The game gained immense popularity in Japan, setting records for PC game sales, selling more than 400,000 copies. Xanadu Scenario II, released the following year, was also an early example of an expansion pack
. The way the Dragon Slayer series reworked the entire game system of each installment is considered an influence on Final Fantasy
, which would do the same for each of its installments.
Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness, released in 1985, introduced an early morality meter, where the player can be aligned
with Justice, Normal, or Evil, which is affected by whether the player kills humans, good monsters, or evil monsters, leading to townsfolk ignoring players with an evil alignment, denying access to certain clues, dialogues, equipment, and training. The game also introduced a time option, allowing the player to speed up or slow down the gameplay. Magical Zoo's The Screamer, a 1985 post-apocalyptic cyberpunk
horror RPG released for the PC-8801, featured gameplay that switched between first-person dungeon crawl exploration and side-scrolling shooter combat, where the player could jump, duck and shoot at enemies in real-time.
s, but had many features in common with RPGs and served as the template for future action RPGs. In contrast to previous action RPGs such as Dragon Slayer and Hydlide which required the player to bump into enemies in order to attack them, The Legend of Zelda featured an attack button that animates a sword swing or projectile attack on the screen. It was also an early example of open world
, nonlinear gameplay, and introduced innovations like battery backup saving
. These elements have been used in many action RPGs since. The game was largely responsible for the surge of action-oriented RPGs released since the late 1980s, both in Japan as well as in America, where it was often cited as an influence on action-oriented computer RPGs. When it was released in North America, Zelda was seen as a new kind of RPG with action-adventure elements, with Roe R. Adams (who worked on the Wizardry
series) stating in 1990 that, although "it still had many action-adventure features, it was definitely a CRPG." The Legend of Zelda series
would continue to exert an influence on the transition of both console and computer RPGs from stat-heavy turn-based combat towards real-time action combat in the following decades. Due to its similarities to action RPGs and its impact on the genre, there continues to be much debate regarding whether or not The Legend of Zelda should be considered an action RPG. That same year also saw the arcade release of the sequel to The Tower of Druaga, The Return of Ishtar
, an early action RPG to feature two-player cooperative gameplay
, dual-stick control in single player, a female protagonist, the first heroic couple in gaming, and the first password
save system in an arcade game. Other 1986 titles were Rygar and Deadly Towers
, which were notable as some of the first Japanese console action RPGs to be released in North America, where they were well received for being a new kind of RPG that differed from both the console action-adventures (such as Castlevania
, Trojan
, and Wizards & Warriors) and American computer RPGs
(such as Wizardry, Ultima, and Might & Magic
) that American gamers were previously more familiar with at the time. Deadly Towers and Rygar were particularly notable for their permanent power-up mechanic, which at the time blurred the line between the power-up
s used in action-adventures and the experience points used in RPGs.
In 1987
, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
implemented an RPG-esque system, including experience point
s and levels, with action game
elements, making it closer to an action RPG than other Zelda games. Zelda II was also one of the first video games where non-player character
s (NPCs) walked around and seemingly had their own agendas, giving the world a life of its own rather than being a simple stage for the story to unfold. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
was an action RPG that combined the platform-action
mechanics of the original Castlevania
with the open world of an action-adventure and RPG mechanics such as experience points. It also introduced a persistent world
with its own day-night cycle that affects when certain NPCs appear in certain locations and offered three possible multiple endings
depending on the time it took to complete the game. Another "Metroidvania" style open-world action RPG released that year was System Sacom
's Sharp X1
computer game Euphory, which was possibly the only Metroidvania-style multiplayer action RPG produced, allowing two-player cooperative gameplay. That same year also saw the release of several Dragon Slayer titles, including Faxanadu
, a spin-off of Xanadu and a fully side-scrolling action RPG, and Dragon Slayer IV: Legacy of the Wizard
, another early example of a non-linear open-world action RPG. The fifth Dragon Slayer title, Sorcerian
, was also released that year. It was a party-based action RPG, with the player controlling a party of four characters at the same time in a side-scrolling view. The game also featured character creation, highly customizable characters, class-based puzzles, and a new scenario system, allowing players to choose which of 15 scenarios, or quests, to play through in the order of their choice. It was also an episodic video game, with expansion disks released soon after offering more scenarios. Falcom also released the first installment
of its Ys series in 1987. While not very popular in the West, the long-running Ys series has performed strongly in the Japanese market, with many sequels, remakes and ports in the decades that followed its release. Besides Falcom's own Dragon Slayer series, Ys was also influenced by Hydlide, from which it borrowed certain mechanics such as health-regeneration when standing still, a mechanic that has become common in video games today. Ys is also known for its 'bump attack' system, where the protagonist Adol automatically attacks when running into enemies off-center, making the game more accessible and the usually tedious level-grinding task more swift and enjoyable for audiences at the time. The game also had what is considered to be one of the best and most influential video game music soundtracks of all time, composed by Yuzo Koshiro
and Mieko Ishikawa. In terms of the number of game releases, Ys is second only to Final Fantasy
as the largest Eastern role-playing game
franchise.
Hydlide 3: The Space Memories, released for the MSX
in 1987 and for the Mega Drive as Super Hydlide
in 1989, adopted the morality meter of its predecessor, expanded on its time option with the introduction of an in-game clock setting day-night cycles and a need to sleep and eat, and made other improvements such as cut scenes for the opening and ending, a combat system closer to The Legend of Zelda, the choice between four distinct character classes, a wider variety of equipment and spells, and a weight system affecting the player's movement depending on the overall weight of the equipment carried. Another 1987 action RPG, The Magic of Scheherazade, was notable for several innovations, including a unique setting based on the Arabian Nights, time travel between five different time periods, a unique combat system featuring both real-time solo action and turn-based team battles, and the introduction of team attacks where two party members could join forces to perform an extra-powerful attack. That same year, Kogado Studio
's sci-fi RPG Cosmic Soldier: Psychic War
featured a unique "tug of war
" style real-time combat system, where battles are a clash of energy between the party and the enemy, with the player needing to push the energy towards the enemy to strike them, while being able to use a shield to block or a suction ability to absorb the opponent's power. It also featured a unique conversation system, where the player can recruit allies by talking to them, choose whether to kill or spare an enemy, and engage enemies in conversation, similar to Megami Tensei
. Wonder Boy in Monster Land
combined the platform game
play of the original Wonder Boy
with many RPG elements, which would inspire later action RPGs such as Popful Mail
(1991).
1988 saw the debut of Telenet Japan
's Exile, a series of action-platform RPGs, beginning with XZR: Idols of Apostate. The series was controversial for its plot, which revolves around a time-traveling Crusades
-era Syrian Islamic Assassin who assassinates various religious/historical figures as well as modern-day political leaders, with similarities to the present-day Assassin's Creed
action game series. The gameplay of Exile included both overhead exploration and side-scrolling combat, featured a heart monitor to represent the player's Attack Power and Armour Class statistics, and another controversial aspect of the game involved taking drugs (instead of potions) that increase/decrease attributes but with side-effects such as affecting the heart-rate or causing death. The developer of the Ultima series, Origin Systems
, released an action RPG that year, Times of Lore
, which was inspired by NES titles, particularly The Legend of Zelda. In turn, Times of Lore inspired several later titles by Origin Systems, such as the 1990 games Bad Blood, another action RPG based on the same engine, and Ultima VI: The False Prophet, based on the same interface.
In 1989, Sega
released a Metroidvania-style open-world action RPG for the Master System console, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
. Dungeon Explorer
, developed by Atlus
and published by Hudson Soft
for the TurboGrafx-16
in 1989, is considered a pioneer title in the action RPG genre with its cooperative multiplayer gameplay, which allowed up to five players to play simultaneously. That same year, River City Ransom
(named Street Gangs in Europe) featured elements of both the beat 'em up
and action RPG genres, combining brawler combat with many RPG elements, including an inventory, buying and selling items, learning new abilities and skills, needing to listen for clues, searching to find all the bosses, shopping in the malls, buying items to heal, and increasing stats. Also in 1989, the early enhanced remake Ys I & II
was one of the first video games to use CD-ROM
, which was utilized to provide enhanced graphics, animated cut scenes, a Red Book CD
soundtrack, and voice acting. Its English localization
was also one of the first to use voice dubbing
. The game received the Game of the Year
award from OMNI Magazine in 1990, as well as many other prizes.
would see the release of Crystalis
for the NES
as well as Golden Axe Warrior
for the Sega Master System
. These games featured Zelda-like gameplay blended with genuine RPG elements, such as experience points, statistics-based equipment, and a magic-casting
system. Crystalis also featured a post-apocalyptic
setting inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and Crystalis in turn influenced Secret of Mana. Data East
's Gate of Doom was an arcade
action RPG that combined beat 'em up fighting game
play with fantasy role-playing and introduced an isometric perspective. That same year, Enix
released a unique biological simulation action RPG by Almanic
that revolved around the theme of evolution
, 46 Okunen Monogatari, a revised version of which was released in 1992 as E.V.O.: Search for Eden
.
In 1991
, Square
released Seiken Densetsu
, also known as Final Fantasy Adventure or Sword of Mana
in the West, for the Game Boy
. Like Crystallis, the action in Seiken Densetsu bore a strong resemblance to that of Zelda, but added more RPG elements. It was one of the first action RPGs to allow players to kill townspeople, though later Mana games lack this feature. That same year, the erotic
adult
RPG Dragon Knight III
, released for the PC-8801 and as Knights of Xentar for MS-DOS
, introduced a unique pausable real-time battle system, where characters automatically attack based on a list of different AI
scripts, though this meant the player had no control over the characters during battle other than to give commands for spells, item use, and AI routines. Arcus Odyssey
by Wolf Team (now Namco Tales Studio
) was an action RPG that featured an isometric perspective and co-operative multiplayer gameplay. In 1992, Sega
released the Climax Entertainment
game Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole, an early isometric RPG that combined the gameplay of an open-world action RPG with an isometric platformer, alongside an emphasis on varied puzzle-solving as well as strong characterization and humorous conversations.
In 1993, the second Seiken Densetsu game, Secret of Mana
, received considerable acclaim, for its innovative pausable real-time action battle system, modified Active Time Battle meter adapted for real-time action, the "Ring Command" menu system where a variety of actions can be performed without needing to switch screens, its innovative cooperative
multiplayer gameplay, where the second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time rather than players having to join the game at the same time, and the customizable AI
settings for computer-controlled allies. The game has remained influential through to the present day, with its ring menu system still used in modern games (such as The Temple of Elemental Evil) and its cooperative multiplayer mentioned as an influence on games as recent as the upcoming Dungeon Siege III
. Other action RPGs at the time combined the puzzle-oriented action-adventure gameplay style of the Zelda series with RPG elements. Examples include Illusion of Gaia
(1993) and its successor Terranigma
(1995), as well as Alundra
(1997), a spiritual successor to LandStalker.
Unique among video games are arcade hack and slash
RPGs that blend together beat 'em up
and RPG characteristics. An early example was Alpha Denshi's 1990 game Crossed Swords
, which combined the first-person brawler gameplay of The Super Spy
(released the same year) with RPG elements, while replacing the shooting with hack & slash combat. Most other such games, however, used a side-scrolling
perspective typical of beat 'em ups, such as Capcom
's Knights of the Round (1991), King of Dragons (1991), Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
(1993) and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara
(1996); these games were released for the arcades
and later released for the Sega Saturn
together as the Dungeons & Dragons Collection
(1999). Several other beat 'em ups followed a similar hack & slash brawler-RPG formula, including Guardian Heroes
, Castle Crashers
, Dungeon & Fighter
, and the Princess Crown
series (including Odin Sphere
and Muramasa: The Demon Blade
).
, Tales of Phantasia
was released in Japan in 1995, featuring a real-time side-scrolling combat mode and an exploration mode similar to classic console RPGs. In 1996, Star Ocean
was released with similar real-time combat and classic exploration, but featured a more isometric view during battle. Star Ocean also introduced a "private actions" system, where the player can affect the relationships between characters, which in turn affects the storyline and leads to multiple endings
, a feature that the Star Ocean series
has become known for. Namco
and Enix
did not publish these two titles in America, though many of their sequels were later released in the U.S., beginning with Tales of Destiny
and Star Ocean: The Second Story
, respectively.
The fifth generation era of consoles saw a number of other popular action RPGs, such as King's Field
, Brave Fencer Musashi
, The Legend of Oasis, Tail of the Sun
, Dragon Valor
, and Tales of Eternia
. All consoles of the sixth generation era had a number of action RPGs, such as Phantasy Star Online
, Dark Cloud
& Dark Chronicle
, Sudeki
, King's Field IV
& Shadow Tower Abyss
, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
, Champions of Norrath
, Kingdom Hearts
, Chaos Legion
, "Super Paper Mario
", .hack
, Monster Hunter
, World of Mana, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
& Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
, Rogue Galaxy
, Odin Sphere
, and several Tales games such as Symphonia
.
computer games up until the late 1980s were turn-based, though a few had attempted to incorporated real-time elements, such as Dungeons of Daggorath and the 1985 game Alterate Reality: The City. Most first-person computer RPGs at the time, used turn-based movement
, where if the party didn't move, neither did the enemies, though The Bard's Tale in 1985 attempted to generate random encounter
s when the player is away from the keyboard to give the impression that monsters weren't just waiting for players to stumble across them. However, such tricks were no substitute for a real-time world where monsters and other characters move about independently and autonomously of the player. This changed in late 1987
, when FTL Games
released Dungeon Master, a critically acclaimed dungeon crawler where the game world and combat was in real-time, requiring players to quickly issue orders to the characters, setting the standard for real-time first-person computer RPGs for the next several years. Dungeon Master achieved the number-one sales rank in both the U.S. and Japan, where it was released in 1990
. Other real-time first-person RPGs in the style of Dungeon Master include SSI
's Eye of the Beholder (1990) and Raven Software
's Black Crypt
(1992).
As a revolutionary step, Arsys Software released Star Cruiser for the NEC PC-8801
computer in early 1988. This innovative game is notable for being a very early example of an action RPG with fully 3D
polygonal
graphics, combined with first-person shooter
gameplay. It was later ported to the Sega Mega Drive in 1990. That same year, Alpha Denshi's Crossed Swords
for the arcades
combined the first-person beat 'em up
gameplay of SNK
's The Super Spy
(released the same year) with RPG elements, while replacing the first-person shooting with hack & slash combat. In 1992
, Blue Sky Productions
released Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
, which was considered a technological marvel for its 3D first-person ray casting
graphics combined with real-time action and a surprisingly deep role-playing experience. One of the game's developers, Warren Spector
, would go on to help develop more games combining first-person action and RPG gameplay, such as System Shock
and Deus Ex
.
Other first-person RPGs in the style of Ultima Underworld include Shadowcaster
by Raven Software
and id Software
in 1993 created with an early version of the Doom engine
, The Elder Scrolls
series and Fallout 3
by Bethesda
, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines by Troika Games
, Baroque
by Sting Entertainment and Hellgate: London
by Flagship Studios
which was formed from Blizzard North
executives and developers responsible for the Diablo
franchise (also supports third-person view). From Software
's King's Field
series of dungeon-crawler action RPGs for consoles had been using a fully 3D polygonal first-person perspective from 1994 to 2001, though the series' 2009 spiritual successor Demon's Souls
had adopted a third-person view instead.
s being better suited to real-time action than the keyboard and mouse. Though there have been attempts at creating action-oriented computer RPGs during the late 1980s and early 1990s, often in the vein of Zelda, very few saw any success, with Times of Lore
(1988) and Ultima VII
(1992) being some of the more successful attempts in the American computer market. An early attempt at incorporating a point-and-click
interface in a real-time overhead action RPG was Silver Ghost, a 1988 NEC PC-8801
game by Kure Software Koubou
. It was a tactical action RPG
where characters could be controlled using a cursor. A similar game released by Kure Software Koubou that same year was First Queen
, a unique hybrid between a real-time strategy
, action RPG, and strategy RPG. Like an RPG, the player can explore the world, purchase items, and level up, and like a strategy video game
, it focuses on recruiting soldiers and fighting against large armies rather than small parties. The game's "Gochyakyara" ("Multiple Characters") system let the player control one character at a time while the others are controlled by computer AI
that follow the leader, and where battles are large-scale with characters sometimes filling an entire screen. Another early overhead action RPG to use mouse controls was Nihon Falcom's 1991 game Brandish
, where the player could move forward, backward, turn, strafe and attack by clicking on boxes surrounding the player character
.
The 1994 game Ultima VIII
also used mouse controls as well as attempting to add precision jumping sequences reminiscent of a Mario
platform game
, though reactions to the game's mouse-based combat were mixed. It was not until 1996
that a stagnant PC RPG market was revitalized by Blizzard's Diablo, an action RPG that used a point-and-click interface and offered gamers a free online
service to play with others that maintained the same rules and gameplay. However, there is some debate regarding whether or not real-time point-and-click games such as Diablo qualify as action RPGs due to their lack of direct control over the character, which some consider to be a defining aspect of action RPGs.
Diablo' s effect on the market was significant; it had many imitators and its style of combat went on to be used by many MMORPG
s that came after. For many years afterwards, games that closely mimicked the Diablo formula were referred to as "Diablo clones." The definition of a Diablo clone is even vaguer than that of an action RPG, but typically such games have each player controlling a single character and have a strong focus on combat, with plot and character interaction kept to a minimum. In some examples, non-player characters have only one purpose—be it to buy or sell items or upgrade the player's abilities—or issue them with combat-centric quests. They also have few or no puzzles, with all problems instead having an action-based solution (such as breaking a wooden door open with an axe rather than having to find its key).
Blizzard later released a sequel, Diablo II
in 2000, and it became an international sensation in America, Europe, and Asia. Diablo IIs effect on the gaming industry led to an even larger number of "clones" than its predecessor, inspiring games for almost a decade. Diablo III
is currently being developed. Some of the aforementioned Diablo clones are: the Sacred series, Titan Quest
, Dungeon Siege
series, Loki: Heroes of Mythology, Legend: Hand of God, Fate, Torchlight
, and Path of Exile
.
s and action RPGs. An early example was Magical Zoo's The Screamer, a 1985 post-apocalyptic sci-fi RPG released in Japan for the NEC PC-8801
computer, set after World War III
and revolving around cyberpunk
and biological horror themes. The gameplay switched between first-person dungeon crawl
exploration and side-scrolling shooter combat, where the player could jump, duck and shoot at enemies in real-time. That same year, Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu
allowed the player to shoot projectile magic attacks at enemies. The earliest to feature 3D polygonal graphics
was the 1986 game WiBArm, released by Arsys Software for the NEC PC-88
computer in Japan and ported to MS-DOS
for Western release by Brøderbund
. In WiBArm, the player controls a transformable mecha
robot, switching between a 2D
side-scrolling
view during outdoor exploration to a fully 3D polygonal third-person perspective inside buildings, while bosses are fought in an arena-style 2D shoot 'em up
battle. The game featured a variety of weapons and equipment as well as an automap, and the player could upgrade equipment and earn experience to raise stats. In contrast to first-person RPGs at the time that were restricted to 90-degree movements, WiBArm's use of 3D polygons allowed full 360-degree movement.
In 1987, Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead, an MSX2
title developed by Fun Factory and published by Victor Music Industries
, was the first true survival horror RPG. Designed by Katsuya Iwamoto, the game revolved around a female SWAT
member Lila rescuing survivors in an isolated monster-infested town and bringing them to safety in a church. It was open-ended
like Dragon Quest
and had real-time side-view battles like Zelda II
. Unlike other RPGs at the time, however, the game had a dark and creepy atmosphere expressed through the story, graphics, and music, while the gameplay used shooter-based combat and gave limited ammunition for each weapon, forcing the player to search for ammo and often run away from monsters in order to conserve ammo.
In 1988, The Scheme, released by Bothtec
for the PC-8801
, was an action RPG with a similar side-scrolling open-world
gameplay to Metroid
. Compile's The Guardian Legend
that year was a successful fusion of the action-adventure, shoot 'em up and role-playing game genres, later inspiring acclaimed titles such as Sigma Star Saga
in 2005. That same year, Arsys Software released Star Cruiser for the PC-88. This innovative game is notable for being a very early example of an RPG with fully 3D polygonal graphics, combined with first-person shooter
gameplay, which would occasionally switch to space flight simulator
gameplay when exploring outer space with six degrees of freedom
. All the backgrounds, objects and opponents in the game were rendered in 3D polygons, many years before they were widely adopted by the gaming industry. The game also emphasized storytelling, with plot twists and extensive character dialogues. It was later ported to the Sega Mega Drive in 1990. The game's sequel, Star Cruiser 2, was released in 1992, for the PC-9821 and FM Towns
computers.
In 1990, Hideo Kojima
's SD Snatcher
, while turn-based, introduced an innovative first-person shooter-based battle system where firearm weapons (each with different abilities and target ranges) have limited ammunition and the player can aim at specific parts of the enemy's body with each part weakening the enemy in different ways. Such a battle system has rarely been used since, though similar battle systems based on targeting individual body parts can later be found in Square's Vagrant Story
(2000), a pausable real-time RPG that uses both melee and bow & arrow weapons, as well as Bethesda
's Fallout 3 (2008) and Nippon Ichi
's Last Rebellion
(2010). In 1996, Night Slave
was a shooter RPG released for the PC-98 that combined the side-scrolling shooter gameplay of Assault Suits Valken
and Gradius
, including an armaments system that employs recoil physics
, with many RPG elements such as permanently levelling up the mecha
and various weapons using power-orbs obtained from defeating enemies as well as storyline cut scenes, which occasionally contain erotic
lesbian adult content
.
Other early shooter-based action RPGs include the Parasite Eve series of survival horror RPGs (1998 onwards) by Square (now Square Enix
), the Deus Ex
series (2000 onwards) by Eidos Interactive
(now Square Enix Europe), Ancient
's vehicular combat
RPG Car Battler Joe
(2002), Konami
's solar-powered stealth-based Boktai
series (2003 onwards), Irem's Steambot Chronicles
(2005), Square Enix's third-person shooter
RPG Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
(2006) which introduced an over-the-shoulder perspective similar to Resident Evil 4
, and the MMO
vehicular combat game Auto Assault
(2006) by NetDevil
and NCsoft
. Other action RPGs featured both hack & slash and shooting elements, with the use of both guns (or in some cases, bow & arrow or aerial combat
) and melee
weapons, including the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
series (1995 onwards) by Atlus
, tri-Ace
's Star Ocean
series (1996 onwards), Cavia's flight-based Drakengard
series (2003 to 2005), and Level-5
's Rogue Galaxy
(2005).
Recent RPS games include the Mass Effect
series (2007 onwards), Fallout 3
(2008), and Borderlands
(2009). Borderlands is considered a role-playing shooter due to the heavy RPG elements within the game, such as quest-based gameplay and also its character traits and leveling system, for which its developer Gearbox software
has dubbed it as a "role-playing shooter". Sega
's Valkyria Chronicles
series (2008 onwards) features a unique blend of tactical role-playing game
, real-time strategy
and third-person tactical shooter
elements (including a cover system
), for which it has been described as "the missing link" between Final Fantasy Tactics
and Full Spectrum Warrior
. Half-Minute Hero (2009) is an RPG shooter featuring self-referential humour and a 30-second time limit for each level and boss encounter. Other recent action role-playing games with shooter elements include the 2010 titles Resonance of Fate
by tri-Ace, Xenoblade
by Monolith Soft
, Alpha Protocol
by Obsidian Entertainment
, and The Last Story
by Mistwalker
which uses crossbow
s (instead of guns) in a manner similar to cover
-based third-person shooters. Square Enix's 2010 release, The 3rd Birthday
, the third game in the Parasite Eve series, features a unique blend of action RPG, real-time tactical
RPG, survival horror and third-person tactical shooter elements. 2010 cult hit NIER
is a multi-genre action-RPG with a heavy emphasis on 2D and 3D Bullet hell game mechanics.
Upcoming shooter-based RPGs include Imageepoch
's post-apocapytic Black Rock Shooter
which employs first-person shooter elements, as well as third-person shooter elements, Square Enix's Final Fantasy Versus XIII
which will feature both hack & slash and third-person shooter elements, and Final Fantasy Type-0 which plays similarly to the The 3rd Birthday but is not limited to shooting.
while exploring a world (often an open world
) and building character stats, some non-linear titles contain events or dialogue choices with consequences in the game world or storyline. The concept of moral consequences and alignments
can be seen in action RPGs as early as the 1985 releases Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu
, with its Karma
system where the character's Karma meter will change depending on who he kills which in turn affects the way other NPCs
react to him, and Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness, where the player can be aligned with Justice, Normal, or Evil, depending on whether the player kills good/evil monsters or humans, leading to townsfolk ignoring players with an evil alignment. Cosmic Soldier: Psychic War
in 1987 featured a non-linear conversation system, where the player can recruit allies by talking to them, choose whether to kill or spare an enemy, and engage enemies in conversation, similar to Megami Tensei
. One of the first action RPGs to feature multiple endings
was Konami
's 1987 release Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
, which introduced a day-night cycle that affects when certain NPCs appear in certain locations and offered three possible endings depending on the time it took to complete the game. In 1988, Ys II introduced the unique ability to transform into a monster, which allows the player to both scare human non-player character
s for unique dialogues as well as interact with all the monsters. This is a recurring highlight in the series, offering the player insight into the enemies, to an extent that very few other games allow to this day.
Some of Quintet's action RPGs allowed players to shape the game world through town-building
simulation elements, such as Soul Blazer
in 1992 and Terranigma
in 1995. That same year, Square's Seiken Densetsu 3
allowed a number of different possible storyline paths and endings depending on which combination of characters the player selected. The game also introduced a class-change system that incorporated light-dark alignments. The following year, Treasure's Guardian Heroes
in 1996 allowed players to alter the storyline through their actions, such as choosing between a number of branching paths leading to multiple different endings and through the Karma meter which changes depending on whether the player kills civilians or shows mercy to enemies.
Some of the earliest action RPGs to allow players to alter the storyline's outcome through dialogue choices were tri-Ace
's Star Ocean series
of sci-fi RPGs. The original Star Ocean
, published by Enix
in 1996, introduced a "private actions" social system, where the protagonist's relationship points with the other characters are affected by the player's choices, which in turn affects the storyline, leading to branching paths and multiple different endings. This was expanded in its 1999 sequel, Star Ocean: The Second Story
, which boasted as many as 86 different endings, with each of the possible permutations to these endings numbering in the thousands, setting a benchmark for the amount of outcomes possible for a video game. Using a relationship system inspired by dating sim
s, each of the characters had friendship points and relationship points with each of the other characters, allowing the player to pair together, or ship
, any couples (both romantic heterosexual
relationships as well as friendships) of their choice, allowing a form of fan fiction
to exist within the game itself. This type of social system was later extended to allow romantic lesbian
relationships in BioWare
's 2007 sci-fi RPG Mass Effect
. However, the relationship system in Star Ocean not only affected the storyline, but also the gameplay, affecting the way the characters behave towards each other in battle.
In 1997, Quintet's The Granstream Saga
, while having a mostly linear plot, offered a difficult moral choice towards the end of the game regarding which of two characters to save, each leading to a different ending. In 1999, Square's Legend of Mana
, the most open-ended in the Mana series, allowed the player to build the game world however they choose, complete any quests
and subplots they choose in any order of their choice, and choose which storyline paths to follow, departing from most other action RPGs in its time. That same year, Square's survival horror RPG Parasite Eve II
featured branching storylines and up to three different possible endings.
Other games such as Orphen: Scion of Sorcery
(2000), Ephemeral Fantasia
(2001), Deus Ex: Invisible War
(2003), Tales of Symphonia
(2003), Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004), Radiata Stories
(2005), Steambot Chronicles
(2005), The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
(2006), Odin Sphere
(2007), Fallout 3
(2008), White Gold: War in Paradise
(2008), Alpha Protocol
(2010), and the Gothic
, Way of the Samurai
, Drakengard
, Fable
, Yakuza
, Devil Summoner
and Mass Effect
series, allow the player to make many game-altering choices in dialogues and events, while still maintaining their respective action elements, whether they be in the first person
or the third person.
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s that incorporate elements of action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
or action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
games, emphasizing real-time action where the player has direct control over characters, instead of turn-based or menu
Menu (computing)
In computing and telecommunications, a menu is a list of commands presented to an operator by a computer or communications system. A menu is used in contrast to a command-line interface, where instructions to the computer are given in the form of commands .Choices given from a menu may be selected...
-based combat. These games often use combat systems similar to hack and slash
Hack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
or shooter game
Shooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
s.
Early real-time elements
Early dungeon-crawl video games used turn-based movementRoguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
: if the party didn't move, neither did the enemies. Dungeons of Daggorath
Dungeons of Daggorath
Dungeons of Daggorath is a 1982 computer game and one of the first computer titles to use a 3D wireframe first-person perspective. It was produced by DynaMicro for the Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer....
, released for the TRS-80 Color Computer
TRS-80 Color Computer
The Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer was a home computer launched in 1980. It was one of the earliest of the first generation of computers marketed for home use in English-speaking markets...
in 1982
1982 in video gaming
-Events:* December 27 - Starcade, a video game television game show, debuts on TBS in the United States.-Notable releases:*October 13 - Mystique releases the Custer's Revenge adult video game for the Atari 2600 home console....
, combined a typical first-person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
dungeon crawl with real-time elements, requiring timed keyboard commands and where enemies move independently of the player. The game lacked numerical statistics such as hit points or vitality, but instead used an arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
-like fatique system where the heart pulsates to indicate the player's health, a concept inspired by the 1978 arcade game Space Invaders
Space Invaders
is an arcade video game designed by Tomohiro Nishikado, and released in 1978. It was originally manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and was later licensed for production in the United States by the Midway division of Bally. Space Invaders is one of the earliest shooting games and the aim is to...
where a heartbeat-like sound gradually increases pace as enemies advance towards the player.
The following year, ASCII
ASCII (company)
was a publishing company based in Tokyo, Japan. It became a subsidiary of Kadokawa Group Holdings in 2004, and merged with another Kadokawa subsidiary MediaWorks on April 1, 2008, and became ASCII Media Works. The company published Monthly ASCII as the main publication...
released the Sharp X1
Sharp X1
The X1 is a series of home computer released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It was based on a Z80 CPU.Despite the fact that the Computer Division of Sharp Corporation had released the MZ series, suddenly the Television Division released a new computer series called the X1...
computer game Bokosuka Wars
Bokosuka Wars
is a 1983 action-strategy role-playing video game developed by Kōji Sumii and released by ASCII for the Sharp X1 computer, followed by ports to the MSX, FM-7, NEC PC-6001, NEC PC-8801 and NEC PC-9801 computer platforms, as well as an altered version released for the Nintendo Famicom console and...
, considered an early example of an action RPG, though it is also considered an early strategy RPG
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
. In Bokosuka Wars, each soldier was able to gain experience
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
and level up
Level Up
Level Up was a UK children's TV programme that was broadcast on CBBC. It was launched on the 3rd April 2006, replacing Xchange. The show was an hour long and during the school year broadcasting from 7:30am until 8:30am...
through battle, while the action occurred entirely in real-time.
Classic action RPGs / hack & slash
Early 1980s
While Western computer developers continued to explore the possibilities of real-time RPG gameplay to a limited extent, Japanese developersHistory of Eastern role-playing video games
Eastern role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in East Asia, specifically Japan, and, to a lesser extent, South Korea and China...
, with their recently aroused interest in the RPG genre, created a new brand of action/RPG, combining the RPG genre with arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
and action-adventure
Action-adventure game
An action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
elements. The company initially at the forefront of this new genre was Nihon Falcom, whose Dragon Slayer series is regarded as the progenitor of the action RPG genre, abandoning the command-based battles of previous RPGs in favour of real-time hack and slash
Hack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
combat that requires direct input from the player, alongside puzzle-solving elements. The original Dragon Slayer, released for the NEC PC-88
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
computer in 1984
1984 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* May 10, King's Quest , the first animated adventure game, the first in the King's Quest series, and the first to use the AGI engine.* June 4, Nintendo releases Donkey Kong 3...
, is considered to be the first action-RPG. In contrast to earlier turn-based roguelike
Roguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
s, Dragon Slayer was a dungeon crawl RPG that was entirely real-time with action-oriented combat. The game also featured an in-game map
Mini-map
A mini-map is a miniature map, often placed in a corner of the screen in computer games and video games to aid in reorientation. Mini-maps usually display traversable terrain, allies, enemies, and important locations or items.-Usage of GPS:...
to help with the dungeon-crawling, required item management due to the inventory being limited to one item at a time, and introduced the use of item-based puzzles which later influenced The Legend of Zelda. Dragon Slayer's overhead action-RPG formula was used in many later games. Another early action RPG, The Tower of Druaga, was an arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
released by Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
the same year. Both Dragon Slayer and The Tower of Druaga laid the foundations for future action RPG series such as Hydlide, Ys, and The Legend of Zelda.
Another influential early action RPG was Namco's 1984 arcade release Dragon Buster
Dragon Buster
is a dungeon crawl action role-playing platform arcade game that was released by Namco in 1984. It runs on Namco Pac-Land hardware, modified to support vertical scrolling. In Japan, the game was ported to the MSX and Famicom; the latter version was later released for the Virtual Console in the same...
, the first game to feature a life meter, called "Vitality" in-game. It also introduced side-scrolling platform elements and a "world view
Overworld
An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....
" map similar to Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
released the following year. Another 1984 release, T&E Soft's Hydlide
Hydlide
is a action role-playing video game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and NEC PC-8801 computer in 1984, in Japan only; an MSX release came the following year...
, while influenced by Dragon Slayer or The Tower of Druaga, introduced its own innovations. For example, Hydlide introduced the ability to switch between attack mode and defense mode, quick save
Saved game
A saved game is a piece of digitally stored information about the progress of a player in a video game. This saved game can be reloaded later, so the player can continue where he or she had stopped...
and load options which can be done at any moment of the game through the use of passwords
Password (video games)
In many video games of the 8-bit and, to a lesser extent, 16-bit eras , after a level was beaten and/or when all continues were used, the game would display a password, that when entered in the game would allow the player to return to this part in the game...
, and the introduction of a health regeneration mechanic where health and magic slowly regenerate when standing still.
Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu
Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu
is an action RPG developed by Nihon Falcom in 1985 for the PC-8801, PC-9801, FM-7, MSX and X1 computers. Enhanced remakes were released for the Sega Saturn, PC-9801 and Windows systems...
, released in 1985
1985 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* Brøderbund releases Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, the first game of the prolific Carmen Sandiego series* Nintendo releases Super Mario Bros. on September 13, 1985, which eventually sells 40 million copies making it the best-selling video game of all time until 2008.*...
, was a fully-fledged action RPG with many character stats
Statistic (role-playing games)
A statistic in role-playing games is a piece of data which represents a particular aspect of a fictional character. That piece of data is usually a integer or, in some cases, a set of dice....
and a large quest, with action-based combat setting it apart from other RPGs. It also incorporated a side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
view during exploration and an overhead view during battle, though some rooms were also explored using an overhead view. The game also allowed the player to visit towns, which had training facilities that can improve statistics, and shops that sell items, equipment that change the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
's visible appearance, and food that is consumed slowly over time and is essential for keeping the player alive. It also introduced gameplay mechanics such as platform
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
jumping, magic that can be used to attack enemies from a distance, an early Karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
morality system where the character's Karma meter will rise if he commits sin which in turn affects the temple's reaction to him, and individual experience for equipped items. It is also considered a "proto-Metroidvania" game, due to being an "RPG turned on its side" that allowed players to run, jump, collect, and explore. The game gained immense popularity in Japan, setting records for PC game sales, selling more than 400,000 copies. Xanadu Scenario II, released the following year, was also an early example of an expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
. The way the Dragon Slayer series reworked the entire game system of each installment is considered an influence on Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
, which would do the same for each of its installments.
Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness, released in 1985, introduced an early morality meter, where the player can be aligned
Alignment (role-playing games)
In some role-playing games, alignment is a categorisation of the moral and ethical perspective of the player characters, non-player characters, monsters, and societies in the game....
with Justice, Normal, or Evil, which is affected by whether the player kills humans, good monsters, or evil monsters, leading to townsfolk ignoring players with an evil alignment, denying access to certain clues, dialogues, equipment, and training. The game also introduced a time option, allowing the player to speed up or slow down the gameplay. Magical Zoo's The Screamer, a 1985 post-apocalyptic cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
horror RPG released for the PC-8801, featured gameplay that switched between first-person dungeon crawl exploration and side-scrolling shooter combat, where the player could jump, duck and shoot at enemies in real-time.
Late 1980s
The next two years, 1986 and 1987, would see the release of games that would further define the action/RPG genre in Japan. An important influence on the genre was the 1986 action-adventure, The Legend of Zelda, which is often not considered an action RPG since it lacked key RPG mechanics like experience pointExperience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s, but had many features in common with RPGs and served as the template for future action RPGs. In contrast to previous action RPGs such as Dragon Slayer and Hydlide which required the player to bump into enemies in order to attack them, The Legend of Zelda featured an attack button that animates a sword swing or projectile attack on the screen. It was also an early example of open world
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
, nonlinear gameplay, and introduced innovations like battery backup saving
Saved game
A saved game is a piece of digitally stored information about the progress of a player in a video game. This saved game can be reloaded later, so the player can continue where he or she had stopped...
. These elements have been used in many action RPGs since. The game was largely responsible for the surge of action-oriented RPGs released since the late 1980s, both in Japan as well as in America, where it was often cited as an influence on action-oriented computer RPGs. When it was released in North America, Zelda was seen as a new kind of RPG with action-adventure elements, with Roe R. Adams (who worked on the Wizardry
Wizardry
Wizardry is a series of computer role-playing games, developed by Sir-Tech, which were highly influential in the development of modern console and computer role playing games. The original Wizardry was a significant influence to early console RPGs, such as Dragon Warrior and Final Fantasy. ...
series) stating in 1990 that, although "it still had many action-adventure features, it was definitely a CRPG." The Legend of Zelda series
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
would continue to exert an influence on the transition of both console and computer RPGs from stat-heavy turn-based combat towards real-time action combat in the following decades. Due to its similarities to action RPGs and its impact on the genre, there continues to be much debate regarding whether or not The Legend of Zelda should be considered an action RPG. That same year also saw the arcade release of the sequel to The Tower of Druaga, The Return of Ishtar
The Return of Ishtar
is an action role-playing arcade game, released by Namco in 1986. It runs on Namco System 86 hardware and is the sequel to The Tower of Druaga, which was released three years earlier. It is the second game in the Babylonian Castle Saga series. It was ported to the MSX, FM7 and included in the Namco...
, an early action RPG to feature two-player cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
, dual-stick control in single player, a female protagonist, the first heroic couple in gaming, and the first password
Password (video games)
In many video games of the 8-bit and, to a lesser extent, 16-bit eras , after a level was beaten and/or when all continues were used, the game would display a password, that when entered in the game would allow the player to return to this part in the game...
save system in an arcade game. Other 1986 titles were Rygar and Deadly Towers
Deadly Towers
Deadly Towers is an action role-playing video game developed by Lenar and exclusively-licensed by Irem as a software title for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It was released in Japan on December 15, 1986, and in North America in September of the following year...
, which were notable as some of the first Japanese console action RPGs to be released in North America, where they were well received for being a new kind of RPG that differed from both the console action-adventures (such as Castlevania
Castlevania
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
, Trojan
Trojan (video game)
is a side-scrolling action game produced by Capcom originally released as a coin operated video game in . The arcade version was distributed in North America by Romstar. A home version for the Nintendo Entertainment System was released during the same year. The original coin-op version is included...
, and Wizards & Warriors) and American computer RPGs
History of Western role-playing video games
Western role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in the Western world, specifically North America and, in more recent years, Europe...
(such as Wizardry, Ultima, and Might & Magic
Might and Magic
Might and Magic is a series of role-playing video games from New World Computing, which in 1996 became a subsidiary of The 3DO Company...
) that American gamers were previously more familiar with at the time. Deadly Towers and Rygar were particularly notable for their permanent power-up mechanic, which at the time blurred the line between the power-up
Power-up
In computer and video games, power-ups are objects that instantly benefit or add extra abilities to the game character as a game mechanic. This is in contrast to an item, which may or may not have a benefit and can be used at a time chosen by the player...
s used in action-adventures and the experience points used in RPGs.
In 1987
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, released as in Japan and often mistakenly called The Adventures of Link, is an action role-playing video game with platforming elements. The second installment in The Legend of Zelda series, it was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment...
implemented an RPG-esque system, including experience point
Experience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
s and levels, with action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
elements, making it closer to an action RPG than other Zelda games. Zelda II was also one of the first video games where non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s (NPCs) walked around and seemingly had their own agendas, giving the world a life of its own rather than being a simple stage for the story to unfold. Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure role-playing platform game produced by Konami. It was originally released for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan 1987 and for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1988. It is the second Castlevania...
was an action RPG that combined the platform-action
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
mechanics of the original Castlevania
Castlevania (video game)
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a console video game developed and published by Konami for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan in September 1986. A year later, in May 1987 it was ported to cartridge format and released in North America for the Nintendo Entertainment System followed by a...
with the open world of an action-adventure and RPG mechanics such as experience points. It also introduced a persistent world
Persistent world
A persistent world is a virtual world that continues to exist even after a user exits the world and that user-made changes to its state are, to some extent, permanent...
with its own day-night cycle that affects when certain NPCs appear in certain locations and offered three possible multiple endings
Multiple endings
Multiple endings refer to a case in entertainment where the story could end in different ways, described as an alternate ending.-Literature:...
depending on the time it took to complete the game. Another "Metroidvania" style open-world action RPG released that year was System Sacom
System Sacom
, also known as System Sacom Sales Corp., is a Japanese company which sells electronic devices. They are more notable for their past, in which they developed video games. In the eighties, they mainly published games for computers, but they changed focus to home consoles in the nineties...
's Sharp X1
Sharp X1
The X1 is a series of home computer released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It was based on a Z80 CPU.Despite the fact that the Computer Division of Sharp Corporation had released the MZ series, suddenly the Television Division released a new computer series called the X1...
computer game Euphory, which was possibly the only Metroidvania-style multiplayer action RPG produced, allowing two-player cooperative gameplay. That same year also saw the release of several Dragon Slayer titles, including Faxanadu
Faxanadu
is an action role-playing platform-adventure video game for the Nintendo Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System . The name was licensed by computer game developer Nihon Falcom and was developed and released in Japan by Hudson Soft in 1987...
, a spin-off of Xanadu and a fully side-scrolling action RPG, and Dragon Slayer IV: Legacy of the Wizard
Legacy of the Wizard
is a fantasy-themed action role-playing platform game released for the MSX and Famicom in Japan and for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the United States. Legacy of the Wizard is the fourth installment in Falcom's Dragon Slayer series...
, another early example of a non-linear open-world action RPG. The fifth Dragon Slayer title, Sorcerian
Sorcerian
is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom, and the fifth in the Dragon Slayer line of games. It was originally released for the NEC PC-8801 in 1987, and was later ported to other PC platforms such as the NEC PC-9801, the NEC PC-88VA, the Sharp X1 Turbo, and the MSX 2, for which it...
, was also released that year. It was a party-based action RPG, with the player controlling a party of four characters at the same time in a side-scrolling view. The game also featured character creation, highly customizable characters, class-based puzzles, and a new scenario system, allowing players to choose which of 15 scenarios, or quests, to play through in the order of their choice. It was also an episodic video game, with expansion disks released soon after offering more scenarios. Falcom also released the first installment
Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished
is the first installment of Ys, an action role-playing video game series developed by Falcom in 1987...
of its Ys series in 1987. While not very popular in the West, the long-running Ys series has performed strongly in the Japanese market, with many sequels, remakes and ports in the decades that followed its release. Besides Falcom's own Dragon Slayer series, Ys was also influenced by Hydlide, from which it borrowed certain mechanics such as health-regeneration when standing still, a mechanic that has become common in video games today. Ys is also known for its 'bump attack' system, where the protagonist Adol automatically attacks when running into enemies off-center, making the game more accessible and the usually tedious level-grinding task more swift and enjoyable for audiences at the time. The game also had what is considered to be one of the best and most influential video game music soundtracks of all time, composed by Yuzo Koshiro
Yuzo Koshiro
is a Japanese video game music composer and audio programmer. He is regarded as one of the most influential innovators in chiptune music and video game sound design...
and Mieko Ishikawa. In terms of the number of game releases, Ys is second only to Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
as the largest Eastern role-playing game
History of Eastern role-playing video games
Eastern role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in East Asia, specifically Japan, and, to a lesser extent, South Korea and China...
franchise.
Hydlide 3: The Space Memories, released for the MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
in 1987 and for the Mega Drive as Super Hydlide
Super Hydlide
Super Hydlide, known in Japan as Hydlide 3: The Space Memories, is a an action role-playing game released in 1987 for the MSX and NEC PC-88, 1989 for the Nintendo Famicom and Sega Genesis / Mega Drive, and 1990 for the Sharp X68000...
in 1989, adopted the morality meter of its predecessor, expanded on its time option with the introduction of an in-game clock setting day-night cycles and a need to sleep and eat, and made other improvements such as cut scenes for the opening and ending, a combat system closer to The Legend of Zelda, the choice between four distinct character classes, a wider variety of equipment and spells, and a weight system affecting the player's movement depending on the overall weight of the equipment carried. Another 1987 action RPG, The Magic of Scheherazade, was notable for several innovations, including a unique setting based on the Arabian Nights, time travel between five different time periods, a unique combat system featuring both real-time solo action and turn-based team battles, and the introduction of team attacks where two party members could join forces to perform an extra-powerful attack. That same year, Kogado Studio
Kogado Studio
Kogado Studio is a Japanese video game studio which has released strategy and bishōjo games for the MSX, MSX 2, PlayStation 2 and PC, including such titles as Gadget Trial, Little Witch Parfait, and Tristia of the Deep-Blue Sea...
's sci-fi RPG Cosmic Soldier: Psychic War
Cosmic Soldier (MSX)
is a role-playing video game for the MSX and NEC PC-8801, and is the first game in the Cosmic Soldier series. It was released in 1985 by Kogado Studio...
featured a unique "tug of war
Tug of war
Tug of war, also known as tug o' war, tug war, rope war or rope pulling, is a sport that directly pits two teams against each other in a test of strength. The term may also be used as a metaphor to describe a demonstration of brute strength by two opposing groups, such as a rivalry between two...
" style real-time combat system, where battles are a clash of energy between the party and the enemy, with the player needing to push the energy towards the enemy to strike them, while being able to use a shield to block or a suction ability to absorb the opponent's power. It also featured a unique conversation system, where the player can recruit allies by talking to them, choose whether to kill or spare an enemy, and engage enemies in conversation, similar to Megami Tensei
Megami Tensei
, commonly abbreviated as , is a Japanese console role-playing game metaseries which was originally based on the novel series Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani and has gone to become one of the major franchises of the genre in its native country...
. Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Wonder Boy in Monster Land
Wonder Boy in Monster Land is an action role-playing platform video game developed by Westone. It was released by Sega for the arcades in 1987 and for the Sega Master System in 1988; Activision released the game for the Amiga, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Atari ST...
combined the platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
play of the original Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy (video game)
is a 1986 video game published by Sega and developed by Escape...
with many RPG elements, which would inspire later action RPGs such as Popful Mail
Popful Mail
is a side-scrolling platform game. Popful Mail was developed by Nihon Falcom for the NEC PC-8801 computer in 1991 and for the PC-9801 in 1992. It was later ported to PC Engine CD-ROM by NEC Home Electronics and to the Sega CD by "Sega Falcom", an alliance of the two game companies Sega and Falcom...
(1991).
1988 saw the debut of Telenet Japan
Telenet Japan
was a Japanese video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company was also known as Nippon Telenet . The company was best known for the Valis series as well as its Wolfteam & RiOT divisions...
's Exile, a series of action-platform RPGs, beginning with XZR: Idols of Apostate. The series was controversial for its plot, which revolves around a time-traveling Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
-era Syrian Islamic Assassin who assassinates various religious/historical figures as well as modern-day political leaders, with similarities to the present-day Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed
Assassin's Creed is an award-winning historical third person, stealth action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. The bulk of the game takes place during the Third Crusade, with the plot revolving around a sect known as the Secret Order of...
action game series. The gameplay of Exile included both overhead exploration and side-scrolling combat, featured a heart monitor to represent the player's Attack Power and Armour Class statistics, and another controversial aspect of the game involved taking drugs (instead of potions) that increase/decrease attributes but with side-effects such as affecting the heart-rate or causing death. The developer of the Ultima series, Origin Systems
Origin Systems
Origin Systems, Inc. was a computer game developer based in Austin, Texas that was active from 1983 to 2004...
, released an action RPG that year, Times of Lore
Times of Lore
Times of Lore is an action role-playing game with a detailed world. It was released for several platforms, including PC, Commodore 64/128, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, Atari ST, Apple II, NES, and Amiga.-Description:...
, which was inspired by NES titles, particularly The Legend of Zelda. In turn, Times of Lore inspired several later titles by Origin Systems, such as the 1990 games Bad Blood, another action RPG based on the same engine, and Ultima VI: The False Prophet, based on the same interface.
In 1989, Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
released a Metroidvania-style open-world action RPG for the Master System console, Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap
Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap is a platforming and action-adventure video game developed by Westone. It was published by Sega and released for the Sega Master System in 1989 and for the Game Gear in 1992 under the title Monster World II: Dragon no Wana...
. Dungeon Explorer
Dungeon Explorer
Dungeon Explorer is an action role-playing game released for the TurboGrafx-16/PC Engine in 1989. It centered around the quest of several heroes to find the Ora Stone for the former king of Oddesia. When the alien race that now rules the land invaded, the stone was hidden deep in the dungeons of...
, developed by Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
and published by Hudson Soft
Hudson Soft
, formally known as , is a majority-owned subsidiary of Konami Corporation is a Japanese electronic entertainment publisher headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, with an additional office in the Hudson Building in Sapporo. It was founded on May 18, 1973...
for the TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16
TurboGrafx-16, fully titled as TurboGrafx-16 Entertainment SuperSystem and known in Japan as the , is a video game console developed by Hudson Soft and NEC, released in Japan on October 30, 1987, and in North America on August 29, 1989....
in 1989, is considered a pioneer title in the action RPG genre with its cooperative multiplayer gameplay, which allowed up to five players to play simultaneously. That same year, River City Ransom
River City Ransom
River City Ransom, released as in Japan and as Street Gangs in PAL regions, is a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It was developed by Technōs Japan and originally released in Japan on April 25, 1989. It is the third game in Technos' Kunio-kun series released for the console,...
(named Street Gangs in Europe) featured elements of both the beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
and action RPG genres, combining brawler combat with many RPG elements, including an inventory, buying and selling items, learning new abilities and skills, needing to listen for clues, searching to find all the bosses, shopping in the malls, buying items to heal, and increasing stats. Also in 1989, the early enhanced remake Ys I & II
Ys I & II
is a Japanese computer role-playing game compilation consisting of enhanced remakes of the first two Ys games, released for the PC Engine CD-ROM by Nihon Falcom and Hudson Soft in 1989...
was one of the first video games to use CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
, which was utilized to provide enhanced graphics, animated cut scenes, a Red Book CD
Red Book (audio CD standard)
Red Book is the standard for audio CDs . It is named after one of the Rainbow Books, a series of books that contain the technical specifications for all CD and CD-ROM formats.The first edition of the Red Book was released in 1980 by Philips and Sony; it was adopted by the Digital Audio Disc...
soundtrack, and voice acting. Its English localization
Language localisation
Language localisationThe spelling "localization", a variant of "localisation", is the preferred spelling in the US and Canada. is the second phase of a larger process of product translation and cultural adaptation to account for...
was also one of the first to use voice dubbing
Dub localization
Dub localization, also often simply referred to as localization, which is a form of a voice-over. It is the practice of voice-over translation altering a foreign language film, art film or television series by voice actors to further adapt the material for a "local" audience.Dub localization is a...
. The game received the Game of the Year
Game of the Year
Game of the Year is a title awarded by various magazines, websites, and shows to a deserving game. Many are only for PC or console video games...
award from OMNI Magazine in 1990, as well as many other prizes.
Early–mid 1990s
19901990 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*February 12 — Nintendo releases the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America...
would see the release of Crystalis
Crystalis
Crystalis, known in Japan as , is an action RPG/action-adventure video game produced by SNK for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released on April 13, 1990 in Japan and later that July in the United States. Though Crystalis never became a runaway hit, it is now considered a cult classic...
for the NES
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
as well as Golden Axe Warrior
Golden Axe Warrior
is an action-adventure spin-off of the popular Golden Axe video game series. The game was released on the Sega Master System in 1991. The game follows a young warrior who tries to avenge the death of his parents by exploring ten labyrinths, collecting nine missing crystals, and battling with Death...
for the Sega Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
. These games featured Zelda-like gameplay blended with genuine RPG elements, such as experience points, statistics-based equipment, and a magic-casting
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
system. Crystalis also featured a post-apocalyptic
Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction
Apocalyptic fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of civilization due to a potentially existential catastrophe such as nuclear warfare, pandemic, extraterrestrial attack, impact event, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics, supernatural...
setting inspired by Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, and Crystalis in turn influenced Secret of Mana. Data East
Data East
also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, when it declared bankruptcy...
's Gate of Doom was an arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
action RPG that combined beat 'em up fighting game
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
play with fantasy role-playing and introduced an isometric perspective. That same year, Enix
Enix
The was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
released a unique biological simulation action RPG by Almanic
Givro
was a Japanese video game development company founded in 1989 in Tokyo, Japan by former employees of Technos Japan. The company was originally established under the name , which it operated under for five years before changing its corporate name in 1995...
that revolved around the theme of evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, 46 Okunen Monogatari, a revised version of which was released in 1992 as E.V.O.: Search for Eden
E.V.O.: Search for Eden
E.V.O.: Search for Eden, originally released in Japan as , is a side-scrolling action role-playing video game developed by Almanic Corporation and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1992 for Japanese audiences, the game was later translated and released in...
.
In 1991
1991 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Microprose creates Civilization, Sid Meier's most successful game .*Electronic Arts releases James Pond 2 and Road Rash for Sega Genesis/Mega Drive, starting a series of games that were popular in the 1990s....
, Square
Square (company)
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
released Seiken Densetsu
Final Fantasy Adventure
Final Fantasy Adventure, known as Mystic Quest in Europe and as in Japan, is a Final Fantasy spinoff and the first game in the Mana series. Published by Square in 1991 on the original Game Boy, it later saw a North American re-release by Sunsoft in April 1998...
, also known as Final Fantasy Adventure or Sword of Mana
Sword of Mana
is an enhanced remake of the original Game Boy game Seiken Densetsu, which was released as Final Fantasy Adventure in North America and Mystic Quest in Europe. This remake was released on the Game Boy Advance in 2003.-Gameplay:...
in the West, for the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
. Like Crystallis, the action in Seiken Densetsu bore a strong resemblance to that of Zelda, but added more RPG elements. It was one of the first action RPGs to allow players to kill townspeople, though later Mana games lack this feature. That same year, the erotic
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
adult
Adult video game
An adult video game is a video game which has significant sexual content , and are therefore intended for an adult audience. Adult games can fall into many genres and have diverse gameplay.-PC and console:...
RPG Dragon Knight III
Knights of Xentar
Knights of Xentar is an eroge role-playing video game released for PC DOS in North America in 1995 by Megatech Software. It is also known as Dragon Knight III in Japan and is part of the Dragon Knight series of games created by Japanese game developer ELF, who originally released the game for the...
, released for the PC-8801 and as Knights of Xentar for MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, introduced a unique pausable real-time battle system, where characters automatically attack based on a list of different AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
scripts, though this meant the player had no control over the characters during battle other than to give commands for spells, item use, and AI routines. Arcus Odyssey
Arcus Odyssey
Arcus Odyssey is an action role-playing game video game developed by Wolf Team. The game was released in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Sharp X68000 and Super Famicom...
by Wolf Team (now Namco Tales Studio
Namco Tales Studio
, formerly , was a Japanese video game development company founded in 1986. The company was renamed in 2003 when Telenet Japan sold part of its stake and made Namco the majority shareholder. Namco Tales Studio continues to be the primary developer of the Tales RPG series, as they had been since the...
) was an action RPG that featured an isometric perspective and co-operative multiplayer gameplay. In 1992, Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
released the Climax Entertainment
Climax Entertainment
Climax Entertainment is a Japanese video game development company. Climax got its start during the 16-bit era, primarily developing games for the Mega Drive console...
game Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole, an early isometric RPG that combined the gameplay of an open-world action RPG with an isometric platformer, alongside an emphasis on varied puzzle-solving as well as strong characterization and humorous conversations.
In 1993, the second Seiken Densetsu game, Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana is an action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed and published by Square in 1993. The game was re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in 2008, and was ported to Japanese mobile phones in 2009...
, received considerable acclaim, for its innovative pausable real-time action battle system, modified Active Time Battle meter adapted for real-time action, the "Ring Command" menu system where a variety of actions can be performed without needing to switch screens, its innovative cooperative
Cooperative gameplay
Cooperative gameplay is a feature in video games that allows players to work together as teammates. It is distinct from other multiplayer modes, such as competitive multiplayer modes like player versus player or deathmatch...
multiplayer gameplay, where the second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time rather than players having to join the game at the same time, and the customizable AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
settings for computer-controlled allies. The game has remained influential through to the present day, with its ring menu system still used in modern games (such as The Temple of Elemental Evil) and its cooperative multiplayer mentioned as an influence on games as recent as the upcoming Dungeon Siege III
Dungeon Siege III
Dungeon Siege III is an action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows. Chris Taylor, the original creator of Dungeon Siege, served as an advisor during the development of the game...
. Other action RPGs at the time combined the puzzle-oriented action-adventure gameplay style of the Zelda series with RPG elements. Examples include Illusion of Gaia
Illusion of Gaia
, known in Europe as Illusion of Time, is an action role-playing game that was released on September 1, 1994, for the Super NES . It was developed by Quintet. Enix published the game in Japan, and Nintendo published it worldwide...
(1993) and its successor Terranigma
Terranigma
Terranigma, known as in Japan, is a 1995 action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Quintet. It was published by Enix in Japan before Nintendo localized the game and released an English version in Europe and Australia. The game was never officially released...
(1995), as well as Alundra
Alundra
, released in Europe as The Adventures of Alundra, is an action-adventure game developed by Matrix Software for the Sony PlayStation and was released in 1997. It was published by Sony in Japan, Working Designs in North America, and Psygnosis in Europe. It won great critical acclaim for its bizarre...
(1997), a spiritual successor to LandStalker.
Unique among video games are arcade hack and slash
Hack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
RPGs that blend together beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
and RPG characteristics. An early example was Alpha Denshi's 1990 game Crossed Swords
Crossed Swords (video game)
Crossed Swords is a hack & slash action RPG arcade game developed by Alpha Denshi and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade system in 1990 and Neo Geo console in 1991...
, which combined the first-person brawler gameplay of The Super Spy
The Super Spy
Super Spy is an early SNK game, made in 1990 for the Neo Geo. It is a first-person shooter and beat 'em up game in which players move through the many floors of an office building shooting terrorists. It was an early example of a first-person shooter where the player character's arms and weapons...
(released the same year) with RPG elements, while replacing the shooting with hack & slash combat. Most other such games, however, used a side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
perspective typical of beat 'em ups, such as Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
's Knights of the Round (1991), King of Dragons (1991), Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom
Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom is the first of two arcade games created by Capcom and based on the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The game was also released on the Sega Saturn, packaged with its sequel, Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara, under the title Dungeons & Dragons...
(1993) and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara
Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara is an arcade game developed and published by Capcom in 1996 as a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom. It was also released on the Sega Saturn, packaged with Tower of Doom, under the title Dungeons & Dragons Collection. The game is set in the Dungeons...
(1996); these games were released for the arcades
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
and later released for the Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
together as the Dungeons & Dragons Collection
Dungeons & Dragons Collection
Dungeons & Dragons Collection is a 2-disc compilation of the previously released arcade games Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom and Dungeons & Dragons: Shadow over Mystara. It was released in Japan on March 4, 1999 on the Sega Saturn....
(1999). Several other beat 'em ups followed a similar hack & slash brawler-RPG formula, including Guardian Heroes
Guardian Heroes
is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up and hack & slash action RPG video game in the vein of Final Fight or Golden Axe. The game features RPG elements. Guardian Heroes was developed by Treasure and released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn video game console...
, Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers
Castle Crashers is a beat 'em up console video game independently developed by The Behemoth and published by Microsoft Game Studios. It features music created by members of Newgrounds. The Xbox 360 version was released on August 27, 2008 via Xbox Live Arcade as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade...
, Dungeon & Fighter
Dungeon & Fighter
Dungeon Fighter Online is a multiplayer PC beat 'em up video game developed by Neople, originally published by Hangame and currently published by Nexon. The game was originally released in Korea as Dungeon & Fighter and in Japan as . Closed Beta for an English version of the game ran from July 28,...
, and the Princess Crown
Princess Crown
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Atlus for the Sega Saturn video game console exclusively in Japan in 1997. Some of the team members involved in the project would later form the game development company Vanillaware....
series (including Odin Sphere
Odin Sphere
is a 2D fantasy action RPG video game. Developed by Vanillaware and localized and published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2007, it tells the interlocking stories of five different protagonists. Odin Sphere is considered a spiritual successor to an Atlus game titled Princess Crown and takes some...
and Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Muramasa: The Demon Blade, known in Japan as is an action role playing game developed by Vanillaware and published by Marvelous Entertainment in Japan, Rising Star Games in Europe, and Ignition Entertainment in North America for the Wii...
).
Late 1990s–present
On the Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, Tales of Phantasia
Tales of Phantasia
is a Super Nintendo game in the RPG genre published by Namco and released in Japan in 1995, selling 212,000 copies. It is the first mothership title in the Tales RPG series and was later remade/re-released on the PlayStation, Game Boy Advance and PlayStation Portable...
was released in Japan in 1995, featuring a real-time side-scrolling combat mode and an exploration mode similar to classic console RPGs. In 1996, Star Ocean
Star Ocean (video game)
is the first game in the Star Ocean series developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix, made for the Super Famicom and released in 1996. It is also the first game that was developed by tri-Ace. It was never released outside of Japan due to the closing of Enix's American division, Enix America...
was released with similar real-time combat and classic exploration, but featured a more isometric view during battle. Star Ocean also introduced a "private actions" system, where the player can affect the relationships between characters, which in turn affects the storyline and leads to multiple endings
Multiple endings
Multiple endings refer to a case in entertainment where the story could end in different ways, described as an alternate ending.-Literature:...
, a feature that the Star Ocean series
Star Ocean
is a franchise of action role-playing video games developed by tri-Ace and published and owned by Square Enix .-Creation and influence:...
has become known for. Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
and Enix
Enix
The was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
did not publish these two titles in America, though many of their sequels were later released in the U.S., beginning with Tales of Destiny
Tales of Destiny
is a video game in the RPG genre published for the PlayStation console by Namco on December 23, 1997 in Japan, selling 1,139,000 copies. Tales of Destiny's characteristic genre name is...
and Star Ocean: The Second Story
Star Ocean: The Second Story
is a action role-playing PlayStation video game developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix. It is the second game in the Star Ocean series and the first game in the series to be released in North America and Europe , courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment...
, respectively.
The fifth generation era of consoles saw a number of other popular action RPGs, such as King's Field
King's Field (series)
King's Field is a console role-playing game series developed by From Software and localized into English by ASCII Entertainment . It is known for its brooding atmosphere and cryptic, labyrinthine dungeons...
, Brave Fencer Musashi
Brave Fencer Musashi
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 1998 for the Sony PlayStation. The game involves real-time combat in a 3D environment, and features voice overs for most dialogue. Brave Fencer Musashi was scored by Tsuyoshi Sekito, a former Konami employee...
, The Legend of Oasis, Tail of the Sun
Tail of the Sun
is a 3D action and role-playing game developed by Artdink and released on the PlayStation.The player's ultimate objective is to build a tower of mammoth tusks that reaches the sun...
, Dragon Valor
Dragon Valor
Dragon Valor is a video game created by Namco for the Sony PlayStation and released on December 2, 1999. It is an action role-playing game containing platform and hack and slash elements...
, and Tales of Eternia
Tales of Eternia
is a Japanese PlayStation action role-playing video game released by Namco on November 30, 2000, selling 873,000 copies and later ported to the PlayStation Portable on March 3, 2005, selling 398,000 copies. Tales of Eternia's characteristic genre name is...
. All consoles of the sixth generation era had a number of action RPGs, such as Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Online
Phantasy Star Online is an online multiplayer action RPG title, originally released for the Dreamcast in 2000, bundled with a demo of Sonic Adventure 2. Another edition, entitled Phantasy Star Online ver.2, was released for Dreamcast the following year...
, Dark Cloud
Dark Cloud
is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment in 2000 and 2001 in Japan and American/PAL regions respectively. The gameplay of Dark Cloud combines action role-playing with elements of city-building...
& Dark Chronicle
Dark Chronicle
Dark Chronicle , released as Dark Cloud 2 in North America, is a role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 video game console...
, Sudeki
Sudeki
Sudeki is an action role-playing game which was first released on the Xbox exclusively and ported later for Microsoft Windows.The game was developed by UK based Climax Group. The PC porting was done as well by Climax and published by Zoo Digital Publishing. The producer of the game was Mark Simmons...
, King's Field IV
King's Field IV
King's Field IV is the fourth game in the King's Field RPG series...
& Shadow Tower Abyss
Shadow Tower Abyss
is a dark fantasy role-playing video game, developed and published by From Software in Japan for the PlayStation 2. The game is a sequel to Shadow Tower, and features a number of genre and mechanical elements that can also be found in Demon's Souls and the King's Field series. Shadow Tower Abyss...
, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance is an action role-playing game developed by Snowblind Studios for the PlayStation 2; later released for the Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Game Boy Advance. It was re-released on the PlayStation 2 as a Greatest Hits title...
, Champions of Norrath
Champions of Norrath
Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest is an online-capable action role-playing game for the PlayStation 2, set in the EverQuest universe. It is playable with one single player or cooperative for up to four players. However, with a Network Adapter, players can take the game online with others...
, Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square in 2002 for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The first game in the Kingdom Hearts series, it is the result of a collaboration between Square Enix and The Walt Disney Company. The game combines characters and settings from Disney...
, Chaos Legion
Chaos Legion
is a third-person hack and slash video game developed and published by Capcom. The video game is based on Tow Ubukata's novel of the same name.The story of Chaos Legion is a gothic opera which begins November, 791 A.S. :...
, "Super Paper Mario
Super Paper Mario
is a platform style console role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo. Originally developed for the Nintendo GameCube, it was released for the Wii in 2007. The style of gameplay is a combination of the previous Paper Mario titles and Super Mario Bros. titles...
", .hack
.hack (video game series)
.hack is a series of single-player action role-playing games for the , developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai. The four games are titled .hack//Infection, .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine...
, Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter
Monster Hunter is an action game for the PlayStation 2. The game was developed and published by Capcom. Monster Hunter was released in North America on September 21, 2004...
, World of Mana, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles (series)
is a series of video games by Square Enix. Created by Akitoshi Kawazu, the Crystal Chronicles series is a spin-off series of the Final Fantasy media franchise, and has so far only appeared on Nintendo consoles.- Titles :...
& Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. First released in 2007, the game is a prequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII and is also the sixth installment in metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII which includes products related to the game...
, Rogue Galaxy
Rogue Galaxy
is a science fiction role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and SCE Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was first released in Japan on December 8, 2005, and later in North America on January 30, 2007...
, Odin Sphere
Odin Sphere
is a 2D fantasy action RPG video game. Developed by Vanillaware and localized and published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2007, it tells the interlocking stories of five different protagonists. Odin Sphere is considered a spiritual successor to an Atlus game titled Princess Crown and takes some...
, and several Tales games such as Symphonia
Tales of Symphonia
is a video game first released for the Nintendo GameCube and later for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. It debuted in Japan on August 29, 2003, selling 953,000 copies, in Canada and the United States on July 13, 2004, and in Europe on November 19, 2004. The game received a Japanese-only PlayStation 2...
.
First-person dungeon crawl
The great majority of first-personFirst person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
computer games up until the late 1980s were turn-based, though a few had attempted to incorporated real-time elements, such as Dungeons of Daggorath and the 1985 game Alterate Reality: The City. Most first-person computer RPGs at the time, used turn-based movement
Roguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
, where if the party didn't move, neither did the enemies, though The Bard's Tale in 1985 attempted to generate random encounter
Random encounter
A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby encounters with non-player character enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random...
s when the player is away from the keyboard to give the impression that monsters weren't just waiting for players to stumble across them. However, such tricks were no substitute for a real-time world where monsters and other characters move about independently and autonomously of the player. This changed in late 1987
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
, when FTL Games
FTL Games
FTL Games was the video game development division of Software Heaven Inc. FTL created several popular video games in the 1980s and early 1990s. Despite the company's small size, FTL products were consistently number-one sellers and received the highest critical acclaim and industry awards.FTL was...
released Dungeon Master, a critically acclaimed dungeon crawler where the game world and combat was in real-time, requiring players to quickly issue orders to the characters, setting the standard for real-time first-person computer RPGs for the next several years. Dungeon Master achieved the number-one sales rank in both the U.S. and Japan, where it was released in 1990
1990 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*February 12 — Nintendo releases the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America...
. Other real-time first-person RPGs in the style of Dungeon Master include SSI
Strategic Simulations, Inc.
Strategic Simulations, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher with over 100 titles to its credit since its founding in 1979. It was especially noted for its numerous wargames, its official computer game adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons, and for the groundbreaking Panzer General...
's Eye of the Beholder (1990) and Raven Software
Raven Software
Raven Software is an American video game developer. The company was founded in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel. In 1997, Raven made an exclusive publishing deal with Activision and was subsequently acquired by them...
's Black Crypt
Black Crypt
Black Crypt is a computer role-playing game. It was Raven Software's debut title, and was published by Electronic Arts in 1992. Its 3D realtime style is similar to FTL Games' popular Dungeon Master, where the player leads a party of four heroes through a large dungeon to ultimately confront and...
(1992).
As a revolutionary step, Arsys Software released Star Cruiser for the NEC PC-8801
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
computer in early 1988. This innovative game is notable for being a very early example of an action RPG with fully 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
polygonal
Polygon (computer graphics)
Polygons are used in computer graphics to compose images that are three-dimensional in appearance. Usually triangular, polygons arise when an object's surface is modeled, vertices are selected, and the object is rendered in a wire frame model. This is quicker to display than a shaded model; thus...
graphics, combined with first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
gameplay. It was later ported to the Sega Mega Drive in 1990. That same year, Alpha Denshi's Crossed Swords
Crossed Swords (video game)
Crossed Swords is a hack & slash action RPG arcade game developed by Alpha Denshi and published by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade system in 1990 and Neo Geo console in 1991...
for the arcades
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
combined the first-person beat 'em up
Beat 'em up
Beat 'em up is a video game genre featuring melee combat between the protagonist and a large number of underpowered antagonists. These games typically take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical or fantasy themes...
gameplay of SNK
SNK
SNK is a former name of SNK Playmore, a Japanese video game company . This may also refer to:* SNK European Democrats* SNK Union of Independents* Southeast Airlines ICAO code...
's The Super Spy
The Super Spy
Super Spy is an early SNK game, made in 1990 for the Neo Geo. It is a first-person shooter and beat 'em up game in which players move through the many floors of an office building shooting terrorists. It was an early example of a first-person shooter where the player character's arms and weapons...
(released the same year) with RPG elements, while replacing the first-person shooting with hack & slash combat. In 1992
1992 in video gaming
-Events:-Notable releases:* Gremlin Graphics releases Zool, Amiga's answer to Mario and Sonic. It goes on to become the best selling Commodore Amiga game, boosting the already popular computer to be the leading gaming machine in Europe....
, Blue Sky Productions
Looking Glass Studios
Looking Glass Studios was a computer game development company during the 1990s.The company originally formed as Looking Glass Technologies, when Blue Sky Productions and Lerner Research merged....
released Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss
Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss is a first-person role-playing video game developed by Blue Sky Productions and published by Origin Systems...
, which was considered a technological marvel for its 3D first-person ray casting
Ray casting
Ray casting is the use of ray-surface intersection tests to solve a variety of problems in computer graphics. It enables spatial selections of objects in ascene by providing users a virtual beam as a visual cue extending...
graphics combined with real-time action and a surprisingly deep role-playing experience. One of the game's developers, Warren Spector
Warren Spector
Warren Spector is a role-playing game designer and a video game designer. He is known for having worked to merge elements of role-playing games and first-person shooters. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife, fantasy writer Caroline L. Spector...
, would go on to help develop more games combining first-person action and RPG gameplay, such as System Shock
System Shock
System Shock is a first-person action-adventure video game developed by Looking Glass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. Released in 1994, the game is set aboard the fictional Citadel Station in a cyberpunk vision of 2072...
and Deus Ex
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000, which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of role-playing video games...
.
Other first-person RPGs in the style of Ultima Underworld include Shadowcaster
Shadowcaster
ShadowCaster is a first-person/role-playing computer game from 1993 developed by Raven Software. It was released by Origin Systems after Electronic Arts acquired them...
by Raven Software
Raven Software
Raven Software is an American video game developer. The company was founded in 1990 by brothers Brian and Steve Raffel. In 1997, Raven made an exclusive publishing deal with Activision and was subsequently acquired by them...
and id Software
Id Software
Id Software is an American video game development company with its headquarters in Richardson, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by four members of the computer company Softdisk: programmers John Carmack and John Romero, game designer Tom Hall, and artist Adrian Carmack...
in 1993 created with an early version of the Doom engine
Doom engine
The Doom engine is the game engine that powers the id Software games Doom and Doom II. It is also used by HeXen, Heretic, Strife, Freedoom, and HacX, and other games produced by licensees. It was created by John Carmack, with auxiliary functions written by Mike Abrash, John Romero, Dave Taylor and...
, The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls
The Elder Scrolls is a role-playing video game series developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks.-History:...
series and Fallout 3
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
by Bethesda
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines by Troika Games
Troika Games
Troika Games was a video game developer created by the key people behind the first of the critically acclaimed Fallout series of games. The company was focused on role-playing video games between 1998 and 2005, best known for Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura and Vampire: The Masquerade –...
, Baroque
Baroque (video game)
Baroque is a console role-playing game developed by Sting Entertainment and published by Atlus in the United States, originally developed for the Sega Saturn and later ported to the PlayStation. It was later remade by Sting, where it was to be a planned exclusive for Japan...
by Sting Entertainment and Hellgate: London
Hellgate: London
Hellgate: London is a dark fantasy themed action role-playing game originally developed by Flagship Studios, released on October 31, 2007. It was developed by a team headed by former Blizzard Entertainment employees, some of whom had overseen the creation of the Diablo series...
by Flagship Studios
Flagship Studios
Flagship Studios was a computer game company founded by Bill Roper along with Max Schaefer, Erich Schaefer, and David Brevik, the original developers of Diablo and former high level Blizzard North executives...
which was formed from Blizzard North
Blizzard North
Blizzard North was the Bay Area division of Blizzard Entertainment, known for the Diablo series. The studio was originally based in Redwood City, and then moved a short distance away to San Mateo, with Blizzard proper being based in Irvine .-History:Blizzard North was originally an independent...
executives and developers responsible for the Diablo
Diablo (series)
Diablo is an action role-playing game franchise owned and produced by Blizzard Entertainment. , the series has sold over 18.5 million copies worldwide.-Story:...
franchise (also supports third-person view). From Software
From Software
is a Japanese video game company founded in November 1986 known primarily for being the developers of the Armored Core, Demon's Souls, King's Field, Otogi and Tenchu series.-Games:...
's King's Field
King's Field (series)
King's Field is a console role-playing game series developed by From Software and localized into English by ASCII Entertainment . It is known for its brooding atmosphere and cryptic, labyrinthine dungeons...
series of dungeon-crawler action RPGs for consoles had been using a fully 3D polygonal first-person perspective from 1994 to 2001, though the series' 2009 spiritual successor Demon's Souls
Demon's Souls
is an action role-playing game video game developed primarily by From Software exclusively for the PlayStation 3. It was released in Japan on February 5, 2009 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment...
had adopted a third-person view instead.
Point and click
Action RPGs were far more common on consoles rather than computers, due to gamepadGamepad
A gamepad , is a type of game controller held in two hands, where the digits are used to provide input. Gamepads generally feature a set of action buttons handled with the right thumb and a direction controller handled with the left...
s being better suited to real-time action than the keyboard and mouse. Though there have been attempts at creating action-oriented computer RPGs during the late 1980s and early 1990s, often in the vein of Zelda, very few saw any success, with Times of Lore
Times of Lore
Times of Lore is an action role-playing game with a detailed world. It was released for several platforms, including PC, Commodore 64/128, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad, Atari ST, Apple II, NES, and Amiga.-Description:...
(1988) and Ultima VII
Ultima VII
Ultima VII: The Black Gate is the seventh installment of the Ultima series of computer role-playing games. It was released in 1992.The Black Gate was critically and commercially successful, being widely lauded as a high point in the series and as one of the best isometric RPGs ever created...
(1992) being some of the more successful attempts in the American computer market. An early attempt at incorporating a point-and-click
Point-and-click
Point-and-click is the action of a computer user moving a cursor to a certain location on a screen and then pressing a mouse button, usually the left button , or other pointing device...
interface in a real-time overhead action RPG was Silver Ghost, a 1988 NEC PC-8801
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
game by Kure Software Koubou
Kure Software Koubou
Kure Software Koubou , or KSK, is a Japanese game development company founded in 1985 that creates games for many platforms, but focusing mostly on home computers...
. It was a tactical action RPG
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
where characters could be controlled using a cursor. A similar game released by Kure Software Koubou that same year was First Queen
First Queen
is a real-time strategy-action RPG video game developed by Kure Software Koubou. It was first released on the Sharp X68000 and NEC PC-9801 computer platforms in Japan in 1988, and then subsequently released on the Super Famicom as First Queen: Ornic Senki in 1994 and Microsoft Windows as First...
, a unique hybrid between a real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
, action RPG, and strategy RPG. Like an RPG, the player can explore the world, purchase items, and level up, and like a strategy video game
Strategy video game
Strategy video games is a video game genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical, and sometimes logistical challenges. Many games also offer economic challenges and exploration...
, it focuses on recruiting soldiers and fighting against large armies rather than small parties. The game's "Gochyakyara" ("Multiple Characters") system let the player control one character at a time while the others are controlled by computer AI
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
that follow the leader, and where battles are large-scale with characters sometimes filling an entire screen. Another early overhead action RPG to use mouse controls was Nihon Falcom's 1991 game Brandish
Brandish
Brandish is a dungeon crawler and top-down view action RPG and adventure hybrid series developed by Nihon Falcom. Originally released in 1991 for the NEC PC-9801 and FM Towns home computers, it was later released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and TurboGrafx-16...
, where the player could move forward, backward, turn, strafe and attack by clicking on boxes surrounding the player character
Player character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
.
The 1994 game Ultima VIII
Ultima VIII
Ultima VIII: Pagan is a video game, the eighth part of the computer role-playing game series Ultima. It was not as well-received as its predecessors, Ultima VII and Ultima VII Part Two: Serpent Isle...
also used mouse controls as well as attempting to add precision jumping sequences reminiscent of a Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
platform game
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
, though reactions to the game's mouse-based combat were mixed. It was not until 1996
1996 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*January 29 — Duke Nukem 3D, successor to the simple side-scrolling originals, and a genre-redefining title for first person shooters....
that a stagnant PC RPG market was revitalized by Blizzard's Diablo, an action RPG that used a point-and-click interface and offered gamers a free online
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
service to play with others that maintained the same rules and gameplay. However, there is some debate regarding whether or not real-time point-and-click games such as Diablo qualify as action RPGs due to their lack of direct control over the character, which some consider to be a defining aspect of action RPGs.
Diablo
MMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
s that came after. For many years afterwards, games that closely mimicked the Diablo formula were referred to as "Diablo clones." The definition of a Diablo clone is even vaguer than that of an action RPG, but typically such games have each player controlling a single character and have a strong focus on combat, with plot and character interaction kept to a minimum. In some examples, non-player characters have only one purpose—be it to buy or sell items or upgrade the player's abilities—or issue them with combat-centric quests. They also have few or no puzzles, with all problems instead having an action-based solution (such as breaking a wooden door open with an axe rather than having to find its key).
Blizzard later released a sequel, Diablo II
Diablo II
Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
in 2000, and it became an international sensation in America, Europe, and Asia. Diablo IIs effect on the gaming industry led to an even larger number of "clones" than its predecessor, inspiring games for almost a decade. Diablo III
Diablo III
Diablo III is an upcoming dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game in development by Blizzard, making it the third installment in the Diablo franchise...
is currently being developed. Some of the aforementioned Diablo clones are: the Sacred series, Titan Quest
Titan Quest
Titan Quest is an action RPG developed by Iron Lore Entertainment. It was released worldwide by THQ on June 26, 2006. The game was released on Steam, along with the expansion Titan Quest: Immortal Throne, on July 17, 2007...
, Dungeon Siege
Dungeon Siege
Dungeon Siege is a computer role-playing game developed by Gas Powered Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios. Chris Taylor showed Dungeon Siege years in production for the first time at E3 2000...
series, Loki: Heroes of Mythology, Legend: Hand of God, Fate, Torchlight
Torchlight
Torchlight is an action role-playing game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World, released for Windows in October 2009. The fantasy-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight and the expansive caverns and dungeons nearby, which adventurers explore to collect valuable...
, and Path of Exile
Path of Exile
Path of Exile is an upcoming online Action RPG set in a cut-throat fantasy world. It is developed by New Zealand based independent developer Grinding Gear Games and will be marketed as a digital download free-to-play game supported by "ethical microtransactions".- Gameplay :The player controls a...
.
Role-playing shooters
Role-playing shooters (often abbreviated RPS) are sometimes considered a sub-genre, featuring elements of both shooter gameShooter game
Shooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...
s and action RPGs. An early example was Magical Zoo's The Screamer, a 1985 post-apocalyptic sci-fi RPG released in Japan for the NEC PC-8801
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
computer, set after World War III
World War III
World War III denotes a successor to World War II that would be on a global scale, with common speculation that it would be likely nuclear and devastating in nature....
and revolving around cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
and biological horror themes. The gameplay switched between first-person dungeon crawl
Dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games in which heroes navigate a labyrinthine environment, battling various monsters, and looting any treasure they may find...
exploration and side-scrolling shooter combat, where the player could jump, duck and shoot at enemies in real-time. That same year, Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu
Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu
is an action RPG developed by Nihon Falcom in 1985 for the PC-8801, PC-9801, FM-7, MSX and X1 computers. Enhanced remakes were released for the Sega Saturn, PC-9801 and Windows systems...
allowed the player to shoot projectile magic attacks at enemies. The earliest to feature 3D polygonal graphics
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
was the 1986 game WiBArm, released by Arsys Software for the NEC PC-88
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
computer in Japan and ported to MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
for Western release by Brøderbund
Brøderbund
Brøderbund Software, Inc. was an American maker of computer games, educational software and The Print Shop productivity tools. It was best known as the original creator and publisher of the popular Carmen Sandiego games. The company was founded in Eugene, Oregon, but moved to San Rafael,...
. In WiBArm, the player controls a transformable mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
robot, switching between a 2D
2D computer graphics
2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
side-scrolling
Side-scrolling video game
A side-scrolling game or side-scroller is a video game in which the gameplay action is viewed from a side-view camera angle, and the onscreen characters generally move from the left side of the screen to the right. These games make use of scrolling computer display technology...
view during outdoor exploration to a fully 3D polygonal third-person perspective inside buildings, while bosses are fought in an arena-style 2D shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up
Shoot 'em up is a subgenre of shooter video games. In a shoot 'em up, the player controls a lone character, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks. The genre in turn encompasses various types or subgenres and critics differ on exactly what...
battle. The game featured a variety of weapons and equipment as well as an automap, and the player could upgrade equipment and earn experience to raise stats. In contrast to first-person RPGs at the time that were restricted to 90-degree movements, WiBArm's use of 3D polygons allowed full 360-degree movement.
In 1987, Shiryou Sensen: War of the Dead, an MSX2
MSX2
MSX2 may refer to:* Msh homeobox 2, a human gene* The second generation of the MSX home computers...
title developed by Fun Factory and published by Victor Music Industries
Victor Entertainment
is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
, was the first true survival horror RPG. Designed by Katsuya Iwamoto, the game revolved around a female SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
member Lila rescuing survivors in an isolated monster-infested town and bringing them to safety in a church. It was open-ended
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
like Dragon Quest
Dragon Quest
, published as Dragon Warrior in North America until 2005,Due to the inconsistent usage by sources since Square Enix obtained the naming rights to Dragon Quest in North America. Dragon Quest has been used by sources to refer to games released solely under the Dragon Warrior titles...
and had real-time side-view battles like Zelda II
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, released as in Japan and often mistakenly called The Adventures of Link, is an action role-playing video game with platforming elements. The second installment in The Legend of Zelda series, it was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment...
. Unlike other RPGs at the time, however, the game had a dark and creepy atmosphere expressed through the story, graphics, and music, while the gameplay used shooter-based combat and gave limited ammunition for each weapon, forcing the player to search for ammo and often run away from monsters in order to conserve ammo.
In 1988, The Scheme, released by Bothtec
Quest Corporation
was a Japanese video game company founded in 1988. They were originally known as Bothtec, which had developed The Scheme, a Metroidvania-style open world action role-playing game featuring music by Yuzo Koshiro, that same year....
for the PC-8801
NEC PC-8801
The NEC PC-8801 was an early Zilog Z80-based computer exclusively released in Japan, where it became very popular, by NEC Corporation in 1981. It was informally called the "PC-88"....
, was an action RPG with a similar side-scrolling open-world
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
gameplay to Metroid
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
. Compile's The Guardian Legend
The Guardian Legend
The Guardian Legend, known in Japan as , is a hybrid action-adventure/shoot 'em up video game developed by Compile for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It is the sequel to the 1986 MSX game Guardic, and was published and released in Japan by Irem in 1988, in North America by Brøderbund in 1989,...
that year was a successful fusion of the action-adventure, shoot 'em up and role-playing game genres, later inspiring acclaimed titles such as Sigma Star Saga
Sigma Star Saga
Sigma Star Saga is a hybrid science fiction role-playing game -space-shooter for the Game Boy Advance. The player explores a standard 2-D overworld but is transported into space for side-scrolling shooter random battles...
in 2005. That same year, Arsys Software released Star Cruiser for the PC-88. This innovative game is notable for being a very early example of an RPG with fully 3D polygonal graphics, combined with first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
gameplay, which would occasionally switch to space flight simulator
Space flight simulator game
A space flight simulator game is a genre of simulation video games that lets players experience space flight. Highly realistic examples lacking any sort of combat include Orbiter and Microsoft Space Simulator...
gameplay when exploring outer space with six degrees of freedom
Six degrees of freedom
Six degrees of freedom refers to motion of a rigid body in three-dimensional space, namely the ability to move forward/backward, up/down, left/right combined with rotation about three perpendicular axes...
. All the backgrounds, objects and opponents in the game were rendered in 3D polygons, many years before they were widely adopted by the gaming industry. The game also emphasized storytelling, with plot twists and extensive character dialogues. It was later ported to the Sega Mega Drive in 1990. The game's sequel, Star Cruiser 2, was released in 1992, for the PC-9821 and FM Towns
FM Towns
The FM Towns system is a Japanese PC variant, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with regular PCs...
computers.
In 1990, Hideo Kojima
Hideo Kojima
is a Japanese game director originally employed at Konami. He is currently the director of Kojima Productions and was promoted to Vice President of Konami Digital Entertainment in early 2011...
's SD Snatcher
SD Snatcher
SD Snatcher is a role-playing video game by Konami for the MSX2 computer platform in exclusively in Japan. It is a spinoff of the original Snatcher, adapting the same storyline into a different genre...
, while turn-based, introduced an innovative first-person shooter-based battle system where firearm weapons (each with different abilities and target ranges) have limited ammunition and the player can aim at specific parts of the enemy's body with each part weakening the enemy in different ways. Such a battle system has rarely been used since, though similar battle systems based on targeting individual body parts can later be found in Square's Vagrant Story
Vagrant Story
is a Japanese-developed console role-playing game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. The game was released in 2000, and has been re-released through the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable consoles eleven years later...
(2000), a pausable real-time RPG that uses both melee and bow & arrow weapons, as well as Bethesda
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
's Fallout 3 (2008) and Nippon Ichi
Nippon Ichi
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. They are responsible for such titles as Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: Tactics and Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure.-History:Nippon Ichi Software was founded in September 1991 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, as an entertainment...
's Last Rebellion
Last Rebellion
Last Rebellion is a console role-playing video game developed by Nippon Ichi Software and Hit Maker and published by Nippon Ichi Software in Japan as well as in North America and Tecmo Koei in Europe exclusively for the PlayStation 3...
(2010). In 1996, Night Slave
Night Slave
Night Slave is an eroge run & gun role-playing shooter game released in 1996 for the NEC PC-98 computer.-Gameplay:The game's design and gameplay draws inspiration from the Assault Suits series, particularly Assault Suits Valken , as well as the Gradius series...
was a shooter RPG released for the PC-98 that combined the side-scrolling shooter gameplay of Assault Suits Valken
Cybernator
Cybernator - known in Japan as - is a run and gun game released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the indirect prequel to Target Earth as part of the Assault Suits series by NCS Corp. The game was localized and published overseas by Konami. A remake of Cybernator was...
and Gradius
Gradius
The Gradius games, first introduced in 1985, make up a series of scrolling shooter video games published by Konami for a variety of portable, console and arcade platforms. In many games in the series, the player controls a ship known as the Vic Viper...
, including an armaments system that employs recoil physics
Game physics
Computer animation physics or game physics involves the introduction of the laws of physics into a simulation or game engine, particularly in 3D computer graphics, for the purpose of making the effects appear more real to the observer...
, with many RPG elements such as permanently levelling up the mecha
Mecha
A mech , is a science fiction term for a large walking bipedal tank or robot, including ones on treads and animal shapes.-Characteristics:...
and various weapons using power-orbs obtained from defeating enemies as well as storyline cut scenes, which occasionally contain erotic
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
lesbian adult content
Adult video game
An adult video game is a video game which has significant sexual content , and are therefore intended for an adult audience. Adult games can fall into many genres and have diverse gameplay.-PC and console:...
.
Other early shooter-based action RPGs include the Parasite Eve series of survival horror RPGs (1998 onwards) by Square (now Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
), the Deus Ex
Deus Ex
Deus Ex is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive in 2000, which combines gameplay elements of first-person shooters with those of role-playing video games...
series (2000 onwards) by Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive
Eidos Interactive Ltd. is a British video game publisher and is a label of Square Enix Europe. As an independent company Eidos plc was headquartered in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
(now Square Enix Europe), Ancient
Ancient (company)
Ancient Corp. is a video game developer founded on April 1st, 1990, and managed by the game music composer Yuzo Koshiro. The company was founded by his mother, Tomo Koshiro, while his sister Ayano Koshiro also works at the company as an art/character/graphic designer...
's vehicular combat
Vehicular combat game
Vehicular combat games are typically video or computer games where the primary focus of play concerns automobiles or other vehicles, normally armed with guns or other weaponry, attempting to destroy vehicles controlled by the CPU or by opposing players...
RPG Car Battler Joe
Car Battler Joe
is a car battling video game for the Game Boy Advance, developed by Ancient and published by Natsume. The game involves using cars to fight opponents in action-styled battles, with RPG game mechanics...
(2002), Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
's solar-powered stealth-based Boktai
Boktai
Boktai is a video game series developed by Konami for the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS handheld consoles. The title is an abbreviation of the series' full Japanese title Bokura no Taiyō or Our Sun. They are recognized for using a solar sensor that is a key element of gameplay...
series (2003 onwards), Irem's Steambot Chronicles
Steambot Chronicles
Steambot Chronicles, known in Japan as is a action-adventure game developed and published by Irem Software Engineering in Japan for the PlayStation 2. It was later published by Atlus in North America and 505 Games in PAL regions...
(2005), Square Enix's third-person shooter
Third-person shooter
Third-person shooter is a genre of 3D action games in which the player character is visible on-screen, and the gameplay consists primarily of shooting.-Definition:...
RPG Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII
is an action role-playing third-person shooter video game developed and published by Square Enix in 2006 for the PlayStation 2. It is part of the Compilation of Final Fantasy VII metaseries, a multimedia collection set within the universe of the popular 1997 video game Final Fantasy VII...
(2006) which introduced an over-the-shoulder perspective similar to Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4
Resident Evil 4, known in Japan as , is a survival horror third-person shooter video game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by multiple publishers, including Capcom, Ubisoft, Nintendo Australia, Red Ant Enterprises and THQ Asia Pacific...
, and the MMO
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
vehicular combat game Auto Assault
Auto Assault
Auto Assault was a massively multiplayer online game , developed by NetDevil and published by NCsoft. It combined vehicular combat with role-playing elements, allowing the player to explore a post-apocalyptic future in customizable cars, motorcycles, semis, and tanks...
(2006) by NetDevil
NetDevil
NetDevil, owned by Gazillion Entertainment, was an American developer of massively multiplayer online role-playing games in Louisville, Colorado.- Beginnings :...
and NCsoft
NCsoft
NCsoft is a South Korea-based online video game company, which has published massively multiplayer online role-playing games including Lineage, City of Heroes, Wildstar, Exteel, Guild Wars and Aion.-History:...
. Other action RPGs featured both hack & slash and shooting elements, with the use of both guns (or in some cases, bow & arrow or aerial combat
Combat flight simulator
Combat flight simulators are video games used to simulate military aircraft and their operations...
) and melee
Mêlée
Melee , generally refers to disorganized close combat involving a group of fighters. A melee ensues when groups become locked together in combat with no regard to group tactics or fighting as an organized unit; each participant fights as an individual....
weapons, including the Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Devil Summoner
is a Japanese console role-playing game originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1995, and later re-released in a slightly-enhanced port for the PlayStation Portable in 2005. The game was never released in North America, though at one time a release of the Sega Saturn version was planned and...
series (1995 onwards) by Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
, tri-Ace
Tri-Ace
is a Japanese video game development company formed in 1995 by former Telenet Japan employees Yoshiharu Gotanda , Masaki Norimoto and Joe Asanuma . The name is a play on words regarding the "three aces" who formed the company...
's Star Ocean
Star Ocean
is a franchise of action role-playing video games developed by tri-Ace and published and owned by Square Enix .-Creation and influence:...
series (1996 onwards), Cavia's flight-based Drakengard
Drakengard
Drakengard, known in Japan as , is a PlayStation 2 action role-playing game developed by Cavia and published by Square Enix and Take-Two Interactive. It was released on September 11, 2003 in Japan, on March 5, 2004 in North America and on May 21, 2004 in PAL territories.The game was originally...
series (2003 to 2005), and Level-5
Level-5
is an independent video game developer and publisher based in Fukuoka, Japan. The company, which currently employs about 200 individuals, was founded in October 1998 by Akihiro Hino after he departed from the now defunct Japanese developer Riverhillsoft...
's Rogue Galaxy
Rogue Galaxy
is a science fiction role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and SCE Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was first released in Japan on December 8, 2005, and later in North America on January 30, 2007...
(2005).
Recent RPS games include the Mass Effect
Mass Effect (series)
Mass Effect is an award-winning, bestselling series of science fiction RPG third-person shooter video games developed by the Canadian company BioWare and released for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and, from the second installment, for the PlayStation 3...
series (2007 onwards), Fallout 3
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
(2008), and Borderlands
Borderlands (video game)
Borderlands is a science fiction based first-person shooter with RPG elements that was developed by Gearbox Software for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It was first revealed in the September 2007 issue of Game Informer magazine...
(2009). Borderlands is considered a role-playing shooter due to the heavy RPG elements within the game, such as quest-based gameplay and also its character traits and leveling system, for which its developer Gearbox software
Gearbox Software
Gearbox Software, LLC is an American video game development company based in Plano, Texas.-History:Gearbox Software was founded in January 1999 by five members of the content team from the defunct developer Rebel Boat Rocker: Randy Pitchford, Brian Martel, Stephen Bahl, Landon Montgomery, and Rob...
has dubbed it as a "role-playing shooter". Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
's Valkyria Chronicles
Valkyria Chronicles
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3. The game was released in 2008.The game is set in Europa, loosely based on Europe in 1935...
series (2008 onwards) features a unique blend of tactical role-playing game
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
, real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
and third-person tactical shooter
Tactical shooter
A tactical shooter is a subgenre of shooter game that includes both first-person shooters and third-person shooters. These games typically simulate realistic combat, thus making tactics and caution more important than quick reflexes in other action games...
elements (including a cover system
Cover system
A cover system is how a video game lets a virtual avatar avoid dangers usually in a three-dimensional world. This method is a digital adaptation of the real-life military tactic of taking cover to dodge enemy gunfire or explosives. Similar gameplay elements can be traced back to as early as 1986,...
), for which it has been described as "the missing link" between Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tactics
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It is the first game of the Final Fantasy Tactics series and was released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998...
and Full Spectrum Warrior
Full Spectrum Warrior
Full Spectrum Warrior is a real-time tactics videogame. It was developed by the Institute for Creative Technologies in association with Pandemic Studios and published by THQ. It was released on June 1, 2004 for the Xbox, September 21, 2004 for Windows and on March 23, 2005 for the PlayStation 2...
. Half-Minute Hero (2009) is an RPG shooter featuring self-referential humour and a 30-second time limit for each level and boss encounter. Other recent action role-playing games with shooter elements include the 2010 titles Resonance of Fate
Resonance of Fate
Resonance of Fate, known in Japan as , is a console role-playing game developed by tri-Ace and published by Sega for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released on January 28, 2010 in Japan, on March 16, 2010 in North America and on March 26, 2010 in Europe.-Gameplay:Resonance of Fate...
by tri-Ace, Xenoblade
Xenoblade
Xenoblade Chronicles, known in Japan as , is a role-playing video game published by Nintendo and developed by Monolith Soft for the Wii console. The game was announced during E3 2009, when a trailer was released to media...
by Monolith Soft
Monolith Soft
is a Japanese entertainment company that has created video games for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Wii, Nintendo DS, and cell phones. The company was founded in 1999 by producer Hirohide Sugiura after he left Square Co. and accepted an investment from Namco...
, Alpha Protocol
Alpha Protocol
Alpha Protocol is a third-person espionage role-playing video game, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, their first title for an original IP, and published by Sega. The game revolves around the adventures of field agent Michael Thorton...
by Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian Entertainment is an American video game developer founded in 2003 after the disestablishment of Interplay Productions' Black Isle Studios, for PC and console systems...
, and The Last Story
The Last Story
is an action role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and AQ Interactive, and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The game's name and logo have been noted to be very similar to the Final Fantasy series, which was created by Mistwalker's head, Hironobu Sakaguchi....
by Mistwalker
Mistwalker
is a Japanese video game development studio founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2004, with the financial backing of Microsoft. The logo and name were trademarked in 2001...
which uses crossbow
Crossbow
A crossbow is a weapon consisting of a bow mounted on a stock that shoots projectiles, often called bolts or quarrels. The medieval crossbow was called by many names, most of which derived from the word ballista, a torsion engine resembling a crossbow in appearance.Historically, crossbows played a...
s (instead of guns) in a manner similar to cover
Cover system
A cover system is how a video game lets a virtual avatar avoid dangers usually in a three-dimensional world. This method is a digital adaptation of the real-life military tactic of taking cover to dodge enemy gunfire or explosives. Similar gameplay elements can be traced back to as early as 1986,...
-based third-person shooters. Square Enix's 2010 release, The 3rd Birthday
The 3rd Birthday
is an action role-playing game develpoed HexaDrive and published by Square Enix. The game was made for the PlayStation Portable and marks the third entry in the Parasite Eve series...
, the third game in the Parasite Eve series, features a unique blend of action RPG, real-time tactical
Real-time tactics
Real-time tactics or RTT is a subgenre of tactical wargames played in real-time simulating the considerations and circumstances of operational warfare and military tactics...
RPG, survival horror and third-person tactical shooter elements. 2010 cult hit NIER
Nier
NIER or Nier can refer to:* National Institute Economic Review, a British economics journal* National Institute of Environmental Research, a national research center in Korea.* Alfred O. C. Nier , American physicist...
is a multi-genre action-RPG with a heavy emphasis on 2D and 3D Bullet hell game mechanics.
Upcoming shooter-based RPGs include Imageepoch
Imageepoch
is a Japanese video game developer based out of Tokyo, Japan. The company, which currently employs about 120 individuals, was founded in December 2005 by Ryoei Mikage. Imageepoch's first release was the turn-based strategy RPG on Nintendo DS, Luminous Arc. Since then the company has expanded into...
's post-apocapytic Black Rock Shooter
Black Rock Shooter
is a 2010 Japanese original video animation produced by Yutaka Yamamoto's studio Ordet, written by Nagaru Tanigawa and Shinobu Yoshioka, and directed by Shinobu Yoshioka. The 50-minute OVA is based on the song of the same name by Supercell and its accompanying music video with illustrations by...
which employs first-person shooter elements, as well as third-person shooter elements, Square Enix's Final Fantasy Versus XIII
Final Fantasy Versus XIII
is an upcoming action role-playing game published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and currently being developed by the company's 1st Production Department. Alongside Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Final Fantasy Type-0, the game is a part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis Final...
which will feature both hack & slash and third-person shooter elements, and Final Fantasy Type-0 which plays similarly to the The 3rd Birthday but is not limited to shooting.
Choices and consequences
While most action RPGs focus on hack and slashHack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
while exploring a world (often an open world
Open world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
) and building character stats, some non-linear titles contain events or dialogue choices with consequences in the game world or storyline. The concept of moral consequences and alignments
Alignment (role-playing games)
In some role-playing games, alignment is a categorisation of the moral and ethical perspective of the player characters, non-player characters, monsters, and societies in the game....
can be seen in action RPGs as early as the 1985 releases Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu
Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu
is an action RPG developed by Nihon Falcom in 1985 for the PC-8801, PC-9801, FM-7, MSX and X1 computers. Enhanced remakes were released for the Sega Saturn, PC-9801 and Windows systems...
, with its Karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
system where the character's Karma meter will change depending on who he kills which in turn affects the way other NPCs
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
react to him, and Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness, where the player can be aligned with Justice, Normal, or Evil, depending on whether the player kills good/evil monsters or humans, leading to townsfolk ignoring players with an evil alignment. Cosmic Soldier: Psychic War
Cosmic Soldier (MSX)
is a role-playing video game for the MSX and NEC PC-8801, and is the first game in the Cosmic Soldier series. It was released in 1985 by Kogado Studio...
in 1987 featured a non-linear conversation system, where the player can recruit allies by talking to them, choose whether to kill or spare an enemy, and engage enemies in conversation, similar to Megami Tensei
Megami Tensei
, commonly abbreviated as , is a Japanese console role-playing game metaseries which was originally based on the novel series Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani and has gone to become one of the major franchises of the genre in its native country...
. One of the first action RPGs to feature multiple endings
Multiple endings
Multiple endings refer to a case in entertainment where the story could end in different ways, described as an alternate ending.-Literature:...
was Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
's 1987 release Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
Castlevania II: Simon's Quest, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure role-playing platform game produced by Konami. It was originally released for the Family Computer Disk System in Japan 1987 and for the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America in 1988. It is the second Castlevania...
, which introduced a day-night cycle that affects when certain NPCs appear in certain locations and offered three possible endings depending on the time it took to complete the game. In 1988, Ys II introduced the unique ability to transform into a monster, which allows the player to both scare human non-player character
Non-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s for unique dialogues as well as interact with all the monsters. This is a recurring highlight in the series, offering the player insight into the enemies, to an extent that very few other games allow to this day.
Some of Quintet's action RPGs allowed players to shape the game world through town-building
City-building game
City-building games are a genre of strategy computer game where players act as the overall planner and leader of a city, looking down on it from above, and being responsible for its growth and management...
simulation elements, such as Soul Blazer
Soul Blazer
The soundtrack of the game was composed by Yukihide Takekawa. It was published in Japan by the record label Apollon on February 21, 1992.- Reception :The game was reviewed in 1993 in Dragon #200 by Sandy Petersen in the "Eye of the Monitor" column...
in 1992 and Terranigma
Terranigma
Terranigma, known as in Japan, is a 1995 action role-playing game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Quintet. It was published by Enix in Japan before Nintendo localized the game and released an English version in Europe and Australia. The game was never officially released...
in 1995. That same year, Square's Seiken Densetsu 3
Seiken Densetsu 3
is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square for Nintendo's Super Famicom as a part of the Mana series.The game features three lengthy main plotlines, six different characters, each with their own storylines, and a wide range of classes to choose from, which provides each...
allowed a number of different possible storyline paths and endings depending on which combination of characters the player selected. The game also introduced a class-change system that incorporated light-dark alignments. The following year, Treasure's Guardian Heroes
Guardian Heroes
is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up and hack & slash action RPG video game in the vein of Final Fight or Golden Axe. The game features RPG elements. Guardian Heroes was developed by Treasure and released in 1996 for the Sega Saturn video game console...
in 1996 allowed players to alter the storyline through their actions, such as choosing between a number of branching paths leading to multiple different endings and through the Karma meter which changes depending on whether the player kills civilians or shows mercy to enemies.
Some of the earliest action RPGs to allow players to alter the storyline's outcome through dialogue choices were tri-Ace
Tri-Ace
is a Japanese video game development company formed in 1995 by former Telenet Japan employees Yoshiharu Gotanda , Masaki Norimoto and Joe Asanuma . The name is a play on words regarding the "three aces" who formed the company...
's Star Ocean series
Star Ocean
is a franchise of action role-playing video games developed by tri-Ace and published and owned by Square Enix .-Creation and influence:...
of sci-fi RPGs. The original Star Ocean
Star Ocean (video game)
is the first game in the Star Ocean series developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix, made for the Super Famicom and released in 1996. It is also the first game that was developed by tri-Ace. It was never released outside of Japan due to the closing of Enix's American division, Enix America...
, published by Enix
Enix
The was a Japanese company that produced video games, anime and manga. The company was founded by Yasuhiro Fukushima on September 22, 1975 as and renamed Enix in 1982...
in 1996, introduced a "private actions" social system, where the protagonist's relationship points with the other characters are affected by the player's choices, which in turn affects the storyline, leading to branching paths and multiple different endings. This was expanded in its 1999 sequel, Star Ocean: The Second Story
Star Ocean: The Second Story
is a action role-playing PlayStation video game developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix. It is the second game in the Star Ocean series and the first game in the series to be released in North America and Europe , courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment...
, which boasted as many as 86 different endings, with each of the possible permutations to these endings numbering in the thousands, setting a benchmark for the amount of outcomes possible for a video game. Using a relationship system inspired by dating sim
Dating sim
Dating sims are a video game subgenre of simulation games, usually Japanese, with romantic elements. They are also sometimes put under the category of neoromance. The most common objective of dating sims is to date, usually choosing from among several characters, and to achieve a romantic...
s, each of the characters had friendship points and relationship points with each of the other characters, allowing the player to pair together, or ship
Shipping (fandom)
Shipping, derived from the word relationship, is the belief that two fictional characters, typically from the same series, are in an intimate relationship, or have romantic feelings that could potentially lead to a relationship. It is considered a general term for fans' emotional involvement with...
, any couples (both romantic heterosexual
Heterosexuality
Heterosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the opposite sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, heterosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, physical or romantic attractions to persons of the opposite sex";...
relationships as well as friendships) of their choice, allowing a form of fan fiction
Fan fiction
Fan fiction is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator...
to exist within the game itself. This type of social system was later extended to allow romantic lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
relationships in BioWare
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer founded in February 1995 by newly graduated medical doctors Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuk, and Augustine Yip. BioWare is currently owned by American company Electronic Arts...
's 2007 sci-fi RPG Mass Effect
Mass Effect
Mass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in November 2007 published by Microsoft Game Studios...
. However, the relationship system in Star Ocean not only affected the storyline, but also the gameplay, affecting the way the characters behave towards each other in battle.
In 1997, Quintet's The Granstream Saga
The Granstream Saga
is an action role-playing game for the PlayStation. The game was developed by a team consisting of staff from the developer Quintet under the name Shade....
, while having a mostly linear plot, offered a difficult moral choice towards the end of the game regarding which of two characters to save, each leading to a different ending. In 1999, Square's Legend of Mana
Legend of Mana
Legend of Mana, known in Japan as , is the fourth game in the Mana series. The game was released for the PlayStation in Japan on July 15, 1999 and in North America on June 7, 2000, with a delayed release in Canada...
, the most open-ended in the Mana series, allowed the player to build the game world however they choose, complete any quests
Quest (gaming)
A quest in role-playing video games — including massively multiplayer online role-playing games and their predecessors, MUDs — is a task that a player-controlled character or group of characters may complete in order to gain a reward...
and subplots they choose in any order of their choice, and choose which storyline paths to follow, departing from most other action RPGs in its time. That same year, Square's survival horror RPG Parasite Eve II
Parasite Eve II
is a horror action role-playing game for the PlayStation. The game was developed by SquareSoft and published in Japan in 1999 and in both North America and, unlike the previous game, in PAL regions in 2000...
featured branching storylines and up to three different possible endings.
Other games such as Orphen: Scion of Sorcery
Orphen: Scion of Sorcery
Orphen: Scion of Sorcery was one of the first games for the PlayStation 2. Based on the anime and manga series Sorcerous Stabber Orphen by Yoshinobu Akita, the game was an adventure/RPG that had around 10–20 hours of gameplay.-Characters:Orphen - A brilliant but independent-minded sorcerer...
(2000), Ephemeral Fantasia
Ephemeral Fantasia
Ephemeral Fantasia is a RPG for the PlayStation 2 videogame console. The descriptive name of the title aptly gives away a key point in the story....
(2001), Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex: Invisible War
Deus Ex: Invisible War is an action role-playing game developed by Ion Storm Inc. and published by Eidos Interactive. Released simultaneously for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox video game console on December 2, 2003, the game is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Deus Ex...
(2003), Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Symphonia
is a video game first released for the Nintendo GameCube and later for the PlayStation 2 in Japan. It debuted in Japan on August 29, 2003, selling 953,000 copies, in Canada and the United States on July 13, 2004, and in Europe on November 19, 2004. The game received a Japanese-only PlayStation 2...
(2003), Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (2004), Radiata Stories
Radiata Stories
is an action role-playing game. It was developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. It was released on January 27, 2005 in Japan and September 6, 2005 in North America. The game was well-received in Japan but received a more mixed reaction in North America. It sold over...
(2005), Steambot Chronicles
Steambot Chronicles
Steambot Chronicles, known in Japan as is a action-adventure game developed and published by Irem Software Engineering in Japan for the PlayStation 2. It was later published by Atlus in North America and 505 Games in PAL regions...
(2005), The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a single-player action role-playing video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks and the Take-Two Interactive subsidiary 2K Games...
(2006), Odin Sphere
Odin Sphere
is a 2D fantasy action RPG video game. Developed by Vanillaware and localized and published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2007, it tells the interlocking stories of five different protagonists. Odin Sphere is considered a spiritual successor to an Atlus game titled Princess Crown and takes some...
(2007), Fallout 3
Fallout 3
Fallout 3 is an action role-playing game released by Bethesda Game Studios, and the third major installment in the Fallout series. The game was released in North America, Europe and Australia in October 2008, and in Japan in December 2008 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
(2008), White Gold: War in Paradise
White Gold: War in Paradise
White Gold: War in Paradise is the sequel to the 2005 video game Boiling Point: Road to Hell. White Gold was developed by the Kiev-based game studio Deep Shadows. The Microsoft Windows version was released in CIS territories by Russobit-M on October 24, 2008, with the Xbox 360 and other Windows...
(2008), Alpha Protocol
Alpha Protocol
Alpha Protocol is a third-person espionage role-playing video game, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, their first title for an original IP, and published by Sega. The game revolves around the adventures of field agent Michael Thorton...
(2010), and the Gothic
Gothic (series)
Gothic is an action role-playing game franchise, created and owned by Piranha Bytes. The latest release was published by Nordic Games.The latest installment in the series was developed by Spellbound Entertainment.-Games in the Gothic franchise:...
, Way of the Samurai
Way of the Samurai
Way of the Samurai is a PlayStation 2 action-adventure game released in 2002.Set in 19th Century Japan, the player takes on the role of a ronin who wanders into a remote village and becomes involved in a conflict between rival clans...
, Drakengard
Drakengard
Drakengard, known in Japan as , is a PlayStation 2 action role-playing game developed by Cavia and published by Square Enix and Take-Two Interactive. It was released on September 11, 2003 in Japan, on March 5, 2004 in North America and on May 21, 2004 in PAL territories.The game was originally...
, Fable
Fable (video game series)
Fable is a series of action role-playing video games for Xbox, Xbox 360, Windows, and Mac OS X platforms. The series is developed by Lionhead Studios and is published by Microsoft Studios.-Setting:...
, Yakuza
Yakuza (series)
Yakuza is a Fighting game video game franchise created by Amusement Vision and owned and published by Sega.The series has sold at least 3.2 million copies as of March 2009...
, Devil Summoner
Devil Summoner
is a Japanese console role-playing game originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1995, and later re-released in a slightly-enhanced port for the PlayStation Portable in 2005. The game was never released in North America, though at one time a release of the Sega Saturn version was planned and...
and Mass Effect
Mass Effect (series)
Mass Effect is an award-winning, bestselling series of science fiction RPG third-person shooter video games developed by the Canadian company BioWare and released for the Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows and, from the second installment, for the PlayStation 3...
series, allow the player to make many game-altering choices in dialogues and events, while still maintaining their respective action elements, whether they be in the first person
First person (video games)
In video games, first person refers to a graphical perspective rendered from the viewpoint of the player character. In many cases, this may be the viewpoint from the cockpit of a vehicle. Many different genres have made use of first-person perspectives, ranging from adventure games to flight...
or the third person.
See also
- Action-adventure gameAction-adventure gameAn action-adventure game is a video game that combines elements of the adventure game genre with various action game elements. It is perhaps the broadest and most diverse genre in gaming, and can include many games which might better be categorized under narrow genres...
- Adventure gameAdventure gameAn adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
- Hack and slashHack and slashHack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
- History of role-playing video games
- History of Eastern role-playing video gamesHistory of Eastern role-playing video gamesEastern role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in East Asia, specifically Japan, and, to a lesser extent, South Korea and China...
- History of Western role-playing video gamesHistory of Western role-playing video gamesWestern role-playing video games are role-playing video games developed in the Western world, specifically North America and, in more recent years, Europe...
- History of Eastern role-playing video games
- Role-playing video gameRole-playing video gameRole-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
- Tactical role-playing gameTactical role-playing gameA tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
- Tactical role-playing game
- Shooter gameShooter gameShooter games are a sub-genre of action game, which often test the player's speed and reaction time. It includes many subgenres that have the commonality of focusing "on the actions of the avatar using some sort of weapon. Usually this weapon is a gun, or some other long-range weapon". A common...