Role-playing games (RPG) is a buzzword these days in the gaming industry. Developers slap some of the genre's elements on a game that usually don't need them and then hope for the best while artificially lengthening the game time with mundane activities. Suffice to say, there are many RPGs that don't deserve to be included in the genre, which is why some of the more hardcore fans of th🐠e franchise prefer turn-based RPGs.
Because turn-based RPGs are arguably the purest form of RPGs stemming from the fact that the genre was heavily influenced by Dungeons & Dragons, which - as you may have guessed - is heavily turn-based. The good news is that there is no shortage of turn-based RPGs released during this decade. Some of them are highly-rated and rank among their year's best offerings. ⛄Here are the best turn-based RPGs released during this decade, along 💖with their scores.
Updated by Michael Connor Smith on September 1st, 2020: As a genre, RPGs encompass a wide variety of games, each with a central focus on playing through a story with unique characters, its own world, and a grand story. Turn-based RPGs pioneered the genre back when gaming was a new phenomenon, and they're still widely loved and played by many.
Sites like Metacritic allow users to sift through thousands of different titles that are reviewed by critics and non-critics alike to pick out some of the best options around. We've included a few additional turn-based RPGs that were highly ranked on Metacritic.
15 Final Fantasy XIII (PS3) - 83 ཧ
Like the previously numbered title in the Final Fantasy franchise, XIII falls into a weird category of pseudo-turn-based gameplay. XIII is seen as a 🐽pretty divisive game between fans who either p𒅌ut it as one of their all-time favorites or as one of their least-favorites.
Final Fantasy XIII's Metacritic scores are a bit skewed between the critics and non-critics, 𝓰as tends to be the case with games that are seen as a black sh💝eep in their respective franchises.
14 ꦛ Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse (3DS) - 84
As a direct sequel to 2013's Shin Megami Tensei IV, Apocalypse had quite a lot to live up to. SMT IV singlehandedly brought mainline SMT back into the mainstream after a decade between it and Nocturne, so fans were absolutely thrilled for Apocalypse.
There's pretty heavy contention on which version of IV is the better game, with many fans giving Apocalypse the gold medal when it comes to refining IV's flawed gameplay, but the way the story and its characters were handled is up for debate. At the end of the day, SMT IV Apocalypse is a very solid game for fans of hardcore RPGs.
13 Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver (⛄DS) - 87
It's difficult to find many other game franchises that can use remakes as a huge nostalgia draw-in for older fans while simultaneously attracting newer generations of fans better than Pokémon can.
The first three of Pokémon's generations now have one or more remakes under their belt, with Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver being the definite fan favorites. Not only do these titles turn the Joౠhto of the GameBoy Color into a graphically stunning land, but it also adds new gameplay features, online mech💜anics, and tons of additional content.
12 🦂Pokémon Black & Whi⛄te (DS) - 87
2009 and 2010 are considered by many to be the prime years for Pokémon games, featuring fan-favorite titles like Platinum, HeartGold & SoulSilver, and the newest generation at the time, Black & White.
Pokémon's fifth generation, set in the Unova region, took a lot of big leaps forward for the series by improving online gameplay, redefining Pokémon designs, and giving Pokémon what is possibly the best story it's ever had.
11 ♏ Pokémon Y (3DS) - 88✤
What? This counts, stop pouting. Pokémon is one of the longest-running turn-based RPG franchises in video game history, dating back to the monochrome days of the Game Boy. Surprisingly, the franchise has kept its gameplay loop and form intact over the years. For this decade, Pokémon Y, released in 2013 for 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:the Nintendo 3DS, is the best Pokémon video game.
For many, Pokémon Y and its twin game, Pokémon X, marked a revolutionary step forward in the series. Those two games are the first to utilize fully 3D polygonal graphics in the mainline series, which was a huge deal. As such, Pokémon Y holds a special place in the hearts of many longtime Pokémon fans.
10 PILLARS OF ETERNITY II: DEADFIRE (PC)ꦛ - 88
Two years ago, we would never have expected Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire to make this list. It initially came out in 2018 with real-time pausable combat (much like its main inspiration Baldur's Gate). A year later, however, Deadfire received a fully-fledged turn-based combat system, allowing players🐽 to play the game at a different pace and tactical mindset.
This makes Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire qualify to be in this list, along with the grand an♉d intricate stories and character interactions you make along the way while t🌺rying to solve the squabbles of the Deadfire archipelago. The plot and story are unlike anything seen in previous RPGs and are worth checking out.
9 CHILD OF LIGHT (PS3) - 89 𒊎 ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ
Fun fact: This game was made by Ubisoft. That means they really were capable of making good RPGs instead of tacking on RPG elements in their moneymaker games (*coughs in Assassin's Creed*). Anyway, Child of Light was a huge and underrated hit from 2014 which followed the story of Aurora, a🔥n Austrian princess poisoned by her aunt so she could have the throne.
Aurora awakens in the dream fairytꦑale world of Lemuria, where she must battle the dark creatures of the Queen of the Night in order to stop her aunt from taking over her father's kingdom. It's the closest thing to having a fairytale versiღon of a video game.
8 FIRE EMBLEM: THREE HOU🌊SES (SWITCH) - 89
Like Pokémon, the Fire Emblem saga has been raising the flag and the bar high for Japanese RPGs (JRPG). One of their best titles for this decade, Fire Emblem: Three Houses, was released for the Switch. Any fan of the franchise will know that Fire Emblem: Three Houses is more than just an RPG, of course.
It fuses together elements of strategy games and RPGs, creating a compelling hybrid not present in many other games. Moreover, character dynamics is a huge mechanic in Fire Emblem games🐷, as even unique soldiers can develop a romance if the♌y are placed side-by-side in combat often enough.
7 SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI: PERSONA 3 PORTABLE (PSP) - 89 ♏
You can't talk JRPG without mentioning Persona. Like Fire Emblem, the Persona video games have been a big part of any JRPG fans' collection. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 Portable is one of the biggest Persona titles oꦑf the previous𒁃 decade and the fact that it came out for the Sony PSP makes it even more impressive.
While Persona 3 Portable doesn't necessarily push the envelope of handheld RPGs, it's Persona...on a handheld device, which was something amazing back in 2010. Like most Persona games, players control a group of students who utilize combat "Personas" to fi🌱ght all kin🌠ds of anime baddies. A simple formula that keeps improving in every new entry.
6 DRAGON QUEST XꦇI S: ECHOES OF AN ELUSIVE AGE - DEFINITIVE EDITION (SWITCH) - 91
Say what you will about Nintendo's strict and unexciting game discounts, but at least, the games they provide for their handheld consoles are almost always quality. Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - the Definitive Edition might sound like a handful bu🌸t the gameplay's quality justifies the lengthy name.
It's a beautiful turn-based RPG with intense combat and charming character designs that emulate Akira Toriyama's art design (the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Dragon Ball creator has a long history with the Dragon Quest series). Since it's also the Definitive Edition and is available on the Switch, fun extras to the gameplay and story were implemented that makes the regular edit𒉰ion appear stale.