Thanks to the incredible quality of the so-called “Soulsborne” series, Japanese company FromSoftware has fired itself into the forefront of the gaming industry as one of the most esteemed and beloved development studios. Consequently, the studio’s upcoming releaseElden Ringhas become one of the industry’s most highly anticipated games, with fans desperate to hear more about the product. FromSoftware’s track record isn’t the only reasonwhyElden Ringis so highly anticipated, as the game’s story is being worked on byGame of Throneswriter George R.R. Martin.
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However, information about the upcoming release is few and far between. In the meantime, here are 10 action role-playing games that will hopefully tide players over until the fantasy game finally hits stores.
10Dark Souls
Getting the most obvious suggestion out of the way first, the originalDark Soulspicked up whereDemon’s Soulsleft off. It offers the same lack of hand-holding, punishing difficulty, and excellent enemy variety.
Dark Soulshas one of the strongest first halves in all of gaming. The lead up to defeating Dragon Slayer Ornstein and Executioner Smough in Anor Londo is wonderfully well-constructed and ingeniously designed. There has been little news about howElden Ringwill play. However, it will likely take a great deal of inspiration from FromSoftware’s masterpiece,Dark Souls.
9The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
The first twoWitchergames received a warm reception from both fans and critics, but neither of them compares to the booming success that wasThe Witcher 3. CD Projekt Red’s action-RPG impressed gamers with its incredible visuals andwell-crafted story, which players could heavily influence with their choices.
The game does have a few features that may deter fans of FromSoftware’s Soulsborne games, such as the heavy-handed help and guidance in most quests. However, it’s still worth checking out for its memorable narrative.
8Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 2’s gunfighting gameplay will, presumably, be vastly different from whatElden Ringprovides. However, this BioWare is still worth playing due to its status as one of the best action-RPGs of all time.
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The game involves numerous combat sections and an overarching story ofsci-fi politics and warfare. Yet, many believe that the true adventure is the personal relationships that players develop with their shipmates along their journey.
7Kingdom Come: Deliverance
Kingdom Come: Deliverancewas developed by Warhorse Studios and released in 2018 on Xbox One, PC, Amazon Luna, and PlayStation 4. The action-RPG takes place in the early 1400s, in an Imperial State of the Holy Roman Empire known as the Kingdom of Bohemia.
The open-world game initially failed to impress, exemplified by its Metascores that ranged between 68 and 76. However, many of the core complaints were aimed at the game’s performance issues, which patches have since helped to rectify. Now, the game is considered among the best open-world RPGs on the market.
6Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
Ubisoft’s flagshipAssassin’s Creedfranchise took a noticeable shift in direction with 2017’sAssassin’s Creed Origins.The game implemented far more role-playing elements than prior games had, makingOriginsfeel like a combination of previousAssassin’s Creedgames and the aforementionedWitcher 3: Wild Hunt.
The shift in direction was well-received, asOriginsbecame one of the series' most critically acclaimed entries. The game’s sequel,Odyssey,tookOrigins’formulaintroduced and fine-tuned its weaker areas, making it the series' best entry sinceBlack Flag.
5Bloodborne
The second Soulsborne game to appear on this list,Bloodbornedifferentiated itself from theDark Soulsseries with its more aggressive playstyle. WhereasDark Souls' combat rewards patience and timing,Bloodborneencourages players totake the offense and defeat enemiesas quickly as possible. Players must disallow enemies them from using shields and regaining health, by landing successful blows on enemies.
Moreover, the game set itself apart with its setting.BloodborneexchangedDark Souls’fantasy for gothic, Victorian-inspired environments.
4Fallout: New Vegas
WhenFallout: New Vegaswas first announced, many players thought that the game would simply be a stop-gap adventure, capitalizing onFallout 3’s success untilFallout 4wasreleased. This was especially the case when it was announced that Bethesda wouldn’t be developing the game themselves.
However,Fallout: New Vegasquickly became recognized as not just one ofthe best post-apocalyptic titlesbut also one of its generation’s best RPGs. This is all thanks to the incredible level of freedom that Obsidian Entertainment implemented into the game.
3Monster Hunter Rise
TheMonster Hunterseries has been a cornerstone of the action-RPG genre since the originalMonster Hunter’srelease on the PlayStation 2 in 2004. The games do exactly what they say on the box by letting players hunt and battle fictional monsters.
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The most recentMonster Huntergame was released exclusively on the Nintendo Switch in March 2021, with a PC release coming at some point in 2022.Monster Hunter Risedoesn’t attempt to reinvent the wheel and keeps the core gameplay that made its predecessor,Monster Hunter: World,a major commercial success.
2Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisitionis the second game on this list that was published by Electronic Arts and developed by BioWare. However, 2014’sDragon Age: Inquisition’sfantasy setting will likely be far closer to whatElden Ringprovides thanMass Effect 2.
This fantasy RPG has a semi-open world broken up into multiple sections. The player can traverse these in haste with the help of Mounts. The game was well-received by critics, exemplified by its Metascores that ranged between 85 and 89.
1Hades
Hadesis a roguelike action-RPG that takes heavily incorporates Greek Mythology throughout its 20-hour main story. The game was developed and published by Supergiant Games, who previously released the critically acclaimedPyre,an action-RPG that uniquely incorporates sporting gameplay.
Although Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Us Part IIspent the end of 2020 sweeping up many end-of-year-awards,Hadeswas able to best the game for multiple accolades, includingIGN’s Game of the Year 2020and Best Game at the17th British Academy Games Awards.
