Overlooked RPGs That Are Worth Playing Today

Over at PC Gamer you can find this list of overlooked RPGs that includes plenty of JRPGs and games that can be considered RPGs only in a very broad sense, but even so, there are quite a few titles there that deserve your undivided attention, if they somehow managed to pass you by. A few examples:

Alpha Protocol

For all its clunkiness, Alpha Protocol is the closest we might ever come to Mission Impossible: The RPG. It’s Obsidian’s take on the typical BioWare adventure, only with elves replaced with Russian mafia, set in a murky world of espionage, double-crossing, and quintuple-crossing. Although you can’t choose your character (you can give him a magnificent beard), you will diverge the story in many fascinating, well-written and surprising ways.

King’s Bounty: The Legend

The Heroes of Might & Magic series was in a rut by the time The Legend came along. Out of nowhere, this belated King’s Bounty sequel grabbed the tactical RPG genre by the scruff of the neck and took it somewhere fresh, bizarre and exciting. While it looks like a typical HoM&M-type game on the surface, The Legend’s charming world features some of the craziest, most memorable quests you’ll ever embark upon.

Arx Fatalis

Arkane’s spiritual sequel to Ultima Underworld dialled down on the heroism and optimism, infusing the first-person dungeon crawl with a healthy dose of gloomy atmosphere and, appropriately, the arcane. It’s an immersive RPG set in a shrivelled, sunless world, where civilization has retreated under the surface. Ultima has it beat on scale, but this is a worthy, if divergent follow-up. How about a sequel, Arkane?

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

How about that for a title? Arcanum was the debut game of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines creator Troika. The team was comprised of ex-Fallout devs, and so, unsurprisingly, Arcanum is a sort of Steampunk Fallout. It’s about the struggle between magic and technology—a fantasy world in the midst of an industrial revolution. Much like Bloodlines, enjoyment of Arcanum is made easier with the help of mods and fan-made patches.

Anachronox

One of the quirkiest RPGs ever. Anachronox is a screwball sci-fi romp that spans six planets and stars some of the strangest party members in the genre. It wasn’t considered pretty at launch, and time has been unkind to the chunky heroes, but that can’t dull the wit and imagination of the universe all these years later. The turn-based JRPG-esque combat system isn’t terrible either thanks to the wide array of odd alien gadgets that make up your armoury. Even if that’s not to your taste, it’s worth powering through to watch Boots and Stiletto fall from one madcap scenario to the next.