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Best rpg games on GamesNostalgia

RPG games, or role-playing games, have come a long way since their humble beginnings as pen-and-paper adventures. From classic tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons to immersive virtual reality experiences, RPG games have captivated players with their rich storytelling, character development, and strategic gameplay.

Some of the first computer games were RPGs. Initially, they were entirely text-based; then, from Dunjonquest: Temple of Apshai, they began incorporating simple graphics. Richard Garriot's Akalabeth: World of Doom was the first first-person RPG, but Lord British real masterpiece was the Ultima series, one of the most important franchises in the RPG genre, along with Wizardry, Might and Magic, and others. Traditional computer RPGs feature turn-based combat, as seen in The Bard's Tale, but also in other titles such as SSI's Dark Sun: Shattered Lands.

The dungeon crawler sub-genre was made popular by Dungeon Master in 1987 and later by Eye of the Beholder and many other titles like Ishar: Legend of the Fortress. These titles featured a first-person view, in pseudo-3D, with real-time combat.

The Immortal and Darkmere: The Nightmare's Begun are examples of isometric RPGs, and also, the masterpiece Ultima VII: The Black Gate uses a kind of isometric top-down perspective.

To see a full 3D graphical implementation but also a more faithful roleplaying experience, we need to wait for The Elder Scrolls: Arena and The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall. These games included gameplay that involved exploring vast, detailed landscapes and interacting with lifelike characters.

The RPG genre doesn't end here because we also have Japanese RPGs, like Sweet Home, or tactical RPGs like Jagged Alliance.

Finally, we cannot forget the legendary action-rpg Diablo, the first chapter of the popular series, probably the most iconic name in all the computer role-playing games genre, a title that redefined the genre with randomly generated levels and frenetic hack-and-slash combat.

Centauri Alliance commodore-64

Centauri Alliance is an RPG developed by Michael Cranford and released in 1990 for the Commodore 64 and Apple II. It is a science fiction role-playing game that carries the unmista...

Year: 1990 Genre: Role Playing

adventure-rpg commodore 64 first-person rpg science fiction space

Chrono Trigger snes

Chrono Trigger, released in 1995 for the SNES, is often regarded as one of the greatest role-playing games of all time. Developed by Square (now Square Enix), the game was the resu...

Year: 1995 Genre: Role Playing

anime jrpg rpg turn-based rpg

Ogre Battle snes

Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen is a tactical rpg released in 1993 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game is a landmark in tactical role-playing game design.

Year: 1993 Genre: Role Playing

fantasy rpg snes original game strategy-rpg tactical-rpg tactics turn-based rpg

Deus Ex windows

Deus Ex is the first chapter of the popular stealth-RPG series created by Ion Storm and published by Eidos. When it was released in 2000, it wasn't just another first-person RPG —it was a revolution in game design.

Year: 2000 Genre: Role Playing

action-adventure action-rpg cyberpunk cyborgs rpg science fiction stealth unreal engine

Dragon Power nes

Dragon Power is a classic NES game released by Bandai in 1986 and developed by Tose. Originally based on the Japanese manga and anime series Dragon Ball, the game underwent signifi...

Year: 1986 Genre: Role Playing

action-adventure action-rpg anime jrpg licensed nes original game rpg top-down

Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony amiga

Moebius: The Orb of Celestial Harmony is a role-playing game initially created by Origin Systems for the Apple II and published in 1985. The game was designed and programmed by Greg Malone.

Year: 1988 Genre: Role Playing

apple 2 original game japan rpg wanderer

Windwalker amiga

Windwalker is an action RPG created by ORIGIN Systems and initially released for Commodore 64 and Apple II in 1989. In 1990, it saw releases on Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, and Macintosh.

Year: 1989 Genre: Role Playing

action-rpg brawler japan rpg

Eye of the Beholder C64 commodore-64

Eye of the Beholder C64/128 is an incredible unofficial conversion for the Commodore 64 and 128 of the famous dungeon crawler Eye of the Beholder. The original RPG Eye of the Beholder was released in 1991 for the Amiga and MS-DOS.

Year: 2022 Genre: Role Playing

commodore 64 d&d dungeon crawler enhanced remakes fantasy party-based public domain rpg sword and sorcery unofficial port

Legends of Valour amiga

Legends of Valour is a 3D RPG created by Synthetic Dimensions and released in 1992 for MS-DOS, Amiga, and Atari ST. The game's main feature is the engine, which is entirely 3D. This technology was not new but wasn't used in RPGs yet.

Year: 1993 Genre: Role Playing

3d fantasy first-person open world rpg sword and sorcery texture map

Shadoworlds amiga

Shadoworlds is an RPG created by Krisalis/Teque and released in 1992 as a sequel to Shadowlands. It was published by Domark. While the predecessor was a classic fantasy RPG with ...

Year: 1992 Genre: Role Playing

aliens cyborgs isometric military multi-directional post-apocalyptic rpg science fiction

Death Bringer amiga

Galdregon's Domain is a fantasy RPG created originally for the Amiga by Pandora Software and released in 1989 for Atari ST, DOS, and Commodore 64. Two years later, Spotlight/Cinemare released it in the US with the title Death Bringer.

Year: 1989 Genre: Role Playing

amiga original game barbarian dungeon crawler first-person rpg sword and sorcery

Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue dos

Ultima VII: Forge of Virtue is an expansion/DLC for Ultima VII, the famous seventh chapter of the RPG series Ultima created by Richard Garriott. Forge of Virtue was released in Sep...

Year: 1992 Genre: Role Playing

fantasy medieval party-based role-playing rpg sword and sorcery top-down

The Master of Magic commodore-64

The Master of Magic is a top-down action-adventure/RPG, published by Mastertronic's Added Dimension originally for the Commodore 64 in 1985. The game was developed by Richard Darli...

Year: 1985 Genre: Role Playing

action-adventure adventure-rpg c64 original game commodore 64 fantasy rpg top-down

Xenomorph amiga

Xenomorph is a sci-fi RPG set in space, developed by Pandora and published in 1990 for the Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, and - strangely - Commodore 64. The title is clearly inspired by the movie Alien.

Year: 1990 Genre: Role Playing

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