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Role-playing games or RPGs are a genre of video games that offer players a host of options to customize their character, including the following:
- Their skills and abilities
- Weapons they can wield
- A variety of outfits
- Varying paths and choices
The outcome of the game often relies on the choices a player makes, as well as their individual stats, which determine determine whether a character can perform certain tasks.
RGPs are quite popular due to their replayability, as players can replay the story with a different character, or use different characteristic traits, which will cause a shift in the events that play out. Many RPGs even offer players a New Game + option, through which they can replay the game with maxed-out skills and abilities.
If anyone is looking to jump into any RPGs this July, or simply thinking of replaying one that they have already tried before, here then, are 10 of the best RPGs worth replaying in July 2022.
Note: This article reflects the writer's opinion.
5 RPGs which players should replay this July
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
The fifth mainline entry into the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim is an action-adventure RPG that lets players visit the cold northern lands in the continent of Tamriel. Developed and published by Bethesda, this game hit the shelves in 2011 to critical acclaim and commercial success.
Players played as their created character, the Dragonborn of legend, who has the ability to use the voice of the dragons themselves. Embarking on a quest to deliver the world from the dragon-apocalypse, the Dragonborn has to unlock their full potential to defeat the evil of Alduin the world eater.
Like most Elder Scrolls games before it, Skyrim relies heavily on its attributes to determine any of the Dragonborn’s skills. This allows players to customize their character in a number of ways, playing as a different type of medieval hero each time, whether it be a sword wielding warrior, a magic wielding sorcerer or a mix of both.
2. Undertale
Released in 2015, Undertale was developed and published by a single person, Toby Box. This was a 2D RPG, in which an unnamed child has fallen into the Underground, from where they must find a way back to the world above. Players have a couple of choices to play this game, with the two extremes known as the Pacifist run and the Genicide run.
While on their journey across the Underground, players will meet many monsters, some of whom might even attack them. Players might, however, choose to spare the monsters after the battle. Not killing any creature throughout the entire game, is known as the Pacifist run, nets players what is collectively known as the best ending.
On the other end of the spectrum, players can choose to attack any living thing that they come into contact with, killing all of them in the Genocide run. This will result in what is generally considered the bad ending, where players will have to battle a few additional bosses, many of whom had previously tried to help them.
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
After the success of Skyrim, the next fantasy RPG that took the world by storm, although not necessarily to the same extent, was The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. Released in 2015 by developer CD Projekt RED, this game lets players enjoy a large open-world from the Witcher books, while playing as Geralt, the White Wolf.
The RPG does a great job of letting players take on the role of a Witcher, with various additional and side activities scattered about the world. Monster contracts allow players to hunt down various creatures terrorizing the populace, while certain side quests have a small plot lines of their own, reiterating themes from the novels.
In the main story, Geralt starts the game in search of his adoptive daughter Ciri, who has been seen once more in their world. As Geralt, the player can make many decisions that impact the larger narrative in major ways, even the ending. A new Witcher game is seemingly in development under CD Projekt RED.
4. Disco Elysium
Generally considered to be one of the best video games ever, Disco Elysium is an RPG that plays like no other. Developed and published by ZA/UM, this game was written and designed by Robert Kurvitz, and released in 2019 for Windows and Mac OS. A new version of this game, with full voice acting and new content, was released as a free update for PCs and consoles.
At the start of the game, players create their character by answering questions about their psyche, which determine the stats and skill bonuses their character will have. This RPG does not contain any active combat, instead letting players perform various actions by clearing various skill checks, as well as dialogue options, based on their skill points and attributes.
The protagonist is an amnesiac detective who sets out to solve a murder mystery along with their partner Kim Kitsuragi. Set in an open-world setting with a stylized isometric view, players can move their character around and interact with items and NPCs.
5. Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
Getting back into Commander Shepard's story is now easier than ever with Mass Effect: The Legendary edition. It is a remaster of the first three games of the series, which detail the story of Systems Alliance Navy Soldier and their effort to stop the Reaper invasion of the galaxy. This collected remaster was developed by BioWare and released on May 14, 2021.
The RPG collection is a third-person shooter game, which lets players step into the shoes of the captain of the Normandy spaceship, Commander Shepard. One of the most iconic aspects of the game were the Paragon vs Renegade choices, which offered two extreme options in some dialogues, as well as opportunistic actions the players could perform.
These dialogue choices or actions are attributed to Shepard’s overall morality and affect various outcomes. Paragon is the law abiding inspiring persona whereas Renegade is the hot shot going against the rule book. Enough points in either will result in Shepard having certain dialogue options opened up, which can circumvent certain difficult fights and tedious events.
6. The Outer Worlds
From the developers who made the original Fallout games came the studio Obsidian Entertainment. The latter, in turn, developed the video game, which was described by them as Fallout, but in space.
The Outer Worlds is an RPG set in the far away star system known as Halcyon, composed of six planets and ruled over by competing factions.
Players assume the role of a passenger from the colony spaceship known as hope, who had been in cryosleep for years. Awakened by a scientist known as Phineas Welles, the player is drafted into his service and is set out upon the planet of Terra 2.
This RPG features many aspects from the fallout series, including its dialogue options, first-person gameplay, interesting and quirky characters as well as the return of precision shooting mechanics. Players can recruit various NPCs into their team, as well as travel to the different planets and space stations in search of quests and finding new weapons and items.
7. Persona 5
Persona 5 is the sixth video game in this jRPG series known as Persona. Released in 2016, this RPG follows the life of a high school student known by the pseudonym Joker, as he transfers to a new school and befriends new classmates as they receive a new supernatural ability.
Developed by Altus, it later got an enchanted version known as Persona 5 Royal, which debuted for the PS4 in 2020, and is coming to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 later in 2022.
In this game, Joker and his team, who call themselves The Phantom Thieves of Hearts, can use the Metaverse, a collective consciousness of minds, to enter the psyche of adults and steal malicious intent from them. The RPG elements are in the form of various part-time jobs and other activities, which raise Joker’s attributes and provide buffs in battle.
Another aspect is the social simulation part of the game, wherein Joker is required to form bonds with their teammates through dialogue and conversation. Better bonds result in better team attacks, and it might even open up romantic subplots to pursue.
8. Horizon Forbidden West
The second game in the Horizon series and Aloy’s journey, Horizon Forbidden West, was developed by Guerilla Games and published by Sony in 2022. Taking the story further, this time Aloy must try and find a cure to the plague killing organic life as it spreads across the earth. This game is currently exclusive to PlayStation 4 & 5.
In this action RPG, Aloy’s journey takes her to the forbidden west to the ruins of California, Nevada and Utah, where she must find a way to restore GAIA, the AI responsible for overseeing the natural progression of the earth. Her path crosses the warring Tenakth tribe, Sylens, as well as a group of futuristic humans.
While most of the systems of leveling and skill tree progression return from the previous game, making some much-needed quality-of-life improvements, Aloy now has access to a lot more offensive capabilities, while her skills using her focus are also further than previously seen.
9. Final Fantasy VII Remake
Developed and published by Square Enix, Final Fantasy VII Remake is, well, a remake of the original fan favorite video game from the late 90s. The RPG was released on April 10, 2020 for the PS4, with an enhanced version featuring an additional side plot released for the PS5 and Windows in 2021. A sequel titled Final Fantasy Rebirth is set to be released in the coming years.
The game re-tells the story of Cloud Strife as he and his teammates take on the forces of the Shinra megacorporation from destroying the planet. Cloud meets Barret, a soldier of the AVALANCHE eco-terrorist group, who have waged war with Shinra.
The game’s combat has been completely revamped, with an Active Time Battle different from the original, where the player can pause a fight in the normal third-person perspective and assign actions to each member of the party.
Players can also actively switch between party members at any time in the middle of combat. Summons return, based on what players have collected over the course of the game, which provide crucial aid in certain battles.
10. Elden Ring
FromSoftware released their first ever fully open-world RPG game Elden Ring, on February 25, 2022, to a lot of acclaim and success. The game is available on PlayStation 4 & 5, Xbox One & Series X/s as well as PCs. The players create their own character, using an extensive character creator and venturing out into the Lands Between.
Elden Ring is the most accessible Soulsborne RPG, as it lets players experiment and change their playstyles quite freely in the early game. Even in the latter parts, players will have access to an item that will allow them to re-spec their characters and allow them to try out different builds and weapons.
Featuring a tutorial area (which is optional) as well as a variety of summons to aid players along the way, this game goes out of its way to ready players for the boss battles they will ultimately have to face. Using their skills and a little bit of help from summonable spirits, even in single-player, this game is not as hard as other FromSoftware titles.
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