It’s not by chance that many video games include fantastical elements. Because they offer more leeway than cinema or television, its easier for players to get lost in the fantasy as they progress through a game.
It’s easy to name games that have fantasy elements as a core of their gameplay, with obvious examples including the likes of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. However, there is an entire ecosystem of fantasy-related games that don’t get the same attention, including Omikron: The Nomad Soul and Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator.
Resonance of Fate Will Resonate With Players
Resonance of Fate is a steampunk-themed game with a plot that’s effectively a race against the clock, with main protagonist Zephyr and his comrades having to stop a deadly infection from spreading. The fast-paced story compliments the kinetic gameplay, which mixes real-time strategy and turn-based combat.
This unique gameplay should’ve been enough to entice gamers to try Resonance of Fate, although it has managed to elude most players for the longest time. With such a fascinating plot and gameplay, which also includes a charging system that automatically replenishes one’s action points, Resonance of Fate is a real hidden gem.
Septerra Core Goes Hard With Its Fantasy Setting
Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator takes what made other fantasy RPGs great and condenses them into one large adventure. The game’s premise has Maya and eight companions attempting to prevent the destruction of Septerra. The party travels through seven of the world’s continents, which are inhabited by people they can either interact with or battle.
One particular unique feature of Septerra Core is how its dungeons work. As with most games with dungeons, players can collect items within these labyrinths, although they aren’t able to restore health or any other stats to their full capacities. This means players must be more cautious than in the average RPG dungeon, which makes it a thrilling game all-around.
E.V.O.: Search for Eden Was Ahead of Its Time
E.V.O.: Search for Eden is an unusual fantasy-themed Action JRPG that predominantly includes elements of side-scrolling platformers as well. While traversing through the neatly-designed platforming levels, players have to increase their stats by taking on some of the toughest bosses and enemies.
With how E.V.O: Search for Eden’s unique premise revolves around creating whole new life forms, it’s fair to describe it as a life simulation game or god game. The game was truly ahead of the curve with its combination of genres, which makes it more shameful that there have been few retrospectives about the game.
Shadow Tower Abyss Was Never Released Outside Japan
Shadow Tower Abyss was never released outside Japan for one good reason: it is one of the hardest Action RPGs ever made. Part of this has to do with how enemies will permanently disappear once they are killed, which may entail not being able to reacquire certain items necessary to advance through the game.
Still, Shadow Tower Abyss has plenty going for it, including its variety of creatures that can either be helpful or hostile toward the player. This helps make what could’ve been a considerably darker game more enjoyable to play, although it doesn’t mean it isn’t action-packed. To the contrary, one of the best parts about the game is the ability to wield two firearms at once.
Omikron Has Plenty of Soul
Omikron: The Nomad Soul is an adventure game that also has fighting elements. This is thanks to the protagonist’s melee skills, which include being able to punch, kick, and dodge from every direction imaginable. This is all against the backdrop of the game’s premise, which has the player investigate a string of murders.
The player character, who is dubbed the Nomad Soul, has other unique abilities that make the game easy to get through, including speed, which can be improved over time to make him even faster. The game may look daunting, but it turns out to be a fun adventure game for players of all skill levels, a fact that rings truer thanks to the ability to buy items, such as medkits and potions, that help players get by.
Terranigma Is Very Earthy, But That Doesn’t Tone Down the Difficulty One Bit
Terranigma has players working to revive the Earth from its dilapidated state. To facilitate this, main protagonist Ark has been tasked with helping to evolve various lifeforms that will find themselves a new home on Earth. Players will have to locate gems that can be used to unlock a new area in the world and replenish the world with life.
Make no mistake, Terranigma isn’t a cozy game by any means. To the contrary, it is a fun Action RPG that has players clashing with those standing in the way of progress. It’s all the more entertaining to see what effect the player’s attacks will have on certain enemies, making each playthrough a trial-and-error run.
The Last Story Shouldn’t Be the Last Game Anyone Should Play
The Last Story was created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, who was responsible for every Final Fantasy game up until FF12. It’s important to note this, considering The Last Story clearly takes inspiration from those games, along with an assortment of other fantasy JRPGs. A core difference between this game and the others is its emphasis on action.
The game employs a fitting, if unorthodox, combination of stealth and tactics. In this case, players perform sneak attacks against enemies, which will give them the upper hand in battle. It’s everything a good Action RPG should be, especially one made for a console like the Wii.
Jade Empire’s Chinese Mythology Inspiration Leads to Traditional Combat
Jade Empire is an original Xbox RPG set in the titular empire, which, in turn, is set in a world inspired by Chinese mythology. This fact resonates in the game itself, which has players working with all sorts of traditional weapons, including staves, longswords, and sabers.
Beyond the enjoyable real-time combat, Jade Empire’s other core gameplay mechanic is its foggy morality system. None of the choices players make are inherently good or evil. Rather, they simply determine how the player character is perceived by others, which impacts what friends they’ll make and what lovers they’ll have. In all, this makes Jade Empire a very nifty game.
Nox Could Do With a Remake
Nox is one of those games that could really do with a remake, not necessarily to modernize the game’s already intricate mechanics, but to reintroduce the game for a new generation. Released in 2000, the game plays more like a Fantasy RPG from the 1980s, with players being able to choose from different classes, including warrior, conjurer, or wizard.
It’s certainly fantastical for a game with a deceptively simple premise, which has trailer park resident Jack Mower either staying on Earth or in the titular world of Nox. In any case, players will enjoy having Jack take on all sorts of forces, whether they mortals or immortals. It’s like one’s inner fantasies come to life, which makes Nox plenty of fun to play.
Vagrant Story Should’ve Garnered More Attention Overall
Vagrant Story is one of the PS1’s best RPGs, yet one wouldn’t get that impression from how little other gamers talk about it. The game could do with more people discussing it and its gameplay, which has main protagonist Ashley Riot taking on a variety of creatures and supernatural entities all by himself.
It’s oft-forgotten how unorthodox Vagrant Story is at times, even keeping in mind the game’s fantastical elements. There are portions that have rhythm segments, which add to the game’s intensity. Players will have no idea what to expect, let alone the outcome of Ashley’s investigation into ties between government officials and a cult.