Anyone who’s played more video games than there are fingers on their hands is likely familiar with role-playing games. During the ’80s, the genre emerged from its pen-and-paper roots and first appeared on PCs. It later came to consoles. RPGs have had a tumultuous existence ever since.
Many consider them niche games, and the majority of gamers avoid them. But occasionally, we’ll see a surge in the genre’s popularity with the release of titles like Final Fantasy 7, Mass Effect, and Fallout 3. Each of these broke the boundaries that keep the masses away from RPGs, eventually gaining a celebrity-like status.
Some RPG fans feel that these titles’ retail success is undeserved compared to several smaller but arguably better titles. Whether you prefer more niche RPGs like Final Fantasy 6 or mainstream hits like Final Fantasy 7 matters little. What’s important is that some of the best games in the genre are the result of creative thought instead of a strict adherence to traditional mechanics.
Instead of detailing what I believe to be pinnacles of the genre or tearing derivative games a new hole, I’m introducing four new game concepts. Why? It’s not that I’m against the RPGs of today — I just feel like some developers should take a chance by expanding beyond traditional fantasy boundaries.
We’ve seen plenty of innovative concepts in RPGs before: time traveling, ’60s-era America from a Japanese perspective, and worlds steeped in various mythologies. The creative thought shouldn’t end there. Read on to learn about my upcoming projects that have a .01% chance of being released.
Explore America Before It Was ‘Discovered’
You’ve heard of America, right? You know, that landmass that Columbus “discovered” and Hernán Cortés “conquered?” Well, let’s pretend those two events never occurred and play an RPG in a pre-Columbian American setting.
Over the course of this RPG, players will explore various regions and time periods as notable gods and spirits. Their missions will include developing the small Mexica tribe into the prosperous Aztec civilization, attempting to prevent the Inca civil war that would devastate their domain before the coming of the Spanish, and players will explore the ruins of 5,000-year-old cities.
They’ll also travel through North American agricultural settlements, develop trade routes that span the continent, and players will battle rival spirits and tribes.
In this American adventure, you’ll reach new eras and regions by traveling through a dream world that you can only access through the powers of the game’s main character: a female seer whose immense powers come from the gods. Even though she’s a mere mortal, her powers are equal to those of the spirits, and she can summon them at will to halt potential calamities.
The actual gameplay will be that of an action-RPG and a real-time strategy game. Like many games of the action-RPG genre, you can play this Native American adventure as a single-player game, but it’ll be most fun when played with a group of friends.
My RPG isn’t as lengthy as many modern RPGs; instead, it’s divided into four manageable, 5-hour chunks.
The first portion of the game will have players assuming the role of a god. One god (player) will be responsible for governing the affairs of South America; another will manage Central America; and the third god will guide the areas that are now the United States and Canada to prosperity. The three players can influence the outcome of their particular region by forming peace treaties, developing agriculture, engaging in trade, and by assisting individuals in need (similar to Valkyrie Profile). Based on the decisions made by players, each region will have developed differently by the mid-1300s.
Once the three initial journeys are complete, players will assume the role of the female seer and two other important characters introduced during the real-time strategy portion of the game. What occurs in the final three portions will depend on how players previously influenced their regions. They will return to each of the three regions in human form, but this time they’ll battle as they would in an action-RPG.
In this 3D action-RPG, players will wield a variety of weapons and wear armor unique to their respective regions. Each character will also have their own fighting style. As in many RPGs, some characters will be more agile, others will have more spiritual power, and some characters will have more physical prowess.
Regardless of what their abilities are, each character has nearly a dozen charge attacks — three that you can equip simultaneously. Players will also be able to assign items and spells to hotkeys, so they can access moves they regularly use quickly. When you need to access a menu, players will find a ring system similar to that found in Secret of Mana that will only briefly interrupt gameplay.
This Native American adventure’s visual style will be inspired by Uncharted. Environmental detail will be a primary focus, but character animations will be essential for creating believable characters. To make the world even more plausible, the game will have voice actors who speak the languages of America’s indigenous peoples. The three languages will be accompanied by English subtitles to provide for an authentic experience. In order to achieve a higher degree of realism, the voice actors will wear bodysuits used for motion-capture while speaking their lines.
As for the music, this action-RPG will feature traditional Native American songs and instruments from a variety of regions. This combined with pre-Columbian American scenery will allow players to experience a believable world that’s a hybrid of myth and reality.
Inside The Struggle
My second RPG will focus on a setting that’s often a part of American pop culture but is rarely portrayed in a realistic light. What’s this setting, or rather, collection of settings? Inner-city America.
Numerous movies and popular rap music videos have explored this setting before but in an infantile manner. Usually, these videos focus on only luxury products like Cadillac Escalades, 24-inch rims, and Versace shades. Rarely do they discuss the struggles commonly found in America’s inner cities.
Also, these music videos often fail to represent the racial diversity of America’s ghettos. 50 Cent and TI music videos most commonly portray these areas as being predominantly black, when in reality most slums are also home to numerous Hispanic people and even white, Asian, and Middle Eastern individuals.
My urban-RPG would be a mature story detailing the struggles of urban youth. It’ll ignore Bentleys and Hummers in favor of realistic scenarios conveyed through several gameplay modes.
When you begin the game, you’ll pick three characters — all of whom you mold to your liking over the course of your adventure. You’ll be able to choose each of these characters’ personalities, genders, and ethnicities. Regardless of who your characters are, they’ll begin the adventure in a seemingly hopeless environment. All three characters are teenagers that can be controlled via A.I. or human players.
Your characters will begin the game in a high school that cares little about their performance. The majority of the teachers see the students as nobodies who will work minimum wage jobs at best.
In this environment, you’ll solve rudimentary math problems and word puzzles, which will do little to increase your characters’ intelligence. Most players will quickly get bored of these scenarios, so they can choose to check out books at a library to enhance their intellect, find a job, ditch school to make music, play ball, or sell drugs.
Reading books and playing challenging video games will increase a student’s intelligence, but it may decrease their social skills and effectiveness in combat. If a player chooses to perform these activities, they’ll take part in puzzle minigames that will grant their characters powerful mental abilities that will be useful in combat situations.
If a player takes this route with one or more of his characters, his crew will eventually be a force to be reckoned with, but he’ll have to run from fights more often than not early in the game, due to the time it takes to fully develop one’s intellect.
For those who don’t enjoy puzzle games, the player can find their characters jobs. These jobs will entail anything from driving delivery vans (think Crazy Taxi), working at warehouses, and flipping burgers. Players can perform their jobs properly in these minigames, or they can choose to flirt with their customers.
Taking the job route is something players can do to earn money for weapons, food, cars, etc., but in the long run, a minimum-wage job won’t do much good. When players grow tired of school, they’ll either choose to focus on their education, or one of the game’s riskier options.
The other options include becoming a basketball player, a musician, or a drug dealer. The basketball route will increase a character’s physical strength and give them speed if they decide to fight their oppressive government, gang members, and academic institutions.
The basketball minigame will be similar to what you’d find in NBA Jam or NBA Street. Basically, it’s street basketball, but you can upgrade your character each time you win a game. If you win enough, you’ll eventually be able to enter the NBA, which leads to one of the game’s many endings. Losing will cause you to miss out on the NBA superstar ending, but it’ll allow you to use the skills you’ve developed in one of the game’s many other paths.
If a player takes the music path, he can take part in various music minigames. If the player has Rock Band or Guitar Hero equipment, they can use the mic to rap and use the other instruments and controller buttons for rock, jazz, R&B, and soul minigames. Performing well in these minigames will allow the player to become a music superstar.
Being a superstar has its benefits, as you’ll be able to rally your community behind you and take down the oppressive government. You’ll be able to get rid of corrupt cops and judges by force if you create enough of a following.
The last path you could take involves becoming a drug dealer. In this quest, players move up in the world based on how many kilos of crack they’re able to sell. Taking this path will wreak havoc on the player’s community, but it’ll allow you to join gangs and eventually become a drug lord. The player’s goal here is to eventually take control of the city.
The game’s battle system is turn-based, but it involves timed hits. Much like the Mario & Luigi games, players can dodge any attack with timed button presses if they’re fast enough. In battle, players can use mental abilities (think magic), summon music artists and basketball superstars, and strike enemies with guns, baseball bats, and brass knuckles. Each of these attacks is performed differently, but they all require timed button presses.
If a player prefers a nonviolent path, they can avoid most regular enemies (usually gang members or corrupt cops) and can build up their skills via other means, such as basketball, school, etc. Gaining strength, intelligence, and musical aptitude is important for preparing for the game’s many boss fights against corrupt city officials.
Ultimately, the player’s goal is to make it out of the ghetto by whatever means possible. The player can accomplish this daunting task by becoming a president, NBA superstar, famous musician, or a drug lord.
This urban RPG will feature visuals similar in style to Grand Theft Auto 4. The environments will be dark and gritty, but they won’t be completely steeped in reality like many of the title’s mini-games and combat abilities.
Its soundtrack will feature songs from a variety of genres: rap, jazz, reggae, and even a bit of rock. Rap will be one of the most common genres, with a variety of its subgenres represented. You’ll find underground artists that make their music for the streets and mainstream club songs.
Being Creative Isn’t as Easy as It Looks
If these game ideas feel as unorganized as one of your sixth grade essays, that’s probably because I developed them within a matter of minutes. I found the first game difficult to explain, since I haven’t studied much pre-Columbian Native American history and their belief systems. Regardless of my lack of knowledge, I think a story set in that type of environment would be a refreshing change from the all-too familiar Western fantasy settings we’ve seen over the years.
Also, I think that a lot of people could relate to a game featuring struggling urban youth. Not everyone lives a life of poverty, but most people have some struggles in their life, whether they live in the suburbs, an inner city, or a rural area.
It’d also be an exciting environment for people worldwide, because most people know very little about the trials faced in America’s ghettos. Even people who live in ghettos will probably enjoy it, because it’ll feature relatable characters and can empower them to be who they want to be — even if they feel like they’re unable to overcome adversity in real life.
I hope you enjoyed my RPG Frankenstein’s Monsters, but my main intent here was to get developers to consider exploring new settings and combat systems for future RPGs. Being original doesn’t guarantee success, but with enough effort, a new game can develop a sizeable following over time. If you need proof, just look at those crazy Mother fans.