Final Fantasy almost always comes into mind first whenever players think of RPGs. After all, the Final Fantasy series not only introduced the potential of turn-based combat around the world. Rather, each new iteration in the Square Enix franchise tried to amp up the experience. Now, the franchise has an acclaimed MMO in the form of FF14 and an upcoming real-time action RPG in the form of FF16.
Interestingly enough, the West also has RPGs to offer to those who want a change of pace from the ever-present FF franchise. Thankfully, some Western RPGs have got what it takes to offer a remarkable combat system outside of FF's traditional turn-based format.
Updated March 21, 2022, by Rhenn Taguiam: With Stranger Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin now offering yet another action-packed twist on the classic Final Fantasy formula, it’s not unreasonable for some players to miss the traditional turn-based combat of older Final Fantasy titles. However, players don’t necessarily have to boot up an older console in order to play a compelling turn-based strategy game. In fact, these turn-based games, which are set in post-apocalyptic universes, other fantastical settings, and, in one case, even a depiction of historical Rome, can give the Final Fantasy franchise a real run for its money.
15 Wasteland 3
Platform: PC
Fans of Bethesda’s Fallout franchise will definitely remember the original RPG it's based on - Wasteland, released in 1988. However, folks from inXile Entertainment revived the franchise with two more games, with Wasteland 3 being released in 2020. Set after the second game, Wasteland 3 tasks players with helping the Arizona Ranger Team November survive a post-apocalyptic Colorado, mostly through appeasing the local leader, who's known as the Patriarch.
However, events throughout the game will have players see the darkness inside the Patriarch, and force them to make a very difficult choice. Game-wise, players can expect turn-based strategic combat that makes active use of skills and the environment. What’s more interesting is that there’s a vehicle that acts as both a supply storage and a means of exploration. Moreover, Wasteland 3 heavily emphasizes choices, with these elements affecting not just the story, but also elements of the gameplay at large.
14 Expeditions: Rome
Platform: PC
Players of Logic Artists and THQ Nordic’s Expeditions series will probably remember the adventures of both the Conquistador and the Viking in their respective games. This time around, Expeditions: Rome has players take the role of a Legatus who travels the Roman Republic and its adjacent nations to expand Rome’s influence while investigating the mysterious death of his father.
What makes Expeditions: Rome such a compelling game is how it combines tactical RPG elements with large-scale combat mechanics. As players make their way through the main story's chapters, they'll need to gather resources to grow their military positions, story decisions, and even their army. In large-scale battles, players prepare an army beforehand and a Centurion to lead them, with cards being drawn to affect the chances of success. Meanwhile, story-based battles have a tactical RPG approach, with players moving around the battlefield and using skills to eliminate their foes.
13 Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark
Platform: PC
Fans of tactical RPGs will likely have fond memories of games like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics for helping them go all out in both character customization and environmental elements. This time around, Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark tries to give a modern rendition to the fantastical elements of tactical RPGs that make them so appealing to fans.
At its core, Fell Seal tells the story of Arbiter Kyrie, an Immortal Council agent tasked with leading his troops to preserve order throughout the land. As simple as the story sounds, the core of the game lies in customization. The game allows players to not just switch classes, but also combine their different skills and abilities. This paves the way for sword-wielding mages and spell casting assassins, all the while having their own set of secret classes and crafting gear.
12 Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Imagine Kingdom Hearts, but set in a post-apocalyptic world, where the player’s allies are a crossbow-toting duck-human hybrid and a shotgun-wielding boar hybrid. This is exactly how wacky Mutant Year Zero: Road To Eden is. Set in the aftermath of the Red Plague, humanity has become almost extinct except for mutants who have been affected by severe radiation. However, when civilization’s last bastion, the Ark, is at risk of having its systems compromised, the Elder has to send the players - who are mutants themselves - to find another mutant smart enough to get things back to normal.
Despite how mundane the plot is, the game does shine through its gameplay. Major characters have specific specializations, with passive, minor, and major attacks based on their mutations locked behind customizable skill trees. As they grow in levels, the squad gets to unlock gears and weapons that further expand their gameplay options. In live combat, players can actually strategically place characters in various tactical positions to gain the advantage, much like they can in XCOM.
11 Solasta: Crown Of The Magister
Platform: PC
Players who love Dungeons & Dragons will appreciate Solasta: Crown Of The Magister as a fairly faithful depiction of a D&D campaign. Through its main story, players are tasked with controlling the Deputies of the Council, where their initial mission to explore the edge of the wild Badlands leads them to the mysterious Crown of the Magister and a conspiracy surrounding it.
What’s amazing about Solasta is how it makes D&D 5e rules extremely accessible to players, quite unlike the more flexible but equally overwhelming Baldur’s Gate. In Solasta, players carry over the usual action rule set of D&D 5e, making combat a bit feel fairly closed in terms of flexibility. However, the game does compensate with options such as scheduled actions, as well as creative uses of spells within the scope of D&D 5e.
10 Shadowrun: Hong Kong
Platforms: PC, MacOS
In the Shadowrun TTRPG, a massive upheaval will usher the reemergence of magic. Set in the same universe, Shadowrun: Hong Kong will have players navigate the busy streets of Hong Kong alongside elves, dwarves, and once-fantastical creatures in a not-so-fantastical story involving corporate crimes and espionage.
Aside from its fantasy cyberpunk setting, Shadowrun: Hong Kong has an impressive take on its point-based turn system. As with most RPGs of its kind, Shadowrun gives players limited action points to walk and use their abilities. However, given its futuristic fantasy setting, the game allows players to spend points on any number of things - from spells, consumables, grenades, or even firing weapons using different firing modes. This degree of flexibility makes Shadowrun's straightforward tactical premise quite accessible for RPG fans.
9 Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch
Fans of Warhammer 40K fondly remember the Adeptus Mechanicus for their sheer quirkiness as the Imperium of Man's technologically empowered zealots. Given their inquisitiveness, the game tasks four high-ranking tech priests to navigate a Necron Tomb for research. Thing is, the Necrons in WH40K are ancient immortal machines that can raise an army of robotic nightmares. In Warhammer 40K: Mechanicus, players need to rely on quick thinking to dominate a never-ending assault of Necron forces.
Aside from its grid-based tactical premise, Mechanicus doesn't make use of complicated mechanics such as cover or accuracy. In turn, players can use a unified resource called Cognition to move, use weapons, or even call down reinforcements. To add more flexibility, the tech-priests also have access to a wide variety of cybernetic upgrades, brutal weapons, and skill trees associated with Classes. Its fast-and-loose gameplay relies on a balance of firepower, mobility, and unit numbers.
8 Divinity: Original Sin 2
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, macOS, Microsoft Windows
As the name implies, Divinity remains the sole objective of Divinity: Original Sin 2. Set almost a century after Original Sin, the sequel will have players - either as a custom or pre-made characters - try to save the world of Rivellon as it starts to get overrun by the Voidwoken, extra dimensional creatures attracted to Source or the very essence of creation itself.
Folks from Larian Studios switched up the turn-based RPG scene with a simple yet innovative take on action economy. Unlike other one-action-per-turn RPGs, Original Sin 2 makes use of an Action Point system. Since the game has no Class system, all abilities (attacks and spells) are put into Skills, which cost AP. In turn, all characters have a degree of freedom to use up all their AP to cast a number of Skills or save up their AP for more powerful spells later in combat. This simple gameplay concept adds a new layer of strategy for fans of tactical RPGs.
7 Baldur's Gate 3
Platforms: Google Stadia, MacOS, PC
After their success with their Original Sin series, Larian Studios is now in charge of the development of Baldur's Gate 3. In this sequel, players and their allies have to navigate through Faerûn in the middle of a mind flayer invasion, all while finding a way to stop an illithid tadpole implant from transforming them into mind flayers themselves. Similar to its predecessors, BG3 also adapts the Dungeons & Dragons rule set.
Unlike other RPGs, BG3 applies 5e's steeper action economy. Aside from Movement, things like attacks and hard-hitting spells cost an Action to use. Meanwhile, quicker activities require Bonus Actions, and responding to an enemy move requires a Reaction. In turn, BG3 rewards flexibility to players who can work their way around this action economy. As such, players can create powerhouses with limited actions or a flexible character with a number of utility options.
6 Star Traders: Frontiers
Platforms: PC, iOS, Android
Despite its rather straightforward graphics, Star Traders: Frontiers is no pushover in terms of both story and gameplay. As the name implies, players take on the role of traders. And while Frontiers has its own storyline, what's special is the sheer openness of its exploration element. At its core, faction interactions and story events happen separate from the player's actions - meaning, players themselves have to make an effort to get involved (or not get involved) in the story.
In terms of gameplay, Frontiers supports a ship-versus-ship and crew-versus-crew combat. Despite the action point-based approach of the game, the sheer diversity in skill and customization makes Frontiers such an in-depth title. Moreover, the open nature of faction interaction and progression means players can approach combat from a multitude of perspectives, skills, weapons, and builds.