Getting Into RPGs: A Guide For The Curious
Throughout making Into the Aether, Brendon and I have influenced each other into checking out genres we’ve ignored in the past. Early on in the show, Brendon was vocal about his simultaneous desire and struggle to get into role-playing games — and I don’t think he’s alone. RPGs can be a bit inaccessible, and older RPGs are especially known for esoteric mechanics and gameplay that may not match the quality of the story.
At the same time, even the clunkiest and most archaic of RPGs usually have some kind of loyal fanbase and will be forever beloved. It’s because the genre, at its best, is an incredibly personal form of storytelling. There is an intimacy to the role the player takes on that can render the memory of the game as something personally experienced rather than something observed.
While RPGs were once defined by the ability to level up and customize characters, we now see those mechanics in many games that I wouldn’t necessarily categorize into the genre. To me, an RPG needs to leave a vacancy for the player themselves. RPG stands for “role-playing game” for a reason: the game is invested in you existing within the story in some narrative capacity.
Based on my experience, I thought I’d share which RPGs I consider good gateways into the genre. I’ll be drawing from both JRPGs and WRPGs (RPGs from Japan and from western regions of the world, respectively). I’m also recommending these games with an adult / young adult audience in mind. Additionally, each recommendation will fall under a specific type of RPG for a variety of preferences. Depending on subjective taste, you will gravitate towards different eras and styles. I hope this can be a helpful guide for the curious, or at the very least a fun read for those who already love the genre as much as I do.
And with that, our adventure begins.
The question is: what are you looking for?
“I want the classic JRPG”
Chrono Trigger
Developer: Square (Before Enix!)
Release Date: 1995
Consoles: SNES, PS1, Mobile (iOS and Android), Nintendo DS, Windows, and Apple TV
Dear reader, I would bet anything that I am not the first person to recommend Chrono Trigger to you. In fact, it may have been recommended to you so often that — if you’re anything like me — you have unconsciously chosen to never play it. All that to say: I implore you to believe that the hype is real, because it very much is.
Chrono Trigger, despite being from 1995, is surprisingly fresh in many areas. Time has been kind to the SNES-style graphics as Chrono Trigger embodies an aesthetic we still see replicated today in modern ITA favorites like CrossCode and Octopath Traveler. Not to mention that it has one of the best soundtracks in video game history, composed by the unparalleled Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda.
A lot of Chrono Trigger’s timeless appeal is due to its stellar presentation (lest we forget the incredible character design by the legendary Akira Toriyama), but I’d also argue the battle system is refreshingly modern as well. Its inherently retro turn-based combat is actually one of the most successful versions of ATB that I’ve played.
For those unfamiliar, ATB (or Active Time Battle) is a version of turn-based combat that attempts to incorporate real-time elements. In traditional turn-based battles, time freezes until you have selected a move and then the action plays out in a pre-determined order. With ATB, each character has a turn-order gauge that fills independently over time. Once it has filled, a command can be entered. It might sound the same as turn-based combat, but because an enemy can also take action during the player’s turn — speed is often the priority.
To be honest, I usually find ATB…bad. At its worst, it just combines the anxiety of real-time combat with the frustrating confines of turn-based battling. Yet Chrono Trigger handles ATB almost as gracefully as the much more recent Final Fantasy VII Remake. Chrono Trigger is extremely interested in battles being fast and exciting, and the timing of attacks is often as important as the actions being chosen. Unlike other RPG’s of this era, you see enemies in the environment, and battles begin when you approach them or vice versa. Characters’ turns pop up quickly, but there’s an incentive to wait since characters can do special moves together if both their turns are ready. Little additions like this make the combat feel much more involved than simply navigating windows.
I also find that the characters teaming up to do special attacks together greatly aids the strength of the ensemble. Group attacks like Frog and Crono dashing at an enemy together, or Lucca jumping on Robo’s back and firing lasers are fun cinematically, but also showcase the trust and growing bond these characters share. With this simple addition, battles are more intertwined with the narrative than it may seem at first glance.
The story of Chrono Trigger involves a group of friends finding themselves in possession of a time machine. At first, they use it for their own enjoyment, but after discovering the future is doomed they begin traveling through time to alter the course of history for the better. Preventing a disastrous future isn’t an uncommon plot device in RPGs, but few have as much fun with the concept as Chrono Trigger.
You ride pterodactyls in prehistoric times and race motorcycles against punk cyborgs in the future. You encounter enchantingly bizarre settings like a medieval island in the sky, or the incredibly iconic End of Time, rendered as a dimly lit cobblestone street. Eras in time are treated more like settings, with the rules of time travel kept mercifully simple.
I think “simple” is the key word to use when praising Chrono Trigger, which feels ironic given how unique and wonderfully strange it is. It’s a welcoming game, both narratively and mechanically: an exciting adventure story about good people who genuinely want to make the world a better place. I find that unabashed positivity inspiring.
Preferred platform: I’d recommend against the PS1 port, which has noticeable performance issues. I have not played the Apple TV, Windows, or mobile versions, but I do find the mobile ports of Square games to be hit-or-miss overall. I’d say get a SNES copy if you can, and if not, the DS port is also excellent. The localization is different in the DS version (not better or worse, just different! For example, Frog no longer talks in a Shakespearean tone) but otherwise it’s the same game.
What games to check out next: If Chrono Trigger clicks for you, I think the next step for your journey is other classic JRPGs. You’ll find that Chrono Trigger is a very unique experience, but I think Final Fantasy VI (originally released as FFIII) is a pretty safe bet. While Chrono Trigger is largely about preventing a disastrous future, much of FFVI’s story is about living in the ruins of society and still trying to find hope. Chrono Trigger also has a sequel: Chrono Cross. I love that game as well, but they’re so extremely different and so unrelated to one other that I wouldn’t otherwise compare the two.
Additionally, The Dragon Quest series also captures a very similar magic as Chrono Trigger, with even the most recent games staying true to its classic formula.
“I want a focus on narrative above all else”
Undertale
Developer: Toby Fox
Release Date: 2015
Consoles: Windows, OS X, Linux, PS4, Vita, Switch
Undertale is both a love letter to — and an examination of — RPGs. While Undertale relies on a lot of conventions and tropes commonly found in RPGs to tell its story, I think you can go in new to the genre and still find the game extremely enjoyable and profound. It is a unique piece of media in that it is simultaneously funny, heart-warming, tragic, and potentially terrifying. Which emotion the game leaves you with is largely up to you.
Undertale is a beloved game, and many (including myself) say it’s best to go in completely blind. That being said, I’ll do my best to describe why this game is a good gateway RPG without spoiling anything.
Reminiscent of an Alice in Wonderland type setup, Undertale has you play as a child who has fallen into a mysterious land referred to as “The Underground.” This place, while occasionally very charming, is a subterranean region that monsters have been banished to. As you look for a way to escape, you meet a plethora of monsters who all have vastly different opinions of humans. In the world of Undertale, humans are unique to monsters in ways both parties have yet to fully understand. The game progresses differently depending on your actions, and to avoid spoiling too much, I will leave the synopsis at that.
Mechanically, Undertale is incredibly accessible. With the exception of a handful of “optional” boss fights, most of the game offers appropriate levels of challenge. Additionally, the act of combat is so unique that it requires no prior knowledge of the genre. While battles are rooted in a classic turn-based style, during the enemy’s turn the encounter morphs into a simple arcade game. You are displayed on-screen as a heart icon, and your only aim is to avoid the enemy’s various visual attacks by moving around. The game further experiments with this formula as you progress: Sometimes the combat more closely resembles a platformer, or a Galaga-esque shooter, or a rhythm game, but it constantly remains intuitive.
But in many ways, you’re not playing Undertale for the combat. After all, this is the RPG I’m pitching as a gateway for those more interested in narrative — and Undertale itself shares that preference. Even in battles, Undertale lets you prioritize communicating with enemies over attacking. Depending on your actions, enemies can even become friends with prominent roles in the rest of the game’s story. You’ll stumble into these scenarios constantly, and sometimes there is no clear answer as to whether or not fighting is warranted.
It’s not just combat Undertale is narratively interrogating, though. Saving, naming your character, using items — all of these seemingly mundane actions actually mean something to the player and to characters in the game. By the end, at least for me, Undertale truly changed the way I thought about games as a medium. It explores every element of an RPG in a way that both acts as homage and borderline satire. Without exaggerating, it’s one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had with a game, mostly due to the extremely lovable cast and mesmerizing soundtrack.
If you play Undertale as your first RPG, it will show you specifically why people love RPGs. And it might even have you wondering why other games don’t constantly ask the same introspective questions about the genre.
Preferred Platforms: I first played Undertale on my Mac shortly after it came out. I also have it on Switch, but haven’t noticed any major differences. I have heard from some it’s a bit harder on console than on PC, but I would wager it’s more a matter of what controls you’re used to.
What games to check out next: If you enjoyed Undertale you’ll be happy to know the first chapter of its sequel, Deltarune, is free on all consoles! While it’s technically a demo, there’s still around 4 hours of Deltarune to play.
Other games to check out are Earthbound, Super Mario RPG, Moon Remix RPG Adventure and potentially Nier: Automata. Earthbound and Moon are the biggest immediate influences for Undertale, but all the other games share Undertale’s satiric edge and have a similar interest in exploring games as a medium within their own narratives.
“I want to choose my own adventure”
Mass Effect 2
Developer: BioWare
Release Date: 2010
Consoles: Windows, PS3, Xbox 360
Mass Effect 2 might seem like an odd pick as an entry point, being the middle installment of a trilogy. But I’d argue Mass Effect 2 is a great gateway for both the Mass Effect series and RPGs where decision-making is the driving force.
In Mass Effect 2, you play as Commander Shepard, whose appearance is fully customizable and whose personality is mostly determined by how you choose to play. At the start of the game, their ship is destroyed, and Shepard is presumed dead. Despite all odds, Shepard is saved by a sketchy human supremacist group called Cerberus. Inadvertently in Cerberus’ debt, Shepard is tasked by their leader to put together a team in efforts to eliminate a galactic threat known only as “The Collectors.”
It’s worth noting that you can carry over your save file from one game in the series to the next, so starting with Mass Effect 2 will have the game default to certain decisions you technically didn’t make in the first. And while you’ll occasionally meet characters the game might expect you to know, and others will comment on decisions Shepard made in the first game, Mass Effect 2 stands on its own as an isolated story fairly well. I also strongly recommend starting with the second game over the first one because — as much as I love the entire trilogy — the mechanics in the first Mass Effect are pretty rough by modern standards.
Regarding gameplay, half of Mass Effect 2 takes place aboard the Normandy (Shepard’s spaceship) and half during missions in other parts of the galaxy. Combat is pretty streamlined, and weirdly resembles the cover-based shooting you’d find in most AAA games of this decade and the next. It’s fun and functional, with light RPG elements like choosing what abilities certain characters have and which characters fight alongside Shepard in their three-person squad.
The stronger element of the game is the dialogue and decision making. There is a dialogue tree that gives Shepard a variety of responses, some of which give you points in the “Renegade” or “Paragon” moral alignments. Neither is strictly good or evil, but rather different approaches to problem solving. “Paragon” Shepard will consider all possibilities and strive to make an objective decision. “Renegade” Shepard is much more interested in solving problems as directly and efficiently as possible. Of course you can always play Shepard as a mix of the two, which I personally find more interesting. There are some rails for who the character of Shepard is, but none that get in the way of crafting your own personal experience.
Like many of the games on this list, the heart of the experience is the cast. While a lot of narrative weight is given to political decisions or whether or not to spare enemies, there’s something equally important about the smaller moments between the Normandy’s crew. Because the plot is largely about Shepard putting a team together, the game is also almost solely focused on your relationships. Whether or not you take on their personal quests, how you handle certain arguments and who you choose as Shepard’s love interest all shape the plot and make your play-through unique to itself. While Mass Effect 2 is not the end of the trilogy, the endings are all cathartic for the story you have passively written via your choices, both personal and cosmic.
Preferred Platforms: I played on Xbox 360 back in 2010, but imagine it runs best on PC or any system that is functional (sadly not the case for my 360). It’s also available on Xbox One via backwards compatibility. (Editor’s Note: There’s also the constantly rumored remaster, which will hopefully be released before the end of the year… and which will also hopefully not be terrible.)
What games to check out next: The obvious candidates are Mass Effect 1 and 3. They’re both great games, and the experience of playing through the entire trilogy is wonderful. As I stated earlier, the first game is rough mechanically, but if you have an established fondness for the world you’ll greatly appreciate the story.
If you want to go even further back, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its sequel both feel like prototypes for Mass Effect. Those games also might be worth checking out if you prefer a sci-fi setting over fantasy, or if you want to see BioWare in their early days.
If you want to switch to fantasy, The Dragon Age series is waiting for you. In some ways, Dragon Age (specifically Dragon Age: Origins) allows for an even greater scope of role-playing than Mass Effect, but I find the series isn’t nearly as beginner friendly. Dragon Age: Inquisition is a bit more streamlined, but definitely relies on prior knowledge of the series.
If you want something more modern, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt has undeniably picked up the baton from classic BioWare games and is available pretty much everywhere.
You also might like the next game I have listed here…
“I want a game focused on my relationships with others”
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Release Date: 2019
Consoles: Switch
It’ll be no surprise to anyone who listens to Into the Aether that I’ve found yet another excuse to wax poetic about Fire Emblem: Three Houses. About 90% of our show is about this game, I’ve already written a ton about it, and recently drew a bunch of fan art. Dear reader, I’m a big fan.
All that to say, I also think it’s an incredible intro to RPGs — especially ones focused on life-simulating elements. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how many people I know loved Three Houses despite having no prior experience with RPGs or Fire Emblem.
Despite being a tactics game, Three Houses shares a lot of DNA with games like Stardew Valley and Persona. Kind of like Mass Effect’s division between hanging out on the ship and setting out to complete various boots-on-the-ground missions, Three Houses is also interested in the duality between everyday life and the battlefield — as well as how those two settings and modes of gameplay might complement the other.
Three Houses takes place at Garegg Mach Monastery where you play as Byleth, a young mercenary mysteriously hired as a professor for one of the school’s three houses: the tenacious Black Eagles, the proud Blue Lions, or the gregarious Golden Deer. In the monastery, you spend your time mostly connecting with your students. And the more time you spend here, the more “support scenes” you’ll unlock in the form of short vignettes between characters. These scenes tend to show the students of Garegg Mach with more nuance, and perhaps a view into their own personal character arcs and relationships that develop over time.
Outside of Garegg Mach, Byleth leads their house in a series of tactics battles. Each mission takes place on a unique map with an almost chess-adjacent grid-like structure. Units can move a number of spaces and take actions unique to that character’s class (such as Thief or Pegasus Knight). Victory conditions are given at the start of battle — usually to defeat all enemies. There is a lot to say when explaining the combat, but Three Houses does a surprisingly good job explaining how it all works. There are also great accessibility options, allowing the difficulty to be turned down if you have more interest in the narrative and interpersonal relationships than the combat.
One of my favorite mechanics that’s present in all difficulties is the “divine pulse.” New to Three Houses, the divine pulse is introduced in a story beat, and essentially allows Byleth to turn back time during a battle. With finite uses, you can rewind to any previous turn, undo any unfortunate event, and get a chance to rethink your strategy. Regardless of what difficulty you’re playing on, this mechanic allows you to learn from failure in a way the series has never allowed for previously.
Regardless of how intense or easy you prefer the battles to be, the game still successfully intertwines the narrative with the combat itself. Why are certain characters able to more successfully divide their personal feelings from combat? What coping mechanisms do characters use after killing someone in combat for the first time? Are they proud of advancing to the Bow Knight class, or would they rather not be doing any of this in the first place?
Whether you’re in the monastery or not, you always see your students as complex individuals going through their own personal trials. At its core, the main joy to be found from Three Houses is seeing how their stories play out with and without your guidance.
I won’t say much more because… I’ve already talked a lot about this game both on and off the podcast. But if you’ve yet to play it, I promise you it’s much more accessible than it might first appear. Fire Emblem as a series is known for being incredibly difficult to get into as a newcomer, but it’s worth stressing that this game is dramatically less obtuse than past entries. The ability to turn the difficulty down and turn off perma-death (the Fire Emblem tradition of having characters die for good once they fall in battle) are great options that allow players of all experience levels to enjoy this game.
And there is so much enjoyment to be found here. While Three Houses may not be as interested in letting you make your own character or making big decisions that impact the plot, the form of role playing here is what house and which characters you choose to take under your wing. You will feel guilt and sadness for those who have gone astray, and you’ll feel pride in those who succeed beyond your wildest expectations. While there are always going to be dragons to slay and kingdoms to save, the biggest thrills come from moments of personal growth and narrative revelation. And that, to me, is the sign of a worthwhile RPG.
Preferred Platforms: Switch exclusive…so Switch, baby!
What games to check out next: If you love Three Houses, congratulations! You’re also a Persona fan. Truly, I do think if this game works for you you’ll probably be more interested in checking out Persona 5R, Persona 4 Golden, and Persona 3 FES than any previous Fire Emblem game. Not to say the rest of the series isn’t good (it very much is) it’s just more tactics-focused. The closest experience to Three Houses in the Fire Emblem series would probably be Fire Emblem: Awakening for the 3DS. But you will find that Persona shares a similar life-sim structure and a focus in personal relationships with characters that affect the gameplay and plot.
And that, dear reader, wraps up my guide for those looking for a good gateway RPG. If you have a friend looking for The One, send this their way! I hope you enjoyed reading, and I hope this helps you find even more games you will love in your own way.
The quest, as always, continues…