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Incline Playful, imaginative, Frank Zappa-esque RPGs

Vlajdermen

Vlajdermen

Arcane
Joined
Nov 19, 2017
Messages
2,192
Location
Catholic Serbia
After taking a closer look at Arcanum, I found out the main reason I like it; it's full of creative energy. There's a lot of extraneous content, like that guy in Tarant who you can discuss tea with, or all the character backgrounds, which feel like the devs made them because they wanted to, not because they needed to. It never feels like they were going through the motions. This is a trait all my favourite RPGs have to some extent, like Underrail with its quest design, or Alpha Protocol with its characters. You could say the same of all my favourite media in general, like that Rambo Amadeus ripoff I named above.

Recommend me an RPG like that. It doesn't matter if it's new or old, linear or open, story or gameplay-focused, philosophical or absurd, just as long as it's bursting with imagination and willing to break the mold.
no rtwp tho
 
toro

toro

Arcane
Vatnik
Joined
Apr 14, 2009
Messages
14,788
Vlajdermen said:
After taking a closer look at Arcanum, I found out the main reason I like it; it's full of creative energy. There's a lot of extraneous content, like that guy in Tarant who you can discuss tea with, or all the character backgrounds, which feel like the devs made them because they wanted to, not because they needed to. It never feels like they were going through the motions. This is a trait all my favourite RPGs have to some extent, like Underrail with its quest design, or Alpha Protocol with its characters. You could say the same of all my favourite media in general, like that Rambo Amadeus ripoff I named above.

Recommend me an RPG like that. It doesn't matter if it's new or old, linear or open, story or gameplay-focused, philosophical or absurd, just as long as it's bursting with imagination and willing to break the mold.
no rtwp tho
Click to expand...

Insomnia: The Ark
Ghost of a Tale
Dustbowl
 
AdolfSatan

AdolfSatan

Arcane
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
2,028
Many of the big names in the blobber category should be able to scratch your itch. Also, Ultima games.

Oh, and if you're willing to give JRPGs a chance, get Legend of Mana and LISA.
 
Zed Duke of Banville

Zed Duke of Banville

Dungeon Master
Patron
Joined
Oct 3, 2015
Messages
13,109
Vlajdermen said:
Recommend me an RPG like that. It doesn't matter if it's new or old, linear or open, story or gameplay-focused, philosophical or absurd, just as long as it's bursting with imagination and willing to break the mold.
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Gregz

Gregz

Arcane
Joined
Jul 31, 2011
Messages
8,963
Location
The Desert Wasteland
This is an interesting question.

You basically want an RPG that does wonky/janky in a charming way; not an annoying way.

Most of my favorite games use a well understood player-developer contract of interaction, so I tend to shy aware from radical design experimentation, but when it's done well it can be a very fun experience.

I think this is about identifying which games have the best easter eggs, side quests, and peripheral design elements that enhance immersion. Here's a few off the top of my head.
  • Witcher 3
  • Nethack
  • World of Warcraft
  • Wasteland
  • Anachronox
 
Darth Canoli

Darth Canoli

Arcane
Joined
Jun 8, 2018
Messages
5,737
Location
Perched on a tree
Vlajdermen said:
After taking a closer look at Arcanum, I found out the main reason I like it; it's full of creative energy. There's a lot of extraneous content, like that guy in Tarant who you can discuss tea with, or all the character backgrounds, which feel like the devs made them because they wanted to, not because they needed to. It never feels like they were going through the motions. This is a trait all my favourite RPGs have to some extent, like Underrail with its quest design, or Alpha Protocol with its characters. You could say the same of all my favourite media in general, like that Rambo Amadeus ripoff I named above.

Recommend me an RPG like that. It doesn't matter if it's new or old, linear or open, story or gameplay-focused, philosophical or absurd, just as long as it's bursting with imagination and willing to break the mold.
Click to expand...

You probably played Fallout 1 & 2, which fits perfectly (The Shaman, Super-mutants, ghouls, talking deathclaws, talking plant, mad scientists, two headed cows, aliens, ... )

Dark Sun : Shattered Lands, the settings is also exactly what you're searching for with an amazing OST and a great cRPG overall.
 
Dorateen

Dorateen

Arcane
Joined
Aug 30, 2012
Messages
4,422
Location
The Crystal Mist Mountains
Might & Magic II: Gates to Another World is off the wall zany. It's a mix of traditional fantasy with sci-fi elements, throwing everything and the kitchen sink into the design. You can order from a menu that includes a kobold cream soup, and then later get attacked by kobolds because of it. The party will fight cripples and lepers, and can visit such a gathering called leper-con. You also get to discover a time machine and travel back in time.
 
jebsmoker

jebsmoker

Arcane
Patron
Joined
Nov 17, 2019
Messages
2,667
Insert Title Here Strap Yourselves In I helped put crap in Monomyth
Ensi said:
Disco Elysium
Click to expand...

this. also, i fully advocate giving ATOM a shot. disco elysium's is a torment game in all but name, and if tides left a sour taste in your mouth, then disco elysium is the chaser. the best i can say is that it's torment if hunter s. thompson wrote it, and terry gilliam did the visuals and aesthetics.

ATOM is fallout 1 but with a distinctive taste that all slavophiles will appreciate. its also got tons of great references to soviet films.
 
V_K

V_K

Arcane
Joined
Nov 3, 2013
Messages
7,714
Location
at a Nowhere near you
West of Loathing, as already mentioned - doesn't get more creative than that.
Quest for Glory and the (successful) successors (Heroine's Quest, Quest for Infamy) are a textbook example.
Possibly Aon of Sands - its dungeons didn't feel very fun to me, but the CYOA sequences and NPCs were pretty wild.
7 Mages as the opposite case - its writing is rough but each dungeon/level has a unique premise behind it, affecting both combat and puzzles you'll find there. Like fighting your way through the guts of a dead dragon or getting imprisoned on a slaver ship.
 

FuckLiefeldGiveMeChew

Scholar
Joined
Sep 22, 2017
Messages
100
Mother is the perfect series for weirdness and wacky humor, and Citizens of Earth and Space are great C.R.P.G. tributes to it.
Anachronox and Superhero League of Hoboken are the most unique C.R.P.G.s, with distinct humor and style.
Xenoblade games are great in both their unusual style and humor and their complex plots.
Deus Ex is a satire of American politics and mythology, and gives you unlimited freedom.
Chrono Trigger has a strange world, a lot of humor and freedom and also delves into darker subjects like the cruelty of evolution and the oblivion of death.
Final Fantasy 4, 6, 7 9 and World of Final Fantasy also capture the strange worlds of freedom of Chrono Trigger.
Freedom Force 1 and 2 are great tributes to weird 1960s and '70s comics with a lot of humor.
Mage's Initiation: Reign of the Element is my favorite tribute to Quest for Glory. I hated Heroine's Quest, thought Quest for Infamy was a monstrosity and thought Hero u was good but not great, but Mage's Initiation was nearly perfect.
Half-Minute Hero 1 and 2 are excellent hilarious games with a clever gameplay twist that makes them interesting.
Cthulhu Saves the World is a very funny game.
 
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