By Vanessa Hague
From Skyrim to World of Warcraft, the offerings of the RPG are expansive and diverse. But what sets apart the greats from the - well - not-so-greats? There isn't a set rule book per say, but each and every great RPG seems to stick to a workable formula. Let's lay out some of the main things you need to know!
From Skyrim to World of Warcraft, the offerings of the RPG are expansive and diverse. But what sets apart the greats from the - well - not-so-greats? There isn't a set rule book per say, but each and every great RPG seems to stick to a workable formula. Let's lay out some of the main things you need to know!
The first port of call for a good RPG is character creation. Before you even begin to explore the vast in-game universe or experience the story, an RPG will usually allow you to create your player character. Plus it's not just about character creation, it's also about the depth and customisation options present within the creation process. A good RPG will allow you choose from a wealth of different races, choose your gender, choose your hairstyle, a character class/type (if it features) and even allow you to customise your character's face, right down to the smallest detail (such as freckles or a beauty spot).
Apart from character creation a good RPG in general has a wealth of customisation option at hand. You can customise your armour or outfit and if the RPG involves your player character travelling with a party, such as Mass Effect, you can even customise your party's armour choices to an extent. Different armour options also generally come with different stats and benefits , all of which go toward boosting (or dwindling in some cases) the combat stats of your player character. The depth of customisation allows you to build a strong sense of identity within an RPG.You can either build your character to look like yourself or you can create an alternate "fantasy" self and building a strong identity for your player character is an integral part of the RPG experience.
Linking with character creation, something else that really drives a strong sense of identity in RPGs is the dialogue. Dialogue is utilised to expand upon the in-game universe, as well as engaging with NPCs and a good RPG allows for the player to choose from a broad range of responses. Some RPGs will even utilise their dialogue one step further and include a morality system, one of the most famous examples being the paragon and renegade system used in the Mass Effect series.
Apart from character creation a good RPG in general has a wealth of customisation option at hand. You can customise your armour or outfit and if the RPG involves your player character travelling with a party, such as Mass Effect, you can even customise your party's armour choices to an extent. Different armour options also generally come with different stats and benefits , all of which go toward boosting (or dwindling in some cases) the combat stats of your player character. The depth of customisation allows you to build a strong sense of identity within an RPG.You can either build your character to look like yourself or you can create an alternate "fantasy" self and building a strong identity for your player character is an integral part of the RPG experience.
Linking with character creation, something else that really drives a strong sense of identity in RPGs is the dialogue. Dialogue is utilised to expand upon the in-game universe, as well as engaging with NPCs and a good RPG allows for the player to choose from a broad range of responses. Some RPGs will even utilise their dialogue one step further and include a morality system, one of the most famous examples being the paragon and renegade system used in the Mass Effect series.
Even if you've made yourself a character, it is nothing without a rich in-game universe to ground your character in. The amount and depth of detailing of the world in which your character travels within is just as important as your player character. Everything from the NPCs to the environment that the developers have constructed, a rich and vast universe is an integral part to making an engaging RPG. All these elements also have to be consistent to a certain extent. If the RPG is part of a series for example, the game usually has to lore and canonised events which have been set up in the previous games - creating a sense of overarching consistency. Something that directly stems from the in-game universe is the RPGs story or quest line. Some RPGs utilise a full-blown storyline, Bioware are often cited for their story and characterisation with their Dragon Age and Mass Effect series', for example. Other RPGs (such as Skyrim) will use quests and have more of open world to explore, allowing the player the flexibility to pick and choose when quests will be completed. An interesting note is that the use of quests, rather than a set plot, allow for players to further tailor their experience of an RPG to suit their needs, giving them a greater sense of freedom, immersion and identity as a customised character in a whole other world.
Your character and in-game universe aren't the only important things which go towards creating a good RPG. Something else any RPG will utilise is a combat and character levelling system. However, what sets a good RPG apart from an average one, is how well they implement said systems. Usually, these are designed in terms of variety and ease of use. Combat is an integral part to an RPG world, whether it be a science fiction like Mass Effect and Fallout, or a fantasy epic like Dragon Age and World of Warcraft, or a combination of both (such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic). There will most commonly be a large range of weapons (and magical abilities) to choose from and each come with their own advantages and disadvantages in the form of stats. Engaging in combat will allow you to level-up your character and thus make use of a built-in progression system, advancing and evolving your character as you play. Some RPGs let you choose a character class at the start, and so when you level your character you will usually get to choose from a set of class-based abilities to improve upon. The inclusion of said classes also add replay value as you may want to start again with a whole new character and class after completion. Other RPGs will allow you to choose from a range of skills, as these don't make you set a character class and thus giving you more freedom to further tailor the gameplay in a much more personalised manner than most other types of game.
Having a good and consistent levelling system in place is also the key to ensuring that combat in an RPG remains balanced and the game remains playable as you progress. This is due to the fact that usually, as you get further into the game, enemies will be appropriate to the level at which your player character currently is and having a range of different abilities to choose from will allow for more even playing field.
So, overall, each of these different aspects are what go towards making a good RPG. However, they aren't anything whilst taken as separate elements. What a good RPG will do is incorporate all these elements together with stunning execution. To me, a true RPG is all about building one's self within a fantasy setting and building a unique sense of identity around that, experiencing whatever world the RPG presents in-game through the eyes of your new character. A good RPG will use everything at its disposal to make sure that the gaming experience had is as immersive and, to some degree, as addictive as it possibly can be.
Having a good and consistent levelling system in place is also the key to ensuring that combat in an RPG remains balanced and the game remains playable as you progress. This is due to the fact that usually, as you get further into the game, enemies will be appropriate to the level at which your player character currently is and having a range of different abilities to choose from will allow for more even playing field.
So, overall, each of these different aspects are what go towards making a good RPG. However, they aren't anything whilst taken as separate elements. What a good RPG will do is incorporate all these elements together with stunning execution. To me, a true RPG is all about building one's self within a fantasy setting and building a unique sense of identity around that, experiencing whatever world the RPG presents in-game through the eyes of your new character. A good RPG will use everything at its disposal to make sure that the gaming experience had is as immersive and, to some degree, as addictive as it possibly can be.
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