Summary
There are all kinds ofRPGsout there, but thanks to the influence and popularity of theFantasygenre, most of them take place in wonderous, magical worlds that include wizards, dragons, and other mystical creatures and powers. The market is so overwhelmed withfantasy RPGsthat it’s easy for players to get bored and yearn to find something different.
Fortunately, there are morenon-fantasy RPGsout there than most players have been led to believe. Alternative settings include other planets, dystopian futures, realistic historical periods, or urban city streets, each with their own fascinating take on the role-playing genre.
It looks like a fantasy at first, becausemany use the knights and castles aesthetic, but theKingdom Comefranchise takes place in medieval EasternEurope. The main character is fictional, but the places that he visits are real, and some of the people featured as leaders, lords, or kingsare also authentic.
Henry, the protagonist ofKingdom Come: Deliverance 2, chooses between three different classes that concern either combat or rhetoric and have nothing to do with magic, because this is the real world, and magic doesn’t exist. It’s up to the player to hone their battle and social skills to progress in this game.
Johnny Silverhand has some issues that can’t be solved using magic, and whether the player likes it or not, they’re along for the ride. The bio-chip that protagonist V gets implanted into their body at the start of the game has nothing to do with magic, even though such a thing might not be scientifically possible yet.
Like the name suggests, this is an entry in the cyberpunk genre, so the game takes place in an urban setting, for the most part, but one that’s tainted by extreme poverty, tech-related crimes, and upscale designer drugs. The goal ofCyberpunk 2077is to find a way to separate Johnny’s consciousness from that of the protagonist, which requires a scientific solution, not a magical one.
Science fiction might be the genre that takes second place to fantasy, and the wholeThe Outer Worldsfranchise is a sanctuary for those who need a break from fantasy RPGs. This is a science fiction-based game that involves space travel and planetary exploration with no magic involved.
Halcyon is the setting of the game, and in keeping with the idea of an alternative human timeline, this planet is ruledby various corporate interests. The main character is just one cog in their financial wheel, at least initially, until they join with the other colonists to take down their rich and oblivious overlords.
While not a cut-and-dry RPG in the traditional sense,Red Dead Redemption 2features enough RPG mechanics to earn a spot on this list. Another choice for thosewho prefer realismand history, theRed Dead Redemptionfranchise uses the American West as its setting, along with all the era-appropriate accessories that players would expect. That means horseback riding, dynamite, wilderness survival, and cattle rustling, but no magic.
The second game in the series ups the ante with even more true cowboy grit, and acts as a prequel to the first game. Arthur Morgan is the story’s protagonist, and his quests consist of tracking down dangerous gang members and dodging government agents, which is painfully realistic.
All of the games in theDeus Exfranchise are ideal for players who want alternative choices to fantasy, andMankind Dividedhas a reputation for pushing the grit and gore to an even more dramatic level. This is the fifth game in the series, and players work by using ranged damage, stealth abilities, and modern technology instead of magic.
The world ofDeus Exis divided (pun intended) into two categories: “normal” humans, and those who have been altered using augmentation, or artificial organs, that improve their natural abilities.The main character, Adam Jensen, an augment himself, must utilize his skillsas a sharpshooter and industrial spywhose primarygoal is to expose the Illuminati.
Frank Herbert was going against the grain when he left two things out of his books: magic and aliens. People in theDuneuniverse have indeed trained their minds and bodies in ways that might seem magical or even superhuman, but the lore maintains that these are natural human abilities learned through training and spice consumption.
The backstory and history created for this franchise are so strict about the lack of fantasy that even thinking machines —the computers used in real life to create these games —are strictly forbidden.Dune: Awakeningis an interesting mix of hard sci-fi, speculative fiction, and the power of the human mind, a unique setting in the world of MMOs.
Earthboundtrips the light fantastic, with some magic and monsters, but it’s grounded in a realistic setting, and the player is never sure how much of it is real and what’s happening in the main character’s imagination or his dreams. One player uses “praying” as their superpower,andthe protagonist, Nes,carries a bat as a weapon; no wands or swords are required.
This game is the second in a series that is entitled “Mother” back in Japan, and its use of North American iconography is one of the reasons it didn’t get a proper localization until fairly recently. The developers recreate typical neighborhoods and city streets with familiar brands and signs, reminding the player that this is a child’s version of reality but not a fantasy world.
