The D20 Beat: 2018’s RPGs — my critical hits and made saving throws

On Jan 2, 2019

When I think about 2018’s role-playing games, I don’t see lots of bombast and flash. Blockbuster studios often stayed away. Square Enix’s main offerings this year weren’t triple-A releases. You didn’t see anything from BioWare, and Bethesda’s Fallout 76 sure doesn’t feel like an RPG to me.

Instead, we got smaller (in graphical flash, motion capture, and other blockbuster bullet list items), tighter games. I’d argue that these were more intimate tales. We got a new Dragon Quest, a new Pillars of Eternity, and a new Bard’s Tale. Pathfinder got its first proper turn-based PC RPG, and Monster Hunter: World gave us that triple-A flash. Pokémon made its Switch debut in a smaller, even cuter package.

And we saw a host of excellent indie releases and ports — far too many for one person to play.

Many of these were good, if not excellent games. My favorite release of 2018 is an RPG, and my children got more joy out of watching me play such games than I could believe. We might not have something with the production values of The Witcher III or Final Fantasy XV, but dang it, we got soul. I’ll take that over fancy-smancy graphics any time.

Let’s take a look at the game I felt worked and those that didn’t.

The critical hits

These are my favorite RPGs of 2018. They tell fantastic stories, pose interesting combat situations, and have engaging character development (either through story or through stats).

Eora's vivid pantheon.

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire

Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Publisher: Versus Evil, Obsidian Entertainment
Platform: PC

This is my favorite game of 2018, and it might be my favorite game from Obsidian Entertainment. In my review, I noted how at its best, it’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure novel as you are persuading your allies on how you want to deal with the machinations of the world’s gods … or mocking them.

Yes, one of Dragon Quest XI's main characters turns into a Mardi Gras float.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Developer: Square Enix
Publisher: Square Enix
Platform: PC, PlayStation 4

The latest in this 32-year-old series is a legend in my household for the butt-slamming arena grapplers (at least as far as my children are concerned), Dragon Quest XI is the best Japanese role-playing game of 2018. It tells a moving story, and I can’t remember the last time an RPG had me caring about its characters so much. Sylvando is a pillar of cheerful strength, and even when he gets down, it’s not for long. The turn-based combat provides plenty of options as you mix-and-match abilities and party members. You can craft gear as well. And who can resist those cutesy slimes. If you enjoy old-school JRPGs, be sure to give it a go.

The Bard introduces different scenes depending on where you are in the story.

The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep

Developer: InXile Entertainment
Publisher: InXile Entertainment
Platform: PC

Book of Demons

Developer: Thing Trunk
Publisher: Thing Trunk
Platform: PC

This little gem came out earlier this month. It’s bite-sized Diablo with a papercraft look, and it’s a joy to play. You can choose the dungeon level’s size before you go in, and as your character moves about the halls, they kinda hop they are paper, after all). Like Diablo, many areas have a boss-like creature (though Book of Demons’ monsters are on the funny side), and the game carries a tongue-in-cheek attitude. It’s fun, and I’m looking forward to playing more of it in the coming weeks.

Battletech's tactical combat. A mech can jump to higher ground, but the red lines indicate whose line of fire it'll be in if it does.

Battletech

Developer: Harebrained Schemes
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Platform: PC

Mechs and mercs — that’s the deal here in Battletech. A human empire is falling apart, and its noble houses are fighting over the scrapes. That’s where you come in. The tactics and strategy needed to clear each map is challenging, and the story intrigues me as we see these nobles fighting over the corpse of an empire. It doesn’t have the same level of RPG character development as Pillars of Eternity II offers, but it does provide several paths for boosting your pilots and improving your mechs. And I found this doesn’t matter, as stomping around and blasting foes with your giant metal monstrosities is just a hoot.

Jesse

Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu

Developer: Game Freak
Publisher: Nintendo, The Pokémon Company
Platform: Switch

Pokémon has never been my thing, and I detailed my problems with the franchise long ago. But this time around, I couldn’t deny Pikachu’s cuteness. I found myself enjoying most of my time in Kanto. I loved “throwing” the PokéBall to capture critters, and you can do this with the Joy-Cons as well. The random battles are gone, replaced by actual Pokémon on the map that you encounter to capture. You fight other trainers, too. It has that light tone you find in the cartoons and the other games, and it was a joy to play with my kids. I’m looking forward to the next Pokémon coming to the Switch now.