2018 is already off to a strong start for RPGs, both Western and Japanese alike. Fans of both will find something to love. Here are the five best RPGs released in Q1 2018. All of these games are ready to be played by you, so get on out there and adventure through new worlds.
Best RPGs of Q1 2018
Monster Hunter: World
Oh, you knew we had to include this one in our list of the best RPGs of Q1 2018. Monster Hunter: World is the game that took the world by storm, catapulting to become Capcom’s best-selling game of all time in only a matter of weeks. The core of World is the same Monster Hunter we’ve known for years, but it updates the series in some meaningful ways, making it far more accessible to new players.
The crux of this game has you traveling to the New World, searching for an answer to why the Elder Dragons are all migrating. Once there you’ll take on a whole slew of hunts and quests, tracking down new and dangerous beasts, as well as some series classics. All 14 of the weapons featured in MH4U make a return, and World has a quick matchmaking system that lets you easily jump into other player’s games, and vice versa.
World ditches the zone-based structure of previous MH games, opting instead for six expansive open world areas. The new Scout Flies mechanic makes it much easier to track certain beasts in the world, and find your next objective. The upgraded technology works wonders for World, making everything seamless and giving combat a great flow. A handful of other small changes, like being able to use a potion while running, helps make the game even more streamlined. There’s still a generous learning curve to Monster Hunter: World, and it’s a game you’ll need to invest time in. However, it’s easily the tightest and best MH yet, and there’s always a fellow hunter willing to lend a helping hand if you need it. With universal acclaim from both fans and critics, MH:W will absolutely be one of the biggest games of 2018.
Best RPGs of Q1 2018
Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia
Final Fantasy has seen its fair share of mobile titles, some with robust experiences, others with pretty much the exact opposite. Luckily, Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia falls into the former camp, providing a nostalgic RPG experience for fans. Contrary to the rest of the games in the series, Opera Omnia is a turn-based RPG. The concept is the same, however, with the gods Materia and Spiritus summoning great warriors from other Final Fantasy realms to do battle.
Opera Omnia is a gacha game themed around certain luck elements, but it does handle the whole luck aspect better. All of the gacha elements come from the game’s equipment, and all of the characters will be given to you as you complete the story, or added in later through free events. This lets you create a party of your favorite Final Fantasy characters to do battle, only using those luck elements if you choose to.
Luckily, the game gives you a ton of resources to use anyway so there’s quite a bit you’ll get for free. Opera Omnia, of course, isn’t the deepest of RPGs, but it does lay the Final Fantasy nostalgia on thick. Battle music from across the series will play at various points, and there’s a boatload of references to be found. The real fun, though, comes with seeing the story scenes that have characters interacting. It’s a blast to see the likes of Zidane and Vivi interacting with Vaan and Seifer, and each character’s personality shines through. Considering this one is free, there’s no reason to not at least try it out, so we had to give it a recommendation in our top RPGs of Q1 2018.
Best RPGs of Q1 2018
Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology
Radiant Historia was easily one of the best RPGs on the DS, if not one of the best games period. The game takes place on the continent of Vainqueur, a place that’s slowly being taken over by sand from a phenomenon known as Desertification. You play as Stocke, an elite espionage agent for the country Alistel, who gains a mysterious book that allows him to travel through time.
Perfect Chronology doesn’t totally overhaul everything about the original, but it does add in some meaningful enhancements and updates. The entire game has been redesigned to play faster and smoother, and every bit of character art has been completely redrawn. The biggest changes are the addition of voice acting to all the game’s major characters, as well as entirely new story threads and scenarios to explore. These scenarios flesh out the main story a bit more, and expand upon certain characters. Everything is weaved into the story, however, so new players don’t have to worry about not understanding any of the new content.
In many ways Radiant Historia feels like a successor to Chrono Trigger, with the way it deals with time travel and dark story themes. The art style may feel a bit underwhelming on the 3DS, but it’s still a memorable RPG with strong characters, a deep combat system, and a riveting story.
Best RPGs of Q1 2018
Kingdom Come: Deliverance
This list for the best RPGs of Q1 2018 wouldn’t be complete without this one. Video games often like to play around with history, letting players explore the deserts of Ancient Egypt or the broken streets of World War 2 Europe. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a game that doubles down on its historical inspirations, taking place in 15th century Bohemia.
At first glance, Kingdom Come has a lot in common with something like Skyrim. An expansive world to explore filled with side quests, a leveling system that rises based on the actions you take, and intense hand-to-hand melee combat. At its core, though, Kingdom Come is integrally different, and that dedication to historical accuracy is baked into each and every part of the game. The main character, Henry, will get hungry and as you do battle your clothes will become tarnished and bloody. Both of these need to be alleviated and the state of your clothes can even impact how people view and interact with you. Combat also puts realistic timing behind weapon swings, and if you wear a helmet with a designed visor your view will be restricted accordingly. The historical accuracy even goes right down to the menu and map design, which both look like a page right out of an illuminated manuscript.
Kingdom Come has its own fair share of issues like shoddy voice acting and a whole slew of bugs, but it has more than enough ambition to make up for it. There aren’t a lot of RPGs out there quite like Kingdom Come that really put you into a character’s shoes and give you a historical playground to run around it. That alone is enough to warrant giving it a shot.
Best RPGs of Q1 2018
Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
The first Ni No Kuni was a novel idea, a collaboration between Level-5 and the storied Studio Ghibli. While Ghibli wasn’t involved in Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, Level-5 has magnificently emulated the heart and feel of the animation studio.
Revenant Kingdom focuses on Evan Pettiwhisker Tildrum, the young king of Ding Dong Dell who’s overthrown by a coup. With the help of Roland, a visitor from our world, and a group of other friends, he starts a brand new kingdom called Evermore. Every aspect of Revenant Kingdom is themed around creating and expanding Evermore, from the main story to the side quests. On top of your normal JRPG exploring, the game uses a surprisingly engaging kingdom building system that has you placing buildings, conducting research, and recruiting new citizens. It’s an enticing loop that has you constantly jumping back into your kingdom to drop some money on a new building or research.
Revenant Kingdom also completely overhauls the combat system from the previous game, changing it to a completely real-time system. Each character has a host of attacks to use along with some incredibly flashy skills. Little creatures known as Higgledies also join you in battle, supporting you with buffs, healing, or special attacks. It’s a fast-paced system that is most easily compared to the Tales series, and a massive improvement over the first Ni No Kuni.
The second Ni No Kuni is a unique JRPG that improves on nearly every aspect of its predecessor and does an admirable job of unifying each of its gameplay systems into a core experience. It earned a rare 5/5 from us here at Twinfinite, so don’t let this one pass you up.
Published: Apr 4, 2018 09:30 am