Check out THE RPG!

The role-playing game genre is one of the oldest in the medium, with countless titles having tried their hand at creating an unforgettable fantasy world. From dungeon crawlers to turn-based epics, there are a lot of ways to tell a story and engage players. As such, The RPG has a lot to live up to and a lot to prove, given its rather simple (yet amusing) name. Does it stand tall amongst the greats or fall to the wayside? Read on to find out!

A New Tale to Tell?

The RPG presents a familiar premise to anyone who’s played a Bethesda title: you are finally awake, having been caught crossing the border. After a brief introduction by an in-game developer character, you’re set on a quest to figure out why the dragon that attacked is so glitchy. This meta-narrative sets the tone for a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with a linear story that has branching paths based on your choices. The dialogue is presented in a visual novel format during key story moments, with a series of static character portraits and text boxes. For the most part, this is fine, but the text boxes move with characters, and there are some characters who talk to you whilst literally jumping up and down. As such, reading what they’re saying to you is very difficult indeed!

The Grind and the Glory

As with the vast majority of RPGs out there, the core gameplay loop revolves around exploration, combat, and character progression. The world is presented in a first-person perspective with an intentionally simple, open world to explore. From the moment the game loads, anyone who has ever dabbled in the world of Supraland will immediately recognise the familiar, yet pleasant, aesthetic. It is this simple, tongue-in-cheek aesthetic in a serious contact that makes The RPG immediately stand out as a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and also as one that aims to entertain you from the very onset!

Combat is real-time and uses a straightforward system: click to swing your weapon and press “Q” to use a gun. As you progress, you’ll unlock additional abilities like shouts (which are all too easy to inadvertently trigger). The RPG’s main focus is on streamlining the RPG experience, with no complex crafting systems or endless menus to navigate. Instead, useless items are automatically converted to “loot,” and the main attraction is a large dungeon with 12 floors to explore. You also don’t have an inventory carry limit, meaning that you are able to carry as much loot as you wish. As such, becoming a loot-hoarding adventurer is incredibly easy to do, and it takes genuine willpower to hold back from killing six people to get that final toilet roll upon the shelf in some poor farmer’s house!

For the Strategists Among Us

Character progression in The RPG is driven by an experience point system. Defeating enemies grants experience, and upon reaching a certain threshold, level-ups become available. Levelling up increases core stats and unlocks new abilities.

Equipment is another key mechanic. You can find new weapons, armour, and accessories in chests, as drops from enemies, or by purchasing them from vendors in towns. Equipping better gear directly impacts your character’s combat performance, increasing their damage output or survivability. The majority of these items can be purchased from literal vending machines, which is hilarious, as there is indeed a trader overseeing everything. It’s so bizarre, yet refreshingly silly, that it’s hard not to admire the system. Loot management is simplified by converting anything you don’t need into a generic “loot” currency, which keeps the focus on the main quest.

A Treat for the Eyes and Ears?

The RPG uses a simple, intentionally twisted, and minimalist art style that is reminiscent of classic open-world games. The overworld is bright and colourful, while the dungeons are dark and require a torch to navigate properly, which adds to the atmosphere. The sound in general is good, and the music is also generally good, but it happens to feel a little undercooked outside of the main town, where you are often left with near silence broken only by the distant shuffle of monsters.

Conclusion

The RPG is a game that knows what it wants to be: an affectionate parody of the classic open-world role-playing games of the past, with cheeky nods to titles like Skyrim, Oblivion, and Supraland! It offers a familiar but solid real-time combat system, a linear story with a classic good versus evil narrative, and a minimalist aesthetic. The RPG provides a streamlined and accessible experience for fans of the genre, and will likely have you smiling most of the way through with its delightful silliness. While The RPG does not introduce any revolutionary new concepts, it successfully executes the fundamentals that make role-playing games so engaging, and adds a splash of silliness to make it even more fun than you might expect!

Grade: 8/10 – Very Good