Role-playing games can suck us into their worlds, give us hours of entertainment and feed us multiple playthroughs. When our favorite RPGs don't get a sequel, however, it has us wondering what happened next after the completion of the first game. Imagine Diablo without Diablo 2 or 3. Think of the Fallout series if we only got the first game.
While many game devs have no issue pumping out the 12th entry into a well-known series, some would also love to see some of these forgotten classics get brought into the modern age. Some games have been dormant for years, while others were released just a few years ago, and we're just really excited to see what comes next.
7 Tyranny
What a setting: a high fantasy world that is moving from the Bronze Age to the Iron Age - Tyranny’s world of Terratus simply needs to be revisited again. Ruled by Kyros, the player in this game is tasked with quelling a rebellion and various choices unfold before them.
Made by RPG savants Obsidian, the game has a familiar isometric view and allows the player to define their character through specific strengths and weaknesses, and your choices will change how different factions in the game treat you - classic. It sold just over 500,000 copies and got good reviews, but it's the fun setting that really makes this a game that deserves another go.
6 Skies Of Aracadia
Released by Sega and created by Overworks, Skies of Arcadia was a great Japanese role-playing game on the Sega Dreamcast. This air-pirate-themed game has you trying to stop the Valuan Empire from destroying the world of Arcadia, because who wants that to happen? The game puts value on open-world exploration and its turn-based combat really sank its hooks into you.
To say the setting is vivid would be an understatement, and many consider it one of the best Dreamcast games ever, even as the console itself quickly faded into obscurity. It received a port to the GameCube, but any further entries into the series have not occurred despite the game’s characters appearing in other games.
5 Vampyr
2018’s Vampyr hit the gaming scene as a unique action role-playing experience about a vampire that was once a doctor. Players have the choice to not take victims during the game, even though feeding on people replenishes strength and levels up the player, making them more skilled.
The setting, London after the first world war, is fun to explore and has a somewhat open-world design, and the 'friendly or not-friendly vampire' mechanic would have been interesting to further explore in a sequel. Fingers crossed.
4 Crystalis
This NES classic developed by SNK in 1990 wowed people with great graphics for the time, a great story, and an amazing soundtrack. Crystalis is set 100 years after a nuclear war during which society has been bombed back to the Middle Ages. The main character, however, has been in a cryogenic sleep since before the war and has a nasty case of amnesia. Talk about a rude awakening.
The game has you collecting four elemental swords scattered throughout the world with the power of wind, fire, water, and thunder in classic RPG fashion. It is a wonder Nintendo hasn’t gone back to this well, especially considering it has remastered, reimagined, and remade other classic NES games.
3 Gladius
Did you know you needed a Roman tactical RPG in your life? Yes, of course, you need that. LucasArts released Gladius in 2003, which had you creating a school of gladiators and then unleashing them on the battlefield.
Combat is turn-based but with a swing meter, making it a fairly novel concept. Up to four players could co-op in this Xbox game, which takes you around the world of Ancient Rome. While somewhat forgotten, it got favorable reviews and it would be great to see a sequel - or at least a remaster.
2 Jade Empire
This Xbox exclusive was released in 2005 by BioWare, Jade Empire was set kingdom reminiscent of Ancient China. Players take control of the spirit monk and carry out combat in real-time. BioWare implemented its classic morality system, having a good path and an evil path that the player could follow which would change the story’s ending.
Released after classics like Baldur’s Gate and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and in an awkward time just before the Xbox 360 launched, it's easy to see how this got lost in the shuffle. The game was considered imaginative and immersive and sold only about 500,000 copies. This is, however, something that could definitely make the jump to current-generation consoles.
1 Kingdom Come: Deliverance
This action role-playing video game was developed by Warhorse Studios and stood out for its engaging story set in 1400s Bohemia and high levels of detail and realism. Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a Middle-Aged treat that doesn’t have preset classes but allows you to customize your skills and create your own role within the game.
Sleeping and eating is needed to stay healthy, equipment degrades and food can spoil over time. The launch was shaky with game-breaking bugs, but a patch cleared things up and made it a game that people want a sequel to.