Most role-playing games would have you assemble a party of heroes to help stop some world-ending event or the other from happening. While that sounds like pretty dark and dire stuff, there is almost always room for some levity even in the face of near certain doom.
This is why we have so many RPGs skewed towards a more humorous side than one might expect from the genre. Some of these have jokes sprinkled here and there, while others go full-blown slapstick with their stories and gags. What follows are just some of the funniest ones we've had the pleasure of playing.
6 South Park: The Stick Of Truth
You pretty much already know you're going to be laughing your head off going into a game like South Park: The Stick of Truth. The precedent for that has already been set by the hugely successful animated television show it is based upon, as it continues to remain funny and irreverent even after 25 seasons and a feature-length movie.
However, none of that is enough to prepare you for just how side-splittingly funny South Park: The Stick of Truth gets. It brings the show's familiar sense of humor into the realm of video games, making good use of long-running gags while poking fun at the various tropes that have come to define video games and those that play them. The best part is that none of that comes at the expense of a role-playing game that is not only faithful to its source material, but also genuinely fun to play and get lost in.
5 Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story
The Mario & Luigi series of role-playing games have humor as a part of their very DNA. Of the five original games that currently make up the series, Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story is arguably the best. Released on the Nintendo DS in 2009, the game once again had players taking control of both Mario and Luigi — but throws in Bowser as a third playable character.
After both brothers get inadvertently swallowed up by an enlarged Bowser, they must make their way through his insides while helping him overcome the new baddie in town, Fawful. The game makes use of the dual screens on the Nintendo DS by displaying Bowser on the top screen and the two Italian plumbers on the bottom screen. That unique setup, as well as its humorous story, would result in the game receiving glowing recommendations from various gaming publications and outlets.
4 DeathSpank
Created by Clayton Kauzlaric and Ron Gilbert of Monkey Island fame, DeathSpank is an action RPG with a heavy focus on humor. It was developed by Hothead Games and released in 2010 for PC, Mac OS X, PS3, and Xbox 360.
Set in a medieval fantasy world, the game has players stepping into the shoes of the titular hero, whose quest to find a mysterious object simply known as The Artifact drives most of the narrative. Much of that quest is spent visiting the various towns and villages that dot the land, helping those in need in return for rewards like better weapons and gear. Originally intended as the first of two games, two additional sequels were eventually released — DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue and The Baconing.
3 Undertale
Toby Fox rose to the forefront of the indie game development scene with his work on Undertale, a 2D role-playing game he largely developed by himself. You take on the role of a child named Frisk, after falling into a place known as the Underground where various monsters have been banished or relegated.
Aside from sporting a retro art style, the game is noted for its story and use of humor, which is often reflected in the dialogue you have with the monsters you meet. Many of them will even engage the player in combat, giving you the choice to either fight or try to befriend them — which can offer even more opportunities for laughs depending on how it goes.
2 Earthbound
Speaking of Undertale, that game probably wouldn't exist if it hadn't been influenced by Earthbound and others in the Mother series. The primary connective tissue linking both games together is their approach to comedy, and how well it is integrated into their stories.
Unlike most traditional RPGs, Earthbound takes place in a contemporary setting, a parody of the United States known as Eagleland. Players take on the role of Ness, a young boy who discovers a meteorite from which an alien entity known as Giygas escapes to corrupt most of the land. He must then journey, along with his friends Poo, Jeff, and Paula, to the eight Sanctuaries, where they must collect the Sound Stones needed to stop it.
1 Paper Mario
After already dabbling into a Mario-themed RPG with the well-received Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Nintendo decided to once again give the genre a shot in its Nintendo 64 release, Paper Mario. This time around, it was Intelligent Systems (as opposed to Square) that was contracted to help bring the project to life.
As alluded to by its title, the game sports a paper-like aesthetic that has since grown to define the entire series. However, it is its use of comedy and the overall quality of its writing that actually makes it one of the most memorable Mario adventures to date.