Dragon Age Series Alternatives and Similar Games

The debut RPG from Bioware, it’s likely that without Baldur’s Gate, Dragon Age mightn’t have happened. Over twenty years old, Baldur’s Gate paved the way for other hit games such as Icewind Dale and Planescape: Torment. Its isometric art style still has imitators today with games such as Pillars of Eternity or Tyranny. Baldur’s Gate remains so in vogue that the games have been remastered for modern computers. The enhanced editions also include the expansion packs, Tales of the Sword Coast and Throne of Baal, with Siege of Dragonspear also released to reward loyal fans.

One of Bioware’s signature science fiction series, Mass Effect is set in the 22nd century where humanity is just one of several alien races that coexist in the Milky Way galaxy. The main protagonist is Commander Shepard, a special forces agent known as a Spectre, responsible for protecting the galaxy. The first trilogy games have received almost universal praise for their character development, story, setting, and importance of character choice. Continuity is important as choices made in one game will have ramifications in the next.

Similar to Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights is also set in Faerun from the D&D Forgotten Realms setting. The series consists of two main games, each with several expansions and additional content. Set along the famous Sword Coast, the games offer hours of entertainment. In addition to the singleplayer mode, Neverwinter Nights also allows players to create their own scenarios and campaigns that they can use to run games of D&D for their friends.

Another hit from Bioware, KOTOR is set some 4,000 years before the Star Wars films when war between the Sith and Jedi was a regular occurrence. Awakening on a Republic ship under attack, the hero finds themselves with no memory of what has happened and forced to escape. KOTOR is relatively linear but the game’s moral choices and character interactions allow for extensive replays. The game’s companions are the real joy. Each is a fully fleshed out unique individual. Their personalities, preferences, and philosophies, are what drive the game.

Part of the wider Divinity series, Original Sin comprises two very different games with shared elements. Both are party-based RPGs that allow the player extensive customization options for characters and their abilities. Fans of the original games will appreciate this next addition to the saga.

Based on the popular stories by Andrzej Sapkowski, the Witcher games are RPGs with a difference. Known for their difficult moral choices, they are dark fantasy games that somehow manage to be disturbingly realistic. The player controls Geralt, a Witcher. Witchers are mutated humans with talents for killing monsters. Geralt’s work involves rescuing villagers and clearing out lairs for an ungrateful populace. The most recent entry in the series has been critically acclaimed as a subversion of the fantasy genre. Geralt is not the traditional fantasy hero and the game world is one mostly devoid of heroics. The game still manages to inject some humor into its setting, proving that the world is not all bleak. Geralt’s varied skills allow for a variety of tactics to be used against enemies. Weapons can be poisoned, bombs or traps can be thro

An open world hack and slash RPG, Dragon’s Dogma is set in the high fantasy world of Gransys. The player is on a quest to defeat the Dragon, the herald of the world’s end. The game world is fully explorable with largely populated cities. The combat has been praised for its ‘grab’ mechanic, where players fighting larger enemies are able to climb up on their target to inflict more damage.

One of the most popular modern RPGs, TES has come a long way since its debut with Arena. The third game Morrowind was the breakout success and the more recent games, Oblivion and Skyrim, have solidified the success of the series. The most recent game is set in the far northern province of Skyrim, a Viking inspired realm where a civil war rages amidst religious repression, lawlessness, and the return of dragons. The player is a Dragonborn, one of the few mortals with the ability to master the dragon magic. The series is best described as a sandbox. The majority of the game world is free to explore from the beginning. Players create a character, choosing the skills, traits, gender, race. The inhabitants of the world have lives and occupations. Bandits plague the roads between cities, monsters have lairs in remote locations. Players can fini

An action RPG, Kingdoms of Amalur follows a resurrected hero known as the Fateless One. Having already died once, they are free of fate and can alter those of others. With no memory of their previous life, they are thrust into a war where vengeful elves seek to conquer all the mortal races. The combat in Reckoning is more similar to games like God of War. Based on timing and combos, it allows players to enter a slow-motion mode as well as perform brutal finishing moves on enemies when Fateshifting.

A popular German RPG, Gothic subverts the traditional fantasy conventions by eschewing the traditional black/white morality. Players can choose to side with violent rebels or the repressive army, with the conquering orcs, or the free humans. Actions by the player affect their standing with rival factions and interactions with other characters.

An action RPG series set in the land of Albion, Fable’s setting is notable for a fantasy RPG in that the game world progresses technologically and socially with each game. The player’s development is stimulated by their interaction with other characters with this then factoring into their moral choices and reputation.