10 Things Every RPG should have

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Strife025

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After playing through a plethora of RPG's since the SNES days I got to daydreaming on my drive to work that there are certain things that every RPG should have, regardless of genre, story, or battle system. Feel free to add anything. There is no particular order to the below.

1. Difficulty Settings - Let's face it, not every gamer is the same. Some people may want to rush through an RPG for the story, while others want a challenge and hair pulling experience as they journey their way to the end.

2. Soft Reset - I can't stand games for the current gen systems that don't have soft resets. Let's face it, part of RPG's for some people are to be a perfectionist. This sometimes involves lots of resetting. If someone wants to soft reset 100 times to get 1 more agility then let them.

3. New Game + - Simply put, replayibility. RPG's are sometimes a genre that are good for one play through and that's it. New Game + adds incentive for players to continue playing. Tales of the Abyss is a good example of a New Game + mode.

4. Multiplayer - This is more for Action rpg games but I thought it should be included anyways. Secret of Mana back in the day was awesome because it basically allowed you to play through an epic RPG with your friend. Most of the time the computer is stupid compared to a real life player, might as well put that 2nd port to use.

5. "Crafting" - Whether your playing a traditional RPG, action RPG, strategy RPG, or some weird combination you can benefit from crafting. I'm not saying crafting should be required to beat the game, but it's another staple of many successful and memorable RPG's. Crafting can be anything from the traditional sense, to fusing demons like in the SMT. Basically a way for the player to upgrade 2 things into something more powerful.

6. Post Game Dungeons - Many players love playing RPG's for not only the story, but the battle system and challenge. Developers usually reserve post game dungeons to truly challenge the player to the limits of the battle system. Face it, most RPG's are relatively easy, post game dungeons combined with difficulty settings is where the real challenge comes in. Who doesn't like an 8hr romp through a multi-level dungeon infested with monster's that can kill you in their sleep?

7. Shops - This is more of a preference but I believe should be a staple of RPG's as well. This is more or less present in 90% of RPG's, but there's always the few that try something different and end up failing. Shops in one way or another are a huge part of the "upgrade" nature of RPG's. Everything from Disgaea to Kingdom Hearts had a form of currency and ways to buy items and equipment. Everyone remember Xenosaga ep. 2? Players want shops.

8. Replay Movies/CG Sequences - I still don't understand why so many RPG's have no way to relive the awesome Movies that are in many of the current gen RPG's. The developers take so much time make these movies, and then their gone in an instant. Sure you can have a bunch of saves but who wants to do that? Part of this problem has been alleviated by YouTube and other online streaming sites, but who remembers wanting to go back and watch the infamous Aeris CG Movie but accidentally overwriting your save.

9. Journal/Story Summary - RPG's are known as the genre that can consume your life. Many times people may have real life priorities that pull them away from a game (I swear it's been documented!). I myself have fell victim to picking up an RPG mid-game after not playing it for months. Sometimes it's hard to get back into things if you can't look at a past story summary. Good thing Gamefaqs is around to help.

10. Music/Score/Soundtrack - A good soundtrack should not be underestimated, it can turn a good scene into something memorable. Some of players' fondest memories are sometimes aroused by a soundtrack that reminds us of some event in the past. Early Final Fantasy games are some of the best examples of this, but even normal tracks can remind us of games. Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy? These include tracks that are embedded in every gamer to this day.
 
If would like to add to that list, if you don't mind... ;)

Cool Magic/Spell/etc. effects - In the Final Fantasy series, we have Fire, Fira & Firaga (I think). The way each magic looks in battle is just simply awesome. Fires are bigger and more detailed the stronger the magic is. Simply put... Casting magic in an RPG should look and sound awesome.
 
I completely agree with your list, especially difficult settings, since I hate grinding and I like playing RPG's because of the story most times but I can't finish the story because I didn't grind.
 
Thats ridiculous to say that every game in a genre should have a certain features as standard.

Something technical like a soft reset is one thing, or saying you want an epic soundtrack. I personally want dual language options in every game, RPG or otherwise.

But multiplayer, crafting, post game and new game+, dificulty settings and shops should be entirely optional. Crafting is especially a NO.
 
[quote name='Dr Mario Kart']Thats ridiculous to say that every game in a genre should have a certain features as standard.

Something technical like a soft reset is one thing, or saying you want an epic soundtrack. I personally want dual language options in every game, RPG or otherwise.

But multiplayer, crafting, post game and new game+, dificulty settings and shops should be entirely optional. Crafting is especially a NO.[/quote]

Um most of my list is technical stuff. Multiplayer is more or less technical for action rpgs. The game is exactly the same, except you can plug in a 2nd controller and control one of the NPC's. It does nothing to effect the story or overall direction of the game.

New game + is simply allowing things to be carried over or slight bonuses in a 2nd playthrough. A large portion of games do it nowadays and again, it takes nothing from the overall story or direction of a game, instead it adds replayability.

Post Game is again, in a large portion of modern RPG's. Adds replayability, does nothing to effect the story, and is basically an added challenge for people who want to continue playing after the story.

Difficulty setting is exactly that, wow they add a modifier to enemy skills or increase damage. Explain to me how that is not technical?

The only one thing that I could agree which is more or less not technical on the list is crafting, but that's why I put it in quotes. Not crafting in the traditional sense, but more or less allowing players to upgrade certain aspects to make their characters stronger, not just leveling to 99 or whatever. This means materia in FFVII, Devil upgrades in SMT, going through 100 floor weapons in Disgaea, or normal combining weapons like in Rogue Galaxy. Almost all successful RPG's have some form of "crafting."

I would argue that any game that includes these things will be more successful than if they didn't, and it does nothing to change the overall direction or story of the game.
 
I like your list, and agree with just about everything. I also believe they should also have easily navigatable menus, introductory tutorials (that are skipable), and they should all have Sephiroth.
Heh, just kidding about that last one, but it wouldn't hurt. ;)
 
I dont think having a real multiplayer experience is as simple as having the single player game that you wanted and then adding a 2nd controller.

A better multiplayer experience revolves around cooperation, which SHOULD affect things like level design as well as the core game play.

Plugging in another controller like you could in FF6 or Tales of Symphonia is a mediocre experience as far as the 2nd player is concerned, because the game is still revolving around the first controller.
 
[quote name='Genocidal']So you want RPGs to be more cookie cutter than they already are? No thanks.[/quote]

1. Difficulty Settings - Technical has nothing to do with cookie cutter.

2. Soft Reset - Technical has nothing to do with cookie cutter.

3. New Game + - Technical has nothing to do with cookie cutter.

4. Multiplayer - Technical has nothing to do with cookie cutter.

5. "Crafting" - Crafting is so broad that two games with completely different stories, battle systems, and themes can have upgrades, don't see how it's cookie cutter.

6. Post Game Dungeons - Post game i.e. has nothing to do with story or main game, meaning not cookie cutter.

7. Shops - Again is so broad that it has nothing to do with making a game cookie cutter. The most opposite of games still have some sort of buy system.

8. Replay Movies/CG Sequences - Technical has nothing to do with cookie cutter.

9. Journal/Story Summary - Technical has nothing to do with cookie cutter.

10. Music/Score/Soundtrack - Technical has nothing to do with cookie cutter.

I said nothing about having Firaga in the game, or having a love story in the game, or having a turn based battle system. Everything I listed has nothing to do with the type of game, story, emotion, direction, or overall gameplay.

Glad your superior intellect brought something meaningful to why these things make a game cookie cutter.
 
[quote name='Dr Mario Kart']I dont think having a real multiplayer experience is as simple as having the single player game that you wanted and then adding a 2nd controller.

A better multiplayer experience revolves around cooperation, which SHOULD affect things like level design as well as the core game play.

Plugging in another controller like you could in FF6 or Tales of Symphonia is a mediocre experience as far as the 2nd player is concerned, because the game is still revolving around the first controller.[/quote]

That's true, it is more or less something easily achieved that brings something beneficial to the game without much work or changing the actual game. Most of the things I listed are like that.

I certainly don't think every game should have a full fledged multiplayer system because RPG's aren't really about multiplayer, I was more or less saying let your friend plug in a controller and take over the stupid NPC character if he wants to.
 
Building games off the same foundations is going to make them all feel like generic RPG #3246356 much like the current FPS market. Also, yea, multiplayer is a bit of a circle jerk. Thanks for the personal attack, though!
 
Again none of the things listed are foundations. 8/10 of them are technical. The only ones I could really see being argued are shops and crafting.

Things like difficulty, new game +, soft reset, story summary, etc. can be applied to many genres of gaming. Don't see how it makes an RPG generic.
 
[quote name='62t']soft rest- should be build into system, like gamecube and dreamcast.[/quote]

Yes that would be awesome, I hate when PS2 games don't support soft reset :/
 
I'm thinking through my eyes as a JRPG gamer.

#1 - Meh. I don't like the idea of choices for difficulty because that basically means they cast more spells, do more damage, and/or have a higher amount of HP. It should stay ingame where if you're the power leveling-type (i.e. me), the enemies get a little stronger too.
#2 - Don't care.
#3 - Sure. I don't usually play RPGs over, even if there are multiple endings, but I enjoyed it when I was younger with Chrono Trigger.
#4 - Sure. If we're specifically talking about action ones and it fits into the game.
#5 - Meh. Looking back at the crafting thing on RPGs I've played, they were always a waste of time. There's also the fact it gets complicated and if you have to read a FAQ, there's something wrong with it.
#6 - Don't care.
#7 - I'm talking about JRPGs so uh... yeah.
#8 - Hell yes. Everyone seems to hate cutscenes now because they want interactive cutscenes but I have fun with both.
#9 - Sure.
#10 - I'm bad with soundtracks. I can remember the Final Fantasy fanfare after a battle and that's about it.

My list would include aesthetic changes to characters with weapon changes and other equipment, the end of random battles, shorter playtimes (I used to love longer games but now my attention wanders),... more will come to me.
 
All these little things take a certain amount of development time that apparently isnt worth it to many developers.

RPG developers in particular are often on low budgets, outside of the big fish like Square-Enix.

I dont think additional difficulty settings are as easy as having a set of multipliers. You're going to have people to test these things thoroughly to make sure that some things dont become too hard or perhaps too easy. At the very least, you're going to need testing to find the RIGHT multipliers.

Its certainly nice to wish for more things though.

Regarding soft reset, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance has it, but Goddess of Dawn does not. I have to wonder if it is a facet of the Wii that doesnt allow it.

While it existed in some of the older Squaresoft games, I dont believe it is present in most of the newer Square-Enix games. Makai Kingdom has one of the quickest exit to menu options that I've ever seen, but I dont recall Disgaea 2 replicating it.

To be fair, most games probably dont even need such a thing. An option to load saves would be a welcome substitute. Why go all the way out to the title screen when you can be load a save from the same screen you save it from.
 
I want a fun battle system where, Battle #1 and Battle #843, 60 hours into the game, are still awesome fun. Only a couple RPG's have ever given me this.
 
[quote name='Dr Mario Kart']
To be fair, most games probably dont even need such a thing. An option to load saves would be a welcome substitute. Why go all the way out to the title screen when you can be load a save from the same screen you save it from.[/quote]

Yes this would be the perfect solution. It's too bad many RPG's don't follow this :/

Also I understand that alot of these things increase development time, but at the same time most aren't too intensive after completing a game as intensive as most RPG's.

These are just things that I would think would make the game better without actually affecting the core of the game.
 
i can only think of two truly essential things RPGs must have

all RPGs must have the ability to skip to the end of conversations, i.e. X button to skip the scrolling and O button to skip to the next block of dialogue.

also all RPGs must have pauseable and skippable cutscenes, i.e. START to pause and then X to skip

out of your list i really agree with Shops and Replayable Cutscenes. the former is absolutely essential to the experience and the latter would just be really cool
 
This is how I like my RPGs, and I'm very happy when they are this way.

1. Random battles (I adore random battles and hate to see them go away)

2. Young characters

3. Heavy anime influenced characters with spikey hair.

4. Traditional story elements such as a main character being washed up shore, having amnesia, and/or waking up sleepy eyed.

5. Main character has a sword.

6. Really LONG cutscenes that can last 30 minutes to an hour (like Xenosaga).

7. Traditional turn based battles or real-time combat like Tales/Star Ocean

8. Traditional world map you wander. (Very important to me. I wish more RPGs still used it)

9. Simple weapon equipping system (do NOT make it too complex for its own good).

10. No randomized dungeaons

I know most will disagree with me, but I don't care. :p
 
I want my characters to change in appearance when their armor/weapons change. I really hate how the only graphic that changes in most RPGs is the weapon (if we are lucky).
 
Portable RPG's also need an instant save anywhere system. I play my ds on the subway in 15 minute bursts. This rules out most of the rpgs I have for the system. I wind up playing puzzle games most of the time.
 
[quote name='freakyzeeky']If would like to add to that list, if you don't mind... ;)

Cool Magic/Spell/etc. effects - In the Final Fantasy series, we have Fire, Fira & Firaga (I think). The way each magic looks in battle is just simply awesome. Fires are bigger and more detailed the stronger the magic is. Simply put... Casting magic in an RPG should look and sound awesome.[/quote]

DUDE. This was such a huge deal to me back in the SNES days. I couldn't wait to get the next level fire/ice/thunder spell to see the next spell effect. It freaks me out how excited I am that someone mentioned this.
 
[quote name='tehweezner']i can only think of two truly essential things RPGs must have

all RPGs must have the ability to skip to the end of conversations, i.e. X button to skip the scrolling and O button to skip to the next block of dialogue.

also all RPGs must have pauseable and skippable cutscenes, i.e. START to pause and then X to skip[/quote]

That would be on top of my list too. Pressing the action button should automatically make the text appear (so pressing twice would bring about the next block of text). Instead of skipping the next block of dialogue, though, I would like the ability to just end a conversation. They always say the same things...
 
I'm no RPG expert but I'd like to see a feature thats present in Puzzle Quest, theres a mode where you can select to fight monsters and your character in the main quest get the experience from those battles.

I don't know if any games have it but it might make grinding and leveling up a bit easier, it would save wondering around in the game looking for battles if nothing else.
 
[quote name='Puffa469']Portable RPG's also need an instant save anywhere system. I play my ds on the subway in 15 minute bursts. This rules out most of the rpgs I have for the system. I wind up playing puzzle games most of the time.[/quote]

I don't have a problem with it as on the DS you can flip the cover down and go into battery conserve mode and with the PSP you can quickly hit the power button rather than holding it and then that puts it in battery conserve mode for you to pick it up again whenever.

Though I guess I can see it as a problem if you're a person who switches games out a decent amount before finishing one.
 
After playing Mass Effect I want all RPG achievements to add something to the game, at least on the 360. It blends so incredibly well and adds replayability by letting you mess with new character builds and just provide nice passive bonuses to your existing characters.

Quite frankly anything that adds replayability, different endings, harder difficulty modes, post main game content is a good thing. Customization is big too, I don't want my limitation to be my characters' experience bar with completely preset skill sets (but this is something you don't see too often in recent games really).
 
IMO, they all need:

  1. Ability to pause the game, stopping the game clock.
  2. Ability to pause and skip all cutscenes.
  3. If the battle system isn't deep, it should be very fast. Preferably both.
 
[quote name='pete5883']IMO, they all need:
  1. Ability to pause the game, stopping the game clock.
  2. Ability to pause and skip all cutscenes.
  3. If the battle system isn't deep, it should be very fast. Preferably both.
[/quote]

Completely agree one 1 and 2. Those are good.

Also agree with the 'x' or 'o' makes text skip the end, most games have this or an instant (speed 0) option for text so hasn't really been a big deal in most games.
 
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