Are RPGs on the decline?

When you take a look back at the last generation of video games, you notice that there was a plethora of different RPGs to choose from. You had turn-based RPGs, action RPGs, and much more. This generation? Well, you’d be hard pressed to find any RPG on the three major console platforms, and many handheld RPGs are on the decline in overall quality.

The Gameboy Advance in particular is highly praised for bringing nostalgia to those who remember the days of the Super Nintendo… a time when RPGs were arguably at an all-time high. Therefore, when the Nintendo DS came around, many held those same expectations. Did it live up to those expectations? For the most part, I’d say no when it relates to this particular topic. Yeah, we have adventure style games like Phoenix Wright, and we have a handful of classic RPGs like Magical Starsign, but I’d hardly call Magical Starsign a masterpiece. Even Final Fantasy III, a game that was highly anticipated by nerdy role-playing fans everywhere ended up being a bit of a disappointment, having been received with mixed reactions.

It seems that the lack of RPGs (or should I say, quality RPGs) stems from a simple change in direction in the industry. Hardcore gamers have switched to shooters (some unwillingly as we’ve seen), and newer platforms are slowly offering more games that appeal to a wider audience. These directions leave no room for the classic Final Fantasy games we’re used to or the cult hits like Chrono Trigger. Instead, we’re left with either remakes of old games (Final Fantasy III and IV) or new games that have been stripped of the features that made the genre so appealing to begin with. More specifically, many of today’s RPGs have denied gamers the option of having any kind of exploration. Most overworlds have been replaced by menus these days, and world maps are very rare to find in a new RPG. Lunar Knights for the Nintendo DS is a great example of this. The gameplay itself within the game is wonderful, but everything else? Simply “meh.” Rather than exploring towns and walking from dungeon to dungeon, you just tap on your next destination. Even the upcoming Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Ring of Fates has ditched the overworld system in favor of a menu-based world map. It seems to take the thrill out of RPGs these days. Part of what makes any game exciting is having the ability to explore the unknown. It seems that many developers have either forgotten this or just don’t care anymore. Maybe this is why brand new Final Fantasy games still garner so much attention? They’re traditional formula remains the most reliable of any franchise.

It’s truly a shame that this is the case. The Playstation Portable admittedly has a better variety of traditional RPGs, but even the PSP lacks a “triple A” RPG experience. At this rate, I’d be ecstatic for another Golden Sun game, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anytime soon. Until then, we can at least hope that games like Dragon Quest IX and Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core can live up to their hype.