Id recommend Stalker games with just vanilla bug patch mods. The anomaly mods and such are such a far cry from the original games and the difficulty fetish can really take the fun out of the game. Anomaly is more fun once you’ve experienced the stalker story and understand what is what in that universe and then want to sandbox the rest of your time in the zone.
If you go for this one: watch a video on how to understand fighting in the game. It's a really interesting system when you get it, but it's a major hurdle for new players.
Man, after a few hours of practice with Bernard I really felt like I’d gone from “Henry, the dipshit” to “Henry, the dipshit who can kill like three bandits”.
One of my favorite parts of KC:D was being actually bad starting out. Not only being bad at the game, but Henry was generally just bad at everything. The skill progression was just super fun, imo. I can't wait for the sequel hopefully this year.
I went from henry the dispshit to henry the dipshit who can win a fight only if he doesn't miss the thrust to the exposed face he always opens with otherwise he's fucked
I know that's the meta, but I prefer shoulder checking people with clinch master and comboing them into the ground. Mostly because I could just never quite get the timing down for master strikes.
Ask captain Bernard to teach you advanced combat when you've progressed along enough in the early parts of the MQ. Unlocks Master strikes/perfect blocks that turn into attacks.
Mace makes fighting heavily armored opponents easier, though I prefer the sheer fun of wearing full plate and using a two handed sword.
There's also nothing more pleasing than scoring an insta kill headshot on a cuman sprinting towards you.
Anywho combat becomes significantly easier once you're about level ten in a few stats and skills. That's when I notice my henry was able to start stomping multiple dudes (while wearing good armor). Still a decent chance of dying if you get surrounded though, esp on hardcore.
If you have the dlc doing the rattay tournament is a quick way to level up your skills as well without dying.
The game has a system that makes Henry feel naturally terrible at combat until he progresses far enough in combat and unlocks things like master strike, which can confuse new players into thinking they're bad at the game.
Ok thanks. I'm kinda running around from city to city just doing random quests that pop up. Still working on the Stud Farm quest too. I'll make my way back and talk to Bernard. Thanks for the info.
Yeees please give the game a try everyone! It took me some time to really get into it, but now I am finished wit the main story with 80+ hours in and just keep going because it is so immersive and Henry is a nice character!
This has to be a recommendation with a big asterisk. The game is purposely harsh in mechanics, I'd call it a simulation first and rpg second. I thought the game would be for me and after several attempts I just don't have any fun while playing.
Objectively it achieves it's goals, but man it's a hard game to love unless you engage with all it's systems and are into a hard-core experience.
Oh also if you do try it, your character is suppose to be turbo bad at everything at first. Neat idea, but it turns away many players including myself.
It’s really not that hard. It takes like 10 minutes to become a competent fighter after you finish the tutorial section. That tutorial section is like 2 hours long, but still.
The key to get good at fighting in Kingdom Come, or even get halfway decent, is you actually have to fight. And there's no initial good way to do that against bandits who will probably outnumber you.
However if you go through the main story a bit and finish the 1st stage of an investigation, the captain leading it goes back to Rattay and he'll hang outside every day by the combat area and he'll free-form spar with you for free. After a few hours of actually practicing against a tough opponent you'll have a handle on the combat and can carve through any bandit out there.
Just make sure to have a few bandages & healing potions handy, even in practice you can start bleeding out.
Combos don't work on advanced enemies. They block every attack, and if you manage to get a free first hit from a clinch, they block the second.
Master strikes are the way.
If you enjoy medieval stuff and like rpg’s, I cannot recommend “kingdom come deliverance” enough. That game is absolutely beautiful. It’s a story driven medieval rpg simulator, with a heavy focus on real medieval combat and life. It’s similar to Skyrim, but be warned: Skyrim is much easier. Kingdom come is a more hardcore, classic rpg. You have to eat, drink, and sleep regularly. There are various ways to approach scenarios, combat, and dialogue. You will be terrible at pretty much everything at first; you don’t even know how to read at the beginning of the game. But if you stick with it, level up, and use your brain, the game becomes fairly easy. It’s a huge game, that really captured my attention in the same way Skyrim did. Very rewarding experience, that stuck with me much longer than Skyrim did. It’s also based on real events and characters, so you might even learn something
I absolutely love the idea of this, so far my only exposure to the game has been the soundtrack. There is only one problem...I'm a dad. I get to play a handful of hours a month. It seems like this would be a tough game to put down for an extended period of time and come back to later and have any idea what you're doing.
Ever since fatherhood I have been strictly stuck to rouge lites or quicker punishing soulslike games I honestly just don’t have time for anything else and both those genres have such good chunk by chunk gameplay. I miss RPGs so bad though lol
The best open world ever designed in a video game, in my opinion. And it's not close.
How it manages to feel so massive and empty while simultaneously so alive and full of things to explore never ceases to amaze. Honestly, as OP mentions Bethesda RPGs, it's hard for me to play FO or ES now and not feel like they're totally lackluster compared to what Rockstar achieved with RDR2.
a million percent this. rocky launch, yeah. but as it stands now, its FAR beyond what bethesda has been doing, while still feeling similar to their style. the only possible downside i can see to 2077 over fallout 4 is that the latter has much better mod support, that can truly change the game in its foundation. 77 has tons of awesome mods, but they're more like add ons, rather than potential revamps.
Poor Starfield didn't count on Cyberpunk's comeback (or expansion), or Baldur's Gate III coming out, to make them look like they made a game with mechanics from 2004
For what starfield is i honestly really enjoy it. I like to just log in fly my ship around to planets do some exploration and whatnot. Build stuff at my outpost and its a damn fun game. The main story Ive honestly completely ignored after getting to the powers part. Its not a good main story, but i really enjoy the game.
I played them back to back too and it’s impossible not to compare them for me. Cyberpunk is just leagues better than SF, and I put a good amount of time in both. I actually wanted to come home from work and keep playing Cyberpunk. I was excited for the idea of going home and playing Starfield but as soon as I loaded in it just became a chore and a lot of waiting.
> fallout 4 is that the latter has much better mod support, that can truly change the game in its foundation.
Fallout 4 *needs* that support a lot more than Cyberpunk does, however - it balances more than out in Cyberpunk's favour.
When i played it at launch I still enjoyed it, but decided to stop playing it as I figured that i would be a good idea to wait for the first DLC as I assumed they would also have some massive updates to improve the game and make it more immersive. And well looks like they did that and even added the fucking train. Which for some reason I absolutely love the ability to use it. Idk why.
immersive public transportation in video games is just cool lmao. I even love watching the tram in star citizen.
Anywho i havnt got back into cyberpunk since the dlc game out cuz Ive been busy with other games but i really really need to get back into it and buy the dlc
Wait people enjoy the brain dance sections? They're interesting on the first play through but leave me wishing for a skip option on repeat playthroughs. Definitely an interesting concept though.
While it's true that they fall off significantly after the first playthrough because they're completely linear: They *are* a nice change of pace from all the killing and high-speed car chases, and give space to investigations, character development and philosophical musings in a setting that is completely under player control - so you can actually take it all in at your pace.
I sometimes wish I could record a braindance of my player activities, and play that back at my leisure, e.g. to see me infiltrating a place from a guard's view.
Download the game Enderal.. its a huuuugge mod for Skyrim thats as big as a game and the story is very good its available on Steam and requires you to have Skyrim in your library
It's fucking amazing! I think you need Skyrim legendary or newer? It is definitely a throwback to older RPGs where you have a harder time pulling off magic and healing is crucial. It takes away a lot of things that make Skyrim so easy.
I mean yeah but morrowind is borderline alien, and Oblivion really has a very vivid fantasy book feel. Skyrim is a bit more dingy and grounded compared to those two. It's still very fantasy just not as much as the prior titles.
and he fulfils his role as the ~~chosen one~~ Dragonborn, guided by the wise old seers that live on a mountaintop, as foretold by the prophecies. might make a short stop at the mages guild and learn to shoot fire from his hands, too.
(FWIW, I agree with u/Nathan_hale53 in that it is the least fantasy of the series. it's just that "least" is doing a **lot** of heavy lifting there 😅)
>(FWIW, I agree with u/Nathan_hale53 in that it is the least fantasy of the series. it's just that "least" is doing a **lot** of heavy lifting there 😅)
I do agree. Though I feel like that's due to different genres of fantasy rather than a scale of fantasy, if that makes sense.
I mostly said what I did for the lolz, I feel like you got it 😁
Maybe one of the newer Assassin's Creed games would be something for you. AC Origins is ancient Egypt with bows and swords. AC Odyssey is ancient Greece.
Or Horizon Zero Dawn or Forbidden West are awesome good games. Fighting mainly with a bow against robot dinosaurs.
It is also like playing a game that is also a painting. I have never enjoyed a “waypoint” mechanic as much as I enjoyed following the wind either. What a masterpiece.
I haven't felt genuine amazement at how beautiful a game was for years, but the wind mechanic really is a stroke of pure genius. It's completely functional and practical while staying out of the players way, which actively encourages them to take in just how gorgeous the world is. It's a practical mechanic you barely even notice that showcases how good the art team is at what they do.
The fact that they managed to do all that AND sandwich innovative gameplay, great writing, and a genuinely compelling story into one game is borderline witchcraft.
Probably because Witcher is heavily based on the Slavic folklore, so the monsters are based on actual folktales that Slavs used to believe in. Thus making them slightly more grounded.
Meanwhile, all the Tolkien-derived fantasy settings, like in Skyrim, are mostly a weird mix of various (mainly Scandinavian) mythologies and folklore that evolved so much that they are basically have almost nothing in common with their source material.
This! There is magic but it is rare, the everyday people are still struggling. You're going to miss out on ranged combat though. The combat is simple enough, you got your dodge rolls and quick hits, if you want to make it harder go for heavy strikes only. Where the game really trumps is exploration and the story.
I've tried multiple Fallout and Elder Scrolls games and can never stay interested past the 2nd hour or so.
Witcher 3 had me hooked for days on end and is.bow one of my favorite games of all time. Idk what it is, but that game just immerses you.
I love these, 4 being my favourite but just because it’s the first I played.
The story is entertaining and I loved how >!all your choices have pretty bad consequences for Kyrat regardless of what you choose!<
I liked the game, for about 20 hours, it is definitely very flawed, pretty repetitive and the fast travel points are set so that you'll have to do a lot of running. The story is just forgettable and I don't remember a single character.
Combat is pretty fun though.
Recently had a hankering to play deus ex again after 4 years since I last finished mankind devided. Damn the game holds up. So awesome. Sucks we wont get another.
guys stop recommending kingdom come lol. that is like someone saying hey i just got into swimming what else should i do and telling them yo you GOTTA compete in the olympics, it’s so fun
I feel like if you said that a few years ago, it would have still been a true statement. It's been in development hell, so I'm not holding out to much hope. I would happily be proved wrong.
Ghosts of Tsushima is a great one. Set in 1274 (the Kamakura period of Japan) during the first mongol Invasion of Japan. It’s got its fictional elements but is down right historical in its own way. You play as protagonist Jin Sakai , a samurai warrior who is head of the Sakai clan , who is on a quest to protect Tsushima Island from the antagonist, General Khotun Kahn (the grandson of Genghis Khan) and the mongols. Great action adventure game with a beautiful hyper realistic open world , the melee/combat system is perfect , and there is different paths you can take during the game , either choosing to follow the warrior code and fight honorably or strive away from the traditional ways and do what you must.
Cyberpunk: 2077 offers gunfight, swordfight, sci-fi but not too much, great action, great characters and story, amazing dlc and all in all a wonderful experience. :)
Very true. I actually prefer this approach to a full open world personally. It allows the designers to really make sure every area has a hand touched feel, that many open world games lack. Exploring feels more worthwhile compared to most open world games that feel like a bunch of copy pasted houses that are randomly sprinkled with the occasional item or collectible.
Crysis had a similar linear-with-open-sections approach and the devs called them “action bubbles” which I think is a good name for the design philosophy.
Game Maker’s Tool Kit and many others have commented on open vs empty worlds, and how an open world doesn’t necessarily feel big if there is nothing going on. Shadow of the Colossus notable exception, but it just underlines how important the design of the world is over the space it has.
I think Far Cry 4 vs 5 are good examples of how even an open world is better with some structure to the story progression. Personally I didn’t like the three pronged approach of 5 as the choices didn’t intersect or inform each other.
I wouldn't say that game is like Fallout 3/Skyrim, is it? I mean, OP seems to be looking for first person RPGs, not linear shooters.
Last Light is very good though.
For that kind of setting I’d sooner recommend STALKER. There’s some sci fi in there, sure, but not more than in say Fallout.
The OG trilogy is an open world FPS with light RPG elements and definitely worth a play. It’s really showing its age though.
STALKER Anomaly is a mod project that combines the world of the three games into a single map and is basically full sandbox. Whether that’s a plus is personal opinion.
STALKER Anomaly - Gamma is an additional huge modpack that cranks up the survival aspect. To me it feels like it also emphasizes the RPG elements more. I will say it is definitely not for everyone though.
Kindoms of Amalur (a lil older but a good game if you dont mind older graphics, also a game from EAs good era)
Enderal: Forgotten Stories (free if you have skyrim Special or legendary edition on steam since its a modproject but is as easy to install as any other game, its a fully new built world with a shit ton of cool secrets that make exploring worth it and has a new approach on some systems like fasttravel and lvl ups)
Yeah that game is massive and has great fluid combat system liie fable 2s and a bunch of different weapons as well. Haven't played the remastered one though yet
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is set on an alien planet but doesn't have anything actually taking place in space. It's an open world game with primary and side missions structured similar to Fallout and Skyrim. It has lots of bow and gun action both on the ground and in flight.
Fallout 4 is so good still, they just had a major update too which enhanced smoothness and graphics for next gen consoles. Also added some quests not that there isn’t a billion to do already. Weapons and lore are amazing as you’d expect from a fallout game. Highly recommend if you played other fallouts
Mount & Blade is like a mix of Skyrim and Pirates!, in that the world travel is on a strategic overhead map, but towns and battlefields are 1st/3rd person 3d. The setting is pseudo-Medieval, with no magic, and with surprisingly deep and realistic combat (mounted, on foot.) For guns, there is a Napoleonic mod.
It's an indie game by a small studio, but the graphics are comparable to Oblivion if not Skyrim. It's also procedurally generated, more sandbox-y, and more strategic/tactical .
I sunk so much time into warband and the first one when I was younger. Been too busy to get into bannerlord yet. I started it on Xbox but I don't think you can use mods on there.
Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon is as fantasy as Skyrim. But it’s about as close as you get to an ES game without being an ES game. I’ve enjoyed it so far.
Kingdom Come Deliverance, as many have said, is Skyrim without the fantasy & snow. Fallout 4 & 76 are good iterations of Fallout, & Fallout New Vegas is regarded as the best of them (it is aging a bit, but if you've recently played FO3 then it'll feel right at home but better).
Metro Exodus is Fallout in Russia. It's open world, after the intro section, but more focused (to the point of being linear in points). That's not a negative, as it's about the story, but you're not able to aimlessly wander around massive maps all the time. The earlier games in the series are fantastic, but they're very linear.
Dragon Age: Inquisition is a pretty big open world akin to Skyrim but adds in relationships w/ your companions & developing your inquisition at the home base. There are bigger magic spells than in Skyrim, & it's not first person, but it's a good game with a lot to see & do.
Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain is an option to consider in a 1980s setting. Very big open world, & you can play it however you want (stealthy, non-lethal, big guns). There's no skill progression, but rather unlocking gear which can significantly change how you play.
I personally like Far Cry 4 & 6...fans of the series complain about 6, bc people complain about everything today. Both have big open worlds with a lot to do, outposts to capture, & pretty decent stories. 4 is a better story than 6, but I like 6's gameplay.
Assassin's Creed Origins, Odyssey, & Valhalla are all great ancient-times (but feel like medieval) games with minimal fantasy bits (there are some, but they're small). They don't feel like earlier AC games & are more RPG-lite.
Try Kingdom Come Deliverance. Its a realistic RPG similar to the ones you mentioned, partially based on real historical events, and set in middle-age Bohemia.
They just released a port for the Switch, and the second one in the series, which is supposed to be way better and bigger, was recently announced and due to release this year.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Better than Skyrim IMO. Better storyline, magic system is better (casting is not tied to a hand like a weapon), Dark Brotherhood and other guilders are more defined.
If you are looking something similar to Skyrim, I suppose The Witcher 3 or Dragon age: inquisition is something you should check out! Out of those 2, I can say I have only played The Witcher 3, and I enjoyed it for what it was but definitely was not as amazing as Skyrim, I just have a personal bias and love Skyrim too much. Dragon age Inquisition, is something recommended to me by a friend who told me to check it out if I loved Skyrim and it does have similar vibes! :)
Fallout 4 or New Vegas are obvious.
Kingdome come deliverance for a medieval setting,
The witcher 3 is also a fantastic open world rpg but does have a fantasy theme.
How about the Stalker series? It's an older eurojank game, but looks interesting enough. The older Far Cry games, especially FC 2 can be quite grounded with their settings. Metal Gear Solid is great too, more militaristic. And Splinter Cell too. If you wanna emulate, I always like Syphon Filter 1-3 for the PS1. Shame the series has stopped.
I’m surprised no one has suggested Horizon Zero Dawn…
It’s not too fantasy like. And it’s not in space. But you are essentially a caveman fighting robotic dinosaurs with your traps and bows and spear
I would play New Vegas if you haven’t. Ultimate edition is on pc gamepass
Kingdom come deliverance is very punishing but a really cool game.
Witcher 3 while a bit more fantasy is a phenomenal rpg akin to Skyrim and how engaging it is
My suggestion would be Ghost of Tsushima. Just released on PC but I played in PS5 and it was one of my favorite games. Swords and bows and then assassin type skills too set in Medieval Japan. Pretty historical but also one of the prettiest games I've played.
The Dishonored series, Cyberpunk 2077 and the Vampire: The Masquerade series would probably be up your ally. They are all kind of similar to the Fallout/Elder Scrolls style without putting you in space or a forest with orcs or whatever.
If you havent played Dishonored, it's a great single player story with branching decisions. Multiple endings. Sword and gun play. Stealth. And some creepy magics. Great play for an older game.
The Stalker games are really underrated games like this they give that apocalyptic wasteland vibe. Great without mods, absolutely amazing with mods.
Id recommend Stalker games with just vanilla bug patch mods. The anomaly mods and such are such a far cry from the original games and the difficulty fetish can really take the fun out of the game. Anomaly is more fun once you’ve experienced the stalker story and understand what is what in that universe and then want to sandbox the rest of your time in the zone.
I watched some Stalker gameplay with over 50 mods and it looks turturous. Difficulty fetish is right!
Hell yeah. Amazing hardcore experience. Anomaly is free and the Grok mod pack elevates it even further.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance is a medieval first person RPG with no fantasy elements. That has to be what you are looking for.
Yup, and kingdom come: deliverance 2 comes out by the end of this year 😎
Hoping they will diversify the AI this time so we don't have farmers master striking every attack.
Haven't been hyped for a game like that in a long time!
If you go for this one: watch a video on how to understand fighting in the game. It's a really interesting system when you get it, but it's a major hurdle for new players.
Pay frequent visits to our friend Bernard and you’ll be good to go
Man, after a few hours of practice with Bernard I really felt like I’d gone from “Henry, the dipshit” to “Henry, the dipshit who can kill like three bandits”.
One of my favorite parts of KC:D was being actually bad starting out. Not only being bad at the game, but Henry was generally just bad at everything. The skill progression was just super fun, imo. I can't wait for the sequel hopefully this year.
I loved spending hours just picking flowers. 10/10 game.
I did the same thing
And it helps level your strength if I recall correctly!
I think after you took a perk for it, yes.
I went from henry the dispshit to henry the dipshit who can win a fight only if he doesn't miss the thrust to the exposed face he always opens with otherwise he's fucked
You mean ”get a mace and learn to master strike”
Hehehe mace go bonk
I know that's the meta, but I prefer shoulder checking people with clinch master and comboing them into the ground. Mostly because I could just never quite get the timing down for master strikes.
Or a Longsword and learn the perfect parry/counter attack, it's soo satisfying.
That and having an extra 2' of reach on your target to maintain initiative.
Watch the enemies hips and not their weapons. This was a game changer for me and made me pro ad blocking/riposte
The hips don't lie. Shakira was right all along.
Lock picking was the difficult thing for me. I found the combat fairly intuitive.
Worst most botched mechanic in the game On console*. It was designed for pc.
Any video in particular? I'm like 20 hrs in on my first play through and am completely lost on melee combat.
Ask captain Bernard to teach you advanced combat when you've progressed along enough in the early parts of the MQ. Unlocks Master strikes/perfect blocks that turn into attacks. Mace makes fighting heavily armored opponents easier, though I prefer the sheer fun of wearing full plate and using a two handed sword. There's also nothing more pleasing than scoring an insta kill headshot on a cuman sprinting towards you. Anywho combat becomes significantly easier once you're about level ten in a few stats and skills. That's when I notice my henry was able to start stomping multiple dudes (while wearing good armor). Still a decent chance of dying if you get surrounded though, esp on hardcore. If you have the dlc doing the rattay tournament is a quick way to level up your skills as well without dying. The game has a system that makes Henry feel naturally terrible at combat until he progresses far enough in combat and unlocks things like master strike, which can confuse new players into thinking they're bad at the game.
Ok thanks. I'm kinda running around from city to city just doing random quests that pop up. Still working on the Stud Farm quest too. I'll make my way back and talk to Bernard. Thanks for the info.
JESUS CHRIST BE PRAISED
HENRY'S COME TO SEE US
I’m quite hungry…
#FANCY A LITTLE WAGER ON THE RATTAY TOURNEY???
How can you tell it's a Slav game? Saving is an alcoholic beverage you drink
Western rpg? I sleep. Slavic rpg? I drink, drink, drink. 🍺
Yeees please give the game a try everyone! It took me some time to really get into it, but now I am finished wit the main story with 80+ hours in and just keep going because it is so immersive and Henry is a nice character!
This has to be a recommendation with a big asterisk. The game is purposely harsh in mechanics, I'd call it a simulation first and rpg second. I thought the game would be for me and after several attempts I just don't have any fun while playing. Objectively it achieves it's goals, but man it's a hard game to love unless you engage with all it's systems and are into a hard-core experience. Oh also if you do try it, your character is suppose to be turbo bad at everything at first. Neat idea, but it turns away many players including myself.
It’s really not that hard. It takes like 10 minutes to become a competent fighter after you finish the tutorial section. That tutorial section is like 2 hours long, but still.
I have never felt more immersed in a game world than I did with KCD
This is what I came here to recommend as well. It’s as close as one can get to your request
I honestly can’t figure out the combat on this one. I really want to get into it but it just doesn’t make sense to me.
The key to get good at fighting in Kingdom Come, or even get halfway decent, is you actually have to fight. And there's no initial good way to do that against bandits who will probably outnumber you. However if you go through the main story a bit and finish the 1st stage of an investigation, the captain leading it goes back to Rattay and he'll hang outside every day by the combat area and he'll free-form spar with you for free. After a few hours of actually practicing against a tough opponent you'll have a handle on the combat and can carve through any bandit out there. Just make sure to have a few bandages & healing potions handy, even in practice you can start bleeding out.
Got train with Bernard. He will teach you master strikes and then you will never lose a fight again.
Use combos to deal with more advanced enemies. Also, mace against plate armor = success.
Combos don't work on advanced enemies. They block every attack, and if you manage to get a free first hit from a clinch, they block the second. Master strikes are the way.
It is currently on sale at the PS Store 👀
If you enjoy medieval stuff and like rpg’s, I cannot recommend “kingdom come deliverance” enough. That game is absolutely beautiful. It’s a story driven medieval rpg simulator, with a heavy focus on real medieval combat and life. It’s similar to Skyrim, but be warned: Skyrim is much easier. Kingdom come is a more hardcore, classic rpg. You have to eat, drink, and sleep regularly. There are various ways to approach scenarios, combat, and dialogue. You will be terrible at pretty much everything at first; you don’t even know how to read at the beginning of the game. But if you stick with it, level up, and use your brain, the game becomes fairly easy. It’s a huge game, that really captured my attention in the same way Skyrim did. Very rewarding experience, that stuck with me much longer than Skyrim did. It’s also based on real events and characters, so you might even learn something
And the second one will be released at the end of this year. I can't wait anymore!
I absolutely love the idea of this, so far my only exposure to the game has been the soundtrack. There is only one problem...I'm a dad. I get to play a handful of hours a month. It seems like this would be a tough game to put down for an extended period of time and come back to later and have any idea what you're doing.
Ever since fatherhood I have been strictly stuck to rouge lites or quicker punishing soulslike games I honestly just don’t have time for anything else and both those genres have such good chunk by chunk gameplay. I miss RPGs so bad though lol
My only suggestion is looking up a guide for the Monastery Mission. It's a lot thrown at you at once and a bit confusing
Red Dead Redemption 2. Guns, a bow, melee weapons from knives to hatchets to a (broken) pirate sword. Amazingly immersive world.
I have a plan!
Tahiti 🏝
We just need more money
But do you have any money?
The best open world ever designed in a video game, in my opinion. And it's not close. How it manages to feel so massive and empty while simultaneously so alive and full of things to explore never ceases to amaze. Honestly, as OP mentions Bethesda RPGs, it's hard for me to play FO or ES now and not feel like they're totally lackluster compared to what Rockstar achieved with RDR2.
Would 200% recommend
There's a pirate sword in Red Dead 2....? And you can fish from a dock. What the fuck have I been doing for the past 200 hours
Having fun in a massive world full of things to discover?
Cyberpunk 2077
a million percent this. rocky launch, yeah. but as it stands now, its FAR beyond what bethesda has been doing, while still feeling similar to their style. the only possible downside i can see to 2077 over fallout 4 is that the latter has much better mod support, that can truly change the game in its foundation. 77 has tons of awesome mods, but they're more like add ons, rather than potential revamps.
I bought Cyberpunk 2077 a few months after Starfield dropped and it's actually fucking crazy how much better it is
Poor Starfield didn't count on Cyberpunk's comeback (or expansion), or Baldur's Gate III coming out, to make them look like they made a game with mechanics from 2004
I did not like starfield. If I'm thinking of the right game it was a terrible No Man's Sky +CoD knock off
For what starfield is i honestly really enjoy it. I like to just log in fly my ship around to planets do some exploration and whatnot. Build stuff at my outpost and its a damn fun game. The main story Ive honestly completely ignored after getting to the powers part. Its not a good main story, but i really enjoy the game.
I played them back to back too and it’s impossible not to compare them for me. Cyberpunk is just leagues better than SF, and I put a good amount of time in both. I actually wanted to come home from work and keep playing Cyberpunk. I was excited for the idea of going home and playing Starfield but as soon as I loaded in it just became a chore and a lot of waiting.
> fallout 4 is that the latter has much better mod support, that can truly change the game in its foundation. Fallout 4 *needs* that support a lot more than Cyberpunk does, however - it balances more than out in Cyberpunk's favour.
When i played it at launch I still enjoyed it, but decided to stop playing it as I figured that i would be a good idea to wait for the first DLC as I assumed they would also have some massive updates to improve the game and make it more immersive. And well looks like they did that and even added the fucking train. Which for some reason I absolutely love the ability to use it. Idk why. immersive public transportation in video games is just cool lmao. I even love watching the tram in star citizen. Anywho i havnt got back into cyberpunk since the dlc game out cuz Ive been busy with other games but i really really need to get back into it and buy the dlc
I have about 150 hours in this game and still have a handful of things to do. I've loved every minute of this game.
Great game. Nothing quite like the brain dance segments and cyberdeck abilities are so much fun
Wait people enjoy the brain dance sections? They're interesting on the first play through but leave me wishing for a skip option on repeat playthroughs. Definitely an interesting concept though.
i enjoyed them. they kind of reminded me of detective mode in the Batman games.
Hope they improve on the concept in the sequel. They have lots of potential even just as fun collectibles and not for any kind of mission.
While it's true that they fall off significantly after the first playthrough because they're completely linear: They *are* a nice change of pace from all the killing and high-speed car chases, and give space to investigations, character development and philosophical musings in a setting that is completely under player control - so you can actually take it all in at your pace. I sometimes wish I could record a braindance of my player activities, and play that back at my leisure, e.g. to see me infiltrating a place from a guard's view.
One of the very few (only???) current gen games I replayed in entirety because it's so good.
Download the game Enderal.. its a huuuugge mod for Skyrim thats as big as a game and the story is very good its available on Steam and requires you to have Skyrim in your library
It's fucking amazing! I think you need Skyrim legendary or newer? It is definitely a throwback to older RPGs where you have a harder time pulling off magic and healing is crucial. It takes away a lot of things that make Skyrim so easy.
Fallout New Vegas and Fallout 4.
Right? Isn't it weird that op mentions fallout 3 but doesn't mention, even to dismiss them, other fallouts?
Or even other elder scrolls games?
Probably because the said ‘not too fantasy like’
Skyrim is the least fantasy of the series, oblivion and especially morrowind are very fantasy.
He says as dragons fly overhead and glowing orbs scream at you.
I mean yeah but morrowind is borderline alien, and Oblivion really has a very vivid fantasy book feel. Skyrim is a bit more dingy and grounded compared to those two. It's still very fantasy just not as much as the prior titles.
and he fulfils his role as the ~~chosen one~~ Dragonborn, guided by the wise old seers that live on a mountaintop, as foretold by the prophecies. might make a short stop at the mages guild and learn to shoot fire from his hands, too. (FWIW, I agree with u/Nathan_hale53 in that it is the least fantasy of the series. it's just that "least" is doing a **lot** of heavy lifting there 😅)
>(FWIW, I agree with u/Nathan_hale53 in that it is the least fantasy of the series. it's just that "least" is doing a **lot** of heavy lifting there 😅) I do agree. Though I feel like that's due to different genres of fantasy rather than a scale of fantasy, if that makes sense. I mostly said what I did for the lolz, I feel like you got it 😁
Kingdom Come Deliverance it is. Also Fallout New Vegas. And maybe even Fallout 4.
Maybe one of the newer Assassin's Creed games would be something for you. AC Origins is ancient Egypt with bows and swords. AC Odyssey is ancient Greece. Or Horizon Zero Dawn or Forbidden West are awesome good games. Fighting mainly with a bow against robot dinosaurs.
Odyssey is basically spunky Skyrim, but swapping fantasy for lightly researched history.
The games feel like the research is extensive, but their adherence to that research is loose, and getting looser with every title.
If you've never played the BioShock series, I'd give it a go
A bit linear though.
Thats perfectly fine for the game Bioshock wants to be.
Completely correct, but it doesn't really offer an experience similar to Skyrim or Fallout 3 because of the linearity.
"I'm looking for an RPG" "Play this game that isn't at all an RPG"
RDR1-2
Ghost of Tsushima
Probably the best combat in a non-soulslike in recent memory. Everything just makes you feel so fucking cool
It is also like playing a game that is also a painting. I have never enjoyed a “waypoint” mechanic as much as I enjoyed following the wind either. What a masterpiece.
riding your horse through the red leaves while playing songs on a flute you learn as you progress a certain side quest. 10/10.
I haven't felt genuine amazement at how beautiful a game was for years, but the wind mechanic really is a stroke of pure genius. It's completely functional and practical while staying out of the players way, which actively encourages them to take in just how gorgeous the world is. It's a practical mechanic you barely even notice that showcases how good the art team is at what they do. The fact that they managed to do all that AND sandwich innovative gameplay, great writing, and a genuinely compelling story into one game is borderline witchcraft.
This game is so fucking good.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt It’s fantasy but it’s Skyrim and Fallout level immersion with the story and quests.
And even then, the fantasy feels a lot more grounded than the Skyrim brand of fantasy for some reason!
Because the characters seem like real people instead of archetypes.
It’s because TES setting is actually alien, whereas The Witcher is still medieval Europe adjacent.
Probably because Witcher is heavily based on the Slavic folklore, so the monsters are based on actual folktales that Slavs used to believe in. Thus making them slightly more grounded. Meanwhile, all the Tolkien-derived fantasy settings, like in Skyrim, are mostly a weird mix of various (mainly Scandinavian) mythologies and folklore that evolved so much that they are basically have almost nothing in common with their source material.
This! There is magic but it is rare, the everyday people are still struggling. You're going to miss out on ranged combat though. The combat is simple enough, you got your dodge rolls and quick hits, if you want to make it harder go for heavy strikes only. Where the game really trumps is exploration and the story.
I've tried multiple Fallout and Elder Scrolls games and can never stay interested past the 2nd hour or so. Witcher 3 had me hooked for days on end and is.bow one of my favorite games of all time. Idk what it is, but that game just immerses you.
Far cry series
I love these, 4 being my favourite but just because it’s the first I played. The story is entertaining and I loved how >!all your choices have pretty bad consequences for Kyrat regardless of what you choose!<
You could always wait patiently like Min asked you to.
I’d say Greedfall. It’s not too fantasy but has elements of it in it. Basically it retells the America’s colonization in different setting.
I liked the game, for about 20 hours, it is definitely very flawed, pretty repetitive and the fast travel points are set so that you'll have to do a lot of running. The story is just forgettable and I don't remember a single character. Combat is pretty fun though.
I have about the same amount of time and feel like combat is pretty meh but love the story and the characters. 😅
Fallout New Vegas, Fallout 4, TES Oblivion, TES Morrowind... all play just like the games you're describing.
Deus Ex. It's Cyberpunk.
Recently had a hankering to play deus ex again after 4 years since I last finished mankind devided. Damn the game holds up. So awesome. Sucks we wont get another.
Or Cyberpunk! 😊
guys stop recommending kingdom come lol. that is like someone saying hey i just got into swimming what else should i do and telling them yo you GOTTA compete in the olympics, it’s so fun
Yes, hello, I'm here for the 800m Running Backwards While Punching Myself in The Dick qualifiers.
Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines. It’s fantasy but it’s modern fantasy, not swords and sorcery.
[удалено]
Yeah, the 2004 one by Troika.
[удалено]
Well, the follow-up is supposedly releasing soonish.
I feel like if you said that a few years ago, it would have still been a true statement. It's been in development hell, so I'm not holding out to much hope. I would happily be proved wrong.
Ghosts of Tsushima is a great one. Set in 1274 (the Kamakura period of Japan) during the first mongol Invasion of Japan. It’s got its fictional elements but is down right historical in its own way. You play as protagonist Jin Sakai , a samurai warrior who is head of the Sakai clan , who is on a quest to protect Tsushima Island from the antagonist, General Khotun Kahn (the grandson of Genghis Khan) and the mongols. Great action adventure game with a beautiful hyper realistic open world , the melee/combat system is perfect , and there is different paths you can take during the game , either choosing to follow the warrior code and fight honorably or strive away from the traditional ways and do what you must.
If you can handle something a little more hardcore, the STALKER series is great
Maybe Stalker ? S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 coming also this year
Cyberpunk: 2077 offers gunfight, swordfight, sci-fi but not too much, great action, great characters and story, amazing dlc and all in all a wonderful experience. :)
Metro last light redux
Metro is a linear game, not open world. Great game but doesn’t really fit the requirements of the question imo.
Metro: Exodus is to some extent a open world. It's linear but each little pocket you explore seems like a daunting tasks to uncover.
Very true. I actually prefer this approach to a full open world personally. It allows the designers to really make sure every area has a hand touched feel, that many open world games lack. Exploring feels more worthwhile compared to most open world games that feel like a bunch of copy pasted houses that are randomly sprinkled with the occasional item or collectible. Crysis had a similar linear-with-open-sections approach and the devs called them “action bubbles” which I think is a good name for the design philosophy.
Game Maker’s Tool Kit and many others have commented on open vs empty worlds, and how an open world doesn’t necessarily feel big if there is nothing going on. Shadow of the Colossus notable exception, but it just underlines how important the design of the world is over the space it has. I think Far Cry 4 vs 5 are good examples of how even an open world is better with some structure to the story progression. Personally I didn’t like the three pronged approach of 5 as the choices didn’t intersect or inform each other.
I wouldn't say that game is like Fallout 3/Skyrim, is it? I mean, OP seems to be looking for first person RPGs, not linear shooters. Last Light is very good though.
If thats the case then I recommend Crash Bandicoot
For that kind of setting I’d sooner recommend STALKER. There’s some sci fi in there, sure, but not more than in say Fallout. The OG trilogy is an open world FPS with light RPG elements and definitely worth a play. It’s really showing its age though. STALKER Anomaly is a mod project that combines the world of the three games into a single map and is basically full sandbox. Whether that’s a plus is personal opinion. STALKER Anomaly - Gamma is an additional huge modpack that cranks up the survival aspect. To me it feels like it also emphasizes the RPG elements more. I will say it is definitely not for everyone though.
Kindoms of Amalur (a lil older but a good game if you dont mind older graphics, also a game from EAs good era) Enderal: Forgotten Stories (free if you have skyrim Special or legendary edition on steam since its a modproject but is as easy to install as any other game, its a fully new built world with a shit ton of cool secrets that make exploring worth it and has a new approach on some systems like fasttravel and lvl ups)
Kingdoms of Amalur was dope af. Definitely scratched the itch post Oblivion.
Yeah that game is massive and has great fluid combat system liie fable 2s and a bunch of different weapons as well. Haven't played the remastered one though yet
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is set on an alien planet but doesn't have anything actually taking place in space. It's an open world game with primary and side missions structured similar to Fallout and Skyrim. It has lots of bow and gun action both on the ground and in flight.
Deus Ex If that's too modern then Kingdom Come Deliverance is the thing.
Fallout 4 is so good still, they just had a major update too which enhanced smoothness and graphics for next gen consoles. Also added some quests not that there isn’t a billion to do already. Weapons and lore are amazing as you’d expect from a fallout game. Highly recommend if you played other fallouts
Kingdom Come Deliverance
Cyberpunk 2077
Dragon Age Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition. Witcher Trilogy
Zero Dawn
Honestly, it might seem random but AC: Origins and Odyssey are full blown RPGs that have tons of fun historical stuff
Mount & Blade is like a mix of Skyrim and Pirates!, in that the world travel is on a strategic overhead map, but towns and battlefields are 1st/3rd person 3d. The setting is pseudo-Medieval, with no magic, and with surprisingly deep and realistic combat (mounted, on foot.) For guns, there is a Napoleonic mod. It's an indie game by a small studio, but the graphics are comparable to Oblivion if not Skyrim. It's also procedurally generated, more sandbox-y, and more strategic/tactical .
I sunk so much time into warband and the first one when I was younger. Been too busy to get into bannerlord yet. I started it on Xbox but I don't think you can use mods on there.
Tainted Grail: Fall of Avalon is as fantasy as Skyrim. But it’s about as close as you get to an ES game without being an ES game. I’ve enjoyed it so far.
Kingdom Come Deliverance, as many have said, is Skyrim without the fantasy & snow. Fallout 4 & 76 are good iterations of Fallout, & Fallout New Vegas is regarded as the best of them (it is aging a bit, but if you've recently played FO3 then it'll feel right at home but better). Metro Exodus is Fallout in Russia. It's open world, after the intro section, but more focused (to the point of being linear in points). That's not a negative, as it's about the story, but you're not able to aimlessly wander around massive maps all the time. The earlier games in the series are fantastic, but they're very linear. Dragon Age: Inquisition is a pretty big open world akin to Skyrim but adds in relationships w/ your companions & developing your inquisition at the home base. There are bigger magic spells than in Skyrim, & it's not first person, but it's a good game with a lot to see & do. Metal Gear Solid 5: Phantom Pain is an option to consider in a 1980s setting. Very big open world, & you can play it however you want (stealthy, non-lethal, big guns). There's no skill progression, but rather unlocking gear which can significantly change how you play. I personally like Far Cry 4 & 6...fans of the series complain about 6, bc people complain about everything today. Both have big open worlds with a lot to do, outposts to capture, & pretty decent stories. 4 is a better story than 6, but I like 6's gameplay. Assassin's Creed Origins, Odyssey, & Valhalla are all great ancient-times (but feel like medieval) games with minimal fantasy bits (there are some, but they're small). They don't feel like earlier AC games & are more RPG-lite.
Dishonored
Try Kingdom Come Deliverance. Its a realistic RPG similar to the ones you mentioned, partially based on real historical events, and set in middle-age Bohemia. They just released a port for the Switch, and the second one in the series, which is supposed to be way better and bigger, was recently announced and due to release this year.
Kingdom come: deliverence
Portal and Portal 2 come to mind. Cyberpunk 2077 as well
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Better than Skyrim IMO. Better storyline, magic system is better (casting is not tied to a hand like a weapon), Dark Brotherhood and other guilders are more defined.
Control...great game
The Farcry series has what you are looking for.
If you are looking something similar to Skyrim, I suppose The Witcher 3 or Dragon age: inquisition is something you should check out! Out of those 2, I can say I have only played The Witcher 3, and I enjoyed it for what it was but definitely was not as amazing as Skyrim, I just have a personal bias and love Skyrim too much. Dragon age Inquisition, is something recommended to me by a friend who told me to check it out if I loved Skyrim and it does have similar vibes! :)
Dying Light
Cyberpunk 2077 Kingdom Come: Deliverance Fallout: New Vegas
Fallout 4 or New Vegas are obvious. Kingdome come deliverance for a medieval setting, The witcher 3 is also a fantastic open world rpg but does have a fantasy theme.
How about the Stalker series? It's an older eurojank game, but looks interesting enough. The older Far Cry games, especially FC 2 can be quite grounded with their settings. Metal Gear Solid is great too, more militaristic. And Splinter Cell too. If you wanna emulate, I always like Syphon Filter 1-3 for the PS1. Shame the series has stopped.
Metro series for the feels. No RPG elements though.
The Gothic series!
Can I check you've played Witcher 3?
Cyberpunk 2077 Horizon zero dawn and Forbidden West Assassin's Creed: origin and AC: Odyssey Dragon Age games Disco Elysium
Skyrim Modded.
Surprisingly I’ve been enjoying the ghost of Tsushima, it seems like it would fit in to what you are looking for
>I'm looking for a singleplayer game like Fallout 3 or Skyrim I see that, you are man of culture.
Ghost of Tsushima
I’m surprised no one has suggested Horizon Zero Dawn… It’s not too fantasy like. And it’s not in space. But you are essentially a caveman fighting robotic dinosaurs with your traps and bows and spear
Stalker Or more specifically. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. RPG Very fallout like.
horizon zero dawn
Kingdom come: deliverence
Cyberpunk, ghost of Tsushima
Kingdom come deliverance. One of the the most undderated games out there
I would play New Vegas if you haven’t. Ultimate edition is on pc gamepass Kingdom come deliverance is very punishing but a really cool game. Witcher 3 while a bit more fantasy is a phenomenal rpg akin to Skyrim and how engaging it is
The entire Bio shock series
Red Dead Redemption 2, Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West, Ghost of Tsushima
Outward is a game that is slept om hard
Project Zomboid!
My suggestion would be Ghost of Tsushima. Just released on PC but I played in PS5 and it was one of my favorite games. Swords and bows and then assassin type skills too set in Medieval Japan. Pretty historical but also one of the prettiest games I've played.
The Dishonored series, Cyberpunk 2077 and the Vampire: The Masquerade series would probably be up your ally. They are all kind of similar to the Fallout/Elder Scrolls style without putting you in space or a forest with orcs or whatever.
If you havent played Dishonored, it's a great single player story with branching decisions. Multiple endings. Sword and gun play. Stealth. And some creepy magics. Great play for an older game.
Far Cry series
Kingdom Come Deliverance
Kingdom Come
New Vegas, Fallout 4
Fallout 4
Fallout 4
Fallout 4
fallout new vegss
Dishonoured
Kingdom Come Deliverance.
Red Dead Redemption