CRPGs have been a staple of the broader roleplaying genre for decades, combining the depth and intricacy of character work that comes from tabletop games with the interactivity and engagement of video games. The subgenre is no stranger to certain mainstays,like turn-based combator, most notably, a high fantasy setting.
But this genre, with its emphasis on storytelling and dynamic character choices, attractsdevelopers with all sorts of ambitionsfor how they can revamp the classic CRPG tropes. Among them, many have done away with or otherwise subverted the classic fantasy setting of CRPGs to bring audiences something with a distinctive sci-fi flare.
Portrayed as the spiritual successor to one of the most influential and groundbreaking RPGs ever made,Planescape: Torment, Tides of Numenerahad quite a pair of shoes to fill. The title manages to give a tight, innovative story that honors the legacy of the original.
The sci-fi elements shine through the elements of cloning and intricate, otherworldly technologies that for the basis for the narrative. As far as CRPGs go,its beginner friendlinessmeans anyone looking for a sci-fi twist on the subgenre, or anyone just looking for a good starting title, will have a lot to love here.
5Encased
In-Depth 70’s Retro-Futurism
This classicFallout-inspired RPGwon gamers over for the fantastic execution of storytelling and combat. The seventies-inspired retro-futurism shows the potential of the retro-futuristic aesthetic beyond Bethesda’s flagship post-apocalyptic title.
Encaseddeals with anomalous alien artifacts and a good heaping of chunky alt-future gear to raze through mutants and rival relic hunters with.
A somewhat short but incredibly detailed and well-realized foray into the world ofShadowrun, post-apocalypse meets urban fantasy meets a heavy dosage of cyberpunk. While the second in asolid trilogy of games,Dragonfallimproves in almost every way from its predecessor, while setting a strong precedent thatHong Kongfollows up on, and is the recommended start for players.
The fusion of cyberpunk and fantastical archetypes is really what makes this title shine, coupled with the wide variety of choices and consequences in each quest. Players with an itch to realize a three-dimensional dwarven cyborg or goth-ogre-wizard should not overlook this title.
One of BioWare’s opus titles,Knights of the Old Republickeeps the intricate plotlines and player agency that defines the CRPG subgenre while infusing the whole formula with a heavy dosage of theStar Warsaesthetic.
This space opera is a celebration of classicStar Wars- adventuring on a ship with a steadily growing crew of misfits, trying to stop an evil force that has some sort of death machine in tow. While some still hold out hope for the remakecurrently in development hell, this might be the definitive game for players to realize themselves as a Jedi (or dark Jedi, which is not a Sith—but it looks just as cool).
2Colony Ship
Grim, Hard Sci-Fi On A Distant Voyage From Earth
Aboard a colossal colony ship headed to Proxima Centauri, the protagonist ofColony Shipwill live and die without seeing the sun. Born onto this ship too early to reach its destination, players are faced with a deadly and relentless host of enemies and decisions to sort through.
Written with expert hard sci-fi prose,Colony Shipwill immerse and challenge players who know the CRPG formula well and are looking to wrack their brains over tricky combat and difficult narrative choices.
Rogue Tradersteps away from the power armor-toting goliaths of theWarhammeruniverse to take a morepersonal and focused lookat the sheer accumulation of lore built up by this series over the years. An in-depth, highly replayable space CRPG set in the outer edges of the Imperium, where death is one bad decision away.
As a Rogue Trader, divinely ordained to operate in these outer perimeters, the player and their host of fantastically written companions will have no shortage of enemies to slay and choices to make in this incredibly hard-hitting sci-fi CRPG.
