Action Role-playing Video Games
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An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of
video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s that combines core elements from both the
action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...
and
role-playing Role-playing or roleplaying is the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role. While the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' offers a definition of role-playing a ...
genre.


Definition

The games emphasize
real-time Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...
combat where the player has direct control over the characters as opposed to turn or
menu In a restaurant, the menu is a list of food and beverages offered to customers and the prices. A menu may be à la carte – which presents a list of options from which customers choose – or table d'hôte, in which case a pre-established seque ...
-based combat while still having a focus on character's
Stats STATS may refer to: * Statistical Assessment Service * STATS LLC, a former name of Stats Perform Stats Perform (formerly STATS, LLC and STATS, Inc.) is a sports data and analytics company formed through the combination of Stats and Perform. T ...
in order to determine relative strength and abilities. These games often use
action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...
combat systems similar to
hack and slash Hack and slash, also known as hack and slay (H&S or HnS) or slash 'em up, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat with melee-based weapons (such as swords or blades). They may also feature projectile-based weapons as well (such as ...
or
shooter game Shooter video games or shooters are a subgenre of action video games where the focus is almost entirely on the defeat of the character's enemies using the weapons given to the player. Usually these weapons are firearms or some other long-range ...
s. Action role-playing games may also incorporate
action-adventure game The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a story ...
s, which include a mission system and role-playing game mechanics, or
MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
s with real-time combat systems.


History


1970s and early 1980s

Allgame RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...
listed the following games released prior to 1984 as action RPGs: ''
Temple of Apshai ''Temple of Apshai'' is a dungeon crawl role-playing video game developed and published by Automated Simulations (later renamed to Epyx) in 1979. Originating on the TRS-80 and Commodore PET, it was followed by several updated versions for other c ...
'' (1979) and its sequel ''
Gateway to Apshai ''Gateway to Apshai'' is an action-adventure game for the Commodore 64, ColecoVision and Atari 8-bit family, developed by The Connelley Group and published by Epyx as a prequel to ''Temple of Apshai''. It is a more action-oriented version of ''Temp ...
'' (1983), ''Beneath the Pyramids'' for the
Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-m ...
(1980), '' Bokosuka Wars'' (1983), and ''
Sword of Fargoal ''Sword of Fargoal'' is a dungeon exploration video game by Jeff McCord, published by Epyx for the VIC-20 in 1982 and the Commodore 64 in 1983. The game was originally released on cassette tape and 5¼" floppy disk formats. Gameplay In the gam ...
'' (1983). Jeremy Parish of
USgamer Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and other ...
claimed that ''
Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...
'' (1980) was an action RPG. Bill Loguidice and Matt Barton claimed that the
Intellivision The Intellivision is a home video game console released by Mattel, Mattel Electronics in 1979. The name is a portmanteau of "intelligent television". Development began in 1977, the same year as the launch of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. I ...
games ''
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...
'' (1982) and ''
Treasure of Tarmin ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin'' is a video game for the Intellivision video game console and the Mattel Aquarius computer system. This game was a licensed ''Dungeons & Dragons'' adaptation. Gameplay In ''Treasure of Tarmin'', ...
'' (1983) were action RPGs. Shaun Musgrave of
TouchArcade ''TouchArcade'' is a mobile video game website that launched in 2008. Arnold Kim of ''MacRumors'' worked on the site and its editor-in-chief was Eli Hodapp from 2009 to 2019. ''TouchArcade'' has been recognized as one of the best mobile game ...
notes that ''Adventure'' lacked RPG mechanics such as experience points and permanent character growth, and argues that ''Gateway to Apshai'' is "the earliest game I'd feel comfortable calling an action-RPG" but notes that "it doesn't fit neatly into our modern genre classifications", though came closer than ''Bokosuka Wars'' released the same year. Jeremy Parish of
1UP.com ''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...
argues that Japanese developers created a new brand of action role-playing game; these new Japanese games combined the role-playing genre with arcade-style
action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...
and
action-adventure The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a storyli ...
elements. Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade also traces the genre's roots to Japan, noting that the "Western game industry of the time had a tendency to treat action games and RPGs as separate things for separate demographics". Jeremy Parish argues that action RPGs were popularized in Japan by ''
The Tower of Druaga is a 1984 Arcade game, arcade action role-playing maze game developed and published in Japan by Namco. Controlling the golden-armored knight Gilgamesh, the player is tasked with scaling 60 floors of the titular tower in an effort to rescue the ...
''. It was released for arcades in June 1984, and was intended as a "fantasy version of ''
Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze action video game developed and released by Namco for arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its licensing agreement with Namco America. Th ...
'', with puzzles to solve, monsters to battle, and hidden treasure to find". Its success in Japan inspired the development of ''Dragon Slayer'' (1984) and ''
Hydlide is an action role-playing game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and PC-8801 computers in 1984, in Japan only; ports for the MSX, MSX2, FM-7 and NEC PC-9801 were released the following year. ...
'' (1984). ''Dragon Slayer'', ''Hydlide'' and ''Courageous Perseus'' (1984) "vie for position as genre precedent" according to John Szczepaniak, and there was an ongoing rivalry developing between the ''
Dragon Slayer A dragonslayer is a person or being that slays dragons. Dragonslayers and the creatures they hunt have been popular in traditional stories from around the world: they are a type of story classified as type 300 in the Aarne–Thompson classifica ...
'' and ''Hydlide'' series over the years. ''The Tower of Druaga'', ''Dragon Slayer'' and ''Hydlide'' were influential in Japan, where they influenced later action RPGs such as '' Ys'', as well as ''
The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...
''. Falcom's ''Dragon Slayer'', created by Yoshio Kiya, is "the very first action-RPG ever made" according to GameSetWatch. Originally released for the PC-8801 computer in September 1984, it abandoned the command-based battles of earlier role-playing games in favor of real-time hack-and-slash combat that required direct input from the player, alongside
puzzle-solving A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzl ...
elements. In contrast to earlier turn-based
roguelike Roguelike (or rogue-like) is a subgenre of role-playing computer games traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player characte ...
s, ''Dragon Slayer'' was a dungeon-crawl role-playing game using real-time, action-oriented combat, combined with traditional role-playing mechanics. ''Dragon Slayer's'' overhead action role-playing formula was used in many later games.
T&E Soft was a Japanese-based video game developer founded in 1982. Although they have made games with a wide variety of genres, they are primarily known in the U.S. for their golf and puzzle video games. The original company exists today under the name ...
's ''Hydlide'', released in December 1984, was created by Tokihiro Naito, who was influenced by ''The Tower of Druaga''. It was the first action RPG with an
overworld An overworld (sometimes referred to as a hub world) is, in a broad sense, commonly an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other vide ...
. The game was immensely popular in Japan, selling 2 million copies across all platforms. According to John Szczepaniak, it "cannot be overstated how influential Hydlide was on the ARPGs which followed it". The same year, ''Courageous Perseus'' was also one of the earliest action RPGs. '' Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu'', released in 1985 (billed as a "new type of real-time role-playing game"), was an action role-playing game including many character stats and a large quest. It also incorporated a side-scrolling view during exploration and an overhead view during battle, and an early "Karma" morality system where the character's Karma meter will rise if he commits sin (killing "good" enemies), which in turn causes the temples to refuse to level him up. ''
Xanadu Scenario II , also known as ''Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II'', is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom and released in 1985 for the PC-8801, X1, PC-8001, PC-9801, FM-7 and MSX computers. Enhanced remakes were later released for the Sega Saturn ...
'', released in 1986, was an
expansion pack An expansion pack, expansion set, supplement, or simply expansion is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game, video game or collectible card game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, characters, or an ...
, created to expand the content of ''Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu''. '' Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness'' (1985) also featured a morality system.
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
cites '' Fairlight'' (1985) as an early action RPG.


Late 1980s

An important influence on the action RPG genre was the 1986 action-adventure ''
The Legend of Zelda ''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...
'', which served as the template for many future action RPGs. In contrast to previous action RPGs, such as ''Dragon Slayer'' and ''Hydlide,'' which required the player to bump into enemies in order to attack them, ''The Legend of Zelda'' featured an attack button that animates a sword swing or projectile attack on the screen. It was also an early example of open-world,
nonlinear gameplay A video game with nonlinear gameplay presents players with challenges that can be completed in a number of different sequences. Each player may take on (or even encounter) only some of the challenges possible, and the same challenges may be played ...
, and introduced new features such as battery backup saving. These elements have been used in many action RPGs since. In 1987, '' Zelda II: The Adventure of Link'' implemented a more traditional RPG-esque system, including experience points and levels with action game elements. Unlike its predecessor, ''Zelda II'' more closely fits the definition of an action RPG. Another ''Metroidvania''-style action RPG released that year was
System Sacom , also known as System Sacom Sales Corp., is a Japanese company which sells electronic devices. They are more notable for their past, in which they developed video games. In the 1980s, they mainly published games for computers, but they changed ...
's Sharp X1 computer game '' Euphory'', which was possibly the only ''Metroidvania''-style
multiplayer A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system (couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
action RPG produced, allowing two-player cooperative gameplay. (Reprinted from ''
Retro Gamer ''Retro Gamer'' is a British magazine, published worldwide, covering retro video games. It was the first commercial magazine to be devoted entirely to the subject. Launched in January 2004 as a quarterly publication, ''Retro Gamer'' soon became ...
'', Issue 67, 2009)
The fifth ''Dragon Slayer'' title, ''
Sorcerian is a 1987 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom as the fifth installment in the ''Dragon Slayer'' line of games. Originally released for the PC-8801 Personal Computer, it has since been released on a wide variety of platforms. Game ...
'', was also released that year. It was a party-based action RPG, with the player controlling a party of four characters at the same time in a side-scrolling view. The game also featured character creation, highly customizable characters, class-based puzzles, and a new scenario system, allowing players to choose from 15 scenarios, or
quests A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. The word serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of ev ...
, to play through in the order of their choice. It was also an
episodic video game An episodic video game is a video game of a shorter length that is commercially released as an installment to a continuous and larger series. Episodic games differ from conventional video games in that they often contain less content but are develo ...
, with expansion disks later released offering more scenarios. Falcom also released the first installment of its ''Ys'' series in 1987. While not very popular in the West, the long-running ''Ys'' series has performed strongly in the Japanese market, with many sequels,
remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
s and ports in the decades that followed its release. Besides Falcom's own ''Dragon Slayer'' series, ''Ys'' was also influenced by ''Hydlide'', from which it borrowed certain mechanics such as health-regeneration. ''
The Faery Tale Adventure ''The Faery Tale Adventure'' is a 1987 action role-playing video game designed by David Joiner and published by MicroIllusions for the Amiga, and later ported to the Commodore 64, MS-DOS, and Sega Genesis. The MS-DOS version is titled ''The Faery ...
'' offered one of the largest worlds at the time, with over 17,000 computer screens without loading times. In 1988,
Telenet Japan was a Japanese video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company had several video game divisions including: Wolf Team, Laser Soft, Reno, Renovation Products, Riot, Commseed, and Telenet Jr. Telenet Ja ...
's ''Exile'' series debuted, and was controversial due to its plot, which revolves around a time-traveling Crusades-era Syrian assassin who assassinates various religious/historical figures as well as 20th-century political leaders, The gameplay of ''Exile'' included both overhead exploration and side-scrolling combat, and featured a heart monitor to represent the player's Attack Power and Armor Class statistics. Another controversial aspect of the game involved taking drugs (instead of potions) that increase/decrease attributes, but with side effects such as heart-rate increase/decrease or death.
Origin Systems Origin Systems, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Austin, Texas. It was founded on March 3, 1983, by Richard Garriott and his brother Robert Garriott, Robert. Origin is best known for their groundbreaking work in multiple genres ...
, the developer of the ''Ultima'' series, also released an action RPG in 1988, titled ''
Times of Lore ''Times of Lore'' is a 1988 action role-playing game that was developed and published by Origin Systems for several platforms, including PC, Commodore 64/ 128, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Apple II, NES, and Amiga. Plot The game's story ...
'', which was inspired by various NES titles, particularly ''The Legend of Zelda''. ''Times of Lore'' inspired several later titles by Origin Systems, such as the 1990 games '' Bad Blood'' (another action RPG based on the same engine) and '' Ultima VI: The False Prophet'', based on the same interface. Also in 1989, the enhanced remake '' Ys I & II'' was one of the first video games to use
CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains data. Computers can read—but not write or erase—CD-ROMs. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold both comput ...
, which was utilized to provide enhanced graphics, animated cut scenes,) a Red Book CD soundtrack, and voice acting. Its English localization was also one of the first to use voice dubbing. The game received the
Game of the Year Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given by various award events and media publications to a video game that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year. Events and ceremonies British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards) ...
award from ''OMNI Magazine'' in 1990, as well as other prizes. Another 1989 release,
Activision Activision Publishing, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in Santa Monica, California. It serves as the publishing business for its parent company, Activision Blizzard, and consists of several subsidiary studios. Activision is one o ...
's '' Prophecy: The Fall of Trinadon'', attempted to introduce "Nintendo-style" action combat to North American computer role-playing games.


1990s

Action RPGs were far more common on consoles than computers, due to
gamepad A gamepad is a type of video game controller held in two hands, where the fingers (especially thumbs) are used to provide input. They are typically the main input device for video game consoles. Features Gamepads generally feature a set of ...
s being better suited to real-time action than the keyboard and mouse. Though there were attempts at creating action-oriented computer RPGs during the late 1980s and early 1990s, very few saw any success. ''Times of Lore'' was one of the more successful attempts in the American computer market, where there was a generally negative attitude towards combining genres in this way and more of an emphasis on preserving the purity of the RPG genre. For example, a 1991 issue of ''
Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'' criticized several computer role-playing games for using "arcade" or "Nintendo-style" action combat, including ''Ys'', ''Sorcerian,'' ''Times of Lore,'' and ''Prophecy''. In 1991,
Square In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90-degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length adj ...
released '' Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden'', also known as ''Final Fantasy Adventure'' or ''Mystic Quest'' in the West, for the
Game Boy The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same ...
. Like ''Crystalis'', the action in ''Seiken Densetsu'' bore a strong resemblance to that of ''Legend of Zelda'', but added more RPG elements. It was one of the first action RPGs to allow players to kill townspeople, though later ''Mana'' games removed this feature. ''
Arcus Odyssey ''Arcus Odyssey'' is an action game video game developed by Wolf Team and released by Renovation Products in 1991 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and X68000 and in 1993 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game features an isometric ...
'' by Wolf Team (now
Namco Tales Studio , formerly known as , was a Japanese video game development company founded in 1986. The company was renamed in 2003 when Telenet Japan sold part of its stake and made Namco the majority shareholder. Namco Tales Studio was originally the primary d ...
) was an action RPG that featured an isometric perspective and co-operative multiplayer gameplay. In 1993, the second ''Seiken Densetsu'' game, ''
Secret of Mana ''Secret of Mana'', originally released in Japan as is a 1993 action role-playing game developed and published by Square (now Square Enix) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It is the sequel to the 1991 game ''Seiken Densetsu'', relea ...
'', received considerable acclaim, for its innovative pausable real-time action battle system, and its innovative cooperative multiplayer gameplay, where the second or third players could drop in and out of the game at any time, rather than players having to join the game at the same time. The game has remained influential through to the present day, with its ring menu system still used in modern games and its cooperative multiplayer mentioned as an influence on games such as ''
Dungeon Siege III ''Dungeon Siege III'' is an action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment. It was published by Square Enix for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows in June 2011. It is the third full and fifth overall release in the ' ...
'' (2011). Most other such games, however, used a side-scrolling perspective typical of beat 'em ups, such as the ''
Princess Crown ''Princess Crown'' is an action role-playing game developed by Atlus and published by Sega that was released only in Japan. Originally released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn, it was ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2005. Using a two-dimen ...
'' series, including ''
Odin Sphere ''Odin Sphere'' is an action role-playing game developed by Vanillaware for the PlayStation 2. It was published by Atlus (Japan and North America) in 2007, and by Square Enix (Europe) in 2008. A remake, titled ''Odin Sphere Leifthrasir'' (styli ...
'' and '' Muramasa: The Demon Blade''. Princess Crown had a more cartoon-like visual appeal. It still had quality visuals due to the George Kamitani style. ''LandStalker's'' 1997 spiritual successor ''Alundra'' is considered "one of the finest examples of action/RPG gaming", combining platforming elements and challenging puzzles with an innovative storyline revolving around entering people's
dream A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...
s and dealing with mature themes.


2000s

''
Ultima Underworld ''Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'' is a first-person role-playing video game developed by Blue Sky Productions (later Looking Glass Studios) and published by Origin Systems. Released in March 1992, the game is set in the fantasy world of ...
s influence has been found in ''
BioShock ''BioShock'' is a 2007 first-person shooter game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K Games. The first game in the ''BioShock'' series, it was released for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360 pla ...
'' (2007), and that game's designer, Ken Levine, has stated that "all the things that I wanted to do and all the games that I ended up working on came out of the inspiration I took from 'Ultima Underworld''. ''
Gears of War ''Gears of War'' is a media franchise centered on a series of video games created by Epic Games, developed and managed by The Coalition, and owned and published by Xbox Game Studios. The franchise is best known for its third-person shooter vide ...
'' designer
Cliff Bleszinski Cliff Bleszinski (; born February 12, 1975), popularly known as CliffyB, is an American video game designer, known for his work in the development of the ''Unreal'' and '' Gears of War'' series. After working at Epic Games from 1992 to 2012, he ...
also cited it as an early influence, stating that it had "far more impact on me than ''Doom''". Other games influenced by ''Ultima Underworld'' include '' The Elder Scrolls: Arena'', ''
Deus Ex ''Deus Ex'' is a series of role-playing video games, set during the mid 21st century. Focusing on the conflict between secretive factions who wish to control the world by proxy, and the effects of transhumanistic attitudes and technologies in a ...
'', '' Deus Ex: Invisible War'', '' Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines'', and ''
Half-Life 2 ''Half-Life 2'' is a 2004 first-person shooter game developed by Valve. It was published by Valve through its distribution service Steam. Like the original ''Half-Life'' (1998), ''Half-Life 2'' combines shooting, puzzles, and storytelling, and ...
''.
FromSoftware FromSoftware, Inc. is a Japanese video game development and publishing company based in Tokyo. Founded by Naotoshi Zin in November 1986, the company developed business software before releasing their first video game, ''King's Field (video game) ...
's ''
Demon's Souls is a 2009 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 under the supervision of Japan Studio. It was published in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment in February, in North America by Atlus USA in October, and in PAL ...
'' (2009) emphasized unforgiving enemies and environments, combined with risk-and-reward mechanics such as limited checkpoints, collecting "souls" that can be consumed as experience points to increase the player's stats, or as a currency to purchase items, and penalizing player deaths without imposing an outright failure state. It also incorporated
online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...
features allowing players to leave messages in the overworld that can be read by other players, to temporarily join other players' sessions to assist them cooperatively, or "invade" another player's session to engage in
player versus player Player versus player (PvP) is a type of multiplayer interactive conflict within a game between human players. This is often compared to player versus environment (PvE), in which the game itself controls its players' opponents. The terms are mos ...
combat. Especially after the release of its spiritual successor ''
Dark Souls is a series of action role-playing games created by Hidetaka Miyazaki of FromSoftware and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The series began with the release of ''Dark Souls'' (2011) and has seen two sequels, ''Dark Souls II'' (2014) a ...
'' (2011) and its sequels, other action RPGs emerged in the 2010s that incorporated mechanics influenced by those of ''Demon's Souls'', which have been popularly referred to as "
Soulslike A Soulslike (also spelled Souls-like) is a subgenre of action role-playing and action-adventure games known for high levels of difficulty and emphasis on environmental storytelling, typically in a dark fantasy setting. It had its origin in ''Dem ...
" games.


2010s

In 2013, ''
Vanillaware is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka. An independent company, it was founded in 2002 under the name Puraguru by George Kamitani, a game developer who had previously worked at Capcom and Atlus, and directed ''Princess Crown'' (1997 ...
'' released the fantasy beat 'em up ARPG ''
Dragon's Crown ''Dragon's Crown'' is a 2013 action role-playing game developed by Vanillaware for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It was published in Japan and North America by Atlus and in PAL regions by NIS America. A high-definition port for PlaySt ...
'', a spiritual successor to ''
Princess Crown ''Princess Crown'' is an action role-playing game developed by Atlus and published by Sega that was released only in Japan. Originally released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn, it was ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2005. Using a two-dimen ...
'' and a "deeply moving product" of Vanillaware director George Kamitani. Kamitani cites many classic RPGs as his inspiration, stating in the ''Dragon's Crown Artworks'' foreword: "The motif within Dragon's Crown is all the fantasy works that has affected me until now: the PC RPG Wizardry that I first came into contact with as a student;
Ian Livingstone Sir Ian Livingstone (born 29 December 1949) is an English fantasy author and entrepreneur. Along with Steve Jackson, he is the co-founder of a series of role-playing gamebooks, ''Fighting Fantasy'', and the author of many books within that se ...
's gamebooks; games like ''
Tower of Druaga is a 1984 arcade action role-playing maze game developed and published in Japan by Namco. Controlling the golden-armored knight Gilgamesh, the player is tasked with scaling 60 floors of the titular tower in an effort to rescue the maiden Ki fr ...
'', ''
Golden Axe is a series of side-scrolling beat 'em up arcade video games developed by Sega. The series takes place in a medieval fantasy world where several heroes have the task of recovering the legendary Golden Axe, the mainstay element of the series. M ...
'' and ''
The King of Dragons is a 1991 beat-'em-up video game by Capcom that follows players as they control characters through the kingdom of Malus to defeat monsters led by the dragon Gildiss. It features a level advancement system, allowing character attributes to be up ...
''." He also cites his early 20s work on '' Dungeons & Dragons: Tower of Doom'' as "truly something that I had aspired for". ''Dragon's Crown'' was re-released with a PS4 "Pro" edition in 2018. ''
Assassin's Creed ''Assassin's Creed'' is an open-world, action-adventure, and stealth game franchise published by Ubisoft and developed mainly by its studio Ubisoft Montreal using the game engine Anvil and its more advanced derivatives. Created by Patrice D ...
,'' a long-running
Ubisoft Ubisoft Entertainment SA (; ; formerly Ubi Soft Entertainment SA) is a French video game publisher headquartered in Saint-Mandé with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include '' Assassin's Creed'', ''Far Cry'', '' ...
franchise, also shifted towards the action RPG formula, inspired by the successes of ''
The Witcher 3 ''The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt'' is a 2015 action role-playing game developed and published by CD Projekt. It is the sequel to the 2011 game ''The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings'' and the third game in The Witcher (video game series), ''The Witcher' ...
'' and the ''Dark Souls'' franchise, with its titles '' Assassin's Creed: Origins'' (2017), '' Assassin's Creed: Odyssey'' (2018) and '' Assassin's Creed: Valhalla'' (2020).


Subgenres


First-person dungeon crawl

In late 1987,
FTL Games FTL Games (Faster Than Light) was the video game developer, video game development division of Software Heaven Inc. FTL created several popular video games in the 1980s. Despite the company's small size, FTL products were consistently number-one ...
released '' Dungeon Master'', a dungeon crawler that had a real-time game world and some real-time combat elements (akin to
Active Time Battle In video and other games, the passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. This is usually done in one of the two ways: real-time and turn-based. Real-time Real-time games have game time progress cont ...
), requiring players to quickly issue orders to the characters, setting the standard for first-person computer RPGs for several years. It inspired many other developers to make real-time dungeon crawlers, such as '' Eye of the Beholder'' and '' Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos''. '' Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss'', released in 1992, has been cited as the first RPG to feature first-person action in a 3D environment. ''Ultima Underworld'' is considered the first example of an
immersive sim An immersive sim (simulation) is a video game genre that emphasizes player choice. Its core, defining trait is the use of simulated systems that respond to a variety of player actions which, combined with a comparatively broad array of player ...
, a genre that combines elements from other genres to create a game with strong player agency and emergent gameplay, and has influenced many games since its release. The engine was re-used and enhanced for ''Ultima Underworld''s 1993 sequel, '' Ultima Underworld II: Labyrinth of Worlds''. Looking Glass Studios planned to create a third ''Ultima Underworld'', but Origin rejected their pitches. After
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
(EA) rejected
Arkane Studios Arkane Studios SASU is a French video game developer based in Lyon. It was founded in 1999, and released its first game, ''Arx Fatalis'', in 2002. Besides the Lyon studio, Arkane Lyon, Arkane Studios operates Arkane Studios LLC (trade name, tra ...
' pitch for ''Ultima Underworld III'', the studio instead created a
spiritual successor A spiritual successor (sometimes called a spiritual sequel) is a product or fictional work that is similar to, or directly inspired by, another previous work, but (unlike a traditional prequel or sequel) does not explicitly continue the product lin ...
: ''
Arx Fatalis ''Arx Fatalis'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Arkane Studios and released for Microsoft Windows in 2002 and Xbox in 2003. The game is played from a first-person perspective and is set on a world whose sun has failed, forcing t ...
''.
Toby Gard Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...
stated that, when designing ''
Tomb Raider ''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, th ...
'', he "was a big fan of ... ''Ultima Underworld'' and I wanted to mix that type of game with the sort of polygon characters that were just being showcased in ''
Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega-AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original ''Virtua Fighter'' was released in October 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential first ''Virtua Fighter'' game ...
''". ''Ultima Underworld'' was also the basis for Looking Glass Technologies' later ''
System Shock ''System Shock'' is a 1994 first-person action-adventure video game developed by LookingGlass Technologies and published by Origin Systems. It was directed by Doug Church with Warren Spector serving as producer. The game is set aboard a space s ...
''.


Isometric/top-down dungeon crawler

The 1988 Origin Systems title ''Times of Lore'' was an action RPG with an icon-based point-and-click interface. '' Bad Blood'', another Origin Systems game from 1990, would use the same interface. The designers were inspired by console titles, particularly ''The Legend of Zelda'', to make their interface more accessible.''
Computer Gaming World ''Computer Gaming World'' (CGW) was an American computer game magazine published between 1981 and 2006. One of the few magazines of the era to survive the video game crash of 1983, it was sold to Ziff Davis in 1993. It expanded greatly through ...
'', issue 68 (February 1990), pages 34 & 38
The 1994 title ''Ultima VIII'' used mouse controls and attempted to add precision jumping sequences reminiscent of a ''
Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...
'' platform game, though reactions to the game's mouse-based combat were mixed. In 1997 Blizzard's '' Diablo'' was released and became massively successful. It was an action RPG that used a mouse oriented point-and-click interface and offered gamers a free
online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...
service to play with others that maintained the same rules and gameplay. ''Diablo''s effect on the market was significant, inspiring many imitators. Its impact was such that the term "action RPG" has come to be more commonly used for ''Diablo''-style games, with ''The Legend of Zelda'' itself slowly recategorized as an action-adventure. Very commonly, these games used a fixed-camera
isometric view Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings. It is an axonometric projection in which the three coordinate axes appear equally foreshortened and ...
of the game world, a necessity of the limitations of 2D graphics of early computers; even with 3D graphic engines, such point-and-click games are still presented from a similar isometric view, though providing options to rotate, pan, and zoom the camera to some degree. As such, these are often grouped with other "isometric RPGs". The popularity of The Diablo series spawned such franchises like ''
Divinity Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.divine
'', ''
Torchlight ''Torchlight'' is an action role-playing hack and slash dungeon crawler video game developed by Runic Games and published by Perfect World, released for Windows in October 2009. The fantasy-themed game is set in the fictional town of Torchlight ...
'', ''
Dungeon Siege ''Dungeon Siege'' is an action role-playing game developed by Gas Powered Games and published by Microsoft in April 2002, for Microsoft Windows, and the following year by Destineer for Mac OS X. Set in the pseudo-medieval kingdom of Ehb, the hi ...
'' and ''Sacred''. Commonly, these games used a fixed-camera
isometric view Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings. It is an axonometric projection in which the three coordinate axes appear equally foreshortened and ...
of the game world, a necessity of the limitations of 2D graphics of early computers; The Diablo series spawned many terms like being referred to as "dungeon crawler" "slasher RPG" "hack and slasher", the series was also heavily criticized by players and media for not being a proper RPG due to it being focused more on fighting enemies and creating character builds than following a proper narrative and dialogue-heavy journey. After its success many other games tried to mix its influences with different structures and narratives, there are multiple games like ''
Divine Divinity ''Divine Divinity'' is an action role-playing game developed by Larian Studios and published by cdv Software Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, which was released in September 2002. It has three sequels, ''Beyond Divinity'', ''Divinity II'', a ...
'' that were an attempt to have a more dialogue-heavy experience akin to the '' Baldurs Gate'' games and even older series like Falcom's '' Dragon Slayer/Xanadu'' series had its outing ''
Xanadu Next is a 2005 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom for Windows. The game is a spin-off of the 1985 action role-playing game '' Dragon Slayer II: Xanadu''. ''Xanadu Next'' was released worldwide in English by Xseed Games in 2016. An N-G ...
'' with similar Diablo influences. The influences also come full circle when the first Diablo game was inspired by rogue-likes Umoria and Angband and in more recent years many games in the rogue-like genre are inspired by more classic dungeon crawler ARPGs that Diablo helped spawn. In this sub genre there are such recent titles as
Grim Dawn ''Grim Dawn'' is an action role-playing game (ARPG), developed and published by Crate Entertainment for Microsoft Windows in February 2016 and released for Xbox One in December 2021. Developed using the ''Titan Quest'' engine, it is set in a the ...
(2016), ''Zenonia S: Rifts In Time'' (2015), ''
Book of Demons ''Book of Demons'' is an Isometric projection, isometric hack and slash Action role-playing game, action role-playing created by Polish studio Thing Trunk. The game was officially released through Steam (service), Steam on 13 December 2018. The ga ...
'' (2018), ''Shadows: Awakening'' (2018), ''Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl Gold'' (2017), ''Titan Quest: Anniversary Edition'' (2016) and its expansions ''Titan Quest: Ragnarök'' (2017) and ''Titan Quest: Atlantis'' (2019), '' Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem'' (2020) and ''
Minecraft Dungeons ''Minecraft Dungeons'' is a dungeon crawler video game developed by Mojang Studios and Double Eleven and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is a spin-off of the sandbox video game ''Minecraft'' and was released for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo ...
'' (2020).


Point and click/target combat

The prominence of Diablo 2 in the gaming market and its influence on the
MMORPG A massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) is a video game that combines aspects of a role-playing video game and a massively multiplayer online game. As in role-playing games (RPGs), the player assumes the role of a Player charac ...
genre later popularized the strongly used mouse-oriented point and click combat. While in the Diablo series this type of combat does not have a lock-on key, World of Warcraft and most MMO games uses some kind of key to target an enemy, usually TAB, to lock into it, usually referred to as "tab-target". In tab-target combat the player's character automatic do attack animations with some kind of regular attack, while the player can focus on activating other skills and items by pressing other keys. Usually this type of combat is not heavily based on aiming or hit boxes thus the player can hit enemies from different distances and even from a far. Some tab-target MMOs have other targeting options such as an "Action mode".


Role-playing shooter

Shooter-based action RPGs include '' Strife'' (1996), ''
System Shock 2 ''System Shock 2'' is a 1999 action role-playing survival horror video game designed by Ken Levine and co-developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios. Originally intended to be a standalone title, its story was changed during product ...
'' (1999), the ''
Deus Ex ''Deus Ex'' is a series of role-playing video games, set during the mid 21st century. Focusing on the conflict between secretive factions who wish to control the world by proxy, and the effects of transhumanistic attitudes and technologies in a ...
'' series (2000 onwards) by
Ion Storm Ion Storm, L.P. was an American video game developer founded by video game industry veterans John Romero and Tom Hall, both formerly of id Software. Despite an impressive pedigree and high expectations, the company only produced one commercial ...
,
Bungie Bungie, Inc. is an American video game company based in Bellevue, Washington. It is a studio owned by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The company was established in May 1991 by Alex Seropian, who later brought in programmer Jason Jones (progr ...
's ''
Destiny Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...
'' (2014),
Irem is a Japanese video game console developer and publisher, and formerly a developer and manufacturer of arcade games as well. The company has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo. The full name of the company that uses the brand is Irem Softwar ...
's ''
Steambot Chronicles ''Steambot Chronicles'', known in Japan as is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Irem Software Engineering in Japan for the PlayStation 2. It was later published by Atlus in North America and 505 Games in PAL region ...
'' (2005), Square Enix's
third-person shooter Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. While 2D shoot 'em ...
RPG '' Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII'' (2006), which introduced an over-the-shoulder perspective similar to ''
Resident Evil 4 ''Resident Evil 4'' is a 2005 survival horror third-person shooter game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom. It was originally released for the GameCube on January 11, 2005. Players control U.S. government special ...
'', and the MMO vehicular combat game ''
Auto Assault ''Auto Assault'' was a massively multiplayer online game (or MMOG), developed by NetDevil and published by NCSOFT. It combined vehicular combat with role-playing elements, allowing the player to explore a post-apocalyptic future in customizable ca ...
'' (2006) by
NetDevil NetDevil Ltd. was an American developer of massively multiplayer online games, based in Louisville, Colorado and owned by Gazillion Entertainment. History Beginnings NetDevil was founded in 1997 by Scott Brown, Peter Grundy and Steven Willi ...
and NCsoft. Other action RPGs featured both hack and slash and shooting elements, with the use of both guns (or in some cases, bow and arrow or
aerial combat Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare. Aerial warfare includes bombers attacking enemy installations or a concentration of enemy troops or strategic targets; fighter aircraft battling for control o ...
) and melee weapons, including
Cavia ''Cavia'' is a genus in the subfamily Caviinae that contains the rodents commonly known as guinea pigs or cavies. The best-known species in this genus is the domestic guinea pig, ''Cavia porcellus'', a meat animal in South America and a common ...
's flight-based ''
Drakengard ''Drakengard'', known in Japan as is a series of action role-playing video games created by Yoko Taro. The eponymous first game in the series was released in 2003 on the PlayStation 2, and has since been followed by a sequel, a prequel and se ...
'' series (2003 to 2005), and Level-5's ''
Rogue Galaxy ''Rogue Galaxy'' is an action role-playing video game developed by Level-5 and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. The game was released in Japan in December 2005, in North America in January 2007, and in most Europea ...
'' (2005). Other RPS games include the ''
Mass Effect ''Mass Effect'' is a military science fiction media franchise created by Casey Hudson, Drew Karpyshyn and Preston Watamaniuk. The franchise depicts a distant future where humanity and several alien civilizations have colonized the known univers ...
'' series (2007 onwards), ''
Fallout 3 ''Fallout 3'' is a 2008 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. The third major installment in the ''Fallout'' series, it is the first game to be developed by Bethesda after acquiring ...
'' and subsequent ''
Fallout Nuclear fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and the shock wave has passed. It commonly refers to the radioac ...
'' titles (2008 onwards), '' White Gold: War in Paradise'' (2008), and ''
Borderlands A borderland or borderlands are the geographical space or zone around a territorial border. Borderland or borderlands may refer to: Places * Borderland, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in Mingo County, West Virginia * Borderland (ele ...
'' (2009). ''Borderlands'' developer
Gearbox Software Gearbox Software is an American video game development company based in Frisco, Texas. It was established as a limited liability company in February 1999 by five developers formerly of Rebel Boat Rocker. Randy Pitchford, one of the founders, se ...
has dubbed it as a "role-playing shooter" due to the heavy RPG elements within the game, such as quest-based gameplay and also its character traits and leveling system. ''
Half-Minute Hero ''Half-Minute Hero'' is a hybrid real-time strategy action role-playing shoot 'em up video game developed by Opus. It was initially released as a PlayStation Portable exclusive in Japan on May 28, 2009, later in North America on October 13, and in ...
'' (2009) is an RPG shooter featuring self-referential humour and a 30-second time limit for each level and boss encounter. Other action role-playing games with shooter elements include the 2010 titles ''
Alpha Protocol ''Alpha Protocol'' is a 2010 action role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Sega. The player assumes control of agent Michael Thorton, a new recruit at a clandestine United States agency called Alpha Protocol, whic ...
'' by
Obsidian Entertainment Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. is an American video game developer based in Irvine, California. It was founded in June 2003, shortly before the closure of Black Isle Studios, by ex-Black Isle employees Feargus Urquhart, Chris Avellone, Chris Par ...
and ''
The 3rd Birthday is a role-playing shooter co-developed by Square Enix's 1st Production Department and HexaDrive, and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. It was released in Japan in 2010 and in North America and Europe in 2011. The game is the ...
'', the third game in the ''Parasite Eve'' series, features a unique blend of action RPG, real-time tactical RPG, survival horror and third-person tactical shooter elements. Shooter-based RPGs include
Imageepoch was a video game developer based out of Tokyo, Japan. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2015, due to its declining sales and debt. History The company was founded in June 2005 by Ryoei Mikage. Their first release was the tactical role-playin ...
's post-apocalyptic ''
Black Rock Shooter is a Japanese media franchise based on characters created by illustrator Ryohei Fuke, also known as Huke. It revolves around its eponymous character, a mysterious black haired girl with a blazing blue eye. The original illustration insp ...
'' (2011)'','' which employs both first-person and third-person shooter elements, and Square Enix's ''
Final Fantasy XV is an action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix. The fifteenth main installment of the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it was released for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2016, Microsoft Windows in 2018, and as a launch title ...
'' (2016)'','' which features both hack and slash and third-person shooter elements. The online live service version gained a lot of popularity on the 2010s with titles such as ''
Warframe ''Warframe'' is a free-to-play action role-playing third-person shooter multiplayer online game developed and published by Digital Extremes. First released for Windows personal computers in March 2013, it was later ported to PlayStation 4 in No ...
'' (2013), ''Destiny'' (2014) and ''
Destiny 2 ''Destiny 2'' is a free-to-play Online game, online-only multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie. It was originally released as a pay to play game in 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows. It became free-to-play, ...
'' (2017), ''
Anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
'' (2019), ''
The Division ''The Division'' is an American police procedural drama television series created by Deborah Joy LeVine starring Bonnie Bedelia. The series focuses on a team of female detectives and police officers in the San Francisco Police Department. The ...
'' (2016) and '' The Division 2'' (2019).


Soulslike


References

{{VideoGameGenre Articles containing video clips Video game genres