The RPGs that attract the most attention are often made with large teams and larger budgets. Those resources allow triple-A games to feature massive worlds, tens of thousands of lines of dialog, hundreds of hours of gameplay, and photorealistic graphics.
Yet some of the most entertaining and innovative work in the genre comes from indie developers like those found on Itch.io. Without the strings that come with corporate backing, these games are free to push the boundaries of innovation, tell more personal stories, and just be weirder than RPGs available elsewhere. Best of all, these games are free, allowing everyone to enjoy them.
10 Grimm's Hollow
Lavender has three problems when she wakes up to a surprise birthday party: it isn't her birthday, this isn't her home, and the people throwing the party are strangers in skull masks.Grimm's Hollow is a cute gothic RPG. It takes only a few hours to complete, but those hours are dense with content while avoiding most outdated RPG tropes.
The game is also quite funny. Even its items (like Deathlicious Donuts) are the perfect blend of creepy and cute. Players open to its brand of childlike horror will likely be immediately charmed, and find more to like about this RPG the further they explore it.
9 Lawmage Academy
Students attending a school of magic are divided into four houses and split their time between attending classes, making friends, and unearthing the many secrets of their wonderous school. No, it's not Harry Potter, it's Lawmage Academy. Crafting, learning spells, and combat tie together nicely and form a satisfying feedback loop.
Like other games with great crafting,Lawmage Academy gives players plenty of incentive to stay engaged, if becoming a certified wizard wasn't enough. Though its opening is a tad slow, those that push past that first hurdle will find a delightful fantasy romp that draws from the fiction that inspired it without being an absolute clone.
8 This Is Your Life Now
This Is Your Life Now is a micro RPG that lasts only a few minutes, and stretches the genre to its breaking point. Its story might be microscopic compared to other RPGs with incredible main stories, but it is no less great for its small scope
As the character runs towards the right edge of the screen, they make a series of life choices, from whether to prioritize work at the expense of family and even whether to be happy. These choices reward and punish in unexpected ways. This Is Your Life Now does a better job at demonstrating character development and the repercussion of choices than most games a hundred times its length.
7 Lonely Wolf Treat
The first game in NomNomNami's series of the same name, Lonely Wolf Treat is the story of a wolf who moves into a town full of rabbits and can't make friends because the rabbits are, unsurprisingly, afraid of her. The anthropomorphic characters are adorable and instantly likable, and the pastel palette of this RPG Maker title paints the entire universe like a cupcake. Whether or not it's one of the greatest RPG Maker games of all time or not, it's fantastic.
Treat, Mochi, and Moxie are loveable protagonists, and their relationships feel grounded, which is quite the achievement for a game about anthropomorphic animals in a town that looks like it was frosted. The game can be completed in less than half an hour, making it bite-sized excellence. What's more, players looking for a fuller meal have the rest of the series to sate their cravings.
6 Clam Man 2: Open Mic
The prologue to Clam Man 2, Clam Man 2: Open Mic features something almost never seen in RPGs: stand-up. The protagonist, Clam Man, is a stand-up comic, and his routines form a key part of the story. The game is dialogue-heavy, but when the dialogue is as well-written as it is here, that's a blessing, not a curse.
Four stats (Aquadynamics, Improv, Detection, and Self-Awareness) determine the player's dialogue options, adding a large amount of depth and replayability. Comedy is difficult under any circumstances, and many self-declared "funny" games fall well short of the mark, but Clam Man 2: Open Mic sails over the high bar of expectations.
5 Chromatose
This game's main character wakes up with amnesia after a fall that should have killed them, only to find others in a similar amnesiac condition and with only 12 hours to escape their predicament.Chromatose is packed with style, with anime-inspired character portraits and slick animations. Even its menus drip with cool.
Fans of Persona and similar relationship-building RPGs will enjoy Chromatose's colorful cast of characters, with whom the player can build relationships over the course of the game. This visual novel / RPG hybrid lasts approximately two hours, and even the side content here is excellent.
4 Creature Keeper
A monster-raising RPG in the vein of Pokemon or Monster Rancher, Creature Keeper supplies the player with no small number of creatures to capture, raise, and do battle with. With cooking, numerous weapons and items, and a bestiary that is filled out with every monster captured, Creature Keeper checks off most items on the raising RPG wishlist.
The sprite animations are fluid, lending a slickness and grace to battle. It favors combat over story, but the story isn't the point here anyway. Creature Keeper knows its target and hits it dead on. Players in it for the creatures won't be disappointed.
3 The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne
Lemonsucker Games's The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne has no magic, no castles, and no dragons, fire-breathing or otherwise. Instead, it trades most classic RPG fare for a simple task that turns out to be anything but: get Samantha to make oatmeal. The problem is that Samantha is introverted to the point of self-isolation, and making oatmeal requires using her college dorm's communal kitchen.
Rather than offer extensive character creation options, the game zeroes in on the experience of being Samantha. Eventually, the player truly identifies with her, wincing at every one of Samantha's painful social interactions and cheering at her smallest triumphs.
2 Weird And Unfortunate Things Are Happening
Weird and Unfortunate Things Are Happening in the city of Daybreak, which to the rest of the world appears to have disappeared. Only those citizens trapped within know the truth: strange beings have taken over the city and turned it into a kind of monstrous amusement park, manipulating the humans within for their own horrible entertainment.
Whatever shortcomings this game might have, the story makes up for them. The player controls Alicia as she enters the city following a distress call from her niece. Once inside, she attempts to reunite scattered citizens, explore the micro-dimensions connected to Daybreak, and unravel the mystery of the city's predicament. Weird and Unfortunate Things Are Happening does an exceptional job of expanding its world in surprising directions.
1 Fear & Hunger: Termina
The sequel to Fear and Hunger, Fear & Hunger: Termina is a stand-alone game requiring no knowledge of its predecessor. Its gore, drug use, and other adult themes may dissuade some, but for those that like their RPGs with a dark side, it doesn't disappoint. This JRPG's art blends dark pixel art with darker digital paintings. Throw in specific combat mechanics for dismemberment, a three-day cycle, multiple characters, and freeform exploration, and one has all the ingredients for an excellent RPG.
The game is difficult, rewarding innovative strategy and the willingness to plug on through wave after wave of adversity. Fear & Hunger: Termina isn't an exquisite itch.io game, it's an exquisite game period.