When it comes to RPGs, both hardcore players and casual players probably think of two distinct types within the genre. There are the classic turn-based RPG systems made famous by series like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. While they remain rarer today than they were decades ago, turn-based systems still appear.

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Then there are the action RPGs which come in a lot of varieties from the brutal action of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to the further away perspective of Diablo 4. Those are the classic RPG types, but as the medium of video games has grown so too has the RPG genre as a whole. Even puzzle games have even added RPG elements. Of the few that are out there that aren't phone games, here are some of the best.

6 Henry Hatsworth In The Puzzling Adventure

Metascore: 82

Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure is not completely an RPG but it does have RPG elements and it is a unique puzzle game that is for sure. It was released for the DS and remains one of EA’s odder outputs. Players take on the titular Henry who is an older gentleman explorer around the age of the Industrial Revolution. He ventures into a forest to seek out great treasure but unleashes a puzzle curse along the way.

The top screen plays out like a typical platformer while the bottom screen is a match-three puzzle game. If players let the bottom screen get too crowded with puzzle pieces, the tiles will bleed into the top screen and attack Henry. Players can earn gold throughout their adventure to then use to purchase upgrades like more health. It’s a shame this DS game has been lost to time because it still manages to be both fun and challenging over a decade later.

5 Might & Magic: Clash Of Heroes

Metascore: 86

Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes was also a DS game but it has a better legacy than Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure. That’s because a remaster was released this year, Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes- Definitive Edition. The core game is a spinoff of the Might & Magic franchise, offering multiple campaigns in a puzzle game mixed with a tower defense game. Players begin in the elvish territory with Anwen who is tasked with saving her kingdom from an invading evil.

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Players will gain different types of armed forces that they can then deploy into battle. For example, Anwen can summon Archers, Fairies, and Bears. The player’s lineup is at the bottom while the enemy’s is at the top. This adds that puzzle element to the experience. Depending on how units are positioned, different attacks can incur from protective spells to offensive hails of arrows. It’s one of the hardest strategy games on the DS let alone modern consoles thanks to the remaster.

4 Pokemon Battle Trozei

Metascore: 70

The Pokemon games are some of the biggest RPGs on their respective systems. The franchise has been going for a long time, so it was only inevitable that a puzzle game or two was going to get made. Among the handful, Pokemon Battle Trozei on 3DS was the one that incorporated a lot of the typical RPG elements into the gameplay. For example, the core mechanics revolved around a match-three system.

The Pokemon being dueled could be affected by different Pokemon types like in the mainline games. A Fire-Type Pokemon would be weak to Water-Type attacks, for example. Also, Pokemon could be caught to build up resources in the match-three arena. While not as complex as the mainline games, Pokemon Battle Trozei ranks among the best spinoffs in the series.

3 Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition

Metascore: 73

Like Pokemon, Mario has been around the genre block quite a few times. One of the coolest spinoffs the plumber received was Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the SNES. It was made by Squaresoft, which is now known as Square Enix, and turned Mario’s adventures into a turn-based RPG. There have been many RPG spinoffs since then and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition might be the strangest so far.

Puzzle & Dragons began as a huge mobile gacha-based match-three puzzle game in Japan in 2012. It seemingly became big enough that Nintendo decided to partner with the developers to create a spinoff within a spinoff to include Mario characters into the typical puzzle experience on 3DS. It wasn’t the biggest RPG-based Mario game on the portable, but it had its fans and most of them would probably love to see a sequel or port on Switch.

2 Puzzle Quest: Challenge Of The Warlords

Metascore: 82

Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords is the puzzle game that created it all. There were certainly unique puzzle games before this, but Puzzle Quest truly took the world by storm. It made non-puzzle game fans devote followers. This first adventure was released on the perfect platforms in 2007 aka the PSP and DS.

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It was a match-three puzzle game, but it allowed players to create classes and go on a typical RPG campaign. Characters would level up, gain spells or skills, and the list goes on. The game managed to spawn two main sequels along with a spinoff starring Marvel characters. In 2019 the original game saw a resurgence on platforms like Switch via Puzzle Quest: The Legend Returns. If one had to pick one RPG puzzle game to check out on this list, this is it.

1 Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon

Metascore: 84

Shovel Knight has yet to receive a full-on sequel but he has been featured in other indie games like Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, Blaster Master Zero, and too many more to count. He has also had DLC campaigns featuring his fellow knights and various spinoffs like Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon. It’s a puzzle game set up like many others on this list but it was also a roguelike.

Players begin as Shovel Knight but can eventually unlock other characters who have different skills. Characters don’t level up traditionally, but there are RPG elements to feel that sense of reward like in any good roguelike akin to Rogue Legacy or Hades. It’s simple enough to understand but challenging for those who wish to crank up the difficulty. Who knows where Shovel Knight’s genre curiosities will take him next, but this side adventure proved to be fruitful.

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