One of if not the most popular TTRPGs in the world is undoubtedly Dungeons & Dragons. This venerable fantasy roleplaying game has been famed since its humble beginnings in 1974, being the first of its kind and launching a release of dozens of other TTPRGs. However, having been around for approximately fifty years, Dungeons & Dragons has received its fair share of controversy and ridicule, which inspired various comedic mockeries of the fantasy roleplaying game, chiefly for good-natured and non-malicious fun.
Of the countless Dungeons & Dragons caricatures, the most hilarious are video game parodies. This trend is due to video games' ability to achieve much more immersion and engagement than most TV shows and movies. Whether their sole purpose is to poke fun at the TTRPG or use it to make whimsical settings much more amusing, these video game parodies are undeniably hysterical while remaining commendable titles in their right. Fans of Dungeons & Dragons must play these video games and embrace the joy of parodying the world's greatest roleplaying game.
5 Knights Of Pen And Paper
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Knights of Pen and Paper is a series of turn-based RPG video games that takes the full Dungeons & Dragons experience and flips it on its head, putting players in complete control of everything. They can act as a Dungeon Master, choosing their path and the dangers ahead while filling the role of players, granting the single-player Dungeons & Dragons many have envisioned. Players can adventure wherever they please, create a party of their liking, and essentially hold control over most things. However, the video game franchise's fun-filled experience does not come without subtle or blatant rips on Dungeons & Dragons.
The parody elements of the Knights of Pen and Paper series become apparent almost immediately as one of the first characters players meet is the bearded and pimply Dungeon Master. Additionally, there is banter among the party, burns on the various editions of Dungeons & Dragons, an emphasis on the ridiculous stereotypes or misconceptions of TTRPGs, and so much more. Knights of Pen and Paper may feature innumerable tongue-in-cheek jokes, but it does so in a friendly and funny way, making it a franchise that total newbies and die-hard fans of Dungeons & Dragons can love, appreciate, and spend hours playing.
4 South Park: The Stick Of Truth
South Park: The Stick of Truth is a turn-based RPG video game set in the humorous and albeit very much crude world of the South Park TV show, drawing heavily from the Black Friday trilogy in particular. Taking inspiration from or more accurately using fantasy as the butt of jokes, this video game allows players to join iconic South Park characters on a quest to acquire the legendary Stick of Truth. They can create a character, form a party suiting their preference, and make decisions that will affect various outcomes. As the South Park TV show is not one to hold back punches, players can expect all sorts of cutting jokes on fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons.
The parodying of Dungeons & Dragons in South Park: The Stick of Truth should come as no surprise as the creators of South Park are fans of the appraised TTRPG, which they mock in good fun. The video game takes many beloved elements of Dungeons & Dragons and mockingly presents them. Aspects of the TTRPG such as an over-the-top story, theater of the mind, and roleplaying, among other things, are seen in an openly childish light that makes adamant fans of the hobby seem a bit or rather very ridiculous. Even so, South Park: The Stick of Truth is a surprisingly well-done RPG video game that Dungeons & Dragons fans can come to love.
3 The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos
The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos is a turn-based RPG video game that takes the stereotypical Dungeons & Dragons party, grossly exaggerates them, and throws them into a dreadfully dangerous dungeon. What could go wrong? Players must oversee a ragtag party of adventurers as they journey through the unforgiving Dungeon of Naheulbeuk, dictating their actions in a tactical battle of impressive wit and sheer strength. They can choose party members, equip them with various gear, and guide them through the dungeon however they see fit. The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos originated from an audio commentary series parodying Dungeons & Dragons, so it stands to reason that it would do the same.
While The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet of Chaos ridicules all aspects of Dungeons & Dragons, it emphasizes the hilarity of a typical party in the TTRPG. The video game constantly makes players aware that the party is dysfunctional as they are critical of mistakes, unable to keep focus, and only capable of giving attention to killing things for loot and experience points rather than the overarching story. In addition, the characters boast numerous stereotypical characteristics, such as the Barbarian with their rippling muscles, less than average intellect, and He-Man attire. Though, The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos offers a compelling experience that Dungeons & Dragons fans can relate to and enjoy.
2 Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is a looter-shooter RPG video game that combines the wacky yet brutal world of Borderlands with the fantasy of Dungeons & Dragons, colliding into one whimsy and magical adventure. Players can create a character — an unusual feature for a Borderlands game — and begin their journey to defeat the tyrannical Dragon Lord. Doing so will require the aid of enigmatic party members, a ton of eye-catching loot, and powerful magic. Tiny Tina's Wonderlands heavy referencing to Dungeons & Dragons comes with all sorts of parodying and fun.
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is essentially a typical Dungeons & Dragons campaign packed with unsurprisingly dungeons and dragons. However, aside from this, there are many cheeky callouts regarding the famed TTRPG. Among the most notable are the ridiculous individuals featured, such as the Bardbarian and the Fairy Punchfather, who poke fun at the wacky character creation of Dungeons & Dragons, which may be too lenient. This trend combined with a classic campaign story and fanciful fantasy that gives the revered TTRPG a run for its money, and you got yourself a fun-filled and senseless video game parody.
1 UnEpic
UnEpic is a 2D platformer RPG video game that begins with an ordinary session of Dungeons & Dragons that takes a seemingly hallucinatory turn. Playing as an average nerdy guy named Daniel, players must venture through a castle and try their best not to die lest they free a dark spirit. The only way to free Daniel from this supposed delirium is by slaying the master of the castle — Harnakon — and releasing the pure souls he trapped. Alongside numerous pop-culture references, UnEpic features countless lashes at Dungeons & Dragons and TTRPGs at large.
UnEpic opens with a group of friends, all of whom possess stereotypical nerd attire, playing Dungeons & Dragons, but this instance is merely a hint of what is yet to come. Many of the parodying reveal itself in Daniel and the castle which he must traverse through. Daniel is a typical geek who loves video games, sci-fi, fantasy, and TTRPGs, which all are very on-the-nose characteristics. The castle and everything residing within is cliché fantasy, right down to the god-like BBEG lying inside. These jabs at Dungeons & Dragons are humorous and done in good fun, which gives UnEpic a charm many fans of the TTRPG can enjoy.