In recent years, gamers have been spoiled with some of the best AAA mainstream RPGs ever developed in the west. Despite the resurgence of classically styled CRPGs like Pillars of Eternity and Divinity Original Sin, big-budget RPGs like Mass Effect and Fallout 4 have more global appeal.
As a result, many of the lower budget RPGs that aren’t quite as a polished get unfairly compared to games that often have ten times the budget. However, long time fans of the genre - whether it is western or Japanese - know that it isn’t a budget that makes a great RPG it’s the story, character development, interaction, and world-building. Let’s take a look at 10 western-developed RPGs that have received much lower Metascores than they deserved.
10 Arcania: The Complete Tale – Metascore 42
Originally released in 2010 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC, Arcania was the fourth entry in the Gothic series. It controversial title for fans of the series because it was created by Spellbound after the original developers Piranha Bytes moved on until they regained the series’ rights in 2011.
After dropping Gothic 4 from the title an enhanced port called Arcania: The Complete Tale was released in 2015. It’s not the best looking game ever developed, in fact, it looked pretty weak on the Xbox 360. However, as a non-linear action RPG experience, it does a great job of giving the player several solutions when tackling quests all with their own risk-reward consequences that affect the game’s story and world.
9 Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition – Metascore 51
Risen 3: Titan Lords – Enhanced Edition was released in 2015 for the PlayStation 4. It was originally for the PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2014. It was developed by Piranha Bytes the same team that created the RPG series Gothic.
For many hardcore fans of Gothic, the Risen series was the true successor to Piranha’s hardcore RPG series with a more pirate based theme. It’s true that Risen 3 is janky and awkward to control, but those who stick with it and scratch beneath the surface will find a tough but rewarding, atmospheric and seafaring RPG experience.
8 The Technomancer – Metascore 60
Released in 2016 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the PC, The Technomancer is a science fiction RPG developed by Spiders. It’s based in the same universe as Spiders’ digital-only RPG Mars: War Logs but one doesn’t need to have prior knowledge of that game.
Just like its predecessor, The Technomancer is set on a colonized Mars and places the players in the shoes of a titular Technomancer a sort sci-fi magic wielder fused with technology. There is an overall lack of polish in the gameplay mechanics but Spiders' attention to detail, world-building, and a solid story make The Technomancer worth a look for RPG fans.
7 ELEX – Metascore 62
ELEX was released for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the PC in 2017. It is a new science-fantasy RPG series from the developers Piranha Bytes who previously worked on Gothic and Risen. It’s an incredibly deep and complex game that blends medieval with technology. Additionally, the world-building and character development are up there with the best of the AAA efforts.
Just like Risen and Gothic, ELEX is a bit rough around the edges and it launched with some significant technical flaws affecting the scores. Thankfully, Piranha Bytes has worked hard in patching the game on consoles and PC with tons of performance and quality of life improvements making it a much better game than was reviewed at launch.
6 Alpha Protocol – Metascore 64
Alpha Protocol was released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC in 2010. It’s a spy-based action-RPG developed by Obsidian Entertainment. Prior to this, Obsidian was best known for developing Neverwinter Night 2 and Star Wars: The Knights of the Old Republic II.
It wasn’t well-received at the time of its release but Alpha Protocol has gained a cult following among RPG fans for offering something new and fresh to the genre. Taking inspiration from James Bond, Mission Impossible, and the Jason Bourne films Alpha Protocol gave gamers multiple dialogue choices based on how they want their secret agent to respond from suave to threatening.
5 Mass Effect: Andromeda - Metascore 71
Released in 2017 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the PC, Mass Effect: Andromeda was the fourth installment in the Mass Effect series. It is set more than 600 years after the events of Mass Effect 3 and featured brand new characters and story arcs.
It wasn’t well-received by long-time fans of the series and suffered from a lot of bugs and character animation problems. That aside, it has greatly improved combat mechanics over its predecessors, an excellent sci-fi setting, the still visuals are fantastic, and the story is good enough to hold the player until the end.
4 Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga – Metascore 72
Before the critically acclaimed Divinity Original Sin and its sequel Original Sin II, its predecessor was Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga. It was built using Gambryo the same engine as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Players take on the roles of a Dragon Knight meaning they are capable of transforming into a dragon and traversing the open world. The RPG mechanics are very open-ended and there’s a ton of lore to enjoy especially if one is looking to expand their knowledge on the excellent Original Sin titles.
3 Greedfall – Metascore 72
Released in 2019 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the PC Greedfall was easily one of the year’s RPGs and absolutely deserving of more recognition on Metacritic. It was developed by Spiders the same team that created The Technomancer and it really shows how much the studio has learned with every release.
Set in a fictional 17th Century inspired world, Greedfall the story centers around colonialism and other historical themes while delivering a solid RPG with excellent world-building and memorable characters. It borrows a lot from the BioWare formula but there’s a deeper emphasis on diplomacy in addition to forming bonds with NPCs. While fans are still crying out for developers like BioWare to return to their former glory, Spiders are quickly establishing themselves as a viable alternative.
2 Two Worlds II – Metascore 75
Two Worlds II was released on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC formats in 2010. It’s fantasy-based open-world RPG not dissimilar to Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls series. Just like Oblivion and Skyrim, Two Worlds II is packed with side-quests and sights to see in a stunningly designed world.
What makes Two Worlds II better than its original Metascore is that in 2016, developers Reality Pump released a huge patch for the game across all platforms completely upgrading its original engine. The upgrade gave players a more detailed world, characters, and more DLC maps. It’s the kind of support that doesn’t see from AAA developers.
1 The Surge 2 – Metascore 75
Released in 2019 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and the PC, The Surge 2 is a science fiction action RPG in the vein of the Dark Souls series. While it wasn’t a huge step up over its predecessor, The Surge 2 fine-tuned and polished everything from its boss battles to the stylish and interconnected world design.
Special mention, however, should go the game’s impressive combat system which carries forward the limb targetting mechanic from the first game and add in a more technical counter and parry system. Players now have to block using the directional stick in a similar manner to For Honor and the fighting system feels far more involved as a result.