Action-RPGs

Action-RPGs are games that have some qualities of traditional RPGs - a world to explore, full of puzzles to solve, characters to interact, and a detailed plot to follow - but use an action-based combat system instead of the traditional menu-based combat. What fits the definition can be somewhat controversial, as this "action" can take many different shapes, and how much of traditional RPG must be retained is a matter of opinion.

The List

Cover	Title	Perspective	Platforms	Description	Screenshot
	Alpha Protocol	Third-person	Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360	A spy-fi RPG from Obsidian. Interesting plot with a metric fucktonne of choices that have consequences beyond minor details (number of enemies on a mission, different mission objectives). Conversations can be funny as hell as well, but are done through an ingenious/frustrating timed paraphrasing system. Combat is, unfortunately, poorly made with a few glitches here and there (but that's just Obsidian). Other than that the game is free of any game-breaking or game-stopping bugs.
	Alundra	Top-down	PlayStation	A Zelda-like Action-RPG for the PlayStation. Beware that the Puzzles might be a lot harder than your average Zelda Puzzle.
	Anodyne	Top-down	Windows Linux macOS Android	Great indie Zelda-Clone. Instead of a sword you have a broom. Play this until the end, it has suprising post-game content. Lots of exploration.
	Astlibra Revision	2D sidescrolling	Windows Switch	Developed by a single japanese salaryman in his free time because he felt there weren't enough games in his favorite genre. Features amazing combat with multiple build styles and deep endgame.
	Beyond Good & Evil	Third-person	Windows GameCube PlayStation 2 Xbox	A critical favorite, BG&E follows a freelance journalist in a lovingly-built sci-fi world as she uncovers a massive conspiracy. Photography is addictive for completionists, while melee combat is fluid, if limited, and balanced out by sections that require stealth. The game's short length favors its amazing presentation and strong writing (and voice-acting).
	Beyond Oasis (US) The Story of Thor (EU)	Top-down	Mega Drive	Once there were two magical armlets: the gold one could summon four elemental spirits, and the silver one could create chaos and destruction. Good news: you have found the gold armlet. Bad news: someone else has found the silver one. This game plays like a mix of Zelda, Ys, and Secret of Mana. In addition to exploring, running, jumping, kicking, and slashing, you summon the spirits of fire, water, shadow, and plants, which can affect certain obstacles and enemies. There's a variety of weapons as well, which have skills of their own for extra ass-kicking. Gorgeous graphics, impressive dungeons and bosses, and music by Yuzo Koshiro.
	Crusader of Centy (US) Soleil (EU) Ragnacenty (JP)	Top-down	Mega Drive	A young warrior is cursed and loses the ability to talk to other humans. But now he can talk to animals, who can join his quest to stop the invading monster army. Very similar to A Link to The Past but more cutesy.
	Dark Souls	Third-person	Windows PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 Xbox 360 Xbox One Switch	Spiritual successor to Demon Souls. It improves over every aspect of its predecessor, being at least twice as big and featuring a fully streamlined world, scarcer resources (no more carrying 99 of each grass). The tendency system gave way to a new faction system, with each of the 9 covenants having it's own mission and thus expanding a lot the way the multiplayer system works. A world of both frustrating and rewarding challenges awaits as you fight your way through tons of incredibly atmospheric dungeons. And you will die in every one of them, multiple times. And you will like it. A lot.
	Deus Ex	First-person	Windows PlayStation 2	The year is 2052, you are a nano-augmented elite UN anti-terrorism agent, but you start to suspect there is something shady about your higher-ups. A groundbreaking shootan/ RPG/ stealth/ adventure set in a world where there is some truth behind pretty much every conspiracy theory. Its design allows multiple tactics, ranging from stealthy pacifism (sort of) to blowing everything up. Note: there are several "modernizing" mods, check the PCGW page for them.
	Divinity 2: The Dragon Knight Saga	Third-person	Windows Xbox 360	After a year of bugfixing and polishing, Larian Studios' RPG Ego Draconis re-emerged as The Dragon Knight Saga, a bundle which also contains the expansion, Flames of Vengeance. While the combat is fairly shallow, the art direction and quests are very well-done. Roleplaying takes place through BGII-esque conversations (with mindreading available at an XP cost) and the open-ended skill system.Also notable because halfway through the game, the player gets the ability to turn into a dragon and take to the skies. On the Gamebryo engine, but free of Bethesda's bad coding. Very reminiscent of older RPGs, and also rather unforgiving. Save often.
	Fable	Third-person	Windows macOS Xbox Xbox 360	Play through the life of a hero, from idyllic childhood, to heroic youth, to heroic not-as-much-youth. A less-than-serious action RPG by Peter Molyneux (back when people still took Peter Molyneux seriously), in which your appearance changes according to your morality and your skills. Hyped to all hell, but still fun. The soundtrack by Russell Shaw is the stuff of legend. The HD re-release, Fable Anniversary, has updated graphics. However, the PC port has performance issues and the interface was clearly not designed for keyboard and mouse, so PC gamers better stick with The Lost Chapters.
	Fallout 3	First-person	Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360	Beginning with your father asking you what gender you are (and the option to change your mind at the age of 19), this sandbox RPG has been described as Bethesda's Oblivion, but with guns. Explore a post-apocalyptic wasteland as the Lone Wanderer after escaping the Vault your father left you to die in. Butthurt optional. Adds Karma to the mix, allowing you to be either a saint or a total asshole who enslaves children and blows up a town. Obtaining the Game of the Year Edition is highly recommended, as there are a number of excellent DLC quests, as well as the Broken Steel expansion, which allows the game to continue after the original ending. Also available on PS3 and 360.As usual, has a HUGE modding scene, which can be abused to dramatically improve your gaming experience, but isn’t for everybody, since you probably will have to read a bunch of stuff in order to not fuck up your game.
	Fallout: New Vegas	First-person	Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360	Take Fallout 3, connect it to old Fallout canon in a meaningful way, add a faction reputation system, fully realized companions, and a level of content more reminiscent of Oblivion than Fallout 3. Made by Obsidian with the engine from Bethesda, New Vegas takes you into the Mojave Desert and lets you kick around in a sandbox full of infuriatingly powerful insects. Considered by Fallout fans to be more of a true Fallout game, the potential for roleplaying (and for acting like a moron when you give yourself 1 Intelligence) is greater, though the game can be quite buggy for some people. The Ultimate Edition adds in all of the DLC, which are all at least above average and worth a playthrough. For mods, check out the Viva New Vegas guide.
	Ganpuru: Gunman's Proof	Top-down	Super Nintendo	This game looks like a mix of A Link to the Past and Earthbound set in the Wild West. There's a focus on action, no puzzles. Japan-only, get the translation patch.
	Ittle Dew	Top-down	Windows Linux macOS Wii U Android iOS	Fun Indie Zelda-Clone. There are only 3 items. You pick which one you currently want to hold and then fight your way through a puzzle filled dungeon.
	Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa Naru	Top-down	Game Boy	Literally: "For the Frog the Bell Tolls". Sharing the same engine, this game is the technical predecessor to Link's Awakening. Japan-only, get the translation patch.
	Landstalker	Isometric	Mega Drive	It's basically an isometric Zelda. The team later went on to make Alundra, check that out, too.
	Light Crusader	Isometric	Mega Drive	You are a crusader on vacation in king's domain. But then you realize that many of the townsfolk have disappeared and you should go into the dungeons to save them. It feels like Landstalker, but with more magic, weirder bosses and equally interesting puzzles. You can combine 4 elements: fire, water, earth, wind for several different spells, especially since you can combine in 2s and 3s. Starts deceptively easy, but gets quite tough around the middle and more so after that. Unexpectedly, the realistic western art-style makes it seem western-made, but it's really by TREASURE of all companies! That said, it's still very solid, and has some pretty awesome music.
	Lili: Child of Geos	Third-person	Windows	Originally an iOS game, Lili was completely revamped as a full release for PC. It's heavily inspired by Zelda, as can be seen by the Link costume, you can unlock for Lili. It feels a lot like a Zelda for children or Zelda sidequests: the game. The combat is very easy but there are a lot of funny characters and the exploration of the island is a lot of fun.
	Mana / Seiken Densetsu (series)	Top-down	Game Boy Super NES PlayStation 4 Switch Windows others	While it started as a Final Fantasy spin-off, the Mana series became pretty popular on its own. The second game particularly, Secret of Mana, almost rivaled Zelda's popularity in the SNES era and is often listed among the best titles for the system.
	Mass Effect (series)	Third-person	Windows PlayStation 3 Xbox 360	A hybrid of an RPG and third-person cover shooter, with technological and 'biotic' (psychic) abilities usable by certain classes. Highlights include the detailed lore which paints the Mass Effect universe as particularly hard sci-fi and the wide variety of equipment customization, along with the 'feeling' of an epic space opera. Downsides include the clunky interface, a lack of strong variation in sidequests, and simplified role-playing compared to previous Bioware games.
	Monster World IV	Platformer	Mega Drive	Final title in the long-running Wonder Boy/Monster World series. You play a cute green-haired Arabian girl with her bird-critter companion as you explore lands, solve puzzles, and battle in various themed caverns and temples along with a central hub town. Lots of personality in the girl's animation and some lush, colorful locales. The twists in the story will make you cry. Japan-only, there is a translation patch but it has some problems. Hunt down the ROM extracted from the Virtual Console release instead.
	Mount & Blade	Third-person	Windows	Recently re-released as Warband, with a new faction. Extremely active mod community. Roam around a large world, equipping a small army, and unique companions, to fight for your king- or for yourself. Siege castles and pillage towns, compete in tournaments or charge into battle with as many as 150 or more troops on the battlefield.
	Neutopia (series)	Top-down	TurboGrafx-16	A demonic army has invaded the land, and you must travel to the four corners of the world and retrieve the magical medallions to rescue the princess. Two very fine (and absolutely shameless) Zelda-clones.
	Nox	Isometric	Windows	Very good Diablo clone, character class making a large difference to the game experience. Multiplayer is spiced up with customisable magic traps and co-op scenario levels. Quirky art and story that will stick with you. Also, you have 360 degrees of movement (instead of 8 directions like Diablo), ability to jump, and a field of vision effect that is better than Diablo as well. Includes a cool soccer multiplayer mode, a drag and drop hot-key system that makes multiplayer quick and furious, and a nifty quest expansion that is free but you have to download seperately. Official servers are dead, so you'll have to lan or go to one of several online communities.
	Oceanhorn: Monster of Uncharted Seas	Isometric	Windows Android iOS	Originally an iOS game, this Zelda-clone got a revamped port to PC that is definitely worth checking out.
	Okami	Third-person	Windows Playstation 2 PlayStation 3 Wii	Okami is one of the best Zelda games there is. It came out around the same time as Twilight Princess, so fans of both games accused the other of stealing the wolf idea.
	Phantasy Star Online	Third-person	Windows Dreamcast Playstation 2 Gamecube Xbox	Your planet is dying, and your species' only hope is to colonize a new world. But just as the transport ships arrive, a disaster happens on the surface - and you have to find out what happened. A spin-off of Sega's traditional RPG series Phantasy Star, PSO was the first taste of online roleplaying for consoles. Blue Burst on PC is the version with the most content: Episodes I, II, and the exclusive IV. (Episode III, plot-wise the last one, is a Gamecube exclusive with card-based gameplay). PC fan servers: Destiny / Eden / Ephinea / Ultima / Schthack
	Psychonauts	Third-person	Windows Playstation 2 Playstation 3 Xbox Xbox 360	While this is more of a 3D Platformer, than purely an Action Adventure like Zelda, but it feels a lot like a Zelda game. There's lots of exploration and the quality in general feels almost like on a Nintendo level.
	Sacred	Top-down	Windows	An alright H'n'S RPG with much content. Sacred features a big open world of Ancaria to explore, many interesting quests, 6 characters to choose from, dozens of items and a good sense of humor. The Sacred Underworld expansion adds two more characters and a new story mode taking place in Underworld. Sacred Gold includes both, as well as many bugfixes.
	Shadowrun	Top-down	Mega Drive	A sandbox action RPG on the Genesis. You can hack cyberspace, you can be shaman, and more importantly you can just kill people on the street. There's a big city populated with a decent number of henchmen to aid you, and a myriad of interesting quests. It's generally considered the closest video game adaptation of the Pen and Paper Shadowrun RPG to date. So go and give it a try. RIGHT NOW.
	Shipwreck	Top-down	Windows	Indie 2D Zelda clone. Cheep and cheerful.
	Silver	Isometric	Windows Dreamcast	There's a bad guy called Silver who's kidnapped your wife right in front of you, and it's your job to get her back, and what better way than to kill every bad guy in sight using swords and magic? This isn't your average Action RPG. The controls based on mouse movements and button combinations makes it just that much better. As you can tell it isn't the story that is the drawing-point but rather the lovely characters, Fat Bob, and the enjoyable gameplay.
	Soul Blazer (series)	Top-down	SNES	Nicknamed by fans "the Heaven and Earth trilogy", this loose series by Quintet is comprised of Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma. All have similar gameplay and the same plot theme: a hero helps a divine power heal an ailing world. Also, The Granstream Saga for PS1 is often considered part of the series because it was made by some of the same people and has a similar theme, although the gameplay is quite different.
	Spud's Quest	Platformer	Windows	Indie 2D sidescroller that very much feels like a Zelda game. You might say this is the A Link to the Past of Indie games
	Star Cruiser	First-person	Mega Drive X68000 PC-88	An RPG / FPS / simulator with a science fiction theme. In the 27th century, humans and aliens live in peace, but a powerful militaristic faction wants to overthrow the government, take over the galaxy, and expel the aliens. Some good 3D graphics for the time. Japan-only, but fan-translated: MD / X68000
	Strife	First-person	MS-DOS Windows Linux macOS	After a comet hit Earth and unleashed a deadly plague, civilization fell back to a medieval stage ruled by a tyrannical technological cult. Rather than separate levels, Strife has one massive world with interconnected areas to explore, lots of NPCs to interact, and even a rudimentary stealth system - pretty impressive for a game running on good old Doom engine. It is supported by engine ports like GZDoom or VaVoom, but there is also a modern re-release with improved graphics (renamed "The Original Strife: Veteran Edition" to distinguish itself from some now-defunct MOBA also called Strife).
	System Shock (series)	First-person	Windows macOS	Wake up in a futuristic location. Everyone is dead, and an artificial intelligence gone insane wants you to be the next.
	The Bard's Tale	Top-down	Windows Linux macOS PlayStation 2 Xbox others	Word of a beautiful princess imprisoned by an evil sorcerer comes to a wandering bard. Could it be that you are the chosen one? While that may have sounded cliché, this game has a great sense of humor that twists it all around: the bard (voiced by Cary Elwes from "The Princess Bride") is a sardonic sleaze who keeps making trouble and butting heads with everyone, including the narrator. Also, there are several musical numbers. The RPG part is completely streamlined: you do gain experience to level up and learn new skills, but there is no item management - when you pick up a better weapon or armor, the old one is replaced automatically, and anything else is converted into coin. Dialogues are also simplified, you only choose between nice or snarky. Combat is pretty nice: rather than a team, you use music to summon magical creatures to assist you.
	The Legend of Zelda (series)	Multiple	most Nintendo systems	The quintessential representative of the genre. Some elements are almost constant: be young hero Link, meet princess Zelda, and protect the land of Hyrule against the evil sorcerer Ganon. Other than that, the continuity is hotly debated. But what truly matters, and where this series excels, is the sense of adventure in exploring a fantasy realm and solving the dungeon puzzles.
	The Wheel of Time	First-person	Windows	Finally (for the time) a good action with RPG elements, and most importantly a really good story from the fantasy universe of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time book series; the game was made with the Unreal engine so expect a lot of good effect and atmospheric graphic even now.
	The Witcher (series)	Third-person	Windows	Be a monster hunter for hire, wander around troubled kingdoms, and help people... for a price, of course. In case you're one of the few people who haven't played it yet, The Witcher's distinctive trait is the mature content: all games are full of hardcore violence, political intrigue, and certainly, sex scenes.
	Ultima Underworld I+II	First-person	Windows macOS	Spin-offs of the Ultima series that were technically revolutionary at the time. You are condemned for a crime you did not commit and get thrown into the Abyss, a massive cavern/dungeon inhabited by a literal underground society.
	Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines	First-person	Windows	RPG using the Source engine made by Troika, the Fallout developers, and utilizing White Wolf's World of Darkness setting. Gameplay structure similar to Deus Ex in that it rewards problem solving (stealth, combat, negotiation), rather than dungeon grinding. Good story, satirical humour throughout. Quite unique, and worth multiple playthroughs.  Bugs up the ass though. Play as a Malkavian your second time through if you want to go batshit insane on everyone and have an exclusive dialogue with a stop sign. Don't forget to grab the latest unofficial patch
	Ys (series)	Various	Multiple	Wandering swordsman Adol and his thieving friend Dogi traverse a magical Europe-like land and get themselves in all sorts of trouble. Ys is a very long-running fantasy ARPG series by Falcom, with a vast number of titles (and some spin-offs) for many different systems. Check HG101's articles.