When people think of fantasy games, they often envision RPGs like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or, well, Final Fantasy; however, fantasy games cover way more than just RPGs, as they can be fantastic settings in platformers like Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy, or action-adventure games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
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All of those examples are masterpieces, but they are well-known. What about some fantasy games that come close to greatness, but because they weren’t perfect, a lot of fans didn’t get to them? Astalon: Tears of the Earth, The Last Story, Battle Chasers: Nightwar, and more are waiting to be revisited, so let’s go through why.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
Rearrange the covers into the correct US release order.
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Astalon: Tears Of The Earth
Three Heroes, One Destiny
Astalon: Tears of the Earth is a 2D Metroidvania where players can swap between three different heroes at campfires, which serve as checkpoints in the castle. Arias is a standard warrior with a sword and shield, Kyuli has a bow, and Algus is a wizard. There are advantages and disadvantages to each character, like having stronger defense with Arias over Algus’s glass cannon archetype. It plays well, the music is great, and the 8-bit aesthetics are a fun throwback to the NES era, and it’s still around.
Battle Chasers: Nightwar
A 90s Comic Returns
Battle Chasers: Nightwar is a turn-based RPG based on a comic from the late 90s and early 2000s that was left on a cliffhanger. Regardless of whether players read the comic or not, it’s a simple enough fantasy plot to follow, involving warriors, magic, and monsters. It may not be much narratively, but the art design is impeccable with its big, bulky characters and heavily drawn lines. The combat design is simple, yet enjoyable, and the inclusion of a world map was novel at the time of its release, serving as a throwback to old-school RPGs that can be played in a few different ways.
Bloodstained: Curse Of The Moon
Old-School Castlevania Reborn
Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is another homage to the 8-bit era, but this one plays like the more linear NES Castlevania games. Specifically, it’s modeled after Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse, which lets players swap between multiple characters. In Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon, players can swap between a katana wielder, two different styles of mages, and a whip cracker. Unlike the NES Castlevania games, this homage actually plays well, as does its successor on nearly any platform players choose.
Overshadowed by its bigger sibling, Ritual of the Night, Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon was somewhat treated like a nice little bonus. ROTN is fantastic and deserves all the praise in the world, but Curse of the Moon is far more than just a side dish to the main course. It is a fully fleshed out game and a great celebration of the genre’s roots.
Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand
Go Outside, Touch Grass
Boktai: The Sun Is in Your Hand was a vampire-hunting top-down action game released for the GBA with one strange gimmick: the cartridge had a solar panel attached. By charging up in sunlight, players could effectively kill their enemies better.
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The big bosses of each area were vampires, which required players to literally drag them out of their castles, in their coffins, and expose them to sunlight to finish the job. It was a process, but it was still a cool novelty for the GBA that is still great to play, provided players still had their GBA kicking around.
Champions of Norrath: Realms Of EverQuest
Diablo For The PS2
Champions of Norrath: Realms of EverQuest was one of many Diablo-style top-down action RPGs of the 2000s. This was an exclusive for the PS2, along with its sequel, which spun off from the EverQuest MMO. It is still sadly exclusive to the PS2, which is one reason why it’s more forgotten than most. Regardless of its legacy, players can still have a blast hacking and slashing all manner of monsters and undead creatures with the various classes. They can gather loot, level up, and either play alone or with friends in couch co-op.
Although not especially novel by the genre’s modern standards, Champions of Norrath was a polished and addictive dungeon crawler that was tailor-made for consoles. It didn’t have the reach of Diablo, but it more than deserves to be remembered as a minor classic.
Child Of Light
A Gorgeous 2D RPG
Child of Light is an unsung hero of the 2010s from Ubisoft, which used the same UbiArt Framework engine as Rayman Origins. As a princess trapped in a fallen kingdom, players can run or glide around to gather allies and bring light back to everyone. The turn-based combat was inspired by Grandia, as players could see the turn order and even interrupt attacks with a well-timed counter. The visuals, deep strategy of combat, and the dreamlike nature of the world all helped it stand out, even if not everyone played Child of Light, but it’s not too late now, as it can be played on a variety of systems.
Dust: An Elysian Tale
Devil May Furries
Dust: An Elysian Tale is a hand-drawn Metroidvania that could rival the visuals of something more modern like Hollow Knight: Silksong. While the art is bright and colorful, the game’s story is incredibly dark, featuring such themes as genocide. Visuals and story aside, the best thing about the game is the action, which is as complex and combo-heavy as something like Devil May Cry. It’s also a great game for anyone into the furry culture, or anyone who wants to play through a messed-up fantasy story that will challenge their morals, wherever players can find it digitally.
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Fly High Pit
Kid Icarus: Uprising was released for 3DS, and there it shall remain until Nintendo decides to port it anywhere else. This was a grand return for the series at the time, featuring two styles of gameplay.
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The flight controls are where some players fell off, as the 3DS setup didn’t make things comfortable, but on the ground, action was undeniably fun. It was a whimsical story with lighthearted vibes, akin to Kingdom Hearts, so while corny and flawed at times, it’s easily one of the best 3DS games.
The Last Guardian
In The Shadow Of The Colossus
The Last Guardian was the spiritual follow-up to Shadow of the Colossus, so it literally had big shoes to fill. While it didn’t surpass that game or even Ico, The Last Guardian carved a foundation into the action-adventure pantheon in its own way. As the boy, players could run, jump, and interact with the environment to solve puzzles.
Along for the ride was the beast, Trico, who followed commands, and even though the AI wasn’t perfect, players could still form a meaningful bond with Trico. Since it was a PS4 game, players can still access it on the PS5. Compared to Japan Studio’s other games, The Last Guardian is a touch more frustrating and not quite as flawless; however, its ambition and heart are very easy to see. The game also improves as it goes along, especially once Trico begins to obey commands a bit more.
The Last Story
Final Fantasy Wii And One Of The Best JRPGs On The Console
The Last Story was a Wii exclusive that was almost not released outside of Japan. It’s an action RPG, although it’s more like an action-adventure game than anything else. Players can explore a hub town between missions, but the overall structure is more linear. Also, combat in dungeons happens in real-time, and battles can get quite chaotic as players have command over a large party. This party dynamic is what helps The Last Story set itself apart from other RPGs or action games of the early 2010s, and like many Wii games, it is no longer around, and it is pretty rare to find a hard copy of it.
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