The Best RPGs Of 2017

Role-playing games, or RPGs, were introduced to the world with the original Dungeons & Dragons in the 1970s. Since then, the fundamental tenets of completing quests, gaining experience, leveling up, gathering loot, all within a beautiful fantasy setting, have evolved into a thriving constellation of video games. Some of the most-beloved, and longest-played, games in history have come out of the RPG genre.

There's only one small problem: what exactly is the RPG genre, anyway? Many of those core tenets have become gaming staples, regardless of what their mechanics, setting, tone, or story is. Quests and experience can be found in virtually any kind of game nowadays; meanwhile, many games that claim to be RPGs have discarded some of these ideas. The genre has grown out into the entire medium.

So with that in mind, here's a list of RPGs! All of these feature otherworldly settings, rich stories, a variety of loot, and upgrade paths. Some are more traditional to the genre's origins; others are blends of other categories. All of them are great. These are the best RPGs of 2017.

If you've been playing games that just make too much sense, don't worry, because Nier: Automa has you covered. From a bizarro storyline to over-the-top bosses to hyperkinetic action sequences, Nier is a relentless visual and audio overload. While there is a giant post-apocalyptic world to explore, Nier is really built around its combat encounters. Where Nioh shines in its slow, measured approach, Nier swings as hard as it can in the opposite direction. The button-mashing is strong with this one.

Part of what makes the combat so distinctive is the ability to customize your character with upgrades and weapons at any time. If, in the middle of a major boss battle, you find yourself wishing you'd kitted your character differently, then you can adjust right then and there. This can lead to dizzyingly complex combat scenarios, but also a level of freedom and personalization that other games only dream of.

Nier may not appeal to those looking for a deep story or an involving world, but for those who love action and customization, there's never been anything quite like it.

At first glance, Divinity: Original Sin 2 might look like a throwback to yesteryear: top-down camera, a party full of fantasy-trope races and character classes, and turn-based combat. And all of that is true. What's also true is that Original Sin 2 has elevated this classic style to new heights, delivering a deep, involving epic adventure with twists, humor, and more than a few fireballs.

Original Sin 2 features a bewildering array of dialogue choices across an enormous cast of characters. By itself, that provides a huge amount of narrative depth. But many of those choices carry actual consequences; far from throwaway dialogue, conversations are filled with moments that can dramatically alter the course of your journey. That gives an already lengthy experience the potential for multiple replays.

Plus, your character's race can change the way people perceive you. Undead characters, for example, can spook potential allies from even talking to you. In other words, Original Sin 2 gets mighty close to the ultimate promise of the RPG genre: letting players impact a living, breathing world in a substantive way. While casting fireballs.

The RPG genre contains many of gaming's biggest open worlds, with hundreds, sometimes thousands of hours of content. But oftentimes, quality doesn't mean massive scope; instead, quality can come in a short, masterfully crafted package that may only last a few dozen hours, but will stay in your head long after.

Pyre counts itself in the latter category. While there might be only 20 hours or so of playtime, those 20 hours feature gorgeous art, fluid animations, multilayered characters, a compelling narrative, and that all-important RPG staple: magic basketball. 

Exiled from your homeland as a criminal, your character assembles a team to compete in the Trials: a half-sports, half-magic competition in which the winner is allowed to go back home. The core of your adventure comes from assembling your team, learning their backstories, and guiding them to victory.

Meanwhile, the Trials themselves comprise the backbone of the gameplay. Even though teams of three compete, and the action is in real-time, only one team member can move and act at any one time. It is incumbent on the player to position team members into safe spaces for when they're deactivated. Under the shiny magic spells, the game is somewhat akin to hoops. But with art that looks this good, it feels like a brand-new sport.

Pyre may not be the game you play forever, but it will be the one you think about for a long time after you're finished.

Horizon: Zero Dawn blends an interesting mix of settings: its characters look almost like caveman in their clothes and weaponry, yet the technology is so advanced as to be magical. Meanwhile, enemy creatures are animalistic and savage, and yet are mechanical constructs. The dawn of civilization crossed with advanced technology: that alone makes Horizon a world worth exploring. The fact that the visuals are gorgeous, with vibrant colors and fluid animations, only makes the journey that much better.

Though Horizon puts a greater emphasis on exploration than combat, when the fighting does start, the encounters are memorable and challenging. There isn't much in the way of "easy" enemies: the techno-animals range anywhere from big cat-sized to towering behemoths, and the player must use agility, stealth, and some very well placed attacks to bring them down. Crafting can be done on-the-fly, allowing for some last-second alterations in strategy. Even then, be prepared to mash that dodge button. A lot.

Underpinning this all is a mystery that the player is on a quest to solve, which examines this untamed world in detail and strikes at the heart of how it came to be. How do people react to technology when it's indistinguishable from magic? What happened to the civilization that built these machines, and why did they build them at all? Horizon's narrative weaves all of these together into the hero's journey, and delivers on them with a conclusion that will linger for a while after you've put the controller down.

Thirty years on, The Legend of Zelda remains one of the medium's most influential franchises. Breath of the Wild continues Zelda's winning streak, with the largest and most diverse world the series has yet seen. Perennial hero Link has more to see, more to do, and more to fight than ever before. Puzzles abound, whether explicit or implied. All of this is laced with Zelda's trademark charm and approachability.

Exploration has always been fundamental to Zelda, but in Breath of the Wild this has been taken to a whole new level. Link has more ways than ever to get around, key among them being his ability to climb nearly any surface, and his paraglider that lets him, well, paraglide anywhere he wants. While it's always fun to hunt for new adventures, Breath of the Wild gives players the ability to simply wander for wandering's sake. And in a world this rich with stylized beauty, no one who wanders is lost.

In a way, Breath of the Wild is mimicking in its design the very system it is meant to help sell: the Nintendo Switch, which gives gamers the ability to wander and play at the same time. As usual, this Zelda has already become the defining title of its platform. But then again, there's nothing "as usual" about such a feat. That's what makes Zelda as a whole, and Breath of the Wild in particular, so wonderful.