5 retired RPGs deserving of a sequel

Some game worlds leave a lasting impression. You’ve either played them into the ground already, or they’ve become so dated that re-playing them would only serve to taint fond memories. With these caveats in mind, I present (in no particular order) my top five RPG game properties deserving of a long overdue sequel.

Dark Sun

 
I remember a time when elves and halflings weren’t the only game in town, back in the 90’s when companies were mining Dungeons and Dragons for little used worlds that had nothing to do with the forgotten realms. The world of Dark Sun saw two games released in the early 90’s. Shattered Lands and Wake of the Ravager. Both were done by former Juggernaut SSI, set in the sun bleached, sand covered world of Athas. You began the first game battling your way out of the slave pits of Draj, eventually attempting to overthrow the sorcer king. The world was a bleak one, rife with slavery, desperation and many warring factions. You were likely to encounter genies, djinn, and similarly themed beasts in your encounters.
Classes and races supplemented elves and humans with the addition of half giants and the six armed Thri-Keen. Instead of standard magic, psionics plays the most important role, breaking off into various themed schools of magic. Though the map system was punishing and required creating your own on paper, or explaining to your father why he couldn’t move the post it notes covering his desk, it wouldn’t be necessary for a modern day version. There are so few RPG’s that don’t take place in forested temperate climates that creating unique areas within this unifyingly dry, desolate place would be a challenge for any designer. With the reemergence of Bioware, we can only hope they decide to revisit this world after they finish Pillars of Eternity.

Jade Empire

 

Do you like pretending you know martial arts? If your answer was anything other than yes, you haven’t played Jade Empire. An incredibly well reviewed and original BioWare property, this gem took place in an Asian inspired fantasy world where Gods regularly communicated with humans and demons were everywhere. The incredible battle system changed your animations according to what martial arts stance you were using, and various teachers would instruct you in new methods depending on whether or not you were evil or good.
A new title could feature a deeper martial arts system, with more than just a light/dark side paradigm. Re-purposing deities form Hindu and Kaballah, as well as Chinese myth and legend, a new title could expand this, featuring South American or Native American gods as well. Imagine stealing for Coyote or battling the legions of Quetzalcoatl. The original was so steeped in various mythos that a new game could borrow liberally from anywhere without stepping outside the bounds of Jade Empire’s world. With rumors of sequel having been quelled before the start of this decade, it’s high time this property gets the sequel it deserves.

Arx Fatalis

Called the underground Morrowind of its time, Arx Fatalis was more than that. It was an interesting world encapsulated entirely within a massive cave system. Thanks to a failing sun, inhabitants were forced to co-exist in an uneasy harmony, with trolls, human and goblins all taking different levels of the system to call their home. The gameplay was open-ended, allowing you to steal, sneak, bash or magic your way through various quests. A robust magic system involved drawing runes, which was entertaining up until you really needed a specific spell and blanked on the ruin mid combat.
You may know the people that created this gem, Arkane Studios, better for their work on the amazing Dishonored. After seeing how they’ve allowed for the growth of divergent gameplay styles now, I’d love to see them delve back into the caverns of Arx for another subterranean romp. The pseudo-cell shaded styling’s of Dishonored would work well, especially considering newer lighting effects and the interesting color palette they could pull from as you jumped from purple stalagmite to purple stalagmite, following your quarry by the light dim light of phosphorescent fungi.

Vampire the Masquerade

There have been two Vampire the Masquerade games, the middling third person Redemption and the much more entertaining first person Bloodlines. Taking place in the World of Darkness tabletop games means one thing; there’s a ton of lore and a well established bestiary. Bloodlines allows you to choose a vampiric subtype, which affects how you interact with humans, vampires, and sometimes the world itself. One type is naturally insane and hears inanimate object speak to it, another is so hideous it can’t interact with humans at all. In addition to this the player had to keep up the “masquerade,” of the vampires. This was measured by a point system, and could cause the player to lose the game automatically if it sunk too low.
The Source powered graphics were well done for the time, and with so many first person RPG’s taking place in fantasy or post-apocalyptic realms it would be nice to see one take place in present day. Bloodlines also forced you to keep track of your humanity, as losing too much would cause frenzies of bloodlust and loss of player control. A mechanism that still feels modern, as so few games force you to pay careful attention to your choices by offering game altering consequences.

Septerra Core: Legacy of the Creator

Another title with a layered game world, Septerra Core took JRPG conventions and brought them to the PC. With multiple party members, turn based combat based on filling action bars, and a neat card based magic system the game also boasted good graphics for the time. The colors were bright and really brought the world to life, and that is why this game needs a sequel. The world was an epic one and two dimensions did not do it justice.
Septerra was a planet of layers, each one home to unique fauna, wildlife, temperatures, geography and cultures. The protagonist’s goal was to reach the center of the planet, and though the storyline was final, there’s no reason the world can’t be revisited. In addition to the unique societies, they also ran off a scavenger based economy. Each layer would salvage technology and scrap from the one’s above, turning the upper layers trash into new technology. It would make for a wonderful first person role-playing game, akin to Skyrim. With InXile’s work on Wasteland 2 and Tides of Numenera rapidly coming to a close though, it would be excellent to see them breathe new life into this ex-Fallout dev created IP as well.

By: Omni Gamer