Please, Help Me Find Something to Play: (Fantasy RPG/MMO)

Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:04

Pleaseeee, help me find something to play :(

I used to absolutely love immersing myself in RPGs when I was growing up. No rush for the endgame, just getting lost in the world, exploring, grinding, and enjoying the story. Now, it feels like I’m constantly searching but can’t find anything that scratches that same itch.

Looking back, my MMORPG journey started with Runescape, then Maplestory (old school), and WoW (up until WOTLK). From there, I jumped into FFXIV for a bit, but most MMORPGs since then—like GW2, Rappelz, Aion, Rift, and New World—have been disappointments. In between those, I’ve always turned to offline single-player RPGs.

Some games I’ve liked or didn’t mind:

  • Diablo 3 – I know it got repetitive, but still fun.

  • Witcher 3 – Loved it but found it a bit too cinematic and open-worldy for my tastes (though I did finish it).

  • Elden Ring – Enjoyed it, but I missed the more detailed character-building and RPG elements. Felt more like hack/slash, dodge, rinse, repeat. That said, I loved how there was no guidance—made you figure things out for yourself.

  • Resident Evil series – Big fan, but not exactly in the mood for a shooter right now.

  • Skyrim – Didn’t mind it, but it didn’t blow me away either.

  • Dragon Age Inquisition – I didn’t mind this one either, had a good time with it.

Some of my all-time favorites, though, are what I really hold close to my heart:

  • Legend of Legaia (PS1) – That game was pure magic for me, can’t beat the nostalgia.

  • Final Fantasy X (PS2) – Still one of the best RPGs, hands down.; I've played a few other FF games from 10 onwards that didn't really hit the mark.

  • Dragon Age: Origins (PC) – The story, the characters, the choices… all-time favorite. It wasnt a crazy open world, but provided enough direction

I’ve also looked through top RPG lists, and the only thing I haven’t really touched recently is Red Dead Redemption 2… so that might be a possibility or should I give the FF7 Remakes a go?

Others i've played also include:

  • Cyberpunk
  • The Last of Us
  • Dead Space Series
  • Horizon Zero Dawn
  • Fallout Games
  • I think ive also tried other MMORPGS such as BDO and think theyre too 'grown up' so I cant catch up and worried a bout Pay to win things. I wont spend a single cent on a game if I dont have to

But really, what I’m looking for is a hidden gem. Preferably something in the fantasy genre, and online would be a bonus. Something where I wind down with on my laptop and then pick up on PC when I wasnt to get serious would be great. Any recommendations out there that I might be missing?

Gaming Video Game

Comments

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 17/04/2025 - 13:06
    +1

    ffx

    Ffx-2 I unironically enjoyed way more than x if you want to sink another 100 hours into a game

    Otherwise look up persona 4 golden which imo was literal perfection.

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:17
      +1

      Ohhh I did get through X-2; I cant say it justifies a re-play though. Thanks! - Ill take a look at persona.

    • McSquintus on 17/04/2025 - 13:33
      +1

      FFX-2 was a no from me, considering FFX was a masterpiece.

      • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:36

        T'was a little…. on the 'girl power' side of things I must say…

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 17/04/2025 - 13:37

        FFX

        i agree

        but ffx-2 was ffx ….meets charlies angels

        idk i thought it was kinda fresh , plus i played it at like..age 15. first anime waifus and all

  • Fredfloresjr on 17/04/2025 - 13:15
    +3

    poe2. Thank me later.

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:24
      +2

      I think with PoE2 - its very diablo like… very grindy, very repetitive, very sink a billion hours in for the same thing.. no?

      • Jimothy Wongingtons on 17/04/2025 - 13:28

        very grindy, very repetitive,

        ..but you played maple, wow , ff14 , gw2 etc …?

        I guess at least maple and wow theres an element of nostalgia for the old days.

        • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:30

          I dont think nothing beats old-school maple. Its not the same these days. WoW died for me after WOTLK.

      • gromit on 19/04/2025 - 11:45

        yeah it is, I started on PoE2 but gave it the arse after about a week, a few of my friends lasted longer but we all ditched it within a month.

    • Cheap Gamer on 19/04/2025 - 12:52

      Another great POE is Pillars of Eternity and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire

  • AustriaBargain on 17/04/2025 - 13:26
    +1

    Chrono Trigger. It's a little dated of course, but it's also quite fresh because it is full of RPG innovations that are still used today. Combat is straight forward, but the weakness system and other mechanics in combat still make them hard enough to be a puzzle. You can always use guides if you get stuck on how to beat a boss. Doom creator John Romero says Chrono Trigger is the best game of all time and plenty of people agree with him.

  • Kail on 17/04/2025 - 13:28

    Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning is a fantastic RPG, there's a remastered version now.

    SWTOR may be an MMO but I had the most fun it in when I was playing solo. There are so many character stories to experience, and they can differ quite a lot based on the choices you make. I think the Imperial Agent story is one of the best.

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:34

      did give SWTOR when it just launched back…. in gosh when was that…. 2012 ish? I would have thought the games dead by now.

      • Kail on 17/04/2025 - 13:43

        I haven't played it for a while but apparently it's still going and receiving new content

  • Youman534 on 17/04/2025 - 13:28
    +1

    I saw you mentioned you'd played runescape.
    Have you tried Oldschool Runescape? Specifically an ironman account.

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:29
      +1

      Hahaha; I didnt want to go backwards….. but yes, im aware of old-school runescape. I did touch on it before making the post tbh. Brought back some memories.

  • arkie0 on 17/04/2025 - 13:30

    Not fantasy but KCD2 is a good RPG

    Baldur's Gate 3 was good too

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:39

      Baldur's Gate 3 that's like a divinity original sin aye? lots of reading, but punishment for mistake…. no backsies?

      • arkie0 on 17/04/2025 - 14:21
        +1

        Yes BG3 is same playstyle, you can quicksave in it, though there are long term decisions where you can't immediately undo unless you replay a large chunk of the game

  • Xyzzy on 17/04/2025 - 13:31
    +1

    If you liked FFX then FFVII would definitely be worth considering.

  • MS Paint on 17/04/2025 - 13:31
    +1

    Off topic but what have you decided to wear to the wedding?

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:32
      +3

      Yep - going to cosplay it… trying to find a game to allign to

      • MS Paint on 17/04/2025 - 13:40

        Awesome. I look forward to the pics

  • scrimshaw on 17/04/2025 - 13:32

    Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition? https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/mass-effect-legendary-e…

    Basically three games in one with all the DLC's included in the same package.

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:35

      Ah… I find bioware games tooo…..talky… haha I dont know if thats just me… I dont mind dialogue… but man… sometimes I get to a point were I either want to 3x speed the talking or hit escape. Same thing happened in the later dragon age I found

      • scrimshaw on 17/04/2025 - 13:40

        If you liked Elden Ring but you want a slightly casual experience, then I think it's worth picking up the other souls-like games, such as:

        Dragons Dogma 1 / 2
        Nioh
        Lies of P
        Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (warning: hard game, you'll definitely die more than twice)
        Middle-earth: Shadow of War
        Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order
        Code Vein
        Monster Hunter franchise

        And of course there is Zelda Breath of the Wild, but unfortunately that is a Switch exclusive.

        Ghost of Tsushima also now on Steam, was a Playstation only exclusive.

        • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:43

          I played my first Elden Ring as I feel I was out of games last time… I did like it… but much prefer a little something with more character development/depth… not soo much uncharted-like gameplay.

          • scrimshaw on 17/04/2025 - 13:48

            @Mintee: I would definitely give Mass Effect a try, it's one of the few games that actually has good story telling and choices actually matter and has long-lasting impacts (e.g if you killed off a character in a prequel because you played as evil Commander Shephard, they will not appear as a team-mate in the sequels).

            And it only costs $8.99 on sale, less than the price of a Subway sandwich.

            However if you dislike shooter games and prefer melee combat then it's not the game for you.

            Also look at God of War series for some mindless hack and slash. Some of the older PS2 GoW games were quite good.

            • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:53

              @scrimshaw: I always play a 'mage'…. I guess theres none of that?

              • scrimshaw on 17/04/2025 - 13:55

                @Mintee: Mass Effect does have spells, to some extent. You would play as the Adept class and rely on Biotic (spells) to debuff enemies and deal damage, but it's not quite as deep as the spell casting system you would find in other Western RPG games.

                There are different classes that you can play as in Mass Effect, some specializing in being a tank (Soldier / Sentinel), some being a nimble assassin with cloaking abilities (infiltrator) and some being a pure spell caster (Adept / Vanguard) with either an offensive or defensive bias.

  • McSquintus on 17/04/2025 - 13:35
    +1

    FF7 Remake, or Intergrade, is more linear but it is such a good game with a great story and character development. You can also jump straight into Rebirth which is more open world.

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:38

      I havent looked into it… theres 3 games?

      • McSquintus on 17/04/2025 - 23:22

        Yep, two have been released and the third part is in the making. There is also a DLC after the first game.

  • Benoffie on 17/04/2025 - 13:35

    May be worth revisiting WoW. After the Cata mess, theyve gone back and addressed a lot of issues. It's so do your own thing now, so customisable, that you dont have to touch raiding anymore to feel successful (I mean, obviously it's there if you want it).

    Can also look at things like the mmo versions of Minecraft (not for me) and Rust (if survival games are something you might like).

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 13:37

      Im very very conscious of… not getting hooked on the WoW side. I find if i step in that territory again I might get hooked.

      • Benoffie on 17/04/2025 - 16:08

        Yeah, I may have forked out for a 12 month sub before the price hike…

  • Subere on 17/04/2025 - 13:45
    +1

    No Man's Sky

    You want to get lost exploring?

  • brendanm on 17/04/2025 - 14:53
    +3

    Oblivion, Skyrim but better.

    • srven3 on 19/04/2025 - 12:26

      yes but wait for Skyblivion or / and the Bethsoft remaster of Oblivion

    • meowbert on 19/04/2025 - 14:31

      Recently played it with one of the mod overhaul packs. It's a great looking game and has aged really well with the right stuff installed.

  • ozbs25 on 17/04/2025 - 14:59

    Maybe you need to venture into older stuff. Most of the games you've mentioned are "relatively" new. The 90s were great for RPGs. I'd recommend Planescape Torment but you really need to be able to stomach A LOT of reading. You mentioned Fallout, but have you tried the earlier ones? I actually probably like them more than the newer ones. I loved the Ultima Series, Wizardry Series although they may not hold up so well these days. It may depend on your tolerance for the quality of graphics back then.

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 15:08

      Yeah i get what youre saying. I do like the new fancy graphics and voice acting/sounds….. The older games these days i find just dont scale well enough, theres only so much blue you can take on a big monitor…. even emulators, sometimes the controls are too hard etc.

  • stuffandthat on 17/04/2025 - 15:04

    Come back to WoW!

  • freefall101 on 17/04/2025 - 15:16

    RDR2 is a horse riding simulator. I honestly don't get why people rave about it, I found it really boring.

    Tried Grim Dawn? It sucked me in more than any recent Diablo game.

    Tiny Tina's Wonderland hits that very nerdy fantasy shooter RPG thingy well. It's just shooting things and collecting loot, but I sunk a tonne of time into it. BL3 went heavy into the online bit AFAIK.

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 16:48
      +1

      Its funny when i googled poe2(someone mentioned it before) everyone was recommending grim dawn instead

  • jv on 17/04/2025 - 15:31
    +2

    Minesweeper…

  • ForkSnorter on 17/04/2025 - 15:39
    +1

    Kingdom Come Deliverance 1 and 2? I haven't played them myself, but they look pretty good and have good reviews.

    Personally I quite like Skyrim, and would love to find something similar but newer and with better fighting mechanics. Also with real cities. The "cities" in Skyrim could be called tiny villages at best, with only a handful of houses and people in them. Also would love an online RPG like Skyrim where you can interact with other players but don't have to join them in silly missions. Where you can just do your own thing, building your character and life, and pick up some friends (or enemies) along the way.

    Is there any online multiplayer RPG that just gives you complete freedom to do what you want?

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 16:38

      I agree with what you said with Skyrim.

      The thing with new MMORPGS is that the community is there for one minute and gone for the next. Other the. Wow and ffxiv, everyone seems to just give it a go and leave. Developers dont invest in Aussie servers and playing with 300 ping can be frustrating.

      Then it sucks when you sign up and left on a dead sever and either have to re roll or pay for a server transfer.

      Theres been a few mmorpgs where ive liked but the game ends up dying

    • scrimshaw on 17/04/2025 - 16:42
      +1

      Q: Is there any online multiplayer RPG that just gives you complete freedom to do what you want?

      Kenshi, but not multiplayer. Very sandbox game, no objectives whatsoever. So you have to make your own objectives and achieve them using your own means.

      Currently less than $17 on Epic Games. https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/kenshi-c79c40?epic_creat…

    • Shoocat on 17/04/2025 - 18:09

      This - try kingdom come deliverance 1 and 2. Both fantastic

  • leiiv on 17/04/2025 - 15:58

    What about FFXVI? Have you tried it?

    • jv on 17/04/2025 - 16:13
      +1

      Someone told me to get FFXVI yesterday…

    • Mintee on 17/04/2025 - 16:44

      I feel like square enix really lost there way with recent games.

      They moved to action combat since i think it was XI… XIII With lightning was a joke, each battle taking 5 minutes… Even then im not sure I like the style of action combat

      I havent player ffxvi, but i played….. Ffxv, and the excessive driving killed me ….. Even then for some reason theyve gone for overly complex stories, a really dark, industrial themes, i feel they moved away from their fantasy roots.

      • Puglife on 17/04/2025 - 20:58
        +1

        Final Fantasy was the GOAT…until they removed turn based. Even the new stuff, looks great but its just not the same, real time or turn based…a mash up just doesnt work.
        Maybe try Octopath Traveler, graphics look a bit like SNES but the game itself is great.
        Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 comes out on the 24th April, I know little about it but it definitely gives Final Fantasy X vibes, I'm afraid it will be a disappointment but it looks like the game I've been waiting for…and its released at a decent price! (Also free on Xbox gamepass)

        • justlookingaround on 30/05/2025 - 13:43

          I hope you've tried Clair Obscure already. If not I would recommend paying full price - it's that good!

  • CascadeHush on 17/04/2025 - 16:23
    +3

    Stuff that I don't think has been mentioned

    if you love open world action adventure games - Mad Max, Infamous Second Son.

    If you like MMOs - Warframe, Phantasy Star Online 2 New Genesis, Fallout 76, The Division 2, Anthem (pick it up for $5 on sale and play it with a friend, ignore all the negativity it's still a great 40ish hour campaign in a very pretty world with top notch combat. You don't have to play the grindy end-game to get your money's worth)

    If you like RPGs - The Neptunia Series, start with Rebirth;1 on the PC or Reverse on the PS5 (I don't think you mentioned what platform you are on).

    If you like action combat - The Senran Kagura or Fate/Extella series.

    • Potatohead82 on 17/04/2025 - 17:49
      +1

      I also thought of Warframe when I saw OP's Q.

  • enwar on 17/04/2025 - 17:38
    +1

    Final Fantasy 12 is a hidden gem. It plays like a mmo a litlte bit and really fun

  • TALL1one on 17/04/2025 - 19:45

    A game I adore is, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

    SPECIAL PROMOTION! Offer ends 22 April; -35%

    Recent Reviews:
    Very Positive (2,309)
    All Reviews:
    Very Positive (115,122)
    https://store.steampowered.com/app/2183900/Warhammer_40000_S…

  • Yummy on 17/04/2025 - 22:07
    +1

    Remnant 2.

  • ozpat on 18/04/2025 - 08:39

    Last Epoch. I haven't played it yet, but it's supposed to be good!

  • R081N on 18/04/2025 - 11:12
    +1

    I loved nier automata and I don't see that being mentioned

  • Nillionaire on 18/04/2025 - 17:02

    Genshin Impact: Just boot it up and give it 20 minutes and you'll know if it's for you or not. Don't mind the gacha/microtransactions reputation that it has if that's something that turns you off because that's all optional. The storyline and open world exploration is perfectly playable without it.

  • Bargainhunt9 on 18/04/2025 - 22:54

    Valheim should scratch the “ getting lost in the world, exploring, grinding” itch.

    Edit: $28.95 on Steam

  • srven3 on 19/04/2025 - 12:27

    Warhammer Rogue Trader worth a go, complicated but well worth it (has a lot of reading though)
    Perhaps try the newer Xcom games

  • Cheap Gamer on 19/04/2025 - 13:00

    Shadows: Awakening is not well known but still pretty good.

  • ReaperX22 on 19/04/2025 - 14:57
    +1

    Disclaimer, I've not read other recommendations:

    Chained Echoes (it's not super long and has a reasonable 100% path, I enjoyed the leveling system, something different! And a great story /reveals etc though could seem convoluted by the end)
    Sea of Stars (similar to above, story isn't as captivating and some combat gets repetitive, I've not played the DLC but thoroughly enjoyed it)

    Both are amazingly pretty 2d rpgs with some great music too!

    FFX is probably my all time favourite game, one of the few I've finished multiple times (100% only ever once minus the grid grind, I found that mostly time wasting.. Got all ult weaps, beat penance without yojimbo etc). It was also my first FFVIII is second. I never really played the OG 7. 9 I kinda don't remember much about..

    I really enjoyed FFVII Remake and Rebirth but not sure they'd scratch the itch you're after. Combat really only becomes truly rewarding if you hard mode them. (both 100%,which can be tedious especially in rebirth). Same with 16. Despite rebirth and 16 being 'open world' it's really just a combo of fetch quests and in the case of rebirth, mini games. Fun for a bit, insane to 100%/best score it..

    Random recommendation, but do you have a friend or two to game with? Grounded is an amazing game, and better with co op. Setup a base, has some nice QOL for survival craft, and Grounded encouraged exploring very well. I thoroughly enjoyed it! Has an okay story! Probably one of my favourite co op survival craft style games. I've played zomboid, valheim (which you might enjoy, also better with a friend) satisfactory, Raft, terraria, core keeper.. For just general exploring the last two are quite fun if you don't mind that top down/side style 2d.

    Ha, I played Aion from release, left, came back, left again, came back for Aion classic. The game just encouraged pay to win by the end, and was WAY too grindy early days.. It's actually the only mmo I've really played! If you're not online every day doing all daily, quests, dredges, you fall behind extremely fast… I don't wanna think about the extra money I spent on this stupid game… Lol.

    Horizon Forbidden West didn't tickle my fancy as well as Zero Dawn did, it was just a bigger world with cooler mechanics and better graphics, but didn't have the advantage of the story telling the first one did, discovering everything new.

    Tldr.

    • Chained Echoes
    • Sea of Stars
    • Grounded (ideally with a friend or two, but can definitely solo)
    • Valheim though we got frustrated with the death/travel mechanics by the end..
    • Terraria (not really RPG, just enjoyable to explore!)
    • FFVII Remake/Rebirth

    Goodluck!

  • moneyhungry on 19/04/2025 - 15:08

    Wow hardcore mode.

  • wetsandwich on 03/05/2025 - 20:56
    +1

    How did barely anyone mention Grim Dawn?

    Easy no brainer there.

  • wty707 on 04/05/2025 - 06:32
    +1

    Clair Obscure

    • spast1ka on 04/05/2025 - 14:47

      easily GotY now GTA 6 has been pushed back.

  • justlookingaround on 30/05/2025 - 13:42

    If you're still looking I would second and really recommend Clair Obscure. I just finished it and almost everything about this game was a masterpiece. From world building, game mechanics, character building, voice action, music score, and stirring emotions as you play through - all the way to the very end - is so well done, and on a shoestring budget when compared to big studios. It's not flawless but I can't remember a better game in recent years, especially because modern game engines now allow games to tell a story as immersive as TV/cinema (I would argue more so because you play as the characters so have more agency). Highly highly recommend. Look, I just finished the game and felt like I needed to express how amazed I was, so naturally came to Ozbargain. That should indicate how good a game this is!

    • Mintee on 30/05/2025 - 15:18
      +1

      Looks pretty sick actually, highly rated, might give it a look; maybe when it goes on special :P

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