Loot drops, level requirements, skill trees, equipment stats: these are all defining parts of the RPG genre, but they’re making their way into many modern action games. As a fan of action RPGs likeKingdom HeartsandDiablo, that sounds like a dream come true, but recent action games often forget that there’s more to RPGs than slapping numbers on everything.
RPG Mechanics Aren’t Exclusive to RPGs Anymore
Games have been blending action combat and RPG mechanics together for decades, but there used to be a clear divide between the action genre and RPGs. Older action games typically featured limited storytelling and linear levels, often funneling players between set-pieces and arenas to keep you entrenched in the moment-to-moment action as much as possible.
In contrast, RPGs were often comprised of slower experiences, with combat that emphasized tactics and character building, lengthy stories aimed at immersing you in fantastical adventures, and open-ended worlds with plenty of room for exploration. Games in these genres didn’t always adhere to these strict guidelines, and some series likeDiabloandThe Legend of Zeldahelped bridge the gap between the two genres and their prevailing tropes, but there was still a clear-cut difference between action games and RPGs.
Asmore RPGs started to feature real-time combatand more action games adopted RPG-style progression systems, the line between genres began to blur. It’s hard to pinpoint when RPG mechanics became a mainstay in action games, but there were a few notable releases that led to their eventual takeover of the genre.BorderlandsandDead Islandboth helped popularize the rise of loot drops, character levels, and other common RPG staples in traditional first-person action games. Both games also featured skill trees, butFar Cry 3played an even bigger role in pushing the feature into the mainstream.
However, the over-saturation of RPG-inspired action games arguably began withAssassin’s Creed Origins, which saw the series take heavy inspiration from the success ofThe Witcher 3.Originsshifted away fromAssassin’s Creed’s usual stealth-action formula with a new emphasis on weapon stats, character levels, and boss battles. All of these elements already existed in theAssassin’s Creedseries to some extent, butOriginselevated their importance to being the core focus of its gameplay, with later entries leaning even further into their RPG inspirations.
After the success ofOrigins, Ubisoft began incorporating RPG elements into all of their open-world action games.Far Cry 6andFar Cry:New Dawnintroduced level-based gear and equipment rarities to the series.Ghost Recon: Breakpointsimilarly introduced gear levels and optional raid bosses, along with multiple unique character classes. Even the studio’srecent licensed gameslikeAvatar: Frontiers of PandoraandStar Wars: Outlawsadhere to the same exact action-RPG formula. Other studios have adopted similar formulas for games likeGhost of Tsushima,Wolfenstein: Youngblood, andGhostwire: Tokyo, all with varying results.
Live-service gamesalso played a significant part in the popularization of RPG mechanics. Bungie’sDestinyseries wasn’t the first to follow a live-service structure, but it certainly inspired many other studios to take a shot at the genre. Many modern action games with a heavy emphasis on RPG mechanics have some form of live-service element, and they’ve only become more common over the past few years.
Many of these games are built on genuinely inventive and promising ideas. Concepts likeRedfall’s mixture ofimmersive simsand action-RPGs, orBabylon’s Fall’s blend of stat-based character-building and stylish character-action combat sound amazing at first, but they’re rarely given the care they deserve. Unfortunately, many games not only fail to understand the point of these long-standing RPG tropes, but they often misuse these features to waste your time.
Level Grinding is Pointless (And That’s The Point)
It wouldn’t be fair to say that every game with RPG mechanics is trying to pad out their runtime, but it is a prevalent problem among modern action games. Many recent games in the genre lock off story content or entire parts of their open worlds behind arbitrary requirements. Instead of allowing you to progress through the story or freely explore the world at your own pace, you’re typically forced to slog through the game’s side content to raise your level and acquire better equipment.
With the nearly-endless opportunities for earning gear, gaining skill points, or completing side quests spread throughout these enormous open worlds, you’re likely to spend close to (if not more) than a hundred hours in just one of these games. Many players are eagerly looking for games with long runtimes, and these games always deliver. However, the bulk of your time will be spent on tedious tasks, finding locations that feel copy-pasted across the map, or completing challenges just to earn loot with worse stats than your current equipment.
Even in games that are otherwise fantastic, these shoehorned RPG mechanics can sour you on the overall experience. I know I’ve been harping on Ubisoft’s games—especially theAssassin’s Creedseries—but I’ll admit that I lovedAssassin’s Creed Odyssey. However, after sinking over 200 hours intothe game, I never want to touch it or any other RPG-styledAssassin’s Creedgame ever again. The overabundance of side content, repetitive combat, and tedious progression systemsleft me feeling burned outby the time I finally reached the credits. The series has tried to return to its roots with its latest entries, but I’m still tired of their continued reliance on oversized maps and copy-pasted content that exists solely to support their half-baked RPG mechanics.
To be fair, these problems are even worse in live-service games. Many games in the genredepend on your willingness to replay the same few missions, filled with the same tedious enemies and objectives, all with combat that lacks the depth or variety needed to support this repetitive design. The best live service action RPGs likeWarframeandDestiny 2(despite their flaws) make replaying levels feel fun by offering enough unique challenges to make grinding feel exciting, while also boasting incredibly satisfying combat that makes the moment-to-moment gameplay feel consistently fun.
However, manyother live service gameswould be better without their RPG elements. Games likeSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League,Babylon’s Fall, orMarvel’s Avengersare simple and repetitive, but serviceable on their own. If these games had settled for 10-to-15-hour campaigns with all the RPG mechanics stripped out, they might have been better received. Instead, what we got were painfully repetitive and often tedious experiences filled with boring gameplay and progression systems designed around endlessly replaying the same handful of stages.
RPG Progression Doesn’t Have to Be Painful
Despite what many modern action games might have you believe, RPG mechanics can easily work outside the RPG genre. When they’re used for anything other than simply padding the runtime or forcing a mediocre gameplay into thelive service format, they can be the best part of any action game.
Ghost of TsushimaandDying Lightboth feature many of the action-RPG tropes that sink the quality of similar games, including character levels, equipment stats, skill trees, and large maps filled with side content. However, the difference is that none of these mechanics hurt their core gameplay.Ghost of Tsushimaallows you to acquire better gear to cut through enemies faster and take more hits, but your mastery of stealth and combat always plays a bigger role in success than the quality of your equipment.Dying Lighthas a slightly more robust RPG system, but its inclusion of skill points and equipment stats lets you build your character around any playstyle.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2also features an RPG-inspired leveling system, but it never distracts from the core combat and stealth. Leveling only rewards you with tokens that can be used to unlock perks, equipment upgrades, or new suits. Although these unlockables vary between new abilities and minor stat boosts, you’re never forced into grinding for levels or wasting time on menial side content. You can complete each game without paying much attention to the RPG elements, though it helps that the optional challenges are genuinely fun, and the skill-tree unlocks only add more depth to the already spectacular combat.
RPG mechanics have also been used in creatively unconventional ways, such as inThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildand its sequel,Tears of the Kingdom. Neither game treats its RPG elements as a linear progression system but instead turns them into a means of adapting to different scenarios. Some areas require you to adapt to intense temperatures, which means wearing warmer gear with lower defense or using a consumable to temporarily improve your heat/cold resistance. Weapons also have limited durability, giving you a good reason to use weapons with lower attack power and save your best gear for tougher foes.
Even small RPG-inspired narrative elements like dialogue choices can be a meaningful addition to any action game.Titanfall 2surprised many players with its underrated campaign, with the banter between protagonist Jack Cooper and his autonomous mech, BT, being the highlight of the story. Whereas most shooters would have their conversations automatically play out during cutscenes and gameplay,Titanfall 2lets you decide on Cooper’s responses through dialogue choices. Whileyour choices won’t have any major impacton the story, this small addition goes a long way to getting you attached to these characters.
There are hundreds of amazing games that prove fast-paced action and RPG elements can go together like chocolate and peanut butter, but more games need to use them for the right reasons. Stuffing a perfectly fine action game with extraneous ingredients and time-wasting tedium will always leave players with a bitter taste.
The best RPG mechanics make games deeper, not wider. Leveling and raising stats shouldn’t make progress feel like a slog, but instead present another layer of player choice and strategizing. Even though RPG mechanics have the addictive appeal of watching numbers go up, there will always be plenty of other games that deliver similar experiences through genuinely exciting gameplay. Series likeAssassin’s CreedandGhost Recondon’t have to abandon their RPG mechanics (Assassin’s Creed Unityis a good example of RPG-features done right), but they need to recognize their own wasted potential before it’s too late.
