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The SRPG is a genre that has had tons of success over the years, but as the gaming eras have progressed, it feels like this unique genre has lost a bit of its luster.
There have been so many great games in the genre too, from wildly different styles like fantasy or sci-fi, and the possibilities are limitless. There is sometimes a story disconnect in these games, however, as you generally go from mission to mission with maybe a hub world to separate the action. Unlike the CRPG, where you’re usually exploring entire worlds and fighting in between that exploration.
This is likely a reason why these games have fallen off in recent years, and we’re going to check out some of the best SRPGs that time forgot.
10 Vandal Hearts
Bloody Grids
Vandal Hearts manages to do something that no other SRPG does well. Combat impact. While most games in the genre will be relatively tame violence-wise, here, it’s as bloody as it gets, and it adds so much to each battle.
You play as Ash, a leader of a security force who uncovers a conspiracy and must go against a corrupt government. It’s an interesting setup and the characters are great and full of that 90s charm that will either work for you or feel a little too un-PC for your liking.
The combat here is great, with a grid system and hit chances that depend on where you’re attacking from, so things like elevated tiles are paramount for long-range attacks, and backstabs are paramount if you want to win any of these battles. It’s really tough too, so you’ll have to optimize everything from unit placement to resource management if you’re going to survive and that hardcore difficulty fits perfectly with this bloody and in-depth tale of corruption.
9 Marvel: Midnight Suns
Bad Timing
Marvel’s Midnight Suns released in 2022, which unfortunately was crowded by two of the biggest games of the decade in Elden Ring and God of War: Ragnarök. It was one of the only notable SRPGs to release that year, but there was certainly a bit of a disconnect, and the superhero-weary gaming crowd coming just 2 years after the disastrous Marvel’s Avenger didn’t exactly flock to it.
Despite that, the game is actually really good, with an engaging story, a huge cast of Marvel characters to interact and fight alongside, and some gorgeous graphics on top of it. Speaking of games forgotten by time, you play as a hero forgotten by time who has awakened in this new era and must acclimate to new and strange surroundings.
The combat is excellent here, with a turn-based system that revolves around cards and careful placement on the battlefield. There are tons of environmental effects to trigger, combos to pull off, and unique teams to fight with as you go up against assorted Marvel villains. You also get to interact with your favorite heroes in the hub area, turning the game into something of a social sim at times, which may or may not work for you. It’s definitely a hidden gem type of game and one that likely would’ve had a greater impact had it released in a different year.
8 Brigandine: The Legend of Forsena
The Depth of War
Brigandine was one of my favorite games as a kid, but I could recognize at the time that this game would not be for everyone. For instance, the game is just incredibly deep. You have to manage an army worth of units, determine formations, who to take into battle, equipment, and it goes on and on. This was easily one of the more complex SRPGs in an era where the Playstation was churning them out left and right.
That’s not to say it’s bad though, because it’s anything but. You have a bunch of different stories to play through, an enormous amount of variety in unit types, slick 3D battles, intense strategy, and voice acting in a game that came out in 1998 that actually didn’t suck. It’s one of those games that requires you to be all in. This is not a 20-minute play session type of game. This is «get ready to lose your day and love every second of this» kind of game.
It’s also tough as hell, but the compelling storylines, the awesome graphics, the beautiful art style, and the often thrilling and varied battles should have you standing right next to me on the Brigandine fanboy mountain top. It’s lonely up here, to say the least.
7 Metal Gear Acid
Metal Gear Weird
Metal Gear Acid is easily the series’ biggest leap of faith and though it landed to mixed results, it stands strong as one of the more unique SRPGs ever made. The idea here is to break down encounters into card-based battles. This might sound dumb for fans of the series, but it opens up so many possibilities. You have a ton of cards to find here, which unlock unique abilities like Vulcan Raven’s bullet spray or a spinning kick.
It’s a unique mix of real-time combat and turn-based SRPG gameplay. It’s pretty tough as well, as enemies have a variety of attacks as well, and though the action is now largely turn-based, that doesn’t make it any less tense than other Metal Gear games. The story is completely unique, starring Solid Snake and an additional character new to the series who you can play as too.
The actual story is from another timeline in the series, effectively establishing a Metal Gear multiverse which wasn’t really approached again until Metal Gear: Survive, but we won’t talk about that disaster. The story is still full of all the Metal Gear goodness you expect though, with conspiracies, weird villains and bizarre boss battles aplenty. It’s a unique game for sure, but one I highly recommend to any fan of Metal Gear or SPRG games in general.
6 Phoenix Point
The Next Generation
Phoenix Point is an awesome successor to the XCom series, but for some reason, it didn’t make nearly the same impact. It’s far more in depth, with a ton to manage, from units to builds to building devices for materials, and it can be a bit overwhelming at times. But the meat of the game is true SRPG greatness.
The story is about an alien threat that is created by a virus, adding a unique spin on the classic aliens vs humans storyline. You also have multiple human factions to deal with too, and depending on your choices throughout the game, the story will change because of it.
Combat wise, Phoenix Point outdoes XCom in my book. There are tons of unique tactics to employ, manual aiming that takes into account your character’s stats so it feels more real than most shooters out there. There is great use of this in Phoenix Point, allowing you to do things like shoot an alien’s hand to disable its ability to shoot, and it makes your line of sight incredibly important.
The combat just feels great to play and the story provides plenty of incentive from mission to mission as it plays things very seriously and consistently ups the stakes in this pretty interesting take on an alien invasion story. This is the st thing to XCom 3 we may ever see, and it’s an easy recommendation for fans of SRPGs.
5 Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children
The Worst Name, The Best Game
It’s hard to do justice to Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children in just a few sentences, but damnit, this game needs attention, so I’m going to try. You play as what amounts to a superpowered version of a neighborhood watch, as the world has so much rampant crime that citizens are being approved left and right to help fight some of it.
The story is told through some slickly animated visual novel-style sequences, and there is always a high energy to everything happening, which keeps you engaged thoroughly through the insane amount of battles on display here. It’s an enormous game, with a ton of interesting areas to fight in, endless abilities to unlock, a bunch of cool characters to play with, and some of the most in-depth character building imaginable.
It’s impossibly cheap, has more content than your favorite SRPG, and it is only getting more and more content as the years go on. I think with a better name, this game would be thought of as a true titan of the genre, and it still is regardless of that, because SRPG gameplay has never been more fun and more varied, and just this damn good overall.
4 Jeanne D'Arc
Historical Tactics
Jeanne D’arc gave us one of the best SRPGs out there in 2006 for the PSP during a time when 3D gaming was in full swing, and all people wanted to play was the game with the most realistic graphics and the bloodiest gameplay. But then we have Jean D’arc, an anime-inspired take on the tale of Joan of Arc, with a smartly written script and unique combat mechanics that separate it from the pack.
You’ve got grid-based combat here with a feature known as Burning Aura, which highlights a square behind an enemy that allies can use to deal more damage, but we’ve also got transformations here that are straight out of your favorite Toonami show from the 90s, adding a healthy bit of anime into the otherwise totally self-serious story here.
It takes place during the 100-year war, but there are quite a few liberties taken here; for example, there are demons. You still get the heavy beats from the actual events though, so it does functionally work as a bit of a historical game in that way too. Most importantly, it’s one of the most fun SPRPG games out there, and it’s now available on PS4 and PS5 as a PS1 classic, so if you’ve got those consoles, you’ve got a great game in the wings.
3 The DioField Chronicle
Final Strategy
The DioField Chronicle should’ve been the SRPG equivalent of Octopath Traveler for Square Enix, but it missed the mark there. Despite that, it’s easily one of the cooler SPRG games in recent years, and despite the rather wooden characters, the gameplay is great. The combat system at play here is very interesting, as it basically plays out in real time.
In fact, the combat here looks more like an old school CRPG here as you’ll be assigning units to attacking enemies and watching as they fight in real-time. However, you can pause the action at any time to use abilities, special attacks, summons, and it makes the game in many ways feel like another take on Final Fantasy Tactics, which is one of the best SRPGs of all time.
The combat has a ton of variation from fight to fight, and you’ll have to use a variety of tactics like positioning, resource management, and careful use of your attacks to make sure you come out of battles in good shape. The story is quite interesting here, following a mercenary band known as the Blue Foxes who are caught up in a warring conflict and the take here is very serious, again summoning those Final Fantasy tactics feelings.
It feels like an incredibly nuanced take on all sides of war, where enemies aren’t much worse than allies, and it gives a consistent and serious tone throughout. It’s a unique spin on the genre for sure, but one that has been undeservedly forgotten by many.
2 Vanguard Bandits
Right Before the Mech Craze
Vanguard Bandits is one of the most fun games on the PlayStation 1 period and a true standout in the SRPG era that, in my opinion, deserved every bit of love that Final Fantasy Tactics absorbed. It was released in 1998, which, by my estimation, was right before the mech craze, as Gundam Wing was released in the States in 2000.
It’s a shame because had Vanguard Bandits released a bit later, it might’ve become a series in its own right. It revolves around a war and a rag tag group looking to rebel against an evil empire, but that’s just the surface-level tale. You actually have a ton of agency here, determining the path of the story, who lives or dies, and if you want to play as a complete moron and ruin the world for everyone, you can also do that.
It has several hilarious and interesting permutations of each scenario, and it’s an idea that would slowly make its way into every big game release out there. The combat was fantastic too, with grid-based combat that would give you options for types of attacks, directions of where you’re attacking from, and after selecting this, you’d see a Fire Emblem-style 3D fighting sequence that was wildly impressive for the time. With multiple paths through the game, great replayability, and some great writing and character development, I can’t possibly recommend this forgotten gem more.
1 Valkyria Chronicles
World War Anime
Valkyria Chronicles takes the story of World War 2 and throws an anime spin onto it. It’s a wild idea for sure, but one that works great because of great characters, good writing, and most importantly, thrilling combat. The combat here works in a mix of turns and real-time action and has you controlling a squad full of characters in a variety of exciting scenarios.
You will move around in real time, but your distance traveled will be limited by the distance each character can move. Once you find your spot, you manually select enemies to shoot at and even use free aim to pull off some of these shots. It’s wildly interactive and the characters feel different, with different classes and weapons for each, and you’ll begin to really care about your team as it grows and faces losses throughout the well-told story.
The series spans 4 games, but the first one is the best and the most notable, and it’s a twist on the SRPG genre that I wish others in the genre would’ve taken and run with, but sadly, this game and series is really the only one of its kind.
