Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap
Of Ash and Steel is a polarizing game to say the least, but there is a ton of great stuff there if you have the patience to deal with the inherent jank that comes with a game of this budget and genre.
It hearkens back to the games that Piranha Bytes made popular in the gaming world and is a true tribute to the old-school style of RPG that we’ve seen very little of in recent years.
It’s tough, gritty, and glitchy, but there is a true magic to this type of game that makes you work to find it. When you get it, it’s something different, special, and very much worth your time.
10 Risen
A Series Lost To Time
Risen is a game that takes the spirit of the old Gothic games (we’ll get to that) and puts it into a new story, where you’re a would-be hero looking to make a name for yourself on an island full of terrifying creatures, corrupt governments, and humans out for blood. It’s got that gritty, tough-to-grasp style that makes Of Ash and Steel so compelling.
Risen is so similar because it’s a spawn from a genre of game that Of Ash and Steel clearly draws its secret sauce from. It’s a fascinating world full of secrets, interesting quests, and a variety of options for combat. The magic system here is fantastic and feels different from most, as it’s more active and doesn’t require you to be the passive one in battles.
There are some great characters here, smart writing, and some really cool lore to dig into. You play as a blank slate, and how you want to write your story is on your terms. The feeling of being a stranger in a strange world is great here, and though the sequels had mixed results, the first Risen is an easy recommendation and one of the true double-A, RPG kings.
9 Elex 2
The End of an Era
Elex 2 is a tough game to get into. The world is vast and filled with lore, and there are so many different things to keep track of that it can be overwhelming. If you give it a chance, though, Elex 2 has a vast amount of content to explore, a bunch of weapons to fight with, and best of all, a jetpack.
Flying around this world is a blast, and though things like voice acting and animations are kind of inconsistent, hey, if you love Of Ash and Steel, you don’t mind that type of stuff; in fact, you embrace it. Elex 2 has plenty of the same DNA flowing through it, and you can find yourself having tons of fun fighting the weird enemies, working for various factions, and just losing yourself in this unique world.
Sci-fi and fantasy don’t often happen in the same game, and while Elex 2 has its problems, it’s still got a lot of good going for it. It’s a gem for fans of the imperfect game.
8 Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord
Humble Beginnings
While not an RPG per se, TaleWorlds Entertainment’s cash cow, Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, certainly involves a whole lot of role-playing. Just like in Of Ash and Steel, you start as a nobody and slowly grow your way to power. Except instead of with fancy weapons and armor, it’s with a literal army.
You will be recruiting soldiers, negotiating with lords, and either enlisting in someone else’s cause or saying to hell with everyone and starting a house of your own to conquer the land. It’s an in-depth, medieval sim the likes of which has never really been seen, and the amount of options you have from battle to battle is pretty amazing as well. Multiple formations, units to build your army with, and ways to ambush your enemy make this one of the more realistic medieval games out there from a big battle perspective.
You’ll also have plenty of choice about who you want to be as a character. Do you want to betray everyone? You can do it. Do you want to go around selling items and be a traveling merchant with a small defensive retainer alongside you? You can do that too. Pretty much all of your medieval wants and wishes can be achieved in Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord, and if you love the freedom that Of Ash and Steel provides the player, you might find yourself enjoying this slightly different flavor of freedom.
7 Outward
Journey On Your Terms
Outward is a game that starts you out and gives you little direction other than to repay a debt. How you go about that and where you go from that point is completely up to you. You are free to roam, attack, explore, dungeon dive, whatever else you’d like to do; it’s on your shoulders.
This isn’t a title like Skyrim, though, as the experience outside the safe walls of the starting village is mighty unkind, and the combat, while serviceable, is hard to get a grasp on in the early goings. Then there is the magic system, which is completely missable if you don’t do the quest for it, and you’re pretty much left in the dark about everything in the game.
That being said, it’s a unique experience and one that is fully playable with a friend, either online or the rarely seen split-screen co-op. Of Ash and Steel is cooked from the same stew that Outward poured out of, and it was just as divisive and just as rewarding in experience.
6 The Technomancer
The Space Jank King
Hello, it’s me again, your resident Technomancer fanboy, here to tell you why this double-A jank-fest is worth your time. You play as Zachariah Mancer, which is a stupid name, but basically, this world makes your last name your job, and that’s what Zach is – a Technomancer.
You control electricity, which comes into play during combat in a variety of ways, and you have three different styles to master while playing. Each of them feels wildly different. One has you spinning about with a double-sided blade like Darth Maul, and another has you using a shield and knife. It’s all over the place, and it’s a ton of fun.
You’ve also got some great and weird companions, a compelling story with some deep world-building, and some bizarre, but fun voice acting too. It’s unashamedly double A, but that’s cool because so is Of Ash and Steel. If you like how that game had zero handholding, heaps of weirdness in the plot, and some enjoyable combat, I can’t imagine any game to recommend to you more than The Technomancer.
5 Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines
The Life of a Vampire
Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines is one of the more interesting RPGs ever made. It’s one of those games that is more than the sum of its parts. On the surface, the combat is rather weak, the environments are pretty empty, and even the story at its base is rather simple. You’re a newly bitten vampire, and you’re tasked with learning the ropes of the new world you’re forced to live in.
That’s when things get interesting though, as these rules require you to hide your true nature whenever possible, lest you break the masquerade in the title name. If you do that, it’s instant death for you. This changes the way you play in so many ways, and depending on your clan choice, the game changes as well. For example, most clans allow you to wander the world without worry, but the Nosferatu forces you to travel the world underground due to your horrific appearance.
It’s a game that doesn’t hold your hand, but has a ton to discover and mess up, and the paths you can take are innumerable. It also has one of the most striking levels I’ve ever encountered in a game. It happens early, and it’s your classic haunted mansion, but no game has ever done it quite like this.
4 Greedfall
So to the Big Time
Greedfall is, in many ways, the final form of the double A RPG. It’s so achingly to that elite experience the big-time developers present, and even though it falls short in a few areas, it’s still a great time. You play as De Sardet, and you’re essentially playing out a fantastical version of the colonization and discovery of North America.
That means you’ll be clashing with natives, and ideologies will be thrown around left and right. But due to this being a fantasy game, there will also be plenty of weird creatures, big-time bosses to fight, and cool abilities to unlock. You also have plenty of chances to direct the path of the story, as there is a ton of dialogue where you’ll be able to make choices about what happens.
The story is also pretty good and has a lot of lore as well, which is something that Of Ash and Steel does very well, too. It’s a bit more polished than others on this list, but it still has that «not quite there» feeling that makes this genre so charming.
3 The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
Before the Crown Was Given
Before The Witcher 3 was crowned king of the RPG world, The Witcher 2 was an unknown game from a small Polish company called CD Projekt Red, for which nobody had any real expectations. That all changed on release, as despite the lack of polish in some QOL areas, the game was fantastic.
You play as Geralt, a Witcher who spends his day-to-day life fighting monsters for money. Still, of course, it’s not that simple, as he’s immediately pulled into a political conflict involving kings being assassinated, and off we go. The world is weird and wonderful here, with strange characters, amazingly creepy enemies, and some fairly competent combat as well. It’s a dark world, and the story reflects that, with character deaths, split-second decisions needing to be made, and even sides to be taken throughout your journey.
This was very much a «prove it» game for CD Projekt Red, and they damn well did it, giving us one of the better RPGs of the 2010s and laying the groundwork for a true masterpiece. Of Ash and Steel is still in its Witcher 1 phase if you ask me, but that’s not a bad thing. A little success can take the developers a long way.
2 Gothic
The Beginning of Double A
Gothic is probably the progenitor of the double-A game. While the world was fawning over the new age graphics of the PS2 at the time, Gothic gave PC gamers an experience unlike any other.
It’s a true from-zero-to-hero story, starring you, a nameless adventurer on a mission to forge alliances and navigate a complex plot involving a war against orcs. The dialogue is terrific, the quests inventive, and the world-building is some of the best in any game. The combat for the time was great too, and although today it feels quite dated, it was easily better in that regard than other games in the genre at the time.
It’s a trip to the past for sure, but you will be shocked at how in-depth the game is, especially from the combat side. You grow from someone barely able to handle a sword into a full-fledged warrior, and it’s not just stats telling you that you’re good at fighting now, but the animations themselves change to show it. Of Ash and Steel does the same thing and is a clear successor to what Gothic gave us long ago.
1 The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind
A Strange and Amazing World
Morrowind is a game that is clearly not for everyone, but for the dedicated and the focused, it’s one of the most inspiring RPGs of all time. You start in a strange world and get pulled into a wild story with weird creatures, powerful enemies, and a world that stands alone in the gaming world.
Morrowind is spectacularly odd, from the citizens to the quests to the fast travel methods. It’s so amazingly strange, and that stretches to the combat. It’s based on your stats, so early on, you will literally miss enemies that the game shows you hitting. It’s frustrating, but it makes you care about your character build in a very real way, and the magic system is great here, allowing you to craft custom spells if you want.
It’s a game with a huge barrier to entry, but Of Ash and Steel has that same vibe, and it makes these two great companion pieces in that way.
