Key findings
- Role-playing games are characterized by the fact that they combine narrative and world building through captivating texts.
- Roadwarden, Wildermyth, Citizen Sleeper, Suzerain and Disco Elysium are characterized by their immersive text-based experiences.
- These titles offer deep emotional connections, rich character development, intense moral dilemmas, and compelling political narratives.
Role-playing games have their roots in the world of texts and text-based titles. Who knows where the genre would be today if it weren't for the monolithic world of tabletop RPGs that preceded it? If there's one thing the best RPGs have in common, it's a superb combination of narrative and world-building that makes for a highly engaging, immersive title.
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5 JRPGs with moral systems
These JRPGs take players down multiple moral paths and allow them to make their decisions based on morality.
Some games, however, know how to use the written word to enhance their world. One key area of overlap between books and video games is the power of prose to spark the imagination and connect the player to their game that much more. For gamers who don't mind a little reading, here are some titles to look out for.
5 Roadkeeper
A wistful journey through the untamed hinterland
Roadkeeper is a title that, despite its attitude towards life, leaves the player feeling lonely in the best sense. The focus here is heavily on the protagonist, who is built from the ground up based on early decisions made by the player. This almost introspective tone is particularly interesting considering that the story itself fits a narrative of a grand adventure – the Roadwarden must brave the wilds of the peninsula to build settlements and towns and protect the innocent from the monsters that roam the land.
It is similar to many great RPGs that have a fluid, dynamic world that is constantly changing. In RoadkeeperText is used alongside some fantastic graphics in a mesmerizing amber tone. The descriptions of events, NPC dialogue, and combat interactions are all fantastic text parts of this title, and the attention paid to the player's choices puts it on par with some of the greatest branching RPGs available today.
4 Wilderness myth
A picture book epic of mythical proportions
Wilderness myth is one of those games that stays with players for a long time. Not only is it an incredibly engaging strategy-style RPG, but it also has such a novel character creation system that makes the impossible possible, combining the kind of connectivity and depth you find in pre-made characters with the design freedom and narrative choice that comes with custom characters. There are a lot of complicated ways in which the character personalities and events work, but the best way to play this game is to just dive in.
This game's plot is driven by a strong but subtle sense of wonder. Each event and its hundreds of variations are based on the characters' personalities and are so artfully written that you often forget the world outside the game. Each campaign is set up like a mythic retelling, an epic telling of a band of adventurers battling a long-forgotten threat.
3 Citizen Sleeper
A dystopian space role-playing game
This unique text-based RPG is a masterpiece of cyberpunk aesthetics and theming, perfect for fans of… well, cyberpunk. There's a tremendous amount of passion at work here, poured into everything from the tabletop-inspired stats to the unique mix of colors and illustrations that define this game's style, with a heavy emphasis on shadows, deep blacks, and bright reds. The text itself is novel-quality, reading like a mix of an enthusiastic DM's worldbuilding and the pulp sci-fi classics of the 70s and 80s.
This is a game of difficult choices, capitalist dystopias, and compelling characters. A perfect title for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a space-themed setting without compromising.
2 Overlord
A political role-playing game that doesn’t mince words
Overlord uses text and narrative to immerse the player in the deep political machinations of a single nation and its fledgling democracy trying to find its place in the world. The fictional nation of Sordland is theoretically under the player's control, but those seeking a power fantasy will need to look elsewhere. An aged, crypto-fascist former president continues to manipulate parliament, the political right and left attempt to steer the country in two different directions, and through it all, the president must try to gain a large enough coalition of allies to push his political goal – a polished constitution – through parliament.
There's no other way to say it – this game is brutal. Fantastic, utterly engrossing, a near-perfect implementation of what a good text-based RPG should be, yes. But also brutal. There are no promises that everything will be OK, no promises that what anyone is telling you is the truth, but if the player does nothing but compromise and play it safe, they will find a country with little to show for it at the end of this staggering 900,000-word title.
1 Disco Elysium
One of the best role-playing games of all time
The BAFTA-winning Disco Elysium has a level of quality that basically speaks for itself. It's one of the best CRPGs of the 21st century, and with that comes a lot of stunningly written prose. Deciding how the protagonist makes his way in the world, what his political and philosophical leanings are, and how that shapes the city around him is one of the most thrilling experiences you can find in a video game today.
Players would be doing themselves a disservice by not jumping into this dark, surreal, highly immersive RPG whose text is written like a dream and whose world-building leaves people in awe. As with other titles on this list, the text isn't the only barrier to entry, as it's a pretty difficult title in places and requires a lot of attention to detail, but players who enjoy deep RPGs shouldn't miss this one.
