Other games like this?

[supercow]

I enjoy (most of) Spidwerweb Software's games.

I'm looking for more games by other developers in the same vein... old school party-based indie RPGs that focus on story over graphics.

 

So far I've played Eschalon. Anyone have any other suggestions?

[TriRodent]

Not offhand as when I need an old school fix I tend to just replay some Spiderweb games.

 

However the topic has been kicked around a bit in the past.  Lots of off topic meandering of course, but there should be some suggestions too.  Good luck (& let us know if you 'do' find something really similar please...)

 

Thread 1

 

Thread 2

 

Thread 3

 

(& probably more threads too, I just searched for 'similar games' & grabbed these, you might be able to find more if you change the terms around/go past the first couple pages of results)

[googoogjoob]

I wish I had a more useful answer, but the truth is, I've never really encountered any other developers that manage to consistently do all the things I like about Spiderweb's RPGs; and most consciously "old-school" RPGs tend to turn me off in some way. (EG- Eschalon's bewildering design decisions, like randomizing the contents of every container or forcing the player to spend skill points to have an automap; Underrail's combat systems that regularly allow for characters to get stun-locked across turns.) There are lots of games that manage to do some or most of the things I like about them, though, which I can recommend.

 

For very similar games- story-focused party-based RPGs with turn-based combat:

Pillars of Eternity 1 is a nearly-unplayable mess due to its RTWP combat and idiosyncratic, unintuitive RPG mechanics. But Pillars of Eternity 2 mercifully adds a turn-based mode that makes the game very playable, and has excellent writing (both high-level plot stuff and low-level character/sidequest stuff) and worldbuilding (high fantasy Polynesia) overall. I think that it comes closest to what I want from an "old school" plot/character-heavy RPG.

The Expeditions series of games (or at least the two I've played) are very good. They have historical/alt-history settings and a focus on resource/party management. The first, Expeditions: Conquistador, is more of a tactics/resource management game; the second, Expeditions: Viking, is a more straightforward RPG, with fleshed-out, scripted party members, and more focus on ground-level exploration and encounters. They're both great. (The third game, Expeditions: Rome, just came out a few days ago, and I have yet to play it.)

Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden is a turn-based party-based RPG with a strong focus on its story and worldbuilding. It's very good, although also very short for an RPG.

 

Somewhat farther afield:

Dungeon crawlers, of the first-person party-blob type: The two Legend of Grimrock games are very solid- good mechanics, fun dungeons to explore with lots of tricky puzzles and secrets to find; but they're also extremely sparse with the story. Vaporum and its followup, Vaporum: Lockdown are also excellent; they're much heavier on the story elements; but in both of them, the player controls a single protagonist, so there's no party management. Operencia: The Stolen Sun is another great dungeon crawler; it has fleshed-out party members and a heavy story focus in addition to cool dungeons; it draws its settings and characters from Hungarian mythology, which is unique and fun.

Hard West is a story-oriented turn-based tactics game/RPG; it's relatively light on the RPG mechanics, but the story is good, and the combat is serviceable.

Cosmic Star Heroine is a very good indie JRPG- more heavily story-focused, heavily streamlined RPG mechanics, less focus on exploration, simplified turn-based combat with no tactical positioning stuff. It's a fun ride.

[Sudanna]

I must dissent against the above mechanical criticisms of Pillars of Eternity. They're the only ones of these kinds of games that I ever replay, specifically because I enjoy the mechanics. Otherwise, good descriptions of them. Tyranny is another game from the same company, and has a very similar design ethic.

 

There are three Shadowrun games that are probably exactly what you're looking for. None of them are direct sequels to each other, they can be played independently. The first, Shadowrun Returns, is fine but not super interesting and ultimately I would recommend skipping it or playing it last if you really like the other two. The second, Shadowrun: Dragonfall, is fantastic and exceptional and has a story and characters that are very dear to me. The third, Shadowrun: Hong Kong, is also very good.

 

The two recent Pathfinder games, Kingmaker and Wrath of the Righteous, were pretty good if you can get through the mechanical morass of Pathfinder. Very long, if that's what you're looking for. They both have decent, intricate, involved storylines, but expect to spend a wide majority of time just fighting things in Pathfinder. The second has solidly better writing and characters, and they're narratively unrelated, so that's the one I'd more recommend.

 

Underrail and The Age of Decadence aren't party-based, but otherwise fit the bill. The Age of Decadence has a particular emphasis on wildly divergent storylines and paths through the game, including several non-combat ones.

 

Wildermyth is a recent release that is maybe sort of adjacent to what you're asking for. It's got a recognizable tile-based combat system, but is both mechanically and narratively very light and procedural. It emphasizes the passing of time, your adventurers grow old and are replaced by new generations, and the scars and weird magical changes that accumulate. Ultimately, I found it a little thin, but it's alright.

Edited January 25, 2022 by Sudanna