Upcoming AAA/AA CRPGs or story-based RPGs (updated 15/04/2025)

[Reynard]

They're not significantly less so than Mass Effect or The Witcher, both of which are listed in the OP. And they're definitely story-focused games.

I would say they are definitely closer to the Arkham games or new Tomb Raider than Mass Effect or Witcher 3. But, again, there are no hard and fast rules. "RPG elements" bled into "action RPG" years ago.

 

[Kaodi]

I cannot comment on Forbidden West but off-hand I cannot think of any actual choices in Zero Dawn. The main choice is how you play the game, not anything to do with the story.

In any case I would certainly enjoy some Mass Effect fan theories.

 

[MarkB]

In any case I would certainly enjoy some Mass Effect fan theories.

If, as suggested, it features some species from Andromeda, presumably having travelled back to the Milky Way, there could be some interesting conflict there. I don't imagine that the society arising from the "Destroy" ending of ME3 would take kindly to MEA's heavy integration of organics and unrestrained AIs.

 

[Pale Violet Light]

In any case I would certainly enjoy some Mass Effect fan theories.

We can always dust off the indoctrination theories from the end of ME3, if you want to reopen an insane can of worms.

 

[Reynard]

I picked up Skald because it is super cheap on Steam right now. I won't get to it for a bit, but has anyone played it? Does it successfully mix Uktima and Lovecraft?

 

[Kaodi]

We can always dust off the indoctrination theories from the end of ME3, if you want to reopen an insane can of worms.

What if the canon ending Shepard is indoctrinated - but not by, or just by, the Reapers? She has, after all, been in direct contact with Leviathan. Maybe she has totally been affected, but the conflicting sources of indoctrination effectively cancel each other out.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

I picked up Skald because it is super cheap on Steam right now. I won't get to it for a bit, but has anyone played it? Does it successfully mix Uktima and Lovecraft?

I played it a little but bounced off it because it wasn't really engaging me.

What I can recommend for kind of old-fashioned RPGs is Caves of Qud, which is like an 11/10 banger honestly.

What if the canon ending Shepard is indoctrinated - but not by, or just by, the Reapers? She has, after all, been in direct contact with Leviathan. Maybe she has totally been affected, but the conflicting sources of indoctrination effectively cancel each other out.

Oh wow that is pretty next-level.

I remember months ago I was going to list some fan theories but lost the post, that's wilder than any I knew.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Mass Effect only had 1 game much like there was only 1 Highlander movie (obviously).

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Mass Effect only had 1 game much like there was only 1 Highlander movie (obviously).

No that's the "Star Trek only had ones series, the original series" position (which was still a real position people adopted when I got on to the internet in 1993), because unlike Highlander 2, ME2 was extremely well-regarded (94% metacritic), sold extremely well, and was pretty influential on later games generally. Even ME3 isn't "Highlander 2" material. Hell even Andromeda isn't, which is saying something.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Agree to disagree. Also LOL that meta critic means jack or squat.