I have tried a ton of RPGs, and most just don't click for me. Here are a few:
- Skyrim - enjoyed Morrowind for the side content, Skyrim just felt empty
- Chrono Trigger - enjoyed until about halfway through with the battle with Magus; felt very RNG dependent, or maybe I was under leveled; I bailed after 5 or so attempts that all ended the same way (healer got killed and everyone got picked off)
- Pillars of Eternity - burned out somewhere in Act 2 (20-25 hours); combat system annoyed me, and I dislike picking new abilities
- Banner Saga - story is great, but I hate the combat, so I bailed
Some things about me:
- I don't care about leveling up/character builds, it feels like a chore; abilities also don't interest me
- I hate grinding
- using items feels like cheating, so I tend to just use character abilities (I will heal if needed); I'd rather "git gud" than buy and use items
- turn based combat (tactics) is generally boring, but I do like puzzles, so that can make it acceptable
- I don't like the feeling of being OP, I want to struggle through the end
- I don't like loot
That said, here are a few that I've really enjoyed:
- ARPGs like Ys and Zelda - items are rare or are tools in a puzzle-like system; favorites are Ys 1, Ys Origin, Zelda: A Link to the Past, and Zelda: Skyward Sword (probably because I played Skyward Sword recently); I dislike BotW, and Memories of Celceta has been dragging a bit (I'm near the end, but excited to finish)
- interesting RPGs like Undertale - short and very unique experience
- Souls-like games - challenge involving melee/dodging keeps me going
- Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky - not a fan of the combat, but the story is interesting somewhat at least; I'm about 2/3 through I think (30 hours), but I've taken a multi-month break; likewise, Xenoblade Chronicles is interesting so far, but I'm not super excited about it (may bump down to story mode to get through it, the combat sucks imo)
- Nier: Replicant - great story, leveling stayed out of the way, and I never felt like I needed to grind or upgrade gear
I really like the storylines of RPGs, I just don't like actually playing them. Unfortunately, my preferred ARPG genre is filled with loot nonsense, and I've played most of the ones that don't really on that as a mechanic. Perhaps my favorite RPG-adjacent game not mentioned already is Yakuza 0, I'm not a fan of the combat, but he story is amazing and the side content is fun.
Does anyone feel similarly? Do you have any suggestions for other games to try?
Try CrossCode! It's action based so it won't feel too RPG-y.
The story is really good and the characters are extremely well written. At the risk of sounding cliche, they're so well written they feel like real people.
The dungeons have puzzles which you may enjoy since you like Zelda games.
The combat is really fast and skill based, and you respawn immediately at the last door you walked through, so you might find this gameplay loop rewarding since you like Souls games.
You don't have to grind, but if you do try this game, try beating a bunch of enemies until the S rank bar appears. Something fun will happen :)
I saw CrossCode recommended in another thread, I guess this is my signal to give it a shot. Thanks!