5 Discontinued Fantasy Games That Almost Changed The Genre (& 5 That Are In Development)
Fantasy games transport players into worlds of dragons, warriors, magic, and sorcery. Moreover, thanks to games like Divinity: Original Sin 2 and Skyrim, fantasy gamers become a part of a grand adventure. As such, they become gallant knights, powerful wizards, or even infamous thieves that wage war against various evildoers and meet mystical creatures. Thankfully, almost any fantasy game can guarantee a unique story and a diverse cast of characters for players.
Unfortunately, some fantasy games do get discontinued or cancelled - sometimes way before they make a mark in the industry. As such, just which fantasy games would've changed the genre if they continued to offer experiences to gamers? And more interestingly, just which upcoming fantasy titles may change the way the fantasy genre works?
10 Cancelled: Black Isle's Torn
Old school RPG enthusiasts know Black Isle Studios for its games set mostly in the D&D universe. However, in the case of Black Isle's Torn, they wanted a new take on the RPG genre. And interestingly, Black Isle's Torn would've focused on magic. In Torn, the omnipotent Architect cast feuding gods of Order and Chaos into separate dimensions. Their continuing influence in the world of Torn caused a new conflict, with the player character at the center.
In Torn, players don't have character classes but instead use the SPECIAL System (akin to Fallout). Moreover, characters and their AI companions each have limited action points to spend in combat, turning Torn into a semi-real-time RPG. Interestingly enough, an intuitive mana and magic system would have players casting magic across four different "types."
9 Upcoming: Baldur's Gate 3
Fans of old school RPGs would've likely tried games in the Baldur's Gate series, set in the D&D Forgotten Realms setting. Thanks to the series' popularity, Baldur's Gate 3: The Black Hound set itself as a prequel to 1998's Baldur's Gate 2, and would've used D&D 3rd Edition's rules. Unfortunately, Black Isle Studios canned the game in 2002. Thankfully, Larian Studios will be officially developing Baldur's Gate 3, albeit with no mention of its relation to The Black Hound.
Regardless, fans remain optimistic about the quality of Baldur's Gate 3, thanks to Larian's creation of critically-acclaimed Divinity: Original Sin 2. Moreover, fans expect the same narrative depth in Baldur's Gate 3 as offered by Larian's hit title. After all, Original Sin 2 featured both an intricate narrative with massive attention to detail. Thanks to the depth of lore in Forgotten Realms, Larian may strike gold with Baldur's Gate 3.
8 Cancelled: Ascendant
Prior to THQ's farewell, they were supposed to release Ascendant, an action RPG set in a fantasy world with an epic fantasy story. Despite a teaser trailer, not much is known regarding Ascendant. However, fans do know that THQ was working with Ken Rolston (Morrowind, Oblivion) before arriving in Big Huge Games (Fable). His presence in THQ might explain the rather familiar art style of Ascendant, that being a mix of Fable and a dash of Warcraft. These, of course, remain as rumors.
However, the trailer itself gives a glimpse of what Ascendant may have been today. Had it pushed through, players may see themselves wielding weapons and magic in fast-paced battles in a semi-realistic world. This premise can become a change of pace to more realistic fantasy games today, and put an emphasis on action-magic gameplay.
7 Upcoming: Little Devil Inside
Neostream's Little Devil Inside is an upcoming survival action-horror fantasy game for the PS5. At first glance, Little Devil Inside plays like a fantasy adventure game. Players take on the role of an adventurer hired by a professor to investigate unusual happenings in the world at large. Moreover, players can hire other adventurers to accompany them as they fight monsters, collect rare artifacts, and explore.
Players will immediately notice the rather playful character and environment design in an extremely atmospheric world. The game highlights preparation, as players need to equip themselves with the right gear for every mission. This focus, combined with the world's heavy use of contrasts and playful graphics, poises Little Devil Inside to become quite the immersive experience.
6 Cancelled: Chronos Materia
Fans of anime-inspired RPGs like the Tales series would appreciate Chronos Materia. This canceled game, courtesy of Gust Co. Ltd. (Ar Nosurge, Atelier), poises itself as a fantasy RPG with time travel elements. RPG fans who hear this premise might remember the Atlus title Radiant Historia, who uses a similar gameplay mechanic.
The game talks of the tale of five adventurers who find themselves in a foreign land with no memory of how they got there. In their quest to go home, they realize they can travel through time. Interestingly, thanks to the popularity of multiple endings in games today, Chronos Materia can revolutionize the trope by making transitioning timelines (and their intended consequences) a mechanic.
5 Upcoming: Soul Saga
Devs Disastercake's Soul Saga shows that there are ways to streamline traditional RPG mechanics as present in Suikoden and Final Fantasy, and still tell an entertaining story. In Soul Saga, adventurer Mithos and engineer Elise travel the surface world of Oterra and soar the skies of Medonia's floating islands in search of the former's father, a missing guild leader.
Despite the simple premise and FF-inspired graphics, the game does feature an intuitive gameplay setup. For instance, players explore the floating islands of Medonia via a skyship. However, players can also land their ship and travel on foot. Meanwhile, players can approach any enemy on the map to initiate turn-based combat with a simple-to-navigate interface.
4 Cancelled: Elveon
Why do fantasy games always have to star humans? Thanks to Elveon, Slovakian team 10Tacle studios tried to shift this common narrative in fantasy RPGs. In Elveon, players take on the role of an elite Elven warrior as he tries to change the fate of the Elven civilization in the world of Naon. Unfortunately, the game met its end when its devs officially canceled the title for undisclosed reasons.
However, gameplay footage showed quite the potential in Elveon. Aside from its staple third-person gameplay mechanics, the game does demonstrate fast-paced combat. Moreover, the game shines in its art direction. Granted, the game does have the usual "sleek, regal" look on Elves, Elveon is perhaps one of the few games that put a primary focus on featuring a fantasy race's "culture" as its centerpiece.
3 Upcoming: Dreamscaper
Despite its rather "typical" take on action-adventure combat, Dreamscaper impresses with its approach to narrative and visuals. Firstly, Dreamscaper looks amazing even in early access. Its atmospheric visuals offer just enough detail to help players focus on gameplay and enjoy the environment.
Moreover, the game's narrative proves the potential of games to share experiences. After all, this indie action RPGs tell the story of the protagonist who travels into her subconscious each night to explore her depression. As such, enemies in the game take the form of her most negative thoughts.
2 Cancelled: Scalebound
When folks from Platinum Games announced action fantasy RPG Scalebound, fans got excited for the game's touted co-op dragon-and-player action. In the game, players take on the role of Drew who, alongside his dragon Thuban, fight enemies side by side. Interestingly, Platinum Games wanted to focus more on the game's RPG aspect instead of purely action. And this focus makes sense, given initial teasers for the game revealed that Thuban and Drew share a bond where the death of either causes the death of the other.
Moreover, the game features an extensive list of weapons - both melee like swords and ranged like guns. Players could also extensively customize Drew's skills. Unfortunately, the game was cancelled back in 2017.
1 Upcoming: Elden Ring
Fans of FromSoftware and George R. R. Martin would've heard about Elden Ring. This upcoming action RPG will likely have Dark Souls-like gameplay in a massive backdrop, courtesy of G.R.R.M.'s creative worldbuilding. Of course, fans might assume Elden Ring will have the staple skill-based gameplay Dark Souls popularized. However, perhaps an intense backstory may help justify such a steep difficulty.
Interestingly, such a game might exemplify how action RPGs could still have intense and immersive stories. Moreover, G.R.R.M.'s penchant for intense and evocative stories might finally get realized in a game.
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