2021 is the Year of Great Action RPGs: Strikers, Biomutant, Crimson Desert, and More
The action RPG genre is one of the most varied and storied genres among other genres, especially as games have evolved and gotten more mechanically complex. Whether it's the mechanically complex RPGs of old like Diablo 2, or the open-world freedom of a game like Skyrim or The Witcher 3; action RPG is a broad enough definition to encompass numerous great games throughout the years. The immediate future of the genre is also looking very promising, especially in this year alone. For some reason, 2021 has been flooded by a surprising amount of exciting new action RPGs, just by chance. Various fans have tons of options to look forward to as the year goes on.
2021 is already turning out to be a great year for action RPGs, moreso compared to any previous years of games, and the year isn't even halfway over. Old and older action RPGs are seeing new life with re-releases and remasters, new and unique ARPG entries, among plenty more promising titles releasing later on this year. Whether it's action RPGs with more arcade-like beat 'em up combat, or the more complex class-based combat systems in others, options like Nier Replicant and the upcoming Crimson Desert have had many fans excited. As the year goes on, fans of this particular genre of games are going to get a lot of love for the next six or seven months.
Even before all of the new entries that have come out this year, a ton of existing IPs and franchises have seen some renewed success this year. The Yakuza series in particular as seen a ton of love as the main saga of Kazuma Kiryu has made its way to PC and Xbox consoles, after being exclusive to PlayStation for several years. Kingdom Hearts saw the whole series ported to PC in March, once again spreading the love of Square Enix's strangely iconic action JRPG even further beyond. Nintendo's celebrating The Legend of Zelda's 35th anniversary this year with a Skyward Sword remaster coming soon, despite even bigger Zelda reveals likely coming this E3.
More recent titles are even seeing renewed love, like 2020's Final Fantasy 7 Remake is receiving an enhanced port in the form of Intergrade. Not only that, but additional DLC is coming to the iconic game's reimagining to expand the story even further, before the long wait for "part two" begins. A polar opposite re-release, in the form of Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance from 2001, has also seen a re-release to modern platforms just as recently as this week. There's frankly been a surprising amount of existing action RPGs seeing a lot of love this year, even when there's already been several exciting new titles seeing very similar success.
Some pretty significant action RPGs have already released this year, as of May 2021: Whether it's been a pseudo-sequel for a JRPG series that experimented with an ARPG format in early development, or the remake of a cult-classic action RPG based on an innovative sequel, or a new entry in an iconic action RPG series. The iconic 2017 JRPG Persona 5 saw its pseudo-sequel, Persona 5 Strikers, receive a western release back in February of this year. Strikers also served as the Musou/Dynasty Warriors flavor for this year as well, though that's without counting Samurai Warriors coming this July.
Beyond that, the cult classic Nier received a complete and total overhaul in the style of its sequel, Nier: Automata. More than just a remake, Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139... brought the exclusive Japanese protagonist's story worldwide, whilst including many of the gameplay innovations that Automata pioneered. Earlier in the year, Monster Hunter Rise also brought the usual Monster Hunter heat exclusively to Nintendo Switch. Already this year has included some fantastic action RPGS thus far, but what's even more special is how stacked the rest of the year is as well.
New games like Scarlet Nexus, Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance, Neo: The World Ends with You, The Ascent, No More Heroes 3, Tales of Arise, Lost Judgment, Crimson Desert and presumably many more with unannounced release dates as well. All of these games have planned release dates in 2021, and most are multiplatform releases (save for exemptions like No More Heroes 3 on Nintendo Switch, or Scarlet Nexus on Xbox consoles). Games like Crimson Desert or Scarlet Nexus are going to play completely different from titles like The Ascent and No More Heroes 3, but that's part of the beauty and diversity of action RPGs.
There's always the possibility that more action RPGs are on the way as well, whether they're unannounced titles or the likes of Elden Ring. Either way, 2021 has a ton on offer for the action RPG genre already, with plenty of options for fans to dive into. Games like Dark Alliance and The Ascent are offering more stat and build-based action RPG gameplay, while games like Crimson Desert and No More Heroes 3 are offering more ability and skill based combat with tons of feedback and interactivity. There are many options for action RPG fans out there to play in 2021, and it's only going to get better.
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