The best isometric RPGs: review, features and reviews

At the end of the 1990s an RPG isometric appeared with an enviable regularity. The PC has become the main platform for such products. Such video games could not boast completely three-dimensional graphics, but always differed by the excellent design. Since then, computers have become more powerful, and games - more perfect, but the players do not hurry to make an isometric projection into the list of anachronisms. This article gives an overview of the best isometric RPGs.

Planescape: Torment

Describing the best isometric RPGs, special attention should be paid to Planescape. A video game was released at the turn of the century (in 1999), and immediately earned the title of legend. The action takes place in the city of Sigil. Thousands of roads are intertwined here, but before traveling on each of them you need to open a portal, and for this you need keys. One door will be opened by an enchanted sphere, others - garbage, which even the homeless will not pay attention to, the third - just the right thought.

The plot and features of the game

The main character lost his memory. Even his own name is a secret for him. But he is immortal. When the HP level drops to zero, Bezymyannyh is taken to a local morgue, where he just falls asleep before continuing the adventure. Dying in the game the protagonist will often, and not only because of the attack of enemies - sometimes the quest can not be completed, survived.

After the death, Nameless loses all his memories, so he keeps a detailed diary, and in the course of the plot he looks for old records made in "past lives". Gradually the player learns that Bezymyanny was a participant of almost all the major events of Sigil.

The main charm of the game is not in the combat system and the pattern of pumping the hero, but in dialogues, nonlinearity, plot, character relationships. In Planescape, a minimum of videos and animations, and most scenes are transmitted text. The volume of all dialogs is more than six megabytes. During the passage, the player will have to read more text than in the work "War and Peace".

Tyranny

Describing new isometric RPGs, one can not help but mention the fruit of the joint work of Obsidian Entertainment and Paradox - Tyranny. I must say that the game is similar to the modern RPG as far as the plays of Chekhov are on modern sitcoms. Here there are no bad and good, there is no struggle for justice, there are no high elves and warlike orcs. Tyranny is a story about people.

Plot and features

Almost the whole continent is subordinate to Kairos - a powerful magician, only one small kingdom remains independent. The plot does not clearly identify bad and good. Although Kairos captured all the land, his actions ruled out the possibility of a bloody civil war. The main character (contrary to the expectations of players) will have to help capture the magician's last independent kingdom, and not overthrow his regime.

The player himself determines the pre-history of the game. Previously, isometric RPGs did not offer such opportunities. The developers have provided the gamer with a choice of what happened in the last three years before the main events began. Each decision will affect the plot.

As in many other RPGs, the main character can recruit a team of brothers in arms. Companions here are not so much as in Dragon Age, but their fighting qualities depend not only on level and equipment, but also on relationships. Each of the satellites needs a unique approach. Someone likes iron discipline in battle, and someone is inspired by unconventional and chaotic decisions.

The only negative Tyranny - close locations and a small number of quests. If not for these shortcomings, the game could be compared to the legendary RPG Planescape: Torment. But, despite all the drawbacks, it's interesting to play Tyranny. Moreover - after the completion of the plot you want to go through the game again, choose other variants of the development of events, see what these or those actions turn into. On modern platforms, role-playing games of this level are extremely rare.

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura

Describing isometric RPGs with the open world, one can not ignore Arcanum. This game is considered to be a masterpiece. It is revered by fans of RPG, but little known in the wide circles.

Arcanum - smart, versatile game with a great story. The developers took the best elements of other representatives of the genre and mixed them with their ideas. Open world, a lot of dialogues, wide opportunities for influence on the NPC with the help of auxiliary skills, a nonlinear plot, a pumping system similar to Fallout - all this is in Arcanum.

The game was forgotten due to a misunderstanding - before the start of sales to the global network, someone merged copies of the raw beta with a lot of flaws and errors. This, in turn, led to a disastrous sales level.

The plot and features of Arcanum

The world of the game is inhabited by the usual fantasy creatures, but technological progress does not stand still. Mechanical devices, steam engines, flamethrowers, firearms - all this is side by side with classical fantasy canons.

The plot is nontrivial. During the flight of the protagonist to the capital, a dirigible crashes. The passenger asks the protagonist to deliver the ring to an unknown person, after which he dies from the received wounds. Immediately after this, the protagonist learns from an accidental acquaintance that he is now chosen and started hunting for him. The further development of events depends only on the player.

Any modern isometric RPGs will envy the possibilities of playing the role. At a minimum, the main character can be rude, rude, deceive, fall in love with the characters. And the number of these opportunities grows with the pumping of side skills. The player can create a character for the passage without fighting - in this case the protagonist will try to persuade, deceive, force. Fans of war will like the reverse situation - the passage, not talking to anyone and not taking a single quest, just killing each counter. All tasks can be performed in several different ways.

In addition to the gameplay will affect not only the actions of the gamer, but also the race and gender of the character. The system of dialogues is so complicated that it is worthwhile to think several times over the choice of the next replica: some words will help to carry out the quest with a minimum of losses, others will forever ruin the NPC's attitude to the protagonist.

Baldur's Gate

None of the top isometric RPGs can not do without the Baldur's Gate series. This RPG will appeal to retro lovers, but any self-respecting gamer should familiarize with it. Today, the game is considered a classic, but at the time of the release, gaming publications called it revolutionary. It was Baldur's Gate that introduced into the genre those elements that are still used by computer games developers.

Historical reference

BioWare developed its own engine, which later built the majority of isometric RPGs of the late 90's, early 2000's. But initially publishers were skeptical about this software product. Believes in BioWare only representatives of the company Interplay.

The first step, which no one of the companies ventured before BioWare, was to change the camera position. The view from the first person has lost its relevance, and the player has become available to review what is happening from the height of a small high-rise building. It is with Baldur's Gate isometric RPG games that began their history.

Combat system

The combat system combined the tactical depth of the desktop version of AD & D and dynamics. All the bouts took place in real time. But the player could at any time to turn on the pause, calmly assess the situation and give commands to the characters.

Fans of the desktop version did not like this idea, but after the release of the game everyone recognized that the system works better than expected and reproduces classical rules.

Game world

The plot, although it was a collection of genre clichés, was presented at a deeper level. NPCs in the game existed not only for the distribution of quests. With them it was possible to talk not only about how many orc's ears should be brought to increase the level. The amount of text in the dialogues was comparable to the volume of a rather large book.

Also the player could communicate with partners. If before the fellow travelers were faceless and answered with one or two phrases, now, thanks to the dialogues, each of them got its own unique character. Mates pursued their goals and had a biography. If in the same squad fell fellow travelers with opposite philosophical views, it came to disputes, abuse, and even, murder. All these nuances helped create the illusion that the world is alive.

The size of the Baldur's Gate card is huge, but the textures of cities, castles and dungeons are hand-drawn. The world is cozy and beautiful. RPG series Baldur's Gate will give dozens of hours of pleasant pastime to all lovers of the genre.

Diablo 3

Diablo 3 - a game that a week after its release was the best-selling game for the PC. Classic isometric RPG games on PCs are the exact opposite of Diablo.

In Diablo 3, the dialogue and the plot are given minimal attention. The main elements here are fighting and pumping. Regardless of the class of the character and his skills, the hero will have to chop down hundreds of monsters, getting loot and experience in return. Although the plot of the game is the salvation of the world, in the third Diablo 3, it seems that the protagonist's goal is uncontrolled violence.

Three-dimensional models are killed beautifully, diversely, dynamically. And, the player does not need to often stop to pick up gold, it will jump into the pockets automatically.

The only drawback is that the video game ends too quickly. But after all, isometric RPGs usually offer dozens of hours of gameplay. However, if the gamer wants to extend the passage, there is an option to choose a high level of complexity. In this case, the plot will not receive new branches of development, but the passage will slow down due to the increased survivability of monsters. In addition to increasing the level of HP and damage, mobs will receive several superpowers at once, which will force the player to think out combat tactics.

I must say that the plot of the game is quite good for the militant. Did the developers inspire the works of George RR Martin, but the death of key characters the gamer will have to observe regularly. One who has recently been an enemy swears loyalty. The one who was a friend, tries to stab a knife in the back.

Part of the story is revealed through in-game books. This approach is reminiscent of the TES series. NPCs here serve not only for the issuance of quests. Many of them have their own history. Of course, the development of dialogues and the plot can not be compared with Arcanum or Planescape, but they are in this game not a driving force, but an element of decor. They are designed to explain the actions of the protagonist, dilute the process of "cutting" the monsters, make it interesting, and not routine. Although, classical isometric RPGs are far from the spirit of Diablo 3, this game still remains one of the best in the genre.