Best RPG of 2018 - Article

by Chinh Tran , posted on 02 January 2019 / 4,965 Views

2018 proved to be another year where major releases borrowed heavily from classic RPG mechanics. Skill trees and leveling are now almost synonymous with popular games from sports to first person shooters. Fortunately, those looking for a traditional RPG were not forgotten in 2018, as our finalists for Best RPG prove.

Early in the year, Capcom moved the traditionally handheld Monster Hunter series to home consoles with great success with the launch of Monster Hunter: World; Level-5 then released Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, which continued the beautiful art-style and tone of the original; Square Enix also bought the latest in its storied franchise, Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, to the West; Square Enix then gave the Nintendo Switch more attention in the form of a spiritual successor to the legendary Final Fantasy VI, with the release of Octopath Traveler; finally, Game Freak and Nintendo released the first pair of Pokemon games on Nintendo Switch - Pokemon: Lets Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee!

The Shortlist:

Monster Hunter: World

Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

Octopath Traveler

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee!

The Winner:

Octopath Traveler

Square Enix was clearly tugging at our classic 16-bit RPG heartstrings with the release of Octopath Traveler. With traditional gameplay and story elements, eight unique playable characters, and nostalgia-laden graphics, Square Enix proved that sometimes going backwards is the best way forwards. In an era when RPG systems frequently appear in other genres, Octopath Traveler is a stubborn and convincing reminder that old-school RPGs still have a place in today's gaming world. For all these reasons and so many more, Octopath Traveler is our Best RPG of 2018.

13 Comments

HoloDust (on 02 January 2019)

JRPG bias much? Not even a mention of Kingdom Come: Deliverance or Pillars of Eternity 2?

Loneken HoloDust (on 02 January 2019)

Yes, Both games are fantastic.

Chazore HoloDust (on 05 January 2019)

It's a given at this point, that JRPG's on this site are likely to win out any Western one.

SuperNintend0rk (on 02 January 2019)

Wow this category had some serious competition this year! I wasn't sure if it was gonna go to MHW, DQ11, or OT.

Acevil (on 02 January 2019)

I think my choice as well. Look forward to the selection.

Shiken (on 02 January 2019)

Excellent choice and I couldn't agree more.

Luke888 (on 02 January 2019)

Yessss, I loved Octopath

RingoGaSuki (on 11 April 2019)

I would have given it to DQXI out of the choices given, but Octopath definitely deserves it.

Areym (on 03 January 2019)

Can't say I agree at all but at least, Octopath is a great game regardless of its inspirations. As much as I like my SNES-era JRPGs, I find all other options (aside from pokemon lets go) far more compelling. I guess a break from the current trend makes games stand out a bit more.

OTBWY (on 03 January 2019)

Hell yeah Octopath!!

Mnementh (on 02 January 2019)

Well, can't agree more seeing Octopath is my second best game of all time in this years thread. Nice that other too think this was a great game deserving a lot of praise. I still wait for Dragon Quest on Switch, this is a game I also look forward very keenly to.