The Best Heroic Fantasy Games, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• Heroic fantasies focus on worthy individual goals, distinct from grand world-saving adventures in high fantasy.
• Nariko’s sacrifice and personal mission in “Heavenly Sword” exemplify the intimate nature of heroic fantasy tales.
• Games like “God of War” and “Tyranny” explore heroes with moral dilemmas in the context of personal ventures.

Most players are aware of high fantasy and how this genre prioritizes high stakes and epic adventures as a single hero or a band of adventurers combine their efforts to save the world. However, there’s another fantasy subgenre fans may not be aware of that operates within the same vicinity.

Heroic fantasy games feature protagonists with a positive moral alignment who try to accomplish worthy goals of their own, without the scope of the series expanding to the point where the fate of the whole world hinges on their success. Sometimes, saving one’s family or a group of people is enough to classify something as a heroic fantasy tale, making these stories more personal and relatable than the whole save-the-world schtick prevalent in the high fantasy genre.

8 Heavenly Sword

Nariko’s Quest To Save Her Clan Compels Her To Risk Her Life For This Worthy Cause

One of the most underrated hack-and-slash titles on the PS3, the beautiful visuals and fun combat of Heavenly Sword left players disappointed after the short runtime of its main story. The fact that Nariko’s adventures are still fresh in the minds of players who had the opportunity to enjoy this game shows the potential for a remaster that allows a whole new group of fans to enjoy this title for themselves.

The protagonist decides to use a life-threatening sword to try and save her clan from a tyrant played by Andy Serkis. She’s willing to lay down her life for this cause, making her a brave heroine who comes back from the brink of death and uses her new superpowers to annihilate King Bohan’s troops.

7 Middle-earth: Shadow Of Mordor

Talion Swears To Get Revenge For The Death Of His Wife And Family By Taking On Sauron

After losing his wife and family to the evil forces of Sauron, Talion is brought back from the brink of death and teams up with Celebrimbor to wage war on the Dark Lord’s forces in Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor. His motivations are simple — the ranger wants to avenge his family and take on the Dark Lord himself in combat.

It’s a deeply personal tale that makes the most of the Nemesis System to reward players for dominating as many orc leaders as possible. While the hobbits may be hard at work saving all of Middle-earth from Sauron’s thirst for power, Talion’s motivations are more rooted and easy to empathize with, in comparison.

6 Yes, Your Grace

Governing A Small Kingdom Sets Up The Underdog King Eryk As A Compelling Protagonist

• Platforms: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
• Release Date: March 6, 2020
• Developer: Brave at Night

One of the most unique kingdom management RPGs players can check out, Yes, Your Grace is a rewarding indie title where players must manage a struggling kingdom and help it stand tall against the many enemy forces that stand in their way.

While the protagonist, King Eryk, can make some evil decisions, it’s hard not to empathize with his struggles as he tries to keep his family and kingdom happy while managing the kingdom’s wealth and army. The game’s fantasy elements feel right at home, and the exploration of familiar bonds in this title makes it a great example of what heroic fantasy titles are all about.

5 The Witcher

An Amnesiac Witcher Must Stop The Order Of The Flaming Rose And Its Leader

Before Geralt learned of Ciri’s existence and helped her save the world by eliminating the threat of the White Frost, he was an amnesiac who had lost his memory after incurring near-fatal injuries at the Pogrom of Rivia. The first Witcher game involves the White Wolf trying to rediscover existing relationships while uncovering a grand conspiracy with the Order of the Flaming Rose at the heart of things.

Eventually, after numerous investigations and adventures, Geralt takes on the leader of this Order himself, Jacques de Aldersberg. It’s an excellent conclusion to the tale and becomes more personal for the monster slayer when it turns out that this leader was once Geralt’s ward who accidentally traveled back in time and used his teachings to become a powerful leader who was too drunk on his power.

4 Tyranny

While Players Can Be Evil If They Wish, The Fatebinder Can Always Try To Uphold Better Morals With Their Actions

Heroic fantasy involves protagonists who usually operate on the side of good, which is why Tyranny can be a hard sell for this genre. The game loves to explore evil in all shapes and forms, with the Fatebinder possibly becoming a heinous individual if players wish for this to be the case.

On the other hand, Tyranny might just be the best example of what heroic fantasy is all about if the Fatebinder decides to overcome the oppressive evil surrounding them and tries to uphold some semblance of good in a messed-up world. Standing against Kyros is no mean feat, and the Fatebinder’s Archon powers awaken in the nick of time to help them and their allies overcome Kyros’ fearsome might.

3 Hades

Zagreus’ Goal Is Simple — He Just Wants To Reach The Surface And Meet His Mother

Despite Hades letting players control and interact with a wealth of gods and divine beings, Zagreus’ motivations to try and find his mother is something that fans will relate to in no time. He goes through multiple layers of the overworld and dies over and over again just to find out more about his origins, which makes him an easy character to like.

To accomplish this goal, Zagreus can use a wealth of powerful weaponry to take on the denizens of the Underworld and win against numerous bosses before eventually fighting against his father, Hades. It helps that Supergiant Games is a master of combining gameplay and narrative, using the title’s roguelite structure to make Zagreus’ story as compelling as possible.

2 Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time

The Prince Must Make Up For His Mistakes And Prevent The Vizier From Achieving His Heinous Goals

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is one of the greatest action-adventure games ever made, with its combination of excellent character writing and sublime platforming elevating this title’s reputation. The Prince may seem cocky and unlikable early on, only for his character to mature as he adventures with Farah to undo his mistakes.

The Prince’s quest to restore his kingdom ensures that the scope of this title doesn’t go overboard, letting players relate to his human struggles of losing a father and his people to the Sands of Time. By the end of this magical title, fans will adore how mature the Prince is, with his final words making it clear to Farah that he was speaking the truth all along.

1 God Of War

The Reboot Focuses On A Personal Tale Of Kratos And His Son Trying To Fulfil Faye’s Final Wish

The original God of War trilogy features the highest stakes possible as Kratos takes on all of Olympus in a bid to get revenge for being slighted time and time again, even if the first game embodies some aspects of heroic fantasy since the source of his hatred comes from Ares tricking the Ghost of Sparta to kill his wife and daughter.

Meanwhile, the God of War reboot places a simple goal in front of players that helps this mature iteration of Kratos slowly win over fans’ hearts. Kratos and his son must travel to Jotunheim to scatter Faye’s ashes, a goal that seems simple enough only for the duo to face off against numerous tough enemies and some meddling gods during this adventure.