Best RPGs That Start Small and Expand Gradually

The best role-playing games know how to ease players into their world without overwhelming them with content. These RPGs are all the more memorable because players can explore the world at their own pace instead of feeling like they have to explore massive sandboxes and accomplish everything they set their minds to.

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With the RPG genre more popular than ever, it’s easy to see why players would seek out games that are dripping with lore without making them feel like outsiders to the ongoing events. Numerous plot devices ensure that the scope of the game gradually increases with the player’s understanding.

8

Horizon Zero Dawn

The Game’s World Slowly Expands As The Plot Develops, Easing Players Into The Massive Sandbox

Horizon Zero Dawn

Systems

Released

February 28, 2017

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Horizon Zero Dawn was an impressive first step for Guerrilla Games who wanted to kickstart an impressive IP. Aloy’s adventures as an outcast start out small. She tries her best to participate in a trial and be accepted by others.

However, when this trial goes south, Aloy must fight for her life and embark on an epic adventure to understand how the world was corrupted in the first place. The lore is amazing and ensures that players will have a great time uncovering all the pieces as the story becomes more engrossing over time.

7

Kenshi

Players Have No Idea How Massive This Game’s Scope Is When They’re Dropped Into The World Out Of Nowhere

The freedom that Kenshi offers can be ridiculously overwhelming at first, with players being dropped into a settlement based on their beginning and slowly carving a legacy for themselves. In time, players will realize that leveling up their combat skills is a must if they don’t want to be torn apart by the hostilities present in the world.

Once they’re comfortable adventuring to their heart’s content, players can check out the wealth of gameplay mechanics that they can experiment with. From becoming respected traders to starting a settlement of their own, the possibilities in Kenshi are endless. It helps that these opportunities blossom naturally as players make progress, eventually letting them do whatever they set their minds to as long as they have the resources and followers to aid them in their quest.

6

Deus Ex

Players Have No Idea How Multi-Layered The Game’s Plot Is

Systems

Released

June 23, 2000

Developer(s)

Ion Storm

When players start Deus Ex, all they’re told is that the NSF are terrorists and UNATCO is on the side of good. However, simply completing the first mission is enough to prove that not everything is as it seems.

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The questions posed by the NSF terrorists are genuinely compelling and do a great job of instilling a sense of doubt in players. As the scope of the plot expands, new allies are formed while former alliances turn against JC. The twists and turns of this plot ensure that players will have enough time to understand the complexities of Deus Ex‘s world before eventually deciding its fate in one of three fleshed-out endings.

5

Final Fantasy 7

The Extended Intro In The City Of Midgar Is A Great Precursor For The Grand Adventure That Follows

One of the greatest JRPGs ever made, Final Fantasy 7‘s intense introduction set the stage for a grand adventure. Players are restricted to the setting of Midgar for around ten hours, witnessing Shinra’s malice firsthand and how the people in this city are suffering because of the greed of capitalism.

Eventually, after storming the Shinra building and mounting a daring escape, players finally get to step into the game’s overworld for the first time. It’s a great introduction to this mechanic for new JRPG fans who will love how grand the adventure feels after players finally get to step out of Midgar.

4

Chrono Trigger

A Simple Trip To A Festival Transforms Into A Time-Travelling Adventure For The Ages

Chrono Trigger is a charming game that makes it seem like players are just enjoying a festival in the first few hours of the game. However, after some time-traveling shenanigans ensue and Crono is arrested, it’s clear that there’s more to this story than what meets the eye.

Traveling to different timelines gives players a taste of the plot’s heightened stakes before they finally get to control the Epoch, letting them travel to different time periods at will. The masterful first half of this game makes it all the more natural for players to get this control, letting them take on Lavos whenever they wish in the hopes of unlocking one of many unique endings.

3

Persona 5

It Takes Many Hours For Players To Reach The Meat Of The Game

Most Persona fans are aware of the slow start in these games, and the fifth mainline entry is no exception here. The game takes a long time to let the player and Joker get comfortable in the city of Tokyo before they finally get access to the Metaverse app.

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Even after their first incursion in Kamoshida’s Palace, it takes a while for Ann to join the party and for the first infiltration mission to start. It comes after a long wait, but most people enjoy the slow starts of Persona games as they get acquainted with the real world before dipping their toes into the metaphysical one.

2

Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic

The Gradual Increase In The Plot’s Scope And The Player’s Powers Makes Complete Sense Near The End

When players wake up on a spaceship that’s under assault, they have no understanding of what’s going on until a Republic soldier gives them the context they need. Following a grand escape, the player lands on Taris, with the game progressing to the next stage of the story.

As the foundations of the plot are laid down, players barely get to access their Force powers and can’t even wield a lightsaber for a long time. Eventually, as their skills and weapon selection expand, they travel to different worlds and complete various quests. The player is more powerful than the regular Jedi at this point, which is when a groundbreaking plot twist uncovers that recontextualizes the game’s events and lets players either reform themselves or join the Dark Side yet again.

1

The Outer Worlds

Players Must Do Some Legwork Before Eventually Getting To Fly Their Spaceship

The player character in The Outer Worlds is a Hope colonist who is released from a cryogenic pod and lands on Terra 2, near the Emerald Vale colony. Before they can embark on their spacefaring adventures with an appropriate ship, the player must solve a dilemma on this planet that has major ramifications.

It slowly introduces the combat and role-playing mechanics of this game before players make the big decision and power up the Unreliable. It’s a great way to slowly open things up for the player, giving them a basic understanding of the hyper-capitalism at play here before they get to influence how things play out.

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