FANDOM NAME: The Technomancer (Video Game, 2016) WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: The Technomancer is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi RPG set on Mars. You play as Zach, a newly-graduated technomancer who quickly gets caught up in a conspiracy and has to go on the run, enlisting other factions for help. The main locations you can visit (Ophir - the capital city of the Abundance corporation, Noctis - a secret city built into a canyon, Mutant Valley - a settlement built by escaped mutants, who are more or less treated as slaves by everyone else) are stunning, each with rich origin stories just waiting to be delved into. The characters are complex and interesting, even the NPCs and side characters. There are 5 companions to recruit, 3 of whom are possible romance options (yes, you can be gay, and the MLM romance is arguably the best of the three). I really love this game, but I don't want to say too much because a lot of the story hinges on secrecy and things not being what they seem. WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Steam | GOG | PS4 | Xbox One | Cutscene Movie
FANDOM NAME: ELEX (Video Game, 2017) WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Elex is an open world post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy RPG. Several years before the start of the game, a comet crashed into the planet of Magalan, causing the extinction of nearly all advanced civilisation. The comet brought with it a new element called elex, which caused some humans and animals to mutate while others split off into factions and made use of it in different ways. The Berserkers transmute it into Mana, which they use to cast magic, while the Clerics use elex to create weapons and machinery, the Outlaws use it to create stimulants they inject into themselves, and the Albs consume it raw to make themselves stronger at the cost of suppressing their emotions.
You play as Jax, a former Alb commander whose raider is shot down while on a mission. His brother Kallax is sent to execute him for his failure, but Jax survives and sets out on a quest to find out who sabotaged his mission and ordered his execution. Along the way, he has to deal with the effects of elex withdrawal, one of which is coming to terms with having emotions. The game operates on a 'cold' system, giving the player choices to make Jax more logical or emotional, which affects some quests and character interactions as well as the ending. There are 7 companions to recruit and 2 romance options, though the romances aren't particularly deep, all you get is a cutscene and some extra dialogue.
This game is basically all my favourite RPG genres rolled into one game. Swords, bows, guns, magic, it's got it all. Second of all, the world is huge and so much fun to explore. It's got five main areas - the forests of Edan, home to the medieval-esque Berserkers; the deserts of Tavar, home to the Outlaws who build everything out of scrap; the volcanic regions of Ignadon, home to the futuristic Clerics; the frozen mountains of Xacor, home to the Albs, and the forests of Abessa, a neutral zone with civil war brewing in its main settlement, the Domed City. The worldbuilding is fantastic, with lots of side quests that draw you into the NPCs' daily lives, and journals and audio logs that give you snippets of what Magalan was like before the comet hit. The game also has great characters, but there's a disappointing lack of interaction with your companions outside of quests and between the companions themselves that I'm hoping can be rectified through fanfic. WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Steam | GOG | Xbox One | PS4
FANDOM NAME: The Outer Worlds (Video Game, 2019) WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This is, essentially, Space Capitalism: The Game. The game was directed by the creators of Fallout, and other people have likened it to Fallout in space if that's something that appeals to you. I've never played Fallout, so to me, TOW has the vibes of a Mass Effect/Firefly crossover.
You play as a colonist rescued from the abandoned colony ship the Hope, sent off on a quest to retrieve the materials needed to rescue the other colonists trapped in cryosleep. The game takes place in the Halcyon system which has been colonised by a conglomerate of corporations, and you have to fight your way through monsters and outlandish corporate politics to save the colonists on the Hope. Joining you on this adventure are six companions and the AI of your ship, the Unreliable.
Some things I love about this game are how the alien worlds actually feel alien, the outrageous yet unfortunately believable depiction of what a space frontier founded by corporations would look like, and the super fun characters - not just your companions, but the NPCs too. My absolute favourite thing is the questline dedicated to getting your asexual lesbian companion a date with the engineer lady she has a crush on. WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Epic Games | Xbox One | PS4 | Switch | Cutscene Movie
Three Sci-Fi RPGs
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: The Technomancer is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi RPG set on Mars. You play as Zach, a newly-graduated technomancer who quickly gets caught up in a conspiracy and has to go on the run, enlisting other factions for help. The main locations you can visit (Ophir - the capital city of the Abundance corporation, Noctis - a secret city built into a canyon, Mutant Valley - a settlement built by escaped mutants, who are more or less treated as slaves by everyone else) are stunning, each with rich origin stories just waiting to be delved into. The characters are complex and interesting, even the NPCs and side characters. There are 5 companions to recruit, 3 of whom are possible romance options (yes, you can be gay, and the MLM romance is arguably the best of the three). I really love this game, but I don't want to say too much because a lot of the story hinges on secrecy and things not being what they seem.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Steam | GOG | PS4 | Xbox One | Cutscene Movie
FANDOM NAME: ELEX (Video Game, 2017)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: Elex is an open world post-apocalyptic sci-fi fantasy RPG. Several years before the start of the game, a comet crashed into the planet of Magalan, causing the extinction of nearly all advanced civilisation. The comet brought with it a new element called elex, which caused some humans and animals to mutate while others split off into factions and made use of it in different ways. The Berserkers transmute it into Mana, which they use to cast magic, while the Clerics use elex to create weapons and machinery, the Outlaws use it to create stimulants they inject into themselves, and the Albs consume it raw to make themselves stronger at the cost of suppressing their emotions.
You play as Jax, a former Alb commander whose raider is shot down while on a mission. His brother Kallax is sent to execute him for his failure, but Jax survives and sets out on a quest to find out who sabotaged his mission and ordered his execution. Along the way, he has to deal with the effects of elex withdrawal, one of which is coming to terms with having emotions. The game operates on a 'cold' system, giving the player choices to make Jax more logical or emotional, which affects some quests and character interactions as well as the ending. There are 7 companions to recruit and 2 romance options, though the romances aren't particularly deep, all you get is a cutscene and some extra dialogue.
This game is basically all my favourite RPG genres rolled into one game. Swords, bows, guns, magic, it's got it all. Second of all, the world is huge and so much fun to explore. It's got five main areas - the forests of Edan, home to the medieval-esque Berserkers; the deserts of Tavar, home to the Outlaws who build everything out of scrap; the volcanic regions of Ignadon, home to the futuristic Clerics; the frozen mountains of Xacor, home to the Albs, and the forests of Abessa, a neutral zone with civil war brewing in its main settlement, the Domed City. The worldbuilding is fantastic, with lots of side quests that draw you into the NPCs' daily lives, and journals and audio logs that give you snippets of what Magalan was like before the comet hit. The game also has great characters, but there's a disappointing lack of interaction with your companions outside of quests and between the companions themselves that I'm hoping can be rectified through fanfic.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Steam | GOG | Xbox One | PS4
FANDOM NAME: The Outer Worlds (Video Game, 2019)
WHAT MAKES IT GREAT: This is, essentially, Space Capitalism: The Game. The game was directed by the creators of Fallout, and other people have likened it to Fallout in space if that's something that appeals to you. I've never played Fallout, so to me, TOW has the vibes of a Mass Effect/Firefly crossover.
You play as a colonist rescued from the abandoned colony ship the Hope, sent off on a quest to retrieve the materials needed to rescue the other colonists trapped in cryosleep. The game takes place in the Halcyon system which has been colonised by a conglomerate of corporations, and you have to fight your way through monsters and outlandish corporate politics to save the colonists on the Hope. Joining you on this adventure are six companions and the AI of your ship, the Unreliable.
Some things I love about this game are how the alien worlds actually feel alien, the outrageous yet unfortunately believable depiction of what a space frontier founded by corporations would look like, and the super fun characters - not just your companions, but the NPCs too. My absolute favourite thing is the questline dedicated to getting your asexual lesbian companion a date with the engineer lady she has a crush on.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?: Epic Games | Xbox One | PS4 | Switch | Cutscene Movie