I have reviewed several RPGs on this blog and plan to continue to do so. I will probably branch off into providing my thoughts on some computer RPGs (CRPGs). There are many games that advertise themselves as CRPGs or are tagged as such on Steam. But it seems that any game that has some level of character customization or advancement can bill itself as a CRPG. The tag has been greatly devalued. As prep for future CRPG reviews, here are my criteria for determining whether a game is truly a CRPG.
The player plays as a distinct character. This character has a name. Unless the game is first-person, this character has artwork. This character can be customizable. That is not a requirement.
There must be a way for the character to improve. The character can increase many abilities or skills at once by leveling up, as in many RPGs. The character can get better incrementally through a skill tree or similar mechanism. The character can effectively get better by improving their equipment or technology.
The character must have meaningful interactions with non-player-characters (NPCs). Buying and selling at a merchant does not count. This interaction must show the character’s personality, preferably through different conversation options. This interaction must also show the NPC’s personality. Different NPCs must have different personalities. Interaction with the NPCs should have an effect on the storyline or, at least, appear to have an effect on the storyline.
The character must have a goal. The game could have a branching storyline. The game could be open world. The game could just be a series of quests. The game is not just wandering around and fighting monsters.
The game should have combat. Combat may or may not be the primary focus of the game. I am sure there are or could be games without combat for which a good argument could be made that they are CPRGs.
What is a CRPG and what is not?
Obviously, games like Baldur's Gate III, the Red Dead Redemptions, the Fallout games, and the Elder Scrolls games are CRPGs.
Souls-like games are not CRPGs. Their main characters do not have distinct personalities. The character’s interactions with NPCs are almost entirely shopping, gaining information, or passing a checkpoint necessary to move to another phase of the game. These games do have a faint sheen of story overlaying them, but they are primarily monster fighting games.
4X games are not CRPGs. Leaders in games like Sid Meier’s Civilization or Age of Wonders are only nominally characters. They have no personalities, only political and military strategies.
Slay The Spire and its offshoots are not CRPGs. The player character has no personality. The only NPCs are merchants and boon-givers.
Stardew Valley IS, arguably, a CRPG. It is at least CRPG-adjacent. It does not resemble traditional CRPGs like BGIII or RDR. It does meet the criteria. The player plays as a distinct character. That character has meaningful interactions with diverse NPCs. That character can improve by unlocking new equipment. There is even some combat. The best argument against Stardew Valley being a CRPG is that the character has no overarching goal. There are side quests for the character to pursue. Even without a main quest, it seems like the character is progressing through a story.
What about survival games like Enshrouded or Valheim? I lean towards saying they are not CRPGs. They do have a player character with a goal. That character does not really have any personality, though. Nor do any NPCs the character might encounter. Just because a game is open world does not make it a CRPG.
Den of the Red Wolf 