A return to the classic, 16 bit style RPGs?

[SimplyEasy]

For me, the golden age of gaming was the 90s. The 16 bit, and to some extend, 32 bit era of gaming. All "my" all time favorite games are a product of this time, and many sequels and remakes are being taken from that era as well. Now days, we've entered the 3D experience. I gotta say, as much as I like the cut scenes of modern day RPGs, they simply are not the same. It seems something was lost in the switch to modern day RPGs, something that has yet to return.

I'm not saying there's nothing good out there now days, only that it's simply not the same... doesn't contain the same "heart" old school RPGs had.

Us old school gamers are getting older, and the newcomers look at our favorites and - more or less - laugh.

However...

There is still a niche for old school RPGs, that's how "I" found this site... it's just not a big one.

So here's the point of my topic.

Do you think, with so many people gaming on their mobile devices, and with mobile devices coming out with more and more old style games, since they are a natural fit for phones and tablets, do you think the old school style of RPGs could ever make a "real" comeback? I'm not talking a few here and there, I'm talking an actual full fledged return to the gaming scene.

With the new version of the RPG maker, you can export to these mobile devices, getting this older style back into the game... even if just a foot in the door.

Do you think classic styled RPGs can make a comeback? With the help of say... RPG Maker MV, and the many pro studios pushing out this style of game play?

 

[Ellie]

Definitely. In fact there's already a huge following - you'll find "Retro Gamer Magazine" in most supermarkets in Britain - and it's certainly something RPG Maker can help with. Just do a good job of it, and do it right before the market is flooded with poor attempts by others.

 

[SimplyEasy]

Amen to that. Aside from one game I've found in the Games In Dev section, is anyone actually working on anything on MV? I see a lot of XP and VX but nothing really, except the one, on MV.

 

[Xhukari]

If you want to revitalize that golden age of RPGs, you going to want to make some concessions in a bid to draw in a new, modern audience. Primarily in terms of UI, and a story delivered in more than just dialogue boxes and a cinematic at the start. But I think it can be done! You'd want an interesting graphic style, an strong narrative, a rich world, a combat system that does something a bit different, palette swapped enemies, smoother animation; and lots of polish!

The closest thing I can think of, that has hit many of those points has to be Fearless Fantasy. A game that came out in 2014, it is on steam (and tablet, I believe), fairly cheap.

 

[coyotecraft]

I question whether or not people can connect with a game on a mobile device.

You know? Spending an afternoon alone, in-front of the TV, immersed in a fantasy world, focused on beating a boss or obtaining an item that presented a real challenge.

Compared to waiting for your food at a restaurant, or in line for a haircut, splitting your attention between a conversation with someone next to you while you tap a one-button game. What's the take away other than killing time?

I mean I used to be able to read a book just about anywhere as a kid, and block out the world. I also had a gameboy, I only had puzzle games like Tetris and some platform games like Mario and Kirby that didn't offer much of a story.
But a good rpg does both of those. Engages the player and requires them to follow a story, which might be too much to experience outside of a cozy seclusion.

 

[Xhukari]

I agree with Coyotecraft; the mobile market is a very different beast. Where basic, easy to pick up games with addictive gameplay are king -- where a session can be finished in one setting on the toilet, basically. Of course you could always find a small audience for an full blown RPG, but it is gonna be the people like me and you; those who already play these kinds of games on other systems. And would probably prefer to play said RPG on one of those systems, in its full glory, than on a mobile device.

If you want to do go through with a mobile RPG, I would strongly advise finding a control scheme that is intuitive on the device; the graphical controls (d-pads, etc) are just a crutch for a game that would work better elsewhere. I've thought a few times about if I were to make a mobile RPG, I would want to try a click-to-move system. Where you just click the floor / NPC / chest / etc that you want to go to or interact with, and you would pathfind your way there.

 

[coyotecraft]

The lack of heart in newer games might be similar to an issue that genre writers face when dealing with older audiences. With the only thing to offer is different permutations of tried and tested formulas.

But it's hard to change the scope of rpgs. You know? Nothing compares to a final showdown with a boss that's ascended into Godhood. To do anything else would just be underwhelming.

Edit:
I never thought about it like this before. But character growth is the main element of rpgs. Godhood would be the ultimate end.

 

[Byron]

After the nineties we entered a period of gaming where 3D was the big thing. If you were going to make a game it HAD to be in 3D
This did birth some of the greats; Spiro, Crash Bandicoot, FF7 but a lot of games didn't do so well and some games crashed hard due to their failure to adapt to 3D I.E. Sonic.
I wouldn't say 3D RPGs have lost the "heart" that older RPGs had, just look to Lost Odyssey, or the Xeno-saga. Heck, The Tales of series has adapted really well too!

We're at a time in game development where we can decide weather or not a game should be in 3D OR 2D. Which is a great position to be in!
Take a look at Indivisable. Although the ridiculous pricetag, I feel that game has a lot of promise.

 

[Tindy]

There's something interesting going on in the gaming world right now.

When I was a kid, the SNES reigned supreme; anybody who was anybody played it, unless they had a Genesis or *gasp* a Playstation.

Then the N64 came out, and I certainly still played the SNES, but now it was old.

The Gamecube only improved on textures, and again into the Wii and WiiU.

But my nephew, who's now 10, plays - more often than not - pixel games. He loves Minecraft, which I'm fairly certain started it. He loves Terraria. He loves oldschool Mega Man.

And when he's not playing those? He plays the same type of cheap Flash games I played as a kid.

What I'm saying here is, though RPGs themselves as long-winded Tolkien-esque adventures might be waning, the market for SNES-style games is only growing, in my opinion.

Also the kid loves RPG Maker XP. Spends hours working on character stats. I'm considering building him a Pi-based RMXP machine for Christmas.

So don't despair!