10 RPG Video Game Sequels We Desperately Need (But Won’t Get)
Alpha Protocol, otherwise known as: The most potential-filled game ever.
Role-playing games are a funny business when you get right down to it - you either talk about them forever, or tend to forget they ever happened.
For every titan of the genre like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy - the latter primed to release its fifteenth instalment since humble beginnings way back in 1987 - there are more average titles like Enchanted Arms and the rushed Dragon Age II, or Arcania: The Complete Tale, titles that, although expansive, just don't stack up well against their contemporaries.
Developers that can create a successful blend of story, setting, characters and combat systems as well as giving the audience a sense of genuine progression can we rewarded with sequel after sequel as loyal fans follow each entry. But for others that never quite become breakout, legitimate successes, dreams of long-running sagas dissipate quicker than the hope felt from finding a treasure chest only for it to be filled with redundant items hastily sold to the nearest shopkeeper.
That being said, there have been a number of notable role playing games released over the last ten years that had unique features and exciting worlds. Many found favour with critics but never achieved enough success to enable them to become a franchise in their own right. So, here's WhatCulture's guide to the Top 10 RPG Sequels We Desperately Need (But Won't Get).
10. Eternal Sonata
What it was: Eternal Sonata was a 2007 RPG released for Xbox 360 and ported to PlayStation 3 in 2008, reaching Europe in 2009. Its colourful world, quirky characters and musical theme were utterly charming, which led the game to review fairly well with critics.
Based on the dying hours of famous composer Frederic Chopin's life, Eternal Sonata weaved a fictional tale about a young girl Polka cursed with magic. Seen as diseased by her townspeople, she sets herself on a quest to investigate a suspicious and potentially damaging mining operation near Mount Rock. Chopin himself appears in the game, as do many historical snippets about his life in the form of video clips shown to the player. The game also used several notable Chopin compositions and many character and place names were musically inspired: from teenage thief Allegretto, meaning to play an instrument moderately fast in tempo, to the town of Andante, meaning to play at a walking pace. Combat was anything but however, and players had to utilize light and heavy attacks alongside use sunlight and shade on the battlefield to attack different enemy types.
Why we need a sequel: A vibrant and colourful action-oriented RPG that's multi-platform and not exclusive to a Nintendo machine? Sign me up! Plus there are hundreds of other composers' lives to plunder, from Bach to Beethoven and Mozart to Schubert.
Why we won't get one: Poor sales figures. Despite previewing and reviewing well, gamers weren't flocking to this in significant enough numbers for it to garner a sequel. The original developers, tri-Crescendo have been busy making Tales of Zestiria in recent years and are presumably supporting Nintendo on getting Super Smash Bros. ready for Nintendo NX.