10 Overused RPG Mechanics That Must Die Next Generation

In a gaming world where Fallout and The Elder Scrolls are quickly becoming less and less sought after, and with Cyberpunk on our tongues for the past decade, it’s time we take another look at RPGs as a whole.

We’re very close to a new generation thanks to the imminent arrival of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, and with that will come a plethora of RPGs, small and large alike that are all vying for your attention. Before they compete, though, they’re going to need to take note about the dos and don’ts of the past. What we’ve loved and more specifically, what we’ve hated over the past generations.

Radiant quests, bullet sponges, random mechanics and Preston Garvey are just a few of the things we think could be changed about the RPG genre. Mechanics and features which need a bit more motivation, to be given a new wave of inspiration that will actually mean something to the player. Instead, some developers choose to rest on tradition, using parts of RPGs that have become commonplace for reasons we can’t explain.

Uninspired is the operative word for this entry. The Witcher 3, for example, had a lot of, “Go here. Do this. Grab that. Kill. Come back.” And that’s okay. If that’s the gameplay loop the developers want the player to be comfortable with, it’s understandable as there’s only so much you can offer. What makes The Witcher so special, though, is that there’s a huge difference between being told to go and grab or kill something and motivating said request. If you’re motivated to track down a wolf in the woods because it used to be someone’s loving husband who ran away, then there’s at least the tiniest bit of intrigue there. Extra points if the writing is well done.

What doesn’t work, though, is simply making the protagonist go and get s**t for the sake of it just to pad the length so you can now brag about more side-quests being in your game. Ultimately, we want something interesting. I don’t care if Geralt is off finding a sandwich in Kaer Morhen, if it’s a magical sandwich that could transform the evil beggar into a mouse, then it becomes more enticing. Maybe a poor example but the point is there. Motivate the player, show them why the protagonist and more specifically, the player, would want to do this quest.