Summary
Role-playing games can often feel very formulaic. 1990s and 2000s CRPGs blend in much more than action games or platformers of the same era. Any given screenshot from one of Square’s Super Nintendo turn-based RPGs might be confused with any of its sibling products.
It’s easier to feel fatigued from this specific genre, perhaps more than any other. Thankfully, some games have given a good spin to the genre by embracing unique settings, unheard mechanics, ora bizarre presentation. In short, they decided to be weird. There are countlessstrange RPGsout there for gamers to dive into, and many come from different eras and developers.
Earthboundis a classic SNES title by HAL Laboratory, a then-newcomer that would end up developing the originalSuper Smash Bros.and a slew ofKirbygames. WhileEarthboundwasn’t their first success (it’s not even the first game in the series), it is one of their few early titles to stand the test of time.
Earthboundis a collage of unconventional and experimental techniques. It’s one of the very few games on SNES to feature sampled music and use it effectively. It’s certainly playable by kids and children, but it prominently features themes of body horror and evils hidden behind the mundane.
Undertaleneeds no introduction, but it’s hard to mention how impactful it is. This 2015 phenomenon might be themost popular indie gameever made, perhaps second only toMinecraft.In it, the player navigates a world of anthropomorphic animals and talking flowers where nothing is as it seems.
Two things makeUndertaletruly weird. One is its subversive approach to RPG mechanics and what space they occupy in the story. Fighting is the only way to get through the game, and it’s the least desirable option for anyone who likes the game’s characters even a tiny bit. The second is the humor. Though it is rarely outright funny, the barrage of comedic attempts the game throws at the player often ends up being very enduring.
Deltaruneis more or less the indirect sequel to the worldwide phenomenon that isUndertale, and fans are happy to say that the game has been doing its predecessor justice.Deltaruneis coming out in chapters, with only the first two currently available, both of which are free.
Deltarunefollows the adventures of protagonist Kris andbully-turned-friend Susieas they travel the Dark World. Like its predecessor, the game’s quirkiness is found in the unique humor and the bizarre ramblings of some characters. This is also where the game shows its humanity, another series highlight. The weirdness ofDeltaruneisn’t to be scoffed at or made fun of; it allows players to get to know the game’s characters on a deeper level.
OFFis a confusing, sometimes intimidating, often disturbing game. It’s probably most famous for being aninspiration forUndertale’s genocide route, among other things. ButOFFis worth getting into on its own merits, too.
For one,OFF’spervasive creepiness is still unmatched by any modern game. It’s in the track, the excellent soundtrack, and especially the story. Accompanying the Batter, players travel through the world to purify all that it contains. The mission begins onions enough, but it soon becomes clear that the game is about more than a foolish mission to wipe the world clean.
Hylicsis a classic RPG Maker game set in a strange and beautiful world of stop-motion animation. The Claymation gives the game a unique look, but it’s the story - or rather, itslack of cohesion- that really cements it as a unique RPG for any fan of weirdness.
Some highlights ofHylicsinclude the wild use of (often nonsensical) text generation, implied to be one of the hills that have befallen the world. This doesn’t mean the game itself is just weird for the sake of it. In forgoing some internal logic, it begs the player to interpret what little the game does say into a cohesive meaning.
Compared to many weird RPGs,Moon: Remix RPG Adventureis a lot easier to get into. This is in part because the game has no traditional RPG combat mechanics, and as a result, it plays more like areally bizarre adventure game. Just make sure togive the manual a readbeforehand.
Moon: Remix RPG Adventure’s standout feature is that it was built as an “anti-RPG.” This means that the protagonist isn’t the hero of the story but an unfortunate player who has been sucked into the game and must make things right after the hero has foolishly wrecked the world.
Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaidenis truly one of the weirdest video games of all time, though, to be fair, that seems to be its objective. The free fangame is presented as a sequel toBarkley, Shut Up and Jam, a classic basketball game from the early 90s with nothing especially weird going on.
Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaidenmixes its namesake’s basketball star protagonists withFinal Fantasy-inspired enemies and combat mechanics inspired by theSuper Mario RPGseries. Meanwhile, its plot is a parody of various science fiction stories, fromAkiratoSpace Jam.
Lisa: The Painfulis certainly a weird game, but this description risks undermining some of the strengths of its story. For one, it is, at times, an extremely crude game. And while some encounters are definitely wacky, they err more towardsdisturbing rather than funny.
Lisa: The Painfulis an RPG through and through. It was made in the VX Ace version of RPG Maker, a popular engine but one that rarely produces extremely successful games. The firstLisagame was also made in RPG Maker.
West of Loathingis a comedy RPG set in the Far West, or at least that’s the premise. In reality, everything, including the setting, is an excuse to write some weird jokes. Fortunately, jokes are where the game shines. Combat would be forgettable, too, if it wasn’t also one of the places where jokes take place.
West of Loathingis a sequel of sorts to browser game sensationKingdom of Loathing. While some character storylines and, more importantly, some jokes require knowledge of both games, each game in the unofficialLoathingseries is a standalone installment.
Anachronoxis a weird beast in RPGs. It was produced in 2001 by Square Enix but made at Ion Storm, the studio founded by John Romero and Tom Hall, best known fortheir work onWolfenstein 3DandDoom. The studio producedAnachronoxand made sure to create one of the most unique entries in the genre to date.
Anachronoxis weird under any circumstance, with a sense of humor reminiscent of Hall’sCommander Keenseries and a healthy dose of adventure game elements sprinkled in. But it’s especially unique considering this is a 2001, PC-exclusive, turn-based RPG from an American studio that is much more reminiscent ofFinal Fantasythan any CRPG of the time.
