Action-RPG combat games discussion for 2022

[Malkiah]

Don't ya hate getting older and more jaded and knowing that this is probably the truth of things?

i think "everything, everywhere, all at once" finally crushed the last speck of hope i had left, because i was so disappointed by that movie i almost man-cried on the way out of the theater.

yet somehow, i still have some glimmer that dad of boy 2 will be good.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

Any Diablo/Path of Exile style games are my favorite Action-RPG games.


I wanted to try The Ascent but I've heard from friends it wasn't that good.

[Katchii]

Any Diablo/Path of Exile style games are my favorite Action-RPG games.


I wanted to try The Ascent but I've heard from friends it wasn't that good.

If you haven't already, try Grim Dawn. Sounds right up your alley.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

If you haven't already, try Grim Dawn. Sounds right up your alley.

I've actually been playing that off-and-on for the past month. Debating whether to purchase the addons/expansions or not...


Just love being able to be a necromancer with a shotgun.

[Edge-]

I've actually been playing that off-and-on for the past month. Debating whether to purchase the addons/expansions or not...


Just love being able to be a necromancer with a shotgun.

Both expansions are good, IMO! I forget if crucible is separate from them, but it's pretty fun if you just want to fight waves of enemies in an arena for a while to get some loot and stuff. The expansions have some good boss fights and farming areas though, so definitely recommend. Plus, more story if you care about that thing (don't ask me about the GD story)

[Katchii]

I've actually been playing that off-and-on for the past month. Debating whether to purchase the addons/expansions or not...


Just love being able to be a necromancer with a shotgun.

I bought the complete edition off steam about a month ago while it was on sale. Total was like ~$25 or something.

Still not 100% sure which class to go with, but I'm currently having fun with a pet centric Conjurer at ~level 35 or so. I also have a Druid....we'll see.

[TEHPALLYTANK]

Sekiro is a must, particularly if you want snappy controls and combat. Tempo is everything in Sekiro, there is no overgearing anything as the only two stats you can upgrade are Vitality (hardcap of 10 upgrades) and attack (you can only grind out extra levels of attack in NG+, it is impossible to purchase the item that lets you spend skill points on attack in your first playthrough).

I think Bloodborne also might be up your alley, as one of the most common differences I see when people compare it to the rest of the Souls games is that combat is noticeably faster-paced (I can't actually comment on it personally, since it is the only Souls game I haven't played, on account of not having a PS4 to play it).

I am somewhat surprised that Nioh didn't suit you, cause the gameplay itself is actually rather solid. Though I can understand the whole gearing/loot cycle can be a major buzzkill if you aren't a fan of Diablo-style loot.

If you're okay with it not having the grindy parts that some ARPGs to have, I'd suggest Tomb Raider (2013) and the two followup titles, Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. They're not long games by any means, but they're still rather enjoyable.

If you want some insane arcade-level action and comboing, go with the DMC and Bayonetta games.

If you're okay with some intense combat (nowhere near the level of difficulty of the higher difficulty settings in Bayonetta/DMC), and are okay with the story being entirely irrelevant/ignorable, I'd suggest picking up Monster Hunter: Rise. The action is fantastic, the music is quite good, and the fact that it has 14 different weapon classes means you've got an insane variety of playstyles to try out to find which one you enjoy the most. It can get somewhat repetitive though, so if you don't find the gameplay to be enjoyable then I'd suggest staying away from them. As a note on the speed of the actual combat: It entirely depends on which weapon you're using (if you want fast combat, Dual Blades will probably suit you).


And something else that is fairly different from the rest I've suggested is Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin. It is fantastic in the story, the combat+platforming are quite solid, as is the farming.

[Wrecktangle]

This is a terrible misunderstanding of games.

I'm as big of a FromSoft fan as you can be, but the controls are easily one of the few bad aspects about their games. They're not super responsive and it's fair criticism. I couldn't even stomach code vein because of how janky the animations/controls felt tbh.

If you're okay with some intense combat (nowhere near the level of difficulty of the higher difficulty settings in Bayonetta/DMC), and are okay with the story being entirely irrelevant/ignorable, I'd suggest picking up Monster Hunter: Rise. The action is fantastic, the music is quite good, and the fact that it has 14 different weapon classes means you've got an insane variety of playstyles to try out to find which one you enjoy the most. It can get somewhat repetitive though, so if you don't find the gameplay to be enjoyable then I'd suggest staying away from them. As a note on the speed of the actual combat: It entirely depends on which weapon you're using (if you want fast combat, Dual Blades will probably suit you).

I actually was surprised how much fun/hours I got out of MHW. The combat though, while very fun, was the furthest thing from responsive. It was so janky compared to everything else I played, but it took real getting used to. My brother (DBs) hated it and quit after like the 3rd monster. Had the Co-op experience not been even more janky than the controls he might have stuck around for it.

[Fencers]

I'm as big of a FromSoft fan as you can be, but the controls are easily one of the few bad aspects about their games. They're not super responsive and it's fair criticism. I couldn't even stomach code vein because of how janky the animations/controls felt tbh.

Irrelevant. The statement quoted was contradictory.

[Katchii]

Irrelevant. The statement quoted was contradictory.

How was it contradictory? How you control your character, how you as the player interact with the game world, is part of the game play, isn't it?

[Fencers]

How was it contradictory? How you control your character, how you as the player interact with the game world, is part of the game play, isn't it?

Gameplay is the rules of operation in a game. How a game works. If you subjectively think the controls are unresponsive, that is your problem. If the gameplay is "horrible" then the encounter design is also horrible by extension. Ignoring the deliberate nature, if present, of such a game's design.

How can you understand gameplay and misunderstand its intention?

Liking or not liking a game is of no relevance here.

[Ghost of Cow]

Gameplay is the rules of operation in a game. How a game works. If you subjectively think the controls are unresponsive, that is your problem. If the gameplay is "horrible" then the encounter design is also horrible by extension. Ignoring the deliberate nature, if present, of such a game's design.

How can you understand gameplay and misunderstand its intention?

Liking or not liking a game is of no relevance here.

The entire discussion is basically, "What I don't like and why" in the context of the games discussed.

The people in the discussion aren't trying to put together some deep technical analysis of what it means to control a character and whether or not a certain gameplay control system is intentional or not. It's literally no more than, "I tried playing QWOP and controlling the guy wasn't enjoyable at all."

[Fencers]

The entire discussion is basically, "What I don't like and why" in the context of the games discussed.

The people in the discussion aren't trying to put together some deep technical analysis of what it means to control a character and whether or not a certain gameplay control system is intentional or not. It's literally no more than, "I tried playing QWOP and controlling the guy wasn't enjoyable at all."

You are correct.

[Calfredd]

Not many people talked about them so I assume this is an unpopular opinion but I enjoyed the Surge games as my soulslike games of choice.

[Kumorii]

Sekiro is a must, particularly if you want snappy controls and combat. Tempo is everything in Sekiro, there is no overgearing anything as the only two stats you can upgrade are Vitality (hardcap of 10 upgrades) and attack (you can only grind out extra levels of attack in NG+, it is impossible to purchase the item that lets you spend skill points on attack in your first playthrough).

I think Bloodborne also might be up your alley, as one of the most common differences I see when people compare it to the rest of the Souls games is that combat is noticeably faster-paced (I can't actually comment on it personally, since it is the only Souls game I haven't played, on account of not having a PS4 to play it).

I am somewhat surprised that Nioh didn't suit you, cause the gameplay itself is actually rather solid. Though I can understand the whole gearing/loot cycle can be a major buzzkill if you aren't a fan of Diablo-style loot.

By the sounds of OP, I don't think it's the speed that's the issue.
It's the way you commit to your actions.

In God Of War you can always dodge and block/parry, so it's all about timing your defense, you aren't locked into animations when you attack in the same way you are in FromSoftware games, or souls-like.
Coming from a game like that or even Metal Gear Rising Revengeance which also allows you to always defend (as an example), I think that's what is feeling "clunky".
Which I don't agree with is the correct term.

It's just different gameplay, one is reacting with your defense(GodOfWar / Revengeance) and one is planning your attacks between defensive moves (souls-like).


I don't think Bloodborne would match OP's style if I'm correct. Sekiro, maybe. Because the animations are usually quick enough so you can almost always defend. It still locks you in though so you can't just spam.


Side note:
I think this is one of the rare occasions where someone is playing the game wrong. Hence it feeling clunky and unresponsive because OP is trying to play it in a way they aren't intended to be played as. Not saying it as a negative, but the games clearly aren't for OP.

[Katchii]

Gameplay is the rules of operation in a game. How a game works. If you subjectively think the controls are unresponsive, that is your problem. If the gameplay is "horrible" then the encounter design is also horrible by extension. Ignoring the deliberate nature, if present, of such a game's design.

How can you understand gameplay and misunderstand its intention?

Liking or not liking a game is of no relevance here.

I'm not misunderstanding it's intention, you and I seem to have different definitions, with yours being much more narrow than mine and seemingly narrower than what most accepted definitions of it are, if you're excluding controls from the definition.

Rules of operation of the game would include how you operate your character within the game world. Being intentionally clunky or unwieldy, having specific requirements for what you can and can't do with your character, etc... The game Octodad even took this to the extreme and made difficult controls the point of the gam, the difficult controls WERE the gameplay.

Sports/games in real life have rules, some of those include specific rules for how you can and cannot move, where you can or cannot step, what you can or can't hit with, etc... that's all part of how you play the game.

[Fencers]

I'm not misunderstanding it's intention

I was referring to the other guy. "You" in the general sense, "How can one understand gameplay..." etc, etc.

you and I seem to have different definitions

Yes, and many popular notions are incorrect.

with yours being much more narrow than mine and seemingly narrower than what most accepted definitions of it are, if you're excluding controls from the definition.

I don't exclude controls from gameplay. If you must interact with a game with X or B, that is gameplay. What defines playing the game. It is objectively true, you can't make a game otherwise. They don't function.

I am going to clip off the rest of your post because you are talking about a thing apart from what I was suggesting and we can just sum this up. What I am driving at is the subjective qualifier or value of the gameplay is not valid for discussing gameplay within a genre. As the other fellow did.

What you (I am speaking about you directly now) are saying here about Octodad is an example of what I am intimating. The deliberate choice a developer may make is independent of the genre and one's own feelings toward those choices. While one may feel one way or the other about the gameplay and intent, that is of no relevance to the gameplay. Gameplay is the only operation of the game; there can not be any other definition. A video game ceases to exist if so and it is only the popular vulgarity of discussing games that has made the notion otherwise.

[Katchii]

I was referring to the other guy. "You" in the general sense, "How can one understand gameplay..." etc, etc.

Gotcha, thanks for clarifying.

Yes, and many popular notions are incorrect.

I'm using the definition I've found in a few places. But I'll touch more on this below.

I don't exclude controls from gameplay. If you must interact with a game with X or B, that is gameplay. What defines playing the game. It is objectively true, you can't make a game otherwise. They don't function.

I am going to clip off the rest of your post because you are talking about a thing apart from what I was suggesting and we can just sum this up. What I am driving at is the subjective qualifier or value of the gameplay is not valid for discussing gameplay within a genre. As the other fellow did.

What you (I am speaking about you directly now) are saying here about Octodad is an example of what I am intimating. The deliberate choice a developer may make is independent of the genre and one's own feelings toward those choices. While one may feel one way or the other about the gameplay and intent, that is of no relevance to the gameplay. Gameplay is the only operation of the game; there can not be any other definition. A video game ceases to exist if so and it is only the popular vulgarity of discussing games that has made the notion otherwise.

Understood. I wasn't able to wrap my head around what you were saying before because you hadn't included any context in those statements. With what you said here, it does seem that you and I are working from the same definition and I'm in agreement with what you're saying.

[Fencers]

Gotcha, thanks for clarifying.

The OP was looking for some game recommendations in what is really the Action-Adventure genre from the wording of their post and examples given. Not necessarily ARPGs or Action-RPGs, which are two iterative genres. But they end their post with a general question that is faulty and can not reasonably be helpful.

Who defines "clunky" such that the OP would have the same sense? How many games in the genre have differing controls, intention, operation, et cetera.

Would the OP agree Dragon's Dogma is clunky because of the weapon/skill system which is deliberate by the developer? Is Dark Messiah "horrible" because its animation rigging is not to the OP's liking and who can reasonably judge such a thing? Is Genshin Impact's control animation more what they are seeking or is Ninja Gaiden? yadda, yadda, yadda.

Animation and control are often designed with some deliberateness in usage even within the same genre. Sekiro has a different intention from Demon's Souls and so on.

It is simply a misunderstanding of how to ask or talk about video games. As the other guy a few posts ago, rightly said, the OP likely didn't put a lot of thought behind his post in terms of control.

[Nymrohd]

Wait, we cannot criticize a design made by developers just because that decision was deliberate? They can delibarately choose to make their game less responsive to create a certain gameplay. That doesn't change the effect that decision has on the gameplay. The fact that it was deliberate instead of an accident of an artifact of low competence doesn't change anything. I can serve dried up well done filet mignon deliberately or through incompetence, doesn't mean the customer will be unfair if they are complaining that they are having a hard time chewing it.