Summary
In the history ofRPG games, there were a lot of franchises that were really good but didn’t receive the attention they needed from the audience, orperhaps were ahead of their timein terms of mechanics and character development and went underappreciated. These titles have gone through a lot, from review bombing to lots of development issues, and still were good enough to become iconic games.
Sadly, this list has8 RPG Franchisesthat werekilled off too quickly, before they could even show their true potential. If these were receiving a reboot today, would players give them another chance? Perhaps some of these still have a chance to shine, in an era where game remakes/reboots are aplenty, and the market is ever thirsty for more games to try out.
8Golden Sun
A Fine JRPG with Western Inspiration, Mysteriously Axed
Golden Sunwas a great idea that came up at the right moment with the rise to power of the Game Boy Advance system as the most used portable device and did fairly well despite not innovating too much. One could say thatGolden Sunwas the perfect execution of the already-known formula of the “Hero’s Journey” that has been seen in theFinal Fantasyfranchise for years. The game had a lot of Western inspirations and worldbuilding akin to its folklore. Two years later, a sequel namedGolden Sun: The Lost Agewas released. At that time, it was bound to become a great franchise on its own terms and take over the handheld market by storm. But then, something mysterious happened.
Some say it might be due to Nintendo’s refusal to compete against titles likeFinal Fantasy Tactics Advance, so they ended up sending Camelot Software on a quest to take charge of another franchiseMario Golf, and from there,Mario Tennis, and so on, untilGolden Sunwas completely forgotten. That is, until 2010, whenGolden Sun: Dark Dawnsaw the light of day, this time, for the Nintendo DS system. Sadly, it didn’t lift and the continuation of the franchise was destined for a “pending” state of the company’s project queue. A pity,because it was a low-grind action JRPG, and that is a rare sight.
7Legend Of The Dragoon
Was Preparing Two Other Games Before It Got Axed
Legend Of The Dragoon(LOTD) was a game too far ahead of its time. With incredible graphics, impactful narrative, memorable characters, and a battle system that combinedthe traditional turn-based strategy RPG stylewith sequence combos activated by pressing keys at the right moment.LOTDwas in some ways the precursor of scripted-sequence combat scenes, like the ones that were later seen in other PlayStation titles likeGod Of War.
Rumor says there was a prequel in discussion, while the sequel was actually in production before it was mysteriously canned by Sony. We might never know the truth about why the franchise, which has become a cult title and has millions of followers, silently went off the radar to be lost forever in the dark corners of the game industry.
6Knights of the Old Republic
Its Discontinuation Escapes All Reasoning
Originally released for the Xbox platform, thisStar WarsRPG set in the age of the Ancient Republic, with all that implies, was meant to make history. Winner of several prizes (including a BAFTA) this franchise had a surprisingly short run until it was indefinitely postponed after the release of its second game in 2004 (2005 on PC).
KOTORhas millions of fans across the globe and is one of the highly requested games for a remake. Rumors of a remake have been going on for a while now, and though it is said one is in development and was announced, there are alsostrong rumors about its cancellation, so most fans are skeptical about a possible return of the game in the near future. The untimely death of this franchise is a constant reminder of how unfair and brutal the game industry can be, even for successful franchises such asStar Wars Knights Of The Old Republic.
5Dungeon Siege
Not The Best At Performance, But A Great Franchise That Ended Just When It Was Becoming Good
Dungeon Siegewas born of the imagination of Chris Taylor and his talented team at Gas Powered Games back in 2002, heavily inspired by theDungeons and DragonsCulture, and by the Dragonlance series (written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman). In this incredible adventure, players went from peacefully living on a farm, to saving the kingdom from total annihilation.
The franchise did pretty well, earning praise from both the audience and critics. Sadly, its third installment received mixed reviews, despite being considerably more advanced in graphics, combat system, and overall replay value. After that, Gas Powered Games diverted their attention toAge of Empires Online, and was later acquired by Wargaming, after a Kickstarter project of them called “Wildman,” never made it to the production pipeline. Wargaming Seattle (the current holder of the IP) has no plans to resurrect the franchise.
4Alpha Protocol
The Best Spy Game/RPG, With A Canceled Sequel
Alpha Protocolwas born after SEGA tasked Obsidian Entertainment with the production of a brand-new IP, and they did a damn fine job at that.Alpha Protocolwas revolutionary, to say the least. Heavily inspired by the Modern Spy culture, following the footprints of characters like James Bond and Jack Bauer (24)Alpha Protocolwas set to become a direct competition with franchises likeDeus Ex, andGhost Recon.
The game has quite a great premise: a secret government agency initiates a recruitment protocol from all possible candidates that come from different backgrounds, the players get to choose said background, and depending on it its stats will be different at the beginning of the game. Completing missions and training exercises will unlock skill points that the player can later invest in improving abilities from stealth and hacking, to persuasion and marksmanship, creating the ultimate spy. Sadly, despite the great reception the game had, SEGA wasn’t too happy with the sales, and while Obsidian already had a Sequel planned, the publisher decided to close the curtain.
3Jade Empire
One Of Bioware’s Biggest Bets, Could Have Become Great If Given The Chance
Jade Empirewas Bioware’s first dream project, with the founders of the company (Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk) at the helm as executive producers. It combined the winning formula ofKOTORwith a real-time combat system, and a story heavily inspired by Chinese culture and folklore. Players could pick one from six pre-set characters who incarnated a Monk on their path to becoming a powerful martial artist and using Chi Empowered abilities to beat their enemies.
The devs alsoexperimented with a new morality systembased on the Martial Arts philosophy, which was called the Open Palm and The Closed Fist - basically aggression and pacifism.Jade Empirehad a good reception, though many players noticed the game was quite short, and were left wanting for more. The game was first released as an Xbox exclusive, but ultimately ported to PC, Mac, and lastly to mobile devices. Rumors of a sequel always were juggled around by Bioware but never came to full realization.
2Two Worlds
Was A Great Franchise, But Underperformed
Another game that was heavily inspired by theDungeons & DragonsCulture, with lots of great references, and a worldbuilding on par with great titles such asThe Elder Scrolls, andNeverwinter.Two Worldswas also one of the first games of the genre to implement a Perma-Death mechanic at its highest level of difficulty. From a fully integrated crafting system to factions and open-world exploring, the game had it all.
Reality Pump later releasedTwo Worlds 2, a game that was way ahead of its time, with lots of great things like its omnidirectional free camera combat system (which later inspired other RPGs to repeat a similar formula) to its “free-build” skill system for players to customize their characters however they wanted, as long as they found and learn from Skill Books. Sadly, the franchise never got the attention it deserved, and the mixed reviews based on the game’s poor overall quality stopped the franchise before it could become something great. Other games likeThe Witcherwere not so criticized and ended up becoming great examples of what happens if the game industry supports small dev teams.
1Gravity Rush
A Good Fresh Unorthodox RPG, But Its Sequel Never Saw The Light Of Day
Gravity Rush(Known asGravity Dazein Japan) is a fine example of how innovation serves the RPG genre as a catalyst for great things. With incredible anime-style designs, and a main character named Kat who can control gravity at will,this game was incredibly fun to play. Sadly, it was released only for the PS Vita systems back in 2012, and it took Sony 4 years to see the potential this franchise had before they released a remastered version for PS4 in 2016, and then a sequel in 2017 that had multiplayer features that didn’t live for long. The servers were closed in 2018, greatly disappointing the fans.
There were strong rumors about a third game being axed, and after that, Sony quickly changed their plans for their franchise and announced the development of an animated movie. Sony Pictures is currently producing the film based on the game, so, we might see this franchise resurrected in a new shape soon, although, there’s no official release date yet. Depending on how the movie does, perhapsGravity Rushwill receive yet another sequel.
