“on rails” progression - no loot, any new gear is discovered as part of the story (e.g. OG Zelda -> blue ring -> red ring); minimal loot
hard, but fair, boss fights
dungeon feel - less emphasis on puzzles, more on working room to room to find items to access the boss
minimal emphasis on stats, so grinding shouldn’t be a thing of playing normally
forced usage of gadgets/types of weapons
Examples of games that qualify:
most Zelda titles - A Link to the Past, Link’s Awakening, Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword; not BotW or TotK
Ys games - esp. Ys 1 and Ys Origin; later titles lose focus IMO (more gear, more leveling, etc)
Okami - boss fights aren’t exactly what I’m looking for, but the rest of the game is close
Examples that don’t qualify:
Diablo and similar - far too much loot and skill trees
Dark Souls - it’s close, but the variety of equipment is a bit much; I want less choice, not more,; but DS is pretty close
Assassin’s Creed - “boss fights” are usually lame, too much focus on upgrades, stealth isn’t really my thing
Games on the fence:
Tunic - I’ve played an hour or so and it was tons of fun
Titan Souls - finished and loved it, just worried mentioning it will take people off track since it doesn’t have any progression, dungeons, etc
Furi - again, loved it, but like Titan Souls, it’s a bit of an exception
Basically, I want a game that forces me to learn and adapt using the limited tools the game provides. Here are things I absolutely want to avoid:
feeling of being OP - causes me to drop most (a)RPGs
lots of choices - if I get an upgrade, it should be strictly an upgrade (e.g. more damage)
loot - I hate managing inventories (exception: switching gadgets to solve puzzles/different enemy types) and buying/selling stuff; I want that progression managed for me
Basically, I shouldn’t have to think outside solving puzzles and fighting bosses.
Indie games are preferred.
Platforms:
PC (or emulator) - preferred, esp if I can use my Steam Deck
Crystalis has forced or near-forced grinding due to level requirements to hurt bosses, so it’s on the fence. If its progression were a little smoother it would be a shoo-in.
There is a hack to remove boss level requirements but fighting a boss below the intended level may not be fun.
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Crystalis totally fits the requirements. Excellent NES RPG.
Crystalis has forced or near-forced grinding due to level requirements to hurt bosses, so it’s on the fence. If its progression were a little smoother it would be a shoo-in.
There is a hack to remove boss level requirements but fighting a boss below the intended level may not be fun.