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2010s RPGs that still hold up

Somebody to become, and a long while to become them

159 games · page 1 of 4

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt 2015 Why it still holds upOn every road the world offers something to choose or find, from contracts to buried treasure, and that keeps it worth playing today.
Mass Effect 2 2010 Why it still holds upYour squad keeps it worth playing today: you spend time on your ship, the Normandy, learning their pasts and doing their optional missions, and those choices carry through to the end.
Bloodborne 2015 Why it still holds upCome to it today for the combat: everything pushes you to step in and hit rather than wait behind a guard.
NieR: Automata 2017 Why it still holds upIts tone and its music carry it today: the world is heavy and unusual, and its environments are lush.
Horizon Zero Dawn 2017 Why it still holds upFighting each machine is a small puzzle of weak points, in a seamless world with tribes at different technology levels, which keeps it worth playing now.
Divinity: Original Sin II 2017 Why it still holds upFreedom in and out of combat, where a fight is a puzzle of armor, elements and position and a quest has more than one answer, still makes it worth playing today.
Mass Effect 3 2012 Why it still holds upBecause so much of it rests on those earlier choices, the trilogy played in order from the first game still gives it its full weight today.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 2017 Why it still holds upLayered combat across large worlds packed with hidden items and side quests still makes it worth playing today.
South Park: The Stick of Truth 2014 Why it still holds upIt is built as a playable episode of the show, with the town explored as a real map and every fight framed as the kids' fantasy game, and that is the reason to play it now.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses 2019 Why it still holds upA school calendar that shapes who fights for you, and how, still gives its tactical battles weight today.
Slay the Spire 2019 Why it still holds upShort runs where every choice of card or route changes the deck, and visible enemy intent turns every turn into a puzzle, keep it replayable today.
Fire Emblem Awakening 2012 Why it still holds upGrid tactics in which unit relationships change combat results, with permadeath as an option, are why it still plays well.
CrossCode 2018 Why it still holds upFights and puzzles built from the same launch still give its dungeons two kinds of challenge today.
FTL: Faster Than Light 2012 Why it still holds upShort runs and random generation still let you try a different mix of weapons, systems and crew every time today.
The Banner Saga 2014 Why it still holds upSupplies, morale and renown carry between fights and choices can kill party members for good, so the caravan and the combat still pull on each other today.
Divinity: Original Sin 2014 Why it still holds upProblems with several solutions, in fights and out of them, still make it worth playing today.
The Banner Saga 2 2016 Why it still holds upUnits that play differently, such as the charging Horseborn and the support focused Ravens, on a grid where position decides fights, still reward planning today.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2010 Why it still holds upClear roles for the AI party and rewards for exploring still make both fights and wandering worth the time today.
Bastion 2011 Why it still holds upA narrator who reacts to your path, loadout and retries, and idols that adjust the difficulty, still keep every system answering you today.
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana 2016 Why it still holds upSwitching between three characters with damage type weaknesses keeps combat active, and the village loop ties exploring to progress today.
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep 2010 Why it still holds upA deck, fusion and Shotlock let you fight in many ways, and three characters with their own scenarios still keep playthroughs from repeating today.
Transistor 2014 Why it still holds upWith so many ways to combine functions, the choice of build and of which enemy to hit first still matters today.
The Banner Saga 3 2018 Why it still holds upTwo caravans, with a clock ticking on one of them, make every choice a decision about how to spend your time, and that pressure is still there for a new player.
Child of Light 2014 Why it still holds upA firefly that slows enemies and heals allies, and a surprise strike for whoever reaches an enemy's back first, still give every battle a small tactical choice.
Pokémon Black Version 2 2012 Why it still holds upA journey with this much around it, and a harder way to play it again, still leaves plenty to do after the story today.
Pathfinder: Kingmaker 2018 Why it still holds upEven now, a kingdom you run through advisors, and combat you can pause or play turn by turn, give you two kinds of decisions to make.

Long stories with real choices sit beside harsh games built to be learned through failure, and short runs you start again and again. What they share is that your decisions, big or small, are what is being tested.

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