RPGsare all about giving the player options for how they approach the game, whether that’s through dialogue choices or character building. While the western market has shifted these concepts into more open world design, as seen in games like Skyrim or The Witcher 3, there are still plenty of linear RPGs out there.
Both types of games have their merits, but you may prefer linear games for their greater sense of progression, more cohesive storytelling, or any number of other reasons. Below, we’ll take a look at some linear games that might just be better than some of the best open-world games.
Really, any Persona game (and Metaphor) fits here, as they are all extremely linear due to their calendar system. The games are structured around the passage of time, with each day presenting a set of activities you may take part in, such as working at your part-time job, hanging out with friends, studying, or exploring dungeons.
Since you’re able to’t go back in time, the games are very linear, as you’re always progressing inexorably to the end, no matter what you do. Persona 5 Royal is considered the best, but all Persona games (again, and Metaphor) are a great time., and they all follow this same linear approach.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical RPG where you become the professor of one of three houses at a military academy. Similar to the Persona series, Three Houses follows a calendar system, with each main chapter of the game taking place over a month of in-game time. During your days off, you’re able to explore the academy, teach your students, or take on optional battles.
While the story structure is very linear, there are actually three or four main story routes within the game, depending on which house you choose to teach, so there’s tons of replayability in seeing the other stories unfold.
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Before the massive open world of Elden Ring, the Dark Souls series thrived on linear adventures. These dark fantasy RPGs are heralded as some of the toughest games out there, but that’s exactly what makes them so enjoyable. Finally beating a boss you’ve been stuck on for ages is one of the most satisfying feelings you can find in an RPG, and Dark Souls 3 delivers that over and over.
While you can backtrack and explore optional areas, Dark Souls 3 is mostly a linear experience, with you going from point A to point B and fighting and dying to enemies in between. That said, there’s quite a bit you can experiment with in terms of your character and build, so it’s always worth thoroughly exploring each new area you come across.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a narrative-based action RPG based on the Guardians of the Galaxy. As Star Lord and his ragtag crew of intergalactic misfits, you’ll embark on a new adventure across the galaxy.
This game absolutely nails the vibe of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, while still staying true to its comic roots. The combat is fairly straightforward, but the story and characters are excellent, and it’s definitely worth playing just to see how everything goes down.
Final Fantasy 10 is often considered one of the best in the series, and for good reason. You play as Tidus, a famous Blitzball player who has been transported to another world. There, he takes up the mantle of Guardian for the summoner Yuna, a young woman who holds the key to the world’s salvation.
The first three quarters of the game are extremely linear, moving from place to place without the option to backtrack. However, once you unlock the airship, things open up a bit more, but still not to the degree of traditional open-world games.
Devil Survivor is a spin-off of the Shin Megami Tensei series that follows a similar time-based structure as the Persona games. Trapped in a blockade in Tokyo, you’ll have to fight to survive every single day against a force of invading demons.
The game takes place over the duration of a week, with each action you take, like talking to NPCs or taking part in major battles, advancing the time forward by 30 minutes. The game features a deep battle system that the series is known for, but with a tactical spin.
Live A Live is a collection of seven different stories set in a variety of time periods, such as the prehistoric age or the far future, with two unlockable scenarios that tie them all together. Each story offers a different genre and mechanics, but they are all fairly linear. Some have a bit more exploration than others, but you’re mostly going from objective to objective.
Each story in Live A Live is its own self-contained experience, so it feels more like playing bite-sized RPGs rather than one big one. Still, each story attempts different and unique things, and the unlockable final scenarios bring all the characters together into one cohesive experience.
Undertale is an RPG where you don’t have to kill anyone. In each combat encounter, you have the choice of either resolving things peacefully or killing without mercy, and your actions will change how the story unfolds, with three distinct endings to uncover.
Despite the different endings, the actual structure of Undertale is as linear as they come, without a whole lot of exploration, and certainly no open world filled with meaningless checklists. If you want to play an extremely well-written linear RPG where you can play as a pacifist, Undertale is the game for you.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is the first chapter in the massive Trails series, which are all fairly linear experiences. Trails in the Sky is divided into distinct chapters, with different areas and side quests appearing in each. Outside of these side quests, there’s only the main story.
However, a big part of the Trails series is its NPC dialogue. After nearly every major moment, the NPCs you encounter will have updated dialogue, so you can spend a ton of time talking to everyone to get more lore tidbits or flavor text.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is compared to Final Fantasy 10 quite a bit, and its story is structured in a very similar way. The majority of the game is split into linear dungeons with small bits of hidden loot to find throughout them. Then, the last third of the game opens up, and you’re able to explore the whole world.
If you’d rather just focus on the main story, though, you’re free to do just that, and you won’t be punished by not engaging with the optional content like you sometimes are in FF10. The story of Clair Obscur is also excellent, and its skill-based combat is a breath of fresh air in the turn-based RPG genre.
