In a gaming landscape where games keep getting more expensive, it might seem odd to complain that games are getting too big. However, the fact is that to justify increased prices, and to meet players' expectations, games are getting bigger and more stuffed with content. Not all of it is good.
This is especially true for modern RPGs. Unfortunately, not everyone has that much free time. Some gamers want to spend their time enjoying a game’s story and gameplay rather than exploring massive maps and completing side content that feels like filler. While some ofthe best RPGs are almost exclusively optional content, sometimes linear is better. These RPGs have been ranked mostly by their Metacritic score/reception and were chosen based on how linear they are and their lack of emphasis on exploration. To give players plenty of choice, we’ve tried to pick different types of RPGs rather than focusing solely on the traditionally linear tactical RPG genre.
Lost Odysseyis a pretty old-school style of JRPG. Not exactly one ofthe most influential turn-based JRPGs, it has a love-it-or-hate-it reputation. Some players found it overly linear and slow-paced, while others loved its emphasis on just telling a great story.
Lost Odysseyhas next to no exploration as players navigate through towns and dungeons via a fixed camera perspective and choose locations to visit via menu. There’s very little extra content, and the story doesn’t have any branching paths. However, the turn-based combat is enjoyable, and its story, which follows an immortal called Kaim Argonar, is also surprisingly good.Lost Odysseyis a great option for RPG fans who want a game that focuses on story over filler and aren’t opposed to turn-based battles and lengthy film sequences.
A lot of action RPGs these days are set in sprawling open worlds, butScarlet Nexusis much more limited in scope. Its linear story is told over the course of two character arcs, which are made up of chapters and missions. The biggest choice the player is asked to make is which arc they wish to follow first.
Its gameplay is similarly limited. The game is made up of interconnected hubs that are clearly structured to show the player where to go next. While there’s the occasional side quest to find, for the most part, it’s all about fighting through monsters to get from one end of an area to the next. Besides the optional bond episodes, there’s nothing the player can really miss. Instead, alongside the storytelling, the game’s focus is on combat. That’s no bad thing; with its signature melee moves and psychokinetic abilities,Scarlet Nexushas one ofthe best combat systems in an RPG.
A prequel to the belovedFinal Fantasy 7,Crisis Corewas a pretty big departure from its big brother. It ditched the turn-based battles in favor of live, real-time action and dropped the world map and exploration elements in favor of a much more linear structure. It would have been controversial if the game hadn’t been so good.Crisis Core’semphasis is on telling a meaningful story and punctuating it with great combat.
There is zero exploration, and individual levels mostly take the form of corridors for Zack to fight through. Most optional content is in the form of missions that players pick from a menu (although story areas do have a couple of optional side quests, like making a wheelbarrow for Aerith). It might not be one ofthe most highly-rated Final Fantasy games on Metacritic, butCrisis Coreis a fan favorite. Its story is excellent and did a great job of expandingFinal Fantasy 7’slore, and its battle system was easy to pick up but difficult to master. Plus, Zack might just be the most likable protagonist in the entire franchise.
Traditionally, tactical RPGs tend to be pretty linear and light on exploration, meaning this whole list could have been made up of games likeDisgaea,Fire Emblem, andFinal Fantasy Tactics. Instead, we’ve gone for a lesser-known, but still excellent, indie tactical RPG:Fuga. It’s about as linear as an RPG can get and has literally no explanation to speak of whatsoever.
InFuga 1 and 2,the player controls a group of anthropomorphic animal children who have commandeered a tank. Gameplay is split between turn-based battles during which different children control different parts of the tank and tank/character management. The game’s structure is completely linear, with the player jumping straight from battle to battle with story intermissions in between. There are no side missions or quests to discover, but player decisions can impact the game’s story. BothFugagames have awesome stories that highlight the impact of war on the young and focus heavily on the theme of loss. The game might have cute, cartoon-inspired graphics, but many gamers will find themselves shedding a tear or two over the course of its story. For fans of strategic combat and heartfelt storytelling,Fuga 2is a great option.
Valkyria Chronicles 4is another awesome strategy RPG for fans of linear gameplay, but it operates on a much bigger scale thanFuga. In theValkyria Chroniclesgames, players command units on a battlefield in an exhilarating mixture of turn-based strategy and real-time action. There’s a heavy emphasis on tactics, and the player must consider elements like terrain, line of sight, cover, and elevation while also taking into account each unit’s strengths and weaknesses. Making a mistake can result in permadeath, so mistakes carry weight.
The game’s also gorgeous to look at and is one ofthe best strategy anime gamesaround. The story is completely linear and is told through missions selected from a menu. While old missions can be re-visited and there are optional side missions, there is no explanation to speak of. The focus here is squarely on telling a good anime-flavored war story and difficult but fair strategic battles.
A lot ofFinal Fantasyfans really didn’t likeFinal Fantasy 13when it was released back in 2009. Despite starring one ofthe most iconic Final Fantasy charactersever as its protagonist, the game remains pretty controversial. In many fans' eyes, the game’s primary sin was being too linear. To be fair, they had a point.Final Fantasy 13’sopening hours, in particular, are incredibly linear.
A large part of playingFinal Fantasy 13consists of walking along incredibly straightforward corridors, broken up by frequent turn-based battles. It isn’t until late in the game that players can revisit past areas, and it isn’t until Chapter 11 that they reach an area they can actually explore and take on some side missions. But a lot ofFinal Fantasygames are more linear than many fans of the series realize.Final Fantasy 13still has great, dynamic turn-based battles, and its story (while not for everyone) was good enough to sustain two direct sequels. Gamers willing to give it a second chance will find that beneath its linear structure, there’s actually a lot to like aboutFinal Fantasy 13.
At first glance,Final Fantasy 7 Remakemight seem like a strange pick for a list like this. It’s a meaty game with a lot to see and do - just the main story alone clocks in at around 30 hours. But stop and think about it, andFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeis surprisingly linear. It’s made up of a series of locations that fans fondly remember from the original game, linked together by linear corridors.
As the story progresses, Cloud visits each area, and he usually ends up stuck there until he reaches a certain point in the story. Most of the time, he can’t backtrack, and even when he can, there is no point. Each hub looks amazing, but there’s very little exploration besides the occasional 2-3 minute side route to pick up an item or piece of materia. There are side quests to complete, but they’re clearly marked in a menu and don’t have to be searched for in the world. Yet,it’s one of the best JRPGs on the PS5. Some fans might miss the turn-based battles of the original, butRemake’saction combat is stellar. Likewise, the changes made to the story might be controversial to some, but they do a lot to mix up a story many fans have played through countless times.Remakeis proof that games can still be linear and good value for money.
Much like with theFinal Fantasyfranchise, thePersonagames tend to be very linear. The real-world segments are usually based in and around a single city, and besides going to shops or talking to NPCs, there’s no exploration to speak of. Likewise, the dungeon segments are also very linear; the player is tasked with getting from the start to the end in a certain number of days, and there’s nothing much to do in them besides killing monsters and reaching the boss.
Persona 5 Royalis extremely focused. Everything is set to a tight time limit to keep the story progressing at a nice pace. There is side content like relationships to build and exams to study for, but there’s literally not enough time in the day to get it all done. This can make playing the game a surprisingly stressful experience, especially for those of us accustomed to open-world RPGs that encourage us to go off the beaten track at every opportunity. This linear design choice forces the player to make difficult decisions and focus on their main objective, which is one of the many reasons the series has become so immensely popular.
