Modern role-playing games were arguably founded with Dungeons & Dragons and, since then, most entries in the genre have followed its lead. Fantasy settings are commonplace for both TTRPGs and video game RPGs, featuring magic, dragons, swords, and sorcery. From the Dragon Age series to Baldur’s Gate, the most well-known and classic RPGs fit this mold. Those that break this trend, like Mass Effect, tend to go to the other extreme, taking to the stars in science fiction settings. A few great games, however, have managed to eschew this trend and took players to worlds that fit into neither category.

Not all of these titles are as well known as the giants of RPGs, but they’re still supremely fun games that bring something new to the genre and deserve greater attention. Fans who are tired of slaying orcs or exploring new planets will definitely want to check out these excellent RPGs that explore different sorts of worlds and don’t rely on the usual tropes of fantasy and science fiction.

Alpha Protocol Is a Spy Thriller

This Obsidian RPG Is a Flawed Gem

Image via Sega

Alpha Protocol is the definition of a flawed gem for many fans since the Obsidian RPG was buggy at release and plainly rushed and unfinished in terms of its mechanics. Those who can get past those surface issues, however, will find a brilliant story full of meaningful choices and colorful characters that make it a great example of the genre. Set in a world of conspiracy and intrigue, players take on the role of a new recruit to a shadowy spy organization and quickly learn their employers aren’t who they seem. Going rogue, they must travel the world to unravel the secrets of Alpha Protocol and decide whether to reconcile with the group or bring it down for good.

What really makes Alpha Protocol stand out is its morality system, where dialogue options revolve around choosing to be an aggressive, suave, or coldly professional spy. Providing more nuance and variety than the typical good-or-bad approach, each choice can have dramatic consequences that impact future missions, how other characters perceive them, and how the narrative ends. The sheer number of possible endings rivals or surpasses most classic RPGs, while the story completely eschews fantasy and sci-fi tropes and themes, making Alpha Protocol one of the most unique games of the past twenty years. Anyone who can tolerate some bugs and rough edges needs to check out this overlooked masterpiece.

Jade Empire Is a Martial Arts Adventure

Jade Empire Is the Bioware RPG Everyone Forgets About

Image via EA

Bioware has lots of hits in its catalog and several series that are still going strong today. From Mass Effect and Knights of the Old Republic to Dragon Age and the original Baldur’s Gate titles, the developer helped shape the RPG genre for video games with titles that fit perfectly into the molds of science fiction and fantasy. One of its best releases, however, failed to gain attention and was quickly forgotten by most fans. This is unfortunate, as Jade Empire is both an excellent game and one of Bioware’s most original stories and settings ever created.

While not devoid of fantasy elements, Jade Empire roots itself in a completely different set of tropes and approaches the genre from a different cultural perspective. Rooted in Chinese mythology and Wuxia fiction, the game built on the gameplay mechanics of Knights of the Old Republic to tell a story about a monk fighting to avenge their home and defeat an evil emperor. Featuring one of the best twists in gaming history, players who like magic and monsters, but are tired of the Western interpretation of these concepts should give Jade Empire a try and avoid spoilers during their first playthrough.

South Park: The Stick of Truth Puts Players in a South Park Episode

Stick of Truth Brought Comedy to RPGs

Image via Ubisoft

Classic South Park jokes, combined with a healthy dose of meta-humor and gameplay and combat reminiscent of JRPGs like Final Fantasy, make The Stick of Truth a blast to play and a can’t-miss experience for fans of the classic cartoon series. While it’s not the deepest game in terms of plot or mechanics, it nails the style of the show and successfully immerses fans in its ridiculous world. The talent and experience of developer Obsidian, known for great RPGs with a unique style, and the writing of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone resulting in a silly game that’s still fun and authentic.

While the children in The Stick of Truth, including the main character, are playing out a classic fantasy adventure, the game’s story is anything but traditional. By the end, players will encounter aliens, Underpants Gnomes, Crab People, government agents, and countless other allies and enemies that don’t belong anywhere near a traditional fantasy narrative. All this absurdity and lots of juvenile humor will turn off some RPG players, but anyone who already enjoys South Park or wants to try a game rooted in comedy rather than drama needs to pick up The Stick of Truth.

The Fallout Series Rivals Other Genre Greats

Fallout Blends Dystopia With Dark Humor

Fallout is a franchise that needs no introduction among RPG fans. Launched with the original game in 1997, the franchise now encompasses four numbered titles, another mainline game that doesn’t bear a sequel number, numerous spin-offs, and a hit Amazon show. The series has built a passionate community thanks to its dark humor, open worlds, complex lore, and exciting gameplay. Even more impressive, Fallout has accomplished all of this within a completely original setting that doesn’t lean on science fiction or fantasy traditions. Instead, the franchise delves into the genre of post-apocalypse and dystopia.

Fallout certainly borrows some elements from mid-20th-century science fiction, crafting a world rooted in retrofuturism. The United States of Fallout before the world-ending war looks like what some 1950s sci-fi writers thought the future held, complete with robot butlers, nuclear-powered cars, and ray guns. The Wasteland itself, however, is neither sci-fi nor fantasy at its core. It’s a post-apocalypse full of marauding gangs, warring factions, and crumbling buildings. It’s a world that missed out on becoming a science fiction wonderland because of the destructiveness of human nature and, despite its bleakness, is still one of the most fun places to explore in gaming.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines Draws on a Very Different TTRGP

Existential Dread and Vampires Help Make Bloodlines an Incredibly Unique RPG

Image via Activision

Many video game RPGs can trace their spiritual origins to Dungeons & Dragons, with its iconic approach to fantasy. Bloodlines is based on a very different tabletop experience with a darker approach to magic and the supernatural. Vampire: The Masquerade is a TTRPG set in a world where the undead move in the shadows, scheming against one another, orchestrating elaborate conspiracies, and struggling to survive while holding on to a piece of their humanity. Filled with noir aesthetics and existential dread, VtM isn’t nearly as popular as D&D but still maintains a committed fanbase thanks to its originality and depth. Bloodlines drew on the best aspects of the franchise to deliver a game that failed commercially but earned the status of a cult classic.

Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines puts players in the shoes of a newly turned vampire, still coming to terms with their nature and learning about the society they are suddenly a part of. Over the course of the story, they can decide how to approach problems, who to ally with, whether they embrace the Beast within them, and who comes to power in Los Angeles. All of these different paths to follow, combined with seven different vampire clans to choose from when creating a new character, give Bloodlines remarkable replayability and make its narrative as branching and complex as the setting itself. Like Alpha Protocol, it’s known for being buggy and feeling unfinished in places, but despite those problems, the title is a flawed gem with a story that deserves greater attention from fans of RPGs that break the sci-fi and fantasy trend.