this post was submitted on 08 Jun 2025
14 points (100.0% liked)

Computer RPGs

398 readers
14 users here now

Community for CRPG and other RPG discussions. Focus is on CRPGs, but discussion around JPRGs, ARPGs and hybrid games with RPG components is also welcome.

Tabletop/pen & paper RPG discussion is not a good fit for this community. Check out [email protected] for TT/P&P RPG discussions.

Rules (Click to Expand):

  1. Follow the Lemmy.world Rules - https://mastodon.world/about

  2. Be kind. No bullying, harassment, racism, sexism etc. against other users.

  3. No spam, illegal content, or NSFW content (no games with NSFW images/video).

  4. Please stay on topic, cRPG adjacent games or even JRPGs are fine. Try to include topics / games that have a strong roleplaying component to them.

Some other gaming communities across Lemmy:

Game-specific communities on Lemmy:

Thank you to macniel for the community icon!

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
[email protected]
[email protected]
14
What is your favorite cRPG and why? (lemmy.zip)
submitted 1 month ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
17 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Low-tier engagement bait? Yep. Also think it's worth asking now that we seem to have regular activity. Lemmy activity is nice, I want to help the mod not be the only poster all the time because that feels bad, and I am uncreative.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Ah that's fair, to me I usually think of "world building" as in that part of the writing and lore, rather than level design and atmosphere etc. But yeah, regardless there are few games I can think of that can match the vibes of just strolling through Santa Monica at night, listening to the Rik Schaffer banger. I would say occasionally Cyberpunk at night in the rain gave me similar vibes (and they cited Bloodlines as a huge inspiration).

Agreed on the art direction and the most striking example is the faces. Using an exaggerated almost cartoony aesthetic and using Source engine to its fullest the characters have unbelievable facial expressions for its time. Since they never aimed for a photorealistic look the graphics haven't aged poorly at all.

Also you probably know of it already but if not this might be of interest to you: debofnight.com

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Funny thing was I was in Europe when the game came out, but a few years later I got to live in LA and of course I went to Santa Monica many times (including the pier).

Sound (both the track selection and the composed track) fits perfectly. Both excellent for ambience and the spirit of the early 2000s.

Great share!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I've never been there, but I've heard people say the same about the Hollywood hub as well. Perfectly capturing that run down, depressing and sordid shabby reality of early 00s Hollywood. Plus the amazingly haunting OST there, written when Schaffer was fresh out of jail, homeless and withdrawing from Heroin if I remember right.

As a big Bloodlines fan, have you played Mandragora? It only came out recently so I haven't yet personally (it's on my wishlist) but it's written by Brian Mitsoda!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah, Hollywood did feel a lot like it was in the game.

Was a bit strange as my frame of reference was Europe and Asia were downtown areas are the most busy and expensive.

I've heard of Mandragora, but these days I just can't get into ARPGs.🙃

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

I have unfortunately heard mixed things about Mandragora but seeing it has Brian Mitsoda I will play it some day. I'll try to remember to let you know what I think of it. Might be a while though, I'm waiting for a sale as my backlog is too long anyway 😅