Therole-playing game genreis one that is perfect for any game player. There are few things more satisfying than coming home after a long day and cracking open that 40-hour RPG. A good RPG is like a good TV show; some will prefer to binge, others will prefer to let the experience simmer. However, that’s not the only way RPG’s start to feel like TV shows.
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The other way RPG’s can start to feel like TV shows is how some people won’t stop talking about their favorite game. A constant bombardment from fans about a game can be one of the biggest turn-offs to trying it out. But in a genre as big as the RPG,some games may slip under the radar as well. This list will serve to document a few RPG’s available on PS4 that are overrated, along with a few that deserve more attention.
10Underrated: Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
Digimoncan be seen asPokemon’s younger brother of sorts. It’s much less accomplished, but often times more ambitious as a series. It’s also much less popular. A number ofDigimontitles never even made it to the Western market. However, the developers had faith inDigimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, a PS4 RPG that took the series in a new direction. Despite some translation issues, the game is a great RPG with fun characters and hundreds of collectible monsters. As analternative toPokemon, it’s easily one of the best.
9Overrated: Persona 5
Let it be stated that “overrated” doesn’t mean bad. A game can be very good but still be a tad overrated.Persona 5is one of those games. While it is certainly anexcellent RPGwith hundreds of hours of fun gameplay, it isn’t the masterpiece fans often declare it to be. It has enough rough spots that it would understandable that some players might not see the whole game through. The writing is the biggest culprit, often being inconsistent with its messages and lacking the kind of character development seen in earlyPersonagames.
8Underrated: Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout
Despite a hilariously clunky subtitle,Atelier Ryzais the latest entry in a series that is excellent, but incredibly niche. TheAtelierseries marries turn-based combat and a deep crafting system to create a very addictive gameplay loop.Ryzahelps to make the crafting elements a bit more accessible to players not interested in having a guide open at all times. This is combined with a story that has surprising depth and a cast of fun characters. It has some flaws, mostly in character design and some unfortunate tropes, but the gameplay loop is satisfying enough to get anyone addicted.
7Overrated: Final Fantasy XV
Final Fantasy XVis one of the weakest entries in the series on its own. It really is saved only by the fact it followed up theFinal Fantasy XIIIgames. The fact that the narrative is fractured across DLC and external media just makes it that much more of a headache. A solid combat system doesn’t really save the bland open-world it’s tied to.
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Fortunately, the combat and great character interactions were brought along toFinal Fantasy VII Remake.Final Fantasy XVwas important in that it helped the series regain its footing, but as a game it’s just lackluster.
6Underrated: Indivisible
Indivisible, an action-RPG-platformer from Lab Zero Games, is a game loaded with personality. Its art-style is similar to that of their previous title,Skullgirls, but in this experience it has more time to simmer on-screen. For fans of RPG’s with loads of unique characters,Indivisblehas them in spades. The combat is also incredibly fast and fun, with each character providing a different element to change things up. And while it isn’t a masterclass in writing, the personality the game has makes up for that. It is a fantastic RPG many people just overlooked.
5Overrated: South Park: The Stick of Truth
A game likeSouth Park: The Stick of Truthhas no right to be as good as it is. Obsidian pulled off a modern miracle creating a game that is just fun to play. However, in hindsight, it’s not nearly as good as many critics made it out to be. The game is bothtoo shortand feels like it goes on for longer than it should. The fact that it is aSouth Parkgame is both its defining feature and biggest weakness as a game. While it can be a blast for one playthrough, this isn’t a game that even hardcore fans are going to want to revisit that often. It’s a good game, but not exactly a great one.
4Underrated: Megadimension Neptunia VII
TheNeptuniaseries is hardly what could be called consistent. The first three titles all have their own problems that make them fall short of being games to recommend to everyone. However,Megadimension Neptunia VII(pronounced “vee two”) manages to iron out the problems of previous entries while keeping it just as delightfully weird. It keeps the self-referential humor that makes the series popular; however, it also spruces up combat and level designs to make things less repetitive. The best part is that, despite being a sequel, it’s perfectly fine to just jump into this title. It will still turn away people not prepared for just how anime it is, but this game is worth a try.
3Overrated: Kingdom Hearts III
The problems of theKingdom Heartsseries are well-documented, and nobody hatesKingdom Heartsmore than fans of the series. The games are all a bit of dumb fun, but are hardly incredible RPG’s.Kingdom Hearts IIIshould have been nowhere near the award for Best RPG of 2019 at the Game Awards.
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It being the culmination of over fifteen years ofnonsense storytellingis the least of its problems. It’s an emotional conclusion for long-time fans, but that’s about the extent of who can fully enjoy this game. Otherwise, it’s just a good action-RPG with some Disney flavoring.
2Underrated: Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Is it fair to call a game released on the PS4 less than a month ago at time of writing “underrated?” Absolutely, becauseBug Fablesdeserves all of the credit it gets. This game is considered a spiritual successor to Nintendo’sPaper Marioseries and it certainly shows. However,Bug Fablessurpasses evenPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. The characters are wonderful, the art-style is cute, and the story is surprisingly compelling. The soundtrack deserves a special mention as well, being loaded with great jams. For any PS4 players looking for a new RPG,Bug Fablesis one of the best.
1Overrated: The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
IsThe Witcher 3good? Yes, it is excellent. Some would call itone of the best. It wouldn’t have won so many awards if it wasn’t. However, the fact that so many gamers online treat it as some kind of underappreciated masterpiece is just mind-boggling. It’s hardly a masterpiece on its merits. The movement in the game can feel awful at times, and there’s still janks from previous titles that should have been ironed out. Regardless of how well-written the game is, it isn’t as amazing as people make it out to be. There are plenty of other real hidden gems that are worth a look before this one.
