Action role-playing game

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This article is about a type of electronic game. For the non-electronic game genre, see Live action role-playing game.

An action role-playing game or Action RPG is a type of computer and console role-playing game which requires quick action or reflexes from the player. So-called "Diablo clones" and other hack and slash games are also part of this genre (see History).

Although the precise definition of the genre varies, the typical action RPG features a heavy emphasis on combat, often simplifying or removing non-combat attributes and statistics and the effect they have on the character's development.^[1] Additionally, combat always takes place using a real-time system (hence the "action") that relies on the player's ability to perform particular actions with speed and accuracy to determine success, rather than mainly using the player character's attributes to determine this. However, RPGs that use this style of combat system but give equal focus to non-combat elements such as non-player character interaction and character development (such as The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion) are instead referred to as computer role-playing games.

Although certainly not the first, Diablo and its sequels helped revitalize the action RPG genre. Other examples include Crystalis, the Mana series, Kingdom Hearts, and Dungeon Siege.

1 Genre blurring
2 History
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Genre blurring

Some action RPGs decrease the importance of character attributes far enough to also be considered action-adventure games, and some recent action-adventure games (such as Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas) have begun including RPG-like attributes along the lines of those in an action RPG. Action-adventure games that do not include character statistics (including the Legend of Zelda series but excluding Zelda II: The Adventure of Link) are also sometimes referred to as action RPGs, although this is often debated.^[2]

[edit] History

One of the first games to fuse real-time action with RPG elements was the cult hit Dungeons of Daggorath for the TRS-80 Color Computer. Released in 1982, Daggorath combined a typical dungeon crawl with real-time gameplay requiring quick keyboard presses.

While Western developers continued to explore the possibilities of real-time RPG action, Japanese developers, with their recent interest in the RPG genre, tweaked the formula a bit to create a new brand of action/RPG. The company at the forefront of this was Nihon Falcom.

Falcom's Dragon Slayer, released in 1984, was a simple real-time treasure grab game. However, its sequel, Xanadu, released in 1985, was a full-fledged RPG, with character stats and a large quest. What set Xanadu apart from other RPGs was its action-based combat. The game was immensely popular in Japan, setting records for PC game sales.^{[citation needed]}

The next two years would see the release of two games that would further define the action/RPG genre in Japan: Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda in 1986 and Falcom's Ys in 1987. While not strictly an action/RPG since it lacks RPG elements, The Legend of Zelda influenced later games in the action-RPG genre.^[3] Zelda II also implemented an RPG-esque system with action elements, making it closer to an action-RPG than other Zeldas. Ys, on the other hand, used true RPG principles. While not very popular in the West, the long-running Ys series has been very strong in Japan with many sequels, remakes and ports in the decade that followed its release.

In late 1987, FTL Games released Dungeon Master, a critically acclaimed dungeon crawl game that redefined the genre and set the standard for real-time 3D action/RPGs for the next several years. When released in Japan in 1990, Dungeon Master became the first action/RPG to achieve the number one sales rank in both Japan and the U.S.^{[citation needed]}

1990 would see the release of Crystalis for the NES. It featured Zelda-like gameplay blended with genuine RPG elements, such as experience points, statistics-based equipment, and a magic-casting system.

In 1991, Squaresoft released Seiken Densetsu for the Game Boy, also known as Final Fantasy Adventure in the West. Like Crystalis, the action in Seiken Densetsu bore a strong resemblance to that of Zelda, but added more RPG elements. Seiken Densetsu 2, also known as Secret of Mana, implemented an innovative multiplayer function, and further developed its combat with more diverse weaponry and spell-casting.

Landstalker, by Climax Entertainment, was released in 1992 for the Sega Genesis. This action/RPG used an isometric perspective, as opposed to the standard top-down view of Ys and Zelda, and also used more puzzle-solving and platforming elements than previous games in the genre.

Outside of Japan, Blue Sky Productions released Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss in 1992. This innovative game was a technological marvel, using a fully 3D first-person perspective combined with real-time action and a surprisingly deep role-playing experience. One of the game's developers, Warren Spector, would go on to help develop more games combining action and RPG gameplay, such as System Shock and Deus Ex.

In 1996, a stagnant PC RPG genre was revitalized by Blizzard's Diablo, an action/RPG that used a point-and-click interface and offered gamers a free online service to play with others that maintained the same rules and gameplay.

Diablo's effect on the market was significant; it had many imitators and its style of combat went on to be used by many MMORPGs that came after.^{[citation needed]} For many years afterwards, games that closely mimicked the Diablo formula were referred to as "Diablo clones". The definition of a Diablo clone is even vaguer than that of an action RPG, but typically such games have each player controlling a single character and have a strong focus on combat, with plot and character interaction kept to a minimum. In some examples, non-player characters have only one purpose—be it to buy or sell items or upgrade the player's abilities—or issue them with combat-centric quests. Such characters might only have dialogue relating to their function rather than providing small talk or rumors perhaps unrelated to actual gameplay elements. They also have few or no puzzles, with all problems instead having an action-based solution (such as breaking a wooden door open with an axe rather than having to find its key).

Since then, the genre has remained constantly popular, with games appearing on nearly every system. The 32-bit era saw several popular games, such as Shining Wisdom and Alundra. And current consoles all have several action/RPGs, such as Sudeki, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance, and Kingdom Hearts.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ Turner, Brian (2004-07-01). The Action RPG Revolution (HTML). Retrieved on March 2, 2007. “RPGs ... are ... difficult to define ... For the most part, action RPGs are action games first and foremost, often with frenetic realtime combat against overwhelming hordes of enemies.”
^ Zelda Is NOT An RPG. Game Design Novice. Retrieved on April 2, 2007.
^ GameSpy's 30 Most Influential People in Gaming. GameSpy. Retrieved on April 1, 2007.