One more year will soon be over, so we take advantage of the winter break to share with you our selection of RPGs released in 2019. As you'll discover, it's quite varied, and the experience offered is radically different from one game to another — and that's what makes the charm of the genre. We've really tried to offer something for everyone, so chances are you'll find something to suit your taste.
You may or may not be surprised by the absence of Monster Hunter World Iceborne in this selection, but unlike The Games Awards teams, we don't consider it an RPG, but a pure Action game. So it's waiting for you in another one of our articles.
Elysium Disco
PC, PS4, Xbox One
Unquestionably the best pure RPG released this year, if not for a long time, Disco Elysium manages to seduce despite its tons of text: it's so well written and funny, with well-thought-out gameplay mechanisms that we just can't avoid proposing it to you. This is a game not to be missed, it will offer dozens of hours of reading and hilarious dialogues, as well as impressive replayability, thanks to all the choices and all the paths that our unlikely protagonist can take.
Fire Emblem Three Houses
Switch
Here's a choice that will probably divide, since it could just as easily have been in our selection of the best tactical games. But we preferred to favor the "RPG" within the Tactical-RPG. The reason being that battles are usually too simple and superficial, and some players even had fun finishing the Expert mode with only 2 characters. While at the same time, the story, although it also has its problems, is still much better. The myriad of characters, the school, the many doubled supports, the choices of romance and the route choices have made a big difference. Fire Emblem 3 Houses is a title with big flaws, but it is still addictive and fascinating, which we are not about to forget.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III
PS4 (Switch in 2020)
The 'Trails' series continues, and a new episode has finally been located this year. Although technically dated, it embodies everything that makes up the special charm of most J-RPGs, with a masterful recipe that includes endearing but deep characters, a linear but uplifting story, an effective and easy-to-learn combat system, and tons of quests, dialogue and content. This makes it probably the best episode of the 'Trails of' saga so far in our eyes.
Kingdom Hearts 3
PS4, Xbox One
Released at the beginning of the year, the last chapter of the Sora Arc in the Tetsuya Nomura saga has fulfilled almost all its promises, after a long wait from fans. Admittedly, the game was a bit too easy when it was available, especially with the recurring and too powerful special attacks, but all this has been fixed over the course of the updates and those who are looking for a challenge can now find the right shoes on this Kingdom Hearts 3. Square-Enix's A-RPG will be entitled to a ReMind DLC early next year, clarifying a few more script elements, while bringing a new boss series.
Pokémon Sword & Shield
Switch
The grumbling of the fans, always there when it comes to belittling a game before its release, couldn't prevent it: Pokémon Sword & Shield is an undeniable worldwide success. A sure value for players looking for cool JRPG, this new episode has simply proved that Game Freaks can quietly bring their flagship license to Nintendo Switch thanks to a few welcome new features and an exotic Galar region. Of course, you'll still be able to rave about the animations and the technique, far from being brilliant at all times, but it's hard not to fall under the spell of the Pokémonized England of this episode, even if it's only for about twenty hours.
