There has arguably never been a better time to be a fantasy fan, with big series like Game of Thrones, The Lord of the Rings, The Witcher and more all catching the spotlight in some form. This year in particular has been a massive one since House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power both aired concurrently, but thanks to the video game medium there are plenty of other opportunities for genre enthusiasts to indulge themselves.
Several talented development studios have created meticulously detailed fantasy worlds worth investing in across a diverse catalog of franchises, unsurprisingly the RPG genre lends itself best to this type of setting. And from the Middle-earth games to FromSoftware’s recent collaboration with George R.R. Martin, there’s real embarrassment in store for fans of both The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon.
Elden Ring
It’s without a doubt the most up-to-date recommendation for fantasy fans in the modern gaming age, and FromSoftware’s latest epic RPG Elden Ring is sure to be one to please House of the Dragon/A Song of Ice and Fire fans. It’s thanks in part to the blockbuster duo of game director Hidetaka Miyazaki and series writer George R.R. Martin building this world. The Lands Between is set in a dark fantasy universe that will be familiar to both Game of Thrones fans and those of FromSoft’s previous works (Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, etc.), with the creative team’s signature of muted but immersive storytelling and world-building.
It follows that the tarnished protagonist is called back from exile to help rebuild the shattered Golden Order of the Gods that originally banished him. Elden Ring’s features have arguably set the next highest benchmark for open-world game design, with something exciting worth exploring in every possible direction. To see also : Top 10 Favorite Video Games of All Time Countdown: Top 3 Huskers News Contra Witcher 3. In terms of combat, it blends the action of Dark Souls III with Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice to complement its highly rewarding character progression systems.
Elden Ring is available now for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor/War
It would be impossible to miss Monolith Productions’ Middle-earth duology for Diehards of J.R.R. Tolkien’s extensive fantasy work. Ironically, both Shadow of Mordor and War take a dark fantasy take on Tolkien’s usual work and set in their own timeline, separate from the main continuity. Mordor is an open-world action-adventure game that follows a Gondorian ranger named Talion who bonds with the elf Wraith Celebrimbor as they both embark on a quest to avenge their families murdered during his blood feud directed against Sauron himself.
The gameplay takes worthy inspiration from Rocksteady’s acclaimed Batman: Arkham series and combines it with his original and ingenious Nemesis system that allows players to defeat and overtake interconnected orc tribes that also influence the hierarchy among themselves in the background . See the article : As parents introduce children to video games.
Both Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor and War are available on modern hardware via PS4, XBO and PC.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
While Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire stories and beyond are structured differently than Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series, House of the Dragon fans should still feel at home in the latter’s grounded and rich dark fantasy world feel. This may interest you : 6 Upcoming Video Game Movies and TV Adaptations We Can’t Wait To See. It has rightfully received praise since its release in 2015, as The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt from developer CD Projekt Red is still considered one of the most compelling modern action RPGs.
Political unrest and wars rage on in the background as Geralt of Rivia’s quest takes him across the continent’s lands in search of his surrogate daughter before the eponymous and prophetic Wild Hunt captures her for her latent powers. The plot is more intimate, with rewarding role-playing mechanics that inform the stories, and features compelling character writing and a wealth of story content throughout – including the equally acclaimed Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine DLC expansions.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is available now for PS4, XBO, Nintendo Switch and PC, with a current-gen remaster for PS5, XSX|S and PC releasing in late 2022 at no additional cost to current owners.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
While it’s become a tired joke in the industry, Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is undoubtedly one of the most enduring games of our time. It has been re-released and ported several times, but the recognition it has received is not without merit. The game was a milestone for open-world design when it was released in 2011 during the PS3 and Xbox 360 console generation, as it featured a dynamic environment with unique interactions, items, and stories to discover.
Likewise, The Elder Scrolls series as a whole wears its Tolkien inspirations on the sleeve in terms of atmosphere, art direction, and storytelling conventions. Playing as the Dragonborn is highly customizable through a variety of free-flowing character builds, making the journey to defeating the draconic world-eater Alduin endlessly replayable.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available on modern hardware across PS4, PS5, XBO, XSX|S, Switch and PC.
Dark Souls trilogy
Even as Elden Ring improves the game, FromSoftware’s landmark Dark Souls trilogy is still more than worth returning. House of the Dragon fans should appreciate the series’ gritty, dark fantasy world as it essentially blends fantasy with a post-apocalyptic setting. The Dark Souls series begins long after Lord Gwyn, the first Lord of Cinder, committed this universe’s “original sin” by cursing it with a cyclical age of fire, treating humans and monsters as undead until his death leaves behind shells.
Lore, storytelling, and world-building are also expectedly subtle here, but it’s incredibly rewarding for fantasy fans to learn about and piece together. Aside from the inventive level designs, the grueling challenge and spectacle of the boss fights are the gameplay’s standout features.
Dark Souls: Remastered, Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin and Dark Souls III are all available on modern hardware via PS4, XBO, Switch (Remastered) and PC.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda is one of Nintendo’s pillars in the gaming industry and an icon of the medium as a whole. From the start, the series clearly drew inspiration from Tolkien’s work on The Lord of the Rings, with its vibrant and diverse high-fantasy land of Hyrule, tone and storytelling style. This is especially true for the series, which follows the generational struggle between Link and the demon king Ganon and his penchant for detailed topography.
Breath of the Wild for Nintendo Switch is perhaps the best encapsulation of these features as it has a stunning open world that invites endless exploration and beautiful vistas. The game combines The Legend of Zelda’s usual action-adventure formula with those of the action-RPG subgenre in a high-fantasy package that fans of The Rings of Power should be happy with.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is available now exclusively for Switch, with an (yet) untitled sequel due out in the first half of 2023.
Divinity: Original Sin II
The CRPG subgenre is one of the niches of the larger RPG genre, but they’ve had a welcome resurgence in modern gaming. Developer Larian Studios (who currently directs Baldur’s Gate III) is responsible for much of this, as Divinity: Original Sin II has been widely hailed as one of the best RPGs out there. The game built on every positive aspect of the original and created an experience with an unbearable level of detail.
The player takes on the role of a protagonist and a supporting group of characters as they attempt to repel the invading legion of monsters that are invading the main world from the void. It’s a colorful and sprawling world with compelling adventures that Lord of the Rings fans should appreciate, and it has some of the most satisfying and deep role-playing mechanics in a game. Strategic turn-based combat that rewards creativity and choice-driven narrative combine to create an expansive, high-fantasy experience.
Demon’s Souls (remake)
FromSoftware’s “Souls-like” subgenre prequel Demon’s Souls on PS3 received critical acclaim and became a cult classic in 2009. It laid the groundwork for the formula that would eventually evolve into the Elden Ring; However, the game can admittedly feel dated and cumbersome by today’s standards. Luckily, PlayStation’s in-house studio, Bluepoint Games, has created a remake that’s been remastered from the ground up, keeping the spirit of the original’s levels and gameplay design.
The Demon’s Souls achieves this through tasteful gameplay improvements and stunning visuals thanks to PS5 hardware horsepower. Tonally, the same rules apply to House of the Dragon fans looking for a similarly dark experience. It has all the backstory and subtle storytelling expected of a Souls game, with the chosen hero protagonist summoned to the kingdom of Boletaria to slay its fallen and corrupted king and the greater evil sweeping the world soul-eating deep fog.
Demon’s Souls is now available exclusively on PS5.
House of the Dragon is available to watch on HBO and HBO Max, while The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is available on Amazon Prime Video, with both series having new episodes weekly.
Editors’ Recommendations
Is Middle-Earth Shadow of War on Xbox?
Buy Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™ Definitive Edition | Xbox.
Is Middle-earth: Shadow of War for Xbox 360? WB Games Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Xbox 360.
Is Middle-Earth on Xbox?
Middle-earth: The Shadow Bundle is available now for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S – Xbox Wire.
Is Shadows of War on Xbox?
| list price: | Details for $19.99 |
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| You save: | $12.99 (65%) |
What is the order of The Lord of the Rings games?
Prepare for hours of the franchise’s most popular games.
- 1 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
- 2 Lord of the Rings Online (2007-2019) …
- 3 Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II (2006) …
- 4 Middle-earth: Shadow of War (2017) …
- 5 Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014) …
- 6 LEGO Lord of the Rings (2012) …
Which Lord of the Rings game came first? The first of these games was The Lord of the Rings: War in the North, an action role-playing game set in northern Middle-earth. It was developed by Snowblind Studios and released on November 1, 2011.
How many Lord of the Ring games are there?
While many of them aren’t particularly well known, there are nearly 50 video games based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Is Elden Ring Dark Souls 4?
No, Elden Ring is not a sequel, prequel, series spin-off, or any similar expansion of the Dark Souls franchise, despite the clear similarities between the games.
Is Elden Ring basically Dark Souls 4? Basically, Demon’s Souls sired Dark Souls, which sired Elden Ring. The Dark Souls series made FromSoftware a legitimate competitor with 27 million units sold across three games as of 2020.
Is Elden Ring tied to Dark Souls?
However, other Reddit users were quick to remind the user that FromSoftware itself previously stated that the Elden Ring is in no way affiliated with the Dark Souls series. In an interview with IGN in 2019, Hidetaka Miyazaki himself confirmed that the stories of the two games are not connected.
Is Elden Ring a sequel to Dark Souls 3?
Elden Ring is no more connected to Dark Souls than Sekiro or Bloodborne. Elden Ring is a spiritual successor in the sense that it’s a game inspired by another title but has little to nothing to do with its lore or narrative. This is not the first time FromSoftware uses this model.
