The best RPG where it's hard to be good

Role-playing games are some of the best video game experiences available to gamers today. They uniquely utilize the medium in a way that other entertainment venues simply cannot match. Few other media, except perhaps books, allow people to be so uniquely immersed in a world that is in some ways similar to their own, but in others completely alien. And here lies the reverse for the best RPG of recent years and indeed of all time. They can be incredibly far departures from the world the players know – but there's always a need to hold up a mirror to the familiar.

One thing that tends to stay the same in most RPGs is their sense of morality. Regardless of whether the game takes place in a mystical fantasy realm or our current reflection, the good are often virtuous and the bad are often sinful in similar archetypal ways. When it comes to these RPGs, the good is the sacrifice, and making the right choice doesn't always mean doing the easy thing.

8 Fairy tale 3

Ruling a kingdom is easy only for tyrants

Totally unique playstyle and alignment Fable as the series has demonstrated, is an incredible take on morality in video games, even if at first glance it seems rather simplistic and more for comedic value.

Fairy tale 3 adds a new dimension to the morality system by having the player in one of the most important positions in the kingdom of Albion – its leader. Good decisions benefit the people, but they are costly and could lead to disaster in the long run when a terrible threat strikes the realm. Bad decisions are no longer just for the good of evil, but to protect the coffers as long as possible so that kigdom will have an easier time when the final battle begins.

7 Suzerain

Life is hard for an incorruptible politician

Text miracle Suzerain it is based on difficult choices, not binary ones. The choice between building high-speed rail or a multi-lane highway is not a choice between good and evil, but there are certainly moments when compromising morality makes this difficult game easier.

Players can soon accept bribes from a media mogul to publish favorable articles for them, and refusing this deal, especially when it comes to nationalization in government, will greatly limit any publicity the player receives.

6 Frostpunk

How do you stay moral during the apocalypse?

Incredibly Frostpunk 2 takes city builder fans by storm. Or perhaps… a blizzard? But if there's one thing the first game in the series focuses on more intensely, it's the binary code between maintaining morals and surviving by any means necessary.

Taking the time to stock up on food so civilians don't have to eat each other, taking the time to have proper burials instead of mass graves, all of these things are morally honorable, but much harder to sustain when winter sets in and winter comes. in times of desperation, what will players be willing to give up if it means surviving?

5 InFamous 2

Evil actions are guaranteed by carefree powers

The InFamous series is one of the popular games that make fun of video games with morals. The system isn't complex by any means, but it's a fantastic anchor in an incredibly interesting world, with some engaging details that add to the overall pervasive sense of darkness that Cole either contributes to or fights against.

Forces in this game are dictated by morality, and the evil forces are often much wider and easier to take out multiple enemies at once – even if it costs a few civilians who get in the way. Being good at this game doesn't necessarily hinder your combat abilities, but it does make the player pay much more attention to energy savings and collateral damage during battles.

4 Spider-Man: Web of Shadows

The symbiote speeds things up in this title

There are many features in Web of Shadows which Spider-Man games since have failed to capitalize on, the biggest being the morality system that creates a fantastic superhero story. It might not be the best fit for every Spider-Man game, but the fanbase is practically begging for one or two more titles to explore the pages of the web-slinger like this one.

Negative or self-serving decisions in this game give players more time thanks to the fancy and hard-hitting symbiote suit that can make the game much faster. Being good also means sacrificing buffs or bonuses at times to see people safe instead, as if the great power that Spider-Man possesses comes with some inherent duty to others or something.

3 Dishonored

Keeping the world from chaos is a struggle

The world doesn't just respond to Corvo's morality disgraced but also to the death it causes. An ongoing plague in the environment Dishonored is a great metric of how a player performed throughout the game.

Killing people is faster and safer (for Corvo) than disposing of them, and that goes for every mission, but it also leads to more bodies, which spreads the plague and makes the city an even less pleasant place to live.

2 Vampire

If drinking blood is bad, I don't want to be good

A dark, complex and incredibly unique title, Vampire is an amazing vampire game that forces players to question their own beliefs. In an incredibly erratic twist on vampiric norms, the power of the blood of the innocent is directly proportional to how well the vampire knows them.

This forces you to learn about the many people in the game, understand them, their likes and dislikes, their dreams, before quenching the deep vampiric thirst in their blood. Not drinking their blood will leave the player in a much tougher position when it comes to combat, as they will essentially be underleveled.

1 Tyranny

This game doesn't make it easy for the good guys

In most games that offer multiple moral choices, the “bad” path is the one that deviates from the story. Being evil is almost considered an easter egg in some games, not a path to be taken seriously. Tyranny is a sublime game where every path is well-realized, but it subverts the typical RPG path of evil, or paths that are the default.

Being good at this game means betraying every belief the protagonist has ever known and rebelling as a small rebellion against a colossal imperialist empire, one of the toughest RPG experiences available to players today. But it's worth fighting the forces of evil… isn't it?