UPDATE: Tales of Arise won Best RPG at The Game Awards 2021!
As is annual tradition, the game industry unites once more to celebrate all the games that have been released in the past year. The 2021 Game Awards are closing in fast, and fans will have until December 8 to cast their votes on the various categories going into the show. From Game of the Year to Best Esports Team, every aspect of the game industry has been covered at this Game Awards. And regardless of whether or not someone's favorite game will win, the event is still worth tuning into for the bevy of world premieres and announcements that will be there.
It's still always fun to cast some votes and make some predictions as to what will win, and the competition this year for a number of categories, like Best Narrative, is quite fierce. The battle for Best Action/Adventure is a tough one, and many of the titles in the running have such far-reaching influence that it's hard to say which could win. Especially fierce competition can be found in the Best Role Playing Game category, where five strong 2021 games can be found matching their strengths. These titles all have different things to offer RPG fans, and it's going to be a close fight to decide the winner.
Cyberpunk 2077
The first nominee may come as a surprise. Coming after years of industry-shaking hype, Cyberpunk 2077 went down in infamy as one of the biggest disappointments of 2021. However, as buggy as Cyberpunk was at launch, it still had some redeeming qualities. It's also getting more polished over time to let those qualities shine through more.
One of Cyberpunk's biggest strengths is its roleplaying, with the player encouraged to create whoever they want. V, the protagonist, can come from multiple backgrounds with immediate story ramifications, and can reach an even wider group of endings. Along the way, players can immerse themselves in the cyberpunk Night City, and enjoy all the horrors and wonders this vision of the future has to offer.
However, as was noted, this game launched with some severe issues. Just walking around Night City can unearth all kinds of chaos, whether it be cars exploding and flipping through the air, or NPCs and objects spawning around the player when they aren't looking. That's not even getting into the basic gameplay, which many have noted isn't very satisfying. Cyberpunk 2077 is a fantastic game for roleplaying, but not much else, and its disastrous launch may have poisoned its chances at the Game Awards.
Monster Hunter Rise
Another awkward launch can be found with Monster Hunter Rise, though its case was much more subdued. Initially, the game lacked an ending due to Covid slowing the development down. It didn't take that long for the last few story missions and further content to be patched in, and more will be coming in future cross-promotion events and the release of the Sunbreak expansion. As it stands, Monster Hunter Rise is the most polished and modernized Monster Hunter yet, working in even more quality of life upgrades than World. Its many new mechanics have delighted both new and old players, and it's monster roster has proven to be an interesting and satisfying hunting experience.
No doubt that Monster Hunter Rise is a great game, but it's status as the best role playing game of 2021 is in question. The Monster Hunter games do allow players to express themselves through their character builds, of which there are many to choose from. However, the player is simply an agent going about their daily tasks, with no personal stake in the paper-thin plot. Monster Hunter games have always been about hunting monsters for science and survival. That still works fine, and Rise even threw in a twist for its endgame monsters, but even that isn't wholly new. Still, Monster Hunter World did win the 2018 Best RPG award, so Rise has a chance to take it again.
Scarlet Nexus
Monster Hunter won't be able to win again for free however, as this year was full of quality action-RPGs. Another one nominated for Best Role Playing Game is Scarlet Nexus, a futuristic action game from the creators of Tales of Vesperia. Scarlet Nexus features two teams of psychic warriors combating otherworldly forces in a dystopic future. Players control them as they go out on missions and unlock new abilities, and can summon their party members for assists. These teammates can be bonded with through side quests and events scenes outside of normal missions, which feeds back into the combat by unlocking new abilities.
The game does a good job of weaving its gameplay and storytelling together, but that isn't necessarily enough to win Best RPG. Scarlet Nexus has some problems with its storytelling, owing in part to its choice to have two campaigns. These campaigns focus on different groups of characters that frequently overlap. Often, one group is working with a more complete view of the situation than the other, so some things just don't make sense when viewed from one angle.
It almost feels like players are expected to play through both campaigns concurrently, which can be a hassle when bonding with party members takes up so much time between regular missions. The gameplay of Scarlet Nexus is solid, and its visuals are an interesting blend of anime and realism, but that might not be enough to offset it's storytelling fumbles.
Shin Megami Tensei 5
Shin Megami Tensei 5 is another beast entirely. The only turn-based RPG to be nominated this year, Shin Megami Tensei 5 is the latest entry in the long-running MegaTen franchise. Shin Megami Tensei differentiates itself from its sister series Persona through its focus on capturing Demons to use as party members and exploring a magical world. SMT5 is probably the best version of this experience yet, replacing most of the past games' labyrinthine dungeons with an open-world and presenting the most refined version of the Press Turn and Demon Fusion systems so far. This game accomplishes all it sets out to do, and stands as an excellent argument for why turn-based games are still relevant.
However, that excellence comes at a cost. Shin Megami Tensei 5 is geared toward hardcore JRPG players who want something more from their gameplay, and are willing to settle for a lighter story if the rest of the game is compelling enough. While SMT5 tempers its gameplay with excellent music and visuals (even if the performance is handicapped by being exclusive to the Switch), that won't be enough for everyone. Persona is the series to go to for a slightly less combat-focused experience that delves deep into characterization.
SMT5 is not devoid of story and characters, and even offers a lot of player choice regarding how the story progresses, but they can be ignored in favor of exploration and questing for long stretches of time. Combine that with a fairly high level of difficulty and a grimy aesthetic, and Shin Megami Tensei 5 is left in an unusual state that not everyone will necessarily vibe with.
Tales of Arise
Tales of Arise is built upon the backs of its many predecessors, and has made new strides as the first Tales game to properly utilize 8th generation consoles. It has more detailed large areas with different elevations, a revamped combat system that puts a new emphasis on dodging and aerial fighting, and the same old Tales story of two worlds in conflict. The game is solid throughout, providing a new gameplay feel that appears to be bringing more players into the series. It's unfortunate that local multiplayer had to be left behind in this transition, but this is an important time of change for the Tales series, and old features can be brought back later if warranted.
One of the game's biggest issues is that the more it changed, the more it stayed the same. Tales of Arise is still easily identified as a Tales game by anyone with light familiarity towards the series. The new gameplay experience will help build up fans for the future, but with how often Tales gameplay refines and reinvents itself, it doesn't stand out as much as it should. Also, the storytelling and content offering in the back part of the game starts to suffer due to some apparent development issues. The end result is still solid, but it might not have what it takes to beat the other nominees.
Final Predictions For Best RPG Winner
Only one of these five games can win the award for Best Role Playing Game of 2021. Each does a good job of showing all that's possible in the RPG genre, from open-world FPS action to turn-based combat. Every title allows for role-playing through customization, but some allow for much more than that. Cyberpunk 2077 and Shin Megami Tensei 5 let the player truly insert themselves into the world and story, while Scarlet Nexus and Tales of Arise instead focus on the plights of ensemble casts. Monster Hunter Rise deliberately undercuts the player’s involvement in its own story, but still presents a very flexible gameplay experience to make up for it.
Regarding the chances of each game to actually win, Cyberpunk 2077 might be the best role playing game at role playing, but the worst at being a game. Judges and fans probably won't let its issue-riddled launch slide. Scarlet Nexus and Tales of Arise blur together somewhat, being action-RPGs that were released to the JRPG crowd to please, but not excel. Monster Hunter Rise and Shin Megami Tensei 5 are left with strong focuses on their action and turn-based gameplay respectively, at the expense of their stories.
Shin Megami Tensei 5 still holds an interesting, if sidelined, interactive narrative for the player to shape, so it may just win out in terms of RPG value. However, both it and Monster Hunter Rise don't appeal to wide audiences, with Rise bringing in a larger one. Thus, while Shin Megami Tensei 5 may have the best chance at winning the award for Best Role Playing Game of 2021, it's going to do so by the skin of its teeth — just how SMT fans like it.