Mix It Up: RPG Hybrids

After catching this post about Wizorb, an Arkanoid-like game with role playing elements, something occurred to me: I really dig it when two different genres make sweet love to each other and have a baby. Sure, that baby may grow up to have all kinds of problems stemming from its parents' socially unacceptable relationship, but it could also get past those issues and become a unique and totally kickass game.

The following list of games are such strange children. Most of them are pretty awesome games and worth checking out, especially if you're tired of stale releases that are too stuck in their genre's tropes to keep your interest anymore. Sure, there's always a lot of potential for things to go sour, but there's also always a chance that something fantastic can emerge when two of your favorite games collide.


RPG + First Person Shooters = Doom RPG
This is another one of those combinations that have been done left and right, but perhaps not quite in the way this one was. Possibly the only cell phone game I've ever enjoyed (and played to the end!) enough to recommend to anyone, the Doom RPG.

If you took a classic turn-based RPG that had you exploring dungeons in first person (Phantasy Star comes to mind) and replaced everything but the "first person" and "turn-based RPG" parts with Doom, you would know exactly what I'm talking about. It makes a lot of sense when you think about it that way, considering all that really needed to change with Doom was making the movements and shooting turn-based. The end result is a game that's perfect for mobile phones, since you can pick it up and play a few turns at a time (and not have to kill your thumbs making any quick movements).

I played this little title to 100% completion on my old LG flip phone and loved every minute of it. Again, the story wasn't memorable (it is Doom, after all), but I do remember getting a few chuckles out of the messages that scientists left behind. I think giving the game a funny story to compliment the gameplay was a much better idea than trying too hard on a good story.



So there you have a nice little list of games that break down the barriers of a single genre and reach out to become something a bit more memorable. Not all RPG hybrids are good, but sometimes they turn out pretty alright, even if the story isn't quite there. If the combination works and all it needs is a better story, it could potentially pave the way for better titles, right? The simple act of rubbing one type of game against another until they make fire isn't hard to do, just hard to do well. But that doesn't mean nobody should try!

Does anyone else have some hybrids close to their heart? They don't necessarily have to be RPG-based, just anything that mixes two genres in some way. Maybe a RPG/Shoot 'em Up hybrid that isn't Sigma fucking Star Saga?

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