Some of the best-reviewed RPGs of all time have tons of sequels or are in fact a sequel too. For example,The Witcher 3: Wild Huntis the third game in the series about Geralt. There have yet to be any prequel games starring Geralt as a younger lad but maybe there should be.
The rest ofthese RPG franchisesdo have prequels. Some of them tie directly into the games that came before and some of them are set so far back, that it doesn’t tie directly into the earlier games at all. It’s two sides of the same coin that explore how to make a good prequel. For safety, players should expect some spoilers.
LikeFinal Fantasy, most oftheTalesgamestake place in their own universes except the games with direct sequels likeTales of Xillia. Fans may not know thatTales of Berseriais a prequel toTales of Zestirial as it takes place a thousand years in the past. It’s set in the same world and that’s about it, although Eagle-eyed fans can probably spot some Easter Eggs.
The game follows one of the few leading ladies in the series, Velvet, who travels with a band of misfits trying to change the world for the better. The thing is, they are not the nicest protagonists in the series and it would be easy to call this gameSuicide Squadbut in a JRPG format save for the whole explosive device gimmick. It’s not filled with gore and extreme language though, it’s just a different take on the hero/villain dynamic. Despite the darker tone, the combat is as action-packed as ever, and a bit more open too which would evolve more inTales of Arise.
Assassin’s Creed Originsis the game set furthest back in the series as it explains the origins of how the Assassin’s Creed was born. It begins with Bayek, a peacekeeper within Egyptian society who eventually gets cast out during a conspiracy against his family and country. With nowhere else to go, Bayek is ushered into another secret society which then becomes the Assassin’s Creed thanks to some time travel shenanigans which is a bit high-minded and hard to follow.
This is also the first game to introduce full RPG elements into combat. Characters could fight enemies, level up, get loot to equip onto Bayek like in a Diablo game, and the world was huge. Most games following this would copy the same design choices although most recentlyAssassin’s Creed Miragewas a throwback to the classicAssassin’s Creedgames.
Hogwarts Legacygave the developers at Avalanche Studios some leeway to work with in theworld ofHarry Potter. The only ties it has to the books is Hogwarts itself. It was an RPG that was begging to be made since the book series began in 1997. Every kid dreamed of becoming a witch or wizard andHogwarts Legacywas a step in the right direction.
Players could not only live out the daily life of a student, but they could also explore the surrounding landscape from Hogsmeade to the Forbidden Forest. It showed that the series does not need Harry Potter, as a character, to succeed even more so than theFantastic Beastsfilms. Hopefully, it is not the last action RPG WB allows Avalanche Studios to develop in this world.
LikeHogwarts Legacy,Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicdoes not tie directly to any of the films. Instead, it is a prequel to the greater universe that isStar Wars, set centuries before anything in the film franchise began even theStar Warsprequel trilogyabout Darth Vader. This gave BioWare a ton of room to play with as they didn’t have to worry about messing up canon.
It was the height of the Jedi wherein Sith were just as strong and vigilant too. Players joined a force of Jedi after suffering a bout of amnesia. The core villain was Darth Malak, the apprentice of a more powerful Sith Lord, Darth Revan and there is a big twist related to them in the plot. The gameplay offered players tons of choices, both light and dark, and combat was similar to an MMO. It was better than anyone could have hoped for as aStar Warsfan.
TheYakuzaserieswas popular among a niche group of fans in the West butYakuza 0was the game that brought the franchise to the forefront of gaming pop culture. It was an easy jumping on point as it took place decades before the first game during the height of Japan in the 80s. It was an economic boom for the country but that also meant the Yakuza were thriving too.
It starred a younger Kazuma Kiryu, the franchise’s golden boy, who was just learning the tricks of the trade. That said, the game showcased that he was still the badass Dragon of Dojima even in his early days. It was just as fun beating up thugs and leveling up as it was chasing chickens around for a mini-game. The game thrived because it embraced the silliness just as much as it embraced the brutality of being a Yakuza member in the 80s.
Larian Studios truly made it big when they releasedBaldur’s Gate 3in 2023. They couldn’t have gotten that hyped momentum if it wasn’t for their two prequels to theDivinityseries which began in 2002.Divinity: Original Sinwas a prequel set hundreds of years before the original, giving the developers some breathing room like BioWare got withStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
This also allowed new players to jump in without having any knowledge of the other games although old fans were rewarded with little Easter Eggs and other nods. The gameplay was dense, offering players multiple dialogue paths to traverse, open-ended gameplay with tons of exploration, and atactical combat systemthat demanded perfection. For those that missed this andDivinity: Original Sin 2, but lovedBaldur’s Gate 3, it’s worth going back to check out both of these games now.
