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Introducing child to RPG genre
- Thread starter Fxp
- Start date
Fbh
Member
Ni No Kuni can be somewhat challenging at parts, at least for a kid playing his first RPG. It also doesn't help that the main source of challenge in the game comes from the fact that your AI partners have extremely shitty AI and are basically useless.
So I'd stick with the majority and say Pokemon.
Freezasaurus
Member
Child of Light.
He doesn't have ps3 though. I suppose he could subscribe to PS Now, but I don't think many people use that service.
Neoleo2143
Member
Definitely Pokemon.
Dangansona
Member
Yeah I was thinking either PS Now or the sequel coming out soon.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Maybe he's a 9yo with taste and a hunger.
GreatestHits
Member
Some of these suggestions are mind baffling. I assume you mean western action rpg because you mention he's watching you play the witcher? Everyone here is throwing JRPGs at you or insane suggestions like Dragon's Dogma and Planescape Torment.
My kid is 5. If he were older, I'd probably get him into phantasy star online (offline first) to get him into ARPG. Then Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance would be a considsration, but this is so I can co op with him honestly. Fable and mayyyybe Oblivion would also be fine for single player. If he hasn't gotten into Zelda yet though, we need to go over the fundamentals first.
My kid is 5. If he were older, I'd probably get him into phantasy star online (offline first) to get him into ARPG. Then Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance would be a considsration, but this is so I can co op with him honestly. Fable and mayyyybe Oblivion would also be fine for single player. If he hasn't gotten into Zelda yet though, we need to go over the fundamentals first.
NipplesAndToes23
Member
So are children really into Minecraft? I'm out of touch with people.
GreatestHits
Member
My son is 5 and if I don't actively interact with him and plan out his day, he will switch between playing minecraft all day or watching minecraft mods videos. And it's not just anectdotal, it's by far the top children's game for the past idk 5 years
Fantasy Life on 3DS is a way forward. RPG focus is on jobs, not all of which are combat based, and the challenge is at the top level of each job, rather the main story that requires very little combat. The jobs mostly feed into each other, with a mix of gathering (woodcutting, mining, fishing), crafting (smithing, cooking, tailoring) and combat jobs. Personally I loved haring around on the back of my horse as a paladin, and learned half a dozen other jobs along the way. Awesome game, absolutely suitable for children interesting in a beginners RPG.
Havoc2049
Member
Action RPGs are a good way to introduce people to the RPG genre, especially co-op ones, in which a more experienced player can help the inexperienced player.
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Dark Alliance II.
The later Gauntlet games, such as Gauntlet IV, Gauntlet Legends, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows and Gauntlet (2014).
Just to name a few, as there are obviously a lot more.
Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance and Dark Alliance II.
The later Gauntlet games, such as Gauntlet IV, Gauntlet Legends, Gauntlet Dark Legacy, Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows and Gauntlet (2014).
Just to name a few, as there are obviously a lot more.
Nick Van Excel
Banned
Secret of Mana
/thread
/thread
This. Throw him in to the deep end, OP.
ASilentProtagonist
Member
This is a great one.
I'd personally recommend Mario & Luigi, Pokemon, and having him play Chrono Trigger last.
Chrono Trigger would be fun. Timeless pixel art, relatively wholesome story, brisk pacing, and never insurmountably difficult. I wish I had played it when I was 9, would have been perfect.
You can play it on Vita (PS1 version), 3DS (DS cart or SNES emulator), and iPhone (not a bad version, from what I hear).
You can play it on Vita (PS1 version), 3DS (DS cart or SNES emulator), and iPhone (not a bad version, from what I hear).
eXistor
Member
I dunno man, the RPG to get me into them was Phantasy Star II. Don't try and force an entry-level game on someone. If they're genuinely into something they'll find out for themselves what they like.
/edit: that said, I'd genuinely recommend Earthbound to a young contemporary audience. Or Undertale if you want an actual contemporary game.
/edit: that said, I'd genuinely recommend Earthbound to a young contemporary audience. Or Undertale if you want an actual contemporary game.
Kingdom Hearts is far from egdy. Where did this dumb stereotype about this series come from? THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP is the main theme in the series ffs.
Kingdom Hearts is a great series to start with OP. Plenty of action for a young kid to get invested in. Also, kids are not jaded assholes like some people on GAF so I'm sure he'll really like it.
Pankratous
Member
Final Fantasy 7/8/9/10
Forgive me if this crosses the self-promotion line, but Pyre, the game I've been working on for three years & comes out this week, is a party-based RPG rated E10+. My kids ages 6 and 11 played it extensively during development. It's not a kids game but is kid-appropriate, kind of like our first game Bastion if you're familiar with that one (which was also E10+ but dealt with mature themes). Reviews should be hitting this week so don't take it from me, but hopefully folks will find this to be true.
I grew up playing Ultima and Phantasy Star and games like that, which dealt with mature themes but were suitable for younger players. I think I would have been a lifelong game player no matter what but it was those games that really drew me in and I'll remember them forever for it. I sometimes worry there aren't enough high-quality games suitable for kids anymore (although I'm grateful that Nintendo has always been committed to that as an idea).
I got my daughter hooked on the Pokemon games as her first RPG (Sun/Moon specifically).
I grew up playing Ultima and Phantasy Star and games like that, which dealt with mature themes but were suitable for younger players. I think I would have been a lifelong game player no matter what but it was those games that really drew me in and I'll remember them forever for it. I sometimes worry there aren't enough high-quality games suitable for kids anymore (although I'm grateful that Nintendo has always been committed to that as an idea).
I got my daughter hooked on the Pokemon games as her first RPG (Sun/Moon specifically).
It's not my fault the KH audience and the Hot Topic audience overlaps so much.
Yeah this is what I thought!
JinjoUnchained
Member
Throw him into the deep end with Xenoblade Chronicles X and don't let him play anything else until he masters the combat.
AtomskEater
Member
Pokemon
Kingdom Hearts
I'm trying to think of something that's like Minecraft (building, harvesting, etc) but more of an rpg and coming up short. Rune Factory is about as close as I can think.
Steven Universe: Attack the Light for phones/tablets is good, has timed attack mechanics like in Super Mario RPG and 0 dlc/microtransactions.
OP says WRPG/JRPG right there. Although I agree some of these suggestions are a bit much.
Kingdom Hearts
I'm trying to think of something that's like Minecraft (building, harvesting, etc) but more of an rpg and coming up short. Rune Factory is about as close as I can think.
Steven Universe: Attack the Light for phones/tablets is good, has timed attack mechanics like in Super Mario RPG and 0 dlc/microtransactions.
OP says WRPG/JRPG right there. Although I agree some of these suggestions are a bit much.
Not sure what that has to do with the content of the games itself.
Also I played KH as a kid...
Darkchaser3
Neo Member
World of Final Fantasy
Any Pokemon game
Dragon Quest Builders
Any Pokemon game
Dragon Quest Builders
When I was 9 my brother and I were playing a lot of dungeon crawlers (Wizardry, The Bards Tale, etc.), and I loved them. They were fairly simple (You're mostly just walking down a hall, then fighting monsters). Not a lot of text to figure out. They were impossibly hard, but at that age it didn't really matter. We had the patience to just wander around dungeons leveling endlessly. We had a lot of fun naming and rolling up characters, seeing how good we could make them. We never came close to finishing them, but they are good at introducing the basic mechanic of progressing in power via experience points and treasure.
I don't know how more modern takes on that genre would fare with a child. Something like Legend of Grimrock might be too puzzle and/or story heavy. Maybe Might and Magic X: Legacy?
I don't know how more modern takes on that genre would fare with a child. Something like Legend of Grimrock might be too puzzle and/or story heavy. Maybe Might and Magic X: Legacy?
Napalm_Frank
Member
Does he like classic Disney movies?
If so, then Kingdom Hearts.
If so, then Kingdom Hearts.
Mister Wolf
Member
Child Of Light is what you should have them play.
Boy Wander
Member
Mario and Luigi series I guess would be a good start.
SatelliteOfLove
Member
Yeah, if the kid has That Hunger and hasn't been conditioned to expect RPH (reward per hour), he'll be fine with some grognard-ass shit like what we grew up with.
The Grimrocks have nearly no story really. Wonderful sense of adventure and level design. 2 has this open-ended quality to it; some real tempting shit.
Teriyaki Blues
Member
If you have a 3DS of any type, there are a ton of great RPGs especially considering the backwards compatibility. Most of which have been named.
One of my favorite easier games that has not been mentioned... relatively short, not too much text, selectable difficulty modes including battle frequency, VA on all the important dialogue bits, and a fairly straightforward story (though not completely linear) is Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale. It is also inexpensive.
My teen does not like RPGs (my favorite genre, huge parental sigh) but has so far made exceptions for Paper Mario games, Mario & Luigi games, Pokémon games, Fantasy Life, and the upcoming Miitopia. Fantasy Life may be a little bit wordy but it has easy to follow quest markers. Miitopia is funny and kids seem to love casting their family, friends, and favorite characters in it. Free demo version is nice sneak peek. We also had a really good time playing Dragon Quest IX together, but that's the only DQ game that they've played. On the PC, they enjoyed Costume Quest, Minecraft, and Slime Rancher. Though the latter two are more sim/sandbox games.
If only there was a Kirby RPG, my kid would lose their gosh-darned mind.
One of my favorite easier games that has not been mentioned... relatively short, not too much text, selectable difficulty modes including battle frequency, VA on all the important dialogue bits, and a fairly straightforward story (though not completely linear) is Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale. It is also inexpensive.
My teen does not like RPGs (my favorite genre, huge parental sigh) but has so far made exceptions for Paper Mario games, Mario & Luigi games, Pokémon games, Fantasy Life, and the upcoming Miitopia. Fantasy Life may be a little bit wordy but it has easy to follow quest markers. Miitopia is funny and kids seem to love casting their family, friends, and favorite characters in it. Free demo version is nice sneak peek. We also had a really good time playing Dragon Quest IX together, but that's the only DQ game that they've played. On the PC, they enjoyed Costume Quest, Minecraft, and Slime Rancher. Though the latter two are more sim/sandbox games.
If only there was a Kirby RPG, my kid would lose their gosh-darned mind.
semiconscious
Member
great first post. both as simple & as complex as any 'first time' rpg i can think of
...This thread should have been closed after the first two responses suggested Pokemon and Dragon Quest Builders. Some of the later suggestions are batshit crazy for a fucking nine year old.
The only other thing i'd add is a slow introduction to adventure games like Legend of Zelda also as they are basically RPG-lite; Breath of the Wild seems like a great fit if your son enjoys watching Witcher 3.
The only other thing i'd add is a slow introduction to adventure games like Legend of Zelda also as they are basically RPG-lite; Breath of the Wild seems like a great fit if your son enjoys watching Witcher 3.
ThatStupidLion
Member
Shining force 1/2 - cartoony style, lots of characters, turnbased, tactics. Minimal narative and talking. Good stuff.
John Harker
Definitely doesn't make things up as he goes along.
Child of Light.
So beautiful,
Loved it. And you can co-op together!
Still don't understand why there isn't more
So beautiful,
Loved it. And you can co-op together!
Still don't understand why there isn't more