Elden Ring and Skyrim, they can all trace their lineage back to the days of D&D.
Kings, queens, swords, and sorcery are all part of the package for these video games, and the influence of the famous table-top game is keenly felt in their designs, content, and quests. And no D20s are required.
Final Fantasy
The original Final Fantasy was one of the first games to bring a fully-visual RPG experience to the home console. As with any good game of D&D, each "campaign" starts with creating a party of adventurers before embarking on some grand and noble quest. Damsels are rescued, dungeons explored, enemies encountered, bosses beaten, rinse and repeat.
The game was a ground-breaking title, it practically changed what RPGs could be for the video game industry. By incorporating a more visual approach along with its turn-based combat, Final Fantasy practically launched an entire genre.
Dragon Quest Series
There are few rivalries as fantastical as the one between Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. But where Final Fantasy set the bar for RPGs that followed, Dragon Quest took it more than a few steps further. By drawing inspiration from more western fantasy, gamers were treated to a whimsical and enchanting series with more of a fairytale motif than a high-fantasy vibe.
The series' identity was secured by the artwork and character designs of Akira Toriyama, the artist behind the iconic Dragon Ball series. With its focus on character and fun, over-the-top fantasy, it soon gave rise to one of the most popular franchises in the JRPG genre.
Gauntlet
When players sit down to a game of Dungeons and Dragons, the title doesn't mislead often. Dungeons will be explored and dragons will eventually be encountered, but sometimes the turn-based combat can get a little stale. Gauntlet, however, took the fantasy themes of dungeons and monsters, but replaced traditional turn-based combat with hack and slash action.
Players choose between four heroes, then plunge themselves deep into the game's winding dungeons with multiple exits, armies of monsters, and loads of loot. It set the bar for other dungeon-crawling games that came after, and it has D&D to thank for it.
Chronicles of Mystara
Of course, Wizards of the Coast eventually developed their own contributions to the video game industry, including several true-to-form text-based RPGs, but they weren't above creating something much more action-packed for their more adventurous fans. Enter the Mystara games that gave players a mix of side-scrolling beat-em-up with elements pulled right from a DM's guide.
Tower of Doom and Shadow Over Mystara might look like something akin to Golden Axe or King of Dragons, but it also incorporates elements from the table-top game including magical items, spells, and even branching pathways and dialogue choices. It's a mix of genres that tries to bring the best of both worlds.
Baldur’s Gate Series
If there's one series that tries to bring the tried-and-true Dungeons and Dragons experience from the tabletop to the home console or computer, it's Mass Effect and Dragon Age, Bioware gave them this series of adventures in the Forgotten Realms.
Considered by many to be one of the greatest entries in the RPG genre, the series and all its spinoffs and expansions were essential in the further shaping of the genre. The attention to story, details, and characters helped pave the way for more advanced titles like Dragon Age to make their way onto consoles.
Pillars of Eternity
Consider Pillars of Eternity a sort of spiritual successor to Baldur's Gate. While not developed by Bioware or the minds behind D&D, the influence of such stylings is clear and obviously present. Right from the character creation screen, players are dropped into a fantasy world and sent off on various quests to explore the saga of this enchanted realm.
They'll build a party, and explore ruins, dungeons, and more as they carve out their own high fantasy journey. It's practically a single-player D&D campaign brought to PC and consoles, perfect for nights when other players are off on other adventures.
Elder Scrolls Series
There's not much for Bethesda's iconic fantasy series that hasn't already been said. However, one thing it does possess over its table-top cousin is the attention to the roleplaying aspect of an RPG. While this is mostly seen in the later games like Oblivion and Skyrim, the focus on exploration and character interactions offer a different sort of flavor only seen with certain Dungeon Masters.
Things like thievery, raiding, and even race and appearance of the player character can affect the experience. But whether an adventurer is looking to save Tamriel as the Dragonborn, or simply go off the beaten path, the thrill of the quest is as lovingly felt here as it is in its inspiration.
For The King
Some video games try to take the RPG elements away from the tabletop, but For The King flips the script and brings the tabletop to the video games. From its sprawling grid-styled maps to its character models that resemble vintage miniatures, it's clear that this game goes above and beyond to pay tribute to the traditional RPG experience that inspired it, much to many players' delight.
What it lacks in exposition, it more than makes up for in action, quests, and exploration. In this mix of retro roguelike and turn-based RPG, players lead their own party of adventurers across a board-game-inspired map in search of quests and treasure. While it can be a little bare-bones at times, anyone remotely familiar with D&D will be able to pick up and enjoy this lovingly crafted title.
Dark Alliance
While it didn't win all of the critics' approval, Dark Alliance does capture the core of a true Dungeons and Dragons video game. Exploring dungeons and beating the daylights out of a horde of monsters for loot and weapons is the heart and soul of a true dungeon-crawl, and Dark Alliance delivers.
Inspired by the characters and world of the Forgotten Realms series, players take their pick of adventurers and dive into deep dungeons to hack-and-slash all manner of monsters and minions that get in their way. It's not a complex game by any means, but there isn't a D&D player out there who hasn't wanted to take their aggressions out on a goblin grunt at some point.
Dragon’s Crown
Dragon's Crown isn't just a fantasy roleplaying game, but a carefully crafted love letter to all things fantasy, especially the realms of Dungeons and Dragons. From its style evoking the artwork of a DM screen of the 198os to references to the Beholder and even games like Shadow Over Mystara, Vanillaware truly knew how to treat their audience with this side-scrolling ARPG.
Hand-drawn visuals and enchanting characters tell this story of mystical kingdoms, fairies, and the titular dragon's crown. Throw in nods to the works of Walt Disney, classic fantasy films like Conan the Barbarian, Clash of the Titans, and Lord of the Rings, and it's a fantasy fan's dream come true.
