Summary
- Mega Man and Kirby are iconic platformer characters that excel at stealing enemy powers.
- The 3rd Birthday, Brave Fencer Musashi, and Castlevania offer unique RPG experiences involving power absorption.
- Final Fantasy 7 features a Blue Mage system where characters can permanently learn monster skills through Materia.
One of the coolest gameplay mechanics in video games is being able to steal an enemy’s powers. The Mega Man franchise was built on this concept as the Blue Bomber could extract a boss’ power after a level and then use that power to get ahead of the next boss. Then there are the Kirby games, wherein the titular pink puffball can eat enemies, steal their powers, and then dispose of them.
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Mega Man and Kirby are two great power-absorbing platformer characters with an amazing assortment of games, but there have been some RPGs that make use of this mechanic, too. For those who love stealing enemy powers, these RPGs are worth a shot.
8 The 3rd Birthday
Become Your Enemy
The 3rd Birthday
- Released
- December 22, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Genre(s)
- Survival Horror, Action, Third-Person Shooter, Tactical
The 3rd Birthday was the last entry in the Parasite Eve franchise, and it added time travel to the mix. After New York City suffers a catastrophe, Aya is sent back in time metaphysically, and to stay in the past, players had to essentially steal enemy bodies, which gave Aya new weapons and abilities to work with.
It’s not quite as cool as absorbing magic powers or becoming monsters, but it was an effective system, albeit a bit held back by the PSP’s hardware power. It is also the weakest game in the trilogy, but it's still worth a playthrough just to see the bizarre story through to the end.
7 Brave Fencer Musashi
Saving The Food Kingdom
Brave Fencer Musashi
- Released
- November 10, 1998
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Brave Fencer Musashi is one of many experimental RPGs Squaresoft released at the height of the PS1. Players inhabit the role of a young warrior, Musashi, who is transported to a food-based kingdom to save them from invaders.
Players can swing a massive blade around to damage enemies or throw their smaller katana to copy their abilities. Some examples include shrinking in size to turn the katana into a pogo stick, but all abilities were disposable, and players never permanently learned them.
6 Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow
Gotta Soul ‘Em All
Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow
- Released
- October 4, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- t
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow encapsulates the idea of this list perfectly. As the latest vampire hunter, Soma Cruz, players gain the ability to absorb the power of monsters once they defeat them. Their soul drops are not guaranteed, though, leading to some grinding, which is just part of the gameplay loop in most Castlevania games.
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Monsters can also drop rare gear, and Soma can wield everything from swords to guns. Monster souls can be activated once absorbed, like the ability to throw skeleton spears, or they can be passive, like granting Soma the ability to glide. Collecting souls is one of the many reasons why this game and its predecessor, Castlevania: Aris of Sorrow, are still so well regarded in the fan community.
5 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Monoco Loves Feet
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
- Released
- April 24, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Turn-Based RPG, JRPG, Fantasy
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s final party member is a fuzzy Gestral named Monoco. His specialty lies in feet, which is odd, but they give him power. This is never explained, so just roll with it.
If Monoco is in their party, players will be rewarded with a monster’s foot at the end of battle, which will permanently give Monoco that monster's ability. There are a lot of enemy skills to gather in the game and some can make Monoco quite formidable, but it is a time sink to find them all.
4 Dark Cloud 2
Monica’s Gift
Dark Cloud 2
- Released
- February 17, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Dark Cloud 2 is also split between two characters, and one of them can transform into monsters. Max uses guns and tools, and can call upon a mech as his special ability, while Monica uses swords and magic, and can transform into monsters once she gains their power.
The monster mechanics are more involved in this game, giving players a wide array of transformation choices, from plant creatures to skeletal warriors. It’s also one of the tougher PS2 games out there, as even the weakest monster does not mess around. This makes it a good recommendation for the hardcore action RPG fans out there.
3 Final Fantasy 7
The Power Of Blue Mages In One Materia
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The Final Fantasy series has many Blue Mages of note: characters who can learn monster skills. Some games cast Blue Mages as Jobs that anyone can inhabit, while others have characters set up to play Blue Mages permanently, like Quina in Final Fantasy 9. Final Fantasy 7 has a magic system that uses Materia: crystallized orbs that can give characters passive or active abilities.
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One of these Materia is called Enemy Skill, and if the party member using it is hit with an ability that can be absorbed, they will learn it permanently. Enemy Skill isn’t character-specific either, as the learned Materia can be passed along to someone else, which is why this is one of the finer Blue Mage-like systems in the series.
2 Threads Of Fate
Monster Mash
Threads of Fate
- Released
- October 14, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original), PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, PS Vita
Threads of Fate is another experimental PS1 release for Squaresoft, and this one gives players more control over their monster abilities. Instead of using specific powers, players can transform into the monster wholesale.
The game was divided into two sections, mostly following the same campaign, albeit tweaked to fit each character. Mint is a magic user who uses twin rings as weapons, and Rue has an axe-like sword and the aforementioned monster transformation ability. As players encounter monsters, Rue can transform into them, which makes his campaign the favorite of the two for some fans.
1 Wuthering Waves
Echoes Of The Gacha Game
Wuthering Waves
- Released
- May 22, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
Wuthering Waves is an open-world anime-heavy gacha-based game similar to Genshin Impact. Players unlock characters with specific weapon types in the game, but what makes this free-to-play RPG different from others is the Echo system.
There is a chance that players can absorb monster abilities in battle. If an Echo is obtained, players can equip it for battle, summoning the associated monster to perform a specific ability. Think of it like a Pokemon game if Trainers had cooldowns and performed in monster battles instead their Pokemon.
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