Best RPGs That Mix History And Fantasy

The history of our world is fascinating on its own, with numerous epic and significant periods for humanity throughout its existence. Yet, adding elements of fantasy to these periods can make it even more captivating. Fortunately, the RPG genre often explores these settings in its own universes, drawing inspiration from well-known stories to create something new.

Some games are more restrained in their fantasy elements, staying close to reality. Others dive deeply into the supernatural. This combination results in unique experiences where imagination intertwines with historical facts, creating RPGs that blend history and fantasy in a captivating and natural way.

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10 Far Cry Primal

Metacritic Score: 76

Far Cry Primal is set in the Stone Age, recreating a period where survival depends on hunting and gathering. In the game, protagonist Takkar has spiritual visions that grant him supernatural abilities, such as controlling an owl for aerial vision. These visions are a central element that blends reality and fantasy.

Additionally, players can tame wild animals like wolves and saber-toothed tigers, which act as companions. Shamanic rituals and legendary creatures enrich the game, creating a world where history and fantasy coexist in harmony.

9 The Banner Saga

Metacritic Score: 80

The Banner Saga is an epic trilogy, drawing significant inspiration from medieval Viking culture to tell its story. Each of the three games depicts many outfits and customs from that era, creating a new fictional world that retains familiar traits, contributing to its authenticity.

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Mythological elements like the Dredge and the presence of magic permeate the game world. The narrative, filled with prophecies and legends, shapes the characters' destinies. It adds a mystical layer to the Viking journey, making it an epic and fascinating saga.

8 Assassin's Creed Origins

Metacritic Score: 81

After some low points with the Assassin's Creed franchise, Ubisoft finally embraced the RPG genre with Assassin's Creed: Origins, something it had been attempting since Unity and Syndicate. Here, players explore Ancient Egypt, blending historical events with fantasy elements.

Bayek, the protagonist, has supernatural abilities and faces Egyptian gods in epic battles. Despite being more restrained in fantasy elements compared to its successors like Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, the game also features other fantastical elements to enrich the story. Ancient relics with mystical powers and mythological creatures play a role in making it feel magical.

7 Live A Live

Metacritic Score: 81

Exclusive to Japan until 2023, Live A Live received a visual overhaul when it became available worldwide on Steam. This legendary RPG follows seven heroes with unique abilities, all of whom live in different historical periods. Each story can be played in any order, revealing shocking developments along the way.

Through this narrative, enveloped in various important historical periods, players also find a variety of fantasy elements. Encounters with mystical creatures and giant robots add a supernatural layer to each setting, from prehistory to the distant future. Live a Live combines realism and imagination in a unique and engaging manner.

6 Fate/Samurai Remnant

Metacritic Score: 81

Players familiar with Type/Moon's Fate universe are accustomed to the company using historical moments for its stories. In Fate/Samurai Remnant, players are transported to Edo City during the fourth year of the Keian era (1651). There, they dive into an action RPG where the historical past meets the fantasy of the series.

In this universe, historical figures from different periods and world mythologies are summoned as Servants to fight for the Waxing Moon, which grants a wish to the winner. Cooperative battles between Masters and Servants, the exploration of Edo, and confrontations with Rogue Servants enrich the experience, masterfully blending history and fantasy.

5 Ghost of Tsushima

Metacritic Score: 83

Set during the Mongol invasion of Tsushima Island in 1274, Ghost of Tsushima transforms the historical experience into an epic adventure. Jin Sakai, the protagonist, is a fictional samurai who defies norms and codes to save his land.

The game incorporates fantasy elements, such as Jin's ability to face numerous enemies and mystical interactions with sacred foxes that guide players to secret shrines. The fictional antagonist, Khotun Khan, cousin of Kublai Khan, also adds a touch of fantasy to the narrative, highlighting the island's importance in a reimagined historical context.

4 Pentiment

Metacritic Score: 86

A project by Josh Sawyer, known for games like Fallout: New Vegas and Pillars of Eternity, Pentiment presents a unique game. The art imitates death, with an illustrated world inspired by illuminated manuscripts and woodcuts, set during a time of religious and political transformations in Europe.

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In Andreas' dreamlike world, he encounters historical and legendary figures like Socrates, adding a mystical dimension to the narrative. These dreams reflect his emotional state, creating a vital and profound component in the plot, where the real and the imaginary intertwine.

3 Nioh

Metacritic Score: 88

Set in 1600, Nioh takes place during the late Sengoku period in Japan, a time of clan wars. The game combines Japanese feudal history with various fantasy aspects. It features historical battles and real figures like William Adams, the first Western samurai, in a scenario filled with supernatural elements.

Yokai, demons, and spirits from Japanese folklore are powerful enemies in the game. Additionally, the protagonist's spiritual abilities, such as summoning guardian spirits and using magic, enhance the immersion in a reimagined feudal Japan with dark fantasy touches.

2 Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Metacritic Score: 90

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice presents another reimagining of ancient Japan with fantasy elements, now in the Sengoku era around 1500. This historical period was chosen for being dirtier, bloodier, and having a medieval touch that makes the presence of mystical elements and gods more believable. The protagonist, a shinobi, navigates a world where the real and the supernatural blend.

Fantasy is present in the protagonist's supernatural abilities, such as resurrection, and in mystical creatures like demons and dragons. The setting, filled with sacred temples and spiritual beings, intensifies the immersion in a feudal Japan brimming with mysteries and powers beyond the ordinary.

1 Fallout 3

Metacritic Score: 93

Although not set in any specific historical period, Fallout 3 draws much inspiration from the past century's United States to build its own universe. The game's narrative surrounds nuclear research, but much of 1950s society still lives in the game's post-apocalypse.

Creatures created by radiation, like Deathclaws and ghouls, add a fantastic touch to the setting. Advanced technology, with robots and plasma weapons, blends with the retro-futuristic aesthetic. In some games, even aliens appear, creating a world where various elements of North American culture intersect.