Video games are ruled by human characters. They are predominantly the protagonists throughout most genres which makes sense. We, as humans, can relate more to the plights of characters like Nathan Drake in theUnchartedseries or Lara Croft in theTomb Raiderfranchise.
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The biggest exception is the platformer genre. Those games are filled with anthropomorphic animals as the stars such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Crash Bandicoot. Surely there are other examples besides platformers though? Are there RPGs with animal, or just non-basic human characters? The pickings are slim but it has happened. Here’s a look at some classics and recent hits.
8Biomutant
Biomutantis an open-world game that takes place in a post-apocalypse. The big difference between this game and other post-apocalypseRPGs likeFalloutis that the world inBiomutantis lush. Trees have taken back the planet for the most part although there are some dangerous chemical zones.
Also, humans are nowhere to be seen and anthropomorphic animals now rule the world. Players are a nameless little creature, armed to the teeth with weapons, magic-like abilities, and cybernetic parts.
7Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Saplingis an indie game that looks like it was inspired by theMarioRPG spinoffs. Players travel around a tiny world on a grand adventure with three big companions all out for their own reasons.
This turn-based RPG offers time-based button prompts to add a bit more interactivity during combat. For example, if players time their attacks right then they can gain more power and this works for defensive maneuvers too. Amazingly, more RPGs haven’t tried this active method of combat first seen inSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Starson SNES.
6Dust: An Elysian Tail
Dust: An Elysian Tailis aMetroidvania at its core, but it has the intense stylistic combat ofDevil May Cry. Players are a wandering warrior that looks like a fox, accompanied by a flying fuzzy cat-like thing for support. They are seeking revenge and this narrative is rather dark for such a colorful-looking game.
Players can level up traditionally by defeating enemies, but there are other ways to increase power too. This indie game may look like it was made by and for the Furry community, but it is definitely more than that. Don’t be afraid to give this one a shot.
5Final Fantasy 14
Final Fantasy 14has a myriad of races to choose from in the character creator menu. For a boring pick, players could choose to be a Hyur which is just the human equivalent. There are four other races to choose from and they look similar to theFinal Fantasy 11races.
Miqo’te are cat-like, Elezen are elves, Lalafell are like little elves, and Roegadyn are big beast/Hulk-like creatures. Choosing a race will give players advantages over others such as stat bonuses and they may get unique treatment throughout certain regions of the world.
4Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom
Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdomwas a departure from the previous game’s turn-based combatinfluenced byPokemon. The battle system was not action-based although battles still appeared in instanced arenas.
Players were a young prince named Evan who was a cat person although he still looked human except for his ears and tail. His kingdom was in trouble of being overthrown by rodents until the literal President of the United States fell into Evan’s world and decided to give him aid. It’s a wild story and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
3Pokemon Mystery Dungeon
Pokemon Mystery Dungeonis a series ofroguelike dungeon crawlers. For various reasons, a human could inhabit the body of a Pokemon such as Charmander or Squirtle in these games. Why? Sometimes it was explained and sometimes it wasn’t.
It’s a tossup between each entry but the story isn’t too important. Fans of this spinoff series are more into gathering Pokemon allies to traverse increasingly difficult dungeons. These games are a great entry into the roguelike genre for beginners and for those who just adore Pokemon.
2Star Wars: The Old Republic
Star Wars: The Old Republicis another MMO with a deep set of customization options likeFinal Fantasy 14. The biggest difference is that it offered more races besides humans. Players could create a Zabrak which is Darth Maul’s race or they could make a Togruta which isthe race Ahsokabelongs to.
Like most races in RPGs, this came with certain bonuses. ForStar Warsfans though, it was all about living out fantasies in a galaxy far far away as their favorite race and the bonuses didn’t matter so much.
1SteamWorld Quest: Hand Of Gilgamech
TheSteamWorldseries offers plenty of non-human action as every protagonist is a robot. There are two RPGs in this series worth recommending.SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamechis a card-based RPG with turn-based combat in a fantastical world.
SteamWorld Heistis set in space and plays more like a 2D strategy game. That’s it for now, but there are plenty of genres within the RPG realm that the developers could tackle in the future. Could aDiabloclone ever work or maybe even aDestinyshooter?
