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12 January, 2014

The ABCs of iPad RPGs - WRPG

Ahead of our full review of The Shadow Sun, which will appear in Issue 1 of Grab It Magazine, on sale January 24th, we thought it timely to have a look at some of the genres of role playing games, as there are many different styles. The App Store is thriving with quality RPGs and The Shadow Sun is already available for purchase, so you can jump straight in by grabbing it here: Spoiler Alert - It’s fantastic!

**You also may want to check out our Top 50 iPad Indie Games of 2013, which includes a number of RPGs, and our celebrity top 10s from developers like Ryan Payton, founder of République developer Camouflaj**

Welcome to Part 3 of our look into the role playing game genre and the various branches of its family tree. The RPG genus can feel as vast as the fictional worlds they create, which is why we thought we’d break them down a little and have a look at the main traits that define each type. Remember these are not hard and fast rules set in stone. They borrow freely from each other to blend and morph into new styles and hybrids over the years. With that in mind, after looking at MMORPGsKRPGs, ARPGs and JRPGs, let’s head west. 

The WRPG is a Western RPG, and The Shadow Sun fits comfortably into this category. Free-roaming and featuring real-time combat, usually from a third-person perspective are the most common traits found in the WRPG.

The real-time combat leads to a more actively engaged experience, as you are in direct control of your character throughout, as opposed to the turn-based style of the JRPG which is more tactical. Levelling-up in a WRPG is often connected to actions you perform within the game, with the type of loot dropped moulding itself to the style you choose to play in. These traits are certainly exemplified in The Shadow Sun. Choose the rogue character and slain monsters will be more likely to drop daggers, the warrior will coax long blades, and the mage will receive wands and robes more often than not.

There are some great WRPG experiences to be found on the App Store, the most notable of which are the Ravensword titles from Crescent Moon Games. They are great big free-roaming adventures with hours of content. Gameloft has also gained a lot of recognition for its epic Scared Odyssey: Rise of Ayden, which comes complete with horse riding.  If you've done everything there is to do in The Shadow Sun and are looking for more epic questing, these games are an easy recommendation.

Here is a hint for the next instalment of the ABC of RPGs…it will be Massive!

Writer:
Garry Balogh

References
- The Shadow Sun
- Ravensword: The Fallen King
- Ravensword: Shadowlands
- Sacred Odyssey: Rise of Ayden

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