Least Favorite RPG Tropes/Cliches

[Wolf Kanno]

How many times have you seen a one-dimensional princess healer character in an RPG and just sighed... and then went on grumbling wishing the game had not just stuck you with one of the most cliched females protagonists? Talk about which Cliches, tropes, and other mainstays of the RPG genre makes you groan.

[Fynn]

Religion of Evil is so overdone and is done right so rarely that I really can't help but groan whenever it comes up. For every FFT or Xenogears we get an FFX or something even worse. Bravely Default was surprisingly original in utilizing this trope, do I guess I still accept it when it's done well. It's just that it's everywhere, and so little people actually know how to pull it off well.

Also, could we please stop acting like 17 is the default age and 30 is the age of grizzled veterans? I'm 25 - in a JRPG Id be the mature big brother mentor type.

[Ayen]

The one that stands out to me right now is the main (or one of the mains) character having amnesia. So many RPGs I've played have done this. Final Fantasy V, VI, VII, Breath of Fire IV (if I'm remembering right), and Xenogears. I initially groaned when Xenogears did it, but everything at least added up in a clever way.

If I run into one more RPG protagonist suffering from amnesia I'm liable to break the cartridge/disc (not really, but you get the idea).

[Pumpkin]

I don't mind cliche personality types so much, but there are a few things that bother me. Like Fynn mentioned, I hate the ages. 14, 15, 16. The 25-30 year olds are like the old, seasoned people. And while you may get some men in their 40's occasionally, the chances of getting a woman in her 40's is very, very low.

Also not every woman ever has size Triple H boobs, or only has smaller ones if she's going to be relentlessly teased for it. Not every woman also dresses provocatively. I understand some women do and I'm not opposed to having women like that, but there needs to be a balance. When every single woman is humungously chested and the same body type and they dress skimpily when it clashes with their personality, I just have a hard time with that.

[FFNut]

How about when the best friend/or brother ends up going missing, you know he is either the end boss or one that works for the end boss.

[Fynn]

How about when the best friend/or brother ends up going missing, you know he is either the end boss or one that works for the end boss.

But Mother 3 did that so well :whimper:

[FFNut]

Lol I never played 3, just 2 I think... Earthbound in Canada any how.

[Anzai]

You've all listed some of my top pet peeves already. I'd like to add the trend of having a major antagonist be a Giant Space Flea Out of Nowhere. Its tolerable for lesser monsters and area bosses; but when a story-relevant villain appears out of literally NOWHERE without being mentioned at all through the rest of the plot...Yet the most annoying thing has to be when the 'hero' acts like they have the IQ of a shovel. The presence of an Idiot hero feels like nothing by a liability in an RPG, if they also happen to be the main protagonist, the RPG is doomed in my opinion.

[Zanmato]

I agree with ToriJ, this amnesia cliche is really ridiculous and makes me sick already. It shows the lack of creativity, simply.

[Fynn]

Idk, I don't really mind amnesia. Like with most tropes, it's the implementation of it that makes or breaks the story.

[Zanmato]

Fynn - I can't simply find entertaining nor interesting if someone has amnesia, because it's a boring cliche.

I also hate "the main character loses his powers in the beginning of the game" cliche, because it shows a laziness of the game creators, simply. :P

[Ayen]

Fynn - I can't simply find entertaining nor interesting if someone has amnesia, because it's a boring cliche.

I also hate "the main character loses his powers in the beginning of the game" cliche, because it shows a laziness of the game creators, simply. :P

It's also a huge tease. Take Symphony of the Night, for instance. You have all these cool powers and trout and then Death takes it all away from you. Smurf Death!

[Fynn]

Petition to force TheZanmato to play Xenogears! :p

[Mr. Carnelian]

http://37.media.tumblr.com/e14870e8560a71dc9676dd8e60faa482/tumblr_miao3tyIgh1s52qv9o4_500.gif

This is something that Bioware does a bit too much.

KOTOR: Bastila
KOTOR 2: Kreia
Dragon Age: Morrigan
Dragon Age 2: Bartrand, Isabela, Anders
Dragon Age Inquisition: Solas
Mass Effect: Udina
Mass Effect 2: Morinth (optional), The Illusive Man
Mass Effect 3: Ashley/Kaidan (possible), Maya Brooks (Citadel DLC)

The stupidly young people thing that's already been mentioned is something that JRPGs are particularly guilty of. Me and Formy have talked to each other about how you often have to add a couple of years onto character's ages for things to not seem completely ridiculous.

[Ayen]

http://37.media.tumblr.com/e14870e8560a71dc9676dd8e60faa482/tumblr_miao3tyIgh1s52qv9o4_500.gif

This is something that Bioware does a bit too much.

KOTOR: Bastila
KOTOR 2: Kreia
Dragon Age: Morrigan
Dragon Age 2: Bartrand, Isabela, Anders
Dragon Age Inquisition: Solas
Mass Effect: Udina
Mass Effect 2: Morinth (optional), The Illusive Man
Mass Effect 3: Ashley/Kaidan (possible)

Holy crap you're right! How have I never noticed this before?

[Fynn]

http://37.media.tumblr.com/e14870e8560a71dc9676dd8e60faa482/tumblr_miao3tyIgh1s52qv9o4_500.gif

This is something that Bioware does a bit too much.

KOTOR: Bastila
KOTOR 2: Kreia
Dragon Age: Morrigan
Dragon Age 2: Bartrand, Isabela, Anders
Dragon Age Inquisition: Solas
Mass Effect: Udina
Mass Effect 2: Morinth (optional), The Illusive Man
Mass Effect 3: Ashley/Kaidan (possible)


Let me add in Yoshimo from Baldur's Gate II, the Ur Example.

[Vermachtnis]

This is more of a gameplay than a story cliché, but I really hate it when you have a party of eight, but the frontline gets wiped and it's game over. What were the others doing that they couldn't jump in and at the very least by time while I revive them? Final Fantasy XII, Type-0, Breath of Fire IV, and Neptunia Re;birth3 are the only games I can think of that don't do that.

And related, when your team splits up later in the game. At the start of them, it serves the purpose of world building and character development. Late in the game, it serves the purpose of informing you that you're going to have to do a dungeon twice when the team that the main character isn't on, fucks up. Also someone from the B-team is probably going to die or get a booboo and be out of commission for awhile.

[Mirage]

One of my biggest annoyances: Every party member is a teenager.

[FFNut]

Hey see the thing I want to grab on the other side of that tiny rock that is as high as your ankle? I know you could just reach over and grab it, but instead you have to walk halfway around the town, hit a secret passage, then you can get it. Don't worry, they will let you jump over the rock from the other side.

[Mirage]

Invisible walls, they're called

[Vyk]

I hate the ages. 14, 15, 16. The 25-30 year olds are like the old, seasoned people. And while you may get some men in their 40's occasionally, the chances of getting a woman in her 40's is very, very low.


Also not every woman ever has size Triple H boobs, or only has smaller ones if she's going to be relentlessly teased for it. Not every woman also dresses provocatively. I understand some women do and I'm not opposed to having women like that, but there needs to be a balance. When every single woman is humungously chested and the same body type and they dress skimpily when it clashes with their personality, I just have a hard time with that.



Me and Formy have talked to each other about how you often have to add a couple of years onto character's ages for things to not seem completely ridiculous.
My girlfriend and I spend many evenings discussing these things whilst playing a game. Especially a JRPG. Last good example was Jude from Tales of Xillia. A 15 year old, working on his doctorate/PhD, and is the most insufferably gullible and lacking in common sense out of the whole team. So his world experience is definitely that of a 15 year old. He should be in High School, or he should be 23. Pick one, you can't have both

And my girlfriend is constantly calling out all the girls how they have to show off all their assets and make it blatantly obvious they were designed to appease lonely basement dwelling old men, with no real creative thought put into their character design. Even worse is the fact that Japan is obsessed with the demure squeaky little girl voice for all female characters, so they all end up sounding the same. And unless it's professionally dubbed, your only options will be either mousy pre-teen voice actors, or door-knob quality inflections. Which is getting better, now that voice acting for a video game is a thing in the West, but since a lot of this topic is old tropes and stereotypes, good lord, just ... women in JRPGs

And I will reiterate. I want to play someone of age. And lacking in world experience is no excuse. Let me play as the cook for the local inn, having to choose to go save his village. He's just as inexperienced with the world and the sword as that damned 15 year old Japan is obsessed with

[Ayen]

I wish I lived in a JRPG world. I would have an entire Kingdom by now, and a family, and be mentoring my son/daughter to take my place.

[Mirage]

I hate the ages. 14, 15, 16. The 25-30 year olds are like the old, seasoned people. And while you may get some men in their 40's occasionally, the chances of getting a woman in her 40's is very, very low.


Also not every woman ever has size Triple H boobs, or only has smaller ones if she's going to be relentlessly teased for it. Not every woman also dresses provocatively. I understand some women do and I'm not opposed to having women like that, but there needs to be a balance. When every single woman is humungously chested and the same body type and they dress skimpily when it clashes with their personality, I just have a hard time with that.



Me and Formy have talked to each other about how you often have to add a couple of years onto character's ages for things to not seem completely ridiculous.
My girlfriend and I spend many evenings discussing these things whilst playing a game. Especially a JRPG. Last good example was Jude from Tales of Xillia. A 15 year old, working on his doctorate/PhD, and is the most insufferably gullible and lacking in common sense out of the whole team. So his world experience is definitely that of a 15 year old. He should be in High School, or he should be 23. Pick one, you can't have both

And my girlfriend is constantly calling out all the girls how they have to show off all their assets and make it blatantly obvious they were designed to appease lonely basement dwelling old men, with no real creative thought put into their character design. Even worse is the fact that Japan is obsessed with the demure squeaky little girl voice for all female characters, so they all end up sounding the same. And unless it's professionally dubbed, your only options will be either mousy pre-teen voice actors, or door-knob quality inflections. Which is getting better, now that voice acting for a video game is a thing in the West, but since a lot of this topic is old tropes and stereotypes, good lord, just ... women in JRPGs

And I will reiterate. I want to play someone of age. And lacking in world experience is no excuse. Let me play as the cook for the local inn, having to choose to go save his village. He's just as inexperienced with the world and the sword as that damned 15 year old Japan is obsessed with

20-somethings generally don't know shit about the world either, they're just a bit less stupid and emotional than teens are. I don't fucking get why there always needs to be half a dozen teens in the party.

[Vyk]

Yeah I wasn't suggesting a twenty year old is a realistic idea for a grizzled world adventurer. Just that twenty something would be more realistic an age for someone in college about to become a doctor (Jude)

[Mirage]

That's what i meant. You said 20somethings are portrayed as adults and experienced, when in reality they are close to jrpg teenagers than they are to real world "proper adults".

[Forsaken Lover]

I know a lot of people have a problem with "We Beat The Boss in the Boss Battle But Afterward He's Just Fine in the Cutscene and it's More Like We Lost" cliche.

I actually find it very amusing how much this popped up in Xenosaga Episode III. As in, every other boss did this. I can't wait to watch this guy on another board LP EP3 and several of his friends/commentators are going into it blind. It's gonna be glorious watching their reactions to Virgil, Voyager, Virgil, Yuriev, Kevin and probably others I'm forgetting all just laugh at you after the boss fight.

I can't wait to post in that thread and talk about how the villains actually did more to stop each other than our heroes ever did.


On a related note, and because I'm playing FFV, the cliche of "The Heroes Actively Make Things Worse and Then Are Only Heroes At All Because They Fix Their Own Damned Mess." Or Nice Job Breaking it Heroes.

In the RPG Cliches List it was originally called "Way To Go, Serge!"

Poor Serge....

[Pumpkin]

I'm not saying I don't like any characters that are teens, I most certainly do, but after a while it's like yeah, they can be adults. Some of them (most of them) would be just as great if you changed their age from 17 to 27

[Zanmato]

Petition to force TheZanmato to play Xenogears! :p

But why? XD

[Wolf Kanno]

Petition to force TheZanmato to play Xenogears! :p

But why? XD

Because it's the best use of the amnesia trope ever.

[Zanmato]

Petition to force TheZanmato to play Xenogears! :p

But why? XD

Because it's the best use of the amnesia trope ever.

I'm not sure of it, but I'm gonna try to play it, if it's possible. XD

[Zanmato]

Petition to force TheZanmato to play Xenogears! :p

But why? XD

Because it's the best use of the amnesia trope ever.

I'm not sure of this idea, but I'm gonna try to play it, if it's possible. XD

[Mirage]

Too bad the game just isn't very good in general.

[Forsaken Lover]

Xenogears is actually the greatest JRPG ever.

[Fynn]

Too bad the game just isn't very good in general.



Xenogears is actually the greatest JRPG ever.


There we go, folks. This is why Xenogears needs to be played.