10 Arcade Games That Inspired Current RPGS

10 Arcade Games That Inspired Current RPGS

Many games originating in arcades helped shape the RPG genre fans know today – like Galaga, Pac-Man, or Dig-Dug.

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When one thinks of an arcade game, images of flashing screens, joysticks, and players gathered around either fighting for or against one another are typically the ones that come to mind. While the traditional contenders like Galaga, Pac-Man, or Dig-Dug are all well and good, sometimes players crave something a little more adventurous.

At first glance, features like character classes, weapon upgrades, and branching paths might sound more at home in RPGs rather than arcade cabinets, but that was not always the case. Many games originating in arcades helped shape the RPG genre fans know today. While arcades themselves might be somewhat relics, they helped usher in a new genre of gaming.

10 Gauntlet

Considered by many to be the grandfather of the dungeon-crawling genre, the original Gauntlet brought the action and adventure of things like Dungeons and Dragons out of the DM screens and right onto the arcade ones. Players chose their heroes, then set off into the dungeons in search of loot and glory.

There are dozens of titles that take inspiration from this arcade classic, most notably the iconic Diablo franchise, but it’s never a bad idea to get back to basics. Whether journeying solo or with a full party, it’s one game that maintains its RPG influence across the board.

9 River City Ransom

Though not a cabinet title, there’s no denying this NES beat-em-ups arcade action and vibes, or its RPG elements. Taking a handful of elements from titles like Renegade, River City Ransom might lack swords and sorcery, but its food and items mechanic for raising stats is definitely an RPG flavor seen before.

It’s the combination of action and strategic grinding that grants it the rank of RPG. While it might seem a bit simplistic compared to certain games that followed, it helped make the genre pack a little more punch.

8 Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game

An honorable mention, but one that goes hand in hand with River City Ransom, this cult-favorite beat-em-up has more than a few Easter eggs and references from the realms of retro-gaming, arcade RPGs included. Players rely on powerups and collectibles to help develop Scott, Ramona, and the rest of their 16-bit companions.

It’s got the familiar side-scrolling style, but with a self-aware gamer flare that mixes genres beautifully. Along with stat-boosting items, the game features a variety of weapons that would be at home in any number of arcade-adventure titles.

7 Golden Axe

Sega’s Golden Axe wanted to mix the hard-hitting action with the fantasy of Conan the Barbarian. The result was this beat-em-up brawler with dwarves, warriors, mystics, and screen-clearing spells that made the title a stand-out entry in the arcade genre.

Although the developer would go on to create titles like Streets of Rage, this fantasy beat-em-up had all the questing and looting fun of a typical RPG, but with a hardcore button-masher approach to its combat. With four entries in the core series, there’s no denying its popularity.

6 Gate of Doom

As years went on, arcade dungeon-crawlers started to take more and more shape like the fully visualized versions players know today. Gate of Doom or Dark Seal was one such case where an isometric action game became an unabashed RPG.

With characters like the fighter, ninja, wizard, and bard, the player classes would certainly be at home in any modern hack-and-slash title or D&D campaign. Here, players kept up with the age-old adage of plundering dungeons for loot and duking it out with 16-bit fantasy creatures. A slightly more polished take on Gauntlet, but one that had its regular players.

5 Cadash

Cadash is where things start getting interesting because the hybrid style incorporates not just RPG, but a side-scrolling platformer as well. Like many games on this list, the title has players select a character from a list of fantasy characters before being set out upon an action-packed quest.

In order to progress, the game featured an element where players had to build up their money, skills, and magic to further strengthen their character. Interesting in concept, though a slow burn, this is one retro game that could definitely use a rerelease.

4 Magic Sword

Magic Sword is an action-platformer, plain and simple, but it features several hallmarks of traditional western RPGs that cannot be ignored. It has a party of adventurers, a fantasy setting, weapon upgrades, and character progress represented by a climbing tower.

If He-Man met Conan, this would be the result. Playing as a Thor-esque hero, the game features levels full of monsters to slay, traps to avoid, and companion adventurers to acquire in this arcade-cabinet adventure.

3 King Of Dragons

Side-scrolling beat-em-ups were a common breeding ground for fantasy games in the ’90s, but Capcom’s King of Dragons was essentially the entry-level game for the genre. That’s not saying it wasn’t fun, but it had players adventuring on a regular loop.

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It had the standard fighter and magic-user classes going up against orcs, dragons, and the like, but it also had a sprawling map of varying environments, tons of treasure, and a surprising amount of replay value. Complex it might not be, but it’s still a satisfying experience.

2 Knights Of The Round

Knights of the Round was essentially King of Dragons but with an Arthurian theme. It had similar mechanics and character evolution, but also included mounts and more humanoid bosses. Even so, the results of this RPG beat-em-up were quite magical.

As Arthur, Percival, or Lancelot, players were tasked with saving the kingdom from hordes of evil armored enemies. While lacking in magic spells, it does have some seriously enjoyable swordplay not often seen in the genre.

1 Dungeons And Dragons: Tower Of Doom/Shadow Over Mystara

Of course, any game bearing the seal of Dungeons and Dragons has to take top billing. Not only did the tabletop RPG inspire two arcade titles, but they brought in a magic and combat system that fit magnificently in a side-scrolling RPG.

The game had everything one could expect from a D&D game, including diverging paths, enchanted items, familiar monsters, and various character classes with their own strengths and weaknesses. It was far more RPG than beat-em-up, but it’s not like there were any formal complaints.

NEXT: Best Isometric RPGs To Play Right Now

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Zach Gass is a writer from East Tennessee with a love for all things Disney, Star Wars, and Marvel. When not writing for Screen Rant, Zach is an active member of his community theatre, enjoys a variety of authors including Neil Gaiman, C.S. Lewis, and J.R.R. Tolkein, and is a proud and active retro-gamer.

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