VGChartz’s Miles Gregory: “2023 was a fantastic year for video games in general, but it was particularly notable for those who love RPGs, especially those of a Western style. We saw the release of the highly anticipated Starfield from Bethesda, the same studio that arguably helped evolve the Western RPG genre into what it is today. Baldur’s Gate III took the world by storm, providing an experience that modernizes the old Western RPG formula while simultaneously paying close respect to the Dungeons & Dragons source material from which it’s based off of. The release of Final Fantasy XVI pushed the series into a new direction, with combat that feels fast, fluid, satisfying, and distinctly Western in style contrary to what the series, and even the developer, is renowned for.
But if you’re looking for something that feels a bit more like the Square Enix of old, look no further than Sea of Stars, which once again proved that you don’t have to be a large studio to make a memorable and critically acclaimed RPG. With so many fantastic games to choose from, who will the winner be?”
