3 Franchises That Should Be RPGs

Ever since my first video game experiences back on my translucent-purple Gameboy Advance, I have always been an RPG man. I live and breathe them. I play, read, listen, and talk about them constantly. This is why I think there needs to be even more. Everything should have an RPG. Your favorite movie? Make it an RPG. Favorite book? RPG. Something that shouldn’t be an RPG? Do it anyways. That lamp? You get the idea.

These are the three franchises I think MOST deserve to be RPGs. They may not all be the most obvious choices, but boy are they making me giggle.

I love this little dude. Can’t get enough of him. In fact, I’m pretty emotionally connected to the series. The man himself is just so round and huggable. Plus, that Gameboy Advance I mentioned? Kirby: Nightmare In Dream Land was one of the first games I got for it, and also one of my favorites. Kirby’s Epic Yarn was the first game my girlfriend and I shared, and it really kickstarted one of our favorite things to do together. Oooo and that #aesthetic is just to die for.

So why does Kirby deserve an RPG? I love it, that’s why. No but seriously, it’s the mechanics of the series. I can’t think of a non-RPG that uses this many RPG staples. Roleplaying? Check. He’ll eat a mofo, jack their style, and wield their powers. Fantasy? My man has explored more realities than string theory! Customizability? BIG check. The mechanics are already there — we just need to lean into it. Plus, we could always use another cute RPG.

How I Would Do It: It’s all about the skill trees. Imagine if every enemy you could absorb had its own skill tree to tailor Kirbs around? Actually, that’s a lot. That’s just doing too much. So instead imagine each enemy falls within an archetype, and whatever archetype pink dude absorbs activates the skill tree for the associated class. Eat a warrior archetype? You’re a warrior now. A magic type? You’re a mage, son — and so on. Maybe even throw in elemental affinities so that you can play with fire mage versus electric mage for example. If you add in time limits for class changes and a healing mechanic from eating enemies, you’ve got yourself a fast-paced and frantic good time. Just keep it light, keep it cute, and most of all, keep it round.

Do you have a strained relationship with the father figure in your life? Well then, you just might love Treasure Planet. If you haven’t experienced this absolute gem, it’s essentially the retelling of Treasure Island in space, but with a whole lot more edgy 90’s tropes and daddy issues thrown in. It is…incredible. It’s also surprisingly emotional, thoughtful, and impactful. Plus, space pirates am I right??

On the topic of space pirates, HOW ARE THERE NOT MORE SPACE PIRATE GAMES? I mean, we have the stellar Rogue Galaxy back on the PS2, and the pretty lazily named Space Pirates laserdisc game which I only learned about 30 seconds ago. Other than that? Zilch. Nada. Emptiness. The setting is just such an untapped space.

How I Would Do It: I care less about continuing the story of Treasure Planet and more about exploring the universe it presents us. I would make this a prequel. The eponymous treasure planet is basically just the giant treasure chest of the fearsome Captain Nathaniel Flint. Let’s explore that. What would it be like to be a competing pirate at that time? We could take on the role of an upstart crew trying to make a name for themselves amongst the big dogs. Meanwhile you’re exploring unimaginable interplanetary locales, raking in treasure, and bonding with your crew. I’m even imagining combat as a sort of twist on Octopath Traveler’s: use your piratey cunning to disarm opponents and debilitate/break them in various interesting ways. That’s a journey we would all treasure. Okay I’ll stop with the puns. I Apollogize.

Is this a franchise? Yes. Tofuchan is an empire and a mogul. Next question. Why is this important to me? Ummm, did you watch it? It’s the best thing since sliced… I promised I wouldn’t.

So, why should it be an RPG? Again, did you watch it? Enough said.

How I Would Do It: Picture it — you’re an entry level businesspup in Tofuchan’s bread business. Your task is to collect delicious breads from all across the land. Why? You do not know, for it is a secret. I’m imagining we take the zoomed-out, isometric Legend of Zelda approach. From there we explore and collect that bread, overcoming enemies in non-violent puzzle-style encounters, akin to Undertale. Here’s the kicker though: there’s a bread morality system. With each bread obtained, the player chooses whether they will deliver to Tofuchan as asked, or eat that bread themselves. Collect crumbs along the way to upgrade your dog’s tum, and ultimately ask yourself: Will you give up the bread? Will you eat that bread? Or, will you land somewhere in-between? Your choices matter to the story’s finale, so choose wisely, and dig in.

I truly believe that almost anything could be made into an excellent RPG. How about you? What franchises do you want to see turn into RPGs? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll just be sitting here waiting for someone to make these dreams a reality.

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