10 Incredible RPGs that Hook You from the Beginning

Given that RPGs are typically dense games in terms of both narrative and mechanics, it's quite normal for them to start slowly.

Whether it's because they take their time to teach you the basics of everything you need to know, or because their pacing is tailored to the length of their campaign, it's common to see players abandon the genre because they don't feel immediately hooked.

However, not all role-playing games follow this formula, as some can captivate you from the very first moment thanks to a strong prologue or by throwing you straight into combat and adventure.

Therefore, if you enjoy this type of game but are tired of waiting hours and hours before you really start having fun, I recommend these ten great RPGs that are fun from the start.

10 South Park: The Stick of Truth

Living an Episode of the Show

Obsidian is among the most ambivalent studios when it comes to developing video games, and South Park: The Stick of Truth is one of my favorite examples to prove it.

Those familiar with the TV show know perfectly well that not a single second in any episode is wasted, and I think the same can be said of this adaptation to the interactive world.

First and foremost, because its satire remains undiminished, captivating from the very first moment and encouraging exploration just to see more of its ironic universe, but also because its turn-based gameplay is as accessible as it is satisfying.

If you don't like South Park, I understand why The Stick of Truth might take a little longer to grab you, though even so, it's a game with such unique premise that it's difficult not to be hooked from the character creation system onward.

9 Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning

Returning from Death

When a video game's prologue is distinctive, the first impression becomes unforgettable, and that's how I would describe my experience with Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning.

Starting the game as a corpse resurrected by fate introduces a high degree of fantasy that quickly charms, generating considerable intrigue about the mythology the game will explore.

Add to that the fact that your first mission is to escape the dungeon that imprisons you, leading you to learn stealth and pickpocketing mechanics, direct combat, combos, and character class selection in a matter of minutes, and you have everything you need to keep playing until you finish the game.

Then, once the open world opens up, and you can freely roam this Tolkienian marvel, you understand why everyone who has played Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning considers it an underrated gem.

8 Borderlands 3

Excuses to Massacre

As the game I've sunk the most hours into in the series, even though it's my least favorite, Borderlands 3 has a gripping ability few video games can boast.

From the moment your first mission involves Claptrap, the chances of losing interest in the game drop to zero, especially when the objective is to rescue him from a bandit camp that's a pure delight to clear with bullets.

The sequence consists of unrestrained violence, returning characters from the past, and the ever-addictive loot everyone loves to collect, making it a perfectly accurate glimpse of what the rest of the adventure has in store.

You'll keep killing everything alive, encountering unforgettable and hilarious NPCs, and experiencing the dopamine rush of finding new and better weapons, thus reaffirming a formula that has worked for years and, as the most recent Borderlands installment reminds us, doesn't seem likely to age anytime soon.

7 Undertale

Comfort Before Darkness

Video games don't necessarily have to grab your attention with an intense tutorial and spectacular fights, as they can also follow Undertale's path and go in the opposite direction.

Specifically, the first steps in the Underworld are heartwarming thanks to Toriel, who quickly wins players over with her kindness, striking design, and maternal qualities we'll soon learn to miss.

However, these feelings of calm and peace come after the subversion of expectations brought about by Flowey, an unforgettable antagonist in both narrative and gameplay, who symbolizes the very foundation of Undertale as an anti-traditional RPG.

If, after the game's first half hour, you're not incredibly curious to see where the story and gameplay are headed, there's not much you can do. But if it does hook you… You're about to embark on one of the journeys of your life.

6 Avowed

Imperialist Beginnings

I didn't mention Obsidian's multidimensionality as a developer by chance; rather, the description serves as a prelude to understanding their ability to create games like South Park: The Stick of Truth and, in this case, Avowed.

While both are RPGs, the studio opts for a more combat-oriented approach with a first-person perspective that refines the foundations laid by titles like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, with an added emphasis on movement and verticality that feels phenomenal.

However, the reason Avowed is so captivating from the very first moment is the fantastic world-building that only Obsidian knows how to do, placing us in the shoes of an Imperial envoy who, from their first step in the Living Lands, must decide whether to be a lapdog of authoritarianism or to rebel.

The first few minutes show the game's refined combat, though they also set the tone for a story about colonialism, segregation, and power structures, leaving us at the center to fascinatingly develop the events based on our decisions, which is a phenomenal incentive to connect with its deep lore and great characters.

5 Mass Effect 2

Stranded in Space

Mass Effect 2 is among the finest sequels ever conceived in video games' history, and you'll understand from the start why there's a considerable consensus about it.

From seeing the Normandy destroyed and Shepard's lifeless body stranded in space, to the first time you meet the unforgettable Illusive Man, it's a stunning introduction that raises expectations to the maximum.

Then, you realize everything in the game has improved compared to its predecessor, including the gunplay, abilities, dialogue, and even the depth of the morality system, indicating there will be more brutal instances where you'll have to choose between numerous morally suboptimal options.

All of Mass Effect 2 is a suicide mission, and this construction of assembling a cast of outcasts to carry it out after being resurrected is what makes it come full circle, which is what the game as a whole is.

4 Disco Elysium

Falling in Love with Martinaise

The fact that your first experience in a video game involves talking to your reptilian brain and limbic system, only to later wake up from a drunken stupor and start talking to your necktie, is among the thousands of reasons why Disco Elysium is an unforgettable indie game.

There are extrasensory and metaphysical sensations that course through your body when you realize you're facing a transcendental title that will change your perspective on life, and this one in particular shouts it so loudly with its opening dialogue that it practically bursts your eardrums.

Every sound uttered by the narrator, fragment of the script, character, and room in the game's initial 30 minutes possesses a more memorable quality than the vast majority of the industry, and it only gets better.

It's a considerably slow start, yes, but you would also drink the most expensive wine in history one sip at a time. You wouldn't swallow the whole bottle in one gulp, just as you wouldn't want to rush your time with the magnificent Disco Elysium.

3 Dragon Age: Inquisition

Starting at the End of the World

I like slow and fast-paced beginnings equally, but there's something extraordinarily captivating about initiating a campaign feeling like you're facing the end of times, and few do it better than Dragon Age: Inquisition.

Far from the comparatively calm introductions of its predecessors, this title lays everything out on the table from the very first moment, forcing you to confront the most prevalent phenomenon in the entire game from the get-go: the Fade Rifts.

Seeing the Veil tear apart before your eyes, especially if you're familiar with the IP's lore from previous installments, is a worrying moment that the game knows perfectly well how to convey: turning the tutorial into a massive battle where you feel the life of the world is at stake.

Dragon Age: Inquisition starts with a bang, and it makes sure to maintain the momentum. Deeper combat, more authentic character connections, more spectacular and varied circumstances, more plot resolutions that have been years in the making… It's like adding Dragon Age: Origins to Dragon Age 2; in other words, exemplary.

2 Dragon’s Dogma 2

Time to Topple Colossi

In the debate between focusing more on story or gameplay, Capcom has always been clear on its choice, and Dragon's Dogma 2 is a spectacular demonstration of how beneficial specializing in one of the two can be.

If you're expecting a plot with even a modicum of relevance, you're out of luck here, though if you're happy with a game whose introduction involves breaking you out of prison to fight a giant Medusa with weapons that penetrate less than foam, then this is a blessing.

Just as the first entry in the series did with the Hydra, this title immerses you in the addictive adrenaline rush of scaling giant enemies to stab them in every limb, and while it eases off later to create a suitable difficulty curve, it never ceases to be impressive.

Fighting ogres, griffins, cyclopes, constructs… You'll be doing it constantly, and you'll enjoy it just as much in the first hour as in the fiftieth, so much so that you'll wander around looking for them instead of doing the main quest.

You'd think the gimmick would get old eventually, but no: Dragon's Dogma 2's combat, especially with its numerous playable classes, has such a divine and sustained progression that there's no room for boredom, not even at the beginning when you're so far from your peak.

1 Elden Ring

Enjoy the Pain

You wake up in a church, a grafted creature rips you in half in less than a second, see a cutscene you don't understand, open a door to see a giant golden tree, and all that's left in your mind is the feeling you're experiencing the best game ever made.

Although it's hyperbole, what I've described isn't far from the reality Elden Ring offers, which captivates you from the moment you open the menu and hear a theme so glorious it makes you think it was composed by a divine being.

Every step you take from your first Grace activated in the open world, from talking to Varre or Melina to encountering your first Tree Sentinel, is charged with so much anticipation and excitement that you feel like your heart is going to burst out of your chest.

Perhaps that only applies to those of us who are die-hard FromSoftware fans and spent years waiting for the game's release, but the title lives up to its hype, especially when you reach Stormveil Castle and realize just 10% of the way through the game is already superior to most of its competitors.

No matter which path you take, which build you choose, or how difficult you find it, Elden Ring never falters. Just when you think it can't possibly top its opening, it expands in both size and quality, and it doesn't stop until the credits roll, and you're left with tears of joy at having experienced your existence's highest ride.