The best Fantasy Games

Besides watching TV and going to the movies, we played a lot of video games growing up. Probably not as much as the average gamer, but we’ve had a fair share of experiences – we just love media in all forms. Here is our Top 10 List of the best Fantasy Games to play before you die! Of course, they all inspired us in one way or another to create our TV series Black Forest Witch.

Great Fantasy Games expand the Fantasy Genre. When you judge a video game, three things are most important: The story, the atmosphere and its gameplay. It shares two of those qualities with Fantasy Films and TV Series. Granted, not every Fantasy Game on this list might be the greatest game in all three respects. But at least in one, all of them are truly outstanding. To give you a good glimpse at the Fantasy Games we love, we added the best Game Reviews or Playthroughs from YouTube.

PC Fantasy Games

It’s not a secret: We favor PC Games. Back in the day, there was a big fight over what’s better: Consoles or PCs. You were either Nike or Adidas, Coke or Pepsi and Console Gamer or PC Gamer. Nowadays, Consoles definitely have the upper hand, but we can’t help it and feel a bit nostalgic about our old personal computers. We can still remember our first LAN Parties, the constant struggle with our parents over mouse and keyboard and the endless nights of re-installing Windows after the so-called blue screen of death . . .

The following games are not sorted in a particular order, but we saved the Console Games for last.

1. Drakan: Order of the Flame

Drakan is a third-person Fantasy Action-Adventure. A female warrior bonds with a dragon to free her brother from an evil sorcerer. This game has a kick-ass protagonist with a wonderful backstory. The plot, albeit linear, is truly engaging and the world has a good amount of detail. Last but not least you are able to fly on a dragon – what a thrill! This is as epic as they come.

2. Heretic

Heretic is a first-person Fantasy Shooter. It’s grim, it’s violent and bloody. A Dark Elf fights against a whole army of undead monsters to seal a magic portal and save his realm. Immune to the spells of the wicked Serpent Riders, the Elves have been declared heretics. Armed with several magical weapons, you wreak havoc during the apocalypse. As a clone of the well-known Doom, Heretic feels a lot like its predecessor. But the story and the gameplay are different enough to work. There is some intelligence to the way the game was designed and your character is set up. Most of the fun is in trying out the different weapons.

3. Neverwinter Nights

Neverwinter Nights is a third-person Fantasy Role-Playing Game. There are several quests to go on. In the first, the hero has to collect four creatures to create a cure for a mysterious plague. It’s interesting to note, how skinned down the game mechanics are. There’s enough plot to the game to be sucked into the story, but there’s literally no fluff to it. The gameplay is a little bit clunky, but the atmosphere of the dungeons and the beautiful character details make up for it.

4. Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

Gabriel Knight is a 2D Point and Click Adventure, based on an otherworldly mystery. A book-shop owner plagued by recurring nightmares learns of his true nature as a witch-hunter while investigating the mysterious voodoo murders. If you are willing to spend a lot of time exploring, you’ll experience a great story line and fantastic plot-reveals here. Nowadays, 2D Games are all but extinct. Yes, the graphics are super old, but that’s their special charm. From Zak McKraken to Day of the Tentacle – there are many great titles. If you are into atmospheric, dialogue-heavy games, you should check out Gabriel Knight – it’s a Fantasy Mystery gem.

5. Vampire: The Masquerade – Redemption

Redemption is a third-person Horror-Action Fantasy Game: A crusader turned vampire uncovers the vampire culture from medieval to modern times. This game focuses heavily on action – which can get boring very easily. Dialogue is only a side-note, but it’s biggest advantage is really the Vampire Mythology. Redemption’s cities are inspired by real locations and historical facts, which make this world feel much bigger than it actually is. Being part of a larger franchise that’s based on a Paper-and-pencil game, there’s also a lot more to discover in the world of Vampire: The Masquerade.

6. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – or KOTOR for short – is a third-person Action-Adventure, set in a unique Science-Fiction Fantasy World. After he lost his memory, a force-sensitive hero discovers his dark past. The story takes place roughly 4.000 years before the events of the movies. A stroke of genius, since the creators were able to use the same universe, with already known races and planets, but give the story line their own spin. They knew exactly what they were doing.

The dialogue system here is superb and you are able to become a Sith or a Jedi, depending on your decisions in the game. This is probably one of the best games I’ve ever played in my whole life, because it expanded my understanding of this world that I already loved in the movies. Making a connection between the theme, the moral of the story, and your actions. Creating your own light-saber is also a lot of fun.

7. Thief: The Dark Project

Thief is a Stealth Game, focused on sneaking, stealing and deceiving. Set in a Dark Cyberpunk Fantasy World, a thief has to remain undetected while preventing a great power from unleashing chaos on this world. The way the story is revealed to the player is unique. The missions are sometimes very difficult, but it’s totally worth playing. A lot of the atmosphere is made up of the great lighting effects, as you try to stay in the dark and sneak around your opponents.

8. Black & White

Black and White is the ultimate Power Fantasy Game: You are playing God. As God, you and your Avatar have to defeat your Nemesis who wants to take over the world. The huge benefit of this game is not its story, but its gameplay. The island you are ruling over is a very open world. You are basically able to do whatever you want. You can either help villagers and cause miracles, or destroy them. This game is great to explore your own morality. And the mechanics, I would argue, still hold up today.

Console Fantasy Games

We didn’t own a console back in the day. However, when we were at friend’s houses, they had some games that we just didn’t get to play on personal computers . . .

10. Legend of Zelda

The original Legend of Zelda is a Fantasy Action-Adventure Video Game. An Elf has to rescue a princess and her kingdom from an evil warlord turned demon. This is a game of exploration, with a very simple design. It doesn’t get any more classic. Watching your character Link from above while you play him, already gives you all the feels a Fantasy Game is supposed to give you. There are fascinating treasures, monsters and riddles throughout the levels. We loved playing this on the Nintendo.

9. Super Mario Land

Super Mario Land is a Side-Scrolling Platform Video Game: An Italian plumber travels to a fantasy world to save a princess from an evil “spaceman”. Everyone knows and loves Super Mario. Heavily focused on action, this game is every other game on steroids. Playing this on the Game Boy was highly addictive, as the minimalist graphics, the amazing gameplay, and the great music came together. I truly think this game will hold a special place in our hearts forever.

Here’s a shout-out to the wonderful YouTube Channels we featured here: FirstPlays HD, GmanLives, Noah Caldwell-Gervais, PushingUpRoses, Shalashaskka, TheXPGamers, LGR, Troidy’s Game Reviews, Game Maker’s Toolkit and CGR Publishing.

What do you think about our list of Fantasy Games? Share this article and your opinion on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter! If you like Fantasy as well, watch the teaser trailer of our TV Series!