By Evan Regan
Korean game development is on a major upswing. While Japan has long reigned supreme in Asia's game development market, its neighboring countries are starting to gain ground. Korea stands at the forefront of that movement, and after several years of back-to-back hit releases, it's time to start celebrating those successes.
That's why this list is here: to rank the Korean RPGs that soar as close as they possibly can to perfection. Some will be familiar names, while others you may not have heard of. As the years go by, this list is only going to grow, and that's a great thing for the gaming industry as a whole.
Honorable Mention: Crimson Desert
Virtually Guaranteed To Join The Ranks Of Korea's Best
It might seem presumptuous to count Crimson Desert as one of the greatest Korean RPGs of all time when it's still a few weeks from release. The fact is that, unless it's a complete disaster (and no preview so far has indicated as much), it will likely be joining the ranks of the other games listed here. Will it usurp all of them to become the greatest Korean RPG of all time? That's not a guarantee, but it certainly has the stuff to make a run at it.
One look at Crimson Desert and you can tell this is a game that's trying to be something special. There are an absurd number of mechanics on display in the trailers alone. Action combat, ranged combat, magic, open-world exploration, climbing, mounts, flying mounts, environmental destruction, and that's just the beginning. It's also a gorgeous game, with stunning draw distances and impressive environmental detail for a game so big. There is some valid trepidation around Crimson Desert:for example, Pearl Abyss has never made a game on this scale (or a single-player game in general), and while it is ambitious, one can't help but wonder if it's a bit too ambitious. Still, if it sticks the landing on even half of what it's promising, it'll not only be a valid contender for top spot on this list, but for 2026's Game of the Year as well.
MagnaCarta 2
Easy Breezy RPG Fun
Much like the average JRPG franchise, the continuity of the MagnaCarta series is a little convoluted. For example, even though this game is called MagnaCarta 2, it's actually the third game in the series. Thankfully, much like Final Fantasy or the Tales of... series, you don't need to play the previous games to enjoy this one, at least from a story perspective. MagnaCarta 2 is entirely self-contained, with only cursory lore stuff that connects it to the rest of the series.
While the music and story aren't anything to write home about, the real draw here is the combat system. It's unique for an RPG from 2009, especially one so clearly inspired by the era's JRPGs. Combat takes place in real time, with you controlling one of four characters and switching between them on the fly. Attacks cause your controlled character's stamina meter to build up, and when it's full, they enter overdrive. In this state, attacks do more damage, but once your combo ends, they need to recover. However, switching between characters and building their stamina up simultaneously, then executing one overdrive combo after another, can create chain attacks that reset everyone's stamina. It's a speedy, satisfying combat system that feels great to master but never pushes you too hard out of your comfort zone, resulting in an easy breezy RPG experience.
Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children
Glorious Tactics With Unfathomable Depth
If you're a fan of XCOM or Final Fantasy Tactics but want a game that has the character-building depth of something like Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous and the anime aesthetics of your favorite urban fantasy JRPG, then Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children is the game for you. When you first boot it up, it might seem like your average XCOM-like, with maybe a bit more complexity in the way turn order works. Give it a few hours, and you'll realize "more complexity" applies to just about every system in the game and frankly doesn't do them justice.
While there's absurd depth in character positioning and hits vs misses vs blocks, the real depth comes from Masteries. These are essentially your characters' abilities, which are unlocked as you play and offer a wide array of customizable passive and active skills you can use to make each character build exactly how you envision it. Here's the thing: there are over 1,000 main Masteries in Troubleshooter: Abandoned Children, with another 500 additional Masteries. Granted, you won't use all of these on every character, but it's easy to see the degree of complexity on offer. This may not be a game for everyone, but those who click with it will become ridiculously addicted to these character-building and tactical combat systems.
The First Berserker: Khazan
Phenomenal Combat Matched With Brutal Difficulty
The Soulslike genre is known for its difficulty above all else, a difficulty that is specifically tied to its combat. While FromSoftware's pioneering efforts in the genre (and everything the dev has made since) have walked a fine line between difficult and satisfying, The First Berserker: Khazan cranks up the difficulty to a significant degree while simultaneously cranking up the satisfaction you get from progression.
Combat is the star of the show, and boy, is it spectacular. You have your typical dodge, block, and parry abilities, but also a counterattack option that lets you deflect unblockable attacks and sometimes deal some damage in return. The windows for all of these are brutally precise, but that just makes pulling them off feel fantastic. On top of that, you have three weapon types: Greatsword, Spear, and Dual Blades. This further complicates combat, asking you to swap between them to suit the current encounter rather than picking your favorite. Let's not forget the boss fights, which are some of the hardest in the Soulslike genre, featuring 10-hit combos, unpredictable grab attacks, and massive AOEs, all of which you need to tackle head-on. There's no cheesing here; you just have to lock in and play perfectly.
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This article originally appeared on GameRant and is republished here with permission.
