15 RPGs I Almost SKIPPED... Now I Can't RECOMMEND Enough!

Ever picked up a game thinking, "I'll

give it an hour." and then looked at the

clock and realized your entire weekend

was gone?

Yeah, that's pretty much what happened

to me with these games. I went in

expecting absolutely nothing

>> [music]

>> and somehow ended up completely hooked.

So, today we're talking about 15 RPGs

that caught me off guard and absolutely

destroyed my free time. And honestly,

I'd do it all over again.

>> [snorts]

>> Hero's Adventure Road to Passion might

be the only RPG where [music] getting

beaten up by some random martial artist

can lead to a 100-hour obsession with

becoming the greatest kung fu master

alive. And looking at its charming pixel

art,

>> [music]

>> I had absolutely no idea how much

trouble I was getting into. Inspired by

classic Chinese wuxia stories, this

open-world RPG drops you into a world of

rival martial arts sects, legendary

masters, and enough [music] secrets to

make following a walkthrough a full-time

job. You start as a complete nobody,

barely capable of winning a fight. But

where things go from there is largely up

to you. Join a powerful sect, make

friends with influential characters,

learn forbidden techniques, or become

the kind of troublemaker every martial

arts school wants dead. The turn-based

combat uses tactical positioning,

different weapon styles, and a

ridiculous number of martial arts

techniques [music] to experiment with.

But the real addiction comes from

progression because finding a rare

manual, convincing a master to teach you

something powerful, or finally beating

an enemy who humiliated you 10 hours

earlier is incredibly satisfying. And

there's always another technique worth

chasing. What really caught me off guard

though was the freedom. There are

multiple endings, recruitable

companions, faction storylines, and

decisions that can completely change

your adventure. Even fishing, crafting,

and building relationships can send you

down another rabbit hole.

The replayability is also nuts,

especially since accomplishments can

unlock advantages for future

playthroughs. Sure, the English

translation gets awkward and some quests

are so cryptic they practically demand a

guide, but between the massive sandbox

and expansions like Her Vanishing

Silhouette, which even lets you create

custom martial arts techniques, there's

enough here to lose hundreds of hours

without running out of things to try.

Dread Delusion looks like somebody dug

up a forgotten PS1 RPG, gave it a purple

sky, and decided the world needed a

little more existential horror.

Developed by Lovely Hell Place, this

bizarre open-world adventure takes a lot

of inspiration from Morrowind with one

of the strangest fantasy settings I've

seen in years. The world was devastated

by a war between gods and mortals,

leaving humanity scattered across

floating islands beneath a blood-red

sky. You play as a prisoner sent to hunt

down Vela Colosse, a mysterious

mercenary who knows something that could

threaten what's left of civilization,

and [music] the deeper you dig, the

weirder everything gets. Because every

island has its own bizarre history. One

kingdom is obsessed with machinery and

stolen memories, while another has

people trapped in an existence where

even death refuses to cooperate.

And the side quests? They're fantastic.

One village literally considers bringing

back human sacrifice because its magical

mushrooms are losing their ability to

predict the future.

Yeah, apparently the local farmers have

bigger problems than bad weather.

Exploration is where the addiction

really kicks in because there are hidden

buildings, strange characters, ancient

ruins, and secrets tucked into places

that practically beg to be investigated.

And rather than grinding enemies for

experience, you improve your four main

attributes by collecting delusions

scattered throughout the world. So,

getting distracted by some

suspicious-looking cave can genuinely

make your character stronger. Combat is

admittedly pretty basic with simple

melee attacks, magic, and enemies that

rarely put up much of a fight, but

thankfully, the free creature island

update also introduced a hard mode

alongside a whole new area to explore.

And once you unlock your own airship,

those floating islands become a giant

invitation to abandon whatever important

mission you were supposed to be doing 3

hours ago.

Ancient Rome has plenty of stories about

conquest, betrayal, and politicians

making terrible decisions. And

Expeditions: Rome lets you participate

in all three. And it turned out to be

one of the biggest surprises I've had

with a tactical RPG. You play as a young

Roman noble forced to flee after your

father's murder. What starts as a

personal revenge story eventually turns

into a massive military campaign across

Asia Minor, North Africa, and Gaul with

political conspiracies, historical

figures like Cleopatra, and decisions

that can completely change the fate of

Rome. The companions are fantastic, too,

with their own personalities, personal

quests, and have plenty to say about

your questionable leadership. But the

tactical combat is what kept me glued to

this thing.

Battles play out on hex-based maps where

positioning, flanking, shields, and

armor all matter.

You've got four main classes, each with

three skill trees, and the freedom to

mix abilities with different weapons

opens up some nasty combinations.

Watching a well-planned turn unfold with

your archers picking off enemies while

your front line holds the formation is

ridiculously satisfying.

And once those builds start coming

together, good luck stopping after one

more battle. Between missions, you're

commanding an actual Roman legion,

conquering territories, recruiting

soldiers, upgrading your camp, and

managing resources. It's a constant

cycle of winning battles, improving

equipment, unlocking abilities, and

immediately wanting to test everything.

The legion battles themselves are a

little underwhelming compared to the

tactical combat, but thankfully, later

updates reduced some of the repetitive

management. There's also the Death or

Glory DLC, which adds gladiator arenas

and a fifth playable class with three

additional specializations.

And with a campaign that can easily

[music] eat up 50 hours, there's plenty

of room to experiment with builds, mess

with Roman politics, and make enemies

who probably have very influential

friends.

Weird West comes from former Arkane

developers, the people behind Dishonored

and Prey. And honestly, that explains a

lot about why this game is so damn

addictive. Imagine a supernatural Wild

West where bounty hunters, werewolves,

cultists, and horrifying pigmen share

the same dusty frontier. And almost

everything around you is begging to be

messed with. The campaign follows five

different protagonists, each with their

own story, abilities, and problems. One

minute you're a retired bounty hunter

searching for her missing husband.

Later, you're playing a man who's been

turned into a pig monster. And [music]

the cool part is how these stories

connect. Characters remember your

decisions. People you've helped might

show up to save your ass during a

gunfight. And enemies you've crossed can

come looking for revenge. But the real

addiction comes from the freedom. Combat