Summary
Folkloreis the basis of some of the most brilliant storytelling that games have to offer. Writers and developers take what makes these stories so enduring and allow the player to become immersed in that world. Nowhere is this truer than in the historical RPG.
However, unlike games that try to be historically accurate, folklore can delve into magic, monsters, and mythology. There is freedom in exploring the distant—and not-so-distant— past filtered through the stories passed down through generations and whispered in fearfull tones. This list has a mix of RPGs based on folklore from around the world and various eras of folklore, up to the modern folklore ofurban legends.
Where the Water Tastes Like Wineis an adventure game in which folklore itself is the currency. It is set in an ambiguous time around the Great Depression in North America and has a darkly Dust Bowl canival-esque aesthetic. A wanderer has stumbled into the wrong card game and becomes the undead thrall of a devilish wolf who demands stories from across the U.S.
The wanderer must talk to people to uncover their stories or witness peculiar events to collect folklore that might be interesting to other itinerant characters or the wolf himself. Using atarot card-style system, the player must tell the right type of story to appease their audience. It is a game about the value of oral tradition and the connections made through storytelling.
Sekirohas limited character attributes and skill tree functions for players to experiment with, hence the degree to which it is an RPG compared toother Soulslike gamesis contested. That is why it is not higher up on this list. However, there is no doubt thatSekiroengages with a blend of mythology, folklore, and modern cinematic representations of 1500s Sengoku-era Japan. The game blurs historical inspiration and fantasy esthetics to fantastic effect, and there are allusions to Buddhist philosophy throughout.
It is a brutally hard but astonishingly beautiful game that rewards persistence and adaptive, aggressive play. Basically, be prepared to sink about 50 dedicated hours at least into the game to get the most out of its stunning historical fantasy world. There is a lot of wonderful optional gameplay and story connected to folklore that is easy to miss if players are too focused on finishing the core game as quickly as possible.
Black Bookis a surprisingly accessible deckbuilding RPG in whicha young sorceressnamed Vasilisa seeks to reunite with her dead husband. To do so, she must open the seals in the titular Black Book. This involves the use of dark magic and the building of a demonic army. Vasilisa discovers cards through events like conversational encounters, and then she can use those cards in combat against monsters and mythical beings.
There are quite a few moral and strategic choices to make along the way that significantly impact available options and cards. It is set in 19th-century Russia and explores Slavic folklore primarily through Russian and Komi traditions. The developers consulted Russian ethnographers to ensure the authenticity of their depiction of the folkloric traditions of the area.
World of Horroris a black-and-white pixel art RPG that wears its RPG elements on its sleeve. Not only are players completely at the mercy of RNG, but there are also explicit Perception checks and a dedicated window in the user interface to track stats. Players recruit allies to offer stat boosts and the risks and consequences of failure are often numerically expressed.
From a folklore perspective,World of Horrorengages directly with urban legends and modern folklore influenced byJunji Ito
and Lovecraftian horror. The player is tasked with finding connections between Eldritch incidents occurring across the map and encountering Old Gods that affect their progress across each playthrough.
Ghost of Tsushimais a fantastic third-person RPG with dynamic sword combat set in feudal Japan. It is the story of Jin, who is one of only a few survivors of a bloody battle between samurai and the invading Mongols in 1274. He goes on a quest to rescue his uncle who was taken prisoner during the battle and uncovers mythic stories, told through ink-painted vignettes, along the way.
Jin’s companion, Una, creates and builds up folklore around Jin himself, spreading the word that he is a vengeful spirit (or “ghost”) seeking revenge for the deaths in the Battle of Tsushima. As he travels through the land, the legend surrounding him begins to build, and he becomes a mythic figure in his own right.
Pentimentis a 2D role-playingmystery gamethat takes place in 16th-century Bavaria. The art style ofPentimentis inspired by illuminated manuscripts, and ornate books that were a mainstay of literature reproduction before the invention of the printing press. There are narrative choices that inform the player character’s backstory, personality, and skill set.
There is heavy engagement with the folklore of the area through conversations about the history of Bavaria and the religious traditions of the time. These folkloric accounts demonstrate the conflict between Christian ideology and Pagan history. It is a murder mystery that hinges on subjective interpretations—and misrepresentations—of history.
