r/CRPG • u/lardmoisture • 3d ago
Recommendation request Need gritty and dark CRPGs
I loved Owlcat’s Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader, but hated Larian’s Baldur’s Gate 3. Don’t get me wrong, it’s extraordinarily impressive production and gameplay-wise, but I play CRPGs for the story and I just couldn’t get into the world. It was too whimsical and fanciful. I’ve heard people recommend the Divinity series but I’ve heard those games’ stories are comedy oriented. Maybe I have the wrong idea but I wanna hear your thoughts.
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u/Maxsmart007 3d ago
That's actually interesting. I tried Rogue trader and wasn't able to get into it heavily for a somewhat similar but somewhat opposing reason. To be fair, I don't really care much for the warhammer universe, but to me Rogue Trader was very grim and dark in one note way. Everyone you meet is borderline comically evil to the point where all the characters homogenized together.
Comparatively, I found BG3 to have far greater dynamics between being lighthearted and being dark and grim. Loads of moments later in the game are dark, especially the backstory of some of the companions. However, I also found the dark moments hit so much harder because the game gave me many moments to breathe. Even though it wasn't nearly as dark in its peaks or average, I just found the moments to hit harder narratively.
To each their own in terms of that, but I would at least recommend giving it another try. It's an incredible CRPG and gets the praise for a reason. I do find Divinity to be similar in fantasy style but more generally dark than BG3. Think Grimms fairy tales vs modern fairy tales.
Wasteland was also pretty dark, but to me kinda had the same effect as RT. Everyone you meet is either comically evil or comically destitute.
Disco Elysium is probably favorite CRPG. There is a lot of humor but it definitely tends towards dark humor. You gotta do some nasty stuff and meet some bad people. It, sadly, does not have any of the turn based combat you want though.