RPGs Where You Are A Nobody – Investment Policy

Role-playing games usually cast you as a powerful hero, tasked with rescuing kingdoms, defeating monsters, and saving the day. However, some of the most compelling stories happen when you play as an ordinary person, without any special destiny or grand title.

Overcoming challenges and achieving even small victories feels truly rewarding, and seeing how far you’ve come can be incredibly powerful. Here are 7 RPGs that demonstrate how the most memorable adventures often begin with humble, unassuming characters.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

A Blacksmith’s Son With No Plot Armor

Okay, so I’m playing this game where I’m Henry, a blacksmith’s son, and it’s set way back in 15th-century Bohemia. Honestly, I started out totally clueless – I’d never even *held* a sword before, let alone fought in a war! I’m not some chosen hero or anything, just a regular guy thrown right into the middle of this massive civil war. And that’s what’s so cool about it. I actually *struggle* in fights, I can’t read, and I have to learn everything the hard way, just like a normal person would in that time period. It’s not about being a perfect knight, it’s about learning as I go.

What makes this game truly special is how realistic it feels. Progress is slow and challenging, whether you’re learning to fight, struggling to survive, or dealing with complex political situations. There’s no destined hero or easy path – just your determination and persistence. By the time you become a skilled fighter, you genuinely feel like you’ve earned it, making the sense of achievement incredibly rewarding.

Disco Elysium

A Detective Who Can Barely Hold It Together

The main character in *Disco Elysium* truly feels like an everyman – or, more accurately, a complete disaster. He starts the game unconscious on a trashed hotel room floor, suffering from amnesia and a terrible hangover. To make things worse, he’s tasked with investigating a highly sensitive murder. It’s clear his greatest skill is simply being a mess.

That’s actually what makes the game so compelling. The character’s flaws are central to everything. Each action feels risky, he’s constantly battling internal conflicts, and even simple things like remembering who he is feel like major achievements. You’re not playing as a powerful hero, but as a damaged man trying to solve a mystery and rediscover himself. Winning isn’t about strength; it’s about accepting and working with his imperfections.

Undertale

The Monster-Hating Boy With No Destiny

I absolutely love Undertale! You play as a kid who falls into this world below the surface, full of monsters. What’s really cool is that the game doesn’t tell you *anything* about this kid – no name, no special history, nothing. You just *are* the kid, trying to find your way back home. And honestly, that’s what makes the game so special – you get to create your own story with this blank slate of a character.

This game lets you define your own path and truly impact the story. Will you show mercy to the creatures you encounter, or prioritize gaining experience by defeating them all? Your decisions have significant and surprising consequences on the game world. The main character essentially reflects your own sense of right and wrong. Starting as an unknown individual, they ultimately become central to a finale widely considered one of the best in RPG history.

Tyranny

Serving Evil Without a Résumé

Obsidian’s *Tyranny* offers a unique twist: you don’t play the hero, but someone working *for* the villain. The world has already been conquered, and you’re a Fatebinder – basically, a government official tasked with upholding the evil overlord’s rules. It’s a far cry from the typical save-the-world storyline.

It’s ironic, but the game’s anonymity is what makes it so captivating. You’re a small part of a huge, unforgiving system, and you get to decide how much control you want. Will you be a merciful law enforcer, a cruel one, or simply take advantage of opportunities as they arise? Even though you start as an unknown person, your decisions can dramatically change the course of nations. You aren’t a hero destined to save the world-you’re just the one who happens to be writing the first version of history.

Final Fantasy X

From Island Boy To Guardian

At the start of *Final Fantasy X*, Tidus isn’t a chosen hero – he’s a confident blitzball star unexpectedly transported to a strange new world. He’s unfamiliar with Spira’s traditions, religion, and conflicts, and the locals see him as an outsider with no connection to their lives.

Tidus, as an outsider, provides the game’s emotional center. He questions customs that others take for granted, particularly the dangerous journey summoners like Yuna must undertake. Though he doesn’t begin as a hero, his courage to challenge these long-standing traditions and the cycle of sacrifice makes him more significant than any predetermined fate. Tidus starts as an unknown individual, but he’s the one who has the courage to question things when no one else does.

EarthBound

A Kid In Sneakers Against Cosmic Weirdness

I always loved how Ness from EarthBound is just… a normal kid. Seriously, he’s this suburban boy in a striped shirt swinging a baseball bat – no prophecies, no royal family, nothing explaining why *he’s* the hero. And that’s what’s so brilliant about the game, honestly. It takes total everyday life and throws you headfirst into the weirdest, most wonderful adventures.

Ness and his friends battle everything from gooey monsters and aliens to terrifying creatures from outer space, and even though they’re saving the world, they still remember to check in with their moms! This mix of epic adventure and everyday life is what makes Ness’s journey so unbelievable. He remains a normal kid with sneakers and a backpack, and somehow, that’s enough to defeat even Giygas, one of the most bizarre and challenging bosses in role-playing game history.

Darkest Dungeon

A Bunch Of Nobodies Marching to Their Doom

In *Darkest Dungeon*, you don’t start with legendary heroes. Instead, you recruit flawed and traumatized adventurers from humble beginnings like stagecoaches and taverns. Many won’t survive their initial expeditions into the dangerous ruins, and that’s intentional – the game is built around the idea that your heroes are expendable.

What makes this game so compelling is its realistic portrayal of failure. Characters aren’t destined for greatness; they struggle with stress, lose their minds, or simply perish. Winning feels truly meaningful not because you’re a chosen hero, but because you managed to keep a vulnerable group of characters alive long enough to succeed. It’s this sense of being ‘nobody’ that makes the game’s atmosphere of despair so powerfully haunting.

2025-09-25 10:38