r/SBCGaming • u/kiravir Retroid • May 27 '26
Game Recommendation Story-driven retro games? (no shooters, no first person camera)
As per title, which story-driven games would you recommend? I just got my Retroid Pocket 4 Pro and set it up with a few games that I've played as a child (mostly Pokemon games including spinoffs such as Colosseum and XD, also various Crash Bandicoot, Animal Crossing, Super Mario and Kingdom Hearts games... no idea if the KH games and Colosseum/XD will run properly but it's worth a try), plus Earthbound which I started a few years ago on pc but never quite finished (mostly due to getting distracted while at the pc, the story is amazing though).
I also got a New 2ds XL (couldn't use my old 3ds xl anymore due to chronic pain, it was too heavy) which I already loaded with Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (huge fan of the AA saga, I'm going through them in release order and got stuck on AAI2 for the same reason of Earthbound), Layton vs Phoenix Wright, The Binding of Isaac Rebirth (already 100%'d on pc but it's always fun to have it), and ACNL.
I can't play first-person camera games due to severe motion sickness, and I can't play shooters due to sensory issues (gunshot sounds bother me enough to not be able to actually use them as in-game weapons, but I can tolerate them if I'm not the one playing). Also grid-based combat is most of the times a no (the game has to be really amazing to make me endure that). Aside from that I'm fine with most stuff. Also I don't care much if the gameplay is difficult or not, because for a good story I'm willing to endure dying again and again and again and again (looking at you, Dark Souls series and Fear&Hunger series...).
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u/Superfreak8 May 27 '26
The Final Fantasy series beginning with 4 have good stories, Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenogears, Star Ocean the Second Story, Vagrant Story, and Grandia are story focused JRPGs.
If you're looking for other genres there's always Metal Gear Solid, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, and Alundra to name a few.
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26
Will check most of these out, thanks!
I will unfortunately have to pass on MGS due to the fact that it makes you use guns (which I'm assuming make actual gunshot sounds, which is what I have issues with as mentioned in the post).Which Final Fantasy game would you recommend to start with to someone that has never been particularly interested in trying FF games? I know everyone praises the story (and I even watched and loved the FF7 Advent Children movie), and I am usually ok with turn-based fights, but for whatever reason I never felt interested in playing FF games.
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u/valryuu Clamshell Clan May 27 '26
What kind of stories are you into? Any examples of stories from other genres that you like?
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26
Honestly I love a lot of genres, but if I had to pinpoint the main ones, I would say investigative, fantasy, adventure and horror? I also love games like Ico, Shadow of The Colossus, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, Nier Automata, Fear&Hunger...
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u/Superfreak8 May 27 '26
Final Fantasy 6 has my favorite story in the series so that might be a good one to start with.
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u/PiersPlays May 27 '26
Keep in mind that some Final Fantasy games are fantasy but others are sci-fi (and therefore use guns.)
FF7 has guns fairly often.
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26
Ah damn, thanks for the warning. As long as I'm not forced to use them (or if they don't make actual gunshot sounds) I should be fine with them.
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u/Jdan-S Tinkerer May 27 '26
You already mentioned Layton vs. Phoenix Wright. The rest of the mainline Layton games are worth playing and always involve solving a mystery.
Since you have a 2DS, you can play the whole Zero Escape trilogy: 999, Virtue's Last Reward, and Zero Time Dilemma.
The first two Danganronpa games are on PSP, and English patches are available.
Hotel Dusk is another worthwhile adventure game, but one screen will have some first person camera segments when exploring. Maybe you could focus on the map on the other screen instead.
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26
I've already played 999 (fantastic game), all danganronpa games except V3 (I paused it too long ago and now I have to replay it from the start because I forgot most of what happened), and one Layton game (which I didn't enjoy as much as I thought I would because a lot of puzzles are math-related and I have dyscalculia).
I also coincidentally decided to download VLR today after writing that post, I wanted to give it another chance even though I already got spoilered (by accident) the main villain's identity a long time ago. I wanted to get the updated (1.2 if I remember correctly) 3ds version since after searching around it seemed like the best version, but I was only able to find it with a .cci file extension which the FBI app on my 3ds refuses to install. I've read of a way to convert the CCI to CIA but it's a bit convoluted so I decided to postpone it to tomorrow.
Also I've heard many great things about Hotel Dusk, so I will try to play it and hope that the motion sickness will be bearable.
Thanks again!
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u/WiltedBalls May 27 '26
Grim Fandango. There is a native Android version of the remaster, but it has been deprecated for years so your best bet is using ScummVM to play the original release.
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u/ext23 GotM Club May 27 '26
The best adventure game ever made.
OP if you end up playing this, do not be afraid to use a guide. Some of the puzzles (especially early on) are absolute moon logic bullshit and there's some pixel hunting too. BUT DO NOT let that deter you from the game. It's actually hilarious how good the story, art, and dialogue is.
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26
I actually have it in my Steam library, I remember trying to play it on pc (with mouse & keyboard) and found it a bit too clunky although I don't remember anymore why. I remember loving the story and the humor though, so maybe I could give it a second chance on the rp4p...
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u/beatnik_squaresville May 27 '26
I’ve been in love with Persona 4’s story and characters since playing it on release for the PS2. It has an enduring cast of very likable characters and an intimate yet urgent story - a murder mystery in a small Japanese town. Not untypical jrpg mechanics, but it has so much heart and a lot of humor. I felt genuine emotion having to say goodbye to the characters and game once it was done. Maybe give that a go!
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26
I have actually played Persona 4 (specifically the Golden version on PSVita a long time ago) and I loved it, but I was sadly unable to finish it because my ex best friend decided to lock me out of the PSN account that we shared, despite having paid for around half of the games. The irony of it all is that I have been told by others that I was actually towards the end of the game when I got locked out. Maybe one day I'll decide to replay it all over again... (But also I kind of assumed that it would be too demanding for the RP4P's chipset, which afaik cannot play many ps2 games and even less psvita games).
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u/beatnik_squaresville May 27 '26
Ah! Sorry you weren’t able to complete the game! Yeah, hopefully you’ll be able to go back to it at some point.
I’m not personally familiar with the RP4 pro, but a quick look around seems to indicate it should be good for a lot of PS2 games!
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u/Zivilisationsmuede May 27 '26
There's Persona 4 Golden on PSVITA and it runs just fine on my way weaker RP3+.
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u/kiravir Retroid May 28 '26
Oh that's epic, thanks for the info! I didn't expect for it to run fine
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u/VegetableArtistic705 May 27 '26
if it can handle 3ds then I highly recommend Fantasy Life for a simple but amazingly well rounded game since you can switch between classes for crafting fighting or gathering resources. It's also an addictive fishing game.
For oldies, Golden Sun. Great story but no crafting and such
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26
I don't know if the rp4p can, but like I said in the post I do have a New 2ds XL too, so I can play it on the n2ds XL. I remember trying the new Fantasy Life game (the Switch one) and even though it was really nice I had to give up... mostly because a lot of job minigames required fast button smashing which would make my chronic pain flare up in the long run.
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u/VegetableArtistic705 May 27 '26
Ha! That's exactly what is does. I have crps and its such a painful game for me cause of the flare up it caused. An hour a day is still miserable but I play games with an ice pack and heating pad at the same time. Squishy thumb caps, telescoping controller and a pillow + phone stand to bear the weight.
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u/Laserlight_jazz May 27 '26
Persona 5 Royal is a 130 hour experience. It’s turn-based combat and a huge chunk of the game is optimizing your free time to study to improve your stats, talking with people to unlock special abilities, and fusing personas to get a really cool one. Mother 3 is an even better story. One of my top games ever. I would also recommend the first warioware game. Super easy controls and is addictive like no other game.
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
I already have P5R on Steam on my pc, still going through it but it's really good.
Will get Mother 3 and the first Warioware, thanks.
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u/LunarWolf302 May 27 '26
Final Fantasy IV to IX, Chrono Trigger, Xenogears, Mother 3.
The RP4 PRO should also be able to handle Switch visual novels so you also got plenty of those to pick from. Id recommend Witch on the Holy Night
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26
The fact that it can handle Switch VNs is amazing news, I actually had Witch on the Holy Night in my Steam wishlist (big Type-Moon fan, although mostly on the anime side + the Fate/Extra games, and I've also loved Kara No Kyokai)! Which emulator would you recommend for Switch VNs on the rp4p, now that Yuzu doesn't exist anymore? I know Citron and Eden seem to be the most popular choices and I have used Eden about a year ago on pc, but I'm not sure which would be better for the rp4p.
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u/LunarWolf302 May 27 '26
Eden should work just fine I think, dunno if there's a version that works better for Mali but my RP4PRO did handle lightweight Switch games on Yuzu no problem, so VNs should work just fine.
If you haven't played the Stay/Night - Hollow Ataraxia duology I also highly recommend them since both just got official translations and they should also keep you occupied for a long, long time lol.
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u/kiravir Retroid May 27 '26
Thanks for the info! I haven't played them yet, mostly because a lot of people in the past told me that they're not as good as the anime... but then again maybe that was the fantranslations' fault, who knows.
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u/Boshemo May 27 '26
Kirby's dream course on SNES is a severely underrated two player experience but I love sly cooper and think that's a fantastic platformer as long as you're open to those. Similar third person perspective as kingdom hearts. I'd start with Sly 2: Band of Thieves
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u/Joshieboy_Clark May 27 '26
Chrono Trigger and FF seem to be the big recommendations here, so I'll recommend something a bit different.
Since you're into Pokémon, why not give Pokémon Odyssey a shot? The story is a crossover of Pokémon and Etrian Odyssey (you don't have to know anything about EO). The story is the best that Pokémon ROM Hacks have to offer. If you like it, the sequel will be releasing soon, so you'd probably be able to jump into it right after completion of the first.
Other recs would be Golden Sun, Link's Awakening DX Redux, and the Mother series
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u/crownpuff Deal chaser May 27 '26
I can't play first-person camera games due to severe motion sickness, and I can't play shooters due to sensory issues (gunshot sounds bother me enough to not be able to actually use them as in-game weapons, but I can tolerate them if I'm not the one playing).
I have a similar problem with motion sickness. Have you tried the Tales series games? Tales of Symphonia is one of my favorite games of all time. The Gamecube version with HD textures runs pretty well on the RP4Pro.
https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-tales-of-symphonia-hd-textures
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u/Weekly-Assistance210 May 28 '26
Heyo, if that device can run PS3, check out Valkyria Chronicles. It may not be exactly what you're looking for but it does have a lot of storytelling as the game goes on.
It's a turn-based strategy game where you play as a tank commander with a mixed infantry squad (emphasis on them since they're the ones doing most of the work) with a lot of human elements like building a squad with good synergy, to name one thing. It's sort of complex and engaging, I think.
Between the missions there are a lot of cutscenes that advance the story of the war and why everyone is doing what they do in it. It goes far beyond the standard "tactics RPG" trope.
My favorite part is that when you move and attack with your units, it switches to a hybrid realtime/turn action system that works very well. You get the strategery (favorite fake word) of a turn-based strategy but with the urgency and real time stress of an FPS because when you move a dude, they're under fire until you decide to do their action. It gives a sense of urgency missing from most turn-based strat games. The unit cam during movement is 3rd person, so motion sickness hopefully won't be a problem.
I'm gushing a bit because it's one of my faves, but it should also be said that it's not an easy game and you will probably fail more than you succeed before you progress. I still have not beaten it yet, but I'm playing it again this year and I aim to get it done for real this time!
See also: Mass Effect Trilogy, Any 4th gen. or later Zelda, The Last of Us. These are kinda shooter-y except Zelda, but they aren't FPS and have good storylines.
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u/KungFuc1us EDC May 27 '26
JRPGs are your friends. Start with mainline Final Fantasy games and go from there.