When you’ve played a lot of RPGs, they can all start to blur together. There’s nothing wrong with being a chosen hero that sets off with friends to save the world, but when you play through the same story over and over again, it can start to feel a little stale. If you’re looking for unique pixel-art RPGs that will genuinely surprise you, these ten titles are terrific options.
Why Am I Dead at Sea?
Why Am I Dead at Sea? begins with a murder. Your murder, to be precise. While you can’t do much about being dead, your ghost can explore your surroundings, possess people, and get to the bottom of your untimely death. This is a classic whodunit in the vein of Earthbound. With an intricate story and multiple endings, you’ll want to keep playing Why Am I Dead at Sea? until you uncover all of its secrets.
Why Am I Dead at Sea? is available on PC and Mac.
Omori
If you like a dash of horror in your RPGs, Omori might be right up your alley. This pastel-hued RPG looks sweet on the surface, but if you dig deeper into its story, you’ll find something dark, painful, and surprisingly relatable. There are plenty of jump scares in Omori, but even if you think you can handle that, it’s not for the faint of heart. If you play this title, expect it to take an emotional toll.
Omori is available on PC and Mac.
And if you’re looking for more pixel-art horror games, check out our full list.
Space Funeral
Originally released in 2010, Space Funeral is a weird RPG classic. The title, which was created in RPG Maker 2003, was inspired by obscure NES titles like Monster Party. It’s an overwhelmingly bizarre title, with dialogue right out of a Lynch movie, but it’s also a genuinely funny game that never takes itself too seriously. Space Funeral has many classic RPG trappings, but it’s a rebellion against everything that RPGs are supposed to be.
Space Funeral is available to play for free on PC.
Ikenfell
If you’re a fan of the timing-based combat of Super Mario RPG, and you’re also into classic cartoons like Adventure Time and Steven Universe, there’s a good chance you’ll love Ikenfell. Set at a magical school, this tactical RPG offers a character-driven story that’s bursting with charm. Like petting cats? You’ll be able to do that every time you save. If that’s not enough to persuade you to play, Ikenfell also has a soundtrack filled with incredibly catchy tunes.
Ikenfell is available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass is about an eight-year old boy with an unusual level of empathy. In fact, Jimmy is so empathetic that he can become any of the monsters that he meets, allowing him to interact with the world around him in new ways. Even though the protagonist of this title is a young kid, it’s a dark and occasionally horrific game that is written with an adult audience in mind. This game is clearly inspired by the Mother series, but the monster mechanic really helps it to stand out from other quirky RPGs.
Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass is available on PC and Mac.
Gleaner Heights
Thanks to the success of Stardew Valley, the market is flooded with every type of farming game you can imagine. There are games that let you play as an angel, games that blend farming with Zelda-like action, and even games that let you tend corpses. However, none of these titles feel as strange as Gleaner Heights. Gleaner Heights is essentially a Harvest Moon game set in Twin Peaks. It’s filled with supernatural secrets, villager intrigue, and enough mystery to keep you hooked for hours.
Gleaner Heights is available on PC, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
Creepy Castle
There are plenty of RPGs that will ask you to explore an ancient castle, but none of them feel anything like the mysterious Creepy Castle. This side-scrolling RPG casts you in the role of a moth (named Moth) that is determined to uncover the mysteries of a strange and eerie castle. The combination of platforming and turn-based combat is fresh and fun, and the castle lore is incredibly compelling. Since the game offers more than one scenario, this is a castle you’ll want to explore more than once.
Creepy Castle is available on PC.
Lisa: The Painful
Although the game has some lighthearted moments, Lisa: The Painful ultimately lives up to its name. Lisa regularly asks players to make impossible choices, and players will have to live with the consequences of those choices until the end of the game. Are you willing to lose a limb to save the life of one of your party members? Will you give up everything you have to keep a village from being destroyed? Lisa is a quirky-yet-heartbreaking game that’s difficult on many different levels.
Lisa: The Painful is available on PC and Mac.
Mothlight
Mothlight is set in a world filled with Eldritch monstrosities, but it’s definitely not a classic Lovecraftian horror tale. You play as Enzo, a cat that has been kicked into the Black Sea. While you’ve managed to survive your fall, many of the creatures that populate this world aren’t happy to have you here. Although the combat in this game is fairly simplistic, the game’s pixelated hand-drawn visuals are bizarre in the best kind of way.
Mothlight is available to play for free on Steam.
Kingsway
Most RPGs ask you to control a party of characters. Kingsway asks you to control an RPG operating system. This fictional OS is designed to simplify tasks like exploring dungeons, smashing skeletons, or collecting loot. Of course, an OS isn’t necessarily the best way to stay safe during in an adventure. Fail to manage everything properly and you could lose your characters permanently. Thankfully, death doesn’t have to be the end of things. Kingsway will generate a new world every time you start a game.
Kingsway is available on PC.
