With the rapid emergence of online co-op and live service multiplayer games, there was a popular sentiment throughout the 2010s that single-player titles had started to lose their luster and were inevitably going to be on their way out of the industry for good. While this might sound a little hyperbolic on paper, the reason so many people bought into this notion was because there had been a litany of online titles, such as MOBAs and hero shooters, which had gone on to become extremely profitable for their developers, so it was easy to assume that most big franchises would inevitably fall into following this popular trend.
Thankfully, though, single-player experiences are now more popular than ever, but there are a few particular games that have been important in emphasizing how eager gamers still are to jump into a brand new solo adventure. This especially applies to these titles below, which, thanks to their popularity, influence, and the ways they experimented with the traditional single-player formula, highlight that these types of experiences still have a place in the industry.
Baldur’s Gate 3
The Smash-Hit RPG Appealed To People Who Weren’t Even Into Gaming
Considering how popular the first two Baldur’s Gate games were among hardcore RPG fans, there was no doubt that the hotly anticipated third entry would perform well, but nobody expected it to be the inescapable phenomenon that it would go on to become. The release of Baldur’s Gate 3 really is a moment that you had to be there to fully believe, as it was mind-blowing how much reach the game truly had, to the point where even people who weren’t into games as a hobby were willing to check it out after hearing so much praise about the game from other people.
These days, most single-player games will include some kind of microtransactions or a paywall that restricts specific features within the adventure, but Baldur’s Gate 3 completely rejected this modern norm and instead packed every piece of content possible into the game itself for players to seek out and enjoy. This means that there’s a staggering number of ways that players can create their own story, as every action and piece of dialogue can drastically change the course of the journey, making every player’s game unique and personal. Alongside demonstrating how desperate a lot of players were to dive into a brand new single-player game, it also brought Western RPGs back to the limelight after years of JRPGs dominating the genre.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
Creative And Unique Single-Player Games Can Become Absurdly Popular When Done Right
It’s easy to see why online multiplayer games manage to draw in so many players on a daily basis, since they are always being updated and refined by their developers to give players something to work towards each time they log in. However, many of these games still follow similar trends, such as including a battle pass or adding new characters with fresh updates, but there’s something a lot more exciting about playing a single-player game that completely reinvents the wheel right off the bat, as was the case with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
While the game is clearly heavily inspired by RPGs of old, it also takes a page out of the Soulsborne sub-genre by giving players the ability to parry and dodge incoming attacks within the turn-based combat. It also tells a wildly ambitious story that manages to invoke so many emotions in the player without overstaying its welcome. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 would become a global smash hit not long after it was released, and this type of immense fanfare is usually only ever seen with single-player titles that go above and beyond to be different, offering players a unique style of gameplay that builds upon what came before.
Resident Evil 7
Not Every Horror Game Needs To Include A Co-Op Mechanic
It’s no secret that the horror genre went through a troubled period throughout the 2010s, and this especially applied to the king of the survival-horror genre, Resident Evil. In a desperate attempt to try and breathe new life into the franchise, Capcom had included a co-op system in a few of their mainline games, and while this definitely made Resident Evil 5 and 6 an absolute blast to play through with a buddy, it also made it feel as though there was no longer any place for single-player horror games, since there were barely any that were actually being released at the time.
Capcom made the bold decision to return to the series’ roots with Resident Evil 7, and while the first-person view was different from what had come before, this time around, players were once again forced to survive the nightmare all on their own, dialing up the tension and scares in the process. Since the seventh Resident Evil mainline game released, there have been a plethora of single-player horror experiences that have gone on to achieve great success, including the remakes of Dead Space and Silent Hill 2, so the game deserves credit for proving that players don’t always need a built-in co-op system to convince them that picking up a new horror game will be worth it.
The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Nintendo Stuck To Their Guns And Continued Making Excellent Single-Player Games
In the lead-up to the official release of the Nintendo Switch in 2017, many people wondered whether Nintendo would be placing a bigger emphasis on online live service games, considering these were all the rage at the time. The good news is, the well-known developers dedicated most of their time and effort to single-player games instead, and while Super Mario Odyssey was an exciting game to look forward to, the flagship game that Nintendo promoted alongside their latest system was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Considering the launch line-up was fairly limited when the Switch first appeared on store shelves, there was a lot of speculation about how the system would actually perform in terms of sales, and while it would end up doing incredible numbers, a lot of people credit this to Breath of the Wild. Gamers around the world were flocking to purchase the Switch when it finally dropped, many of whom did so just to play the latest Zelda game for themselves, with Nintendo, as a result, making a massive statement about the interest that players still had in single-player games at a time when it seemed as though they might have been fading into obscurity.
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rockstar Can Make Great Online Modes, But They Never Forget About The Story
While Grand Theft Auto 5 would quickly become one of the best-selling games of all time, it would become most well-known for its GTA Online counterpart, which is ultimately what kept bringing players back to the game. This isn’t to say that the story of GTA 5 is bad, as it’s actually very entertaining and features some extremely fun and lovable characters, but it did suggest that Rockstar would be more interested in the online aspects of their next release, Red Dead Redemption 2, since it appeared as though this was what most players were clicking on when entering the main menu of their previous games.
In stark contrast, Rockstar went above and beyond with the story of Red Dead Redemption 2, crafting one of the most engaging, emotional, and thought-provoking narratives of any video game. The story of Arthur Morgan and the gradual decline of cowboys in the Wild West is one that hooks the player right from the get-go, and though the game does feature an online mode, it’s clear that it was more of an afterthought that was nowhere near as fleshed out as the campaign. When looking at how successful Red Dead Redemption 2 would go on to become both critically and commercially, Rockstar made it clear that story modes are still what a lot of people prioritize when jumping into a new game.
Cyberpunk 2077
Cyberpunk’s Journey To Success Proved That Players Are Willing To Stick With Single-Player Games For A Long Time
To say Cyberpunk 2077 had a rough launch would be putting it mildly. The game was plagued with a litany of technical issues and was also missing several key features that were promised in the trailers. However, while the game did receive a tremendous amount of pushback, there were still many players who recognized that there was a diamond in the rough here that could easily be polished up with a few updates, and as a result, many people decided to stick with the game to see what it would eventually become, encouraging CD Projekt Red to continue their work.
In the multiplayer realm, if a game doesn’t get off to a strong start, it inevitably results in the majority of the player-base jumping over to something new, but Cyberpunk 2077 emphasized that that’s not always the case with single-player titles, especially if they are this ambitious. Thanks to continuous fan support and feedback, Cyberpunk 2077 would eventually become one of the best RPGs of the modern era, with its dazzling, fully-explorable Night City and extensive levels of player freedom, turning it into the game that the developers, and many fans, had always dreamed of.
Persona 5
Persona 5 Brought JRPGs Back To The Forefront Of Gaming
JRPGs had long been considered one of the most popular gaming genres on the market, but as time went on, many people began to feel that these types of games were becoming a little outdated, primarily because turn-based combat was slowly being replaced by hack-and-slash action. Pair this with the fact that the Persona series had only started reaching the mainstream with the fourth mainline game, and it seemed as though Persona 5 wouldn’t be anything that would set the world on fire when it released, but it’s remarkable how wrong that statement actually turned out to be.
With its vibrant and flashy visuals and deeply mature story, which contains plenty of intriguing themes and ideas, Persona 5 took the world by storm when it released in 2016. What’s most important about this game, however, is that it didn’t ditch the turn-based combat, and instead simply made it as stylish and exuberant as possible to ensure it didn’t appear like a system that belonged to a bygone error. Single-player JRPGs have been riding high since the release of Persona 5, and it’s all thanks to Atlas’s dedication to stick with the traditional aspects of the genre, while also giving them a modernized coat of paint to appeal to a brand new audience, proving that these types of single-player games are still highly sought after.
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