Turn based games are in the middle of a renaissance of sorts in the past few years. Not only are long established turn-based games like Persona 5 and the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei V at the peak of their popularity, but other franchises have begun to dip their toes into the turn-based RPG scene, such as Yakuza: Like a Dragon, Metal Slug Tactics, and Monster Hunter Stories. The reason is very simple: Turn-based RPGs are a good way to diversify a franchise, generally cost less to produce, and allow IPs from genres with higher barriers of entry to be more accessible to new potential fans.

As gaming has become more generally accepted, the potential audience has gone up, and the average level of player skill has gone down. This is why once great genre’s like (non-Smash) fighting games are struggling to find new players and break into the mainstream: The skill level needed to feel competent is too high for the vast majority of modern gamers, who then go on to play more casual fare. Games with lower barriers to entry, games where small victories are more tangible than “I got curb stomped slightly less brutally,” games like battle royales and MOBAs.

So what franchises could benefit from a foray into turn-based RPG systems? Let’s talk about it.