Summary
CRPGs have always sought to capture the narrative depth and roleplaying opportunities of tabletop adventures. Yet, unlike their table-based contemporaries, CRPGs struggled for many years to replicate the collaborative spirit of shared play.
While Richard Garriott’sUltimaseries, first released in 1979, created the blueprint that all subsequent CRPGs would build upon for a solo experience, it wasn’t until the release ofBioWare’sBaldur’s Gatein 1998—a full 19 years later—that the concept of a cooperative digital tabletop adventure would be successfully integrated into a single-player CRPG. Fortunately, the wait was worth it, as it laid the groundwork for many great co-op multiplayer CRPGs that have been released since.
First released in 2000 by Black Isle Studios and remastered in 2014 as the “Enhanced Edition,“Icewind Daledeviates from its D&D brethren, such asBaldur’s Gate, by shifting focus from narrative to combat. There is still an engaging and interesting narrative to be found, but Icewind Dale’s bread and butter is more sword and board than pen and paper.
Unlike its peers,Icewind Dalehas no companion characters, allowing players to create a fully customized party of six, making it ideal for co-op play. Despite the cumbersome AD&D 2E ruleset and the unplayability of its sequel on modern systems, there’s a wealth of hack-and-slashing fun to be had among friends.
Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn, developed by BioWare and later remastered by Overhaul Games, saw its co-op functionality restored in the Enhanced Edition. The game focuses heavily on narrative,which strongly emphasizes the in-game companions. Consequently, this results in a combat experience less about sheer power and more about tactical party composition, meaning additional players might find less to do depending on their builds. Limited gear can also cause disagreements, as players will naturally gravitate towards quests with the best rewards for their characters.
However, with good communication and compromise on quest orders,Baldur’s Gate IIoffers an unparalleled narrative experience for its time. Additionally, players can import their characters fromBaldur’s Gateand its expansions intoBaldur’s Gate II.
Players set forth controlling a band of mercenaries through the lands of Tiltren, a county plagued by bandits, criminal ne’er-do-wells, and the actual plague.Wartaleslacks a traditional overarching narrative, instead focusing on the relationships between mercenaries and their reactions to regional story scenarios. This character-driven, personable approach is also highlighted in co-op, where, either by design or by technical limitations, players share loot and map space with little independent autonomy.
Despite these restrictions,Wartalesstill offers a worthwhile co-op experience, as the near-immeasurable number of story scenarios and the variations in which they unfold will always be worth multiple playthroughs, either alone or with a friend.
Wasteland 3and its prequel, developed by inXile Entertainment, are often touted as the spiritual successors to the originalFalloutseries by Interplay Productions, which themselves were a spiritual successor to the first Wasteland game—bringing the line of spiritual succession full circle. Perhaps Bethesda will deliver a spiritual successor to the spiritual successor’s successor in the form ofFallout 5, successfully.
Unlike previous Wasteland titles,Wasteland 3features co-op, with full character customization for each player alongside a rich narrative and tactical experience. Although some bugs persist in the final release and are unlikely to be patched out by this point, none are game-breaking, meaning players can still enjoy a rewarding experience while playing with a friend.
Wildermythis the debut release of indie game studio Worldwalker Games. It straddles the line between TRPG and CRPG, bronc-riding the two genres while offering players an iterative, procedural storytelling adventure—all brought to life in adistinctive display of paper-craft visuals.
While other CRPGs focus on broad narratives and number-crunching character builds,Wildermythembraces the improvisational spirit of tabletop RPGs through semi-randomly selected pre-written narratives that evolve based on player actions. Fans of theAge of Wonderseries may recognize a familiar mechanic in the form of a pantheon system, where characters are saved to a “Legacy” upon the end of a campaign (or their life), allowing them to reappear in future playthroughs.
Baldur’s Gate 3, otherwise known as “Shoving-Goblins-Off-A-Cliff” simulator, is hailed by many gamers as one of the greatest CRPGs released to date. While some might argue that much of the gamers' praise is due toAstarion’s sheer existence, what’s indisputable is the meticulous craftsmanship involved in translating a D&D 5E campaign into a digital experience.
However, its co-op implementation falls just shy of perfection. The story’s linear focus and the significant role companion characters play in how the narrative unfolds mean that players risk missing critical content unless they choose an origin character at the start.
Solasta: Crown Of The Magistertakes all that players love about character creation and combat in D&D anddistills it into its purest, digital form. It’s one of the few CRPGs designed from the ground up with multiplayer in mind. The game comes bundled with Dungeon Maker, an included game module that allows players to design and build their own adventures. This means that even if the included campaign doesn’t fully resonate with some players, there’s a wealth of additional fan-made content to keep players busy for years to come.
Coupled with its highly accessible co-op features, such as DLC sharing and cross-platform support, there’s very little reason not to recommendSolasta: Crown of the Magisterto players looking for a co-op CPRG.
Act One ofDivinity: Original Sin IIsees the players charged, sentenced, and sent to a penal island from where they must escape—an introduction that neatly introduces players to the game’s expansive sandbox environment. The game style is near perfectly suited for co-op play, with combat mechanics allowing for environmental combos between party members and a narrative accommodating multiple main characters with full autonomous play.
To tie it all together with a pretty bow, the base game comes with a “Game Master” mode, whichre-creates a tabletop RPG in a digital environment. One player will control the environment, NPCs, objects, map, etc., while four others participate in whatever scenario the Game Master has created.Divinity: Original Sin II—and, by extension, its predecessor—is an easy sell to any gamer looking for a co-op experience.
