Who says RPG, says above all breathless adventure! And to fully live this adventure, we know it well, our heroes and heroes need to travel vast stretches across the counters that surround them. Of course, any self-respecting priple begins … feet! And it is well cals in their shoes that you will help your avatars to cross its first plains, forts, mountains, deserts or markets! However, soon enough, a need will arise, that of moving more freely in its environment. We take our own car or subway to go to work! So naturally, any self-respecting RPG character will inevitably, through his discoveries and his encounters, also feel the need to find a more appropriate means of transport in order to cover large areas and thus help him go and kill his enemies. on the other side of the world!
To do so, our dear bearers of all kinds of spells and spells will obviously not take the subway like all of us, so as not to suffer from conventional constraints such as technical breakdowns or untimely strikes. They will of course count on the abundant imagination of the developers in order to offer them the most efficient and original means of transport available. The little that can be said is that the range is excessively wide! Originality is often there, and it is well worth highlighting! So let's take a quick look at the vehicles (and more …) that allow our avatars to move without wearing their precious shoes, and thus keep their strength to carry out their quest! Let's go for a Top 5 of the most used (and most original) means of locomotion in our dear RPGs.
Number 5: On board a land-based mechanical vehicle
Let's start with what should naturally be the most common in the genre, namely moving in a motorized vehicle, on our good old cow floor. A great classic would be to evoke the use of this good old car, and yet … everything lacks fantasy. And it may be necessary to wait for the 15th, and sometimes tasteless episode of Final fantasy, in order to see an RPG which axis in such a clear way its displacements around a good old sedan of the families! However, if we call our memory, we can remember that a Land Rover was available in a game a little further from us … know Phantasy Star 4, who proposed you to drive a "car" of the constructor key! Finally car … let's say a futuristic tank! In fact the tank was also sometimes put forward. The best example is perhaps to go to the series of Metal Max which in addition to serving as a means of transport, allows you to defend yourself, practical! How to talk about the means of land transport without having a thought for the train, this means of locomotion so co-friendly? Its use in RPGs is rather rare, it must be admitted, and the few examples in Final Fantasy 6
Tank fair in Metal Max Returns Squall and company take the TGV
Number 4: On board a marine or submarine mechanical vehicle
Let's take a look at the side of the sea and the oceans. Quite logically, a common feature in a large number of RPGs, sea areas constitute a playing field and therefore privileged transport for a good number of RPGs. So this good old ship, which very often resembles a renaissance gallion, is present in a large number of series such as Final fantasy or Dragon quest to name only the best known, who are not stingy when it comes to using this means of transport. Some less famous titles even make it a central element of their game mechanics, such as the too short series of Uncharted Waters or the often considered lame duck of the series, Suikoden 4. Let's see what the genre can offer a little more original and so look under the oceans. Yes, the submarine will sometimes be part of the party, and it will be very useful in Final Fantasy 7 and Final Fantasy 4. But very often, we do not get too bothered by all this mechanical admiral and it is simply possible for us to cross the oceans … on foot! There are many examples: Final Fantasy 10, who put forward heroes capable of adapting perfectly underwater, Final Fantasy Legend 3 or the first Breath of Fire, which, thanks to a little magic greatly simplifies your task! Perhaps the most original example of water travel will come from a very young age Final fantasy first of the name, which places you on a very small canoe! Unless the raft of Shining Force 2who carries the whole of your weapon does not rob him of this place?
The ship, at the center of Uncharted Waters Tidus as comfortable on land as in water
Number 3: Thanks to an object in reality not very appropriate
The following means of transport undoubtedly obtains, after consideration, the palm of the most original transport in my eyes. And this one is within Dragon quest 6. Not content to offer to move you on a flying carpet, which memory in an RPG is relatively unique, the title of Enix does not stop as well, and offers to use for your next air travel, a bed. Yes, a good old flying bed! What could be more natural, isn't it? This will allow you to move into the world of dreams (yes, you had to find a sense of using such a vehicle …), a kind of universe parallel to the world of rl which will allow you to advance your adventure. by going to probe what is happening on the other side of … hidden wells around the world. One wonders what Yuji Horii and his teams saw themselves serving the canteen or at the corner bar during the establishment of the scenario of this wacky episode wish! This sumptuous and improbable flying bed alone deserves a place of choice in this ranking so its use and its atypical nature place it a thousand places from what we can find in all other RPGs … To drive the point home, let's always look within this same series, a rather original proposal, somewhat against employment, since it allows you to travel by train, not on simple rails, but in the air! This idea which has without doubt finds its roots in series such as Galaxy Express 999,
Psychadlic effect of the flying bed of DQ6 Which city in the world is known for a?
Number 2: On board a flying mechanical vehicle
Here we are in 2nd position, and you can imagine that we are attacking the very serious here. Namely air transport, by means of a mechanical propulsion vehicle. We naturally think that the plane holds a place of choice in the modes of transport proposed, but that nay! The approach is once again quite original, and if the galleon-type pirate ship is fashionable, why not propel these into the air? This is what the famous Airships of the series of Final fantasy, or episodes 4 & 5 in particular offer us beautiful examples of pirate ships crisscrossing the skies! This is also the case with the superb RPG from the Dreamcast, Skies of Arcadia whose context allows the deployment of a beautiful fleet of various and various flying ships. How also, ignore the use of shuttles and other spaceships, which will have a special place in any RPG dealing with science fiction that respects itself. An obvious example would be to refer to the series of Star Ocean who make heavy use of it, or even mention the sympathetic Rogue Galaxy.That would be to forget the colossal number of RPG on PC which gives the beautiful part these machines of the future. Between the Mass effect, Star Wars KOTOR and others X-COM, there are countless examples of spaceships crisscrossing virtual space! The Japanese pendant will naturally see the developers turning to the use of mchas! These glove robots with more or less humanoid forms are indeed very popular in Japan and many RPGs integrate movements in mcha. The most beautiful example to date is undoubtedly a title from Squaresoft released in 1998, the unmatchable Xenogears,
Xenogears is full of mechas The famous Skies of Arcadia Airships
Number 1: Thanks to a legendary animal
What is more useful than a spaceship or a mcha to move from one end of the other of the plant or in space on any RPG worthy of the name? A legendary animal, but it is of course !! Even stronger than Airships and other motorized flying objects, the pet that swims, flies or runs, allows you to immerse yourself in a fantastic world in which it fits most naturally. The most beautiful example that comes to mind comes without doubt from the saga of Seiken Densetsu (or Mana in French). Who at the time of his release did not dream of riding the sumptuous Flammy, white dragon made of feathers and that you could call with a tambourine so that it transports you in the air until a new counter distant? Helping you even sometimes face your formidable enemies in mid-flight when it was necessary! No doubt that the undeniable reference to the film the never-ending story, as well as the music that accompanies each ride has a lot to do with it, but this is without a shadow of hesitation, and for many players, a moment is part of their gaming experience! The series will also have the good taste of adding its panoply of legendary animals, in its 3rd episode, a turtle with a totally improbable look in order to allow you to cross the oceans. The second series that comes to mind is once again the series of Dragon quest who when she's not having fun robbing you with a bed or a train, gives you a pretty incredible bestiary. Let us quote this flying whale which will fill you no doubt in Dragon quest 11, or this majestic golden raptor which transports you with elegance through the vast world of Dragon quest 8. However, the palm of the original is perhaps a series that we do not expect to find here, since it is the game Star Ocean 2, which allowed you to move around thanks to … a giant rabbit! An original way to combine the useful with the … ridiculous!
The majestic Seammen Densetsu Rabbit's Flammy, laaaaaapin!
You will have no doubt understood the purpose of this post is not so much to make an absolute Top 5 of the best means of locomotion in our RPG, but indeed to remember some good memories associated with the discovery and the use of these in our favorite games. Obtaining these new modes of transport very often rhymes with a considerable opening of the field of possibilities, thus guaranteeing moments of intense discovery, a new world then literally opening up before you! Developers have understood this, and the staging efforts around obtaining these machines or animals so coveted were numerous, reinforcing their impact in our imagination.
So go on Secret of Mana take a ride in Flammy to the sound of the sumptuous melody Prophecy, moment of grace in the final moments of this game, and which perhaps includes everything that could have been said above on the attention brings these moments in our favorite softs. And if you are still not convinced …, did I already tell you that you saw a chocobo well being stolen?
And for you, what is the unforgettable memory left by a certain mode of transport? What is the craziest form of transportation you can think of reading this post while remembering your favorite RPG?
See you soon for a new Top 5!
