Best Anthology RPGs

Some of the best RPG franchises are anthologies, meaning that one sequel does not bleed into the other. Final Fantasy is the perfect example, as the characters from Final Fantasy 5 do not matter to the ones in Final Fantasy 8. There are direct sequels within series, too, like with Final Fantasy 7, but they are more outliers than anything.

That’s one example of how RPGs have anthologies within the genre. However, there are also anthology collections hidden within one game. This means the game could feature multiple campaigns taking place in different worlds, or the same world, but featuring different characters. Let’s go through some top examples to paint a clearer picture.

Live A Live

A Sampling Of The Ages

Live A Live starts players out with seven characters to choose from, and each scenario should only take about two hours at the most, which is true for both the SNES original and the remake. Players can journey into the Old West with the Sundown Kid, travel back to prehistoric times with Pogo, or become a ninja with Oboromaru in ancient Japan.

Battles are turn-based, but characters can also move on a grid like a mini-tactical RPG. Once all scenarios are completed, an eighth will open up with some connective tissue, but overall, this is the perfect example of an anthology RPG.

Octopath Traveler

A Party Of One

Octopath Traveler was released exclusively for the Switch in 2018, before receiving ports elsewhere later. It was the first HD-2D game from Square Enix, and it allowed players to choose one of eight characters, like Ophelia the Cleric or Olberic the Warrior.

All characters could be recruited eventually, but the characters never interacted with each other. They were merely there as background support in battle, while each character’s story was an individual episode that players had to see through chapter by chapter.

Odin Sphere Leifthrasir

2D Norse Action

Odin Sphere, a 2D action RPG from Vanillaware, was released for the PS2 in 2007, and eventually it was remastered, or retooled, in 2016 for several platforms under the new name Odin Sphere Leifthrasir. Players will start with Gwendolyn, a Valkyrie, going through her story until the end. Once that happens, more stories will unlock, each associated with a storybook.

The other characters include Mercedes, Cornelius, Oswald, and Velvet, with their stories and overall designs borrowing heavily from folktales and varying mythologies. While players may run into similar characters and environments, the five stories were mostly self-contained.

Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song

A Challenging Remake

The SaGa series is known for giving players a wide assortment of characters to start with. Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song is a good example, as it was a remake of the 1992 SNES original, released in 2005 for the PS2 and later remastered several times for other platforms.

There are eight characters to pick from who start in different areas of the map. There is Hawke the pirate, Sif the warrior, Gray the traveler, and more. Story content is low compared to other turn-based RPGs, but there is certainly enough there to justify this as an anthology example.

Samurai Warriors 5

Younger Than Before

Most Musou games, between Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, give players lots of characters to choose from with short campaigns. Samurai Warriors 5 is the latest entry in that particular series, which changed things up in a myriad of ways.

Instead of dozens of stories, there are two primary ones between Nobunaga Oda and Mitsuhide Akechi. Players still have to get to play other classic heroes in action combat, including Kenshin Uesugi, Hideyoshi Hashiba, and Hanzo Hattori, but they don’t have individual stories. Also, the game took on a new cel-shaded design and made everyone look much younger compared to past iterations.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

The Keyblade Masters

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep, a prequel to the Kingdom Hearts series, is divided into three separate campaigns between Ventus, Terra, and Aqua. Aqua is a newly crowned Keyblade Master, Terra is like Riku in that he has both light and darkness in his heart, and Ventus is a more scrappy trainee.

They will follow similar and alternative paths through Disney worlds, fighting enemies in real-time, but overall, their stories are their own. Finishing them all will give players a greater sense of how these three warriors fit into the lore.

NieR: Automata

Three Chances For Humanity

NieR: Automata begins with 2B and 9S, battle androids, sent to Earth to try and reclaim the planet for the last bastion of humanity in space. Once players go through 2B’s lengthy campaign, they can then restart with 9S, who follows a similar path but from a different perspective and an alternative gameplay style.

Finally, after all that, players get to play as A2. There are twenty-six endings to NieR: Automata, but to see the true ending, players have to play as these three characters in sequence. It skirts the line as an anthology example, but it’s still a pretty important action RPG with multiple stories in the grand scheme of things.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy

Heroes Vs Villains

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy is a PSP fighting game starring heroes and villains across the grander Final Fantasy universe. Each hero has a campaign, with special cutscenes for each one, and explorable worlds.

Tifa’s will primarily focus on interactions with Sephiroth and Cloud from Final Fantasy 7, while Yuna’s will primarily interact with Tidus and Jecht from Final Fantasy 10. There is crossover between the franchise’s characters, too, which is the bigger reason to get it for super fans wishing to live out dream scenarios.

Front Mission

OCU VS USN

When Front Mission was released for the SNES in Japan in 1995, it only had one scenario. Players followed the exploits of Royd Clive, who fought for the OCU side of the war. The PS1 port in Japan added a new scenario with Kevin Greenfield, an officer fighting with the USN.

When the game first came to North America via the DS, both campaigns were available to select at the start, and the same is true for the latest remake, which was released in 2022. No matter the version, players can fight alternative paths of the war with their customizable mechs, called Wanzers, in tactical battles.

Threads Of Fate

Axes And Magic

Threads of Fate is a PS1 action RPG, which is where it has primarily stayed for decades beyond straight ports to PSN to be played on platforms like the PSP and PS3. There are two characters players can select who will tread similar pathways but have completely unique stories.

Players can assume the role of Rue, who starts with an axe-like sword and gains the ability to transform into monsters. There is also Mint, a gifted magic user who attacks with hooped rings. Both campaigns are relatively short, but still fun if players know where to look for them.