# Best modern CRPG like Baldur's Gate, Icewind Dale, etc.? Isometric? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** video-games-e-games\ **Created:** [January 26, 2021, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552 "2021-01-26T21:01:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/1 "2021-01-26T21:01:55Z")
I’m playing Disco Elysium, which is similar(but features no combat and is actually really different). Playing it reminds me how much fun I had playing Planescape: Torment, Baldur’s Gate(1 and 2), and the old Fallout games, which were also similar in look. What are the best modern examples of this? I guess I’d call them “top down” of sorts. You look at the part and move them around, open chests, fight battles, explore dungeons, have your story. Dragon Age? Is that the cream of the crop or are there other better ones? I believe “isometric RPG” may be the term I am thinking of… ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/2 "2021-01-26T21:04:43Z")
I enjoyed Pillars of Eternity quite a lot. It’s very similar to Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 in terms of looks and atmosphere. I haven’t played the sequel, though. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/3 "2021-01-26T21:18:16Z")
Torment: Tides of Numinera is the latest Torment sequel I have tried. The various Shadowrun episodes were also “top-down”. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/4 "2021-01-26T22:00:02Z")
I’m currently playing Pathfinder: Kingmaker and having a great time with it. It’s a pretty recent entry in the genre. Another great, great entry is Divinity: Original Sin 2. (I haven’t played the first one.) ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/5 "2021-01-26T22:48:01Z")
I thought Divinity: Original Sin 1 & 2 had a fun gimmick, but the gimmick started wearing a bit thin for me. In fact, I think I liked D:OS 1 more because it was shorter. ---
**Author:** ![FriendlyCurmudgeon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friendlycurmudgeon/32/5786_2.png) [@FriendlyCurmudgeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendlyCurmudgeon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/6 "2021-01-26T22:51:15Z")
If you like the Cyberpunk genre, Shadowrun might be up your alley bub. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/7 "2021-01-26T23:26:38Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I thought Divinity: Original Sin 1 & 2 had a fun gimmick, but the gimmick started wearing a bit thin for me. In fact, I think I liked D:OS 1 more because it was shorter. May I ask what the gimmick is? ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2021, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/8 "2021-01-26T23:34:28Z")
> [@FriendlyCurmudgeon](#): > > If you like the Cyberpunk genre, Shadowrun might be up your alley bub. I’m also going to vote for Shadowrun: Dragonfall and Hong Kong (Returns isn’t bad, but the other two are much more polished). I think Dragonfall has the better story of the two, with Hong Kong being a bit more fun. And for people who aren’t familiary with Shadowrun, it’s cyberpunk with magic. Some people do complain if you get chocolate in their peanut butter (or magic in their scifi), so you have fair warning. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/9 "2021-01-27T05:51:15Z")
Wasteland 3 is pretty good, and is right in the same area as Fallout was as post-apocalyptic isometric-RPGs go. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/10 "2021-01-27T12:47:33Z")
How hard is Wasteland 3? I had heard 2 was super hard, so I avoided it. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/11 "2021-01-27T13:08:05Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > May I ask what the gimmick is? There is a surprisingly large list of possible interactions between different items and different abilities for you to experiment with. For instance, if you have a log and an ax, you can combine them to make a staff, and if you have a staff and a sharp stone you can combine them to make a spear, etc. Or if you cast a fire spell on a water puddle, it creates a steam cloud, and if you cast an electric spell on a steam cloud, it becomes an electrified cloud, etc. In D:OS 2, they simplified the crafting (if I remember correctly) and the novelty of creating pools of fire/electricity/whatever started to wear off after the umpteenth fight. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/12 "2021-01-27T14:42:32Z")
That’s a pretty small part of the game… That is _a_ gimmick, sure, but not something that you even have to think about very much. @Mahaloth if you want a more comprehensive look at the game there is a thread devoted to it on these boards: > [@Divinity: Original Sin 2](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/divinity-original-sin-2/796344): > > It’s out today. Reviews have been stellar. DoS was great, and this one should be better. I love what Larian has been doing to rejuvenate my favorite genre. I played a bit in early access but cut myself off to save it for release. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s been waiting two years for this one. And now it’s here… I’ll be in my bunk. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/13 "2021-01-27T15:27:51Z")
Well, yes, it’s definitely a computer RPG with quests and characters and spells and whatnot. I thought that went without saying. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/14 "2021-01-27T15:35:23Z")
I also enjoyed Pillars of Eternity and am currently having a second playthrough. The Shadowrun games are great and rather short, so a nice distraction. I started Pathfinder: Kingmaker and loved the characters and the storyline, but the movement/combat in-game is just too slow. Unplayable for me. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/15 "2021-01-27T15:36:18Z")
The bigger gimmick is in how it has no character creation unlike most games in the genre. You pick a premade character and team up with other premade characters, each one of which has a full background and goals and personality. You go through the game exploring their personal stories and quests, and have to manage their conflicts with each other. Also, you can basically develop each character in any direction you want as far as classes/skills/etc. so you can have any kind of party you want with any combination of characters (though some characters work better in some roles than others due to natural abilities). Talking about the way certain powers interact with the environment and each other as “the gimmick” is extremely misleading, as if that’s all that distinguishes the game from others. It’s a disservice in a thread where someone is wanting to learn about such games to present your own pet peeve as defining the game. I get not liking the game, we’re entitled to personal preferences of course, but that was unhelpful. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/16 "2021-01-27T15:37:42Z")
> [@Uniqueorn](#): > > I started Pathfinder: Kingmaker and loved the characters and the storyline, but the movement/combat in-game is just too slow. Unplayable for me. That bugged me too until I realized you can just hit the space bar and speed it up to a normal speed, and it’s no longer a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Uniqueorn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uniqueorn/32/2807_2.png) [@Uniqueorn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uniqueorn)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/17 "2021-01-27T15:42:09Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > That bugged me too until I realized you can just hit the space bar and speed it up to a normal speed, and it’s no longer a problem. WHAT? I tried all kinds of cheats and mods to speed up the game and I only had to press the space bar? Thanks, will try it out later today! ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/18 "2021-01-27T15:45:46Z")
To be fair I found it out by accident when I was getting really impatient with the game, so I fully understand your frustration. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/19 "2021-01-27T16:18:42Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > The bigger gimmick is in how it has no character creation unlike most games in the genre. You pick a premade character and team up with other premade characters, each one of which has a full background and goals and personality… I thought I read you could create your own character instead of simply accept the premade ones. Is that not the case? ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2021, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552/20 "2021-01-27T16:50:57Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I thought I read you could create your own character instead of simply accept the premade ones. Is that not the case? Conversations with NPCs will reveal more of a premade character’s story if you use them as your main PC instead of as a companion. If you make your own PC, then you get more generic responses from NPCs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-modern-crpg-like-baldurs-gate-icewind-dale-etc-isometric/931552.md?page=2)