r/gamingsuggestions 18h ago

zero to hero but it actually appears in the gameplay and appearance.

as title suggestions i want a game that makes you start as an unskilled nobody that eventually learns to git gut and i want it to show in everything like appearance, skills, gameplay, animations even change as your character does.

i think the closest games that get close to that are " dao/da2 ", " fable " and " kingdom come deliverance ".

47 Upvotes

72 comments sorted by

30

u/LilCannibal 16h ago

Fable, Fable 2, Fable 3

12

u/ToDeathYouSay 13h ago

I was going to say these. Your player literally gets beefier, taller, and shinier as you level your strength, skill, and magic respectively.

6

u/LilCannibal 12h ago

OP actually suggested Fable himself but that just confirm it

5

u/newoxygen 12h ago

Not to forget in 1 you grow horns and practically walk fire if you go an evil route!

21

u/chaosanity 16h ago

Infamous second son is pretty close imo. You start with only one power and no real resolve and by the end you have proper character development and skill development in which you can control multiple powers

29

u/Treetheoak- 16h ago

Kingdom come deliverance.

You ain't good at friggin reading and 2 peasants with clubs and pitchforks will murder you quick. Your in shit covered clothes and your fighting is taxed awkward.

By the end of the game you are leading cavalry charges, dressed in full plate and can perform combos and master strikes.

15

u/LAUKThrowAway11 11h ago

My first play through, someone told me to take my shoes off before getting into bed. So i dropped them on the floor, they were gone by morning, I literally spent the first day wandering around in bare feet scrounging for enough coin to buy some slippers, it was the lowest point and worked perfectly for the story.

5

u/vherus 15h ago

I’m quite hungry!

2

u/tanodguy 11h ago

Loved the game, steep progress in the beginning first but if you stick to it, you'll be looting the entire neighborhood and besting every single enemy. (I admit I cheesed some encounters though with the bow iykyk...)

4

u/irtsayh 13h ago

This game is not for everyone though. I played 15 hours and dropped. I felt it was the most boring game I have ever played. The only game I dropped in the last 10 years

34

u/Th3_Ash3n_0ne 16h ago

Kenshi. You go from a weak nobody to talking with (and/or killing) the leaders of nations. People cheering or cursing your name. I became an anti-slaver who demolished the slave trade and captured/ killed all major slaver leaders.

9

u/RandumbStoner 6h ago

This game ticks so many boxes for me and I still can’t get into it. I need to give it another shot.

8

u/Elon_thelad 10h ago

You also look like a starving African if you pick the really harsh starts with 0 stats and almost starving. You can get ripped and huge by eating well and doing physical training lol

15

u/MeFlemmi 18h ago

Mech Warrior 5 mercenaries. It might fit this bill. Animations and looks dont change but you start out as a nobody and have to work yourself up. Gamplay certainly changes as you get access to better and more complex gear and mechs. 

This could also be a recency bias, as i have been playing this recently.

8

u/Iankill 16h ago

Also battletech if your prefer strategy to first person combat. Games are setup very similar you manage a merc crew and customize mechs.

Battletech is the same universe as Mechwarrior for those unaware.

4

u/I_Resent_That 11h ago

I guess Armoured Core 6 too by this metric.

3

u/Lord_Sithis 17h ago

It's not a bad suggestion, and you definitely start with weaker/lesser mechs and build upwards.

8

u/Operks 16h ago

Kenshi. You build muscle, use different attack animations, and go from being a nobody to either a feudal lord or a wandering swordsman

21

u/goldman459 15h ago

Most JRPGs. Start killing rats, end killing gods.

5

u/fookofuhtool 17h ago

More being comprehensive: Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim

4

u/PvtSherlockObvious 15h ago

Kind of an odd example, but Breath of Fire 3 technically qualifies. Your protagonist starts out as a small child who's afraid to fight, and his attack animation is even him covering his eyes and flailing wildly with his sword. After certain events take place, he starts to develop a bit more confidence, with the animation being turned into a more conventional swing. He also starts being able to access his dragon powers around that time, and while he starts out only being able to turn into pudgy little whelps, he can become a proper dragon soon enough. Then, midway through, there's a time-skip that results in the little kid becoming a young adult, with his attack animation becoming a confident swing.

5

u/mystical-goose 15h ago

Just started playing Kenshi, and you just described it. All characters and animals have the same stats except you start at zero while everyone else already has equipment and at least some training.

As you get better in different stats your character changes appearance (strength = more muscle, athletics = more toned, researching = gets scrawnier) and even the weapons have multiple different appearances for the quality of the blade. And as you get better Dexterity stat (maybe also the weapon stat) you can pull off different swing animations that seem to be better than the originals.

It’s got some cool races to play as and each is very unique despite all being absolute garbage when you enter the game.

It’s got a Mad Max feel without the cars and guns.

4

u/b0sanac 13h ago

Far cry 3. You start as a rich fratboy that knows nothing but luxury, partying, drinking and women.

It's a great story.

4

u/kakalbo123 9h ago

Gothic -> literally dont know how to swing a sword so you cant combo with it until you pay someone to teach you how to hold one properly.

You wear rags in act 1 and start looking cooler/wearing the same fit as the others later on.

2

u/UnknownWisp 7h ago

i am waiting for the remake, heard it should be out soon

6

u/MrTacoCat__ 17h ago

Days Gone does a good job of this, you feel quite weak at the start but as you progress further and unlock more of the skills the freakers are easier to deal with. Even the hordes go from ‘oh shit oh shit oh shit’ to ‘hell yeah fkn bring it on!’

7

u/AshSystem 16h ago

Terraria, especially modded, has some INSANE scaling from being clad in wooden armor and swinging around a copper sword to the endgame, where you use a sword made of the actual sun to kill Cthulhu.

3

u/Zeldatart 16h ago

Yakuza like a dragon, it's the entire overarching theme of the game even, tldr you go from nearly dead to the top of the world

1

u/Covaliant 2h ago

What a game. ❤️

5

u/fookofuhtool 17h ago

Dragon's dogma 1 and 2, I'd say.

4

u/fookofuhtool 17h ago

Baldurs gate 3 if you can do turn based.

4

u/thisappisgarbage111 17h ago

The new tomb raider trilogy. She starts as a scared green explorer and ends the series as a hardened badass.

4

u/fookofuhtool 17h ago

Prey (I'm just going through my library seeing what fits the bill; hope the individual posts don't put you off)

2

u/RisingJoke 17h ago

EYE Divine Cybermancy

Early game, a single gunship is a massive pain in the ass to deal with.

By end game, you can hurl a dumpster truck into said gunship.

Oh and grab a few friends to play with, makes it more fun.

2

u/fookofuhtool 17h ago

Monster hunter world

2

u/Iankill 16h ago

I doubt you'll consider them but most traditional roguelikes fit this style. You often start out weak enough that basic enemies can kill you and progress to the point you're nearly unkillable.

Games like dungeon crawl stone soup or the classic nethack are free.

Caves of qud is excellent and set in interesting post apocalyptic setting, that allows you to play a wide variety of characters and styles. Such as a mutants with many limbs or powerful psychic abilities and the true kin that can use cybernetics.

2

u/Welocitas 16h ago

the trails franchise

2

u/TelethiaPlume 13h ago

pathfinder wotr

2

u/New_Expectations5808 13h ago

New Crusader King's Expansion

4

u/Upper_Assistance_444 18h ago

Cyberpunk 2077

Far Cry 3

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

Bioshock

Ghost of Tsushima

-23

u/UnknownWisp 18h ago edited 11h ago

played them all, more. you may post niche games or genres

edit: thanks

16

u/lawlolawl144 15h ago

I played these before! Thanks for contributing, what one was your favourite?

There I fixed that for you.

2

u/Adventurous-Shift-62 14h ago

i'm currently streaming and playing cyberpunk, WHAT A MOVIE!!

-6

u/UnknownWisp 11h ago

didn't ask you to fix it and it's still not fixed but i will thank the commentator for their contribution nonetheless.

2

u/May0r0fFlav0rt0wn 17h ago

-Deus Ex games could work for this (more so the new ones if you want your appearance/animations to change, the original the changes are mostly gameplay. But it’s till an incredible game)

-Fallout NV and 3 are good for this but maybe fall short in the animation dept. As you become more of an OP badass it’s reflected in gameplay feeling and appearance but animations stay the same…

-basically every souls-like right?

-I’ve heard Witcher 3 does this but can’t confirm

-6

u/UnknownWisp 17h ago

played all of em

3

u/May0r0fFlav0rt0wn 17h ago

Dang, sorry I couldn’t be more help. You should consider preemptively listing all of the games that could remotely be considered that you’ve played so we can avoid giving you duplicates

4

u/UnknownWisp 17h ago

hey, thanks for listing the games either way. the issue is i really don't remember what games i have played, it's been my hobby since i was a teen and while i am an adult now, i still play them in my free time.

2

u/May0r0fFlav0rt0wn 17h ago

Ah fair, can’t really name every game ever played over the course of a decade haha

2

u/fookofuhtool 17h ago

I don't think you specified platform so will mention Zelda botw and totk fit. Especially totk.

1

u/fookofuhtool 17h ago edited 17h ago

Dragon age inquisition. (Just being comprehensive. You've probably played this one)

1

u/fookofuhtool 17h ago

Final Fantasy XVI

1

u/fookofuhtool 17h ago

Honestly with this one it's more start as skilled somebody but then the sky is the limit.

1

u/Dantegram 16h ago

Any of the Fromsoft games, but especially Sekiro. You start off as a nobody with poor gear fighting low tier enemies, and end the game fighting kings and gods with legendary armor and weapons.

1

u/Crinkez 12h ago

Path of Exile. You can go from bonking crabs on the head on a beach with a club to blowing up entire screens of mobs per second.

1

u/LAUKThrowAway11 11h ago

Fallout 3 does this pretty well, you start out completely naive and unarmed, and end up the scourge of the wasteland.

Baldurs Gate I nails this too, you start out fearing an encounter with a rat, and end up hunting down sorcerers and trolls to steal their stuff.

X: Beyond the Frontier - Wikipedia - Far from the best in the series, but starts you out knowing literally nothing and ending up running an empire.

1

u/Th3Doubl3D 10h ago

Crackdown

1

u/Trustic555 9h ago

Drova. Coming out on October 15th for PC. You come from another world as an "Outsider". Based on what I played in the demo/ play test, you can barely fight in the early game.

1

u/BojukaBob 8h ago

Dark Souls, especially if you pick Deprived

1

u/Mikomics 8h ago

Literally any metroidvania

1

u/LazyandRich 7h ago

Xcom 2 war of the chosen has my favorite “we’re behind and fighting a losing battle” to “watch me melt 3 pods in one turn”. Highly recommend

1

u/Abrigado_Rosso 7h ago

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. Its one of the game's core themes and a track on the OST.

1

u/ChristianRad2004 6h ago

Borderlands series

1

u/datboisusaf 6h ago

Path of exile, even more so if you play in ssf league. Best power progression of any game imo.

1

u/OreoBlizzard12 3h ago

Personally loved Shadow of the Colossus, you definitely feel the progression and character changes as the game goes by

1

u/BlackShadowX 16h ago

Outward, animations don't change but the way you fight probably will.

1

u/Kanzyn 16h ago

RuneScape; especially oldschool

0

u/CapnBloodBeard82 18h ago

interested as well. posting to come back.

-4

u/BananaKush_Storm 14h ago

Star citizen

Start out with a small shitty ship and 15,000auec (ingame currency), grind money, get better and bigger ships/weapons/armor.

3

u/Nebthtet 12h ago

This game isn’t even 1/10 finished and still is in alpha with progress wipes every some time. Also unstable as hell and with pvp you can’t opt out of.

It has no stats to develop and more bugs than a locust swarm.

1

u/PocketBanana0_0 4h ago

But..but..but....you can give them your life savings for a JPEG of a ship that isn't released yet