Power Fantasy RPGs? Devs Call Out Games for Teenagers
The world of role-playing games is vast, but for some developers, the genre has become a familiar, almost predictable formula. Martin Klima, co-founder of the studio behind Kingdom Come: Deliverance, feels a profound sense of fatigue regarding the most common RPG narrative: the “chosen one” quest to save the world.
Klima admitted that while he still loves the role-playing genre itself, he is weary of experiences designed primarily as a “power fantasy.” He sees these narratives as repetitive, a distillation of the standard RPG experience that he finds tiresome.
“It’s really a distillation of what the common RPG is,” Klima explained. “I found that there must be many, many people who are really tired of this formula and who want something new and different.”
He points out that these classic setups, focused on grand destiny, often cater heavily to younger audiences. While games like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 continue to be highly rated, Klima suggests the audience is much older now, yet the games themselves remain tethered to this established structure.
The core frustration, he argues, lies with a reliance on strategies and designs that have proven successful in the past. Klima believes major publishers often excel at recycling these established formulas rather than taking significant risks to innovate.
This observation extends to the industry as a whole. He noted that while some publishers demonstrate excellent technical “craftsmanship”—producing games free of major bugs with standout animations and models—that skill is often applied to familiar ideas. Klima wishes that this level of quality were redirected toward more experimental and innovative concepts, even if that means taking financial risks.
His history with earlier titles, such as the original Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, and Watch Dogs, confirmed his point: while those initial experiences were fun, repetition inevitably leads to stagnation.
Ultimately, Klima’s commentary suggests a yearning for true originality in gaming. He hopes that the powerful tools and artistic talent currently being employed by the industry will be used to craft narratives and experiences that are truly fresh, rather than just polishing the same well-worn path.
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