Action role-playing game facts for kids

Action role-playing games, often called action RPGs or ARPGs, are a type of video game. They mix exciting action gameplay with the deep storytelling and character building found in role-playing games. Imagine a game where you control your character directly in real-time battles, but also get to make choices that affect your story and improve your character's skills and gear.

What are Action RPGs?

Action RPGs combine the best parts of action games and role-playing games. In these games, you usually control one main character. You explore different areas, fight monsters, and complete quests. The "action" part means that combat happens in real-time. This means you are constantly moving, attacking, and dodging. The "RPG" part means your character grows stronger over time. You can customize their skills, equipment, and even their appearance.

How Action RPGs are Played

Playing an action RPG involves several key elements. These elements make the games exciting and keep players engaged for many hours.

Real-time Combat

One of the biggest features of action RPGs is their real-time combat. Unlike some older RPGs where you might take turns attacking, in ARPGs, battles happen instantly. You use your controller or keyboard and mouse to move your character. You also directly control their attacks and special abilities. This makes combat feel very fast and exciting. You need quick reflexes to dodge enemy attacks and land your own hits.

Character Growth

A core part of any RPG is character progression. In action RPGs, your character gets stronger as you play.

• Experience Points: You earn experience points (XP) by defeating enemies and completing quests.
• Leveling Up: When you get enough XP, your character "levels up." This often gives you points to improve your character's stats like strength or magic.
• Skills and Abilities: As you level up, you can unlock new skills or improve existing ones. These might be powerful attacks, defensive spells, or helpful support abilities.

Loot and Gear

Finding new equipment is a huge part of action RPGs. When you defeat enemies or open treasure chests, you often find "loot." This loot can include new weapons, armor, and accessories.

• Improving Your Character: Better gear makes your character stronger and helps them survive tougher battles.
• Rarity: Items often come in different rarities, like common, rare, or legendary. Legendary items are usually very powerful and hard to find.
• Customization: You can often customize your character's look and play style with different sets of gear.

A Brief History of Action RPGs

Action RPGs have been around for a long time. Early examples helped define what these games would become.

• Early Days: Games like Adventure (1979) for the Atari 2600 had some early action elements.
• Pioneers: Dragon Slayer (1984) from Japan is often seen as one of the first true action RPGs. It combined real-time combat with character stats.
• Growing Popularity: Games like Ys and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in the late 1980s helped make the genre more popular.
• Modern Era: In the 1990s, games like Diablo brought action RPGs to a wider audience. They focused on lots of loot and endless replayability. Today, many popular games continue to build on these ideas.

Popular Action RPGs

Many famous video game series are action RPGs.

• The Diablo Series: Known for its dark fantasy world, endless loot, and fast-paced combat.
• The Path of Exile Series: A complex game with deep character customization and a huge skill tree.
• The Monster Hunter Series: Focuses on hunting giant monsters, crafting gear from their parts, and challenging boss fights.
• The Dark Souls Series: Famous for its challenging combat, mysterious stories, and unique boss battles.
• The Borderlands Series: Combines first-person shooting with RPG elements, known for its unique art style and billions of guns.

These games show how varied and exciting the action RPG genre can be. They offer different worlds, combat styles, and ways to build your character.

Images for kids

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  Damnation of Gods, a first-person dungeon crawl and a Dungeon Master clone

See also

In Spanish: Videojuego de rol de acción para niños