Quote Originally Posted by Kilta_Firelotus View Post
Not all rpg need a stat system, in some cases it ties your character down to certain build(s). With games like Elder Scrolls or fall out you want a highly versatile character since not all situations will require you to run in sword/ melee weapon ready for a fight. You may need stealth or to snipe someone. RPG are mostly about playing a role in a story. Like Zelda has no stat system, and it is an rpg. I Then ff games could use some better design and get ride of the path/hallway mentality and get more open world thing going with better means of exploration and do away with a stat system since people abuse them in mmo. And force others to get certain gear to max out 1-3 stats. I vote for anything that stop ppl from telling others how to set up their characters. Kinda sick of cookie cutting in mmo.
Many would argue Zelda is more of an action adventure type of game like Metroid (They're virtually the same thing). But yes, Action RPGs exist like the Elder Scroll, modern Castlevania, Mana, and Tales series in which stats and leveling play a prominent role in how your character develops along with active control on the players part.

RPGs are not as much playing a role in a story, if that where the case piratically every game where you play a character would be an RPG. The term is mostly derived from the games mimicking the classic tabletop RPGs; the only games of the time to utilize playing the role of a character as a main focus of the gameplay. They adopted the name along with the basic game mechanics and the actual term has little literal meaning today.

There are obviously good regular RPGs as well (Dragon Quest series comes to mind) and I think there is room enough for all genres and sub-genres in the industry. It's just important to keep in mind that this game was not designed around an action RPG mentality. If anything it's (very) loosely based around tactical RPG mechanics.