Whenever I play a party-based RPG, I almost always end up with favorites, primarily because it would be nearly impossible for me to like every character equally when they can differ so drastically in how they play and the personalities they bring to the group. But there's a difference between having a favorite and having a party member who almost never leaves the bench, whether that's because they aren't particularly useful in combat or, perhaps even worse, they're simply not all that interesting to have around. I've played plenty of RPGs where someone ends up falling into one of those categories before long, and once that happens, it can be pretty hard for me to justify giving them another chance.
On the other hand, there are a handful of party-based RPGs where my problem isn't figuring out who to bring with me, but who I'm willing to leave behind. Of course, I'm sure plenty of people have a character from one of these games they absolutely can't stand, so I'm not arguing that every member of every party here is universally loved. But when I'm looking at these parties as a whole, especially when taking both combat and character development into account, I have a hard time finding any obvious weak links.
For context, this list isn't necessarily saying every party member here is going to be everyone's favorite. Rather, these are RPGs where I never felt like there was an obvious weak link, either in combat or in how each character contributes to the story and the group as a whole.
For as traditional as Dragon Quest 11 S: Echoes of an Elusive Age is, one of the more surprising things about it for me is how difficult it can be to settle on a permanent party. Once everyone has joined the Luminary, there are certainly characters I prefer over others, but the game does a great job of giving each one a reason to stick around. Erik can become one of the strongest damage dealers in the game, Serena is an incredibly useful healer, and Sylvando winds up being far more versatile than he initially appears. Even then, those roles can change depending on how their skill trees are built, so I never really reach a point where someone feels completely irrelevant.
But the bigger reason Dragon Quest 11 belongs here is that I think its characters hold up just as well outside of battle. Sylvando is obviously going to be the standout for plenty of players, and he's certainly one of mine, but Erik gets some of the game's most memorable personal material, while characters like Serena and Veronica end up being far more important to the story than their early hours suggest. Dragon Quest 11 may be built around a mostly silent hero, but the people around him are ultimately responsible for much of the game's personality, and I can't really point to anyone in the group whose absence would have made the adventure better.
I've always thought one of the easiest ways to tell whether an RPG party works is to ask myself whether these people would actually spend time together if they weren't trying to save the world, and Persona 4 Golden doesn't leave much room for doubt there. The Investigation Team obviously comes together because of the murders taking place around Inaba, but solving that mystery is only a portion of the time I spend watching these characters interact. Some of Persona 4 Golden's most memorable moments have nothing to do with the central investigation at all, which is a big part of why I eventually buy them as a genuine circle of friends rather than a collection of people who all happen to follow the protagonist.
Of course, that doesn't mean I love every member of the Investigation Team equally. Teddie alone will probably make the "no weak links" part of this list debatable for some players, and I can understand why, but even then, I don't think he feels unnecessary. He has a meaningful place in the group and becomes far more than the mascot character he initially appears to be. The same can be said for the rest of the cast, especially as their Social Links fill in parts of their lives that the main story doesn't have time to explore. Their different Personas also give me a practical reason to move people in and out of the active party, so even when I inevitably end up preferring certain characters, no one really feels like they're just along for the ride.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has a pretty significant advantage over most games on this list, seeing as several members of its party have been among the most recognizable RPG characters in gaming for nearly three decades. At the same time, I think that also gives Rebirth plenty to live up to, especially now that characters who spent much of the original Final Fantasy 7 silently waiting in reserve are expected to feel like they're actually part of the journey. Thankfully, Rebirth goes much further than simply giving everyone more dialogue, as Cloud's entire group remains visibly present throughout most of the game, even when only a few of them are technically being used in combat.
سەرچاوەی فەرمی بە زمانی ئینگلیزی: https://gamerant.com/party-based-rpgs-best-companions-no-weak-links/
