RPGscan be fun, but some aspects of their gameplay are more fun than others. Grinding to get those levels up with the same melee strikes isn’t very exciting. But summoning giant spirits, monsters, or even gods to vanquish one’s enemies? That can get the blood pumping.
Eventually, these summons can start to feel kind of old and typical. Big dragons, sultry ice maidens, and bearded wizards are common sights in classicRPGslike theFinal Fantasygames. So, to stand out from the crowd, other games have to get creative and strange. These RPGs feature some of the weirdest, most unusual summons in the genre.
5Kingdom Hearts Series
The weird clash ofFinal Fantasy’s anime drama with Disney’s clean-cut, family fun is part ofKingdom Hearts’ appeal. Why not have Cloud share the spotlight withBambi and the Genie fromAladdin? But just when fans had gotten used to seeing Donald Duck cast Blizzard,Kingdom Hearts IIIthrew in a curveball.
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The Attraction Flow mechanic lets Sora and company summon an actual Disneyland ride to move through the hordes. Players can swing back and forth on the Pirate Ship, shoot in first person on Blaster Blaze, or ride on adorable horses on the Magic Carousel! For all the series’ ups and downs, Square Enix certainly made the most of the Disney connection when it came to the games' mechanics.
4Shin Megami Tensei Series
At first, things seem more typical withtheMegami Tenseiseries. Summoning demons is just a darker take on the usual divine fare like Leviathan or Ramuh. Granted, they’re brought up by a special piece of technology called the Devil Summoning Program, but that ties intoShin Megami Tensei’s modern setting. In the present day, using computers is just more convenient than sigils and sacrifices.
Things start to get weird when the things that get summoned looked stranger than the usual red-skinned devils or reptilian demons. The cartoony looks of the Jack Bros stand next to the suggestive likes of Cleopatra and Mara. They’re proof that Kazuma Kaneko and the other designers at Atlus did a good job at making the supernatural live up to that term. Demons may not be an outlandish concept to summon, but throughout this franchise, they look otherworldly and intimidating.
3Persona Series
Much of what was said aboutShin Megami Tenseiapplies to its spinoffPersona. It’s the same company, same designers, and sometimes the same designs, like the Jack Bros. However, it has arguably outshone its prime series thanks to the popularity ofPersona 4, its spin-offs, and its extra gameplay toucheslike Social Links. It’s either that, or the worrying looksPersona 3got with its summoning technique.
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Instead of using spells or computers, thePersonaseries uses Evokers for its summons. These are special handguns that bring out the user’s ‘Persona’ when they aim it at their head and pull the trigger, making it look as though the characters were shooting themselves in the head. Later games would use less grim-looking summoning techniques, but the Evokers would return for thePersona 3characters inPersona 4: Arenaand as DLC inPersona 5: Royal.
2Yakuza: Like A Dragon
In the spirit of the series' offbeat sense of humor,Yakuza: Like A Dragonkeeps things largely light with its summons. Instead of the party shooting themselves, they get Daigo Dojima and the deceased members of the Tojo Clan to shoot the enemies directly instead. One of the comparatively more normal ‘Poundmates,’ Ichiban, can call for help too, alongside original protagonist Kazuma Kiryu and his rival Goro Majima.
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The more surreal summons include a chicken that fires an HP/MP-replenishing egg straight from the source, as well as a cat that turns into a tiger to deliver the ‘Super Kitty Punch.’ There’s also a nose-clipping lobster, a scantily-clad masochist,adult baby Gondawara fromYakuza 2, and the pride of Onomichi himself: Ono Michio!
1South Park Series
When it comes toSouth Parkgames, neitherThe Stick of TruthnorThe Fractured But Wholehad a lot of Summons. In fact, it’s possible to complete both games without using any of them once. But when they are used, they’re probably the strangest ones ever seen in an RPG.Fractured’s summons arethe tamer between the twogames, with Kyle’s dad bombing foes while hopped up on ‘cheese,’ or a stripper mowing them down in her car.
The Stick of Truthwent further with Mr. Hanky summoning a literal storm of feces a laFantasia.Players can also summon Jesus breaking out an assault rifle, and evoke Mr. Slave to cram a foe up his rectum. The game already has a section where the New Kid has to explore Mr. Slave’s guts, where it’s possible to use the Mr. Slave summon and get an Achievement/Trophy for this odd case of recursion. It’s all definitely bizarre, but fits the spirit ofSouth Park.
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