There are a lot of reasons to berate isekai shows, but there's one specific trait for the stories that transport the characters into game settings: the skill system quite often doesn't make sense. A main character with a starter pack of items ends up destroying a boss, out of nowhere gets stats that make them OP, or uses techniques that seem unique in a game that has millions of players all over the world and succeeds in taking down a formidable opponent.
See, we played games. Some of us played MMOs for a very long time, touched upon different eras of games like that, see what happens in RPGs now — and we are baffled at this blatant disregard of the world mechanics and proper skill system. So we've got a list of five shows that do everything properly and don't irk our gaming selves.
Shangri-La Frontier
In this VRMMO setting any player can drop in or out, but the gaming system itself is pretty solid. A newcomer joins a year later than everyone else and he's overpowered by any other player, so he starts his meticulous journey towards his goal. He builds up his stats, he stacks his inventory, and while he does that, he participates in beautifully animated fights. There's logic behind his actions, one that makes us feel that the authors know what they're talking about and they spent countless hours gaming.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka)
It's not an isekai show but it has a very solid and carefully crafted leveling system in the fantasy setting. The main character starts at the lowest level, and although he has a skill that allows him to gain XP faster, he still goes through the process of leveling up, still messes up, still almost dies from his mistakes without instantly becoming OP. He builds up his skill tree over time, and his development is quite realistic.
Another non-isekai but a gaming show where a huge part of the plot unravels in-game. A professional player decides to start on the brand new server using all his knowledge while building his new character, and through this development, the leveling system of this game shines bright. He is posed with the challenge, because now he's not backed up by sponsors or a team and has to do everything himself, and the only thing that helps him is his good understanding of game mechanics.
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!)
While this show is regarded simultaneously as one of the best isekai parodies and one of the most realistic isekai, it also has pretty logical and believable mechanics. The whole series feels like a handicap run in one of the Souls games because the party is pretty dysfunctional, and there's also a domestic part of their survival that they have to take care of.
30,000 people are instantly transferred into the world of MMORPG and cannot log out. They can't instantly die, either, which is a good thing, though death actually has consequences aside from being plain uncomfortable. The specifics of their predicament are thoroughly explored through the game mechanics and even politics, which makes it an exciting and realistic story (to an extent).
Don't use the setting as a lousy excuse!
There are a lot of reasons to berate isekai shows, but there's one specific trait for the stories that transport the characters into game settings: the skill system quite often doesn't make sense. A main character with a starter pack of items ends up destroying a boss, out of nowhere gets stats that make them OP, or uses techniques that seem unique in a game that has millions of players all over the world and succeeds in taking down a formidable opponent.
See, we played games. Some of us played MMOs for a very long time, touched upon different eras of games like that, see what happens in RPGs now — and we are baffled at this blatant disregard of the world mechanics and proper skill system. So we've got a list of five shows that do everything properly and don't irk our gaming selves.
Shangri-La Frontier
In this VRMMO setting any player can drop in or out, but the gaming system itself is pretty solid. A newcomer joins a year later than everyone else and he's overpowered by any other player, so he starts his meticulous journey towards his goal. He builds up his stats, he stacks his inventory, and while he does that, he participates in beautifully animated fights. There's logic behind his actions, one that makes us feel that the authors know what they're talking about and they spent countless hours gaming.
Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? (Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka)
It's not an isekai show but it has a very solid and carefully crafted leveling system in the fantasy setting. The main character starts at the lowest level, and although he has a skill that allows him to gain XP faster, he still goes through the process of leveling up, still messes up, still almost dies from his mistakes without instantly becoming OP. He builds up his skill tree over time, and his development is quite realistic.
Another non-isekai but a gaming show where a huge part of the plot unravels in-game. A professional player decides to start on the brand new server using all his knowledge while building his new character, and through this development, the leveling system of this game shines bright. He is posed with the challenge, because now he's not backed up by sponsors or a team and has to do everything himself, and the only thing that helps him is his good understanding of game mechanics.
KonoSuba: God's Blessing on This Wonderful World! (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo!)
While this show is regarded simultaneously as one of the best isekai parodies and one of the most realistic isekai, it also has pretty logical and believable mechanics. The whole series feels like a handicap run in one of the Souls games because the party is pretty dysfunctional, and there's also a domestic part of their survival that they have to take care of.
30,000 people are instantly transferred into the world of MMORPG and cannot log out. They can't instantly die, either, which is a good thing, though death actually has consequences aside from being plain uncomfortable. The specifics of their predicament are thoroughly explored through the game mechanics and even politics, which makes it an exciting and realistic story (to an extent).
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