Game Series that Avoid "Medieval Stasis"

[Soviet Heavy]

While true of plenty franchises, I wanted to list game series that manage to avoid this convention. For those that don't know, Medieval Stasis refers to the trend where stories or games can be set hundreds if not thousands of years apart, and yet still operate on the same level of technology, i.e Swords, Bows and plate armor for that entire time.

Some settings justify it by using technological dark ages (Warhammer 40K, Star Wars), while others chalk it up to the machinations of gods or just simple dicking around. But for the most part, it is just so that they don't need to come up with entirely new designs or actually try to think. It's easier to just strap a sword to someone's hand, plant a made up date on them and call it a day.

But what about series that buck this trend, and actually attempt to progress along with each new installment? I can think of a couple.

The first is the Fable Series. The first game is set in what looks like mid to late 1300s, while the second begins moving into a more Renaissance period, with the advent of gunpowder weaponry. The third game is set only fifty years after the second, but shows signs of Albion moving into an early industrial age, with guns being the common weapon, and new powered technologies helping to drive innovation.

The second I can think of is the Final Fantasy Series. The first few games were more or less typical Medieval Fantasy settings, while as they progressed, they became more and more mish mashed, until you have machine guns and Men in Black fighting alongside Chocobo riding cavalry men and steam powered robo-suits. Not really a linear technological progression, but hey, progress is progress.

What other games can you suggest that don't suffer from medieval stasis?

 

[Zhukov]

I thought each Final Fantasy game (apart from spin-offs of course) took place in a different setting that just always happens to have giant technicolour chickens? I dunno, not big on the series, I may well be missing something.

Anyway, I really can't think of any game series that avoid 'medieval stasis' apart from the ones that are historically based (Assassin's Creed, Total War etc).

For some non-game examples there is Avatar (the cartoon, not James Cameron's one) and Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I thought each Final Fantasy game (apart from spin-offs of course) took place in a different setting that just always happens to have giant technicolour chickens? I dunno, not big on the series, I may well be missing something.

Anyway, I really can't think of any game series that avoid 'medieval stasis' apart from the ones that are historically based (Assassin's Creed, Total War etc).

For some non-game examples there is Avatar (the cartoon, not James Cameron's one) and Terry Pratchett's Discworld.

Well Discworld does have a bit of static. Certain technologies like the Gonne were necessary to destroy because they would tip balance too far in one direction, and the Gods were all a bunch of lazy farts who didn't want to get up from their board games to deal with the fallout.

Stuff that makes it easier for people to manage on their own, like the post office or the semaphore towers the gods ignore, because it means less responsibility for them.

 

[rekabdarb]

League of legends...?
warcraft. Dwarves and goblins and gnomes clearly have engineering, yet everyone still uses swords and hammers and shit.

Would... would bastion count?

Uhm thinking as back as I've been gaming, I can only thing of a few. the Phantasy Star series for the Sega Genesis, but other than that i really can't think of any.

Suikoden series maybe? MAYBE.

Kingdom hearts? (They have an space craft WITH LASERS... why shield goofy?)

Disgaea? But I think that can slide.

 

[Doclector]

I can't really think of any that haven't already been mentioned.

I'll say this though, sometimes it's justifiable through magic. With wizards running around, there isn't really much motivation for new technologies. Need new medicines? Nope, we got mages, we're good. New weaponry? We already have ways of chucking fireballs out of our hands from a renewable energy that exists inside us, why would we want machines that fire bits of metal?

The only technology that I think needs to advance in such cases is transportation, and even that's only if there's no easy teleportation spell/magic forms of transportation.

 

[Haukur Isleifsson]

I am a little bit torn on this. Societies develop technologically at such different and fluctuating speed that you can't really blame this kind of a static state on writer laziness. There have been many societies throughout history that have spent hundreds of years in a near technological stasis.

Having said that I do find it terribly interesting to have a fictional setting that is constantly changing and progressing. Because that shifts the power-balance, disturbs societal norms and makes for a more dynamic and genuine story.

 

[CrazyJew]

Funnily enough, in the world of Elder Scrolls, as magic gets better technology gets abandoned. If you play Daggerfall you will notice paved streets and street lamps. In the later instalments, when you dive into Dwemer ruins, you find all the cool technology those buggers had.

Magic killed technology.

 

[Azahul]

Guild Wars 2 is vastly different from the original Guild Wars in terms of technology and visual style. In the 250 years between the games, guns have been invented, the Charr have industrialised and created enormous steampunk cities, the humans have something of a Rennaissance theme going on, and so on. And it doesn't just end with technological and cultural changes. The very nature of magic has actually been altered with the six human gods going silent and the disappearance of mystical traditions like those of the Monks (although they've been replaced to some extent by the Guardians, still very different).

 

[Drizzitdude]

sad how I would have preferred it if fable would have stayed in a medieval stasis :'( The first game just had so mych going for it...

 

[BroJing]

Guild Wars 2 is vastly different from the original Guild Wars in terms of technology and visual style. In the 250 years between the games, guns have been invented, the Charr have industrialised and created enormous steampunk cities, the humans have something of a Rennaissance theme going on, and so on. And it doesn't just end with technological and cultural changes. The very nature of magic has actually been altered with the six human gods going silent and the disappearance of mystical traditions like those of the Monks (although they've been replaced to some extent by the Guardians, still very different).

I think this is quite a good point and also seems to be continuing, although admittedly it may be a more aesthetic choice. For example Oblivion is largely a high-medieval setting with Knights in shining armour and big castles whereas Skyrim has a much more Dark-Age feel and even the plate armour is, by and large, quite rough looking.

 

[Lizardon]

One that springs to mind that hasn't been mentioned is Dungeon Siege.

Dungeon Siege has a slow progression of advancement, mainly between 2 and 3, where more industrial technology is seen. If I remember correctly, you encounter the Goblins in the first game who have some advanced weapons and mechanical systems. By the third game they've integrated with the main population and brought their tech with them.

 

[BroJing]

In fairness, Medieval stasis should only apply to things where literally no improvement occurs. Just claiming that 'Oh it's three hundred year later and they still use swords' is a problem is, to be honest, wrong. If we look at the most common armour/weapon combo in fantasy games: Mail (sigh, fine Chainmail) and sword this first takes the stage in Western Europe around the 3rd century BC when the Celts invent it (swords have been around much longer then this). The combination remains a major staple on battlefields until around the 1500s when gunpowder slowly starts to take over. That's over 1000 years where the central premise of 'Hit dude with sword, wear armour that stops him killing me' didn't change that much.

Now there were huge strides in quality of metalworking, other armour was invented and weapons changed but the central theme can be said to remain common.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

-snip-

There was this guy on here that explained that like the ancient romans. . no wait it was the egyptians!. . or maybe some middle eastern civilization NO WAIT IT WAS CHINA.

Yep definiitely china.

Wait. . . was it?

The oldest known civilization or something took like a thousand years to invent melting steel to shape it, and then another 1000 years to actually use it effectively, and then crossbows took thousands of years to be perfected and whatnot.

Yeah I'm not being very convincing here but you do realize that everything changing in 100 years is a VERY, VEEERRY recent development? And that before the industrial revolution things were basically the same for you and your parents and your grandparents?

There is still no excuse for having bronze age weapons that can tangle with advanced plate metal. A level of progression HAS been made, and unless there is some sort of cyclical tech revolution going on, I don't see why some ancient city 3000 years before would look and use the exact same building methods and aesthetics in the current day.

 

[Zantos]

I do think it's a little bit different for worlds that incorporate magic. In the real world a sharpened lump of metal is a sharpened lump of metal. However, in games that incorporate magic swords you have more of a "if you do well with this sharpened lump of metal you get to take the god bringer, that has a flaming blade and shoots lightening out of the tip. Also once per day it can completely vaporise any enemy you can see.", which I imagine even after developments in firearms would still give swords quite the appeal.