I have played them! I just haven't played them for a few years, and was wondering if anything has changed over these years
Well, the RPGs I know were just, "hey stranger, I know we just met but there is a emergency so please take these state secrets to our commander." and then the comman would say, "Ah, I hate to say this but we need you to kill a dragon."
So, mostly lore wise. Are we still fast paced or do games now focus on lore or character development? There is also skill trees. The ones I played had just the basic classes, and barely any specific upgrades to specific classes. They didn't really give space for, creativity? I guess? Like if my class was archer, the only upgrades usually available would be longer range and faster reload.
And puzzles? Do RPGs still have puzzles? Have they nerfed them or buffed them?
Also, i kinda meant both, I have played a few ttrpgs tho I could never go much far in them since most require....you know, friends....but I have played a few online.
It's difficult to answer your question considering you have listed a limited range of features for what RPGs you have played. The timeline is also a bit too vague to pin down a better answer. Or maybe it's because I also am a developer and not just a gamer.
For example, if you only played mainline AAA titles in the years 2010-2012, what you might experience in "RPGs" as a genre would be severely limited and far different from someone who only played indie titles during the same 2 year time frame. And that's not even factoring in things like "J-RPGs" vs "Western RPGs" or subgenres. Single player VS MMO (and everything in between), Open world, Sandbox, linear/on rails nonlinear, Action, adventure, strategy, text-based, 2D, 3D, VR, AR, tabletop, analog, video, free to play, gacha, PC vs console vs smartphone, the list goes on.
To answer the question to the best of my abilities (despite the open-endedness) and personal taste/preferences:
I've personally noticed the increase and re-definition of open world and sandbox RPGs, which you can track from Skyrim's initial release and subsequent industry bandwaggoning all the way to Breath of the Wild's release and subsequent bandwaggoning. Those two titles really defined shifts in the genre, even though they were similar to other games released in succession. Dragon's Dogma and Skyrim were within 6 months of eachother and Horizon Zero Dawn and Breath of the Wild both came out in 2017, but the clear trendsetters are Skyrim and Breath of the Wild.
The Pokemon series is an RPG and they both changed and not changed drastically in the last decade. Arceus Legends is a dead-ringer for BotW and that shakeup to the formula seems to have further polarized the already heated fanbase. Many popular Pokemon knockoffs go back to basics, but the truly mediocre ones rely far too heavily on the source of their inspiration and contribute little to the evolution of the subgenre.
Remakes have been popular, perhaps more so than sequels, at least from my limited perspective. Stuff like Fire Emblem and Persona have really popped off in the Western market.
As for indie stuff, Undertale / Deltarune seems to have made an impact on the medium and are a perfect encapsulation of storytelling through game mechanics. Disco Elysium seems to have been a hit. Roguelike RPGs are also on the rise. Both retro aesthetics and visual novel mechanics are gaining traction in indie spaces (and have been increasingly in recent years). You mentioned RPGs puzzles and indie space has that in droves.
Oh, also
meta commentary and weird experimental games. There's a person who makes tough as nails games with titles that riff on Light Novel title conventions. Examples:
I Have Low Stats But My Class Is "Leader", So I Recruited Everyone I Know To Fight The Dark Lord
My Older Sister Left The Computer So I Got On & Found Myself Trying To Coordinate A Raid In A Game & I Don't Play MMO's
You have a glut of options to look into, I'm sure you'll find something to enjoy, new or old.
When i first saw the thread name i was wondering what changed about RPGs as in the weapon. Took a while to realize it meant games lol
This comment just sent me back to the time I had to explain to my grandfather that I wasn't talking about rocket-propelled grenades in like...2005. No worries, it's a common misunderstanding.