You make some good points . I definitely understand what you ' re trying to say . I still disagree though . Rpg elements don ' t make a game an rpg . I have no counter argument for what you said about Zelda progression though . In my mind there ' s a very very clear difference between Zelda games and an rpg . Unfortunately I can ' t find the words to explain it any better . The Banjo and Metroid examples are tough because If you look at the literal definition of Role Playing Games , then technically videogames as a whole are RPGs no matter how you describe them . The only difference I can think of is that Banjo and Metroid reward reflexes and puzzle solving skills more than utilizing any kind of role playing . I ' m not sure what you mean . Zelda is the same way . Zelda does let you decide growth , and it leaves the player with multiple decisions to make . You could make the game easier and more fun by exploring the whole world and finding more power ups such as heart containers or better weapons , or you could rip through the story without fully immersing in the world of the game , which cheapens the role playing experience a lot . The same applies to Metroid and Banjo though . The thing is , the characters in those games hey new abilities that make them more versatile , or the abilities get stronger , but they themselves do not . That ' s what separates them from an rpg and Zelda is in the same boat . Link gets items that let him do more things , or upgrades his sword , but the kid himself doesn ' t get stronger . If you don ' t take the heart containers the game is only harder if you ' re worse at the game . It ' s entirely skill based which can ' t be associated with RPGs specifically because it applies to almost any genre . At this point I ' ve explained my point as best as i can and you ' ve done a great job arguing your viewpoint as well . I get the impression we just associate different things with ' RPG ' and I doubt either of us is going to convince the other at this point . It was sure interesting to see another point of view on what makes an rpg an rpg . It ' s certainly less cut and dry than most genres as you said .