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thatother1dude
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I agree (\\\'\\\'FinalFantasyVI\\\'\\\' is just as shoehorned, because magic is used on a large scale and there are {{Cosmic Keystone}}s that warp the entire fabric of the world), and I\\\'m going to move any examples listed that sound like they\\\'re just included for being cynical, dark and/or full of moral ambiguity instead of magic being a rarity. Quite a lot sound like they\\\'d be better defined as HeroicFantasy.
[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* \\\'\\\'{{Berserk}}\\\'\\\' is a rare anime and manga example. It\\\'s a fairly human-dominated world with medieval levels of tech and relatively little magic -- Schierke and Flora are the only known magic-users so far, and the only beings who can magically heal at all are the Elves, who, as far as we\\\'ve seen, are more {{Fairy Companion}}s than anything out of Tolkien. We also get major elements of supernatural horror in the form of the evil [[CosmicHorror Godhand]] and its [[TheLegionsOfHell horrifying demonic servants]], which show up in force when the Eclipse goes down and [[ItGotWorse everything goes right straight to hell]].
* Another anime example is \\\'\\\'{{Claymore}}\\\'\\\', also fairly medieval and human-dominated, but with supernatural horror elements as well in the form of the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Yoma]] and the titular [[HalfHumanHybrid half-Yoma warriors]] whose task it is to kill them.
* \\\'\\\'AquaKnight\\\'\\\', a manga by the author of \\\'\\\'BattleAngelAlita\\\'\\\'. Shows hints of HighFantasy, but is far lighter in spirit. High fantasy would not have knights in {{Magitek}} amphibious armour jousting on orcas, for instance.
* \\\'\\\'{{Inuyasha}}\\\'\\\' has elements of both HighFantasy and LowFantasy.
[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* \\\'\\\'ThievesWorld\\\'\\\' is practically the epitome of Low Fantasy, peopled with [[AntiHero Anti-Heroes]] and [[HeroicSociopath Heroic Sociopaths]]. Slavery and rape are common events; even some of the AntiHero protagonists think of rape as a pastime.
* The HeroicFantasy tales of \\\'\\\'{{Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser}}\\\'\\\', aka. \\\'\\\'Adventures in Lankhmar\\\'\\\', by Fritz Leiber. Lankhmar is probably the prototype for a lot of standard low fantasy elements (e.g., the [=~Thieves\\\' Guild~=]).
* TheWitcher stories fit very much. There are [[FiveRaces non-human races]], but they\\\'re dominated by the humans (who are not above the occasional pogrom or two). Magic exists, but it\\\'s [[FunctionalMagic functional]] instead of [[LordOfTheRings fireworks wizard or king\\\'s healing power]], and its users seem to spend most of their time plotting, Eminence Grise-ing, or basking in vanity. The \\\"good people\\\" category is inhabited by protagonists and their friends, and almost none else (and the protagonists themselves have some KickTheDog moments in their biographies).
* {{Dragaera}} covers both HighFantasy and LowFantasy: Paarfi is a historical romance writer, so he tends to treat everything in the most epic, sweeping terms possible, while Vlad is a very cynical AntiHero whose general attitude is that people of all species are a bunch of bastards. It\\\'s easy to guess who would be talking about the political situation leading up to the Interregnum and who would be saying that all Dragonlords are lunatics.
* As space opera, the StarWarsExpandedUniverse can count as fantasy. Most of it is pretty distinctly High Fantasy, but some books and series dip lower. Multiple sentient species, the existence of the Force, and relatively easy space travel are all givens, but scale and darkness veer all over the map. As a general rule, if the Big Three - Luke, Leia, and Han - are the protagonists, it\\\'s a bit higher than if the mains are original characters or {{Ascended Extra}}s, though recent books are digging into DarkerAndEdgier. The XWingSeries, as the most prominent series to not have the Big Three as protagonists, deserves a mention. Its scale isn\\\'t small, but neither is it vast.
* \\\'\\\'The Morgaine Chronicles\\\'\\\' initially seem very much HighFantasy, it soon turns out that the \\\"magic\\\" in their case - [[CoolSword Changeling]] and the Gates - is in fact a form of archeotech that has already destroyed a galaxy-spanning race by tearing to shreds the very fabric of time itself (twice). Morgaine\\\'s task is to close each Gate in the universe; she\\\'s the last survivor of all of her kind, and takes on mostly humans but also the qual, the race responsible for the last Gate empire. She does gain a vowed [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ronin bond-servant]] to help her later on, and she has a CoolHorse, Siptah. She might even be a subversion of the WhiteHairedPrettyBoy trope, being a female warrior who doesn\\\'t end up in a gold bikini, thank you very much. And the [[ImmortalityImmorality morality]]? Let\\\'s just say she\\\'s destroyed more than one large city.
* Although a series about talking cats may sound like HighFantasy, \\\'\\\'WarriorCats\\\'\\\' has some very distinct LowFantasy qualities, with its dark tone, GrayAndGreyMorality, increasingly [[DysfunctionJunction dysfunctional characters]], and minimal involvement of supernatural forces.
* StephenKing\\\'s \\\'\\\'TheDarkTower\\\'\\\' series incorporates many LowFantasy elements among [[GenreBusting many other genres]] set in a parallel reality.
* StephenKing\\\'s \\\'\\\'TheStand\\\'\\\' is somewhere between LowFantasy and MagicalRealism in a [[NextSundayAD contemporary disaster setting]].
** Both works tell a high-fantasy, Good vs. Evil Quest in a low-fantasy, AfterTheEnd setting.
[[AC:TableTopGames]]
* The default setting of \\\'\\\'DungeonsAndDragons\\\'\\\' takes place in world blending HeroicFantasy and HighFantasy tropes, with Good and Evil as objectively real and tangible forces. Really, though D&D more or less created a sub-genre unto itself.) However, the {{Eberron}} setting is decidedly LowFantasy.
** Those parts of the \\\'\\\'{{Planescape}}\\\'\\\' setting that are set in [[CrapsackWorld Sigil]], the [[CapitalCity teeming and violent megalopolis in the center of the Planes]], high above the Concordant Plane of the Outlands. There\\\'s high magic and humans are anything but the dominant species there, but otherwise it qualifies. It\\\'s what you would get if you mixed {{Steam|Punk}}- or CyberPunk with magic. [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs On acid]].
** DarkSun too. [[MagicIsEvil Magic defiles the land]] making it sterile for generations, so of course [[CompleteMonster someone]] decided to use this defiling magic to [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity go on a genocidal campaign against most of the fantastic races]]. [[AfterTheEnd Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, and Ogres are all gone and the land is a barren desert]]. There are very few magic users, the exception being [[AGodAmI impossibly powerful]] sorcerer king/dragons that rule private city-states with an [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating iron fist]] and use [[HumanResources slaves or subjects to power their magic]]. Outside of the city-states, is a sun-blasted wasteland with very few magical creatures, [[EverythingTryingToKillYou but lots of hungry creatures]], [[ManEatingPlant and plants]]. Pretty much [[DespairEventHorizon anyone who dies of old age is commemorated in song.]] It hits every major indicator, though some of the plots do involve saving the world, but it is usually from a sorcerer as apposed to some cosmic horror or chaotic evil race.
[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Strangely \\\'\\\'SuikodenII\\\'\\\'. While there is magic and runes and a high fantasy artstyle, the humans are the ones that drive the conflict, especially the CompleteMonster Luca Blight. The runes basically are elements of symbolism of the aspects of conflict. The game also is not about the defeat of a great evil force, but about the reconciliation between two friends who end up being leaders of opposite sides. Plenty of GreyAndGreyMorality as both sides, even after Luca\\\'s death (before, its BlackAndGrayMorality), engage in morally questionable practices.
* TheWitcher, you can see right away from the gray overtone of the game: dark, gritty, cruel, rotten and cynical. This is not your typical epic fantasy ride, people. As you can see, it stays true to its root(mentioned above), one of the few exceptional case that did not have TheProblemWithLicensedGames.
* The world of Sanctuary in Diablo: Humans are the dominant race; the other sentient races are demons and angels; magic is highly regulated; the wildlife is very vicious (even before they became corrupted) like the typical low fantasy setting.
* The \\\'\\\'{{Gothic}}\\\'\\\' RPG games are like this for most of the plot, with [[GreyAndGreyMorality morally ambiguous factions]] [[WideOpenSandbox that the player can support or hinder]]. It changes to HeroicFantasy then the final boss appears though.
* \\\'\\\'DragonAge Origins\\\'\\\' walks the line between HighFantasy and Low Fantasy. Magic is treated as something dangerous and unnatural by pretty much everyone, including a few mages. Since magic comes with the risk of DemonicPossession this attitude is wholly justified. There is a church sponsored KnightTemplar order dedicated to policing magic; most of whom are just as ruthless as the title \\\"KnightTemplar\\\" would suggest. The church, by the way, controls the Templars with magic drugs. Humans are the dominant race in the setting; Elves having lost a war centuries ago are now treated like crap in addition to having lost their former immortality. Dwarves are all but extinct due to their HopelessWar against the Darkspawn. The closest thing to a truly good organization, the Grey Wardens, gain their powers by [[CannibalismSuperpower drinking Darkspawn blood]], [[PowerDegeneration which consigns them to a slow death.]] Gray morality abounds as well. Despite all of this, it is still possible to EarnYourHappyEnding.
** \\\'\\\'DragonAgeII\\\'\\\', even more low fantasy than Origins, where the main conflicts arise from politics, racism, and social concerns, not an \\\"orc\\\" invasion.
* \\\'\\\'{{Drakengard}}\\\'\\\'. The first game fulfills most of the requirements and adds DysfunctionJunction, CrapsackWorld, and a whole lot of nihilism to the mix. The sequel is considerably more upbeat -- you can actually EarnYourHappyEnding instead of just a BittersweetEnding.
* \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyTactics\\\'\\\': Yes there are chocobos, there\\\'re white mages, black mages and other iconic FinalFantasy elements. There\\\'re also wars, lots of them, there are conflicts between religions, aristocrats, commoners and the church.
** Its Spiritual Predecessor, \\\'\\\'TacticsOgre\\\'\\\' qualifies as well.
** Same goes for VagrantStory, which takes place in the same verse as FinalFantasyTactics.
** \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyVI\\\'\\\'...the first Final Fantasy to put the sole blame on humanity for the forces of evil. Kefka Palazzo and TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt later, and this game becomes really really low fantasy.
** \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyXIII\\\'\\\', despite its \\\"we\\\'re in DA FUTCHA!\\\" trappings, seems to squarely be in this genre. There are only three races: Humans, [[PhysicalGod fal\\\'Cie]], and monsters, which unlike \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyXII\\\'\\\' are are not PettingZooPeople or part of the FiveRaces, and are truly bestial. Magic is largely unknown except for the artificial use of it through manadrives, and even then, it\\\'s largely weaponized and totally locked up by the army, and the world is in the current state it\\\'s in because the BigBad insisted on fighting a perpetually pointless war with his own brethren for the chance to \\\'\\\'maybe\\\'\\\' call down his creator deity. It has a very pre-Tolkien feel to its fantastic mythos, which probably explains its insanely BrokenBase.
** \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyVII\\\'\\\' took place in a {{Magitek}} dystopia. The only races are humans, Ancients (extinct save for one, who dies), whatever Red XIII is (mostly extinct), and Jenova, an alien being. Magic is dependent on use of Materia, formed from the knowledge of dead Ancients. The main plot is about TheEmpire trying to fight Sephiroth (a nutcase), and most of the heroes\\\'s victories are earned by taking advantage of events in the war between Sephiroth and TheEmpire. The game even contains {{Cyberpunk}} themes.
* \\\'\\\'[[DemonsSouls Demon\\\'s Souls]]\\\'\\\' fits this to a T. A rotting world that is being threatened to be consumed by an Eldritch Abomination in the shape of a fog? Check. Mighty hero-wannabes dying by the thousands when foolishly trying to save Boletaria from it\\\'s doom? Check. Your character being nothing more than one of said dead wannabe heroes who was lucky enough to be revived as the new unwilling protector of the realm? Check. Your character being massively underpowered compared to other heroes? Check. Magic being powered by the previously mentioned Eldritch abominaton? Check. Miracles being nothing more than a subset of said evil-powered magic? Check. God wanting humanity dead really fast? Check. The only guys who can stop them being a bunch of unglorious bastards who are slowly going mad by consuming so many forsaken souls? Check. Demon\\\'s Souls definetly counts.
[[AC:Webcomics]]
* \\\'\\\'ErrantStory\\\'\\\': There were dwarves, but they were sterile, and died out. There are elves, but they destroyed most of their population and civilization in a pointless centuries-long genocide against [[HalfHumanHybrid their own children]]. Most humans live in an expansionist [[CorruptChurch theocracy]]. The main characters include an assassin, a violent teenaged mage, and a very bitter elf soldier. And then there\\\'s [[GenocideBackfire the plot]]...
[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* \\\'\\\'TheAntithesis\\\'\\\' revolves around the conflicts of a uniquely-perceived Heaven and Hell, narrated by the main character, Alezair Czynri, who is a member of the \\\"Jury\\\", a sect of powerful, non-Celestials who live in Purgatory and enforce \\\"The Code\\\".
* \\\'\\\'OpenBlue\\\'\\\' is set in the age of WoodenShipsAndIronMen, involves lots of CloakAndDagger activities between bickering empires of a decidedly imperialist [[TheFederation Federation]], and JerkassGods who watch it all happen for kicks.
* \\\'\\\'TheTaleOfTheExile\\\'\\\' is the story of a single thief trying to survive seven nights in the [[CityNoir City of Miir]], harassed by [[OurDemonsAreDifferent living shadows created from local urban legends]] and used as a pawn by the [[AristocratsAreEvil decadent nobility]].
Other notes on examples I know about:
*I think most of the \\\'\\\'{{Berserk}}\\\'\\\' Golden Age arc counts as LowFantasy (there\\\'s demons but it\\\'s mostly about the members of a band of mercenaries, including one\\\'s attempts to climb politically) but the rest of what happens with Guts is HeroicFantasy (he\\\'s constantly hunting and being attacked by demons) and it seems some more recent stuff might be HighFantasy (I think something Griffith is doing affects the world as a whole; haven\\\'t read that far).
*\\\'\\\'AquaKnight\\\'\\\': \\\"knights in {{Magitek}} amphibious armour jousting on orcas\\\" sounds like something that might be in HighFantasy or HeroicFantasy, but \\\'\\\'not\\\'\\\' LowFantasy.
*\\\'\\\'Inuyasha\\\'\\\' would probably qualify as HeroicFantasy with maybe some HighFantasy: there\\\'s monsters everywhere, but even that BigBad\\\'s plans were never shown to endanger even the country as a whole.
*I question \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyTactics\\\'\\\', because even if there\\\'s a lot of focus on politics, war, and religion magic is literally something half the units you use can perform and that religion [[spoiler:is being controlled by ancient demons that you end up fighting.]]
There also seem to be some examples that are listed just because of a small plot scale, even if fantasy elements are common (\\\'\\\'SpiceAndWolf\\\'\\\', \\\'\\\'Discworld\\\'\\\', )
[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
* \\\'\\\'{{Berserk}}\\\'\\\' is a rare anime and manga example. It\\\'s a fairly human-dominated world with medieval levels of tech and relatively little magic -- Schierke and Flora are the only known magic-users so far, and the only beings who can magically heal at all are the Elves, who, as far as we\\\'ve seen, are more {{Fairy Companion}}s than anything out of Tolkien. We also get major elements of supernatural horror in the form of the evil [[CosmicHorror Godhand]] and its [[TheLegionsOfHell horrifying demonic servants]], which show up in force when the Eclipse goes down and [[ItGotWorse everything goes right straight to hell]].
* Another anime example is \\\'\\\'{{Claymore}}\\\'\\\', also fairly medieval and human-dominated, but with supernatural horror elements as well in the form of the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Yoma]] and the titular [[HalfHumanHybrid half-Yoma warriors]] whose task it is to kill them.
* \\\'\\\'AquaKnight\\\'\\\', a manga by the author of \\\'\\\'BattleAngelAlita\\\'\\\'. Shows hints of HighFantasy, but is far lighter in spirit. High fantasy would not have knights in {{Magitek}} amphibious armour jousting on orcas, for instance.
* \\\'\\\'{{Inuyasha}}\\\'\\\' has elements of both HighFantasy and LowFantasy.
[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* \\\'\\\'ThievesWorld\\\'\\\' is practically the epitome of Low Fantasy, peopled with [[AntiHero Anti-Heroes]] and [[HeroicSociopath Heroic Sociopaths]]. Slavery and rape are common events; even some of the AntiHero protagonists think of rape as a pastime.
* The HeroicFantasy tales of \\\'\\\'{{Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser}}\\\'\\\', aka. \\\'\\\'Adventures in Lankhmar\\\'\\\', by Fritz Leiber. Lankhmar is probably the prototype for a lot of standard low fantasy elements (e.g., the [=~Thieves\\\' Guild~=]).
* TheWitcher stories fit very much. There are [[FiveRaces non-human races]], but they\\\'re dominated by the humans (who are not above the occasional pogrom or two). Magic exists, but it\\\'s [[FunctionalMagic functional]] instead of [[LordOfTheRings fireworks wizard or king\\\'s healing power]], and its users seem to spend most of their time plotting, Eminence Grise-ing, or basking in vanity. The \\\"good people\\\" category is inhabited by protagonists and their friends, and almost none else (and the protagonists themselves have some KickTheDog moments in their biographies).
* {{Dragaera}} covers both HighFantasy and LowFantasy: Paarfi is a historical romance writer, so he tends to treat everything in the most epic, sweeping terms possible, while Vlad is a very cynical AntiHero whose general attitude is that people of all species are a bunch of bastards. It\\\'s easy to guess who would be talking about the political situation leading up to the Interregnum and who would be saying that all Dragonlords are lunatics.
* As space opera, the StarWarsExpandedUniverse can count as fantasy. Most of it is pretty distinctly High Fantasy, but some books and series dip lower. Multiple sentient species, the existence of the Force, and relatively easy space travel are all givens, but scale and darkness veer all over the map. As a general rule, if the Big Three - Luke, Leia, and Han - are the protagonists, it\\\'s a bit higher than if the mains are original characters or {{Ascended Extra}}s, though recent books are digging into DarkerAndEdgier. The XWingSeries, as the most prominent series to not have the Big Three as protagonists, deserves a mention. Its scale isn\\\'t small, but neither is it vast.
* \\\'\\\'The Morgaine Chronicles\\\'\\\' initially seem very much HighFantasy, it soon turns out that the \\\"magic\\\" in their case - [[CoolSword Changeling]] and the Gates - is in fact a form of archeotech that has already destroyed a galaxy-spanning race by tearing to shreds the very fabric of time itself (twice). Morgaine\\\'s task is to close each Gate in the universe; she\\\'s the last survivor of all of her kind, and takes on mostly humans but also the qual, the race responsible for the last Gate empire. She does gain a vowed [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Ronin bond-servant]] to help her later on, and she has a CoolHorse, Siptah. She might even be a subversion of the WhiteHairedPrettyBoy trope, being a female warrior who doesn\\\'t end up in a gold bikini, thank you very much. And the [[ImmortalityImmorality morality]]? Let\\\'s just say she\\\'s destroyed more than one large city.
* Although a series about talking cats may sound like HighFantasy, \\\'\\\'WarriorCats\\\'\\\' has some very distinct LowFantasy qualities, with its dark tone, GrayAndGreyMorality, increasingly [[DysfunctionJunction dysfunctional characters]], and minimal involvement of supernatural forces.
* StephenKing\\\'s \\\'\\\'TheDarkTower\\\'\\\' series incorporates many LowFantasy elements among [[GenreBusting many other genres]] set in a parallel reality.
* StephenKing\\\'s \\\'\\\'TheStand\\\'\\\' is somewhere between LowFantasy and MagicalRealism in a [[NextSundayAD contemporary disaster setting]].
** Both works tell a high-fantasy, Good vs. Evil Quest in a low-fantasy, AfterTheEnd setting.
[[AC:TableTopGames]]
* The default setting of \\\'\\\'DungeonsAndDragons\\\'\\\' takes place in world blending HeroicFantasy and HighFantasy tropes, with Good and Evil as objectively real and tangible forces. Really, though D&D more or less created a sub-genre unto itself.) However, the {{Eberron}} setting is decidedly LowFantasy.
** Those parts of the \\\'\\\'{{Planescape}}\\\'\\\' setting that are set in [[CrapsackWorld Sigil]], the [[CapitalCity teeming and violent megalopolis in the center of the Planes]], high above the Concordant Plane of the Outlands. There\\\'s high magic and humans are anything but the dominant species there, but otherwise it qualifies. It\\\'s what you would get if you mixed {{Steam|Punk}}- or CyberPunk with magic. [[ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs On acid]].
** DarkSun too. [[MagicIsEvil Magic defiles the land]] making it sterile for generations, so of course [[CompleteMonster someone]] decided to use this defiling magic to [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity go on a genocidal campaign against most of the fantastic races]]. [[AfterTheEnd Goblins, Orcs, Trolls, and Ogres are all gone and the land is a barren desert]]. There are very few magic users, the exception being [[AGodAmI impossibly powerful]] sorcerer king/dragons that rule private city-states with an [[ZeroPercentApprovalRating iron fist]] and use [[HumanResources slaves or subjects to power their magic]]. Outside of the city-states, is a sun-blasted wasteland with very few magical creatures, [[EverythingTryingToKillYou but lots of hungry creatures]], [[ManEatingPlant and plants]]. Pretty much [[DespairEventHorizon anyone who dies of old age is commemorated in song.]] It hits every major indicator, though some of the plots do involve saving the world, but it is usually from a sorcerer as apposed to some cosmic horror or chaotic evil race.
[[AC:VideoGames]]
* Strangely \\\'\\\'SuikodenII\\\'\\\'. While there is magic and runes and a high fantasy artstyle, the humans are the ones that drive the conflict, especially the CompleteMonster Luca Blight. The runes basically are elements of symbolism of the aspects of conflict. The game also is not about the defeat of a great evil force, but about the reconciliation between two friends who end up being leaders of opposite sides. Plenty of GreyAndGreyMorality as both sides, even after Luca\\\'s death (before, its BlackAndGrayMorality), engage in morally questionable practices.
* TheWitcher, you can see right away from the gray overtone of the game: dark, gritty, cruel, rotten and cynical. This is not your typical epic fantasy ride, people. As you can see, it stays true to its root(mentioned above), one of the few exceptional case that did not have TheProblemWithLicensedGames.
* The world of Sanctuary in Diablo: Humans are the dominant race; the other sentient races are demons and angels; magic is highly regulated; the wildlife is very vicious (even before they became corrupted) like the typical low fantasy setting.
* The \\\'\\\'{{Gothic}}\\\'\\\' RPG games are like this for most of the plot, with [[GreyAndGreyMorality morally ambiguous factions]] [[WideOpenSandbox that the player can support or hinder]]. It changes to HeroicFantasy then the final boss appears though.
* \\\'\\\'DragonAge Origins\\\'\\\' walks the line between HighFantasy and Low Fantasy. Magic is treated as something dangerous and unnatural by pretty much everyone, including a few mages. Since magic comes with the risk of DemonicPossession this attitude is wholly justified. There is a church sponsored KnightTemplar order dedicated to policing magic; most of whom are just as ruthless as the title \\\"KnightTemplar\\\" would suggest. The church, by the way, controls the Templars with magic drugs. Humans are the dominant race in the setting; Elves having lost a war centuries ago are now treated like crap in addition to having lost their former immortality. Dwarves are all but extinct due to their HopelessWar against the Darkspawn. The closest thing to a truly good organization, the Grey Wardens, gain their powers by [[CannibalismSuperpower drinking Darkspawn blood]], [[PowerDegeneration which consigns them to a slow death.]] Gray morality abounds as well. Despite all of this, it is still possible to EarnYourHappyEnding.
** \\\'\\\'DragonAgeII\\\'\\\', even more low fantasy than Origins, where the main conflicts arise from politics, racism, and social concerns, not an \\\"orc\\\" invasion.
* \\\'\\\'{{Drakengard}}\\\'\\\'. The first game fulfills most of the requirements and adds DysfunctionJunction, CrapsackWorld, and a whole lot of nihilism to the mix. The sequel is considerably more upbeat -- you can actually EarnYourHappyEnding instead of just a BittersweetEnding.
* \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyTactics\\\'\\\': Yes there are chocobos, there\\\'re white mages, black mages and other iconic FinalFantasy elements. There\\\'re also wars, lots of them, there are conflicts between religions, aristocrats, commoners and the church.
** Its Spiritual Predecessor, \\\'\\\'TacticsOgre\\\'\\\' qualifies as well.
** Same goes for VagrantStory, which takes place in the same verse as FinalFantasyTactics.
** \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyVI\\\'\\\'...the first Final Fantasy to put the sole blame on humanity for the forces of evil. Kefka Palazzo and TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt later, and this game becomes really really low fantasy.
** \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyXIII\\\'\\\', despite its \\\"we\\\'re in DA FUTCHA!\\\" trappings, seems to squarely be in this genre. There are only three races: Humans, [[PhysicalGod fal\\\'Cie]], and monsters, which unlike \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyXII\\\'\\\' are are not PettingZooPeople or part of the FiveRaces, and are truly bestial. Magic is largely unknown except for the artificial use of it through manadrives, and even then, it\\\'s largely weaponized and totally locked up by the army, and the world is in the current state it\\\'s in because the BigBad insisted on fighting a perpetually pointless war with his own brethren for the chance to \\\'\\\'maybe\\\'\\\' call down his creator deity. It has a very pre-Tolkien feel to its fantastic mythos, which probably explains its insanely BrokenBase.
** \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyVII\\\'\\\' took place in a {{Magitek}} dystopia. The only races are humans, Ancients (extinct save for one, who dies), whatever Red XIII is (mostly extinct), and Jenova, an alien being. Magic is dependent on use of Materia, formed from the knowledge of dead Ancients. The main plot is about TheEmpire trying to fight Sephiroth (a nutcase), and most of the heroes\\\'s victories are earned by taking advantage of events in the war between Sephiroth and TheEmpire. The game even contains {{Cyberpunk}} themes.
* \\\'\\\'[[DemonsSouls Demon\\\'s Souls]]\\\'\\\' fits this to a T. A rotting world that is being threatened to be consumed by an Eldritch Abomination in the shape of a fog? Check. Mighty hero-wannabes dying by the thousands when foolishly trying to save Boletaria from it\\\'s doom? Check. Your character being nothing more than one of said dead wannabe heroes who was lucky enough to be revived as the new unwilling protector of the realm? Check. Your character being massively underpowered compared to other heroes? Check. Magic being powered by the previously mentioned Eldritch abominaton? Check. Miracles being nothing more than a subset of said evil-powered magic? Check. God wanting humanity dead really fast? Check. The only guys who can stop them being a bunch of unglorious bastards who are slowly going mad by consuming so many forsaken souls? Check. Demon\\\'s Souls definetly counts.
[[AC:Webcomics]]
* \\\'\\\'ErrantStory\\\'\\\': There were dwarves, but they were sterile, and died out. There are elves, but they destroyed most of their population and civilization in a pointless centuries-long genocide against [[HalfHumanHybrid their own children]]. Most humans live in an expansionist [[CorruptChurch theocracy]]. The main characters include an assassin, a violent teenaged mage, and a very bitter elf soldier. And then there\\\'s [[GenocideBackfire the plot]]...
[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* \\\'\\\'TheAntithesis\\\'\\\' revolves around the conflicts of a uniquely-perceived Heaven and Hell, narrated by the main character, Alezair Czynri, who is a member of the \\\"Jury\\\", a sect of powerful, non-Celestials who live in Purgatory and enforce \\\"The Code\\\".
* \\\'\\\'OpenBlue\\\'\\\' is set in the age of WoodenShipsAndIronMen, involves lots of CloakAndDagger activities between bickering empires of a decidedly imperialist [[TheFederation Federation]], and JerkassGods who watch it all happen for kicks.
* \\\'\\\'TheTaleOfTheExile\\\'\\\' is the story of a single thief trying to survive seven nights in the [[CityNoir City of Miir]], harassed by [[OurDemonsAreDifferent living shadows created from local urban legends]] and used as a pawn by the [[AristocratsAreEvil decadent nobility]].
Other notes on examples I know about:
*I think most of the \\\'\\\'{{Berserk}}\\\'\\\' Golden Age arc counts as LowFantasy (there\\\'s demons but it\\\'s mostly about the members of a band of mercenaries, including one\\\'s attempts to climb politically) but the rest of what happens with Guts is HeroicFantasy (he\\\'s constantly hunting and being attacked by demons) and it seems some more recent stuff might be HighFantasy (I think something Griffith is doing affects the world as a whole; haven\\\'t read that far).
*\\\'\\\'AquaKnight\\\'\\\': \\\"knights in {{Magitek}} amphibious armour jousting on orcas\\\" sounds like something that might be in HighFantasy or HeroicFantasy, but \\\'\\\'not\\\'\\\' LowFantasy.
*\\\'\\\'Inuyasha\\\'\\\' would probably qualify as HeroicFantasy with maybe some HighFantasy: there\\\'s monsters everywhere, but even that BigBad\\\'s plans were never shown to endanger even the country as a whole.
*I question \\\'\\\'FinalFantasyTactics\\\'\\\', because even if there\\\'s a lot of focus on politics, war, and religion magic is literally something half the units you use can perform and that religion [[spoiler:is being controlled by ancient demons that you end up fighting.]]
There also seem to be some examples that are listed just because of a small plot scale, even if fantasy elements are common (\\\'\\\'SpiceAndWolf\\\'\\\', \\\'\\\'Discworld\\\'\\\', )
