History Main / LowFantasy

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'' during the [[HowWeGotHere Golden Age Arc]] has many shades of this, with the setting focusing less on the [[spoiler: CosmicHorrorStory]] backdrop of the universe and moreso Guts surviving years after years on his own before joining the Band of the Hawk to continue fighting a war that's been going on for [[ForeverWar more than a hundred years]]. Almost no supernatural qualities are present, and the setting remains firmly entrenched in a world of political intrigue and wars fought between nobles and knights. [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with a ''vengeance'' once The Eclipse happens and [[TheLancer Griffith]] pulls a truly-horrific FaceHeelTurn and condemns his friends to TheLegionsOfHell for another chance at living. Afterwards, the setting permanently shifts to DarkFantasy with some CosmicHorrorStory undertones, and any chances of it ever shifting back to Low Fantasy is thrown into the fire after [[BigBad Griffith's]] fight with Emperor Ganishka, where Griffith fuses the physical and astral planes together to [[TheMagicComesBack bring the magic back to the world.]] [[HellOnEarth The results aren't pretty.]]]]

Not to be confused with {{Demythification}} or with MundaneFantastic which removes the magical elements, but can keep the BlackAndWhiteMorality and such. Also not to be confused with DarkFantasy which, while it may be on occasion deconstructive of HighFantasy tropes, generaly has much more (and more important for the setting) fantasy elements than low fantasy.

Not to be confused with {{Demythification}} or with MundaneFantastic which removes the magical elements, but can keep the BlackAndWhiteMorality and such. Also not confuse it with DarkFantasy which, while still deconstructing mostly of the tropes, generaly it have more fantasy elements than low fantasy.

Not to be confused with {{Demythification}} or with MundaneFantastic which removes the magical elements, but can keep the BlackAndWhiteMorality and such. Also not confuse it with DarkFantasy which, while still decontructing mostly of the tropes, generaly it have more fantasy elements than low fantasy.

** Arguably the most LowFantasy of any of the ''Fire Emblem'' games is ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance''. To this day, it's the only ''Fire Emblem'' game not to have an overhead threat from an evil deity or dragon, nor figure in blatantly supernatural elements into the plot. It rather focuses on the commoner protagonist Ike getting caught up in a otherwise mundane war between Crimea and Daein, and generally has the entirety of the plot focused on the war than any kind of looming machinations from the more overwhelmingly supernatural elements. Any supernatural elements that are factored into the plot are kept distant and under wraps for [[VideoGame/FireEmblemRadiantDawn the sequel]], with even the [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent werebeast]] Laguz taking a backseat to human politics and intrigue. Even the final boss [[spoiler:only becomes truly supernatural on Hard Mode, as they're otherwise an extremely powerful, [[BadassNormal but normal]], [[TheCaligula Mad King]]]].

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': While traditionally a HighFantasy setting in terms of [[TheEpic scope]], [[OurMagesAreDifferent magical abilities]] and [[Main/{{Romanticism}} themes]], this series [[ZigZaggedTrope consistently enjoys toying with general trappings and themes]] of the LowFantasy genre. There are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent other]] [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent races]] than humans, but humans constantly act as the dominant force in the world. There's no real epic quest in most of the games (or, at least, it's almost never framed as such) instead focusing on the outbreak of war between human nations and heapings upon heapings of political intrigue. There were ancient heroes with legendary weapons who helped seal away an evil dragon/god, but those legends have long faded into myth, and many of the different settings' individuals at large forgot the existence of said legendary weapons. Monsters can exist, but not only is it very case-by-case depending on the setting, but it's very often they're regarded as mythic like the legendary weapons, and are regarded in-universe as unexpected developments of the war whenever introduced. Magic is common, but it's not seen as a occult happenstance so much as a science, with ''Radiant Dawn'' mentioning scientists developing the Rewarp stave of that game, Anima and Dark magic being regarded as "Reason" in ''Three Houses''. This is all alongside the fact that much of the world, especially in [[VideoGame/FireEmblemFates later]] [[VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses games]], shows much more advanced technology from automata to elevators to ''[[spoiler:magical [=ICBMs=].]]'' You kinda get the gist by now.

* ''WebOriginal/{{Rogues}}'': The fate of the world is not at stake, and character morality tends to be, often very dark, shades of grey. There are definitely both fantasy races and magic present, but how big of a role they play in the story depends upon the path the reader chooses.

* While not gritty or cynical in the slightest (just the opposite, really), the ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}}'' series of games tend to have many of the other marks of Low Fantasy. In the earlier (and Japan-exclusive) games especially, the setting is dominated by humans, there is very little blatant magic (most "magical effects" are at least manufactured by the alchemist heroes of the games, often with recipes that have at least a little grounding in actual science), and the setting of the games only encompasses a single country or principality (on purpose, as the protagonist is working in a time limit and typically is running a business anyway, and doesn't have time to go casually WalkingTheEarth). The ''Atelier Iris'' trilogy, the first games in the series to make it to America, received some criticism for moving away from most or all of these elements; ''Mana Khemia'' and Atelier games on the DS, ''Liese'' and ''Annie'', brought the Low Fantasy elements back to the forefront to at least some degree, with ''VideoGame/{{Atelier Rorona|The Alchemist of Arland}}'' deliberately going back to it full-force. At least one installment in the series was even deliberately advertised as being SliceOfLife in nature.

** War: While HighFantasy features battles between good and evil, wars in Low Fantasy are usually fought for power, land, and resources. Low Fantasy is also a lot more likely to remind you that WarIsHell, and even soldiers on the "good guy" side may [[TheWomenAreSafeWithUs commit horrifying war crimes]], while the "bad guy" side may have the occasional WorthyOpponent or NobleTopEnforcer.

* While relatively high on the Fantasy scale, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' is a low fantasy take on the typical high fantasy of the series. While Link is able to use basic magic, the fact that he can put those who witness it in awe and leads them to assume that he's capable of even greater feats like resurrection. And while there is a prophecy that the world will be saved by a hero, it never specifies Link or any vague description of him. Not to mention that the villain isn't a conquering tyrant, but a lonely child corrupted by dark power.

* ''Literature/TillWeHaveFaces'' by [[Creator/CSLewis C. S. Lewis]]. Somewhat surprising from the author of ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfPrinceValiant'': EnforcedTrope. This is one of the rare animation series set in a low fantasy world, in part by Family Channels guidelines to not allow dragons or magic. Merlin is more a scientist and cannons were mistaken for dragons. One of the few times ExecutiveMeddling works out better.

* Literature/AHarvestOfWar: A quasi-historical ConstructedWorld urban setting, the only blatant element is a separate race of rather mundane not-exactly-humans.

* Literature/KalpaImperial, by Creator/AngelicaGorodischer, is a no-magic alternate world with a vast Empire, destroyed and rebuilt over and over again.

* Shades of Grey: While HighFantasy usually features BlackAndWhiteMorality with clear-cut heroes and villains, many Low Fantasy works have [[GreyAndGrayMorality Grey and Gray]] or [[BlackAndGrayMorality]]. More importantly, the success of the victor often has no bearing on their motives or honor.

* Shades of Grey: While HighFantasy usually features BlackAndWhiteMorality with clear-cut heroes and villains, many Low Fantasy works have [[GreyAndGrayMorality Grey and Gray]], [[BlackAndGrayMorality Black and Gray]] or BlueAndOrangeMorality. More importantly, the success of the victor often has no bearing on their motives or honor.

* While ''Videogame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' traditionally follows ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series' high fantasy template, the civil war subplot has very little in the way of great magic or mages, mythical beings or, save for a small dungeon romp at the start, fantastic monsters or undead. Just battle between a legionary VestigialEmpire seeking to reclaim and restore order to one of their provinces, against a bunch of [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters nationalist rebels]] fighting for what they believe should be a sovereign land. As if to emphasize this, one side of the civil war explicitly rejects using magic and [[FantasticRacism nonhumans]] in battle (or even any technology you couldn't find in antiquity) unlike practically every other group in the setting, yet do fine.
* ''VideoGame/ForHonor'' takes place on a fictional world where [[EverythingsBetterWithSamurai samurai]], [[HornyVikings Vikings]], and [[KnightInShiningArmor knights]] fight one another. There are small magical elements, however, such as healing points, SpontaneousWeaponCreation, CharlesAtlasSuperpower for some characters, and special events where enemies are turned into monsters and have to be killed. Also, there are Valkyries -- in this case, mortal Viking women who have made a BargainWithHeaven to secure places in [[WarriorHeaven Valhalla]] for those who did not die in battle.

Not to be confused with {{Demythification}} or with MundaneFantastic which removes the magical elements, but can keep the BlackAndWhiteMorality and such.

Compare with MagicRealism and DarkFantasy. Contrast with StandardFantasySetting, DungeonPunk, and UrbanFantasy, plus the tropes mentioned above.

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': While traditionally a HighFantasy setting in terms of [[TheEpic scope]], [[OurMagesAreDifferent magical abilities]] and [[Main/{{Romanticism}} themes]], this series [[ZigZaggedTrope consistently enjoys toying with general trappings and themes]] of the LowFantasy genre. There are [[OurDragonsAreDifferent other]] [[OurWerebeastsAreDifferent races]] than humans, but humans constantly act as the dominant force in the world. There's no real epic quest in most of the games (or, at least, it's almost never framed as such) instead focusing on the outbreak of war between human nations and heapings upon heapings of political intrigue. There were ancient heroes with legendary weapons who helped seal away an evil dragon/god, but those legends have long faded into myth, and many of the different settings' individuals at large forgot the existence of said legendary weapons. Monsters can exist, but not only is it very case-by-case depending on the setting, but it's very often they're regarded as mythic like the legendary weapons, and are regarded in-universe as unexpected developments of the war whenever introduced. Magic is common, but it's not seen as a occult happenstance so much as a science, with ''Radiant Dawn'' mentioning scientists developing the Rewarp stave of that game, Anima and Dark magic being regarded as "Reason" in ''Three Houses''.

* K.J Parker's ''Literature/TheScavengerTrilogy'' is a good example of a low fantasy. The series sticks to mundane settings and has a dark tone. It provides a troubling take on heroism. Supernatural elements are present but low-key. The wars are inglorious, both in the field and in their aims.
* ''Literature/Shadow2010'' by Jenny Moss is set in a low fantasy environment, where magic is considered a superstition or the work of witches, and the main plot is driven by the titular Shadow trying to unravel the secrets of her kingdom following the queen's death. However, as the story goes on, more mystical elements start to be introduced as TheMagicComesBack.

* ''LightNovel/GrimgarOfFantasyAndAsh'': A group of young Japanese teenagers [[YouWakeUpInARoom awaken in the world of Grimgar]] with no memory of how they got there. Magic is largely limited to minor healing, some sword skills, and a few dark-based spells that inflict minor status ailments. Combat is brutal and savage: many of the battles our main party gets into are more reminiscent of UrbanWarfare of the likes seen in [[UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror Fallujah]] as goblins take full advantage of buildings and town architecture to ambush and snipe from.[[labelnote:*]]Episode 8's battle strongly resembles a contemporary room-clearing exercise you would expect a modern special forces unit to do, starting off with picking off the enemy sniper and sentry, then stacking up to do a door breach and fighting for every square inch of the building's interior.[[/labelnote]] The goblins so far are the only non-human race and the question of how "evil" they are is implicitly asked as they are clearly intelligent creatures who enjoy games and playing with small animals. And even all this, fighting is only a small part of life in Grimgar: much of the time, the characters are living in a much more mundane fashion by doing things such as washing clothes, cooking meals, and paying for daily living expenses.

** War: While HighFantasy features battles between good and evil, wars in Low Fantasy are usually fought for power, land, and resources.

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', despite having numerous varieties of dragons, is fairly low fantasy. There is little or no actual magic involved in the narrative, and dragons are treated as a separate order of animals that can be tamed and domesticated. [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2 The sequel]] drives this home with the revelation of an alpha dragon, the Bewilderbeast, whose dominance can be challenged by other dragons.

* ComicBook/RedSonja fits here. She's not on an epic quest to defeat a great evil, nor is there even a great evil to defeat in most instances. There are quite a few warlords or slavers or town toughs that need defeating, usually when they stand between Sonja and the nearest tavern. She's occasionally motivated to a larger quest but never for more than a month.

** The same is true in the sequel as well, perhaps more so. While it too has a dark god, Vide, the motives for reviving him by his followers are more based in the dark mature of humanity than anything else. Also, characters like Agnea and Partitio have stories that have very few, if any, fantasy elements.

* ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'', the middle trilogy, Age of Enlightenment, features stories that are not about defeating a [[BigBad]], but about attaining enlightenment, rescuing you Lord while the regent uses the virtues for an authoritarian purpose, and bringing peace between the realm and the gargoyles below. Britannia's magic and fantasy elements are also more scientific in nature.