Summary
Japanese role-playing games(often abbreviated as JRPG) have grown significantly since the genre’s inception in the early 1980s. Key elements of these types of titles featured turn-based combat, fixed narratives, and level-based progression, but most importantly, they were developed by Japanese studios.
As titles like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Pokémon continued to climb in popularity around the world, developers outside of Japan started creating games inspired by their favorite genre. Now, there are a ton of RPGs that feel so much like a Japanese role-playing game that they might as well be official JRPGs.
Pokemon has had an undeniable impact on pop culture, and there are plenty of games that have tried to emulate its formula to find the same type of success. While Temtem and Coromon made some minor tweaks to the monster-catching genre that helped them stand out, Cassette Beasts takes the concept and sprinkles in enough new ideas to make it feel more than just another Pokemon clone.
The core mechanics of Cassette Beasts seem familiar at first, but the game’s gorgeous visuals and unique design help it stand out from the crowd. It feels like the first true evolution of the genre in quite some time, and it was developed by a small team based in the UK. There’s a different world where Game Freak gets to some of these ideas first, but it’s a relief to know we don’t have to rely on them for all our monster-catching fantasies.
Bug Fables was created by a small team based in Panama and is mostly inspired by the first two Paper Mario games. From its aesthetic to its turn-based combat and similar story structure, the game truly feels like a spiritual successor to the iconic Nintendo RPGs in the best ways possible.
Like the Paper Mario games, Bug Fables has areaction-based battle systemthat lets you deal or take less damage if you’re able to hit certain button prompts at the right time. Filled with humorous dialogue, memorable characters, and enough customization options to make every playthrough feel unique, this little RPG feels just as mighty as something like Persona or Final Fantasy.
CrossCode is an ambitious action RPG from a German studio called Radical Fish Games. It blends ideas from everything, including Xenoblade Chronicles and Yoshi’s Island, to create an unforgettable adventure that feels simultaneously fresh and nostalgic.
One of the things that helps CrossCode distinguish itself from the crowded genre is that its roots are in science-fiction instead of fantasy. While it doesn’t feature turn-based combat, it almost feels like you’re playing a 16-bit version of the battle system featured in modern JRPGs like Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
Aside from EarthBound, South Park: Stick of Truth is probably the most American RPG on the market. The art style, humor, and general vibe are essentially the same as the TV show, but the actual gameplay is surprisingly deep and was clearly influenced by phenomenal JRPGs like Dragon Quest and Shin Megami Tensei.
You play as a new kid who moves into South Park as all the children are playing a fantastical game based around a powerful item - the Stick of Truth. After you choose your hero class, you’ll need to recruit other kids to your team while exploring the town looking for side quests, collectibles, and more. Even if you don’t love South Park: Stick of Truth should be an essential game for anyone who enjoys JRPGs.
Child of Light was developed by a small team at Ubisoft Montreal and follows a young girl named Aurora who wakes up in a fantastical world known as Lemuria. While there might be more platforming involved than a traditional JRPG, the game still features key elements of the genre, such as a party of well-written characters and a leveling-up system.
While Child of Light’s basic mechanics might seem familiar, everything else about it is utterly unique and fascinating, from its vibrant art style to exploration and everything in between. One of the best aspects of the game is that it should only take you around 12 hours to complete it. Most JRPGs can easily double or triple this length, so it’s nice to have something more digestible between longer adventures.
Many indie RPGs are influenced by heavy-hitters like Final Fantasy, but Undertale shares most of its DNA with the cult-classic Mother series from Nintendo. Even though Earthbound, the second game in the series, was the only entry to be officially released in North America until Mother was ported to the Wii U in 2015, it had a major impact on developer Toby Fox.
One of the best parts about Undertale is how it flips one of the core elements of JRPGs on its head to unlock the game’s best ending. While you can play it normally and defeat every enemy and boss in your path to level and reach your goal, there is also a pacifist route that allows you to beat the game without killing anything.
Square (now known as Square Enix) was a titan in the industry during the 90s as it continued to develop popular JRPGs like Final Fantasy 7, Chrono Trigger, and other genre-defining adventures. Secret of Evermore is a bit of a hidden gem in the studios' vast library, and one of the most interesting things about it is that it was created by designers in Washington.
Despite having a lot of similarities to Secret of Mana, Secret of Evermore is astandalone adventureabout a boy and his dog who are transported to a fictional world filled with unique realms. The game stands out from other Square titles because of its narrative and certain references, and it would be considered a classic JRPG like the studios' other games if it had just been developed in Japan.
If you walked into a room and saw somebody playing Chained Echoes, you might think that they were just playing some obscure game from the 1990s that you’ve never heard of. Created by German developer Matthias Linda, Chained Echoes takes inspiration from games like Xenogears and Breath of Fire to create an epic adventure that’s just as riveting as any other JRPG.
While the game wears its influences on its sleeve, it doesn’t just copy and paste the ideas that made the genre so successful. Instead, Chained Echoes takes these concepts and expands upon them to create something thatfeels new and exciting. It’s even set to receive content in 2025, so it’s still an excellent time to start it up if you’re looking for a new world to get lost in.
Sea of Stars was created by Sabotage Studio, a development team from Quebec City that also made The Messenger. It brings together the best parts of beloved JRPGs and somehow improves upon them with innovative mechanics and unconventional narrative conventions like letting you choose one of two protagonists to control throughout the journey.
From the impressive world-building to the captivating story and satisfying combat, Sea of Stars exceeds all expectations and feels just as impressive as the games that influenced it. There might be a few things you could nitpick about the overall experience, but Sea of Stars is easily one of the best RPGs to play if you enjoyed titles like Super Mario RPG and Golden Sun.
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JRPGs have wavered in popularity over the decades, but titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 prove that the genre still has plenty of room to innovate and tell gripping stories that leave you on the edge of your seat. Developed by Sandfall Interactive, a small studio based in France, this game modernizes classic tropes while holding on to the components that make these types of experiences so special.
Expedition 33 somehow feels like a spiritual successor to certain Final Fantasy games, the Persona series, and even the Mario RPGs, while having its own distinct visual style and atmosphere. There have been some wonderful RPGs over the years that take the defining elements of JRPGs and weave them into a modern story, but Clair Obscur sets a new golden standard for how to do it correctly.
