While some fans debate the pros and cons of action vs. turn-based combat inJRPGs, most simply play what looks cool or popular. Mainstream JRPG series like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Like a Dragon, and Persona are going strong and don’t need anyone’s help getting publicity.
However, if you’re only playing the most popular JRPGs, you’re missing out on a world of excellent games. Below, we’ll take a look at some JRPGs you may have missed in recent years from a variety of different consoles.
Fuga: Melodies of Steel and its two sequels follow a group of children as they navigate the atrocities of war. To protect your found family, you’ll need to pilot massive tanks in tactical turn-based battles.
Fuga’s main selling point is definitely its captivating and emotional story, but the gameplay is very satisfying to master. You can make the game as easy or as hard as you want, thanks to the ability to choose which battles you fight in any given route. This is perfect if you just want to experience the story or go all in on mastering the game’s systems.
Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is a 3DS remake of one of the most overlooked DS-era JRPGs. The story follows Stocke, who receives the White Chronicle, a book that allows him to travel through time. Using the White Chronicle, Stocke must travel to different timelines to prevent the spread of desertification that is slowly consuming the continent.
The combat is also unique among JRPGs. It uses a grid-based system, where most characters have access to pushing or pulling abilities, allowing you to manipulate the positions of enemies in order to line or group them up to make your area attacks more effective. It’s a lot of fun to play around with, and only amplifies the amazing story.
The SaGa series has always been the forgotten stepchild of the JRPG genre. Compared to more contemporary games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, SaGa games are known for their intricate battle systems, general lack of story, and free-form exploration.
Scarlet Grace is no different. The game is essentially only battling, but its battles are some of the best in the genre. They are definitely complex, but not too challenging as to be a slog to get through. There’s not much outside of battles, as the story and characters are quite sparse, but if you want a JRPG that plays like solving a puzzle, don’t miss Scarlet Grace.
4Ara Fell: Enhanced Edition
Ara Fell has the cards stacked against it; it’s not technically a JRPG, and its original version was created in RPG Maker. However, please don’t skip over this one because of these minor aspects. Despite not being developed by a Japanese studio, Ara Fell is a quintessential JRPG experience that is not to be missed.
The game has a vast open world to explore, and you’re able to go surprisingly far from the main objective by just wandering around. The combat is serviceable, but building up your characters with equipment and skill points is still a good time.
Astlibra Revision is a 2D side-scrolling action RPG that follows the story of a young man and a bird. This game has it all: a deep story, great characters, fun combat, tons of optional grind, and a beautiful art style.
The game’s combat system is its point of pride. There are so many different ways to build your character using a variety of different weapons, equipment, and skills, and you can easily swap to an entirely different build on the fly if you want a change of pace.
Baten Kaitos is truly a one-of-a-kind game. The original GameCube release was developed specifically due to the lack of JRPGs on the console, but it was still entirely overlooked by fans. Now, 20 years after its release, the HD Remaster is getting a similar treatment; for some reason, no one is playing Baten Kaitos!
Set in a world where people decided to live in the sky after an evil god destroyed the land, Baten Kaitos has you controlling a guardian spirit through which the characters of the game interact. This leads to fourth wall breaks that deepen your connection to the characters.
Baten Kaitos uses the Magnus system for combat; it’s essentially a card-based system that lets you absorb various items into cards, which can then be used as attacks, items in battle, equipment, and so on. If you’ve overlooked Baten Kaitos like so many others have, do yourself a favor and play it. We promise you won’t regret it.
1Touhou Artificial Dream In Arcadia
Touhou Artificial Dream in Arcadia is a first-person dungeon crawler similar to the older Shin Megami Tensei titles. A cloning issue is plaguing the fantasy world of Gensokyo, and it’s up to Sumireko, who can visit the realm in her dreams, to stop them.
Almost every established Touhou character is represented in this game, and you can recruit them to your party by beating them in a bullet hell mini game. Even if you aren’t a fan of Touhou, the dungeon crawling and RPG elements hold up, especially if you’re a fan of games like the original Shin Megami Tensei.
