Any JRPG recommendations?

Sonachine69

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I woke up with the intense urge to try and get into JRPGs, because it's laughable, that I, at the ripe age of 23 had never played any before.

Turn-based combat or not, everything goes!
--

I have little to zero experience with the genre, but from what I've seen I am thinking about starting with Chrono Trigger, really dig the style and the soundtrack. A long time ago I tried Earthbound and it was great, so I will probably think about that one too. Aesthetically, I absolutely love the visual style of Xenosaga and Shin Megami Tensei 4 (2013).

I feel like this place has a lot of real JRPG connoisseurs, so I will be happy to listen to what you have to say :>

ty!
 
if you quite literally have never played one before there's very few starts as good as Chrono Trigger, and SMT4 is a great first game for the franchise.

a disclaimer/tldr of sorts: rpgs are generally kinda beefy and nobody has all the time in the world. they're my favourite things ever but I'm not going to drop like 100 on you rn and be like PLAY THEM NOW. my real, ultimate answer that supersedes anything else you read here is play whatever catches your eye as soon as you feel like playing it. being a walking jrpg reference book is cool but absolutely not required, and I also think it's a more fun way to develop your taste/interest in the genre.

now, that being said. it might be kind of a boring answer but check out the things considered classics at first. CT, Final Fantasy 6/7, Earthbound, Dragon Quest III etc. aside from just being great games it'll also maybe help you appreciate later ones you play or help determine what you do/don't like in the genre. Xenosaga is one of my all timers, but if you play it and bounce off for any reason there's absolutely zero shame or w/e in going right to Xenoblade 1. despite what a vocal minority might make you think, it's how most people did it, and generally I think people who LOVED xenoblade are more likely to go back through Saga and Gears anyway since by that point you Have To Know more than you care about any initial hangups you had. yes it's a metaseries and yes there's easter eggs and all that fun stuff that comes with it, but Xenoblade 1-3 absolutely tell a complete story by their own merits. you should try Gears and Saga though, for sure.

anyway, here's my list. a mix of favourites and ones that i think are great, but also a good way to test out some styles/themes. i'll limit it maybe to 5 or so to go along with my "i'm not going to just tell you to play every game i like" and "please play what sticks out to YOU" rules

ff9.webp
1. Final Fantasy 9
My personal favourite FF and one of the all time classics. Its combat is on the slower end (the ATB gauges fill very slowly compared to others in the series) but it has my favourite literally everything else. Lovable characters, a beautiful story and my favourite OST of any game in the series. i think it's the ideal jrpg, so I really don't have a lot to sell here aside from just saying that. it's a throwback to classic FF after 6/7/8 made substantial deviations in art direction, so playing it before those maybe makes you miss out on that development throughline, but it's nothing that can't be fixed by just playing one of those. as such,

if you liked this one, I recommend playing Final Fantasy 6 or 7. (6 being my second favourite in the series)

Valkyrie_Profile_cover.webp
2. Valkyrie Profile (PS1)
There's two versions of this one, ps1 and psp (with the subtitle Lenneth). play the ps1 version. the psp one is based on the orignal JP version and is missing improvements made to the eng release of the game. there's some new cutscenes in Lenneth but they aren't worth the rest of the experience being lesser.
disclaimer aside, this is another of my all time favourites, but it's also very different from any other game I've mentioned in this longass post, so I think it's a good experimental game too. It's turn based, but your party is assigned to the face buttons on your controller and all take their turn simultaneously. you use different button combinations to create combos using your characters, and every character's moveset is unique which leads to a ton of possible party formats. there's really no other game with combat like it. beautiful spritework, bangin soundtrack.
as for the caveats: mostly minor I'd say, but to get the true ending you FOR SURE need to use a guide. do not believe anyone who says they didn't. I used one, and this is a very strong contender for my favourite game. the true ending requires you to do some stuff you'd absolutely never think to do under any circumstance.
the eng voice acting is cheesy as all hell which is something I personally do not consider a fault, but some people might.

if you like this one, I recommend immediately moving on to Valkyrie Profile 2. there are no substitutes (though Indivisible tried)

Octopath_Traveler_II_cover_art.webp
3. Octopath Traveler 2
The most Recently Released game on this list. you do not need to play 1 first, they aren't connected like that. 2's basically just a substantial improvement on 1 in all regards (imo) so if you play 1 afterwards, it might feel lacking. it's a traditional turn based game, but the "gimmick" is you've got 8 playable characters who can all interact with NPCs a different way. though some of these have the same function (such as Challenge and Ambush), they're separated by the day/night cycle. so during the day you may Inquire or Guide, but at night you'd use different characters to either Bribe or Befriend. doing so can get you items from most npcs you interact with, some of them being very strong weapons you can get early as a result. there's a whole lot going on with it, but in practice it's very simple. it's got a fun class system, a soundtrack that I would consider maybe the best of all time (seriously) and is kind of a big love letter to the genre entirely. as a result I think it's fantastic as both an entry point and an enthusiast game, certainly one of my favourites in recent years. the character's stories are also all just very good, characters like Castti and Oswald really stuck with me, and Oswald's theme transitioning into the boss theme quite literally brought tears to my eyes on a couple occasions. i cannot overstate how good the OST is, and it really isn't the same unless you hear it ingame due to how it's used. just trust me.

if you like this one, i recommend playing anything that has a class/job system. Final Fantasy 5, Bravely Default, things of that nature. but if you want to try something a bit different, then..

SFC_Tactics_Ogre_-_Let_Us_Cling_Together_cover_art.webp
4. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
The SRPG entry on this list. idk if people really get finnicky about the definitions; I always kind of just put these and jrpgs together in the same little soup and as such I'm picking this one. there are several versions of this game, including Reborn, the most recent one, and there's a bunch of differences between them. instead of getting lost in the weeds I can break it down pretty easily for you: all of them are excellent, so the answer is "whichever one is easiest for you to get your hands on". I played the PSP version initially and that's the one that cemented it in my favourites catalogue, so don't think you're missing out if you can't grab Reborn. anyway, LUCT is a grid based tactical fantasy rpg with a large variety of classes to play with, and one of the most mature (in the classical sense, not blood and gore and edge) stories in the medium. choices you make alter it drastically and there are very, very few characters who are Just Evil. the enemy general using the generic Soldier sprite you just killed was Marius Renholdt, third son of his family, and the circumstances that brought you into conflict are tragic, but for the sake of your ideals you must continue.
the main downside is that there are a LOT of characters you can miss out on without doing some very specific things, and as such I'd say it's worth considering looking at a recruitment guide. the drawback to THAT however is it can also spoil you on who joins. consider what matters more to you and make your choice, though I think ultimately you'll get more out of the game (and the writing) if you do recruit as many characters as you can.

if you like this, I recommend playing Final Fantasy Tactics or Devil Survivor: Overclocked. FFT and TO have so many similarities that there's no way you won't like it. DSO is a bit different, but it's a Shin Megami Tensei SRPG with similar combat, so I think it's worth checking out especially if you DO play SMT4 like you were thinking about.

ShadowHearts.webp
5. Shadow Hearts
a cult classic, horror themed jrpg. horror themed, since it isn't actually scary or anything. but the enemies and environments are all supernatural/cosmic or folkloreish in some sense. combat's turn based, but every action you take (including using items) has a timing component. there's a little ring that appears onscreen with a spinning arrow. if you stop the arrow in the correct spot, you'll land a hit/use an item/skill etc. if you miss, you miss, and if you land it in the very small critical area you'll have a much increased effect on anything you do. bit of a dark horse pick but the definition of a flawed gem, I think there's a lot to love in spite of some of its oddities. it's not really the Best at any one thing it does, but there's not a lot like it. just listen to that battle theme. I also recommend it because its direct sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant.. well it's a direct sequel. you kind of need both for the full effect, and Covenant is a fantastic game.

if you like this, I recommend Shadow Hearts: Covenant, obviously. it improves on pretty much everything presented here. please note, however, that Covenant picks up 6 months after Shadow Hearts' BAD ending. get whichever ending you want/end up with, but i'm letting you know for continuity's sake.
 
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if you quite literally have never played one before there's very few starts as good as Chrono Trigger, and SMT4 is a great first game for the franchise.

a disclaimer/tldr of sorts: rpgs are generally kinda beefy and nobody has all the time in the world. they're my favourite things ever but I'm not going to drop like 100 on you rn and be like PLAY THEM NOW. my real, ultimate answer that supersedes anything else you read here is play whatever catches your eye as soon as you feel like playing it. being a walking jrpg reference book is cool but absolutely not required, and I also think it's a more fun way to develop your taste/interest in the genre.

now, that being said. it might be kind of a boring answer but check out the things considered classics at first. CT, Final Fantasy 6/7, Earthbound, Dragon Quest III etc. aside from just being great games it'll also maybe help you appreciate later ones you play or help determine what you do/don't like in the genre. Xenosaga is one of my all timers, but if you play it and bounce off for any reason there's absolutely zero shame or w/e in going right to Xenoblade 1. despite what a vocal minority might make you think, it's how most people did it, and generally I think people who LOVED xenoblade are more likely to go back through Saga and Gears anyway since by that point you Have To Know more than you care about any initial hangups you had. yes it's a metaseries and yes there's easter eggs and all that fun stuff that comes with it, but Xenoblade 1-3 absolutely tell a complete story by their own merits. you should try Gears and Saga though, for sure.

anyway, here's my list. a mix of favourites and ones that i think are great, but also a good way to test out some styles/themes. i'll limit it maybe to 5 or so to go along with my "i'm not going to just tell you to play every game i like" and "please play what sticks out to YOU" rules

View attachment 2553
1. Final Fantasy 9
My personal favourite FF and one of the all time classics. Its combat is on the slower end (the ATB gauges fill very slowly compared to others in the series) but it has my favourite literally everything else. Lovable characters, a beautiful story and my favourite OST of any game in the series. i think it's the ideal jrpg, so I really don't have a lot to sell here aside from just saying that. it's a throwback to classic FF after 6/7/8 made substantial deviations in art direction, so playing it before those maybe makes you miss out on that development throughline, but it's nothing that can't be fixed by just playing one of those. as such,

if you liked this one, I recommend playing Final Fantasy 6 or 7. (6 being my second favourite in the series)

View attachment 2554
2. Valkyrie Profile (PS1)
There's two versions of this one, ps1 and psp (with the subtitle Lenneth). play the ps1 version. the psp one is based on the orignal JP version and is missing improvements made to the eng release of the game. there's some new cutscenes in Lenneth but they aren't worth the rest of the experience being lesser.
disclaimer aside, this is another of my all time favourites, but it's also very different from any other game I've mentioned in this longass post, so I think it's a good experimental game too. It's turn based, but your party is assigned to the face buttons on your controller and all take their turn simultaneously. you use different button combinations to create combos using your characters, and every character's moveset is unique which leads to a ton of possible party formats. there's really no other game with combat like it. beautiful spritework, bangin soundtrack.
as for the caveats: mostly minor I'd say, but to get the true ending you FOR SURE need to use a guide. do not believe anyone who says they didn't. I used one, and this is a very strong contender for my favourite game. the true ending requires you to do some stuff you'd absolutely never think to do under any circumstance.
the eng voice acting is cheesy as all hell which is something I personally do not consider a fault, but some people might.

if you like this one, I recommend immediately moving on to Valkyrie Profile 2. there are no substitutes (though Indivisible tried)

View attachment 2555
3. Octopath Traveler 2
The most Recently Released game on this list. you do not need to play 1 first, they aren't connected like that. 2's basically just a substantial improvement on 1 in all regards (imo) so if you play 1 afterwards, it might feel lacking. it's a traditional turn based game, but the "gimmick" is you've got 8 playable characters who can all interact with NPCs a different way. though some of these have the same function (such as Challenge and Ambush), they're separated by the day/night cycle. so during the day you may Inquire or Guide, but at night you'd use different characters to either Bribe or Befriend. doing so can get you items from most npcs you interact with, some of them being very strong weapons you can get early as a result. there's a whole lot going on with it, but in practice it's very simple. it's got a fun class system, a soundtrack that I would consider maybe the best of all time (seriously) and is kind of a big love letter to the genre entirely. as a result I think it's fantastic as both an entry point and an enthusiast game, certainly one of my favourites in recent years. the character's stories are also all just very good, characters like Castti and Oswald really stuck with me, and Oswald's theme transitioning into the boss theme quite literally brought tears to my eyes on a couple occasions. i cannot overstate how good the OST is, and it really isn't the same unless you hear it ingame due to how it's used. just trust me.

if you like this one, i recommend playing anything that has a class/job system. Final Fantasy 5, Bravely Default, things of that nature. but if you want to try something a bit different, then..

View attachment 2556
4. Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together
The SRPG entry on this list. idk if people really get finnicky about the definitions; I always kind of just put these and jrpgs together in the same little soup and as such I'm picking this one. there are several versions of this game, including Reborn, the most recent one, and there's a bunch of differences between them. instead of getting lost in the weeds I can break it down pretty easily for you: all of them are excellent, so the answer is "whichever one is easiest for you to get your hands on". I played the PSP version initially and that's the one that cemented it in my favourites catalogue, so don't think you're missing out if you can't grab Reborn. anyway, LUCT is a grid based tactical fantasy rpg with a large variety of classes to play with, and one of the most mature (in the classical sense, not blood and gore and edge) stories in the medium. choices you make alter it drastically and there are very, very few characters who are Just Evil. the enemy general using the generic Soldier sprite you just killed was Marius Renholdt, third son of his family, and the circumstances that brought you into conflict are tragic, but for the sake of your ideals you must continue.
the main downside is that there are a LOT of characters you can miss out on without doing some very specific things, and as such I'd say it's worth considering looking at a recruitment guide. the drawback to THAT however is it can also spoil you on who joins. consider what matters more to you and make your choice, though I think ultimately you'll get more out of the game (and the writing) if you do recruit as many characters as you can.

if you like this, I recommend playing Final Fantasy Tactics or Devil Survivor: Overclocked. FFT and TO have so many similarities that there's no way you won't like it. DSO is a bit different, but it's a Shin Megami Tensei SRPG with similar combat, so I think it's worth checking out especially if you DO play SMT4 like you were thinking about.

View attachment 2557
5. Shadow Hearts
a cult classic, horror themed jrpg. horror themed, since it isn't actually scary or anything. but the enemies and environments are all supernatural/cosmic or folkloreish in some sense. combat's turn based, but every action you take (including using items) has a timing component. there's a little ring that appears onscreen with a spinning arrow. if you stop the arrow in the correct spot, you'll land a hit/use an item/skill etc. if you miss, you miss, and if you land it in the very small critical area you'll have a much increased effect on anything you do. bit of a dark horse pick but the definition of a flawed gem, I think there's a lot to love in spite of some of its oddities. it's not really the Best at any one thing it does, but there's not a lot like it. just listen to that battle theme. I also recommend it because its direct sequel, Shadow Hearts: Covenant.. well it's a direct sequel. you kind of need both for the full effect, and Covenant is a fantastic game.

if you like this, I recommend Shadow Hearts: Covenant, obviously. it improves on pretty much everything presented here. please note, however, that Covenant picks up 6 months after Shadow Hearts' BAD ending. get whichever ending you want/end up with, but i'm letting you know for continuity's sake.
Holy shit, I never expected to get SO MUCH. Thank you, you are the best!!!

I appreciate it, really. I expected some recommendations and got a full-fledged guide. This list of 5 games is excellent and so helpful. Valkyrie Profile and the Octopath Traveler series had been sitting somewhere in my subconscious for a long time, but now that someone directly pointed it out, I think it's time for me to do something with it. I looove how Valkyrie Profile looks, especially the character design and the costumes. The artstyle of the second game is just too good, I can't tell you enough how much I love the colours.

Tactics Ogre is the game that I never seen before, but the box art........ I know nothing about the game itself, but the art is just impeccable and very moving for some reason.

Your Final Fantasy picks helped me too, because I was always interested in the series, but as a big purist and perfectionist, I tend to always start from the first game, and never pick up any titles before I finish older ones. But from what I learned, FF is a pretty non-linear game in its story, so I won't miss much.
--

Thank you for your reassuring, I will definitely start with the Chrono Trigger, and then take something from your list. I feel a strong connection with a few games from it, so I think my problem with finding a good place to start is solved, thanks to you.

Bless!!!
 
when i was typing it up initially I was gonna go with 10 games but figured that'd be a whole lot of text even for me, so i narrowed it down to 5 but included the "if you liked" parts which kind of just work out the same way anyway lol.

every FF is standalone aside from ones that are pretty explicitly direct sequels. like X/X-2 and XIII/XIII-2/Lightning Returns. most of them are pretty great, if you were to go all the way back and start at 1 I actually don't even think it's a bad idea, it's just a pretty big commitment and since they're not connected I just figured The Big Ones (basically 6-10) are all good places to start. 9/6/7 are my top 3 so I just put more emphasis on them.

glad I could be of some help, jrpgs are pretty much the reason I even got into video games to start with so I've spent a really, really stupid amount of time playing and analyzing them. pretty much any -RPG gets put on my radar.. except ARPGs tbh. aside from diablo 2 I'm not really keen on them. jrpgs, srpgs, drpgs, crpgs, that's my shit. give me all of them

Tactics Ogre is the game that I never seen before, but the box art........ I know nothing about the game itself, but the art is just impeccable and very moving for some reason.
that's because the art team was comprised of all-star talent. i also think the font and dramatic subtitle put in some work and make the actual image itself seem a lot more serious or meaningful if that makes sense? i'm not an artist I just really like looking at it.
 
scott hit most of the points i could but i'll add: play some pokemon if you haven't. there's this weird disconnect between the general jrpg fan crowd and the pokemon fan crowd that really shouldn't exist at all. those games are jrpgs and they're generally really good ones too

firered/leafgreen is probably what i'd suggest as a starting point, but you could just pick out whichever one. just know that the original red/blue/yellow are kinda rough and scarlet/violet run comically bad unless you're on a switch 2 lol
 
scott hit most of the points i could but i'll add: play some pokemon if you haven't. there's this weird disconnect between the general jrpg fan crowd and the pokemon fan crowd that really shouldn't exist at all. those games are jrpgs and they're generally really good ones too

firered/leafgreen is probably what i'd suggest as a starting point, but you could just pick out whichever one. just know that the original red/blue/yellow are kinda rough and scarlet/violet run comically bad unless you're on a switch 2 lol
Oh my god, because of your message, I remembered that I actually used to play one of the Pokemon games when I was a kid! It was too long ago, so I won't remember too many details. Based on my memory, I think it might be the exact title you just mentioned, all I can remember is Charizard as the box art and a similar colour palette.

I played it on my friend's PC with an emulator, it was lagging like crazy, but I would like to give it another try in a better environment, for sure. Thank you!
 
crab raises a good point because i am actually one of those people. the only one i can even remember playing was Ruby and it was definitely not to completion. couldn't tell you why. be better than me
 
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