20 JRPGs you must play

[ForceStealer]

Kotaku posted this article today. And more than that, when I wanted to ask people about Tales of Xillia, I was looking for a general JRPG thread and couldn't really find one except for some that Mog posted about his personal recommendations. Tales of Xillia still looks good to me....but FFXIV happened so that might have to wait. But let me know if any of you have played it.

You should really play all of these games. Presented in no particular order:

• Final Fantasy VI
  (Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance)P
  
  Part steampunk, part Star Wars, and 100% pretty goddamned awesome, FFVI is the best of the Final Fantasys and one of the first RPGs to show people that yes, video games can pack an emotional wallop. The adventures of Terra and Celes and their struggle against the demonic clown Kefka still hold up today, even if their animations are a little limited. Really, the constraints of 16-bit graphics leave a lot to the imagination, which is part of what makes Final Fantasy VI still shine today.P
  
• Illusion of Gaia
  (Super Nintendo)
  
  Back in the early 90s, a small company named Quintet released a handful of actiony RPGs for Nintendo systems. Many are very good—ActRaiser, Soul Blazer, Terranigma—but the highlight is Illusion of Gaia, a quirky romp in which you play a psychic boy named Will who has to travel across a skewed version of the real world, hacking his way through both fantasy tropes and actual landmarks like the Great Wall of China. Will's journey is satisfying and surprisingly touching, filled with little lines and moments that touch upon mortality and The Meaning Of Life.
  
  
• Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete
  (Sega Saturn, PlayStation)P
  
  No game has mastered the concept of traditional JRPG—a turn-based, music-heavy adventure filled with interesting people and places—quite like the Lunar series, created by the talented team at a Japanese studio called Game Arts. Eternal Blue is the best of the bunch, and although the hero, Hiro, can get a little grating, the game is warm and lovely and surprisingly genuine. Killer soundtrack, too.
  
• Ni no Kuni
  (PlayStation 3)
  
  If you look up the word "charming" in the dictionary, you will probably not find Ni no Kuni. I don't know why you thought a niche role-playing game would be mentioned in a dictionary. But Ni no Kuni is an excellent game nonetheless—a gorgeous, funny adventure that's essentially an explorable Miyazaki film. (Read my review.)
  
• Phantasy Star IV
  (Sega Genesis, PC (Steam))
  
  Back in the 90s, when Final Fantasy had exploded and JRPGs were almost as ubiquitous as first-person shooters are today, Sega offered up their own take: Phantasy Star, a sci-fi epic that would be to Star Wars what Dragon Quest was to Lord of the Rings. While some naysayers and Nintendo fanboys dismissed Sega's series as a bunch of knock-offs, people who actually played the Genesis RPGs were treated to some high-quality sci-fi RPG action. Phantasy Star IV in particular is a transcendent game with some great music and characters worthy of any JRPG.
  
  
• Chrono Trigger
  (Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, iOS, Android)P
  
  Look, you know all about Chrono Trigger. Time travel, talking frog swordsmen, Lavos, Lucca, mute Jesus protagonist, floating magic sky kingdom. If you've never played Chrono Trigger, try to keep your expectations in check—it's not gonna change your life—but it's still an excellent RPG.
  
• Persona 4
  (PlayStation 2, PlayStation Vita)
  
  Persona 4 is part high-school simulator and part dungeon-crawler, which sounds like a pretty boring combination until you play it and see what the fuss is all about. For the first few hours you might not get it, but when it hits you, you'll be writing Rise fan-fiction just like the rest of us. (Read our review.)15P
  
• Final Fantasy VII
  (PlayStation, PC)
  
  In this game you get to have a slap fight on a giant cannon.
  
• Xenogears
  (PlayStation, PS1 Classics)
  
  There are games that make sense, and then there is Xenogears, a sprawling epic about giant robots and religious mythology that somehow manages to be simultaneously poignant and incoherent. If you can look past some subpar dungeon design and excruciatingly slow text, you're in for a wonderful adventure about people fighting the odds—and giant robots—to save the world from what may or may not be God Himself.
  
• The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
  (PSP)
  
  One of the most interesting RPGs in the modern era has one of the most boring titles imaginable: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is far less generic than it sounds, I promise. It's quite lovely, in fact. There are airships and plot twists and funny little moments crafted quite well by the localization team at XSEED, who pulled out all the big guns for this one. Don't forget to talk to the treasure chests.23P
  
• Earthbound
  (Super Nintendo, Wii U)
  
  Yes, the recently-re-released cult classic is as good as everyone says it is. Yes, it's quirky and funny and full of memorable moments. No, it's not really about a fetus.P
  
• Radiant Historia
  (Nintendo DS)
  
  Something of a diversion for the Persona team at Atlus, Radiant Historia is like a Chrono Trigger for the modern age. You know—time travel, strategy-packed combat system, lots of melodrama. The works. It's pretty great.
  
• Lufia 2
  (Super Nintendo)
  
  JRPGs are, as a general rule, not very good at puzzles, but Lufia 2 rivals Zelda in its ability to surprise and challenge you with every dungeon. It's a great game, and it holds up well. Just watch out for the bugs—one or two levels of the game are so glitched out that they just appear as gibberish on the screen, and you've gotta walk in a straight line to get out.
  
• Suikoden II
  (PlayStation)
  
  Game of Thrones meets Pokémon, but really, better. Suikoden II's story is one of the most emotionally resonant I've found in a video game, and its "Oh, holy shit" moments are pretty much better than anyone else's "Oh, holy shit" moments. If you like stories about friendship and betrayal and all that jazz, this JRPG is for you.
  
• Super Mario RPG
  (Super Nintendo, Wii Virtual Console)
  
  How many RPGs let you play as Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom? Well, okay, a lot, at this point. But Super Mario RPG was the first and is still one of the best, and it's pretty much the only RPG with a weapon that lets Bowser throw Mario at people.
  
• Final Fantasy IX
  (PlayStation, PS1 Classics)
  
  Smart, clever, and remarkably well-written, the ninth Final Fantasy is a Shakespearean romp with more humor than you might expect from a game about a thief in love with a princess. The random encounter rate is way too high, but just about everything else makes up for that.
  
  
• Dragon Quest VIII
  (PlayStation 2)
  
  The best of the Dragon Quests is cel-shaded and goofy and full of charm. If you don't mind silly accents and a bit of level-grinding, you'll dig it.
  
• Final Fantasy Tactics
  (PlayStation, PSP, iOS, PS1 Classics)
  
  Video games have a penchant for glamorizing war, but in Final Fantasy Tactics, war is real and unpleasant (if you look past the fact that it's conducted by magicians in funny hats). FFT is a game full of death, betrayal, and bad news for all—well, unless you're the player, in which case you will love the hell out of the game's elegant job system and addictive grid-based combat.
  
• Kingdom Hearts II
  (PlayStation 2)
  
  Because if you don't worry much about the convoluted mess that Tetsuya Nomura calls a plot, jumping and slashing through Disney worlds is really quite fun.
  
• UPDATE: Whoops - this list only has 19 JRPGs. Stealth #20 addition: SECRET OF MANA, a Super Nintendo game about amnesiac sprites and giant chickens and superpowered swords. You can play it on the Wii's Virtual Console too.

I've played most of the heavy hitters on this list, but I still have to beat Chrono Trigger and Xenogears. Suikoden II (and Earthbound), however, I've never played and would like to one of these days.
Happy to see Phantasy Star IV on the list though, I love that game. It's a shame the franchise only exists in the "Phantasy Star Online" version now.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

My roommate's been playing Tales of Xillia for the last few weeks. If you dig the Tales game series, you'll definitely be enjoying yourself with it.



X

 

[Ⓐaron]

1. Final Fantasy VI: Completed. Strongly recommend (it's my favourite game of all time).
2. Illusion of Gaia: Haven't played.
3. Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete: Haven't played.
4. Ni no Kuni: Haven't even heard of.
5. Phantasy Star IV: Haven't played.
6. Chrono Trigger: Completed. Strongly recommend.
7. Persona 4: Haven't played.
8. Final Fantasy VII: Completed. Recommend.
9. Xenogears: Played, never finished. Still recommend (I do intend to finish it one of these days; it was one of the victims of my abandoning my PS2).
10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: Never played.
11. Earthbound: Finished, I think. If not I got very close. Strongly recommend despite some rather simplistic gameplay.
12. Radiant Historia: Never played.
13. Lufia 2: Played. I can't remember if I finished it. Regardless, recommend.
14. Suikoden II: Completed. Strongly recommend.
15. Super Mario RPG: Played. I can't remember if I finished it. Regardless, recommend.
16. Final Fantasy IX: Completed. Strongly recommend.
17. Dragon Quest VIII: Played, have yet to finish (as with Xenogears, I blame not having touched my PS2 in years). Regardless, recommend. I wouldn't call this "the best of the series" though. That honour probably goes to V.
18. Final Fantasy Tactics: I suck too much at this game to get past the first few battles. Everyone tells me it gets way better easier after that.
19. Kingdom Hearts II: Haven't played.
20. Secret of Mana: Completed. Strongly recommend.

Pretty good list.

 

[Abortedj]

Only 3 games on that list I haven't played.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

I have completed Xenogears... It's probably one of the best examples of how time constraints and budgets can wreck what would have been an awesome game. To be blunt, the first disk is amazing, be sure to keep a save on it where you can access the world map. The second disk? it's even more linear then FFXIII is, but instead of being able to at least walk from place to place, you have to sit through tones and tones of text monologues with the occasional dungeon crawl and boss fight thrown in, which is a shame as the story is great.

Okay, I guess I should get around to doing FF Tactics as I actually have the emulator/iso for it...

 

[ForceStealer]

My roommate's been playing Tales of Xillia for the last few weeks. If you dig the Tales game series, you'll definitely be enjoying yourself with it.

I've never played any Tales game

 

[Ⓐaron]

I have completed Xenogears... It's probably one of the best examples of how time constraints and budgets can wreck what would have been an awesome game. To be blunt, the first disk is amazing, be sure to keep a save on it where you can access the world map. The second disk? it's even more linear then FFXIII is, but instead of being able to at least walk from place to place, you have to sit through tones and tones of text monologues with the occasional dungeon crawl and boss fight thrown in, which is a shame as the story is great.

I had a similar reaction to Chrono Cross. It's not that linear, but there are great swathes of story that were just completely cut out of the game and reduced to expo-speak. It's really annoying, because the game could have been a start-to-finish masterpiece, and it's so frustrating that the end of the game doesn't live up to the standard established by the beginning of it.

 

[jazzflower92]

They should put Pokémon along with the other RPG games because I think over the years they have gotten better with making really good plots especially in Pokémon Black and White. I admit Pokémon is probably the only video games I really buy.

 

[Obsidian Fire]

Pokemon is not an RPG in the traditional sense; it's a collection game...

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I've played most on Kotaku's list and generally agree with it. Have to echo Aaron, though, DQV should be on there over VIII.

 

[Abortedj]

Dragon Quest VIII: Played, have yet to finish (as with Xenogears, I blame not having touched my PS2 in years). Regardless, recommend. I wouldn't call this "the best of the series" though. That honour probably goes to V.

8 is the best of the post 8-bit Dragon Quests. The best overall I give to 4.

 

[Lex]

I've never thought twice about Dragon Quest, but it's always mentioned absolutely everywhere. What's it about? Were any of them ever released in Europe?

 

[Ⓐaron]

What's any RPG about? It's about saving the world from an evil villain. I think DQVIII was released in Europe. Not sure about any of the others. Some of the more recent re-releases probably were.

 

[Abortedj]

I've never thought twice about Dragon Quest, but it's always mentioned absolutely everywhere. What's it about? Were any of them ever released in Europe?

I know 4, 5, and 6 got DS re-releases that came out in Europe from 2008 to 2009. 1, 2, and 3 got GBC releases, but they are a bit hard to find anymore. The real pain in the ass is 7, came out at the end of the PS1 era in very limited numbers. I am still hunting for a copy of 7.

 

[Ⓐaron]

I think they're planning to remake VII like they've done I-VI, so hopefully in a few years it'll become more widely available again.

 

[Abortedj]

I think they're planning to remake VII like they've done I-VI, so hopefully in a few years it'll become more widely available again.

The 3ds remake of it has been out in Japan since February. So far not a word about an international release. This both saddens and angers me. I just want to own a copy of it, don't care for what system.

 

[Farron]

Going to copy Tyrion Lannister with this.

Final Fantasy VI: Completed. It's on my Top Five Final Fantasy games list.

Illusion of Gaia: I have heard of this but haven't gotten around to playing


Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete: Again heard of this, but haven't played.

Ni no Kuni: The battle system put me off I'm sorry, which is a shame because it has amazing Studio Ghibi art

Phantasy Star IV: Got it on my PSP with a Sega Games Collection it's fun, not the best JRPG but it's pretty awesome.

Chrono Trigger: Completed one of the best if not one of the best games Square has ever created, if you haven't played it then you must right now.

Persona 4: It's looks interesting but haven't played it. I have to buy it online since my country doesn't sell it which is a huge pain.

Final Fantasy VII: Completed. Must own recommendation

Xenogears: Again heard of it but haven't played.

The Legend of Heroes: Never heard of it.

Earthbound: I may get some hate for this one but I have played it but I didn't like it, it had a rather strange battle system. I didn't like Mother 3 either. I don't think that it's bad, just not my personal cup of tea.

Radiant Historia: I want to play this so bad but I can't seem to find a copy of it anywhere and it's killing me.

Lufia 2: Again want to play it

Suikoden II: Heard of it, haven't played it yet.

Super Mario RPG: Ouch again, didn't like. Then again I'm not a strong Mario lover unless Luigi is involved with his Ghost Busters type games.

Final Fantasy IX: Completed. Again one of the best Final Fantasy games.

Dragon Quest VIII: I'm not too big on the DQ games I'm sorry. Wow this list is making me feel like a Black Sheep when it comes to JRPG tastes.

Final Fantasy Tactics: Hated it. Can't understand why this is so loved I'm sorry.

Kingdom Hearts II: I liked it back in 2006 when I was little but now that I'm much older it does feel a bit childish at times and a bit too easy. Though it's not awful, just enjoyed Drop Dream Distance so much more and Birth By Sleep.

Secret of Mana: Starting playing this a few months ago and then got distracted by real life, must get back into this.

Nice list though don't agree with all of it. I would replace Kingdom Hearts II with Dream Distance, take out Tactics completely, add in some Tales Of games, add in Fire Emblem games including the very excellent Awaking game, the sadly very underated Last Story, Pandora Tower, Resonance of Fate and Arc Rise Fantasia minus the terrible, terrible English voice dubs

 

[Drax]

Illusion of Gaia I own and have beaten several times, but I really want to find Soul Blazer. IoG has some very creepy moments, just from how quiet it is.

Yes, Suikoden 2 is great, but people should stop charging $150 for it used on ebay and let people play it.

I would add the Dark Clouds, Skies of Arcadia, Grandia 1, and the Xenosaga trilogy to the list. Play Xenogears first to get the maximum cameo references in 'Saga. I hear good things about Breath of Fire 3, but 4 is all I've been able to finish for now.

I like Tales of Destiny but just for the characters,

Spoiler

the story gets very trite.

I still want that remake translated, it buffs out and pads some things, essentially playing like the more polished Tales of Symphonia.

And then finally Valkyria Chronicles, but that may be in the SRPG category.

 

[Octo]

1. Final Fantasy VI: Played, couldn't get into needs a remake where you can move diagonally IMHO
   
2. Illusion of Gaia: Played and enjoyed, bit weird in places
   Spoiler

   Pig suicide
   Not as emotionally effecting as Terranigma though.
   
3. Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete: Not heard of this one.
   
4. Ni no Kuni: I rented this a while back, but only got 20 mins in because of babnog, it's on my list to play when shes gone to university
   
5. Phantasy Star IV: I have played this on an emulator a while back, don't remember all that much about it except I got stuck. One to revisit one day.
   
6. Chrono Trigger: Played, enjoyed but never completed.
   
7. Persona 4: Not played, Persona 3 is languishing in a drawer somewhere. Couldn't get into it. Dunno if Persona 4 will be much different.
   
8. Final Fantasy VII: Played, enjoyed, "flawed masterpiece" springs to mind
   
9. Xenogears: Played, enjoyed but it was a bugger to get working on an emulator and then my comp at the time died. Due a revisit.
   
10. The Legend of Heroes: Not heard of this one.
    
11. Earthbound: Played Mother 3, which was one of the weirdest games I've played. Curious to see what it's prequel is like.
    
12. Radiant Historia: Not heard of this.
    
13. Lufia 2: Heard of this, if the puzzles rival Zelda then I definitely want to check it out. Lack of good puzzles has always been a problem with me and JRPGs
    
14. Suikoden II: Heard of it, but it's never appealed to me for some reason.
    
15. Super Mario RPG: Tried but couldn't get into it.
    
16. Final Fantasy IX: Played, enjoyed. Favourite FF after VII.
    
17. Dragon Quest VIII: Played, enjoyed but never completed. Can't stand Akira Toriyama'S artwork.
    
18. Final Fantasy Tactics: Never played. I don't really enjoy the battle elements of FF games and from what I can tell this seemed to be nothing but battles/strategy.
    
19. Kingdom Hearts II: Goofy and Donald Duck and Sephiroth? Sorry but the premise is and was far too stupid for me to enjoy. Maybe I'll pick it up 2nd hand some day.......
    
20. Secret of Mana: Played, enjoyed. One of the first games that made me do a cry at the end. Very deserving of a remake.

I've stolen Aarons font

 

[HylianMogget]

Looks like a pretty solid list (despite the glaring lack of Skies of Arcadia, of course ), I've played a bit less than half of the games, but the only game I hadn't heard of at all was The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. I would've also maybe added SMT: Nocturne - it might not be as accessible as the Persona games but for what it is it's pretty much perfect. I'd also probably go with The World Ends With You over Radiant Historia as far as DS JRPGs, go, especially since TWEWY breaks away from the medieval-esque fantasy setting. RH, from what I've played of it, is good but not something I'd put on a shortlist of essential JRPGs. I was pretty surprised at the lack of any game from the Tales series, too.

 

[Abortedj]

1. Final Fantasy VI: Completed. Very good, but 4 should be here instead really.
2. Illusion of Gaia: Completed. Came out the same time as FF6, very good action RPG. Worth playing, but translation is a bit spotty.
3. Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete: Completed. Favorite of the various versions of this game. You can get an easier version of it on PSP that looks really nice, but the PS1 version is really the way to go.
4. Ni no Kuni: Haven't played it. Looks interesting.
5. Phantasy Star IV: Completed. Might be the best RPG on the Genesis/MegaDrive. Not that it had much competition. Easy to find, as it is on the Sonic Mega Collection for PS3/Xbox360.
6. Chrono Trigger: Completed. Might just be the third best RPG on the SNES. Kind of required playing for any RPG fan.
7. Persona 4: Haven't played. Never played any Persona game for that matter. Want to.
8. Final Fantasy VII: Completed. This was the beginning of the end. Worth playing.
9. Xenogears: Completed. The game that FF7 should of been. Great and very interesting game. You can tell they ran out of money toward the end as it turns in to "wall of text, boss fight, repeat".
10. The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky: Completed. Not really sure why it is here. It is fun, but nothing really special.
11. Earthbound: Completed. Tied for my number one of 16-bit RPGs. No other RPG is quite like it. Playing it for the first time is akin watching Metropolis for the first time.
12. Radiant Historia: Played/playing, but not done yet. Interesting use of time travel and multiverse ideas.
13. Lufia 2: Completed. The other game tied for my number one 16-bit slot. It took ideas and mechanics from a lot of games and made something greater than the sum of its parts.
14. Suikoden II: Completed. Meh, not bad, but better can be found on the PS1.
15. Super Mario RPG: Completed. The ultimate starter RPG.
16. Final Fantasy IX: Completed. The last truly great Final Fantasy.
17. Dragon Quest VIII: Completed. One of the few modern(ish) RPGs I have played through more than once. Might just be the best RPG on the PS2, but it does have some stiff competition.
18. Final Fantasy Tactics: Completed. Like it better the first time I played it when it was called Tactics Ogre.
19. Kingdom Hearts II: Completed. Fun, and interesting. Not for everyone.
20. Secret of Mana: Completed. This was magical when I first played it. The translation is pretty bad, but the gameplay is superb. The graphics and sound are both great. One does wonder what this could of been on the SNES CD, as it was originally being made for that.

 

[Kermitu Kleric Katie]

Where the hell are the Pokemon games on this list?

I'll be honest, the only JRPGs I've played are the FF games, the Pokemon games, The Mother games, the Kingdom Hearts games, and a few of the Fire Emblem games.

 

[Lex]

Valkyria Chronicles is really sadly overlooked in the west, I can't gush enough about that game but it's too late now. I think they should have advertised it a lot more, I picked it up for £4 because I liked the look of the cover, having no idea what it was about and found one of the best strategy games I've ever played. And it's on the PS3. Why can't I make more people play this game >.< EVERYBODY PLAY IT

Also Skies of Arcadia <3

Both Sega games actually. They do know how to make fun games. I like that Vyse and Aika show up in Valkyria Chronicles.

 

[Drax]

They're wanting to make an HD version of Arcadia at some point (since 2012 anyway)

Fun fact: My first encounter with Valkyria Chronicles was a youtube video showing

Spoiler

(the big spoiler plot point you know what I'm talking about)

and I was hooked immediately. Of course this was also the time the game went through a shortage which caused me great suffering as it took some months to restock.

Speaking of Sega, Shenmue's an RPG right?

 

[Abortedj]

Valkyria Chronicles is really sadly overlooked in the west,

Couldn't agree with you more on this. Got that like a week after my PS3, still my favorite game on the console. However, I really don't think that Strategy/Tactical RPG should be on a list with pure RPGs. There really is a huge difference between how you play the two.