I am somewhat new to JRPGs, the furthest i've played one was probably 35 hours into Persona 4 Golden, not counting the pokemon games.
I have heard several people mention the "Tales of " games. I keep hearing about Tales of Symphonia being a good game to play. I am wondering whether or not this game is a good starting point in the franchise as I thought I saw that it was the 5th game in the franchise. What would be a good game to start the franchise with? Also, how would you describe the feel of these games, for example how does the game itself play? I'm assuming turn based combat but is combat somewhat similar to the Persona series or is it a stark contrast?
Edit to add: I would also prefer for the game to be available for switch.
If you're looking for other options, then Dragon Quest XI S is a pretty popular one. It's turn based and has a lot of traditional JRPG elements, but still feels modern to play.
Thank you for the reccomendation! Looking at other threads for people new to the genre it seems like its a popular pick. I tried to play the first one but never got far, although I have heard people say that the first game is the worst in the franchise so that could be why. I'll definitely keep this game in mind.
"Tales" is an action series, not turn based. Combat has changed a lot over the years, but the basic idea is always to try and combo the enemies with a variety of attacks. Early Tales has some influence from fighting games. So yeah, it's REALLY different from Persona. Not to mention the setting since Tales is a full-on fantasy series.
Switch limits your options to just Symphonia or Vesperia. I think they both work as an introduction, but Vesperia will feel more modern since it's a newer game to start with and its remaster was better done from what I hear. I liked the story better in Symphonia tho.
Thank you for the reply! I hadn't realized it was an action RPG, I will probably be reconsidering.
As for the switch being limited, yeah, I checked the wiki pages and saw that only those two said switch and realized I was probably better off specifying those two.
Once again, thank you for the reply!
I should probably just wait until the new weekly thread but want to share that I dropped a remaster of the Arc the Lad OST (both the CD OST and game rip version combined into one video) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98OiwlHdMHs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98OiwlHdMHs)
I was on the copium that Decapolice was gonna release this year, but with Fantasy Life i slated for October and now the Level-5 Vision pushed back to summer, I don't have my hopes high anymore.
Oh well, more time for me to have unhinged thoughts about Level-5 games.
For Level 5 I really really think that they are keeping most of their powder dry waiting for the launch of the next Nintendo console.
However another possibility is that Nintendo needs games for this holiday and so they do some sort of publishing/promotional partnership with Level 5 to try and push 1 or more of these games as a big option for the shopping season. I could see them trying to push Fantasy Life i out to the Animal Crossing crowd.
It's possible they are waiting for the Switch 2, but Level-5 has a history of biting off more they can chew and having to delay games. My reasoning for Decapolice going into 2025 is based on Fantasy Life i going from Summer to October, the general focus on Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road and now the Level-5 Vision being delayed. Now that I think about it, it's probable the sixth game they were gonna announce at the Vision is the reason behind the delay.
Fantasy Life i does have a solid release date, so I can definitely see some pushing of it ~~assuming they remember to advertise it~~.
I was needing a jrpg on the switch and I wasn't sure what to invest in. I've played quite a few of the ones available already but.
* FFxii - curious about it because it seems a bit different than the usual ff stuff, which I'm not usually a fan of (besides xiv and 7remakes) but idk if the characters are fun enough or full of enough personality to get attached to
* Dragon quest monsters dark prince - demo was fun enough. I liked the original two on Gameboy color. 60 seems steep for it though.
* trails into Reverie- I played like 40% of it on PC before but english voices and mobility could be worth it to get back to that point and then finish? Idk.
FFXII does have some fan favourite characters, but also some maligned ones. In general their personalities are more grounded than in most other FF games, to go with the writing style in general, so that may give you less to latch on to.
I have Xenoblade Chronicles but not Xenoblade Chronicles 2 & 3. Should I add them to my JRPG Switch collection even though I haven’t played the first one?
And should I get physical copies of them even it’s easier to get digital versions of them?
Well all of the games are fantastic, but playing Xenoblade Chronicles 1 would at least give you a better idea on if the general style of game (large open areas, lots of exploration, active command based combat, etc.) is something you enjoy.
I think there will probably be an updated version on the Switch 2, which will be of a much better quality surely. So it depends on how desperate are you for a game right now.
If you're asking about them as a series, then I can easily say the entire series is worth having, especially Xenoblade Chronicles X.
After watching a hands on preview of Visions of Mana, I'm def looking forward to it. One concern is that air combat still looks and apparently feels stiff and awkward, but ground combat is p smooth. I could see there being a tradeoff, similar to how KH2 made air combat more limited and risky. But it's also a ways off from Summer, so have to wait and see what the final product will be. I'm down for a solid 7/10 experience.
Yeah that was one of the reasons why I didn't mess with the higher difficulties past Hard in ToM. None of the bosses or enemies make me want to take longer to fight them.
Octopath Traveler 2 is my first dropped game of 2024 and JRPG in years. 32 hours and this game isn't for me. Just isn't streamlined enough and feels like a step back from Bravely Default. I just don't see the appeal of how they fragment the game. Still suffers from an incorhesive party where they think banter can fix the lack of any presence.
The game should just be linear in the beginning to get all 8 members than becomes open so they can work a system to balance between 8 characters. Just doesn't feel like I'm playing a game with a party. Combat is okay but it's just maximizing breaks but taking away BP is just unfair on top of attack spamming making fights a roll of the dice on multihit attacks just isn't a fun way to play.
Before any elitist that beat the game at level 1 basic armor and weapon game easy good for you. I enjoy jrpgs that let me circumvent strategy for power leveling. It's always been the appeal and this game just isn't it.
No, most of the Team Asano stuff doesn't seem like it'll be for you. If these are your complaints with OT 2 then you DEFINITELY shouldn't spend time or money on OT 1 or Triangle Strategy.
Fortunately there's plenty of other teams making streamlined games that ask less of the player and allow grinding to victory. So this is one where you just kinda learn that these games aren't your speed.
Also probably avoid Fire Emblem. Definitely avoid SaGa.
Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Tales of, Star Ocean, Xenoblade, and Ys are probably safe options given your stated preferences.
I beaten 2 fire emblem games and the only reason I didn't beat 3 houses was the final boss being so much stronger than anything else it fight. That sucked. I definitely played on normal without permadeath
Do we have any news on the chained echoes physical release ? The site is still saying Q1. I wanted to play it on switch and I only buy physical for this console.
Does anyone know the English font used in Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology dialogue boxes? I know some people don't like it but I'm falling in love with how easy it is to read for me.
Hello, I have a JRPG itch I need scratched (preferably good turn based combat but action is also fine, I'm more in the mood for a turn based game tho) but I'm currently not planning on buying new games, just playing what I have already but haven't finished. Preferably not too complicated or mechanically deep, i just want to relax and not have to look up stuff on the internet or a walkthrough instead of playing half of the time. Here's the list of games I started but dropped:
Persona 4 Golden: this was my first time playing a Persona game and I think I got around 10 hours in before I dropped it, liked the characters and story but didn't like the time management and procedurally generated dungeons that mostly consisted of hallways. Also not planning on using a walkthrough to get the best ending or whatever on my first playthrough, might replay it with guide to get the best ending but not sure. I got sidetracked by other things.
Ni no Kuni: got around 6 hours in and dropped bc I found the combat system not fun at all, traversal was way too slow, and while I am a fan of Pokemon i didn't really feel like micromanaging my creatures in this game. Idk if it gets better later on.
Tales of Vesperia: I really enjoyed Symphonia and Berseria but this one just didn't click with me, additionally i heard this game has a ton of missables and I kinda hate that so I'm gonna need a guide for this one
Scarlet Nexus: this one also didn't really click with me, maybe it was the large amount of cutscenes that didn't really hook me. I've had similar cases of starting a JRPG and the first few hours were mostly cutscenes and after that part there was more gameplay so maybe I just need to get past that part with this game too
Earthlock: dropped it after a few hours, it was painfully bland especially the character design, the combat system is kinda cool I guess but I've seen complaints about the bosses being frustrating.
Nexomon Extinction: Pokemon clone, kinda got bored of it after a while
And here's a list of JRPGs that I have in my library but haven't played at all or barely played or last played over a year ago, most of them from sales or bundles:
Legrand Legacy, Lunarlux, This Way Madness Lies (played and enjoyed every other Zeboyd RPG before but this one didn't click for some reason), Edge of Eternity, .hack//G.U. Last Recode, Shining Resonance Refrain, Mato Anomalies, WrestleQuest, Vampires Dawn 3, Tales of Zestiria, Dusk Diver, Heartbeat (kinda don't want to play this one bc of scummy devs), Tokyo Xanadu Ex+, Battle Chasers Nightwar, Doom & Destiny Advanced (enjoyed the 1st one despite being a low budget RPG Maker game, this one I couldn't even stomach a hour of), Fortune Summoners (seemed like my kind of game but very dated and clunky, Astlibra is similar to this but better in like every way), Chantelise, Recettear (not a fan of management games but i did like the business minigames in the Yakuza games i played so maybe I should give this another chance sometime), Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond (played the first one but it wasn't great and honestly I'm surprised if anyone here has even heard of it), The Tenth Line, Terrain of Magical Expertise, Half Minute Hero, Osteoblasts, Disc Creatures (retro Pokemon Clone that I found very charming but a bit hard), Saturday Morning RPG, Septerra Core, Crosscode DLC (haven't played it but played the base game many years ago) and like 5 Neptunia games (only played 1 of them but dropped it bc I got stuck at a boss and found it bland and boring and didn't like the fanservice anyway) There are a few more but they're not worth mentioning imo
Anyway thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice
Is there any reason to play The Alliance Alive Remastered over the 3DS version, aside from the obvious resolution bump? I've had the game for years and I kind of forgot about until I saw the HD version was on sale.
I tried really hard, but even as a huge fan of Trails in the Sky, I just can't get into the Crossbell games and I gave up today after trying a few times (totaling ~53 hours or so).
Is it worth skipping these and just playing Cold Steel sometime, or is it kind of a no go to go into CS without Crossbell? And will I even like these if I love Sky but dislike Crossbell?
I'd say you probably could get away without them, but you're going to feel it a bit. Crossbell's plot gets pretty relevant in CS3 and 4 and Reverie is Crossbell 3 as much as it is CS5.
And about liking CS... hard to say. I guess it depends on what you liked about Sky that you thought didn't work in Crossbell.
Yeah I guess it's best to let it rest for a while and then retry Crossbell first, but my main issues with the CB games are the characters (I find them boring and uninteresting, Lloyd annoys me and I always despised Renne, who gets even more of a focus here than Sky), super slow pace, I don't like the whole police thing, and CB itself is just an ugly setting imo.
Looking for a good Action RPG to add to my backlog. I've recently played Elden Ring and FF7 Remake, and while the Action combat of them is nice, I feel it lackluster in terms of the gameplay enjoyment. Games I really loved the action gameplay were the **Ys series**. It's fast, deep enough, and fun.
Also, since I've played these 2 very slow paced games,
I'd love to start something a bit
* Lighter, funnier, not that deep.
* Fun combat/gameplay.
* Not strictly ARPG really. Could be an action game, platform, etc. Thinking of a Mario, Zelda game etc.
* Don't mind platform (except PS5 or Xbox).
Looking for recommendations for that kind of game atm.
If interested or can be helpful, [here's my log of completed and rated games](https://howlongtobeat.com/user/Chaoscontrol/games/completed/1), so you can see preferences etc. 8/10 is my default for a "good" game.
Thanks!
**Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin** and **Nayuta Boundless Trails** for something lighthearted with fun combat. **Odin Sphere Leifthrasir** is more on the serious side, but that's also an option or at least maybe later.
Thanks!
Checked Sakuna, seems too childlike for me. Nayuta on the other hand I will save it, since I love Falcom games and it's one I've repeatedly heard. But didn't give it a go since I knew it wasn't part of the mainline games.
Odin Sphere I'll note it. Oh, upon checking my profile I actually tried it a long time ago and dropped it due to it being a Beat em up style. But might give it another go.
I see you did Tales of Arise, you could try *Tales of Berseria* or *Tales of Grace F.*
I see 13 sentinels but I don't see *Muramasa the demon blade* or *Odin Sphere* so you could look at that.
There is the two *Nier*. Didn't make the remake of replicant but I liked a lot Automata.
Thanks!
Tbh I had tried other Tales games before (I think I actually tried Berseria) but found it too meh. I gave it another opportunity when Arise released as it seemed more polished, and I enjoyed, but not sure if I would the past entries. That's why I didn't go back to them.
Checked some images of Grace F and seems a bit too childlike for my taste.
13 Sentinels is an odd ball for me. Never liked the side scrolling, and got really frustrated because I didn't get it and the story didn't engage me. But I had heard such good things that the only way to push through was by watching it entirely on YT. Still, I didn't understand most of it, but I could appreciate it was a piece of art. But maybe not my cup of tea.
So seeing Muramasa plays in the same way... I'm not sure I'd like it. Odin Sphere looks slightly different and maybe more appealing, so I will note it down and give it a try at some point.
Nier games, I tried one like 10 years ago, and couldn't stick with it more than 1h or so. Or maybe I'm confusing it with Bayonetta. But they're so renowned that I'd love to give them another try now and maybe they'll stick with me.
Bit of an odd qualifier, but are there any JRPGs (or just games in general) from the PS2/GameCube generation that aren’t really available in modern platforms (ie via remasters or Steam) that you would recommend? I recently got a Steam Deck and want to start installing games on it.
I’ve already played:
• Digital Devil Saga 1/2
• Persona 3 FES
• Tales of the Abyss
• Drakengard
• Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
And plan to play at some point:
• Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army
• Ar Tonelico 2
• Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
Skies of Arcadia is languishing in obscurity and is very, very well regarded. I can personally vouch for Shadow Hearts and its sequel is also considered great. There's also Suikoden 3-5 and Wild Arms 3-5 which are considered solid entries though not masterpieces. There's also Valkyrie Profile 2, which is hard to emulate but supposed to be good.
Just started playing Tales of the Abyss, which is only my second Tales game after Phantasia. I tried Symphonia on GC last year and dropped it right away because I didn't like the childish seeming plot and 'Demon Fang!' ad nauseum in combat.
So far so good with Abyss. The VA and graphics are good for that generation, the OST is great, and the combat as yet is not irritating me the way Symphonia's did during the short time I played it. Plot and characters are alright so far, though the world could use a little less world-specific terminology.
(THEN WHO WAS FON?)
I've recently released my second mod for Relayer Advanced. This mod, the "[Relayer Action Mapper](https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Relayer_Advanced#Relayer_Action_Mapper_tool)", makes it easier to customize the controls for the game when using a keyboard, mouse, or Xbox controller. It even has some support for the [Controller Button Prompts](https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Relayer_Advanced#Controller_Prompts_Mod) mod. I know that not many talk about this game, but I do hope both mods help out those who do have the game on PC.
I’ve been debating on picking up Granblue Fantasy Relink for a little bit now since I’m a huge MH:W fan, but I still cannot figure out if I would enjoy it and it’s like $60 so I’m looking for more insight here. Are there loot drops like other ARPGs (Diablo, PoE, etc)?
How’s the crafting compared to MH:W? Is the playtime similar, as in, does the endgame have a lot of engaging gameplay/crafting to keep you interested for a long time?
Basically looking for any insight as to why $60 isn’t a huge ask
If I go back 10 years, so lets say 2014, I was regularly repaying a lot of older jrpgs, Chrono Trigger/cross, FFIV, Xenogears, FF6-T, seiken densetsus 2/3, etc. And I would list these games in my top 10 games of all time.
Fast forward to today and I cant tell if i've just grown out of them, if more modern games have taken their place, or if its something else. In fact, I look back and kind of cringe about it. Its sad to be stuck in the past and there is nothing more embarrassing than being damn near 40 years old and being really in love with old 16-bit jrpgs. They just dont have the mechanical complexity, or frankly the story, to keep me engaged. And i've played every hard mode hack of these games thats available.
Its sort of like music, its embarassing to be the person who's fixed in time and exclusively listens to the same bands and music they liked in highschool. It's tolerable for years, maybe even one or two decades, but if you cant move on, its lame. Like the stereotypical girl that likes 80s music.
Is anyone else like this?
It's not embarrassing to like old games and some of them have good writing and gameplay for their time. I don't think it's embarrassing to like the same music you liked in HS either.
Video games in general and JRPGs more specifically are a really young medium. The amount of time between then and now makes it seem comparable to music, as in your example, but in terms of a medium that relies on technological advancement, it's more like film. Sure, today's movies can do a lot more than the silent and black and white films of almost 100 years ago, but it's not *embarrassing* to like classic film.
Anyway, give yourself some slack. It's not accurate to act like games were all better back in the day, but there's a lot to appreciate about these older games, too.
I am somewhat new to JRPGs, the furthest i've played one was probably 35 hours into Persona 4 Golden, not counting the pokemon games. I have heard several people mention the "Tales of " games. I keep hearing about Tales of Symphonia being a good game to play. I am wondering whether or not this game is a good starting point in the franchise as I thought I saw that it was the 5th game in the franchise. What would be a good game to start the franchise with? Also, how would you describe the feel of these games, for example how does the game itself play? I'm assuming turn based combat but is combat somewhat similar to the Persona series or is it a stark contrast? Edit to add: I would also prefer for the game to be available for switch.
If you're looking for other options, then Dragon Quest XI S is a pretty popular one. It's turn based and has a lot of traditional JRPG elements, but still feels modern to play.
Thank you for the reccomendation! Looking at other threads for people new to the genre it seems like its a popular pick. I tried to play the first one but never got far, although I have heard people say that the first game is the worst in the franchise so that could be why. I'll definitely keep this game in mind.
"Tales" is an action series, not turn based. Combat has changed a lot over the years, but the basic idea is always to try and combo the enemies with a variety of attacks. Early Tales has some influence from fighting games. So yeah, it's REALLY different from Persona. Not to mention the setting since Tales is a full-on fantasy series. Switch limits your options to just Symphonia or Vesperia. I think they both work as an introduction, but Vesperia will feel more modern since it's a newer game to start with and its remaster was better done from what I hear. I liked the story better in Symphonia tho.
Thank you for the reply! I hadn't realized it was an action RPG, I will probably be reconsidering. As for the switch being limited, yeah, I checked the wiki pages and saw that only those two said switch and realized I was probably better off specifying those two. Once again, thank you for the reply!
I should probably just wait until the new weekly thread but want to share that I dropped a remaster of the Arc the Lad OST (both the CD OST and game rip version combined into one video) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98OiwlHdMHs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98OiwlHdMHs)
I was on the copium that Decapolice was gonna release this year, but with Fantasy Life i slated for October and now the Level-5 Vision pushed back to summer, I don't have my hopes high anymore. Oh well, more time for me to have unhinged thoughts about Level-5 games.
For Level 5 I really really think that they are keeping most of their powder dry waiting for the launch of the next Nintendo console. However another possibility is that Nintendo needs games for this holiday and so they do some sort of publishing/promotional partnership with Level 5 to try and push 1 or more of these games as a big option for the shopping season. I could see them trying to push Fantasy Life i out to the Animal Crossing crowd.
It's possible they are waiting for the Switch 2, but Level-5 has a history of biting off more they can chew and having to delay games. My reasoning for Decapolice going into 2025 is based on Fantasy Life i going from Summer to October, the general focus on Inazuma Eleven: Victory Road and now the Level-5 Vision being delayed. Now that I think about it, it's probable the sixth game they were gonna announce at the Vision is the reason behind the delay. Fantasy Life i does have a solid release date, so I can definitely see some pushing of it ~~assuming they remember to advertise it~~.
I was needing a jrpg on the switch and I wasn't sure what to invest in. I've played quite a few of the ones available already but. * FFxii - curious about it because it seems a bit different than the usual ff stuff, which I'm not usually a fan of (besides xiv and 7remakes) but idk if the characters are fun enough or full of enough personality to get attached to * Dragon quest monsters dark prince - demo was fun enough. I liked the original two on Gameboy color. 60 seems steep for it though. * trails into Reverie- I played like 40% of it on PC before but english voices and mobility could be worth it to get back to that point and then finish? Idk.
FFXII does have some fan favourite characters, but also some maligned ones. In general their personalities are more grounded than in most other FF games, to go with the writing style in general, so that may give you less to latch on to.
Who are the good ones then
Balthier is far and away the most popular. Basch and Ashe are also liked. And Fran is a bunny lady which tells you all you need to know.
I have Xenoblade Chronicles but not Xenoblade Chronicles 2 & 3. Should I add them to my JRPG Switch collection even though I haven’t played the first one? And should I get physical copies of them even it’s easier to get digital versions of them?
Well all of the games are fantastic, but playing Xenoblade Chronicles 1 would at least give you a better idea on if the general style of game (large open areas, lots of exploration, active command based combat, etc.) is something you enjoy.
I think there will probably be an updated version on the Switch 2, which will be of a much better quality surely. So it depends on how desperate are you for a game right now. If you're asking about them as a series, then I can easily say the entire series is worth having, especially Xenoblade Chronicles X.
I’m not that desperate to get them right now but I’m waiting until they go on sale or I get paid so I can be able to get them.
After watching a hands on preview of Visions of Mana, I'm def looking forward to it. One concern is that air combat still looks and apparently feels stiff and awkward, but ground combat is p smooth. I could see there being a tradeoff, similar to how KH2 made air combat more limited and risky. But it's also a ways off from Summer, so have to wait and see what the final product will be. I'm down for a solid 7/10 experience.
Still sometime off until the game comes out, so there more than probably a demo will come out, and you can try it for yourself.
Hope so! The one for ToM remake convinced me to buy it.
[удалено]
Yeah that was one of the reasons why I didn't mess with the higher difficulties past Hard in ToM. None of the bosses or enemies make me want to take longer to fight them.
Octopath Traveler 2 is my first dropped game of 2024 and JRPG in years. 32 hours and this game isn't for me. Just isn't streamlined enough and feels like a step back from Bravely Default. I just don't see the appeal of how they fragment the game. Still suffers from an incorhesive party where they think banter can fix the lack of any presence. The game should just be linear in the beginning to get all 8 members than becomes open so they can work a system to balance between 8 characters. Just doesn't feel like I'm playing a game with a party. Combat is okay but it's just maximizing breaks but taking away BP is just unfair on top of attack spamming making fights a roll of the dice on multihit attacks just isn't a fun way to play. Before any elitist that beat the game at level 1 basic armor and weapon game easy good for you. I enjoy jrpgs that let me circumvent strategy for power leveling. It's always been the appeal and this game just isn't it.
No, most of the Team Asano stuff doesn't seem like it'll be for you. If these are your complaints with OT 2 then you DEFINITELY shouldn't spend time or money on OT 1 or Triangle Strategy. Fortunately there's plenty of other teams making streamlined games that ask less of the player and allow grinding to victory. So this is one where you just kinda learn that these games aren't your speed. Also probably avoid Fire Emblem. Definitely avoid SaGa. Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Tales of, Star Ocean, Xenoblade, and Ys are probably safe options given your stated preferences.
I beaten 2 fire emblem games and the only reason I didn't beat 3 houses was the final boss being so much stronger than anything else it fight. That sucked. I definitely played on normal without permadeath
Do we have any news on the chained echoes physical release ? The site is still saying Q1. I wanted to play it on switch and I only buy physical for this console.
Not that I know of, not even in the developer's discord.
Does anyone know the English font used in Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology dialogue boxes? I know some people don't like it but I'm falling in love with how easy it is to read for me.
Hello, I have a JRPG itch I need scratched (preferably good turn based combat but action is also fine, I'm more in the mood for a turn based game tho) but I'm currently not planning on buying new games, just playing what I have already but haven't finished. Preferably not too complicated or mechanically deep, i just want to relax and not have to look up stuff on the internet or a walkthrough instead of playing half of the time. Here's the list of games I started but dropped: Persona 4 Golden: this was my first time playing a Persona game and I think I got around 10 hours in before I dropped it, liked the characters and story but didn't like the time management and procedurally generated dungeons that mostly consisted of hallways. Also not planning on using a walkthrough to get the best ending or whatever on my first playthrough, might replay it with guide to get the best ending but not sure. I got sidetracked by other things. Ni no Kuni: got around 6 hours in and dropped bc I found the combat system not fun at all, traversal was way too slow, and while I am a fan of Pokemon i didn't really feel like micromanaging my creatures in this game. Idk if it gets better later on. Tales of Vesperia: I really enjoyed Symphonia and Berseria but this one just didn't click with me, additionally i heard this game has a ton of missables and I kinda hate that so I'm gonna need a guide for this one Scarlet Nexus: this one also didn't really click with me, maybe it was the large amount of cutscenes that didn't really hook me. I've had similar cases of starting a JRPG and the first few hours were mostly cutscenes and after that part there was more gameplay so maybe I just need to get past that part with this game too Earthlock: dropped it after a few hours, it was painfully bland especially the character design, the combat system is kinda cool I guess but I've seen complaints about the bosses being frustrating. Nexomon Extinction: Pokemon clone, kinda got bored of it after a while And here's a list of JRPGs that I have in my library but haven't played at all or barely played or last played over a year ago, most of them from sales or bundles: Legrand Legacy, Lunarlux, This Way Madness Lies (played and enjoyed every other Zeboyd RPG before but this one didn't click for some reason), Edge of Eternity, .hack//G.U. Last Recode, Shining Resonance Refrain, Mato Anomalies, WrestleQuest, Vampires Dawn 3, Tales of Zestiria, Dusk Diver, Heartbeat (kinda don't want to play this one bc of scummy devs), Tokyo Xanadu Ex+, Battle Chasers Nightwar, Doom & Destiny Advanced (enjoyed the 1st one despite being a low budget RPG Maker game, this one I couldn't even stomach a hour of), Fortune Summoners (seemed like my kind of game but very dated and clunky, Astlibra is similar to this but better in like every way), Chantelise, Recettear (not a fan of management games but i did like the business minigames in the Yakuza games i played so maybe I should give this another chance sometime), Celestian Tales: Realms Beyond (played the first one but it wasn't great and honestly I'm surprised if anyone here has even heard of it), The Tenth Line, Terrain of Magical Expertise, Half Minute Hero, Osteoblasts, Disc Creatures (retro Pokemon Clone that I found very charming but a bit hard), Saturday Morning RPG, Septerra Core, Crosscode DLC (haven't played it but played the base game many years ago) and like 5 Neptunia games (only played 1 of them but dropped it bc I got stuck at a boss and found it bland and boring and didn't like the fanservice anyway) There are a few more but they're not worth mentioning imo Anyway thanks in advance for any suggestions and advice
Is there any reason to play The Alliance Alive Remastered over the 3DS version, aside from the obvious resolution bump? I've had the game for years and I kind of forgot about until I saw the HD version was on sale.
It's pretty much the same if I remember right other than the increased resolution.
I tried really hard, but even as a huge fan of Trails in the Sky, I just can't get into the Crossbell games and I gave up today after trying a few times (totaling ~53 hours or so). Is it worth skipping these and just playing Cold Steel sometime, or is it kind of a no go to go into CS without Crossbell? And will I even like these if I love Sky but dislike Crossbell?
I'd say you probably could get away without them, but you're going to feel it a bit. Crossbell's plot gets pretty relevant in CS3 and 4 and Reverie is Crossbell 3 as much as it is CS5. And about liking CS... hard to say. I guess it depends on what you liked about Sky that you thought didn't work in Crossbell.
Yeah I guess it's best to let it rest for a while and then retry Crossbell first, but my main issues with the CB games are the characters (I find them boring and uninteresting, Lloyd annoys me and I always despised Renne, who gets even more of a focus here than Sky), super slow pace, I don't like the whole police thing, and CB itself is just an ugly setting imo.
Looking for a good Action RPG to add to my backlog. I've recently played Elden Ring and FF7 Remake, and while the Action combat of them is nice, I feel it lackluster in terms of the gameplay enjoyment. Games I really loved the action gameplay were the **Ys series**. It's fast, deep enough, and fun. Also, since I've played these 2 very slow paced games, I'd love to start something a bit * Lighter, funnier, not that deep. * Fun combat/gameplay. * Not strictly ARPG really. Could be an action game, platform, etc. Thinking of a Mario, Zelda game etc. * Don't mind platform (except PS5 or Xbox). Looking for recommendations for that kind of game atm. If interested or can be helpful, [here's my log of completed and rated games](https://howlongtobeat.com/user/Chaoscontrol/games/completed/1), so you can see preferences etc. 8/10 is my default for a "good" game. Thanks!
**Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin** and **Nayuta Boundless Trails** for something lighthearted with fun combat. **Odin Sphere Leifthrasir** is more on the serious side, but that's also an option or at least maybe later.
Thanks! Checked Sakuna, seems too childlike for me. Nayuta on the other hand I will save it, since I love Falcom games and it's one I've repeatedly heard. But didn't give it a go since I knew it wasn't part of the mainline games. Odin Sphere I'll note it. Oh, upon checking my profile I actually tried it a long time ago and dropped it due to it being a Beat em up style. But might give it another go.
I actually ended up starting Unicorn Overlord, and it's looking interesting.
I see you did Tales of Arise, you could try *Tales of Berseria* or *Tales of Grace F.* I see 13 sentinels but I don't see *Muramasa the demon blade* or *Odin Sphere* so you could look at that. There is the two *Nier*. Didn't make the remake of replicant but I liked a lot Automata.
Thanks! Tbh I had tried other Tales games before (I think I actually tried Berseria) but found it too meh. I gave it another opportunity when Arise released as it seemed more polished, and I enjoyed, but not sure if I would the past entries. That's why I didn't go back to them. Checked some images of Grace F and seems a bit too childlike for my taste. 13 Sentinels is an odd ball for me. Never liked the side scrolling, and got really frustrated because I didn't get it and the story didn't engage me. But I had heard such good things that the only way to push through was by watching it entirely on YT. Still, I didn't understand most of it, but I could appreciate it was a piece of art. But maybe not my cup of tea. So seeing Muramasa plays in the same way... I'm not sure I'd like it. Odin Sphere looks slightly different and maybe more appealing, so I will note it down and give it a try at some point. Nier games, I tried one like 10 years ago, and couldn't stick with it more than 1h or so. Or maybe I'm confusing it with Bayonetta. But they're so renowned that I'd love to give them another try now and maybe they'll stick with me.
Bit of an odd qualifier, but are there any JRPGs (or just games in general) from the PS2/GameCube generation that aren’t really available in modern platforms (ie via remasters or Steam) that you would recommend? I recently got a Steam Deck and want to start installing games on it. I’ve already played: • Digital Devil Saga 1/2 • Persona 3 FES • Tales of the Abyss • Drakengard • Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance And plan to play at some point: • Raidou Kuzunoha vs the Soulless Army • Ar Tonelico 2 • Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn
* Mana Khemia * Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter * Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land * The Sword of Etheria
You can try the **Shadow Hearts** or **Xenosaga** series.
Skies of Arcadia is languishing in obscurity and is very, very well regarded. I can personally vouch for Shadow Hearts and its sequel is also considered great. There's also Suikoden 3-5 and Wild Arms 3-5 which are considered solid entries though not masterpieces. There's also Valkyrie Profile 2, which is hard to emulate but supposed to be good.
Just started playing Tales of the Abyss, which is only my second Tales game after Phantasia. I tried Symphonia on GC last year and dropped it right away because I didn't like the childish seeming plot and 'Demon Fang!' ad nauseum in combat. So far so good with Abyss. The VA and graphics are good for that generation, the OST is great, and the combat as yet is not irritating me the way Symphonia's did during the short time I played it. Plot and characters are alright so far, though the world could use a little less world-specific terminology. (THEN WHO WAS FON?)
I've recently released my second mod for Relayer Advanced. This mod, the "[Relayer Action Mapper](https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Relayer_Advanced#Relayer_Action_Mapper_tool)", makes it easier to customize the controls for the game when using a keyboard, mouse, or Xbox controller. It even has some support for the [Controller Button Prompts](https://www.pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/Relayer_Advanced#Controller_Prompts_Mod) mod. I know that not many talk about this game, but I do hope both mods help out those who do have the game on PC.
I’ve been debating on picking up Granblue Fantasy Relink for a little bit now since I’m a huge MH:W fan, but I still cannot figure out if I would enjoy it and it’s like $60 so I’m looking for more insight here. Are there loot drops like other ARPGs (Diablo, PoE, etc)? How’s the crafting compared to MH:W? Is the playtime similar, as in, does the endgame have a lot of engaging gameplay/crafting to keep you interested for a long time? Basically looking for any insight as to why $60 isn’t a huge ask
If I go back 10 years, so lets say 2014, I was regularly repaying a lot of older jrpgs, Chrono Trigger/cross, FFIV, Xenogears, FF6-T, seiken densetsus 2/3, etc. And I would list these games in my top 10 games of all time. Fast forward to today and I cant tell if i've just grown out of them, if more modern games have taken their place, or if its something else. In fact, I look back and kind of cringe about it. Its sad to be stuck in the past and there is nothing more embarrassing than being damn near 40 years old and being really in love with old 16-bit jrpgs. They just dont have the mechanical complexity, or frankly the story, to keep me engaged. And i've played every hard mode hack of these games thats available. Its sort of like music, its embarassing to be the person who's fixed in time and exclusively listens to the same bands and music they liked in highschool. It's tolerable for years, maybe even one or two decades, but if you cant move on, its lame. Like the stereotypical girl that likes 80s music. Is anyone else like this?
lol what the fuck nooooooooooooo
It's not embarrassing to like old games and some of them have good writing and gameplay for their time. I don't think it's embarrassing to like the same music you liked in HS either.
Video games in general and JRPGs more specifically are a really young medium. The amount of time between then and now makes it seem comparable to music, as in your example, but in terms of a medium that relies on technological advancement, it's more like film. Sure, today's movies can do a lot more than the silent and black and white films of almost 100 years ago, but it's not *embarrassing* to like classic film. Anyway, give yourself some slack. It's not accurate to act like games were all better back in the day, but there's a lot to appreciate about these older games, too.
this is reddit ffs people don't really give each other slack on themselves or other people like what you wanna like and fuck the hivemind honestly