JRPGs are without a doubt one of my most favorite videogame genres and I've played so many ever since I was a little kid.
But the thing is, oddly enough my actual tastes are a bit more modern. I loved all the SNES JRPGs I played such as Terranigma, Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger and more but I find myself drawn to newer more modern experiences.
So anyway, let's get on with the list.
5 - Pokémon X/Y
I know, Pokémon isn't really that hardcore but what it is is a JRPG. The reason why I'm putting this one here is because it was the first JRPG I completed 100%, by that I mean doing absolutely everything, such as completing the Pokédex over the span of hundreds of hours.
Had so much fun doing mystery trading, shiny hunting, battles with my friends (which I've always sucked at) - did multiple playthroughs while keeping my favorite Pokémon such as my dear Greninja in the Pokémon Bank or transfered to ORAS.
This game just means a lot to me and I remember the day I got my 3DS with it. It was magical, as by that point I had already played lots of other JRPGs and the entire mainline Pokémon franchise up to that point. I was a kid with lots of experience in the genre, but my copy of X still meant a lot to me and was my comfort game in those difficult times.
4 - Final Fantasy VII
This is the one exception to what I said above, it's an older title.
But my adventure through the world of FFVII when I bought it as a 15 year old were simply great.
Before FFVII my JRPG repertoire were mostly SNES, Gameboy Advance and other retro systems, so this was the first JRPG I played that looked somewhat 3D (with mostly pre-rendered backgrounds, of course.)
I really quite enjoyed the gameplay on this one, battles are a bit slower than what we have nowadays but were a huge improvement over past FF titles, and the introduction of the Limit Break system was pretty nice, it added an extra dimension to the battles and something to keep in mind so that you could get an upper hand.
The story didn't disappoint as well. With this huge sprawling world, great and memorable characters and events that are sad even to remember (if you know you know), it all made for a game that's bound to be remembered in the hall of fame of JRPG classics.
3 - Dragon Quest XI S
I made a post about this game sometime ago, and after that post I played it a lot more. It's another one I can safely say is an incredible experience. I played Dragon Quest sporadically, playing the first few titles, then playing some DS titles, nothing ever consistent about the way I approached the franchise - but I'm glad I went all in with XI S.
This is a great introduction to one of the grandparents of JRPGs, it's a beautiful game, with a very cartoonish anime like story that I thouroughly enjoyed, sprinkled in with tons to do, see and explore and a battle system that is simple - classic styled - but adapted to the modern era.
It's the best Dragon Quest game I've ever played, and the best traditional JRPG I've ever played. Give this one a try, I beg ya.
2 - Yakuza 7 - Like a Dragon
Now do you understand what I meant by calling Dragon Quest a traditional JRPG?
Yakuza 7 is anything but normal and I absolutely LOVE it for that. It's quirky, it's odd, it's fun, it's beautiful, it's charming, it's sad and it's wild.
All the adjectives in the world could describe this title, with the exception of "bad".
As my post on Yakuza 7 said, I was initially skeptical of such a wild change in the franchise, from active beat em' up combat to a turn based combat style, but Ryu ga Gotoku Studio did not disappoint here and I can see why they want to keep this as the future of the franchise.
I wish I could replay the older Yakuza titles like this, it's so much fun what they did here. It's a simple enough battle system, but that's carried by its flashiness, style, and mechanics - such as area of effect making sense (as in a AoE attack will hit those around it in an actual 3D space) and the perfect parry system which is a little hard to learn at first but infinitely satisfying to pull off.
The story here is what you can expect from Yakuza, it's goofy mixed with seriousness and I couldn't be happier with what we got.
Like a Dragon 8 HYPE!
1 - Persona 5
Here's the king of modern JRPGs to me.
Persona 5 isn't carried by one single aspect but is beautiful as one complete package. A package of style, fun, deep enough combat (for a Persona game), exploration, things to do, a great world.
This game is as fun to play as it is gorgeous to look at, be it because of the great graphics or the art style that looks like nothing I've seen in any other game.
Building up social links while you explore mementos taking on tasks for people, battling great palaces with powerful bosses and things hidden within all the while enjoying one of the best stories ever made for a JRPG is just an incredibly memorable experience.
I wish I had more to talk about P5 but it's just an incredible experience, I believe everyone should try it at least once, it's honestly beautiful.
And I'm not a Persona newcomer, I have played P3P and I'm currently playing P4 Golden too, and while those games have their value and are great on their own, Persona 5 just takes the cake with how much its managed to perfect the Persona formula. I can only hope that 6 will be even better.
Anyhoo, that's it for my bad list, hope you liked it and thanks for reading!
