Japanese RPGs have been growing in popularity over the last two decades with franchises like Persona and Pokemon pushing the genre forward into the mainstream. JRPGs have been around since the early days of console gaming with examples like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest being the most well-known. These games are responsible for many classic tropes and standards other titles in the west follow to this day.
Unfortunately, many gems of the genre go unnoticed by a lot of people. These games often have unique combat mechanics, fully realized stories, impressive soundtracks, or with any luck, all three. JRPGs follow simple formulas but developers have been pushing the boundaries consistently in the current generation of games.
10 Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth- Hacker’s Memory
Hacker’s Memory is a sequel to the original Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. The game works similarly to Pokemon, in that players can evolve Digimon and use them to battle against other monsters. It features the 314 monsters from the original game, as well as 90+ added for this installment, meaning players have a wide range of Digimon to choose from.
Everything in this game received an overhaul from the Digimon to the music and the animations. These nice touches make for a polished experience that would feel right at home for any JRPG fan.
9 Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness And The Secret Hideout
The Atelier series is a long-running one that hasn’t seen huge mainstream success, but its fans stand behind almost every entry wholeheartedly. Ryza and its sequel are the newest entries that add quaint touches rather than completely overhaul the gameplay. The games are widely praised for their aesthetic charm, fun mechanics, and ease of access.
The best part of the first Ryza game is its story. The plot features strong main characters that carry the plot and find a place in the player’s heart. JRPGs often have weak supporting casts that don’t really do much for the story and are often seen as annoying, so it’s great to see this game getting that right.
8 CrossCode
CrossCode isn’t developed by a Japanese company, but it’s heavily inspired by the classics that made the genre great. Its retro sprite work is full of life and color, making its classic look feel warm on the eyes. The original soundtrack is also full of beautiful tracks that stand out among 8-bit style music, completing the illusion of a retro game.
In addition to its clear inspirations, the game has a bunch of unique mechanics not seen in other games. For example, there’s a bouncing ball mechanic used for puzzles to unlock doors and reveal secret passageways. The experience of CrossCode is unlike any other due to all these elements and its sense of humor.
7 Ys VIII: Lacrimosa Of Dana
As the 8th installment of a long-running series, Lacrimosa of Dana brings new additions to the table. The biggest change being the flow of combat changes. This game makes the fighting more fast-paced and gives players more room for strategy. Older installments felt a bit lackluster in the ways players could express themselves through how they preferred to fight.
Lacrimosa of Dana features tons of side characters and a robust story that generally keeps its plot together. While the party characters are somewhat generic, they are fun to play as and produce some funny interactions. The game received many awards for its overall presentation in 2017 as well, but Ys VII is still a niche title.
6 Trails Of Cold Steel IV
The Trails tetralogy ends with a bang on this installment in The Legend of Heroes franchise. Trails of Cold Steel IV offers a compelling story, satisfying turn-based combat, and a huge roster of characters, making it the best of the series.
One thing the game did that really sets it apart from other JRPGs was that it actually wrapped up plot points from previous games in satisfying ways. With JRPGs, it’s easy to get lost in creating lore, characters, and random plot points to progress the story, but the Trails series doesn’t do this. Fans have nothing but praise for this series and it’s a shame the games didn’t gain more traction.
5 Akiba’s Beat
Akiba’s Beat is part of the Akiba’s Trip franchise and it’s a strange one, to say the least. The game’s plot follows a group of misfits who fight against vampiric clothing and organizations trying to take over parts of Japan from the shadows. This plot leads to hilarious moments and weirdly well-thought-out politics that go on as a result of the power struggle.
Players can customize their characters in custom clothing, explore Akihabara’s landmarks and shops, as well as engage in fun mini-games around the city. The games take a satiric approach to JRPG and anime tropes, while also providing a satisfying gaming experience to the player.
4 Labyrinth Of Refrain: Coven Of Dusk
NIS has created or published many beloved series in the past with franchises like Disgaea and Ys, but Labyrinth of Refrain is a new idea with fresh twists on a classic subgenre. The game is a dungeon crawler that takes certain systems over the top in classic NIS style.
Players can control up to 40 characters in massive raids using the coven system, creating an experience like never before in a dungeon crawler game. Labyrinth of Refrain also has polished visuals and interesting worlds to explore, making it worth a try for JRPG fans.
3 Gundam G Generation Cross Rays
For fans of the Gundam franchise, this game is a treat. It compiles Gundam characters from four different worlds in the franchise and brings them together with JRPG elements. Players can upgrade units and characters, building their own unique teams for battles.
The overall polish makes the game really pop from the screen with fantastic animations, flashy special moves, and engaging combat. The story is also pretty interesting for a crossover game that bridges multiple series and worlds together.
2 Dragon Quest Builders 2
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is an extremely unique experience when it comes to JRPGs. The game has obviously taken inspiration from Minecraft in terms of the UI, game structure, and world, but it has its own charm too.
Players can level themselves up to improve stats while fighting enemies from the Dragon Quest world. On top of that, they can build structures that act as bases to survive the nights and build up their resources to power up even further. Dragon Quest Builders 2 was released on multiple platforms and widely praised, but not a lot of people gave it a chance since it’s such a strange concept.
1 I Am Setsuna
I Am Setsuna is another homage to classic JRPG art style and combat. Specifically, this game mirrors Chrono Trigger. Retro games are an interesting choice to go for in the modern age of games because they should contribute to the overall experience, otherwise they just feel lazy. I Am Setsuna takes this old-fashioned Final Fantasy look and runs with it, even incorporating older-looking drawings for the character art.
Fusing this look with somber music and a classic story without too many twists and turns recreates the feelings of Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy from the early days of RPGs. The spells and skills of the game are way over the top and animated better than anything from its predecessors, so it also feels new and fresh.
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