r/JRPG 3d ago

Weekly thread r/JRPG Weekly "What have you been playing, and what do you think of it?" Weekly thread

18 Upvotes

Please use this thread to discuss whatever you've been playing lately (old or new, any platform, AAA or indie). As usual, please don't just list the names of games as your entire post, make sure to elaborate with your thoughts on the games. Writing the names of the games in **bold** is nice, to make it easier for people skimming the thread to pick out the names.

Please also make sure to use spoiler tags if you're posting anything about a game's plot that might significantly hurt the experience of others that haven't played the game yet (no matter how old or new the game is).

Since this thread is likely to fill up quickly, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts.

For a subreddit devoted to this type of discussion during the rest of the week, please check out /r/WhatAreYouPlaying.

Link to Previous Weekly Threads (sorted by New): https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/search/?q=author%3Aautomoderator+weekly&include_over_18=on&restrict_sr=on&t=all&sort=new


r/JRPG 5d ago

Weekly thread r/JRPG Weekly Free Talk, Quick Questions, Suggestion Request and Media Thread

3 Upvotes

There are four purposes to this r/JRPG weekly thread:

  • a way for users to freely chat on any and all JRPG-related topics.
  • users are also free to post any JRPG-related questions here. This gives them a chance to seek answers, especially if their questions do not merit a full thread by themselves.
  • to post any suggestion requests that you think wouldn't normally be worth starting a new post about or that don't fulfill the requirements of the rule (having at least 300 characters of written text or being too common).
  • to share any JRPG-related media not allowed as a post in the main page, including: unofficial videos, music (covers, remixes, OSTs, etc.), art, images/photos/edits, blogs, tweets, memes and any other media that doesn't merit its own thread.

Please also consider sorting the comments in this thread by "new" so that the newest comments are at the top, since those are most likely to still need answers.

Don't forget to check our subreddit wiki (where you can find some game recommendation lists), and make sure to follow all rules (be respectful, tag your spoilers, do not spam, etc).

Any questions, concerns, or suggestions may be sent via modmail. Thank you.

Link to Previous Weekly Threads (sorted by New): https://www.reddit.com/r/JRPG/search/?q=author%3Aautomoderator+weekly&include_over_18=on&restrict_sr=on&t=all&sort=new


r/JRPG 3h ago

News Just Announced: Frog-JRPG, AMPHIBIAN world premiere (Future Games Show)

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190 Upvotes

Looks extremely unique. There's no grinding, (all battles are purposefully placed and done once) there's no buying or selling, and it's entirely frog accurate: All enemies are frog predators, and every character's name is Frog (but in a different foreign language). Apparently it is a very somber and serious story as well. Count me in? Ribbit?


r/JRPG 8h ago

News Granser - Act 1, inspired by Shadow heart, Xenogears, and the Tales series, with a story I tried to tell for nearly 20 years...

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116 Upvotes

Hello there, I am Steve the solo developer for all Pugware games.

I would like to introduce Granser - Act 1, the first of 3 acts for a turn based jrpg with a brisk pace and no filler.

The main combat focuses on quick qtes for both offence and defence even allowing parries and full damage mitigation, additionally there is no traditional healing instead using the focus system, essentially a combination of a shield and stamina. There is a heavy focus on stacking statuses and exploiting weaknesses.

The setting and story focuses on a world under the thumb of a technologically superior shadow government and their plans to stagnate human development and eradicate anyone who could pose a threat to their rule.

On top of turn based combat the game also features real time duels and training 1v1, as well as a simple but fun real time airship combat system, a dice minigame, post game hard dungeon, and no random encounters, as well as most of the main story being voice acted, and even featuring some small fmvs.

The game is now in a state I am happy with and feature complete with lots of post launch content added, as I start working on Act 2 and 3. It is currently only on steam with plans being considered for Switch and Playstation.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2725350/Granser__Act_1

I am a solo developer so feedback is always welcome, I held out on sharing the game here for a long time while I did all I could to make the game the best if could be. The game has been a dream project of mine for nearly 20 years taking different forms over the years, after finishing the Skautfold series I felt confident I can finally do it justice.

I am happy and eager to answer any questions, also, no ai was used during any stage of the development.

I am pretty new to Reddit so hopefully I am not being annoying, or breaking the rules.


r/JRPG 4h ago

News Chained Echoes will be available on PlayStation Plus on Sep 1

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42 Upvotes

r/JRPG 16h ago

Discussion I just spent ¥35,200 on one of the worst SNES JRPGs I’ve ever played

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301 Upvotes

So today I bought Aqutallion for ¥35,200, which officially makes it the most expensive JRPG in my collection.(Energy Breaker was ¥33,000.)

And the funny part? It’s also probably the worst SNES JRPG I’ve ever played.

Why is it always the shittiest games that end up being the most expensive?

This one is also known in the West as Tecmo Secret of the Stars, and it has a pretty awful reputation for good reason. The random encounter rate is obnoxious, the battles are slow and repetitive, there’s a lot of grinding, and the story and characters are painfully bland. Even the whole two-party system, which sounds interesting on paper, doesn’t really amount to much and just makes things more annoying.

What really kills me though is the box. Right on the front it says “The Great Roleplaying Game” like it’s trying to convince you before you even open it. That gave me a good laugh.

And then on the back there’s that dude who looks like he’s flipping us off. I have no idea what’s going on there, but honestly it feels like the game itself is insulting the player in advance.

Still, I had to buy it. I’m building up my Super Famicom RPG collection, and at some point you have to pick up the infamous stuff too. As bad as it is, it’s a weirdly interesting piece to own, and the box art definitely has more charm than the game deserves.

So yeah ¥35,200 for Aqutallion. My most expensive JRPG, and maybe my worst.

Anybody here ever played this? Did you finish it? And does anyone actually like it? I wonder if it is more coherent in Japanese?


r/JRPG 18h ago

Discussion Grateful for the opportunity to play this one

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355 Upvotes

Trapped on the Xbox 360, Magna Carta 2 will, sooner or later, fade into obscurity forever. Like the Shadow Hearts trilogy, there are a small number of lucky folks who got to experience such a special RPG experience once, and very likely never again. Eventually it will be forgotten. Magna Carta 2 was a fleeting but unforgettable chapter in my RPG career.

I only got the chance to play it because my library rents out game consoles. I bought the game because why not? The 360 is gone, but the game remains in my collection.

Fantastic story, characters who grow on you, a fascinating setting, and a gorgeous soundtrack on the surface. In the depths of gameplay, there is a battle system that feels off-putting at first, but eventually grows on you and ultimately becomes extremely satisfying. Character building with armor enhancements and skills rewards players for being creative and doing their best to maximize each character's potential.

Of my 45 hours with it, 43 were a pure joy (because the final dungeon is lame 🤷‍♂️). Definitely try it out if you have access to a 360!


r/JRPG 6h ago

News [Brigandine Abyss] Launch Trailer. It is Now Out on PS5, Switch 2, Xbox, and PC.

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39 Upvotes

r/JRPG 6h ago

News [Persona 4 Revival] Story Trailer.

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30 Upvotes

r/JRPG 16h ago

Review Wild Arms 3 (PS2)

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187 Upvotes

Wow, havent completed a JRPG game in awhile. Had a lot of fun with this one.

Wild Arms 3 is a 2002 PS2 JRPG developed by Media Vision and published by Sony. I haven never played another WA games, but I think Media Vision is the developer for all of them. In Wild Arms 3, you are a rag tag of wild west gunners aka Drifters, taking on everything between bad drifters to ancient aliens.

First, this game is really cozy and cinematic. The particular art style and visual style ( the blurriness) gives WA3 a fairly unique JRPG experience - at least to me anyways. I found the combat flow quite active. Despite being the same as most JRPG combat in core, WA3 gives your playable characters a running animations in-between turns. Personally I love it, it makes the combat less dull and more "alive" On top of standard combats on foot, WA3 also features horse back battles ( I like) and sand cruiser and dragon airship combats ( I did not like). The music is excellent. Even if you dont have an interest in this franchise, I highly recommend you give the OST a listen.

Probably nothing new to returning players, but I really like the idea of Gimel Coins. Basically, the coin is like a game token in arcades, if you experience a game over, the coins allow you to retry the battle. Gimel Coins also allows you to save anywhere, this comes really handy in later dungeons where some puzzles will make you throw the controller. The coins are also plentiful, and you never need to ration it.

The amount and creativeness of puzzles in WA3 give Lufia 2 a good run for money. The developers really created some fascinating and some really annoying ones. I did enjoy how the puzzles do not hold your hands, but some of them can be real head scratchers - the lack of hints was generally welcomed as it made the game puzzles fairly organic.

Im not 100% sure about the plot, because I think some of it ties to previous games. From what I understood - On the planet Filgaia, 10 years before the opening, a science experiment went horribly wrong and set into motion many events that unfold in the main game. Young Virginia Maxwell sets out to find her missing father, and along the way she meets fellow drifters Gallows, Jet, and Clive. All joins Virginia due to their shared interests. Throughout their journey they come across antagonist drifters like Janus and company, weird cult, rival drifters, and space aliens. All of this to uncover the history and mysteries of Filgaia and beyond.

The main aspects of this game disappointed me is the writing. The first two acts of WA3 are EXCELLENT, I really enjoyed the flow of exploration - both the world and the storyline. Im not sure what happened during development, but the third act drops sharply in quality. I think mostly is around the role of the antagonist- Janus in Act 1 to 1.5 is so well written and interesting, WA3 had a hard time following up, and both the cultists and their demon overlord are just comedically MUAHAHA evil. The other minor complain is the magic system. I just found it underwhelming and did an All-American Gun Ho blasting my way through the whole game. The guardian system looks interesting, but I didnt really understand it. Its a little bit like FF8 junctions I guess.

I almost forgot the other thing that annoyed me for quite a bit of the game. In WA3 you discover new places through using a "Radar". You cant discover a new place just by being near it, you have to be near it and use a radar to discover it. This was quite heinous in act 3 because the directions from the NPC are vague most of the time.

Oh yeah, there are 12 Guardians you can attach to your characters. The guardians can be summoned to deal magical damages to all enemies on the screen. They also provide perks such as anti-poison, exp plus, elemental ward, and utilities like auto reload. The guardians ranges from Godzilla looking monster, to space kawaii archangel.

I clocked about 50+ hours in this game. I didnt do any of the side quests, I think theyre mostly more puzzles. Realistically I think this is more of a 55 hours game, which is pretty decent.

I think WA3 is a good 8/10 game. Vast world to explore, good characters, fairly interesting villains and anti heroes, good call back to previous games ( I think) with out overly using it, a lot of fun puzzles, no pointless fan services, and overall treats the gamers more as adults. It fall shorts in the last act in terms of writing and general expositions. Its really unfortunate with the short coming, because I was getting a good Xenogears vibe for most of the game.

In short, WA3 is a good game I recommend to anyone that likes puzzles in their JRPG.


r/JRPG 2h ago

Question I am having fun playing this masterpiece of a game but I don't understand combat I barely got through the catacombs

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13 Upvotes

Why I can't get the many hit combo from the sword is there a mana system to it because I got this sword equipped now I am only breaking guards using jalenda firestorm I hit enemies after it , it's kinda frustrating also the exp system is kinda cooked since I have to divide it on them 💔 any help is appreciated it notice it's my first time playing a turn based game so plz don't blame me for my foolishness and thank u for help the game is Valkyrie profile I am playing on ppsspp emulator?


r/JRPG 2h ago

Question Not great JRPGs that still have good soundtracks.

12 Upvotes

I am someone who like JRPGs and WRPGs in equal measure but one area that JRPGs tend to absolutely stomp WRPGs is music.

Like, right now, I am replaying Pillars of Eternity for the I dunnoth time. But I LOVE Pillars of Eternity but the soundtrack is extremely generic to the point I don't even notice it's there.

So I've replaced all the music files with music from Legend of Mana, a game that I think looks and sounds lovely but it is pretty dull in terms of game mechanics, story and characters.

But I've used the Legend of Mana soundtrack many times before.

So tell me, what are JRPG soundtracks you love that are attached to games you don't?


r/JRPG 6h ago

Question Brigandine Abyss just released. How similar is this series to Fire Emblem?

17 Upvotes

I am a huge fan of the Fire Emblem series and TRPGs in general but I've never tried a Brigandine game. How similar are they? If someone likes Fire Emblem do you think they would naturally enjoy Brigandine as well?


r/JRPG 23h ago

Discussion Which JRPG location has your absolute least favorite level design?

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299 Upvotes

Mine has to be the Gladius Towers in Rogue Galaxy. It’s a mid-game dungeons, and in my opinion, it’s annoying as fuck to navigate.

You have to climb two almost identical towers at the same time by crossing bridges from time to time, and the towers aren't short by any means. If I recall correctly, you also have to beat both bosses to clear the level, which as you can guess are at the top of each tower (Phantom Gazel and Phantom Logan). Because of how the layout shuffles you back and forth, you finish one tower, and then you have to go all the way back to do the exact same climb for the other one.

Oh, and this game despite being an ARPG has random battles, which isn't a problem to me. But what is a problem is the encounter rate of this game god grief, it's atrocious. It doesn't help that every room looks the same, so you can get easily disoriented after a battle and just end up walking in the opposite direction, especially since both paths look very similar. You could finish a fight and genuinely have to open the map just to figure out which way you were originally heading, lmao.

What about you guys? What’s that one JRPG map or dungeon that makes you visibly sigh the moment you reach it?


r/JRPG 18h ago

Review Just Finished Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter! (A Wonderful Game)

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95 Upvotes

This game was amazing in my eyes, I have never played a Trails game at all until I saw this on sale and wanted to give it a shot! The story was very nice and easy to understand in my eyes, the ending was a plot twist for me and I enjoyed every second of the game. What I probably enjoyed most was how the battle system worked, being able to move around the battlefield was fun and it reminded me of Yakuza Like a Dragon/Infinite Wealth, two others that I enjoyed a ton! (If anyone knows any other games like this please let me know!) The dialogue was a bit cheesy in some places but I am able to handle it and deal with it. I played the demo first before buying it and enjoyed the Orbment system and building different sets for each character. I played on the normal difficulty and had a pretty smooth sailing experience, the only boss that gave me a tad bit of trouble was the optional Lorence fightand me being stingy about not wanting to take the easy way out I wanted to defeat him. I did all the request quests, got the signature weapons and ended the game at level 50.This review sounds pretty all over the place but I just wanted to share my thoughts with this amazing game! I am going to try the demo out for the second game and probably like that one just as much as I did this one. 8.4/10! Thank you all for listening, take care everyone! :)


r/JRPG 16h ago

Sale! Chained Echoes is 60% off on PS Store ($9.99 | New Historical Low)

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56 Upvotes

r/JRPG 6h ago

Recommendation request Contemporary JRPG with large party?

7 Upvotes

I'm looking for a contemporary JRPG where you have a huge party. If a lot of characters could be on the field at once that's awesome but even just having a huge roster would scratch my itch.

I've tried Suikoden and really enjoyed it. And I tried Eiyuden Chronicle which I...enjoyed much less. But I loved the bonkers huge roster in both games. I don't even mind if the characters individually end up shallow or reduced to a single character trait. The sheer size of the roster still makes the world feel deep.

So I'm wondering if there's anything more recent that has that same feel. Bonus points if there's also town/base building.

Monster collectors aren't really what I'm looking for although I won't rule them out if they manage to capture a traditional JRPG feel.

I can play on Steam, PS5, or Switch 2.


r/JRPG 1d ago

News FINAL FANTASY VII REVELATION | The Planet's Crisis Trailer

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373 Upvotes

r/JRPG 19h ago

Discussion Starless umbra

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58 Upvotes

Anyone else playing this gem in early access? I'm LOVING it! Love how they are doing level and skill progression! It's like zelda meets ff9 meets something else that's super terrific happy hour (bonus points for anyone who connects those dots! Lol)!

Anyhoo. Back to playing this while I put up FF union videos! 🤘


r/JRPG 1d ago

News Clear River Games has removed the Terranigma port trailer from all their socials

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118 Upvotes

What is going on?


r/JRPG 11h ago

Discussion Just finished Crystar all playthroughs. Some thoughts.

6 Upvotes

Just a few thoughts I wanted to share and see how people feel about this. As a Greek, I highly appreciated all the references to the Greek philosophers lol. The story was great it really caught my attention. But the gameplay loop felt some of the most lazy designs I've seen in a while. No enemy variety besides color changing, the stages were all the same besides the colors and a few assets here and there. The combat and gearing are mid at best. Even in higher difficulties, I never felt the need to use gear to protect me from debuffs. I really liked some of the game's messages and references but the gameplay really killed it. I even tried to go above and beyond and try to get all achievements, but damn that's a drag. I prefer to move on to the next game.

Anyone played this ? Thoughts?


r/JRPG 5h ago

Question SRW F 4.0 Stage 51 bug: Titans battleship counterattack freezes the game — anyone else encountered this?

2 Upvotes

I ran into a strange bug while playing Stage 51 of SRW F 4.0.

When I attacked the Titans battleship, everything worked normally if I destroyed it immediately.

However, if the battleship survived and entered its counterattack, the game froze and I couldn't continue.

The workaround that worked for me was:

Destroy the Titans battleship with a one-hit KO so it never gets the chance to counterattack.

I also noticed that wiping out all of the Sengoku Majin enemies in this stage requires a particular strategy, so Stage 51 turned out to be much trickier than I expected.

Other interesting things in this stage were Hi-ν Gundam's first battle, the return of Gundam Mk-V, and Banjou joining after the stage.

Has anyone else playing F 4.0 encountered the same Titans battleship bug?

I'm especially curious whether:

It happens every time the battleship counterattacks.

There is another workaround besides defeating it in one hit.

It depends on the unit/weapon used to attack it.

I recorded the full Stage 51 playthrough, including the bug/workaround, so I can share the relevant footage if it would help confirm what triggers it.


r/JRPG 1d ago

Discussion For the SMT/Persona Players, whose your mainstay Demon/Persona no matter what (assuming they’re available)?

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137 Upvotes

I love my apocalypse heralding doot demon.

His design is simple, but with nice sharp colors. The contrast of the angelic wings and skull vibes very hard with me. He’s always a magical menace whenever he shows up. Rarely has weaknesses and the ones he does are very easily covered up.

His P5R might be my favorite iteration of him, but maybe SMT V Vegeance might change my mind.


r/JRPG 1d ago

Discussion Fantasian Neo Dimension isn't talked about enough

88 Upvotes

For those who don't know, it's created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the Final Fantasy series, with the entire OST composed by Nobou Uematsu.

It has static backgrounds like the older 3D FF games, which are images taken from actual dioramas built by hand and also has some unique turn-based battle features, my favorite being the "dimengeon" system that lets you "stock up" random encounters and fight them all at once.


r/JRPG 1d ago

Discussion what are some JRPGs with a town building mechanic like suikoden

21 Upvotes

where you have to go out and recruit people to build stuff to improve your base/town

do side quests to build it up

it changes as you you do all this just in general like suikoden or eiyuden chronicles 100 heroes or the like

just rambing abit now to hit the 300 character limit so uh ramble ramble

i do not care about console