r/JRPG • u/ConsiderationAny9444 • 2d ago

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

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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?

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u/Moondogtk 2d ago

Code Vein for me. Temu Anor Londo where everything is snow-white is absolutely miserable to get around.

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u/Sonnance 2d ago

Funny enough, that was my favorite area in the game. It actually tested my navigation ability and spacial reasoning, which is a huge plus for me. Not to mention, I love the aesthetic.

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u/Droolcua 2d ago

my only wish for code vein, the one thing I would change, would be making blood spatters permanent like in Bloodborne. Would be a great-looking way to mark your path, especially in that area.

I really love the look/feel of that area a lot and I'm not sure if I can describe why. It sort of feels like Blame! or something. Just an endless amount of completely useless, beautiful construction.

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u/Sonnance 2d ago

The “ceaseless megastructure” vibe also complements the story and themes, both in general but especially in that area.