EDIT - I made a small error in the script when referring to Level 5, that's what happens when you have to rush sometimes! Meant to say it was Level 5's first attempt at a high fantasy RPG that was under their complete stewardship (developed and published by them). I won't be around for a fair chunk this weekend, so wanted to get this out in advance - hope you guys like it!
I'm glad you found Rhapsody relaxing. I know the game was kinda stupid at times but I still love it. But I haven't played it in years. I think I found most of the villains hilariously funny. Especially the evil kittens. It was a fun little game and also just insanely cute. I loved the musical numbers. At least I think I did. It's been too long ^^'. Anyway, I hope I can finish Ys 8 in time so it won't distract me from Xenoblade 3. Ys is a really cool and fun game.
It's always nice seeing Rune Factory getting some appreciation. Rf4 Was and still is one of my favourite games, and I'd love to see more people getting a chance to try it. On another note, the Atelier games look really fun and relaxing, I might have to try them out at some point.
Right now playing rf4, It really fun, like realllly fun and I love RF series since they came up with the rune factory 1. It was just a perfect idea, but RF4 is really hard also haha, Trying to do the full ending (To avoid spoiler won't say much details) and Maaan it is hard
Regarding the atelier games, i found that the time limit in the Arland games reduced my enjoyment and increased the complexity but they were still worthwhile games, just not for everyone. The Mysterious games and the Ryza games were much more approachable. Yes, Atelier Firis had that time limit in the early game, but it's generous enough that you actually have to deliberately work to fail to meet the time limit. (I got the required recommendations AND the optional ones AND had to backtrack to get the second recommendation and I still had a lot of time to spare.) Also, it's nice to see someone plugging the 2020 Sakura Wars game. Sakura Wars has always been rather niche, so it's nice to see it get mentioned in a list like this.
Honestly, Atelier Shallie is the best "no time limit" Atelier game I played, the vibe of the dusk series are just top notch, at the story actually have stakes, Mysterious trilogy is kinda bland... and Ryza is not much different either, ok games to wind down and relax.
I played all atelier since rorona. Arland serie are meant to play on ng+. The first run is of course really hard but once in ng+ you get a lot more fun.
I disliked the time limit in Arland too. It was too strict and didn’t add much to the game. However, that might be something of an unpopular opinion but I really loved the time limit in Firis. (It was also my first Atelier games… and I have been religiously playing every new entry since then.) More specifically… To me, it really emphasized the whole theme of the game - that of the journey. This time limit added to the “narrative”. It acted as a constant reminder that even if you do have time, especially at the start of the game, time marches on and the journey has to end eventually. Having alchemy advance time was brilliant in that sense. This aspect made the whole journey much more enjoyable. It’s the same thing as when you’re on vacation : you only have so much time to do what you want to do. And sometimes you have to make choices because you cannot do it all no matter how much you’d like to. The same happened in Firis. I arrived at the final town for the license exam one or two weeks before the time limit. I had to rush the last few crafts to defeat… the optional boss of the exam, you know the one. () Since that was my first Atelier game, I had no idea of what I was doing for most of it but I succeeded - barely. (That’s on me though. For doing all the recommendations although I knew that I was running out of time… But somehow, that made it even more fun, having to rush those last few weeks to even get there in time.) Then there was the post-game. I had an absolute blast with the endgame craft system, with all its traits and items that can break the game to oblivion. That was enjoyable from a gameplay perspective. But the enjoyable part as a story/adventure was without a doubt the journey until the exam. (I agree with you, though. Firis still remains my favorite from the Atelier series, because of its theme, execution and the fact that it was my first. But Ryza is right behind, followed by Lulua - although it was a bit weak on the story, the gameplay made up for it. The instant item thing in combat opened so many possibilities. Ryza’s crafting system is just soooo enjoyable - and indeed approachable. Firis' and Sophie 1’s were a mess in comparison.)
Honestly, I think you could put any of the recent Dragon Quest games on this list. Plenty of side content & post game for anyone who loves classic RPGs.
Best way to start with Atelier series depends on what kind of player are you, if you are the casual ones, you start with Ryza, if you don't like time restrictions but want to play Atelier classical, start with Sophie and complete the Mysterious series/arc. if you are a hardcore gamer that wants to complete most of the atelier franchise with best experience possible, start with Ayesha, Dusk series or Arland, few people likes Iris, or rather no one really talks about Iris. Basically, Iris Series: -1 -2 -3 Arland Series: -Rorona -Totori -Meruru -Lulua Dusk Series: -Ayesha -Escha and Logy -Shallie -Sophie 2 Mysterious Series: -Sophie -Firis -Lydie and Suelle Secret Series: -Ryza -Ryza 2 New World: -Nelke(features most atelier protags) There are some untranslated atelier games which I haven't played and spin offs. also this goes by memory so it may have some mistakes
@@TheKisekiNut If it doesn't come with Denuvo and it has similar design integrity as with FF7R then I might be in the top 5 of games in the genre, if not . . . can always wait for a sale? XD
@The Kiseki Nut im still grateful when u first introduced us to the Atelier series and when i started with Ryza 1+2 i fell also in love with how relaxing the series is. I still didnt finish the mysterious trilogy and sophie 2 but yeah its my game for when i need a "break" so ty for bringing that game to me
I really wanna play through Atelier Ryza so I can play the 2nd one since you said it's better. Probably will after I play through Star Ocean 4 and Fire Emblem Three Hopes
Love the love for SMRPG and Rune Factory. Personally, I like the OG Rune Factory the best for chill gaming, but 4 (Special) is technically better in just about every imaginable way. I haven't been through the older entries on your JRPG list, but the Golden Sun duology is a must-play.
The first Trails of Cold Steel is definately a game you want on this list as well. The first game is all about getting to know the world of Erebonia and therefor gives a really nice feeling of adventure and exploration. The second game is more about conflict and sets off darker tones.
I am absolutely adoring Atelier Ryza, and am just about finished with it, but the difficulty spike at the end that requires you to have a sound knowledge of the crafting system to deal with bugs me, since nowhere in the game does it teach you how it expects you to create high end gear, or approach the crafting system to that end, and most of the guides don't seem to do a good job of explaining that either. Its actually been very hard to get my head around. Still an amazing game though.
Most Atelier games have the difficulty spikes at the end. I do agree that the game doesn't do the best job of teaching you about high end traits and all that jazz, but once you do grasp the system, the final main story boss is cake.
@@KainsAddiction You could always lower the difficulty. In easy mode, you can pretty much beat the game with terrible items. But I’d say that if the crafting part of the game isn’t appealing to you, then the Atelier series is not fo you since that’s the main selling point. I’m currently playing Atelier Sophie 2 and I’m at 75% of the game or so, playing on Legendary difficulty. (Found a system save to unlock it.) The game is ridiculously hard in Legendary, so you to craft excellent items. For this reason, out of the 60 hours or so that I played, I easily spent more than 40 them crafting thing with the best traits/max quality. In other words, without that, the game would lose a lot of its substance since you can rush it through in a few hours. Atelier games are really all about crafting and experimenting with items, traits and effects. As far as I’m concerned, I’m always having a blast testing different combinations to find what works best and, eventually, break the whole game with absolutely ridiculous items. (As an example in Atelier Sophie 2, you can create low quality neutralizers with three traits that increase their sell/duplication value/cost, but since they have such low base value and these traits also add a flat selling value, it ends up being cheaper to duplicate than it is worth selling. So you can pretty much duplicate it ad nauseam and then sell those for infinite money. In Ryza, you could have Philosopher’s Stones with the same principle. You make one with all the traits that make them cheaper and duplicate it, then use those to craft Philosopher’s Stones, this time with all the traits improving their value. Thanks to the quantity+ [and spread that allows you to craft them quickly] from Philosopher’s Stone, you could then sell those to make huge benefits. Of course, the same logic applies for combat items, except with even more options.) So yes, there are a of items in these games and most of them won’t ever be used. And this is especially true in the entries where characters have a personal inventory for items and not a shared one for the team. But you experiment with them if you want to, just as much as you can totally ignore that aspect of the game and play in easy with completely unoptimized items. It’s up to you at the end of the day but I’d still say that the Atelier Series is at its core focused on crafting and if you find it cumbersome, then it might just not be for you. (Or you should try other entries in the Series since the crafting systems can change a lot from one to another. My favorite is clearly Riza’s while I find Sophie 2’s to be bland, uninspired and unbalanced.) Anyway, didn’t mean to write such a long comment but yeah. This happened.
YES!! Rhapsody is a very relaxing game. I love that it have songs. Also I completed PlayStation version and didn’t feel that enemy encounters were all that often.
can you make a guide for the best RPGs with "very busy adult" guidance system? like in Skyrim, if you load an old savegame the UI still points you to where to go and what to do.
Super Mario RPG was such a classic. Always hoped for a sequel of some sort. I remember cheating by setting up a turbo controller in a spot where the enemies continuously walked into you and leaving it on while I was at school to level.
Great list. I'd add Magic Knight Rayearth for snes if you can find it (or emulate with a fan patch). It may not be the most popular, but its extremely pleasant to play.
Nice suggestions! Can’t wait to see what your thoughts on ni no kuni 2 are. To me the combat was a million times better and the story was still really good, maybe just not as charming as the first. Also if you decide on getting rune factory 5, definitely get it on pc, it really runs like shit on the switch. Not unplayable, but it annoyed me to the point to where I stopped playing because of it.
i actualy liked the first ni no kuni better because it was a bit more challanging. ni no kuni 2 to me was way too easy and the story wasent as good as in the first one. dont get me wrong i still loved it :) but the fistr ones story had me laughfing and crying :) even for an older guy like me sakura wars was also a really nice suprise :) i like the dating sim part alot but the action part again was really simple and boring and wayy too easy. but koi koi was fun when you got the hang of it :)
@@hikimies yeah NNK 2 weaker point was definitely the story but my god the combat in NNK 1 was just so clunky and jank I couldn’t stand it 😂 took away from the story for me a little bit because I just kept dreading the combat. Pretty sure I lowered the difficulty just so I could try to breeze thru it the best I could.
ngl, people recommending SMRPG are looking it through nostalgia googles, the Mario RPGs (especially Paper Mario) after it are so much better IMO. SMRPG is super jank and not fun in comparison.
It maybe hasn't aged too well on the surface, but the fundamentals are still strong. I also give it props because the game feels very well paced, it doesn't waste the players time.
@@andr0zzsenpai yeah it's a bit janky in the overworld but it's still way better than every other Mario rpg game besides paper Mario 2. Dont get me started on the last couple of paper Mario games. Bug fables is a much better paper Mario than those. Super Mario RPG has a great cast, OST, id hilarious, and still holds up as I've played it recently.
This is a decent list but I'd saay for Atelier Ryza.... Atelier Ryza 2 is moreso relaxing than the first and the reason for that, IMO that is, because it improves on the first one and does have a bit more of a campy, summer vacay feel than the first. Either way, thanks for the list, I actually think I might try out Noora and the Time Studio just cuz I'm a sucker for fan translation projects
Ryza 2 is better, I can agree with that. But I'm happy to recommend the first game as it more than holds up by itself. Not to mention people will have more fun with the sequel if they play through Ryza 1, I think that's just a given.
I have played all apart from 2 game(Noora and disney), which is nice. I am still loving the Atelier Ryza, I bought the second on steam summer sale and i can see it is very relaxing. I would choose Ni NO Kuni 2 as in my opinion, it is better out of two, with better combat, great character and story.
I agree on Ni no Kuni 1 vs. 2. The monster breeding mechanics in 1 got irritating after a while. If you like Pokemon/Digimon/Monster Breeder style titles it's probably great, but I just found it tedious. (Although the tactical battles in Ni no Kuni 2 were their own brand of irritation.)
i love JRPGs i might be selective with my games but JRPGs are great. Star Ocean the Last hope is a JRPG i enjoyed i may try to get Star Ocean Divine Force. i loved DQ 11 alot its just Awesome it was my first Dragon quest game as well. Tales of Arise was Awesome, i love the Tales games alot my first was Tales of Vespiria but one of my faves of the Tales games is Tales of Graces F. another JRPG i really enjoyed was Blue Dragon. i have played both Nino Kuni games i really enjoyed both of them i also loved Final Fantasy 13.
Really need to go back and Give Ni No kuni another go played the original but gave up after about 8 hours. Yet I had no issues finishing the Second game
Rune Factory series is sooo underrated. It basically ruined other farming sims for me. Having skills that level up with almost every action you do (like walking, farming, eating, combat etc.) is so satisfying. It makes you feel like you're constantly making progress with everything you do in the game as your character keeps on getting stronger. Plus of course the combat with all the RPG elements and dungeons you'd expect from an RPG. Farming life simulation + RPG is absolutely amazing combo. And there's such a ridiculous amount of content in those games too. I hope that one day the series will get the recognition it deserves.
I discovered the Atelier Series with Firis, and I played Sophie after that since I liked it that much. I it. The story was good enough but everything about the gameplay was thoroughly unenjoyable. Well, at least there was item duplication, unlike in Firis. Lydie and Suelle and Sophie 2 in the Mysterious series are much better if we consider the crafting system. (Although Sophie 2’s kind of messed up since ingredients lost their “personality” ; all items are for the most part interchangeable. And by the endgame, you don’t even care about the items, you’re only asking : how many components slots do they have and how many links can you make with them. Because their shape or element don’t matter anymore.) That being said I’d definitely recommend Ryza if you want to have a better experience than you had with Sophie. It clearly wasn’t the best way to get into the franchise… Ryza’s crafting system is the one I found the most enjoyable/approchable. And both the story and the characters aren’t bad either. Besides, if you didn’t have enough, there is still Ryza 2.
I personally like the time limit in the Arland series but I guess majority of the players hate it lol. The game gives a pretty decent leeway to allow you to screw up a couple times and still have enough time to clear every quest/story. It makes the players think and plan before making actions which I find it quite fun to play with. It has its own charm in that aspect. But I kinda agree that Ryza or Sophie will have a better chance inviting new casual JRPG players into the series than the older titles.
Just having a time limit over my head is enough to make me stress, its like consistently looking at a petrol gauge. You may have loads left but you're always giving it a quick glance here and there.
Thank you for the recommendations. I've also just started playing the trails series for the first time. I'm currently in chapter 8 of Sky SC on PSP, needless to say I'm hooked. Is Steam the more convenient way to access the remaining titles? As I only have switch or Xbox
The story of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the best I've seen from any JRPG. However, I think the gameplay is more hassle and almost undercuts all of the story's elegance.
I've been playing Rune Factory all my life and I kinda hate HM/SV. I tried HM and RF at the same time, and immediately dropped the former. SV/HM just aren't for me, I find them boring and monotonous. Rune Factory's fantasy storyline and light combat added that element I felt was missing in the other two. It's worth giving a try if you haven't yet.
While having a relaxing story there are many people saying the Ryza games are pretty hard, especially for last decade Atelier games in general. Don't know where exactly this comes from because I definitely say the Atelier games with time restrictions are more difficult to manage.
The only moment I found Ryza hard was with the second Dragon you fought against and that was because I seriously forgot that I had to upgrade the weapons for everybody. Yes, I've played a lot of other JRPGs but I just completely spaced on it. It was super easy afterwords, though lol
Most Atelier games have difficulty spikes near the end - it's a common issue with the series. As far as my personal playthroughs go, the first Ryza game was one of the easiest by far.
I absolutely LOVE the Rune Factory franchise. However RF5 was an overall let down. I’m still playing it to get through the storyline. The biggest let down for me was the characters didn’t feel like they have as much personality like how the characters were in RF4. They also got rid of dungeon flowers which was in my top aspects I loved.
What killed it for me is that the combat system feels glitchy/slow. In rf4, Ive always preferred speed over anything and would absolutely own with dual blades through sheer agility. For rf5, the smoothness of execution of strikes just isnt there anymore. There's a noticeable pause after executing a combo that drives me absolutely crazy and has gotten me unnecessarily hit more times than I care to admit.
Ni No Kuni bored me personally, but I do second Sakura Wars! Fun game. Swear I'll play an Atelier game myself one day... I'd throw Pokemon (obvious, but still... Fire Red would be my pick) and Shining Resonance (mostly easy game with a dating system) in there personally myself. Speaking of dating systems, maybe Persona 3-5 also (comes down to preference, but would probably say 5 for best relaxation myself). Appreciated video though.
God me too, to tears. I have game and movie narcolepsy. So unless I am really into something I literally physically pass the fk out. I did I lot of passing out before quitting not far in. Made 2 attempts, ps3 launch & remaster
I can never relax in any Atelier game. The time limit PTSD is so engraved in my soul that, even if the game doesn't have it, I still feel the need to rush and be as efficient as possible.
I wanted to like Wrath of the White Witch so much. It had great characters, a great world, a great story, and great animation. I just hated the combat (I wanted to fight with my characters but I just collected pokemon and fought with those most of the time, wtf) and the game eventually became a bit of a grind.
I feel like Rune Factory 5 improved the graphics & fighting but failed to deliver story & characters as memorable as RF4. The world was bigger but being able to warp absolutely everywhere made the game too easy. If I had to pick RF4 is better.
Rhapsody (on the DS) was so easy that I played most of the combat by spamming the attack button without even looking at the screen. I'm not sure that I would call this relaxing; I actually found it a bit frustrating. It removed all point to playing the game. There's an old Sid Meier quote about a good game being about making interesting decisions. If you remove all the significant decisions, what remains is arguably no longer a game. It's a digital book or movie. Clicking through a movie would just be annoying, not entertaining (except for the story itself.)
I've personally found Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE to be a pretty relaxing game despite the flack it got. The music, combat, and characters has me coming back to it from time to time.
I don't find Atelier games relaxing at all. If the time limits don't exist to stress you out that's great, but there's still the ending requirement to care about -_-
EDIT - I made a small error in the script when referring to Level 5, that's what happens when you have to rush sometimes! Meant to say it was Level 5's first attempt at a high fantasy RPG that was under their complete stewardship (developed and published by them).
I won't be around for a fair chunk this weekend, so wanted to get this out in advance - hope you guys like it!
I'm glad you found Rhapsody relaxing. I know the game was kinda stupid at times but I still love it. But I haven't played it in years. I think I found most of the villains hilariously funny. Especially the evil kittens. It was a fun little game and also just insanely cute. I loved the musical numbers. At least I think I did. It's been too long ^^'. Anyway, I hope I can finish Ys 8 in time so it won't distract me from Xenoblade 3. Ys is a really cool and fun game.
It's always nice seeing Rune Factory getting some appreciation. Rf4 Was and still is one of my favourite games, and I'd love to see more people getting a chance to try it.
On another note, the Atelier games look really fun and relaxing, I might have to try them out at some point.
Right now playing rf4, It really fun, like realllly fun and I love RF series since they came up with the rune factory 1. It was just a perfect idea, but RF4 is really hard also haha, Trying to do the full ending (To avoid spoiler won't say much details) and Maaan it is hard
Regarding the atelier games, i found that the time limit in the Arland games reduced my enjoyment and increased the complexity but they were still worthwhile games, just not for everyone. The Mysterious games and the Ryza games were much more approachable. Yes, Atelier Firis had that time limit in the early game, but it's generous enough that you actually have to deliberately work to fail to meet the time limit. (I got the required recommendations AND the optional ones AND had to backtrack to get the second recommendation and I still had a lot of time to spare.) Also, it's nice to see someone plugging the 2020 Sakura Wars game. Sakura Wars has always been rather niche, so it's nice to see it get mentioned in a list like this.
Honestly, Atelier Shallie is the best "no time limit" Atelier game I played, the vibe of the dusk series are just top notch, at the story actually have stakes, Mysterious trilogy is kinda bland... and Ryza is not much different either, ok games to wind down and relax.
I played all atelier since rorona. Arland serie are meant to play on ng+. The first run is of course really hard but once in ng+ you get a lot more fun.
I disliked the time limit in Arland too. It was too strict and didn’t add much to the game. However, that might be something of an unpopular opinion but I really loved the time limit in Firis. (It was also my first Atelier games… and I have been religiously playing every new entry since then.) More specifically…
To me, it really emphasized the whole theme of the game - that of the journey. This time limit added to the “narrative”. It acted as a constant reminder that even if you do have time, especially at the start of the game, time marches on and the journey has to end eventually. Having alchemy advance time was brilliant in that sense. This aspect made the whole journey much more enjoyable.
It’s the same thing as when you’re on vacation : you only have so much time to do what you want to do. And sometimes you have to make choices because you cannot do it all no matter how much you’d like to.
The same happened in Firis. I arrived at the final town for the license exam one or two weeks before the time limit. I had to rush the last few crafts to defeat… the optional boss of the exam, you know the one. () Since that was my first Atelier game, I had no idea of what I was doing for most of it but I succeeded - barely. (That’s on me though. For doing all the recommendations although I knew that I was running out of time… But somehow, that made it even more fun, having to rush those last few weeks to even get there in time.)
Then there was the post-game. I had an absolute blast with the endgame craft system, with all its traits and items that can break the game to oblivion. That was enjoyable from a gameplay perspective. But the enjoyable part as a story/adventure was without a doubt the journey until the exam.
(I agree with you, though. Firis still remains my favorite from the Atelier series, because of its theme, execution and the fact that it was my first. But Ryza is right behind, followed by Lulua - although it was a bit weak on the story, the gameplay made up for it. The instant item thing in combat opened so many possibilities. Ryza’s crafting system is just soooo enjoyable - and indeed approachable. Firis' and Sophie 1’s were a mess in comparison.)
Honestly, I think you could put any of the recent Dragon Quest games on this list. Plenty of side content & post game for anyone who loves classic RPGs.
Put one on the last list, if I do another I'll keep the other ones in mind.
Best way to start with Atelier series depends on what kind of player are you, if you are the casual ones, you start with Ryza, if you don't like time restrictions but want to play Atelier classical, start with Sophie and complete the Mysterious series/arc. if you are a hardcore gamer that wants to complete most of the atelier franchise with best experience possible, start with Ayesha, Dusk series or Arland, few people likes Iris, or rather no one really talks about Iris.
Basically,
Iris Series:
-1
-2
-3
Arland Series:
-Rorona
-Totori
-Meruru
-Lulua
Dusk Series:
-Ayesha
-Escha and Logy
-Shallie
-Sophie 2
Mysterious Series:
-Sophie
-Firis
-Lydie and Suelle
Secret Series:
-Ryza
-Ryza 2
New World:
-Nelke(features most atelier protags)
There are some untranslated atelier games which I haven't played and spin offs. also this goes by memory so it may have some mistakes
I still prefer rf4 than rf5 luckily harvistella looks like a really good 3d farming sim so im really looking forward to it
Harvestella looks fantastic, can't wait for it.
@@TheKisekiNut If it doesn't come with Denuvo and it has similar design integrity as with FF7R then I might be in the top 5 of games in the genre, if not . . . can always wait for a sale? XD
Rf4 will always be my favorite.
Thank you for being the only UA-camr in existence to pronounce "Atelier" correctly. :)
@The Kiseki Nut im still grateful when u first introduced us to the Atelier series and when i started with Ryza 1+2 i fell also in love with how relaxing the series is.
I still didnt finish the mysterious trilogy and sophie 2 but yeah its my game for when i need a "break" so ty for bringing that game to me
Same, I have it but it was kinda slow, i didnt get far either. I might go back to it tho
I really wanna play through Atelier Ryza so I can play the 2nd one since you said it's better. Probably will after I play through Star Ocean 4 and Fire Emblem Three Hopes
Love the love for SMRPG and Rune Factory. Personally, I like the OG Rune Factory the best for chill gaming, but 4 (Special) is technically better in just about every imaginable way.
I haven't been through the older entries on your JRPG list, but the Golden Sun duology is a must-play.
The first Trails of Cold Steel is definately a game you want on this list as well. The first game is all about getting to know the world of Erebonia and therefor gives a really nice feeling of adventure and exploration. The second game is more about conflict and sets off darker tones.
I am absolutely adoring Atelier Ryza, and am just about finished with it, but the difficulty spike at the end that requires you to have a sound knowledge of the crafting system to deal with bugs me, since nowhere in the game does it teach you how it expects you to create high end gear, or approach the crafting system to that end, and most of the guides don't seem to do a good job of explaining that either. Its actually been very hard to get my head around. Still an amazing game though.
Most Atelier games have the difficulty spikes at the end. I do agree that the game doesn't do the best job of teaching you about high end traits and all that jazz, but once you do grasp the system, the final main story boss is cake.
@@KainsAddiction You could always lower the difficulty. In easy mode, you can pretty much beat the game with terrible items. But I’d say that if the crafting part of the game isn’t appealing to you, then the Atelier series is not fo you since that’s the main selling point.
I’m currently playing Atelier Sophie 2 and I’m at 75% of the game or so, playing on Legendary difficulty. (Found a system save to unlock it.) The game is ridiculously hard in Legendary, so you to craft excellent items. For this reason, out of the 60 hours or so that I played, I easily spent more than 40 them crafting thing with the best traits/max quality.
In other words, without that, the game would lose a lot of its substance since you can rush it through in a few hours. Atelier games are really all about crafting and experimenting with items, traits and effects. As far as I’m concerned, I’m always having a blast testing different combinations to find what works best and, eventually, break the whole game with absolutely ridiculous items.
(As an example in Atelier Sophie 2, you can create low quality neutralizers with three traits that increase their sell/duplication value/cost, but since they have such low base value and these traits also add a flat selling value, it ends up being cheaper to duplicate than it is worth selling. So you can pretty much duplicate it ad nauseam and then sell those for infinite money.
In Ryza, you could have Philosopher’s Stones with the same principle. You make one with all the traits that make them cheaper and duplicate it, then use those to craft Philosopher’s Stones, this time with all the traits improving their value. Thanks to the quantity+ [and spread that allows you to craft them quickly] from Philosopher’s Stone, you could then sell those to make huge benefits.
Of course, the same logic applies for combat items, except with even more options.)
So yes, there are a of items in these games and most of them won’t ever be used. And this is especially true in the entries where characters have a personal inventory for items and not a shared one for the team. But you experiment with them if you want to, just as much as you can totally ignore that aspect of the game and play in easy with completely unoptimized items.
It’s up to you at the end of the day but I’d still say that the Atelier Series is at its core focused on crafting and if you find it cumbersome, then it might just not be for you. (Or you should try other entries in the Series since the crafting systems can change a lot from one to another. My favorite is clearly Riza’s while I find Sophie 2’s to be bland, uninspired and unbalanced.)
Anyway, didn’t mean to write such a long comment but yeah. This happened.
YES!! Rhapsody is a very relaxing game. I love that it have songs.
Also I completed PlayStation version and didn’t feel that enemy encounters were all that often.
I love that Rhapsody is mentioned. It was my 2nd game and and oddly enough I still remember the songs
I know that you're out there and i'm waiting for you~
@@personack3510 there she goes again she's in looove
@@personack3510 Cornet is my name and I’m a puppeteer too
OMG, RHAPSODY!! I almost forgot how nice the game was until you mentioned it. Def gonna play it again 🤩 Thanks!
As someone who loves musicals, I really enjoyed Rhapsody when I played it as a kid. Didn’t knew it was ported on Switch
One of my favorites too, and it's coming out on steam this month!
@@personack3510 This’ll be great for people who just want a cozy start on strategy RPG. And the songs both in English and Japanese are so lit
Glad to see some love for RF4!!
You got me really interested in Sakura Wars.
I can not believe he missed the best relaxing rpg " Kamidori Alchemy Meister"!
can you make a guide for the best RPGs with "very busy adult" guidance system? like in Skyrim, if you load an old savegame the UI still points you to where to go and what to do.
Oh my God it's that so anime of the JRPG
Rhapsody is such a fun and adorable game. Well worth playing.
Would have been really funny if TKN just slipped Bloodborne in the middle of the video and didn’t elaborate.
Super Mario RPG was such a classic. Always hoped for a sequel of some sort.
I remember cheating by setting up a turbo controller in a spot where the enemies continuously walked into you and leaving it on while I was at school to level.
Technically Super Mario RPG spawned two entire series, "Paper Mario" and the "Mario & Luigi" games.
nice, another video, keep up the great content!!
Great list. I'd add Magic Knight Rayearth for snes if you can find it (or emulate with a fan patch). It may not be the most popular, but its extremely pleasant to play.
Love Ni No Kuni, Sakura Wars and Atalia look great. Thank you for the video.
I loved playing Rhapsody! Such a shame the sequels didn't make it through!
Nice suggestions! Can’t wait to see what your thoughts on ni no kuni 2 are. To me the combat was a million times better and the story was still really good, maybe just not as charming as the first.
Also if you decide on getting rune factory 5, definitely get it on pc, it really runs like shit on the switch. Not unplayable, but it annoyed me to the point to where I stopped playing because of it.
i actualy liked the first ni no kuni better because it was a bit more challanging. ni no kuni 2 to me was way too easy and the story wasent as good as in the first one. dont get me wrong i still loved it :) but the fistr ones story had me laughfing and crying :)
even for an older guy like me sakura wars was also a really nice suprise :) i like the dating sim part alot but the action part again was really simple and boring and wayy too easy. but koi koi was fun when you got the hang of it :)
@@hikimies yeah NNK 2 weaker point was definitely the story but my god the combat in NNK 1 was just so clunky and jank I couldn’t stand it 😂 took away from the story for me a little bit because I just kept dreading the combat. Pretty sure I lowered the difficulty just so I could try to breeze thru it the best I could.
I love this series!! I got two games of the lists. Need part 3!!
It's always a good day seeing a new video you've released mate. Hope you have a great weekend buddy 👍
Dang, the song Evil Queen from Rhapsody made me memorize its lyrics.
“Don’t you know you’re old enough to be his mother?”
My favorite Mario RPG is Mario & Luigi Super Star Saga for GBA/3DS. I've tried playing the SNES Mario rpg a few times but I always quit before long
ngl, people recommending SMRPG are looking it through nostalgia googles, the Mario RPGs (especially Paper Mario) after it are so much better IMO. SMRPG is super jank and not fun in comparison.
It maybe hasn't aged too well on the surface, but the fundamentals are still strong. I also give it props because the game feels very well paced, it doesn't waste the players time.
@@andr0zzsenpai yeah it's a bit janky in the overworld but it's still way better than every other Mario rpg game besides paper Mario 2. Dont get me started on the last couple of paper Mario games. Bug fables is a much better paper Mario than those. Super Mario RPG has a great cast, OST, id hilarious, and still holds up as I've played it recently.
Looks like too little people know that Ni No Kuni actually a proper turn-based JRPG on DS that was downgraded in gameplay for PS3 port.
Thanks I like these games. Needed the reminder.
Holy shit rhapsody is coming to the switch? throwback to the good old days.
This is a decent list but I'd saay for Atelier Ryza.... Atelier Ryza 2 is moreso relaxing than the first and the reason for that, IMO that is, because it improves on the first one and does have a bit more of a campy, summer vacay feel than the first.
Either way, thanks for the list, I actually think I might try out Noora and the Time Studio just cuz I'm a sucker for fan translation projects
Ryza 2 is better, I can agree with that. But I'm happy to recommend the first game as it more than holds up by itself. Not to mention people will have more fun with the sequel if they play through Ryza 1, I think that's just a given.
@@TheKisekiNut Yeah Ryza 1 is a solid game too, but I think personally you could play either or and not miss much except some references in 2
I have played all apart from 2 game(Noora and disney), which is nice. I am still loving the Atelier Ryza, I bought the second on steam summer sale and i can see it is very relaxing. I would choose Ni NO Kuni 2 as in my opinion, it is better out of two, with better combat, great character and story.
I agree on Ni no Kuni 1 vs. 2. The monster breeding mechanics in 1 got irritating after a while. If you like Pokemon/Digimon/Monster Breeder style titles it's probably great, but I just found it tedious. (Although the tactical battles in Ni no Kuni 2 were their own brand of irritation.)
i love JRPGs i might be selective with my games but JRPGs are great.
Star Ocean the Last hope is a JRPG i enjoyed i may try to get Star Ocean Divine Force.
i loved DQ 11 alot its just Awesome it was my first Dragon quest game as well.
Tales of Arise was Awesome, i love the Tales games alot my first was Tales of Vespiria but one of my faves of the Tales games is Tales of Graces F.
another JRPG i really enjoyed was Blue Dragon.
i have played both Nino Kuni games i really enjoyed both of them i also loved Final Fantasy 13.
Really need to go back and Give Ni No kuni another go played the original but gave up after about 8 hours. Yet I had no issues finishing the Second game
for me, relaxing Jrpgs need great soundtracks (and easy going action , usually turnbased)
.. like Dragon Quest VIII / XIS or the Etrian Odyssey series
Fun fact about Super Mario RPG: they added a chip in the cartridge so the game could be 32 bit instead of 16 bit.
I’m actually playing Sakura wars, really loving it so far.
Rune Factory series is sooo underrated. It basically ruined other farming sims for me.
Having skills that level up with almost every action you do (like walking, farming, eating, combat etc.) is so satisfying. It makes you feel like you're constantly making progress with everything you do in the game as your character keeps on getting stronger. Plus of course the combat with all the RPG elements and dungeons you'd expect from an RPG. Farming life simulation + RPG is absolutely amazing combo. And there's such a ridiculous amount of content in those games too. I hope that one day the series will get the recognition it deserves.
Def gonna have to give Ryza a try. I think it will fit me better then Sophie did.
I discovered the Atelier Series with Firis, and I played Sophie after that since I liked it that much. I it. The story was good enough but everything about the gameplay was thoroughly unenjoyable. Well, at least there was item duplication, unlike in Firis. Lydie and Suelle and Sophie 2 in the Mysterious series are much better if we consider the crafting system. (Although Sophie 2’s kind of messed up since ingredients lost their “personality” ; all items are for the most part interchangeable. And by the endgame, you don’t even care about the items, you’re only asking : how many components slots do they have and how many links can you make with them. Because their shape or element don’t matter anymore.)
That being said I’d definitely recommend Ryza if you want to have a better experience than you had with Sophie. It clearly wasn’t the best way to get into the franchise…
Ryza’s crafting system is the one I found the most enjoyable/approchable. And both the story and the characters aren’t bad either. Besides, if you didn’t have enough, there is still Ryza 2.
Have you ever played Radiata Stories for the ps2? Great underrated game
I personally like the time limit in the Arland series but I guess majority of the players hate it lol. The game gives a pretty decent leeway to allow you to screw up a couple times and still have enough time to clear every quest/story. It makes the players think and plan before making actions which I find it quite fun to play with. It has its own charm in that aspect. But I kinda agree that Ryza or Sophie will have a better chance inviting new casual JRPG players into the series than the older titles.
Just having a time limit over my head is enough to make me stress, its like consistently looking at a petrol gauge. You may have loads left but you're always giving it a quick glance here and there.
Thank you for the recommendations. I've also just started playing the trails series for the first time. I'm currently in chapter 8 of Sky SC on PSP, needless to say I'm hooked.
Is Steam the more convenient way to access the remaining titles? As I only have switch or Xbox
Are there ones without combat? Thank you for making this video.
11:04 I get that, I often choose to make Commander Shepard a real douche in Mass Effect just to see the reactions of people. xD
*7 Relaxing JRPGs That Are Worth Playing*
meanwhile, i was grinding hard everyday pouring an average of 12 hours in the game everyday when i was 14.
The story of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is the best I've seen from any JRPG. However, I think the gameplay is more hassle and almost undercuts all of the story's elegance.
Sakura Wars had me cracking up.
thank you!
If you like the rf4 you should play the rf3 too. It's pretty similar to rf4
Would you recommend a Rune Factory game to someone like me that have never been able to get into Harvest Moon or Stardew Valley?
Probably not. Theres rpg leveling and combat but it's still a farming/ dating sim
I've been playing Rune Factory all my life and I kinda hate HM/SV. I tried HM and RF at the same time, and immediately dropped the former. SV/HM just aren't for me, I find them boring and monotonous. Rune Factory's fantasy storyline and light combat added that element I felt was missing in the other two. It's worth giving a try if you haven't yet.
Thank you both for your answers, so far is 1 yes and 1 no.. i guess i'll give it a try with RF 4 sometime
Atelier I’d highly recommend the Dusk DX trilogy for story and Lulua for a better game than Ryza 1 imo.
Cool but idk where to get Nora and the time studio.
On the interwebs
Currently playing Trails in the sky it’s really fun and good downside the attacks are all ways missing😂 at crucial points
I tried to get into Atelier Ryza but there was just too many systems in place. I always felt like I was missing something.
3:15 now I want to play it with a time limit.
While having a relaxing story there are many people saying the Ryza games are pretty hard, especially for last decade Atelier games in general. Don't know where exactly this comes from because I definitely say the Atelier games with time restrictions are more difficult to manage.
The only moment I found Ryza hard was with the second Dragon you fought against and that was because I seriously forgot that I had to upgrade the weapons for everybody. Yes, I've played a lot of other JRPGs but I just completely spaced on it. It was super easy afterwords, though lol
Most Atelier games have difficulty spikes near the end - it's a common issue with the series. As far as my personal playthroughs go, the first Ryza game was one of the easiest by far.
I absolutely LOVE the Rune Factory franchise. However RF5 was an overall let down. I’m still playing it to get through the storyline. The biggest let down for me was the characters didn’t feel like they have as much personality like how the characters were in RF4. They also got rid of dungeon flowers which was in my top aspects I loved.
What killed it for me is that the combat system feels glitchy/slow. In rf4, Ive always preferred speed over anything and would absolutely own with dual blades through sheer agility. For rf5, the smoothness of execution of strikes just isnt there anymore. There's a noticeable pause after executing a combo that drives me absolutely crazy and has gotten me unnecessarily hit more times than I care to admit.
Sakura wars vs 13 sentinels
Ni No Kuni bored me personally, but I do second Sakura Wars! Fun game.
Swear I'll play an Atelier game myself one day...
I'd throw Pokemon (obvious, but still... Fire Red would be my pick) and Shining Resonance (mostly easy game with a dating system) in there personally myself. Speaking of dating systems, maybe Persona 3-5 also (comes down to preference, but would probably say 5 for best relaxation myself).
Appreciated video though.
God me too, to tears. I have game and movie narcolepsy. So unless I am really into something I literally physically pass the fk out. I did I lot of passing out before quitting not far in. Made 2 attempts, ps3 launch & remaster
2 is way more fun for me at least cause you're actively fighting yourself instead of it being turn based
@@darknesswave100 the combat wasn't the biggest problem that caused it to be boring
@@drowningin Nice to know it wasn't just me at least.
I can never relax in any Atelier game. The time limit PTSD is so engraved in my soul that, even if the game doesn't have it, I still feel the need to rush and be as efficient as possible.
Is it just me or does the art style in the Sakura Wars reboot look like Kubo Tite’s?
He designed the characters for the game 😉
Does Pokemon Legends: Arceus count as JRPG? If so that game is also relaxing imo
Yes it counts
Xenoblade games manage to strike a perfect balance of relaxing and fun exploration, and absolutely traumatic plotlines
No Avalon Code?
Sakura Wars So long my love is even better if anyone has access.
I wanted to like Wrath of the White Witch so much. It had great characters, a great world, a great story, and great animation. I just hated the combat (I wanted to fight with my characters but I just collected pokemon and fought with those most of the time, wtf) and the game eventually became a bit of a grind.
The combat of this game is the opposite of relaxing.
I honestly thought Drippy was a poor attempt at a Geordie accent
As someone that is a huge rune factory fan and have played RF5. Rune factory 4 is still better imo
I recommend Earth bound
I feel like Rune Factory 5 improved the graphics & fighting but failed to deliver story & characters as memorable as RF4. The world was bigger but being able to warp absolutely everywhere made the game too easy. If I had to pick RF4 is better.
So why Ni no Kuni 1 and not 2?
Rhapsody (on the DS) was so easy that I played most of the combat by spamming the attack button without even looking at the screen.
I'm not sure that I would call this relaxing; I actually found it a bit frustrating. It removed all point to playing the game. There's an old Sid Meier quote about a good game being about making interesting decisions. If you remove all the significant decisions, what remains is arguably no longer a game. It's a digital book or movie. Clicking through a movie would just be annoying, not entertaining (except for the story itself.)
I wish you wouldn't say addicting when you mean addictive
we're the same age bro
I've personally found Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE to be a pretty relaxing game despite the flack it got. The music, combat, and characters has me coming back to it from time to time.
I agree! I would have put it on potentially if I finished the game, but I'm currently playing it as we speak.
Heeey another person born in 92!
I really miss Monster Hunter Stories 2 in this list.
never been so early
I don't find Atelier games relaxing at all. If the time limits don't exist to stress you out that's great, but there's still the ending requirement to care about -_-
10:08 A group of heroin
I'd add the Zwei series.
How can you relax with ryza THICC thighs always on screen
You say relaxing. I say boring.
Nothing relaxing about Ni No Kuni's first 2 hours lol
The only worthwhile ones on your list are Ni no Kuni and Super Mario RPG. And Ni no Kuni is honestly very mid as a game so that’s pushing it.
I love Atelier Ryza, but the outfit and her body shape is too vulgar to my taste...
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Sorry but Runefactory 4's PC port is absolutely awful and it is way overpriced. There are no glasses rose-tinted enough to remedy that turd of a port.