Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is to this day on my top 10 favorite games of all time. Like you, it was my introduction to Japanese culture and it has a special place in my heart
Love to hear that. It’s such an incredibly unique and memorable game, I imagine it was the gateway into Japanese culture for a lot of kids back then (well the ones that actually played it at least)
I played it a year ago and I can’t tell you how many times I got emotional playing it! The music, the sounds, the visuals. The nostalgia hit like a Mack truck!
Gaming broductions. I only recently began watching your videos, but you're now one of those few that I'll binge everything you've got likely and forever more anticipate future videos. Subbed. < 3
@23:37. I want to state for the record that there was a Destiny of an Emperor 2. The game mechanics are similar to the first game. It was released only in Japan in 1991. If youre a fan of video game soundtracks, its got a great soundtrack (Yasuaki Fujita aka. Bunbun is one of my favourite composers).
Some of the games China has been releasing outside it's boarders are worth mentioning I think. Gujian3, Xuan-Yuan Sword VII, Sword and Fairy 6 and 7 (or Chinese Paladin) are some good action RPGs that are in a more fantasy Ancient China. I do apricate using clips from Sword and Fairy 7 in this video though. That game is beautiful. Side note Saiyuki Journey West has one of my favorite Sun Wu Kong designs.
Excellent list! I am still fairly new to JRPGs compared to Western RPGs and life-sim games which I played since I was a kid. So your lists always help out to learn more about the genre! 🥰
Thank you! I’ve been into JRPGs for as long as I can remember so it’s cool to hear others who are more recently diving into the genre for the first time. I envy your position, you have so many amazing experiences ahead of you 😌 I played WRPGs a lot growing up too but never dove into life-sims that much, whenever I check some of those out I’ll be sure to come to you for your knowledge!
Both are some of my favorite games ever so it’s impossible for me to choose between them, but Goemon is probably the one I would want to replay more often these days so that’s gotta mean something
Yo me too. Plus there is a giant robots and Impact has his own theme song. I even beat the rest of the game with a missing thumb nail because I slammed the car door on thumb on my last day of third grade.(difficult using a N64 controller with a bruised thumb but worth it) the ending was pretty funny.
Yes!!! Someone else appreciate Mystical Ninja! It was my favorite N64 game. I just wish it was easier to play nowadays. Emulating is more difficult than it needs to be.
Oh this whole topic is my jam. I'm a huge fan of Jade Empire (have even replayed it on the XB1 relatively recently since it's backwards compatible and easily available for current Xboxes for about $10. Cheaper than Steam), and since _we're never going to get a sequel to that_ (grumble grumble), it's just turned me to occasionally look for something sort of similar from time to time. I'm loving the modern age where a lot of Chinese-developed titles like Xuan Yuan Sword 7 are now looking for international success (it sucks that it's because of their government clamping down on their Games Industry though), and while I'm looking forward to stuff like Black Myth Wukong, Honor of Kings: World or Faith of Danschant: Herafter a bunch, I do like looking for current or older titles with that Mystical Ancient Asia setting too. And hey, I know about Kingdom of Paradise! I have that _twice_ - one physical and one digital for my PSTV. I too wish we would get a fan translation of Kingdom of Heaven 2 someday, especially since it looks so much better. I also agree with you *big-time* with what you said about Suikoden V; bird's eye cameras suck. And to top the list off with a Ganbare Goemon title? Bravo, sir. Bravo! If you do a follow-up list on this topic, you might wanna check out the Toukiden series (Toukiden Kiwami and Toukiden 2 on PS4). I really liked those Monster Hunter-esque titles when I played 'em, though the second game's open world was a bit more tedious than the first game's straightforward mission-based structure imo. They both certainly fit Ancient Asia theme.
I think it's also the gaming landscape today being very different than in the 90s when it was the golden age of RPGs. A lot has changed with the internet and bigger globalization of pop culture products (other than games), that are two big factors. When Enix and Square started making RPGs it was obvious to copy the western fantasy setting because its where RPGs are based and come from, so there's plenty of established material to use and with guaranteed chances of being well received in Japan (that loves popular western things) and even if it was ever exported to the west. And we all know the early DQ and FF were super popular there, so it's also natural to stick to the formula. But since anime as a genre still wasnt properly exported to the west at the time, the own japanese probably never imagined that westerners are so interested about ancient Japanese things besides superficial things like samurai and ninjas and old castles (actually the western caricatures of samurai and ninjas). Animes that use pure japanese fantasy elements, not mixed or derived from western fantasy, became popular here. And with time the west just embraced more and more of pure japanese fantasy.
I'd like to imagine the possibility that if anime was very global many years early, and the japanese knew the western market was open to japanese fantasy products, maybe they would have tried making "japanese" rpgs since the golden age. Maybe even FF or DQ "asian" subseries just to use the brand. Then rpg history would have been completely different. Asian based RPGs wouldn't feel alien as they are. That impression is only because western fantasy monopolized RPGs. It's not a principle or a rule... but a coincidence of how the genre grew in the 80s and 90s given the whole situation. Even the western entertainment industry didn't realize the public was so interested in anime, which is why it too long to import anime/manga.
Rented Inindo for a week back in the early 90s. Didn't find it again for several years but finally went all the way through it. Way ahead of its time and out a bit over its skis. Recruiting party members, large-scale strategic battles, going on spy missions to learn about and/or damage your opponent... Pretty advanced stuff for the early 90s. Glad to see someone mention a gem from my childhood that no one really ever speaks of, let alone appreciates.
Oh Saiyuki...my first Tactical RPG ever. I bought that game because nothing seemed interesting at the store that time. The biggest miracle it ever gave was that it lured my brother (who never plays anything but sports games and Monster Rancher) to be interested in it. More people should know about it and give it a go. It's probably easier than most games of the genre. I remember we grinded our characters to level 70+ only to breeze through the latter bosses like they were Level 1 enemies.
I was a kid when these came out. I’m a man now and I would love to play these RPG’s. Anything like Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, or Dragon Quest and Suikoden and FFVII or VI is def worth a play! I recently played Jade Empire and it was amazing! Mystical Ninja was amazing. The music was way ahead of its time. My God!!!
You should check out the long running Chinese Wuxia series called "XuanYuan Sword" not to mention they finally got one of their game English translated in GOG for the 7th series. This game been made since the 90's in Taiwan and is pretty popular in Chinese speaking diaspora PC gamers
In 1994, Far East of Eden: Zero was hinted to be translated into Spanish in Mexico but finally, Itochu, the Mexican company that distributed games for Nintendo consoles, and who would become a licensee, first to translate JRPGs into Spanish, and later to make its own games, ended doing neither, and to this day it remains a mystery why, when it was highly publicized in the mid 90s. Then, the emulation community started the project, but the full translation never came out, and after a decade or more, I just forgot about, and you just reminded me of it! Now I gotta play it!
As much as I love the East-Asian setting, I've only played a couple of the titles here, and hadn't even heard of most of the others. It's too bad that most of them are so hard to play legitimately these days. Also, a game that wasn't included here that I think deserves a mention is Pokémon Legends Arceus. The ancient-Japan setting meshes surprisingly well with Pokémon, I really hope we'll get more games in a similar setting in the future.
Thank you for including Inindo: Way of the warrior. That game is a hidden gem if you can look past the graphics. It is also quite difficult to beat. Destiny of an Emperor was also in my top two so kudos for mentionning both of them.
Was watching the recent Nintendo direct and when they showed the remake of Live A Live, I actually wondered why we hadnt seen more ‘imperial China’ and ‘edo Japan’ set rpgs. some huge condor heroes- style setting wandering about levelling up your crazy Kung fu powers would be amazing
Shadow Hearts: Half of the game takes place in East Asia, a bit more than 100 years ago. Maybe not completely ancient then, but close. Deserved at least an honourable mention. Final Fantasy X also takes place in an Asian setting, although more like a fantasy world than actual Asia. Could also have been included.
dont forget ffx.. while it is not set explicitly in Ancient Asia, but the clothing, culture...world building are all very inspired by asian culture ...that is also why it gives a unique vibe than other entry
This video introduced me to a few games that I’m definitely putting on my To Play list (onimusha tactics in particular). One game I played recently that is set in ancient Asia is Sakuna of rice and ruin (kinda rpg but close enough) Also, I appreciate that little trivia about Jiraiya, I had no idea!
I did learn about Sakuna when researching this topic but didn’t really know enough about it, probably should have at least thrown it in as an HM though lol oh well. I do really like the graphical style however, it’s really pretty. And yeah I thought that tidbit was pretty interesting! The whole toad riding thing is also part of the Jiraiya legend along with other names like Tsunade and Orochimaru so Naruto really took some heavy inspiration there
It’s rare to see jrpg series prioritize cultural inspiration outside of traditional Eurocentric fare. Suikoden was the first Rpg title that really got me into the genre despite having tried a couple FF titles and Goemon as a kid in the 90s. I always wanted to try Jade Empire too. Also, It would be pretty dope if you could cover the Shadowhearts games (1&2) at some point. That’s one that struck me as particularly unique for the real-world locations, or it’s paranormal and often serious, mature themes. Either way I’m diggin the whole vibe of your content, music and all. Keep it up!
I believe by the 80s and 90s the own japanese devs working in the early rpgs didn't imagine the public would be so interested in pure japanese fantasy products. Rpg being a western product and the whole mythology well known and probably fairly globalized even in the 80s Japan (which could explain the games' popularity), it's natural to think the devs would stick to a common formula early on. But nowadays anime is very globalized and the pure japanese fantasy animes are popular here too. On the other hand, the golden age of rpgs ended long ago and it completely established rpgs on the western fantasy model (it's not everything but it's 95% or even a little more) and it's hard to go against an old tradition set in the biggest popularity period of the genre. Nobody is going to start a high production series of asian based RPGs. And even the video shows a good number of low budget examples. I'd like to imagine Square, Enix or another big company in the rpg golden age daring to experiment with high production asian based games. If only they knew the western market was interested in those things. That would have changed the image of the genre completely in the sense of being fixated to western fantasy setting. And the thing is that asian fantasy worlds, ancient history and mythology actually offer a decent material to make equivalents of any conventional western fantasy rpg. There are weapons, armors, magic, mystical doctrines (actually similar and older than the western ones), monsters of many kinds and scales and their own lore, fitting historical backdrops, etc.
Jade Empire is one of the toughest games I've ever played. I'll return to it to finally beat it, or reach half way first. In that game, every alley is like a final boss fight. Amazing, and I love it.
Loving your channel. Keep up the good work! Perhaps make a video with what jRPGs to get from the Wii U and 3DS eshop before they close it down next year.
UA-cam is such a toxic place that you have to have a 2-minute long serious intro on a video about video games because if you don't you'll get so many shity comments in the comment section. Look at yourselves people.
This is a great list. IDC if it's traditional or not. As long as it fits with your theme. Ancient Asia settings +RPG element. I want many to be remade for the current consoles.. Onimushia Tactics, Jade empire, Suikedion 5, Siyuki Journey west I would love to have remade
The Vita version of Muramasa, in addition to having widescreen support, better controls, and a much better translation, has 4 fairly cheap DLC chapters that, although having shorter campaigns than Momohime and Kisuke, effectively doubles the content when combined, with each chapter having a unique battle style, new bosses, and multiple endings, including one that involves the story of Jiraiya. You can even get them bundled together in a Complete Collection for cheaper than a normal full game.
There may be others already mentioning some of these, but some other notable games that fit this list: Xuan Yuan Sword series Wandering Sword God Wars Dynasty Tactics
For older games, I'd recommend Shachou Eiyuuden - The Eagle Shooting Heroes, based on a classic Chinese literature, it's one of my fav ps1 games. Not sure if there's English version though. There are several long running Eastern rpg series based in fictional ancient China that continue to have modern new releases too, with those newer ones having English subtitle option available, like The Legend of Sword and Fairy series, Gujian series, Xuan-Yuan Sword series, Faith of Danschant series, Fate Seeker series.
I realize the game, as a whole, isn't really based on Asian RPG, but, Skies of Arcadia (Skies of Arcadia: Legends) has each floating island under each colored moon taking after a different nationality... Red being Arabian, green being South American, etc. ... Under the blue moon is the nation of Yafutoma, which is based around the three major East Asian cultures in it's design. Also, when you can finally build your base, each building can be made with either a pirate, or Asian motif, or mix-and-match. I especially liked the tavern in Asian form, where you could walk over a koi river on a bamboo curved bridge to get to the tea room.
I wish there was a rpg brand since the early days daring to explore fantasy worlds based on other cultures than western. RPGs even have this advantage that they tend not to have continuity commitment in sequels. They can change and generally change the world, character, plot, etc, and rarely have direct sequels. So in theory that gives a decent room for even if just a one-time only experiment. It's interesting (and kinda tragic) to see that it just took too long for the japanese game industry to realize that the western market is so open to japanese fantasy products. Because anime wasn't so globalized in the late 80s and 90s. Now we are way past the rpg golden age, and the industry changed a lot too. It's very complicated to go on wild experiments in the genre nowadays. Another thing, probably as much shocking to the ones behind the gaming companies, is the fact that the public is also interested in games that explore even more different cultures. But that was only revealed by Assassin's Creed, a modern brand, and more exactly by the indecent milking of the brand, that is a kind of accidental fact. Now the rpg genre is in a situation it's impossible to imagine an experimental jrpg in the ancient Greece and Rome for example. Ot at least a high production game and not an indie thing (even for indies it's too risky imo).
Dude, you should've included Sengoku Rance, it's literally a turn based RPG sets in the Sengoku era.. the problem why it doesn't as popular is because it's actually a Hentai Game (yes you heard that right), but most people are surprised at how complex it was for a Hentai Game. The branching storylines & multiple endings are truly awesome and there are so many playable characters with complex personal skillset. Yes people start playing it because they're horny, but after an hour of playing you'll start to ignore the horny part (or even skip it altogether or getting annoyed by it lol) because the storyline and gameplay are really intriguing & addicting
I like this video a lot! But I hope one day I can see a video about jrpgs about middle East. Specially iran and Arabic countries. Thank you a lot gaming broduction!
Funny enough, I've actually played almost every game on this list, except for the SRPGs, and the Musashi games. I think out of all of them, I've spent the most time playing *Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines*
Both Xuan-Yuan Sword and Sword Fairy series (Made by the same company I believe) are some more recent ones that got my attention, didnt play any yet, but I planing to try one of them this year
Nice! I didn’t play that one til much later on but all the SNES Goemon games are great, wish we would have gotten the others officially in English though
Make video on RPGs based in other part of asia such as middle East & india Also... Dragon quest 3 includes most part of world but with different names Edit: there was also good jrpg i remember playing Rainbow silk road includes whole asia ( from middle East to japan)
I wish there was a rpg brand since the early days daring to explore fantasy worlds based on other cultures than western. RPGs even have this advantage that they tend not to have continuity commitment in sequels. They can change and generally change the world, character, plot, etc, and rarely have direct sequels. So in theory that gives a decent room for even if just a one-time only experiment. It's interesting (and kinda tragic) to see that it just took too long for the japanese game industry to realize that the western market is so open to japanese fantasy products. Because anime wasn't so globalized in the late 80s and 90s. Now we are way past the rpg golden age, and the industry changed a lot too. It's very complicated to go on wild experiments in the genre nowadays. Another thing, probably as much shocking to the ones behind the gaming companies, is the fact that the public is also interested in games that explore even more different cultures. But that was only revealed by Assassin's Creed, a modern brand, and more exactly by the indecent milking of the brand, that is a kind of accidental fact. Now the rpg genre is in a situation it's impossible to imagine an experimental jrpg in the ancient Greece and Rome for example. Ot at least a high production game and not an indie thing (even for indies it's too risky imo).
@@carlosaugusto9821 exactly, thats just my thought! sadly , world aint gonna change this huge as companies just want profit, selling product is last thing for example, monopoly in pc hardware, nvidia selling 4070 gpus with 4060 specs for price of 700 usd and then, people keep giving damn about gta 5, game released like 10 years ago
It’ll be coming in due time :) we have a video over Enix coming out soon which will be our longest yet followed by a Chrono Cross retrospective to time around the remaster release date, but Suikoden 2 retrospective should be coming out later that spring or early summer!
you liked kingdom of paradise? i didn't know it was the same dev as landstalker and i'm shocked tbh i tried so hard to get into that game but it was an absolute miss for me
I did but I’m also a player who really appreciates a strong atmosphere even if other aspects about the game are just ok, I’ll definitely acknowledge the game has some flaws and won’t be for everyone who like more depth/substance but for me the gameplay was simple enough to tolerate with the atmosphere keeping me going
How about Final Fantasy X? Too sci-fi? SE Asia doesn't count? Not "ancient," but it has been a century - the Devil Summoner series (or at least the first two games) take place in Taisho era Japan. The Edo period only ended about 50 years before this time.
So Muramasa The Demon Blade has two translations, one done by Mastiff for the Wii and one done by a different company (Cant remember at the moment) and the Wii Translation is AWFUL. Muramsa actually has a wonderful story but the Wii Port butchers it and removes tons and tons of lines. Just flat out doesnt translate them at all. I highly highly recommend playing the Vita Version any way you can, Emultate it if you have to, its infinity superior to the Wii version when it comes to Narrative and makes a HUGE difference in your investment in whats going on while you play.
Not just the settings but Fantasy period is cultures derived from the old world of asian countries. Like I don't think there even exists remnants of fantasy or historical records of fantasy culture that exist in the boring ass united states of america lol.
@@ChimpRiot i don’t know about going that far. But the game did come out in the early 2000s. It’s not like there wasn’t rampant bigotry widespread in media consumption then.
Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon is to this day on my top 10 favorite games of all time. Like you, it was my introduction to Japanese culture and it has a special place in my heart
Love to hear that. It’s such an incredibly unique and memorable game, I imagine it was the gateway into Japanese culture for a lot of kids back then (well the ones that actually played it at least)
I played it a year ago and I can’t tell you how many times I got emotional playing it! The music, the sounds, the visuals. The nostalgia hit like a Mack truck!
Such a great game.
Gaming broductions. I only recently began watching your videos, but you're now one of those few that I'll binge everything you've got likely and forever more anticipate future videos. Subbed. < 3
Ah thank you so much, that really means a lot! Glad you’ve enjoyed the content so far and happy binging 👍
@23:37. I want to state for the record that there was a Destiny of an Emperor 2. The game mechanics are similar to the first game.
It was released only in Japan in 1991. If youre a fan of video game soundtracks, its got a great soundtrack (Yasuaki Fujita aka. Bunbun is one of my favourite composers).
And it does have an English fan translation. Which is how I played it years ago. If you liked the first one, the 2nd one is very similar.
I love mystical ninja starting Goeomon. And I was always happy when Impact came on because he had his own theme song which was so badass.
Some of the games China has been releasing outside it's boarders are worth mentioning I think. Gujian3, Xuan-Yuan Sword VII, Sword and Fairy 6 and 7 (or Chinese Paladin) are some good action RPGs that are in a more fantasy Ancient China. I do apricate using clips from Sword and Fairy 7 in this video though. That game is beautiful. Side note Saiyuki Journey West has one of my favorite Sun Wu Kong designs.
Excellent list! I am still fairly new to JRPGs compared to Western RPGs and life-sim games which I played since I was a kid. So your lists always help out to learn more about the genre! 🥰
Thank you! I’ve been into JRPGs for as long as I can remember so it’s cool to hear others who are more recently diving into the genre for the first time. I envy your position, you have so many amazing experiences ahead of you 😌 I played WRPGs a lot growing up too but never dove into life-sims that much, whenever I check some of those out I’ll be sure to come to you for your knowledge!
I remember Goemon64. I remember actually enjoying it more than Ocarina of time. I have no idea why, I just did.
Both are some of my favorite games ever so it’s impossible for me to choose between them, but Goemon is probably the one I would want to replay more often these days so that’s gotta mean something
Yo me too. Plus there is a giant robots and Impact has his own theme song. I even beat the rest of the game with a missing thumb nail because I slammed the car door on thumb on my last day of third grade.(difficult using a N64 controller with a bruised thumb but worth it) the ending was pretty funny.
Oh wow! Not only did you mention Muramasa and jade empire but also OKAMI! Great list!
Props for finding Destiny of an Emperor. Very obscure title, but I remember enjoying it back in the day.
Yes!!! Someone else appreciate Mystical Ninja! It was my favorite N64 game. I just wish it was easier to play nowadays. Emulating is more difficult than it needs to be.
Oh this whole topic is my jam. I'm a huge fan of Jade Empire (have even replayed it on the XB1 relatively recently since it's backwards compatible and easily available for current Xboxes for about $10. Cheaper than Steam), and since _we're never going to get a sequel to that_ (grumble grumble), it's just turned me to occasionally look for something sort of similar from time to time.
I'm loving the modern age where a lot of Chinese-developed titles like Xuan Yuan Sword 7 are now looking for international success (it sucks that it's because of their government clamping down on their Games Industry though), and while I'm looking forward to stuff like Black Myth Wukong, Honor of Kings: World or Faith of Danschant: Herafter a bunch, I do like looking for current or older titles with that Mystical Ancient Asia setting too.
And hey, I know about Kingdom of Paradise! I have that _twice_ - one physical and one digital for my PSTV. I too wish we would get a fan translation of Kingdom of Heaven 2 someday, especially since it looks so much better. I also agree with you *big-time* with what you said about Suikoden V; bird's eye cameras suck. And to top the list off with a Ganbare Goemon title? Bravo, sir. Bravo!
If you do a follow-up list on this topic, you might wanna check out the Toukiden series (Toukiden Kiwami and Toukiden 2 on PS4). I really liked those Monster Hunter-esque titles when I played 'em, though the second game's open world was a bit more tedious than the first game's straightforward mission-based structure imo. They both certainly fit Ancient Asia theme.
I think it's also the gaming landscape today being very different than in the 90s when it was the golden age of RPGs. A lot has changed with the internet and bigger globalization of pop culture products (other than games), that are two big factors.
When Enix and Square started making RPGs it was obvious to copy the western fantasy setting because its where RPGs are based and come from, so there's plenty of established material to use and with guaranteed chances of being well received in Japan (that loves popular western things) and even if it was ever exported to the west. And we all know the early DQ and FF were super popular there, so it's also natural to stick to the formula.
But since anime as a genre still wasnt properly exported to the west at the time, the own japanese probably never imagined that westerners are so interested about ancient Japanese things besides superficial things like samurai and ninjas and old castles (actually the western caricatures of samurai and ninjas). Animes that use pure japanese fantasy elements, not mixed or derived from western fantasy, became popular here. And with time the west just embraced more and more of pure japanese fantasy.
I'd like to imagine the possibility that if anime was very global many years early, and the japanese knew the western market was open to japanese fantasy products, maybe they would have tried making "japanese" rpgs since the golden age. Maybe even FF or DQ "asian" subseries just to use the brand. Then rpg history would have been completely different. Asian based RPGs wouldn't feel alien as they are. That impression is only because western fantasy monopolized RPGs. It's not a principle or a rule... but a coincidence of how the genre grew in the 80s and 90s given the whole situation. Even the western entertainment industry didn't realize the public was so interested in anime, which is why it too long to import anime/manga.
Another great list, kudos to you!
Thank you! 👍
Rented Inindo for a week back in the early 90s. Didn't find it again for several years but finally went all the way through it. Way ahead of its time and out a bit over its skis. Recruiting party members, large-scale strategic battles, going on spy missions to learn about and/or damage your opponent... Pretty advanced stuff for the early 90s. Glad to see someone mention a gem from my childhood that no one really ever speaks of, let alone appreciates.
The Goemon music in the background was an instant like for me.
The Eagle Shooting Heroes (Shachou Eiyuuden) PS1. This is based on a Chines novel by Louis Cha. A real hidden gem.
Oh Saiyuki...my first Tactical RPG ever. I bought that game because nothing seemed interesting at the store that time. The biggest miracle it ever gave was that it lured my brother (who never plays anything but sports games and Monster Rancher) to be interested in it.
More people should know about it and give it a go. It's probably easier than most games of the genre. I remember we grinded our characters to level 70+ only to breeze through the latter bosses like they were Level 1 enemies.
I was a kid when these came out. I’m a man now and I would love to play these RPG’s. Anything like Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, or Dragon Quest and Suikoden and FFVII or VI is def worth a play! I recently played Jade Empire and it was amazing! Mystical Ninja was amazing. The music was way ahead of its time. My God!!!
I'm buying a copy of Oriental Blue. Thanks Bro, you're the best. I needed an RPG to play
I like Destiny of an Emperor lots. Kessen kinda sorta fits.
You should check out the long running Chinese Wuxia series called "XuanYuan Sword" not to mention they finally got one of their game English translated in GOG for the 7th series. This game been made since the 90's in Taiwan and is pretty popular in Chinese speaking diaspora PC gamers
Loving this list. Wasn't aware of many of these games. I've got a couple more new/old ones to check out.
And just like that, the gaming backlog continues to grow lol.
i love how calm this channel is
In 1994, Far East of Eden: Zero was hinted to be translated into Spanish in Mexico but finally, Itochu, the Mexican company that distributed games for Nintendo consoles, and who would become a licensee, first to translate JRPGs into Spanish, and later to make its own games, ended doing neither, and to this day it remains a mystery why, when it was highly publicized in the mid 90s. Then, the emulation community started the project, but the full translation never came out, and after a decade or more, I just forgot about, and you just reminded me of it! Now I gotta play it!
As much as I love the East-Asian setting, I've only played a couple of the titles here, and hadn't even heard of most of the others. It's too bad that most of them are so hard to play legitimately these days. Also, a game that wasn't included here that I think deserves a mention is Pokémon Legends Arceus. The ancient-Japan setting meshes surprisingly well with Pokémon, I really hope we'll get more games in a similar setting in the future.
Yeah but it’s Pokémon. So it’s mostly Pokémon stuff
It doesn't fit the criteria
Jade empire was one of my favorite games growing up
I absolutely love ookami, I'm glad it made into the list.
Thank you for including Inindo: Way of the warrior. That game is a hidden gem if you can look past the graphics. It is also quite difficult to beat. Destiny of an Emperor was also in my top two so kudos for mentionning both of them.
Was watching the recent Nintendo direct and when they showed the remake of Live A Live, I actually wondered why we hadnt seen more ‘imperial China’ and ‘edo Japan’ set rpgs. some huge condor heroes- style setting wandering about levelling up your crazy Kung fu powers would be amazing
18 dragon subduing palms! (damage 9999) lol
Shadow Hearts: Half of the game takes place in East Asia, a bit more than 100 years ago. Maybe not completely ancient then, but close. Deserved at least an honourable mention.
Final Fantasy X also takes place in an Asian setting, although more like a fantasy world than actual Asia. Could also have been included.
Another great video, man! Happy to see your channel continue to grow!
Muramasa is one of my all-time favorite games. I bought all the soundtracks for it over a decade ago. I just wish it was on Steam.
I want a RPG inspired precolombine cultures (maya, aztec, inca,olmec,nazca and so on)
dont forget ffx.. while it is not set explicitly in Ancient Asia, but the clothing, culture...world building are all very inspired by asian culture ...that is also why it gives a unique vibe than other entry
Oh, I've played almost all of those, great list! I'm sure we've be pals if we lived in the same city, just from your taste in games alone.
This video introduced me to a few games that I’m definitely putting on my To Play list (onimusha tactics in particular). One game I played recently that is set in ancient Asia is Sakuna of rice and ruin (kinda rpg but close enough)
Also, I appreciate that little trivia about Jiraiya, I had no idea!
I did learn about Sakuna when researching this topic but didn’t really know enough about it, probably should have at least thrown it in as an HM though lol oh well. I do really like the graphical style however, it’s really pretty.
And yeah I thought that tidbit was pretty interesting! The whole toad riding thing is also part of the Jiraiya legend along with other names like Tsunade and Orochimaru so Naruto really took some heavy inspiration there
Had no idea Aniki sung a song for Goemon. That's really cool.
The song fits perfectly, Da Da Dash!
It’s rare to see jrpg series prioritize cultural inspiration outside of traditional Eurocentric fare. Suikoden was the first Rpg title that really got me into the genre despite having tried a couple FF titles and Goemon as a kid in the 90s. I always wanted to try Jade Empire too.
Also, It would be pretty dope if you could cover the Shadowhearts games (1&2) at some point. That’s one that struck me as particularly unique for the real-world locations, or it’s paranormal and often serious, mature themes. Either way I’m diggin the whole vibe of your content, music and all. Keep it up!
I believe by the 80s and 90s the own japanese devs working in the early rpgs didn't imagine the public would be so interested in pure japanese fantasy products. Rpg being a western product and the whole mythology well known and probably fairly globalized even in the 80s Japan (which could explain the games' popularity), it's natural to think the devs would stick to a common formula early on.
But nowadays anime is very globalized and the pure japanese fantasy animes are popular here too. On the other hand, the golden age of rpgs ended long ago and it completely established rpgs on the western fantasy model (it's not everything but it's 95% or even a little more) and it's hard to go against an old tradition set in the biggest popularity period of the genre. Nobody is going to start a high production series of asian based RPGs. And even the video shows a good number of low budget examples.
I'd like to imagine Square, Enix or another big company in the rpg golden age daring to experiment with high production asian based games. If only they knew the western market was interested in those things. That would have changed the image of the genre completely in the sense of being fixated to western fantasy setting.
And the thing is that asian fantasy worlds, ancient history and mythology actually offer a decent material to make equivalents of any conventional western fantasy rpg. There are weapons, armors, magic, mystical doctrines (actually similar and older than the western ones), monsters of many kinds and scales and their own lore, fitting historical backdrops, etc.
Jade Empire was one my jams on the xbox. great to see it on this list! just sub'd!
I thought I was the only person in the world who had played Saiyuki. Wasn't expecting that to show up on this list
Jade Empire is one of the toughest games I've ever played. I'll return to it to finally beat it, or reach half way first. In that game, every alley is like a final boss fight. Amazing, and I love it.
Loving your channel. Keep up the good work!
Perhaps make a video with what jRPGs to get from the Wii U and 3DS eshop before they close it down next year.
Fantastic job as always.
UA-cam is such a toxic place that you have to have a 2-minute long serious intro on a video about video games because if you don't you'll get so many shity comments in the comment section. Look at yourselves people.
This is a great list. IDC if it's traditional or not. As long as it fits with your theme. Ancient Asia settings +RPG element. I want many to be remade for the current consoles.. Onimushia Tactics, Jade empire, Suikedion 5, Siyuki Journey west I would love to have remade
The Vita version of Muramasa, in addition to having widescreen support, better controls, and a much better translation, has 4 fairly cheap DLC chapters that, although having shorter campaigns than Momohime and Kisuke, effectively doubles the content when combined, with each chapter having a unique battle style, new bosses, and multiple endings, including one that involves the story of Jiraiya. You can even get them bundled together in a Complete Collection for cheaper than a normal full game.
There may be others already mentioning some of these, but some other notable games that fit this list:
Xuan Yuan Sword series
Wandering Sword
God Wars
Dynasty Tactics
Yes!! I love mystical ninja! Super nostalgia ftw
Yes sir! The game slaps so hard and it’s truly unique!
goemon had strong legend of mana vibes! amongs many other hidden jem powers
Goemon is one of my favorite Japanese games, hope KOnami will revive this series soon
For older games, I'd recommend Shachou Eiyuuden - The Eagle Shooting Heroes, based on a classic Chinese literature, it's one of my fav ps1 games. Not sure if there's English version though.
There are several long running Eastern rpg series based in fictional ancient China that continue to have modern new releases too, with those newer ones having English subtitle option available, like The Legend of Sword and Fairy series, Gujian series, Xuan-Yuan Sword series, Faith of Danschant series, Fate Seeker series.
I actually found out about Gujian 3 from this channel and I've had a good time playing it
I played Kingdom of Paradise! Thought it was a great deal for $4 when I was in high school!
I realize the game, as a whole, isn't really based on Asian RPG, but, Skies of Arcadia (Skies of Arcadia: Legends) has each floating island under each colored moon taking after a different nationality... Red being Arabian, green being South American, etc. ...
Under the blue moon is the nation of Yafutoma, which is based around the three major East Asian cultures in it's design.
Also, when you can finally build your base, each building can be made with either a pirate, or Asian motif, or mix-and-match. I especially liked the tavern in Asian form, where you could walk over a koi river on a bamboo curved bridge to get to the tea room.
I wish there was a rpg brand since the early days daring to explore fantasy worlds based on other cultures than western. RPGs even have this advantage that they tend not to have continuity commitment in sequels. They can change and generally change the world, character, plot, etc, and rarely have direct sequels. So in theory that gives a decent room for even if just a one-time only experiment.
It's interesting (and kinda tragic) to see that it just took too long for the japanese game industry to realize that the western market is so open to japanese fantasy products. Because anime wasn't so globalized in the late 80s and 90s. Now we are way past the rpg golden age, and the industry changed a lot too. It's very complicated to go on wild experiments in the genre nowadays.
Another thing, probably as much shocking to the ones behind the gaming companies, is the fact that the public is also interested in games that explore even more different cultures. But that was only revealed by Assassin's Creed, a modern brand, and more exactly by the indecent milking of the brand, that is a kind of accidental fact. Now the rpg genre is in a situation it's impossible to imagine an experimental jrpg in the ancient Greece and Rome for example. Ot at least a high production game and not an indie thing (even for indies it's too risky imo).
amazing video!
Jade Empire is criminally underrated. If there was justice in the world, it would have spawned an entire series.
Dude, you should've included Sengoku Rance, it's literally a turn based RPG sets in the Sengoku era.. the problem why it doesn't as popular is because it's actually a Hentai Game (yes you heard that right), but most people are surprised at how complex it was for a Hentai Game. The branching storylines & multiple endings are truly awesome and there are so many playable characters with complex personal skillset.
Yes people start playing it because they're horny, but after an hour of playing you'll start to ignore the horny part (or even skip it altogether or getting annoyed by it lol) because the storyline and gameplay are really intriguing & addicting
I like this video a lot! But I hope one day I can see a video about jrpgs about middle East. Specially iran and Arabic countries. Thank you a lot gaming broduction!
not a mention of the classic Fairy & Swords huh
Funny enough, I've actually played almost every game on this list, except for the SRPGs, and the Musashi games. I think out of all of them, I've spent the most time playing *Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines*
Wandering sword will be perfect modern choice now
Prince of Qin is also a pretty nice title to play
An RPG set in ancient Israel/Judea would be dope.
Was that Samurai Champloo music I heard at around 22:10? ;)
Why yes it is, another man of culture I see 😌
@@GamingBroductions you know it!
Why was there a quick cut of body builders at 16:27? Haha
Jade Empire is a must play.
Are there any jrpgs with a south Asian influence. The closest I’ve seen is digital devil saga
Both Xuan-Yuan Sword and Sword Fairy series (Made by the same company I believe) are some more recent ones that got my attention, didnt play any yet, but I planing to try one of them this year
I was thinking if you'd have Jade Empire too
Suikoden, Pesmerga: ..... common goal for now, until i find Yuber
I was thinking that Mystic Heroes was set in Asia.
It probably is, but it's not an RPG, maybe.
Yeah... soldiers and knights are fantasy. You heard it here first guys!
Thanks for your vids tough, i love your content!
Yeah I meant to say more European/medieval fantasy 😅 Thank you!
oh man saiyuki is a real masterpiece
Ore no shikabane wo koete yuke .... is that i wanna play so much but never left japan. getting remastered for PSP and still in japan. god.
Can we add Sengoku Rance in the list? lol.
Like SaGa you say...I may have to give Oriental Blue a shot then.
I wish there was RPGs set in ancient western Asia, to be honest there are very few games in general set in western Asia
There's always eastern
I squealed when Goemon came on. 😎
Legend of the mystical ninja on snes was my introduction to Japanese culture
Nice! I didn’t play that one til much later on but all the SNES Goemon games are great, wish we would have gotten the others officially in English though
Make video on RPGs based in other part of asia such as middle East & india
Also... Dragon quest 3 includes most part of world but with different names
Edit: there was also good jrpg i remember playing
Rainbow silk road includes whole asia ( from middle East to japan)
I wish there was a rpg brand since the early days daring to explore fantasy worlds based on other cultures than western. RPGs even have this advantage that they tend not to have continuity commitment in sequels. They can change and generally change the world, character, plot, etc, and rarely have direct sequels. So in theory that gives a decent room for even if just a one-time only experiment.
It's interesting (and kinda tragic) to see that it just took too long for the japanese game industry to realize that the western market is so open to japanese fantasy products. Because anime wasn't so globalized in the late 80s and 90s. Now we are way past the rpg golden age, and the industry changed a lot too. It's very complicated to go on wild experiments in the genre nowadays.
Another thing, probably as much shocking to the ones behind the gaming companies, is the fact that the public is also interested in games that explore even more different cultures. But that was only revealed by Assassin's Creed, a modern brand, and more exactly by the indecent milking of the brand, that is a kind of accidental fact. Now the rpg genre is in a situation it's impossible to imagine an experimental jrpg in the ancient Greece and Rome for example. Ot at least a high production game and not an indie thing (even for indies it's too risky imo).
@@carlosaugusto9821 exactly, thats just my thought! sadly , world aint gonna change
this huge as companies just want profit, selling product is last thing
for example, monopoly in pc hardware, nvidia selling 4070 gpus with 4060 specs
for price of 700 usd
and then, people keep giving damn about gta 5, game released like 10 years ago
You missed ninja brothers on NES and super ninja brothers SNES
Anyone remember Samurai Spirit RPG (Neo Geo CD / Saturn)?
You need to pick up a vita for Muramasa Rebirth. The 4 DLC stories are much better than the main game.
Waiting for suikoden 2 restropective :)
It’ll be coming in due time :) we have a video over Enix coming out soon which will be our longest yet followed by a Chrono Cross retrospective to time around the remaster release date, but Suikoden 2 retrospective should be coming out later that spring or early summer!
you liked kingdom of paradise? i didn't know it was the same dev as landstalker and i'm shocked tbh i tried so hard to get into that game but it was an absolute miss for me
I did but I’m also a player who really appreciates a strong atmosphere even if other aspects about the game are just ok, I’ll definitely acknowledge the game has some flaws and won’t be for everyone who like more depth/substance but for me the gameplay was simple enough to tolerate with the atmosphere keeping me going
You bent the rules far enough to mention Okami and Goemon but didn't think the 16 or 64 bit Shiren the Wanderer games fit on the list? 🤔
How about Final Fantasy X? Too sci-fi? SE Asia doesn't count?
Not "ancient," but it has been a century - the Devil Summoner series (or at least the first two games) take place in Taisho era Japan. The Edo period only ended about 50 years before this time.
Technically you had 3 zelda like game brave fencer musashi is one too
So should Chinese RPGs be called CRPGs?
Tengai Makyo was more fun than Chrono Trigger.
You guys should try Jade Empire, one of the most greatest game i've ever played.
There's plenty rpgs in ancient asia...if you're sharp on your chinese and willing to emulate old versions of windows, that is...
Saiyuki Journey west.
So Muramasa The Demon Blade has two translations, one done by Mastiff for the Wii and one done by a different company (Cant remember at the moment) and the Wii Translation is AWFUL. Muramsa actually has a wonderful story but the Wii Port butchers it and removes tons and tons of lines. Just flat out doesnt translate them at all.
I highly highly recommend playing the Vita Version any way you can, Emultate it if you have to, its infinity superior to the Wii version when it comes to Narrative and makes a HUGE difference in your investment in whats going on while you play.
Muramasa was awesome but I wouldn't consider it an RPG because their are no real choices to make.
Ancient Asia not Eurasia my Asia 😅
Not just the settings but Fantasy period is cultures derived from the old world of asian countries. Like I don't think there even exists remnants of fantasy or historical records of fantasy culture that exist in the boring ass united states of america lol.
Check out Xuan-YuantSword: The Gate of Firmament on PS4. It's a Chinese developed RPG set in Ancient China and it's actually not bad.
But jade empire is kinda racist/orientalist? Not sure it’s the best game to push for this particular niche.
Oh yeah, the people that made Jade Empire are all in the Klan.
@@ChimpRiot i don’t know about going that far. But the game did come out in the early 2000s. It’s not like there wasn’t rampant bigotry widespread in media consumption then.
@@morriganrenfield8240 You sound ultrawoke and boring af. Maybe you can put your own list together instead of policing others.
do you guys have a discord?
Joining our Patreon you get access to our discord.
Final Fantasy 14 Stormblood heavily JPN themed at least