Only games I would add to the list are the Etrian Odyssey games. In my opinion some of the best crawling experience you can get on the JRPG side of the fence.
Nice list, a little surprised no mention of Etrian Odyssey? Atlus does a great job with them, the most polished DRPG experience out there. For PC, Legend of Grimrock I and II on great old-school style-experiences (though not JPRGs)
Strange journey was the best SMT I've ever played the only problem i encountered with it is with the crazy traps in the maps where it teleports you into another map part. Etrian Odyssey solves that problem by letting you make your own map that makes you write down your own notes
Strange Journey is amazing. I just picked up Undernauts after watching some of you video's on it, looks right up my alley. I knew about Covenant Labyrinth but saw the cute anime characters and didnt look any further. I will have to give it a second look now. So happy we are seeing more Dungeon Crawlers. Labyrinth of Zangetsu looks pretty cool too.
Holy crap your taste is the same as mine. Really good video. I did a review for demon gaze back when I was a journalist and raved about it. I don't think many shared my enthusiasm
Although I knew it was coming, I cannot describe how happy I was to hear you talk about Strange Journey. It was my first Megami Tensei game, and every since I played it back in 2014, it has become both my favourite Megami Tensei game and my third-favourite game of all time. I've been replaying it recently, and man, it is absolutely timeless. I wish more people talked about it, but it warms my heart knowing you love it just as much as I do!! ;;w;; I've been tempted to play Redux, but it's got that "adding a new female character and changing the whole story" thing that Atlus has been doing A LOT of lately (which I'm personally not too big a fan of). Also, Sector Eridanus is the best one. Sector Horololololoolgrium can go suck on Mara for those stupid damage, poison, AND sleep floors >:T lol Oh, and Jimenez is Jime-best. Awesome video as always, Zuvi!! Keep Staying awesome~!! ^w^
Jiménez ... The first time I played it i was attached to the character and well, you know what happens 😱 it's such a cool game and redux is nice too. If you already played the original maybe it's not worth replaying for the story, especially if you already saw everything 😅
@@ZuviGaming Oh man ... trust me I know. I felt even worse because I did Law Route on my first playthrough, and I had fallen in love with Jimenez ... lol, it didn't end well >o< That said, I already have a blast replaying the original usually every year during the winter, so I don't feel bad missing out on Redux. I will say this though, of all the games to not get an English dub, I was shocked that Redux was only in Japanese lol xD
Strange journey is suuuuch a good game but it left me with an itch that no other dungeon crawler has been able to scratch :( Not even other smt games (although I still love them a lot)
I used to play tons of Western Dungeon Crawlers back in the day... I have to say that my knowledge of Japanese Dungeon Crawlers is unfortunately quite lacking. WRPGs in general were more dialogue/puzzle-based I'd say, I love some of them to this day (Might and Magic series, Anvil of Dawn, Ravenloft games, Pool of Radiance etc.) I guess it would be good to look into the Japanese games too, and the fan-translations, where applicable. Nice video, thanks for the recommendations!
great taste in this list, i can agree with most of it. experience is making so many amazing drpgs, i love them. and strange journey is my favorite in the smt series. i love every game in the genre but wizardry clones like class of heroes 1 are still my favorite. simple story and solid mechanics let you play for hundreds of hours without getting tired of it. about the list, its good for people new to the genre but it doesn't talk about the specific mechanics and features that makes each game special.
Labyrinth of Refrain is amazing and the next one Labyrinth of Galleria is excellent, too. I have Labyrinth of Yomi, need to get more into it. Like it so far. Want to pick up Stranger of Sword City. Another one I like just for the art style is Labyrinth of Zangetsu.
I knew Strange Journey would be number 1. lol For me I would also put the Persona games on my list. Those aren’t the traditional first person dungeon crawlers though (except for Persona Q).
Love the love for Experience games in this, although if I had to make my own list, I'd be in the same kind of boat, as Experience/Team Muramasa is my undisputed #1 dungeon crawler developper, my favorites from them being Sword City Revisited, Students of the Round (even though I've been playing a lot of its remake Saviors of Sapphire Wings recently and it's undeniably smoother) and the old Generation Xth trilogy, but man, Strange Journey is *untouchable* in the top spot. I'd also add Wizardry Llylgamyn Saga (the 1998 one) or the first Etrian Odyssey Untold (I prefer Untold to the original games, I love the stories) to the mix. (PS: you've won a subscriber ;) )
Excellent list of Dungeon crawlers. I am also a big fan of Refrain and will probably fire that one up tonight just to play through it again. My favorite dungeon crawler is Dungeon Travelers 2 on the Vita....heavy on the fan service but a very fun game nevertheless.
Recently i got back to my Strangers of Sword City save game... and trying to beat it. Im in the final dungeon but one lineage monster is really hard to hit, my god!
I've been trying to get people interested in SMT Strange Journey since I first got it on my NDS forever ago. Also I really enjoyed Demon's Gaze and Stranger of Sword City. Thanks for the great video.
I tried the demo for Labyrinth of refrain, let you do a surprising amount before stopping you. Was pretty fun. Don't really have any dungeon crawlers to compare it to, but i could see myself finishing it.
Hello Zuvi, i found your channel today and i really loved! it's pretty cool to see a japanese person talking about some games exclusive to them like the madou monogatari series
My favorite is digital devil saga (it's dungeon crawling for me cuz the gameplay is 98% dungeons). The story is excellent, going from mysterious to emotional, making you want to keep playing it to know how it goes and ends. The gameplay is really fun mainly because of the press turn system and the character customization. It was so fun that I didn't care a bit about the high encounter rate or the excessive grinding. Also, the game is just really different. It was my first SMT and it was just a different experience in every way. Also the setting, the colors, the music, the ambiance....
hi! thanks for the video, can we request an updated one for 2024? hooked on crawlers recently. just finished demon gaze extra, now im on undernauts, i have coven refrain/dusk on my backlogs too, still on the fence on etrianodysey123 remasters. 🎉
Ironically the only dungeon crawler I´ve played intensly is the western-only NES release "Swords & Serpents". It´s not exactly "good", but it has 4 player option and the animated monsters are pretty cool in a Dungeons & Dragons/ Tolkien illustration style.
Good choices! I have all but the 2nd Japanese only game. Strange Journey and Labyrinth of Refrain are my two favorites in your list though I will admit I never finished any of these. I have most of the SMT games which I have finished but for some reason I never finished Strange Journey. I even got the 2nd release of that game for some reason. Anyway, what is your favorite type of battle system? The first person view like these games is actually my least favorite. 1. Then there is the mystery dungeon type that I really love like Shiren the Wanderer, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Sorcery Saga (curry!). 2. There's the strategy type like FF Tactics, Disgaea series and Jeanne d'Arc (which I'm replaying because I love the story so much) or XCom. 3. Or the type like the Persona games which I also love. Or Trails of Cold Steel which I'm playing currently. If you've answered this in another video, I apologize. I just subscribed and am not familiar with your past content. Thanks for another interesting video!
I picked up Coven and Labyrinth of Refrain on yours and another recommendation - looks really neat but haven't gotten to it still D : I've never played any SMT games but Strange Journey does look pretty interesting too. I've played very few dungeon crawlers still. Last one I played was Shining in the Darkness on Genesis. There's too many games to play!
This is a great list and a genre that I enjoy very much, but it made me realize the only 2 dungeon crawlers I have ever beaten were Labyrinth of Refrain and Etrian Odyssey Untold 2. What is the dungeon crawler you have fallen off the quickest? I have tried to get into Elminage Gothic on several occasions but it's just too buggy.
I would love to know your opinion on the Wizardry 8. Maybe its a finished cause at the time I am writing this, as I see the video 2 years after Your posting. But maybe somebody will stumble upon this comment while searching for a good game to play. They say Wizardry inspired JRPGs and the 8 is the peak wizardry I guess.
I don't think I've ever played a pure dungeon crawling game before (I'm thinking of starting the Phantasy Star and SMT series this year to change that), so it's cool to hear you talk about some games that I probably never would have seen otherwise! Have you ever played the Etrian Odyssey or Persona Q games? I know that those are pretty popular dungeon crawlers.
Idk, I think Strange Journey was one of the hardest games I ever played on the DS, it was my 2nd SMT and I was never able to beat the final boss. (Law ending, I didn't know about seraph so that didn't make it any easier)
These aren't dungeon crawlers. Try something like Legend of Grimrock or Lunacid for a modern crawler, classics are things like Dungeon Master & Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos.
As a SMT normie, Strange Journey is easy to get into.....and then the game brings the pain. I put in I think 10 hours. Might have to finish the game on easy on the 3DS game. Great game. But prepare for agony.
IMO Labyrinth of Refrain is not even that good. The best part is the story. The game play and party building is limited and super weird. Pity there's no mention on Etrian Odyssey games here as those have possibly the best gameplay and party building mechanics.
Only games I would add to the list are the Etrian Odyssey games. In my opinion some of the best crawling experience you can get on the JRPG side of the fence.
Etrian odyssey is the best.
10:01
No Etrian Odyseey is pain.
And love at the same time!
Nice list, a little surprised no mention of Etrian Odyssey? Atlus does a great job with them, the most polished DRPG experience out there. For PC, Legend of Grimrock I and II on great old-school style-experiences (though not JPRGs)
Strange journey was the best SMT I've ever played the only problem i encountered with it is with the crazy traps in the maps where it teleports you into another map part. Etrian Odyssey solves that problem by letting you make your own map that makes you write down your own notes
Strange Journey is amazing. I just picked up Undernauts after watching some of you video's on it, looks right up my alley. I knew about Covenant Labyrinth but saw the cute anime characters and didnt look any further. I will have to give it a second look now.
So happy we are seeing more Dungeon Crawlers. Labyrinth of Zangetsu looks pretty cool too.
Love this style. My favorites are Etrian Odyssey on 3ds/DS and Stranger of Sword City on Vita.
mine too. Etrian Odyssey is the best.
Holy crap your taste is the same as mine. Really good video. I did a review for demon gaze back when I was a journalist and raved about it. I don't think many shared my enthusiasm
I loved Demon Gaze. It was my first dungeon crawler. Awesome list. Have not played the 4th... the rest s pretty much my own list.
Labyrinth of Refrain is so underrated. I really loved the story, a bit dark but it meant something. It made me feel somethings other games couldn't.
Madame Dronya, Madame Dronya. 😢 NELDI, NELDI! God, I love Luca so much. Poor girl. 😢😢😢
Although I knew it was coming, I cannot describe how happy I was to hear you talk about Strange Journey. It was my first Megami Tensei game, and every since I played it back in 2014, it has become both my favourite Megami Tensei game and my third-favourite game of all time. I've been replaying it recently, and man, it is absolutely timeless. I wish more people talked about it, but it warms my heart knowing you love it just as much as I do!! ;;w;;
I've been tempted to play Redux, but it's got that "adding a new female character and changing the whole story" thing that Atlus has been doing A LOT of lately (which I'm personally not too big a fan of).
Also, Sector Eridanus is the best one. Sector Horololololoolgrium can go suck on Mara for those stupid damage, poison, AND sleep floors >:T lol
Oh, and Jimenez is Jime-best.
Awesome video as always, Zuvi!! Keep Staying awesome~!! ^w^
Jiménez ... The first time I played it i was attached to the character and well, you know what happens 😱 it's such a cool game and redux is nice too. If you already played the original maybe it's not worth replaying for the story, especially if you already saw everything 😅
@@ZuviGaming Oh man ... trust me I know. I felt even worse because I did Law Route on my first playthrough, and I had fallen in love with Jimenez ... lol, it didn't end well >o<
That said, I already have a blast replaying the original usually every year during the winter, so I don't feel bad missing out on Redux. I will say this though, of all the games to not get an English dub, I was shocked that Redux was only in Japanese lol xD
Really like these top game lists from you, I learn a lot as many of your recommendations are new to me, thank you!
Strange journey is suuuuch a good game but it left me with an itch that no other dungeon crawler has been able to scratch :( Not even other smt games (although I still love them a lot)
I used to play tons of Western Dungeon Crawlers back in the day... I have to say that my knowledge of Japanese Dungeon Crawlers is unfortunately quite lacking. WRPGs in general were more dialogue/puzzle-based I'd say, I love some of them to this day (Might and Magic series, Anvil of Dawn, Ravenloft games, Pool of Radiance etc.) I guess it would be good to look into the Japanese games too, and the fan-translations, where applicable. Nice video, thanks for the recommendations!
great taste in this list, i can agree with most of it. experience is making so many amazing drpgs, i love them. and strange journey is my favorite in the smt series.
i love every game in the genre but wizardry clones like class of heroes 1 are still my favorite. simple story and solid mechanics let you play for hundreds of hours without getting tired of it.
about the list, its good for people new to the genre but it doesn't talk about the specific mechanics and features that makes each game special.
Labyrinth of Refrain is amazing and the next one Labyrinth of Galleria is excellent, too.
I have Labyrinth of Yomi, need to get more into it. Like it so far. Want to pick up Stranger of Sword City.
Another one I like just for the art style is Labyrinth of Zangetsu.
I knew Strange Journey would be number 1. lol For me I would also put the Persona games on my list. Those aren’t the traditional first person dungeon crawlers though (except for Persona Q).
Love the love for Experience games in this, although if I had to make my own list, I'd be in the same kind of boat, as Experience/Team Muramasa is my undisputed #1 dungeon crawler developper, my favorites from them being Sword City Revisited, Students of the Round (even though I've been playing a lot of its remake Saviors of Sapphire Wings recently and it's undeniably smoother) and the old Generation Xth trilogy, but man, Strange Journey is *untouchable* in the top spot. I'd also add Wizardry Llylgamyn Saga (the 1998 one) or the first Etrian Odyssey Untold (I prefer Untold to the original games, I love the stories) to the mix.
(PS: you've won a subscriber ;) )
Excellent list of Dungeon crawlers. I am also a big fan of Refrain and will probably fire that one up tonight just to play through it again. My favorite dungeon crawler is Dungeon Travelers 2 on the Vita....heavy on the fan service but a very fun game nevertheless.
Recently i got back to my Strangers of Sword City save game... and trying to beat it. Im in the final dungeon but one lineage monster is really hard to hit, my god!
I wholeheartedly approve of this list.
However what are your thoughts on Etrian Odyssey?
Mary Skelter series would be in my top 5.
Cool deal Zuvi knew you’d put a SMT
I've been trying to get people interested in SMT Strange Journey since I first got it on my NDS forever ago. Also I really enjoyed Demon's Gaze and Stranger of Sword City. Thanks for the great video.
I love SMT games
I tried the demo for Labyrinth of refrain, let you do a surprising amount before stopping you. Was pretty fun. Don't really have any dungeon crawlers to compare it to, but i could see myself finishing it.
Hello Zuvi, i found your channel today and i really loved! it's pretty cool to see a japanese person talking about some games exclusive to them like the madou monogatari series
we need a new video about your new top 5 dungeon crawlers!
My favorite is digital devil saga (it's dungeon crawling for me cuz the gameplay is 98% dungeons).
The story is excellent, going from mysterious to emotional, making you want to keep playing it to know how it goes and ends. The gameplay is really fun mainly because of the press turn system and the character customization. It was so fun that I didn't care a bit about the high encounter rate or the excessive grinding.
Also, the game is just really different. It was my first SMT and it was just a different experience in every way. Also the setting, the colors, the music, the ambiance....
hi! thanks for the video, can we request an updated one for 2024? hooked on crawlers recently. just finished demon gaze extra, now im on undernauts, i have coven refrain/dusk on my backlogs too, still on the fence on etrianodysey123 remasters. 🎉
Ironically the only dungeon crawler I´ve played intensly is the western-only NES release "Swords & Serpents". It´s not exactly "good", but it has 4 player option and the animated monsters are pretty cool in a Dungeons & Dragons/ Tolkien illustration style.
Good choices! I have all but the 2nd Japanese only game. Strange Journey and Labyrinth of Refrain are my two favorites in your list though I will admit I never finished any of these. I have most of the SMT games which I have finished but for some reason I never finished Strange Journey. I even got the 2nd release of that game for some reason. Anyway, what is your favorite type of battle system? The first person view like these games is actually my least favorite.
1. Then there is the mystery dungeon type that I really love like Shiren the Wanderer, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon and Sorcery Saga (curry!).
2. There's the strategy type like FF Tactics, Disgaea series and Jeanne d'Arc (which I'm replaying because I love the story so much) or XCom.
3. Or the type like the Persona games which I also love. Or Trails of Cold Steel which I'm playing currently.
If you've answered this in another video, I apologize. I just subscribed and am not familiar with your past content. Thanks for another interesting video!
I like the classic turn based rpg system like persona. I enjoy the other genres but not as much
I picked up Coven and Labyrinth of Refrain on yours and another recommendation - looks really neat but haven't gotten to it still D :
I've never played any SMT games but Strange Journey does look pretty interesting too. I've played very few dungeon crawlers still. Last one I played was Shining in the Darkness on Genesis. There's too many games to play!
You should try strange journey! It's so good
@@ZuviGaming I'll have to add it to my list!
Good list thanks for it. I also love Strange Journey and Labyrinth of Refrain.
This is a great list and a genre that I enjoy very much, but it made me realize the only 2 dungeon crawlers I have ever beaten were Labyrinth of Refrain and Etrian Odyssey Untold 2.
What is the dungeon crawler you have fallen off the quickest? I have tried to get into Elminage Gothic on several occasions but it's just too buggy.
I didn't knew Labyrinth of Refrain was that good.
I would love to know your opinion on the Wizardry 8. Maybe its a finished cause at the time I am writing this, as I see the video 2 years after Your posting. But maybe somebody will stumble upon this comment while searching for a good game to play. They say Wizardry inspired JRPGs and the 8 is the peak wizardry I guess.
Did you play Saviors of Sapphire Wings? Was it bad?
I don't think I've ever played a pure dungeon crawling game before (I'm thinking of starting the Phantasy Star and SMT series this year to change that), so it's cool to hear you talk about some games that I probably never would have seen otherwise! Have you ever played the Etrian Odyssey or Persona Q games? I know that those are pretty popular dungeon crawlers.
I mention about EO and PQ at the end of the video
@@ZuviGaming Ah, indeed you did! Looks like I didn't hear that part, lol. What about them didn't you really enjoy?
Great list!
Nice, will definitely check out some of these
Idk, I think Strange Journey was one of the hardest games I ever played on the DS, it was my 2nd SMT and I was never able to beat the final boss. (Law ending, I didn't know about seraph so that didn't make it any easier)
These aren't dungeon crawlers. Try something like Legend of Grimrock or Lunacid for a modern crawler, classics are things like Dungeon Master & Lands of Lore: The Throne of Chaos.
Dungeon crawler games are like the demon souls for me , very hard o try to get in to but is very difficult
I think I might give Labyrinth of Refrain a try.
the disgaea franchise is the king of grind imho
Great video. Thank you.
What was it about PQ and EO that didn't appeal to you?
As a SMT normie, Strange Journey is easy to get into.....and then the game brings the pain. I put in I think 10 hours. Might have to finish the game on easy on the 3DS game. Great game. But prepare for agony.
I like experience inc. drpg usually but Undernauts felt a bit boring to me. Elminage is my favorite.
SMT Strange Journey is the best game that nobody’s ever played, hands down.
ah ok yomiosakana is Labyrinth of Yomi, yep that game is good!
Nice job.
Nice, already saw something to pick up
Not that many good single mothers but a bunch of good single fathers tho?
Do you know any other good dungeon crawler games for ps4 that aren't part of this top 5?
wth all of these are anime, turns based, jrpg like dungeon crawlers
Any 6th generation or older dungeon crawlers you'd recommend (NES, SNES, PS1, PS2, GC, etc.)?
Shining in the Darkness - Sega Megadrive
Pool of Radiance - NES
Might&Magic II - SNES
Dungeon Master - SNES
Kings Field II, III, IV - PSone, PS2
Great video 😊
Zanki Zero
I've only played Wizardry.
what a voice. I love it!
These dungeon crawler arent what i had in mind..
No dislike tho.
IMO Labyrinth of Refrain is not even that good. The best part is the story. The game play and party building is limited and super weird. Pity there's no mention on Etrian Odyssey games here as those have possibly the best gameplay and party building mechanics.
Not everyone has the same tastes, I don't like EO myself 😅
Labyrinth of Refrain is a hard pass due to the gay stuff. Otherwise good picks. Etrian Odyssey is my #1.
Be more specific, these are first person dungeon crawler