10 Modern JRPGs For Newcomers
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- 10 Modern JRPGs For Newcomers
Every now and then I see questions come up asking about what JRPGs are a good starting point, or what JRPGs would I recommend to a newcomer. First impressions matter, so i always think what games are most likely to hook someone in to the genre.
In my mind, these 10 games fit the bill, and in no particular order, I'll share them all with you!
My general criteria is that I wanted these JRPGs to be fairly recent and most importantly easily accessible. That would mean they are either multi-platform or on current gen hardware, or both in some cases. The rest of the criteria was simply looking for quality JRPGs which generally speak for themselves, thus finding the JRPGs that are worth playing straight away.
0:00 - Intro
0:31 - Persona 5 Royal
2:06 - Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
4:24 - Tales of Arise
6:00 - Final Fantasy 7 Remake
7:06 - Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
8:23 - NEO: The World Ends With You
11:13 - Trails of Cold Steel
13:12 - Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
15:11 - 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
16:56 - Nier Automata
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Songs
Tokyo Xanadu OST - Happy Holiday
Sen no Kiseki OST - Leisure Day
Ys VI The Ark of Napishtim Quatera Woods
Sen no Kiseki OST - Refreshing Sunlight
Ys VIII Lacrimosa of DANA OST - Sunshine Coastline
Sen no Kiseki IV OST - Synchronicity #23
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In no particular order, here’s my modern JRPG recommendations for anyone looking to start in the genre!
My general criteria was that I wanted them to be easily accessible (on current gen hardware - PS4 is still current gen as far as I’m concerned due to scalping, and/or multi-platform). Also, that they encompass many of the strong aspects we’ve come to find specific to JRPGs. I think these 10 fit that bill.
Thanks for putting Neo: The World ends with You on this list. While it wasn’t my first game and I have played the original to prep for it, it’s was one of my favourite recent Square Enix game. I 100%/Platinumed it because I loved it that much. In fact, I am currently in the process of writing an essay on the game. Neo and the rest of the series definitely deserve the love and more.
I will probably go with the more general structure games for a true test if you would like jrpg or not. Like, Neo, Persona 3 and up, 13 sentinels and even a bit nier automata are so unique that if someone like these, theres no garantee they will like other games of this genre. I would probably say the cookie cutter example of the genre while also being excellently executed is probably Dragon quest 11 for the turn based sub genre while ys 8 is probably the best example on the action sub genre.
"Square Enix has a lot of dosh..." 😶
I played the original FF7 in 2004, that's all for my JRPG experience, and I loved that video lol
I agree with 9 of your choices. As an avid video game players with a jrpgs being my favorite. I have to discount trials of cold steel. Even the first game has quite a few meandering parts that are just drawn out and boring. And if they start with the series then they will get into the second game, which is mostly filler. If those are the first rpgs you play. Then that means people think that the pacing of jrpgs are suppose to be horrible. Despite the rest of your list being solid.
For those having issues with the OST of DQ11, just play the DQ11S version. It's not too much different, but they moved from midi to an orchestred version of each song, and you can change the overworld theme for the one from DQ8, which in my opinion is more easy to the ears.
That does not help.
On PC you can change it with mods. Drop them into a folder and done
I'm a newcomer. My first JRPG was Trails of Cold Steel, then Tales of Arise, and then FF XV.
I'd say Cold Steel is a good place to start - even if there are older games that predate it. The Librl arc is...I wouldn't say stand alone, but the series heavily focusses on Crossbell and Erebonia way more. You play the first two games basically for the Estelle and Joshua arc. And the third game if you really want a dungeon crawl which ads some interesting back story to mainly Kevin...and infamously Renne. However by the time Crossbell comes along the game has moved way on beyond Librl and it becomes a reference and a source of cameo's.
CSI also resets the combat a bit, and it's relatively easy to get into it for newcomers if they invest time in it. And it is in 3D which may be easier on the eye for some. Once Crossbell drops on Steam I guess CSI is the first and then the Crossbell games, switching back to CSII-IV and Reverie. With the Sky arc as bonus material (I and II that is). The third...unless you really enjoy dungeon crawling I guess watching a let's play would suffice for the moon doors and Kevin's story.
My first one was P5R, then Xenoblade DE, then Xenoblade 2, and now, Tales of Arise, I’m 2 hours into the game and I love it
There are other Trails games you should play first if you have a pc that will make the lore so much better. Cold Steel 1 and 2 fine without others but 3 and 4 are much better if you played Trails in the sky, azure, and zero Trails games
@@statesminds
If you're on Steam at the time of writing the translated Crossbell arc couldn't be played on Steam. Yes there was a way to do even that but that option is pulled now, awaiting the official release in 2022 for the first Crossbell game. And even then arguably CSI and CSII (although the latter is shaky as it features the Azure tree and a mission to the Geofront) can be played without the Crossbell games. If you're reading this end 2023 and onwards then yes play CSI first and then go back to the Crossbell games, and back to CSII and beyond again.
@@statesminds I have on Steam Sky trilogy and Cold Steel 1,2,3,4. Now I'm playing Grandia, after that gonna dive into first Trails in the Sky. Thanks for the advice.
Felt really good to hear this from YS VIII! This is my favourite game without questions, but I sadly see it appear in lists so rarely, was good finally seeing it in your video, loved this list!
Ys games will always get attention from me. The series deserves way more exposure.
Solid list man! Definitely agree with your picks out of the ones I’ve played, there’s a couple here I still need to check out. Another good one I think could fit here would be Octopath Traveler. While it has that old school retro look (polished to an excellent degree though), it’s still modernized with a lot of fun mechanics and quality of life improvements compared to the games it’s inspired by. It could serve as a great gateway for newer fans of the genre to get into the 16/32 bit classics like Chrono Trigger and all those gems
Yeah unfortunately I haven't played Octopath bud, didn't have a Switch till late last year! Definitely want to try it though when my backlog's culled down a bit though. The pixel style is timeless, I think it's one reason why Triangle Strategy is also generating a lot of hype.
Perfect choice with Ys lacrimosa of dana, seven is a great introduction since it's basically the first "modern" ys game, but i guess it is a bit outdated now, man, hope we get another ys game soon. Ys and Tales will probably forever be my favorite videogame franchises.
I tried playing it when I briefly had Amazon Luna, and quit before even getting off of the boat. The English VAs were off-putting and the graphics looked very dated even for a 2018 game. Guess I didn't give it enough of a chance. I'll add it to my Steam list for when I get a real computer.
@@Dyonivan I want to try it as well snice thst I saw alot of gaming channels recommended it but yeah I am afraid that I will end feeling the same as you did cause the overall design of the game feels outdated
@@Dyonivan yeah one warning with falcom games is their front loaded as hell with exposition and Ys8 def has a tiny bit of a slog at the start if your not digging it. it is technically a vita port so the graphics are a bit lacking but its still a bloody fantastic game once it gets going (and it doesnt take terribly long to get going or anything).
Ys will always get love from me.
@@Dyonivan Ys VIII was originally a Vita game so visuals aesthetics can vary form person to person, I don't know how games look on Amazon Luna but on PS4 looks good running at 60fps.
Dated or not this games is insanely good.
I gotta say, you have a truely refreshing take on most of the RPG picks that even me as a huge RPG fan haven't heard of and presented them in a way that ended up making ME wanting to play them. Great job and a well deserved THUMBS UP!
13 Sentinels is one of my absolute favorites. Im so glad I picked it up on a whim. This is such a great list.
I really want this game, but can't afford full price. I didn't learn about it until this year and missed all of its discounts, so hopefully it will get discounted again sometime.
New to the genre because of the recent Final Fantasy 16. I'm having a blast with Atelier Ryza and Trials of Mana. Also bought Ni no kuni 2 and Neptunia 4 Goddesses Online on a massive discount, they are next. So many amazing experiences, I fell in love with the genre already. Turns out gaming is not only about AAA titles. ❤
You definitely need to make Fire Emblem Three Houses a priority this year! I don't want to overhype it, but I couldn't put it down. Played 12 hours the first day... Wife wasn't happy 😂
Such a fantastic game. It doesn’t sink it’s hooks into everyone, but when it does, they dig in DEEP 😅
Fire emblem Awakening, Trails of Cold steel and Persona 5 were the games that got me to love JRPGs
Persona 5 is what got me into jrpgs. I loved everything about it from the story to doing social links to even the combat. If you have a ps4 play persona 5, if you have a pc play persona 4 since it isn't a demanding game.
EDIT: Well it seems that Persona 3, 4, 5 are all coming to modern consoles. So I would recommend that everyone should try at least Persona 5R. Although playing in release order would not be bad, just because of the gameplay. The only thing is that Persona 3 does not have The Answer campaign, since it is the portable version that is being ported. Although it is very controversial mostly because of the gameplay being mostly dungeon crawling and no social sim. I never played it myself, since I wasn't a big fan of P3 gameplay. One thing you can do is watch all the cutscenes on youtube if you don't like P3 gameplay. From what I heard you should only play The Answer if you love the combat, you weren't satisfied with the ending of the original P3, or you like a certain character. Other than that The Answers cutscenes should be enough. Mostly because they give more character development to your party.
I recommend p5 royal over og p5 if you have neither, but yeah p5 is a masterpiece. (And p4 golden)
Shouldn't the redommendation be the other way around, play the less demanding game on the feebler console and the more demanding one on the faster PC?
@@beageler Normally I would agree, but atlus is dumb with how they put their games on platforms. Persona 5 and Persona 5 royal are only on PS4. Then if you want to play Persona 4 , you would somehow need to get a vita, ps2, (for of persona 4 not golden), or a PlayStation tv. Alternatively you can get Persona 4 golden on steam, which it is the most accessible way to play the game. So in reality persona 4 golden can pretty much be only played on pc since for some reason it is not on modern consoles. While persona 5 is the more demanding game, unfortunately it is only on console, and persona 4 golden is only on steam. Unless you are talking about persona 5 strikers, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you have not played Persona 5/Royal because strikers is pretty much a sequel to those games. Which again atlus was dumb once again because they decided to make this game multiplatform but not the the first Persona 5 game. So as a result we have people starting the sequel since it literally is on every platform except Xbox. And for many the characters are going to seem very underdeveloped, since they were already developed in the base game. This is important because the events in the base game are tied to the character arcs. So yeah persona 4 is probably the most accessible since it can run on a potato or any modern pc/laptop. Considering that game was originally a ps2 game.
@@icgaming4508 Ahhh, kk.
If you are here few months later
And have pc, Xbox and Nintendo switch
Play p5r
Persona 5 was my introduction to JRPG's and already I'm obsessed with this game. Truly a masterpiece
got finished yesterday with it, 155hrs satisfying ending.(Royal)
Ikr just beat and need something to fill my addiction😭
@@inchristnido I'm currently playing persona 4 golden right now after Royal.
Great video. Wish I'd come across it a few months ago when I had finished my second playthrough of P5R, was looking for more JRPG stuff, and PlayStation had a Japanese favorites sale. Ended up going with Tokyo Xanadu Ex+ and Tales of Berseria, but watching your video has caused me to add some more stuff to the wish list.
Nier Automata is the game of my life.
Amazing list. I just didn't play yet Cold Steel and 13 Sentinels, but they're already on my list. I started the Trails series by the Sky games.
You should play cold Steel one of the best turn base gameplay mechanisms ever so engaging especially once u figure out how to utilise master quartz and quatz
@@krishnaprasad8712 Let him finish the sky games first bruh
Loving these JRPG videos, mate! Keep up the good work!
Really great list. I've recommended more than a few of these games to friends looking for a new game to get into.
From the Trails series, I had only played Cold Steel 1-4. I initially watched the main story of the Sky and Crossbell games on UA-cam, because I wanted to get straight to playing Cold Steel. Now, though, I've gone back and actually played 4 of the 5 pre-Trails games (Dragon Slayer and Gagharv), and I'm playing the 5th and final one now. I even played Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes 2 using Retroarch's real-time machine translation service. That's how dedicated I am to this series, now.
When I'm done with Gagharv, I do plan to finally actually play the Sky and Crossbell games. I aim to beat all 3 Sky games sometime this year, and then start Trails From Zero when we're at least somewhat close to the release of Azure.
Great list! I absolutely loved DQXI but even as a DQ fan, I can admit that the OST left a lot to be desired. It's sad because DQIII and IV have some of my favorite OSTs ever, especially considering their time. But at this point, Koichi Sugiyama (RIP) needed to step aside and let someone else work on the series. DQ has a certain baroque, traditional OST style and that's okay, but ever since DQVIII I don't think they've done that style justice.
the ost was just awful
The tracks themselves are good, in fact i'd say the S version fixed this cause they're all orchestrated. The MIDI rendition is just super weird and not very fitting in such a giant marvelous JRPG.
Seeing the social network screen at 19:08 really reminded me of Digital Devil Saga for some reason.
Amazing recommendations I have played all those games and You really nailed it with this list.
What can I say, all of my favorite games are on the list! Great job on making this one!
Absolutely solid list, and another reminder for me to return to Lacrimosa of Dana and Tales of Arise. Loved what I've played so far of those games, just need to pick them up again and really commit to finishing them. Also, another big hint that I need to give Nier: Automata a shot.
You should. Automata is great. I'm also loving Arise as well.
Thank you for a good video on JRPGs with some very interesting titles that I haven't thought of.
I just finished Ys 8 after having purchased the game almost 2 years ago. Started it then and kind of lost interest with just having to constantly map the area and find people. But I told myself I'd finish it before starting a new game, and man what a game. First Ys title for me and I enjoyed it a lot more than I initially thought. Definitely makes me want to try the other games in the series.
Yeah same here now I've played Memories of Celceta and 9. Definitely recommend them both
@@darknesswave100 It was actually seeing 9 that gave an additional boost in motivation to finish. But I'm not going to buy that till I wittle my backlog down and hopefully 9 goes cheaper.
I love Ys 8! The soundtrack sooo damn good. Do Ys 9 then if you have ps4 memories of celceta. If you have a pc then it opens up a whole nother world of ys games and doesn't need much power to run
I Already Played The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel 1,2,3, and 4, and I'm Looking Forward to Trails into Reverie Whenever that Comes out in 2023
Heck yeah, TWEWY and NEO are amazing games. That series started my love for Japan and its culture. I’m teaching in Japan currently and honestly TWEWY was one of the things that catapulted to where I am today
I totally dig the Synchronicity #23 playing in the background for your 13 Sentinel Aegis Rim segment. I'm missing that world in such a serious way.
I felt the song matched well with the 'mecha' vibes of 13 Sentinels. Glad someone enjoyed it!
My only flaw with ToCS is that by the end of the 3rd game I got a sense of already knowing what events were going to unfold, in the general sense.
It became very predictable. There was this pattern that they followed that was hard to miss for those paying close attention. Other than that it is an excellent JRPG series.
Awesome list. I have played most of these games and they're excellent as modern JRPGs. If I had a switch, I would definitely get Xenoblade Chronicles DE and SMTV. I also might try out Neo: The World Ends with You. That looks like a lot of fun. Ni No Kuni games are also great starting points for JRPGs.
If you haven’t already tried out Neo TWEWY yet, DO IT. It’s a great game that more people should experience. I do recommend playing the first game beforehand, though.
I'm so glad you mentioned NTWEWY, such an amazing game and a life changing experience that it's a shame that people never tried it.
Just subbed to your channel.
Totally awesome list. Altho not gonna lie you kinda broke my little heart with the criticism of Dragon Quest XI S sound track
Excellent choices - Ys 8 in particular is such a wonderful game with a deep mystery that will blow your mind out your ears
Idk if they are considered JRPG, but I am fan of the god eater series, scarlet nexus, code vein, and digimon cyber sleuth. I have only recently gotten into JRPG's but can't lie I am in love with them.
If I had 1 hot take on entry points to jrpgs. I think Cold Steel is a better entry point than Sky FC. If I did Sky FC first, I would have likely dropped it.
Never played anime styled game before until recently finishing Scarlet Nexus and wow it was a blast. Story, styling, music, characters, combat, everything was captivating - maybe just the world could be little more open as it only had 2 cities with only few (populated with people) streets to explore and side quests in cities boring. I came here to look for similar games - I think I'll give Nier Automata a shot looks pretty cool too.
Just starting the video, but as a veteran to rpgs, I love videos like these.
Great list.. I absolutely agree.. And for me trails is the one piece of jrpgs... Shonen anime and jrpgs share a lot of elements with each other... So in terms of world building trails is the one piece of jrpgs.. For anime and one piece fans that have played the trails series know what I mean.. I hope that the trails series will become more mainstream similar to how smt and Persona became mainstream from niche series.. A lot of big gaming sites overlook one of the best modern jrpg series and that is trails.. I cannot wait for hajjmari and kuro no kiseki.. Especially kuro..also the ys series.. Especially the modern ones viii and ix... Great work.. Great list my friend
Great list! I'd also recomment a few different games:
- Octopath Traveler since it has 1 of the best turn based battle systems, beautiful individual stories for the 8 travelers, the music is perfect & the presentation is gorgeous.
- Fire Emblem 3 Houses, amazing strategy JRPG, great value, gameplay & story. Pick the blue team since it has by far the best writing.
- Radiant Historia Perfect Chronolgy, highly recommend this gem, very easy to get into & still very unique.
- SMT V is easily the best gameplay Atlus made in an RPG, can be difficult but still easy to understand, the atmosphere, demon side missions, the world design, the music.. great all around.
dude, are you me? lol fuckin love those games
Not an SMT guy but your first 3 are absolutely solid. Octopath and Three Houses were my fav games of their respective years, and Radiant Historia is a criminally underrated gem. The only thing is that I prefer the original game’s artstyle waaaaay more than the remake
@@hideharu-xiii8852 yes the old Radiant Historia art is so much better.
What a toilet trove of shit games.
@@Fanofou82 oof too edgy 🤡
Thank you. Ys VIII added to my wishlist
Thanks for the recommendation!
Wow, great video. I've played all of these except the one you recommended. lol
The Ys series never grabbed my attention when I saw it, mainly because I never knew how to pronounce the name of the game haha
If someone had never played a jrpg in their life, and they played DQ11s, they would then understand the genre in totality, and be able to tell if they wanted to pursue more traditional titles or more modern ones.
Well said.
Cold Steel was my first Trails game. I absolutely loved the series, and would recommend it to anyone. I'm loving Arise so far, especially the joint attacks. I've platinumed P5R. Futaba is best girl.
Ys VIII...I haven't played much of it yet, but I probably will once I finish Arise.
Automata is also a masterpiece, as is Replicant v1.22.
This is a VERY solid list. Especially since I've played a good number of them.
Trails of Cold Steel is also what got me into the Trails series, loved absolute every moment of it. I tried Ys 7 but couldn't get into it, played 8 and loved it along with 9. Another I feel that should be up is Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, but that's just me cause am a digimon fan and digimon been my childhood when the anime 1st showed
Cyber sleuth is really good. I played and still have the Vita version.
Interesting cause Cold Steel killed the trails franchise forme after loving Sky/Crossbell. Got halfway throughb CS2 and the story.bland characters nonsensical choices during a war just killed the game for me.
@@TheRoleplayer40k while CS may not have the omph as sky but its still pretty good for me. If you liked crossbell then the epilogue of CS 2 will interest you and what happens and who appears in 3 and 4 will get your attention too. Also Emma best girl for me in CS
I’m curious, would you by chance know any games similar to Luminous Arc 2 for the Nintendo Switch?
Ooh I really recommend Fire Emblem Three Houses! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts when you play it! It's my favorite game of all time and we seem to have similar taste in games so, I have high hopes you will probably like it!
Great selection! I think i'll grab my DS and start TWEWY , it's been on backlog for too long i think. Just finished the Utawarerumono series (such a great experience i had to unlock all achievs just to stick with it a bit longer, and think you're gonna LOVE IT btw) and need something else to move on with.
Utawarerumono is on my list for this year, can't wait to try that out.
Lol Estelle in the beginning bit was pretty funny 😁 😊
Nice list. I’d go with ff7r definitely. Tales of Berseria just cuz it’s the one that got me hooked on the genre
Man, the battle system of Berseria can be a no no for newcomers.
Very nice list indeed. All of those are some of the best the genre has to offer
Love these vids man. You got me sold on Neo, gonna look it up. I also plan to eventually play Nier Automata, but I'd like to see if it gets more patches on pc, and if not, I'm going to wait until I have a PS5 to fully experience it. Also noticed the Megumi interceptors spam! Good lad!
Interceptor spam is the way! As for Automata, they've mostly fixed the PC port I believe. Took them long enough, but from what I remember it was still more than playable for myself back in 2017.
Awesome, probably going to give it a try this year or the next one.
For all of these jrpg, please look up a guide. I know a lot of people think “oh, I just want to go into this completely raw and learn it for myself.” And you can do that. But you’ll miss out on content. You can find guides for builds before you mess up your entire game. You can look up missable content and items that if you don’t grab when you can you’ll never be able to get it. And then also just general guides for extended story. For instance, persona five royal. I dropped about 90 hours and got to the end excited for semester three and I got to the end of the final ending cutscene before I realized that I’m not gonna get that part of the game cause the councilor was two levels too low and I would have to replay the game and sink a large amount of hours into it again just to play the new content. I never replayed the game yet. Maybe in the future. There are tons of guides that are spoiler free and for jrpg the main thing you’re there for is the story so you aren’t missing out on anything by being prepared.
I have played ALL of this. Good selection. :)
I know once you get a chance to play Yakuza like a dragon you’re going to gush about it, mark my words lol the combat scratches that JRPG itch, and the story is so incredible, the one downside is that it becomes almost impossibly hard during the post game - which is what I had to put it down 😅
You need to move that further up on the backlog, man haha
hey thanks i subscribed ive been thinking about trying trails just didnt know where to start but hey if you say cold steel is really good and give it a try i think i will so thanks really liked the video
For DQXI, I feel it’s probably important to note that the Switch Version (DQXI S) has additional story content, and the soundtrack is a bit better. It has a fairly similar level of variety, but a lot of the Midi tracks have been revamped with orchestral versions. There are also a couple of quality of life changes, like being able to use the forge anywhere instead of just at camp. It’s definitely a smoother experience overall.
The Definitive Edition adds all that on all platforms.
There's a definitive edition also for other ones just in case people don't have a switch
That's the version I'm playing with currently. Don't get me wrong, it's a good game. But it's always pushed back by other games that I'm playing concurrently.
I’m really surprised that Vandal Hearts is not on the list or even mentioned. I would say I found the game very challenging when you got to higher levels. The design of the game and characters are well done with great music and interesting story. Makes you use all your characters like a team to win . Most likely not on the list because it’s a PS1 title. But it shows how much programers and game designers put into games back then using all of the system power to run and create games.
Great list! Just started my second play through of Nier. Great game!
I feel you on the DQ XI soundtrack. I started playing the original edition a couple years ago and ended up putting it on hold. Never ended up going back because I have way too many games in my backlog for the amount of time I have. I recently picked up the PS4 version of the definitive edition on sale and I'm currently playing through it. The symphonic versions of the music helps, and it's not so bad that I see myself putting the game down before I'm finished this time, but it's still a pretty disappointing OST. The good thing is that I can at least switch over to DQ VIII over world music with this edition if I feel the need.
It's a shame, because everything else is excellent. But I place so much importance on an OST to push me through, DQXI doesn't do it.
YAKUZA!!! The new one is probably the smoothest transition from beat em up to turn based jrpg there has ever been in a series.
My introduction is Dragon Quest XI S. I highly recommend it
Solid choices :) Like it
played yakuza like a dragon this year and it was my first jrpg. found it really enjoyable, and they found a way to make turn based combat fun imo
You are right Cold Steel was my gateway drug to the Trails series. lol
I just started the Trails series and finished Trails in the Sky on psp. Working on SC now. My friend told me to play them in order so I have been. Gotta wait till I can get my steamdeck to be able to played the 3rd sky game.
I hated DQ XI but after playing with draconian stronger monsters setting it's a gsmechanger and now loving it. The feeling of danger while exploring, resource management, and actually having to think makes it good for me.
Such a great list coming from a true man of culture (as well) ;-D!
Great recommendations there, I'm sure that any newcomer or even JRPG aficionados will find something that suits their taste in your list :D.
We're all cultured individuals here! :D
I loved your football clips to add emphasis 😜
I am currently in Ch6 of my replay to Tales of Cold Steel. It is just so good, possibly my fav story in any JRPG. I have played or own all of those except neo. It is a good list.
I’d recommend No No Kuni! I started with Ni No Kuni 2 and beat it in about 2 weeks (70+ hours). I was HOOKED
On a subject of “starting RPGs” it has a difficulty system and on normal, it’s a simple romp.
Really wish more JRPG channels acknowledged the passage of time and the value of good visuals and voice acting instead of filling their recommendation lists with „I enjoyed it when I played it as a kid 30 years ago” titles
Great list mate. I’d include Yakuza: like a dragon along with these bangers
Just finished Ys VIII on PS Plus after never hearing of the series before. Amazing. Starting Ys IX soon.
I love tales of arise! Like I can’t move on! 💕💕
Cold Steel 1 and 2 were my life for a good 2 weeks or so. Can't recommend them enough
EDIT: Oh I hear that Cold Steel and Ys OST faintly in the background, can't fool me! This is why this the best JRPG channel
Ys 8 is hands down my favorite modern day (last 5 years) game to play. Brilliant OST, amazing gameplay and amazing stories. Hadn’t felt this strongly about a game since I first played Chrono Trigger over 24 years ago. Play This Game.
Sincere inquiry. Have you played any other Dragon Quest games?
I loved Ys 8 would you recommend any of the others in the series?
All of them - wish I could be more specific but Ys has a certain identity that translates to all the other games. Except for 5 maybe.
Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age definitely is the best JRPG I've seen, but there are some gems on this list, Tales of Arise and Ys VIII are so great. Ys IX is good too but VIII is truly superior.
And Dana is definitely my favorite Ys character, agreed. OST is awesome. Sunshine Coastline and Vanishimg Trail, gorgeous.
I played, finished and loved all of them. I´m definitely not the target audience for this video. I would need a hidden gem JRPGs video.
The answer SHOULD be Chrono Trigger remake. God i hope SE makes that happen soon.
I do agree with you on Cold Steel though my first jrpg was Dragon Quest/Warrior 3 for nes
Great list! I would also add Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and Valkyria Chronicles.
Valkyria is a great game, but it's not exactly easy, hence I wouldn't really recommend it to noobs. You have levels that can take 30 minutes or more, and if you die, you have to restart the whole stage all over again.
@@jeffjackson9679 Well it's more of a strategy game than an rpg so I think it's understandable to not be piss easy. It is a perfectly fine game for noobs wanting to try a jrpg with strategy involved.
Valkyria Chronicles was on my mind, but it's the length of some of the missions that turned me away, they can really drag in some cases. Great game for sure, but that was the deal breaker.
Dude. I actually own every game on your list including all four Trails of Cold Steel games. That typically never happens for Top 10 videos. Usually I'm missing at least a couple of games from people's lists. All of your recommendations are great games for newcomers and ones I'd recommend as well.
I would also add Fire Emblem Three Houses and Yakuza: Like a Dragon to your list. Like a Dragon was a huge pleasant surprise to me with how the developers incredibly implemented JRPG elements into a Yakuza game. It is definitely worth a look for that alone although the full package is one outstanding game.
I want to play yakuza:lad but i don't want ruin my experience with yakuza game prior to yakuza:lad.
@@idudahkepake That's fair. I would recommend Like a Dragon after you've played a more conventional Yakuza game because Like a Dragon takes a much different path than the other games in the series.
I don't know if I'd call Trails "unrivaled" in world building, the Suikoden series had some top class world building as well. Also a lot of western RPGs have amazing world building too, like the Elder Scrolls series.
Ys 8 Best Pick. I started My with this as my first ever JRPG and i fall totaly in love. Just Manage my 100% on Steam a few Days Ago after 5 Full Run because i forgot just one dialog the whole time. Now i do my NG+ Run in Ys 9 for 100% and go on with the complets Ys Universe
An interesting series for people to try would be "The Caligula Effect" - the games were made by the producers of the original two Personas, and have both a catchy soundtrack and perfect story (In fact, the first one gives you an option to play as the villain - basically Persona 5's bad ending except on a larger scale)
The story is not perfect, it portraits mental illness very badly. Then the frame rate losses is also not really great. I would never recommend this game, and I suggest you play a lot better jrpgs.
@@NathanWubs Are you talking about the base game, or Overdose?
1. The frame rate was a lot better in Overdose
2. The new characters portrayed mental illness better, with a character who had aphonia after watching her family die in a blaze and a guy with Claustrophobia - which is probably linked to his criminal record (But, I don't exactly remember)
3. The story's better, since you can see the game from both perspectives as opposed to the original TCE, which just had the perspective of the heroes
@@fierytigergaming8112 So you have to do 2 playthrough to understand the story?
@@idudahkepake Or, you can save at the final boss and choose the other option
Should i suggest smt series to my friend who want to start playing jrpg?
I have some of these, FF VIIR, Ys VIII, DQ XI, P5R, Arise. I have Nier Replicant, getting Automata soon. I have 3 Ys games and last 3 Tales of games and 9 FF games..good times.
With the way AAA games have been in 2021 I decided to give JRPGs a try, I ended up falling in love with the Trails series because of its worldbuilding and characters and had a lot of fun in Scarlet Nexus and Tales of Arise. I pray that JRPGs stay the way they are because I cannot imagine any JRPG pulling a cyberpunk 2077 or bf2042 release on us 🙏
Surprising it wasn't Persona that got me into JRPGs even though that helped a ton. It was actually Valkyrie Chronicles then Tokyo Xanadu and then Persona.
I’ve played every game on this list except for NEO, is it worth playing if I don’t see myself ever playing the 1st one?
Tales of Arise is so good it's unbelievable
I absolutely adore the Cold Steel series, all the way up till the very end of 3 that is
3 games and 300+ hours of gameplay building up to that very moment, and my reaction to the epic climax that's leading into the culmination of 3 different game franchises with Cold Steel 4 was, "well that was stupid".
Sen 4 doesn't really tie out the Crossbell or Sora characters' arcs. The Sora characters had their arc mostly finished by Ao (other than Zin who's back in Calvard), and the Crossbell characters get their resolution in Hajimari, not Sen 4.
Also Sen 3's ending worked far better if you played the game when it was new. When I'd finished it and was met with that cliffhanger ending, they hadn't even announced Sen 4 yet, and we had to sit with that cliffhanger taunting us for like a full year.
I've already played Persona 5 Royal with Nintendo Switch. And I could say, I'm quite satisfied...the combat system is quite a step-up from previous Persona series, and it's quite fun too.
I've played cold steel twice on each platform i purchased it for the ps3 vita and ps4 yup its a good game i love ng+ ❤️ 😊
Nier replicant and automata is probably my fav jrpg of all time
That’s a f2p rts, tho
Nier automata is the goat
@@Drakevid you can’t be more far from the facts. The classic Star Craft take, mixed up with Cut the Rope F2P mechanics: Nier is a f2p rts.
Bruh Octopath Traveller is literally Comfort food JRPG how could you not include that. Its so damn good. And the sequel is literally a Masterpiece.
Never played original dq11 but if you played dragon quest XIs version you would be blown away by the ost like i was as a first time dq player.