Persona 5, Nier Automata, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Final Fantasy 14 have some of my favorite stories of any generation. Not even done with XBC3 and I already put it up there with XBC1, Persona 4 and the others I mentioned.
I want to know what games people who manage to play through and enjoy Xenoblade gameplay have actually played beforehand. The combat is so mind-blowingly terrible it's a miracle anyone has ever finished the game let alone all three. I'm told the story is great and would love to experience it but damn the gameplay is actually a 1/10. I was hoping to just power through the first game in expectation that the 2nd and 3rd game would have better combat. But combat in the first game is so bad so i decided to look at opinions online about how the combat in the 2nd and third entries compare. And most people seemed to think the first game had the best combat? wtf, there is no way i'm forcing my way through a 1/10 game just to play 2 0/10 games next. Sure there were afew mixed opinions of other liking later entries but people preferring the combat of the first seemed most common. I actually can't wrap my head around it. The only explanation i can think of is the people enjoying this combat have exceptionably little experience with other jrps and hence have no frame of reference.
My only issue with this list is how low Tales of Berseria is. That game has an incredible narrative with some amazing twists. I also wish Nier Replicant was on the list as it too has a phenomenal story. Thanks, for the great list Erick
Tales of Berseria is #1 for me. And not just for JRPGs, it's my favourite story in all of gaming tbh. Ehh though... I love Ys 9's story and all, but 8's is just more engaging and exciting tbh. It's just one of the couple of things I prefer in 8 than 9.
Recently finished Tales of Berseria and I completely agree with you. I will never forget it, nor it's wonderful characters. Velvet is probably my favorite video game protagonist ever.
Oninaki could have been something really REALLY special in terms of story but it was obvious they run out of money and they left the game with a lot of rushed characterizations and loose ends in the story. A shame really because TRPG Factory really showed they have enough talent to make a good RPG but they were once again being handicapped by a very limited budget from SE. I also hope they are still around because we haven't heard anything from them since Oninaki came out in 2019.
13 Sentinels was so good it should be it's own list with only this game from 10-1 😄. Really, I played so many JRPGs but this one was really different and not just for the sake of being different but truly awesome. DQ11 and Persona 5 should be on the list too, but everyone has a different taste :)
@@grahfkarate1799 Yes! I skipped it for a year maybe? Combat did not seemed that great and just had more interesting games to play. But OMG was I wrong, believe me the story alone is worth it. You choose when to play story and gameplay ( kind of ) so It doesn' get old fast. And combat certainly had more for itself than I was expecting. One of the best games I have experienced in the last 10 years. Probably in my top 10 of all time. One of those games you just wont put down.
@@grahfkarate1799 It's actually awesome and very intuitive. It's some kinda RTS but not really, because it pauses when you choose any action. It is super easy and fun.
My top five would be Kingdom hearts 2 Final fantasy xii Persona 3 (reload) Ys 8 lacrimosa of dana Dot hack// G.U. (series as a whole since they work as espisodes) Honorable mentions Persona 4 loved the story and characters, but i felt persona 3 was better writing from a narrative perspective, p4 has the best characters but p3 had the best writing, best threath, best buildup to the final boss and most impactful message Tales of arise, loved the characters and the story, but the final section felt a little rushed with that whole thing of aliens and other planet spirit cannibalizing it self, could have been better developed with a better pacing, that section where you discover the project and volran backstory with a bunch o wall texts in the laboratory could have been worked differently Final fantasy vii remake, i really liked it but its incomplete, i didn't played the original game, and still didn't had the chance of playing ffvii rebirth, and we still dont have the final episode. So i will keep it as honorable mention, until i see the final product as a whole
Just beat xenoblade chronicles 3 its my first entry to the series and honestly I love this game's story I dont like how it ended though not my type of video game ending since even though there is still lots to do post game it feels like theres no point. I have all the 3ds SMT games and honestly I would have played them all since I loved my first experience which was overclocked but at the moment im not looking to get anally pounded even if the stories are great so Im going to play Soul hackers 2 next
It's downright criminal that Persona 3 isn't on this list, i'd go as far to say it's not just the best JRPG story, or even the best video game story, i'd say it's literally the best and most beautiful, thought provoking story of all time. It really changed my outlook on life for the better, I would recommend it to anyone! The Persona 2 duology is also a really underated gem, the story alone is a great reason to play it.
How Trails is an honorable mention is beyond me. I have played most of the games on the list, just finished XBC3 and ToCS has the best story I have played and I have played a lot. Guess everyone's opinions are different bu how it didn't get in Top 10 at min is mind-blowing to me. I would have it as No1 and thought was where it was going to be especially when you feature it before starting the list.
13 sentinel is mind-blowing like littery! While Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is once again at the top! Im so happy with this couse the story is amazing not just good but is awesome! Ys series is actually good series just u know they have slow start of the games..but give more time u definitely enjoy the series!. Octopath is LITTERY stilll my favorite series! Even though there is mobile games for the prequel i gotta say that games feel amazing..of coures there gacha in it..but the story is just as good! With the ost to!
If only Octopath was playable character by character. I love the game but I alrady stopped 3 times now at 40 hours simply because whenever I am hooked on a story I can't play the next chapter of that character but have to switch characters because I don't have the level needed for that part yet and have to switch to another characters storyline. :-/
Persona 5 Royal and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, in my eyes, have the best narratives, as does Persona 4 Golden and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, and Torna: The Golden Country; I was just disappointed with how _average_ XC3 turned out to be, in multiple aspects.
Solid list personally would have swapped out Xenoblade 3 for 2, to clarify all the Xenoblade games have great stories I just enjoyed 2 more as it got me to acquire and play all the other Xeno games.
Tbh, I vehemently disagree with a few placements. Idk how XC3 is so high up on this list. Recency bias maybe? It had great character stories and moments but the actual main plot was kinda underwhelming, badly paced, extremely predictable and lacked any punch save for a handful of moments - imo the worst plot of the XC series. Berseria also deserved a higher spot. I'm not a huge fan of the game in general but the story is easily one of, if not the best of the entire Tales series. And I don't even know what to say about Cold Steel only getting an honorable mention - I mean, yeah, the harem trope was annoying as fuck and CS4 especially had way too many characters but the overall plot was still very strong. Are you honestly telling me that Ys 9 or Code Vein had better stories? Like, come on.
@@dominiquerichard1342 are you at act 1? It gets much better near the end of act 1 and very good at act 2. Though it really depend on what type of story you like.
@@dominiquerichard1342 It's a effin' masterpiece, dude! The writing is so god-damned clever, and the game was really satisfying for me with the challenges turned on! Easily my favorite non SMT rpg! Followed by Chrono Trigger, FF9, FF6, FFV, and FF7.
I disagree on all your choices on 2 counts. 1 title of video. You been better off saying 1p modern dark jrpgs. But you didn't. 2nd every game is a triple aaa game no 1 or 2 a game so really nothing new that someone hasn't said before.
They do say misery builds character, and Japanese writers seem to have a thing for it. 9:53 This sounds close to an unused draft for the plot of Final Fantasy X where all people automatically die at the age of 17 and you had to figure out why. I suppose that eventually got shifted into the less grim (but still pretty awful) Final Summoning.
it's hard for me to find a modern rpg with a good level of romance to it. i hate the multiple choice and affection systems we always see because they're so impersonal.
see and I think it's the opposite. it gives you a choice. granted, Falcom messed it up with Trails of Cold Steel, mostly due to completely changing it up because Persona 4 Golden was such a huge success.
Ok there is definitely a dark and Gothic theme to this list. I understand that this is ericks opinion and he is completely entitled to it but I think it would have better been titled best dark and Gothic modern jrpgs stories. I just wish people's top tens would be more objectively put rather than opinion based.
@@AnimeSimp234 Right. And a general consensus is better than a list of games with the same theme over and over again. I love Erick and his channel. It is a fine video. So relax, I'm just merely saying my opinion. Take it as you will.
I'm more concerned with the inclusion of _utter crap_ like Valkyria Revolution. I buy physical copies whenever possible. I hold on to my games. Still got all my stuff dating back to the Genesis. I've only returned/sold three physical copies of games in my entire life, and Valkyria Revolution is one of them. The other two were Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter on PS2, and Dragoneer's Aria on the PSP. Valkyria Revolution was one of the worst and most profoundly disappointing games I've ever played.
@@nr2676 I did play it in its entirety. It is not anywhere near the best in terms of story. And story is _not_ the only thing that you need to consider when it comes to games. _Gameplay_ is a factor as well. And this "game" has some of the absolute worst of it, period.
It's shocking and sad that there is no FFXIV in this list. JRPGs have been my favorite genre since the Super Nintendo era and Shadowbringers has the best story in any JRPG of all time. It's dark and twisted and one of these stories that makes you think way after turning off your PS5 or PC. The story in Heavensward (Which is even part of the free trial, you can play without any time limit, so there really isn't any excuse from not playing it) was already so good that I thought "Wow! This is just as good as the golden age Final Fantasys 6, 7 or 9. While I was crying that there isn't a good Final Fantasy story anymore, this has always existed?" and at the end of it you seriously think "How can people say that Shadowbringers is better than this? The story can't possibly get any better at this point." But Shadowbringers actually raises the whole lore, plot and characters onto an entirely different layer. While Heavensward's story was more on the level of an FF9 or such, Shadowbringers' story is on the level of a Nier-game, telling a cosmic story in a personal way while making you question whether you are even standing on the right side. It's the kind of story that ruins all other games for you.
Yikes, none of those stories sound very good, especially shinami tensei or whatever it's called. Summoning demons is evil and is not good. Don't understand why you consider that a good game.
Pretty garbage list, tbh. Such feeling like you just took random games and put them on the list. I can understand 13 sentinels and triangle strategy but smt4 apocalypse?… and also Code Vein??? Yeah I think I’d rather stick with visual novels.
I prefer the original since it set everything up and felt more like a cosmic horror story with the different possible Tokyos, but SMTIVA has its good parts too. At times it almost feels like a meta tug-of-war between the series' original stark bleakness and the more popular friendship focus of the Persona series, Dagda pulling you one direction and your comrades pulling you in the other.
Wish Berseria would come to the Switch, if most PS4 games could make it to Switch, so could it as well. Same with Code Vein. Just started on 13 Sentinels. Beat the first battle, haven’t done any others yet. Cold Steel only an honorable mention? With the complexity of all of Legend of Heroes, the Cold Steel arc is easily up there.
@@DaakkuuYRS I don’t fault him for that since he is in Mexico and over there drugs and gangs are very much together. Drug cartels run half the country over there.
Hmm, I wouldn't have put SMT IV A on this list due to its disrespect for the Law and Chaos alignments, which are what make SMT what it is, but I respect your opinion.
List is too weeby, needed at least "Yakuza: Like a Dragon" (preferably in top 3) to balance all these tropey anime cliché ridden games. Not even in honorable mentions, come on 😑
Yakuza 7 Like a Dragon have also some of anime cliches (power of friendship, Dragon Quest storyline ,,from 0 to hero''). This game was clearly inspirated by Dragon Quest. But unlike in many modern jrpgs with those tropes like Persona 5, writting is top notch and story pacing is also great.
@@soratheorangejuicemascot5809 its no only a button masher, you have stamina and have to wait until it refills. You can recover it using special artes and making sort of an infinite combo wich gets old really fast. There not much science behind the combat although the crafting system and the mix of artes is very convoluted and feels like a chore. The characters and their development is the best part of the game but it doesnt compensate for the horrid combat system. Had enough after 22 hours.
That's propably will never happen. New Sakura Wars was awfully received in Japan (review bombing), and in West this game sold very bad. Maybe Sega port this games into Steam 7 years after release date, like they did with Valkyria Chronicles in 2015.
13 Sentinels was probably the BIGGEST let down for me. I love giant robots, I love Vanillaware games, but man did this game not deliver. I think the biggest problem was quantity over quality. Too many playable character and TOO many plot twists. I don't mind a story getting as 'broad' as 13 Sentinels did but honestly after around the 4th or so 'twist' I REALLY started to lose interest. It also didn't help that Some characters seemed FAR more interesting than others...even though they were the 'same' character. If the story was trimmed down in all aspects It would have been a more intimate experience and would have greatly improved my experience.....just my opinion though, no shame if you like it.
I love your videos. Keep up the good work. BUT I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH YOUR LIST! 🤣 SMT4A plot sucks ass if you compare to other entries, specially Nier and 13 sentinels. Also, Trails series deserved a place in this list! And don’t even ger me started with Tales of - Arise is better than Berseria. With all that said (🤣), I would like to thank you - I only played 13 sentinels because I saw your recommendation in other videos. It was a hell of a experience. 😬
Great ace attorney was... great indeed, haha. Probably one of (if not THE) best in the series. But while you can kinda pass sentinels as jrpg because of battles, gaa can be considered a pure visual novel (with the only battles there being court battles).
I loved your pics SMT four in particular is really good. One game that would be on my list is lost odyssey. That has one of the best JRPG stories of all time
Tales of Berseria: Better story than its predecessor, Tales of Zestiria, but... far from the best story in Tales. Granted, Tales of the Abyss isn't exactly "modern." Octopath: Haven't played, no opinion. 13 Sentinels: Is this even a JRPG? Xenoblade 3: Haven't played, no opinion. BUT if it's anything like Xenoblade 1, I may think it's mid-tier, cause that game is definitely mid-tier. Nier Automata: Story is fine, gameplay is better tbh. Mostly cause Platinum knows how to make good action games. SMT IV Apocalypse: Haven't played, but I have heard not all SMT fans like it due to the anime cliches. Mostly the SMT hipsters who think Nocturne is the second coming of Christ. Ys 9: Honestly, this game is one of the weaker Ys games. Though I wouldn't say it's the plot, it's the fact you're stuck in one city. At least 6-8 gave you a lot more in terms of exploration, but in 9 it feels really boxed in. runner-ups: haven't played Triangle Strategy. Scarlet Nexus is a DEFINITE agree, though I disagree with your thoughts on Yuito. Sure, on the surface he seems like Rean from Trails of Cold Steel, being dense af about love, but I feel like his bonding events were so much better compared to Kasane's because even when he's technically the enemies of those characters, he's still polite and amicable with them. Trails of Cold Steel 4 is honestly my second favorite Trails game behind Trails in the Sky SC
Many gamers say that Zelda is an rpg, I don't agree. This game does have a level-up system and you can buy better weapons, but where is the story? There isn't any to speak of! So LoZ is not an rpg. Great video, but where is Suikoden 2?
Two tropes I would not miss being gone from JRPGs are "high school kids save the world" and "the power of friendship" bullshit. When done right they can be well written, problem is 90% of all JRPGs are telling the same damn story in different ways and its getting real boring. There is so much madness in the modern conspiracy theory world to work with that I can believe no one created a flat earth RPG or use the myths of Antarctica and do the whole inner world theory. There is so much more out there to work with beyond "high school friends solve everything" when imo that is most unrealistic BS in existence. Hell at least make them college aged so they have some life experience. I want to see more late 20s early 30s protagonists because that actually makes sense.
@@AnimeSimp234 There is a LOT more to Japanese culture than "high school friends save the world"....you're a white dude with a anime chick as avatar aren't you? 😂
Some choices were ok at best in MY OPINION , I'm more into light-hearted plots but I would like a GOOD blend of dark plots. I EXTREMELY HATE PERSONAL EYE FOR AN EYE plots! Because they were OVER DONE and personal eye for en eye is evil! This is why I hate Valkyria Revolution. For Tales of Berseria, I have watch someone else play it and I Don't hate that game as much. Anyway Keep up with something NICE and Enjoyable please.
Octopath would be left off of the list to me. I loved all of the stories until I realized that none of them come together. It’s selfish of me to think they could take 8 characters and somehow make them all come together at the end for a common story.
Even villains are great, because they are not like one-dimensional villains (except Belgar), especially Waltz and Crymaria, they have a good ending, which is very rare for a villains in JRPG's.
@@nr2676 Forseti aka Original Kai was the best villain imo because of how he made into a dark mirror of Claude by both of them being very talented young commanders and both having to make hard decisions based on their harsh situations & the dark truths they learned about the side of the war they once believed was worth fighting for. btw Belgar may be one dimensional but he was entertaining enough and his role as being a former friend of Riley's father was interesting even if Riley & Belgar never got the chance to meet face to face.
Yeah, you can definitely tell Erick Landon prefers a very specific tone of story in his games, because I think literally every single one of them hits a lot of the same notes. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it might almost be more useful to do a few of these for different 'genres' of story
I think I can answer why so many people say the stories aren't as good, despite the list you put together. For one thing, the vast majority of the games on your list are Action. If you don't play Action games, most of your list is gone. Personally, I also have a "budget threshold". One of the two Turn-Based game on the list is a low-budget game (it's HD-2D). The other Turn-Based game on the list is SMT (and is also on a handheld). SMT games, like most of the rest of your list, are dark/gruesome which generally repels me. Differences in taste.
Where is persona series? Dont agree with code vein or octopath but other than that great list! If anyone reading this has not played 13 sentinels buy ir right now! It is incredible.
Persona 5, Nier Automata, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and Final Fantasy 14 have some of my favorite stories of any generation. Not even done with XBC3 and I already put it up there with XBC1, Persona 4 and the others I mentioned.
Every Single Xenoblade game is fantastic! Even X (which has the weakest story but best world and side quests).
Xenomid is more like it
@@GiordanDiodato XenoRatio
I want to know what games people who manage to play through and enjoy Xenoblade gameplay have actually played beforehand. The combat is so mind-blowingly terrible it's a miracle anyone has ever finished the game let alone all three. I'm told the story is great and would love to experience it but damn the gameplay is actually a 1/10. I was hoping to just power through the first game in expectation that the 2nd and 3rd game would have better combat. But combat in the first game is so bad so i decided to look at opinions online about how the combat in the 2nd and third entries compare. And most people seemed to think the first game had the best combat? wtf, there is no way i'm forcing my way through a 1/10 game just to play 2 0/10 games next. Sure there were afew mixed opinions of other liking later entries but people preferring the combat of the first seemed most common.
I actually can't wrap my head around it. The only explanation i can think of is the people enjoying this combat have exceptionably little experience with other jrps and hence have no frame of reference.
My only issue with this list is how low Tales of Berseria is. That game has an incredible narrative with some amazing twists. I also wish Nier Replicant was on the list as it too has a phenomenal story. Thanks, for the great list Erick
Replicant isn't really a "modern" game anymore, considering it's a remaster of a game that is over a decade old.
Nier may have a excellent story but its not a RPG
Tales of the Abyss has a better story, but that's not exactly "modern"
Cool that you now upload your videos with a higher framerate.
Nier (both) to me are still the best stories i have experineced in a video game.
13 Sentinels and Tales of Berseria are really amazing. Loved them from beggining to end.
That apocalypse soundtrack man.... always hits hard
Tales of Berseria is #1 for me. And not just for JRPGs, it's my favourite story in all of gaming tbh.
Ehh though... I love Ys 9's story and all, but 8's is just more engaging and exciting tbh. It's just one of the couple of things I prefer in 8 than 9.
your pfp has me crying rn
@@guutenks2498 Hmm? How come?
@@theultimategamer95 its hilarious
you need to play Tales of the Abyss
Recently finished Tales of Berseria and I completely agree with you. I will never forget it, nor it's wonderful characters. Velvet is probably my favorite video game protagonist ever.
Oninaki could have been something really REALLY special in terms of story but it was obvious they run out of money and they left the game with a lot of rushed characterizations and loose ends in the story. A shame really because TRPG Factory really showed they have enough talent to make a good RPG but they were once again being handicapped by a very limited budget from SE.
I also hope they are still around because we haven't heard anything from them since Oninaki came out in 2019.
Let's hope they're at work on something great.
tbf it was better than I am Setsuna
My fav modern rpg story goes to Tales of Xillia.
I don't know if we can consider it modern, as it is more than ten years old
But love the story in both of the games tho
Same for me love xillia story
13 Sentinels was so good it should be it's own list with only this game from 10-1 😄. Really, I played so many JRPGs but this one was really different and not just for the sake of being different but truly awesome. DQ11 and Persona 5 should be on the list too, but everyone has a different taste :)
Wanted to play 13 sentinels but that gameplay looked gross 🤢
@@grahfkarate1799 It is actually pretty good.
@@SebastianRodriguez-hb2uw really? I might give it a try if I see it on sale then. Love the art and the story did seem interesting.
@@grahfkarate1799 Yes! I skipped it for a year maybe? Combat did not seemed that great and just had more interesting games to play. But OMG was I wrong, believe me the story alone is worth it. You choose when to play story and gameplay ( kind of ) so It doesn' get old fast. And combat certainly had more for itself than I was expecting. One of the best games I have experienced in the last 10 years. Probably in my top 10 of all time. One of those games you just wont put down.
@@grahfkarate1799 It's actually awesome and very intuitive. It's some kinda RTS but not really, because it pauses when you choose any action. It is super easy and fun.
It's good to see someone that actually liked Valkyria Revolution. I got it super cheap, but have yet to play it.
"Abrasive complexity" is the perfect description for 13 Sentinels.
13 sentinels is probably the best Sci fi story I've experienced in my life
but it's not a JRPG
it's an adventure game/tower defense hybrid
@@GiordanDiodato it is a jrpg. You have levelling up systems and stats just like any rpg. It's just a strategical rpg
@@alabaster3535 that's like saying Doom 2016 is an RPG
Tales of Arise for me, is the best and i don't care if anybody said that Berseria is better.
wait, what's the thumbnail from?
Great fucking video! My number 1 is cold steel u talked me into getting code vein rt
Trails of Cold Steel is so good!
To me automata is my fav story but replicant had my fav cast...nier series is just built different.
I kind of thought voice of cards 2 would be mentioned.
13 Sentinels is awesome, but it's not a JRPG.
Ya, aegis rim could be made into the next steins gate if given a proper anime.
Final Fantasy 14 is by far the best recent JRPG story for me.
you definitely havent played many then.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 be like: It's almost over, finally time to smile a little in this depressive asf game
*The game ends*
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
My top five would be
Kingdom hearts 2
Final fantasy xii
Persona 3 (reload)
Ys 8 lacrimosa of dana
Dot hack// G.U. (series as a whole since they work as espisodes)
Honorable mentions
Persona 4 loved the story and characters, but i felt persona 3 was better writing from a narrative perspective, p4 has the best characters but p3 had the best writing, best threath, best buildup to the final boss and most impactful message
Tales of arise, loved the characters and the story, but the final section felt a little rushed with that whole thing of aliens and other planet spirit cannibalizing it self, could have been better developed with a better pacing, that section where you discover the project and volran backstory with a bunch o wall texts in the laboratory could have been worked differently
Final fantasy vii remake, i really liked it but its incomplete, i didn't played the original game, and still didn't had the chance of playing ffvii rebirth, and we still dont have the final episode. So i will keep it as honorable mention, until i see the final product as a whole
Just beat xenoblade chronicles 3 its my first entry to the series and honestly I love this game's story I dont like how it ended though not my type of video game ending since even though there is still lots to do post game it feels like theres no point. I have all the 3ds SMT games and honestly I would have played them all since I loved my first experience which was overclocked but at the moment im not looking to get anally pounded even if the stories are great so Im going to play Soul hackers 2 next
Yakuza 7 is top tier. Yakuza as a franchise already was one of the best when it comes to stories. Now that 7 is a JRPG it is 100% number one for me.
I'm very surprised to see valkyria revolution and code vein on this list.
It's downright criminal that Persona 3 isn't on this list, i'd go as far to say it's not just the best JRPG story, or even the best video game story, i'd say it's literally the best and most beautiful, thought provoking story of all time. It really changed my outlook on life for the better, I would recommend it to anyone! The Persona 2 duology is also a really underated gem, the story alone is a great reason to play it.
Persona 3 isn't really "modern"
How Trails is an honorable mention is beyond me. I have played most of the games on the list, just finished XBC3 and ToCS has the best story I have played and I have played a lot. Guess everyone's opinions are different bu how it didn't get in Top 10 at min is mind-blowing to me. I would have it as No1 and thought was where it was going to be especially when you feature it before starting the list.
13 sentinel is mind-blowing like littery!
While Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is once again at the top! Im so happy with this couse the story is amazing not just good but is awesome!
Ys series is actually good series just u know they have slow start of the games..but give more time u definitely enjoy the series!.
Octopath is LITTERY stilll my favorite series! Even though there is mobile games for the prequel i gotta say that games feel amazing..of coures there gacha in it..but the story is just as good! With the ost to!
Man where is Yakuza like a dragon? 😪
If only Octopath was playable character by character. I love the game but I alrady stopped 3 times now at 40 hours simply because whenever I am hooked on a story I can't play the next chapter of that character but have to switch characters because I don't have the level needed for that part yet and have to switch to another characters storyline. :-/
Persona 5 Royal and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, in my eyes, have the best narratives, as does Persona 4 Golden and Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition, and Torna: The Golden Country; I was just disappointed with how _average_ XC3 turned out to be, in multiple aspects.
Could you do a video on how Persona 5 reinvigorated JRPG interest?
Solid list personally would have swapped out Xenoblade 3 for 2, to clarify all the Xenoblade games have great stories I just enjoyed 2 more as it got me to acquire and play all the other Xeno games.
The story needs to match up with the gameplay. The theme of the combat/gameplay needs to be at the same stake as the story for me.
I really wished oninaki had English voices. I would have understood the story better.
Tbh, I vehemently disagree with a few placements.
Idk how XC3 is so high up on this list. Recency bias maybe? It had great character stories and moments but the actual main plot was kinda underwhelming, badly paced, extremely predictable and lacked any punch save for a handful of moments - imo the worst plot of the XC series.
Berseria also deserved a higher spot. I'm not a huge fan of the game in general but the story is easily one of, if not the best of the entire Tales series.
And I don't even know what to say about Cold Steel only getting an honorable mention - I mean, yeah, the harem trope was annoying as fuck and CS4 especially had way too many characters but the overall plot was still very strong. Are you honestly telling me that Ys 9 or Code Vein had better stories? Like, come on.
Dude, it's an opinion based list, of course you're going to have disagreements.
@@AnimeSimp234 Ofc it's an opinion, why should that prevent me from sharing my opinion on what I disagree with?
@@appetizingly That's fine, it's just the way you phrased your comment made it seem like the creator of the video was "wrong".
@@AnimeSimp234 Fair enough. I guess I came across a little too strong with some of my points.
"Number 1 Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse" Why would you say something so controversial yet so brave?
Me looking at this thinking "where's Persona 5?"
Persona 5 have worst story in series.
You forgot Hyperdimension Neptunia! Unsubscribing.
Joking. lol 😆
Hello! Hope DQ11 is here!
does it get better? having a hard time getting into it
@@dominiquerichard1342 are you at act 1? It gets much better near the end of act 1 and very good at act 2. Though it really depend on what type of story you like.
Glad to see SMTIVA at number one! Didn't think it'd get it's recognition here! Good job!
@@dominiquerichard1342 It's a effin' masterpiece, dude! The writing is so god-damned clever, and the game was really satisfying for me with the challenges turned on! Easily my favorite non SMT rpg! Followed by Chrono Trigger, FF9, FF6, FFV, and FF7.
I have enjoyed the stories of the games in the list but I'm leaning towards a specific one as my favorite
You should really get back to Triangle strategy, it's the best RPG SquareEnix has made in a longgggg time.
I disagree on all your choices on 2 counts. 1 title of video. You been better off saying 1p modern dark jrpgs. But you didn't. 2nd every game is a triple aaa game no 1 or 2 a game so really nothing new that someone hasn't said before.
Number one: Kingdom Hearts III
They do say misery builds character, and Japanese writers seem to have a thing for it.
9:53 This sounds close to an unused draft for the plot of Final Fantasy X where all people automatically die at the age of 17 and you had to figure out why. I suppose that eventually got shifted into the less grim (but still pretty awful) Final Summoning.
SMTIV:A in top story list? Come on, even base IV had a better story and writing, and it wasn't really top tier then.
left arm...
it's hard for me to find a modern rpg with a good level of romance to it. i hate the multiple choice and affection systems we always see because they're so impersonal.
see and I think it's the opposite. it gives you a choice. granted, Falcom messed it up with Trails of Cold Steel, mostly due to completely changing it up because Persona 4 Golden was such a huge success.
Ok there is definitely a dark and Gothic theme to this list. I understand that this is ericks opinion and he is completely entitled to it but I think it would have better been titled best dark and Gothic modern jrpgs stories. I just wish people's top tens would be more objectively put rather than opinion based.
But no one can give an objective top 10 as it's different for everyone, so I think you're asking the impossible.
@@AnimeSimp234 um no. You can do one based off of a poll or metacritic, or there are several ways to do one more objectively.
@@thegamingprojects3936 Seriously? Metacritic is something anyone could look up. Plus, it means nothing. All metacritic is, is general consensus.
@@AnimeSimp234 Right. And a general consensus is better than a list of games with the same theme over and over again. I love Erick and his channel. It is a fine video. So relax, I'm just merely saying my opinion. Take it as you will.
@@thegamingprojects3936 But it's his list. Why shouldn't he be able to give his opinion? Genuine question.
There is a very big persona 5 royal shaped hole on this list
You mean the one that EVERYONE knows is great. Yeah thats beating a dead horse
I'm more concerned with the inclusion of _utter crap_ like Valkyria Revolution.
I buy physical copies whenever possible. I hold on to my games. Still got all my stuff dating back to the Genesis. I've only returned/sold three physical copies of games in my entire life, and Valkyria Revolution is one of them.
The other two were Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter on PS2, and Dragoneer's Aria on the PSP.
Valkyria Revolution was one of the worst and most profoundly disappointing games I've ever played.
@@Kira-Nerys Do you even ended this game, because story is really good, AFTER you meet a Valkyria. And ending is one of best in genre.
@@nr2676 I did play it in its entirety. It is not anywhere near the best in terms of story. And story is _not_ the only thing that you need to consider when it comes to games.
_Gameplay_ is a factor as well. And this "game" has some of the absolute worst of it, period.
It's shocking and sad that there is no FFXIV in this list.
JRPGs have been my favorite genre since the Super Nintendo era and Shadowbringers has the best story in any JRPG of all time. It's dark and twisted and one of these stories that makes you think way after turning off your PS5 or PC.
The story in Heavensward (Which is even part of the free trial, you can play without any time limit, so there really isn't any excuse from not playing it) was already so good that I thought "Wow! This is just as good as the golden age Final Fantasys 6, 7 or 9. While I was crying that there isn't a good Final Fantasy story anymore, this has always existed?" and at the end of it you seriously think "How can people say that Shadowbringers is better than this? The story can't possibly get any better at this point."
But Shadowbringers actually raises the whole lore, plot and characters onto an entirely different layer. While Heavensward's story was more on the level of an FF9 or such, Shadowbringers' story is on the level of a Nier-game, telling a cosmic story in a personal way while making you question whether you are even standing on the right side. It's the kind of story that ruins all other games for you.
Yikes, none of those stories sound very good, especially shinami tensei or whatever it's called. Summoning demons is evil and is not good. Don't understand why you consider that a good game.
🤣😂🤣😂
Why there is no elden ring and bloodborne and dark souls, they are all jrpg
No, that's arpg
@@hewmengshen7781 arpg like the games on the list tales of berseria, code vein and xenoblade
Yep,but generally they won't include soul like game because it's too hard.
Pretty garbage list, tbh. Such feeling like you just took random games and put them on the list. I can understand 13 sentinels and triangle strategy but smt4 apocalypse?… and also Code Vein???
Yeah I think I’d rather stick with visual novels.
I didn't expect smt iv apocalypse to be in the list
I prefer the original since it set everything up and felt more like a cosmic horror story with the different possible Tokyos, but SMTIVA has its good parts too. At times it almost feels like a meta tug-of-war between the series' original stark bleakness and the more popular friendship focus of the Persona series, Dagda pulling you one direction and your comrades pulling you in the other.
@@WhiteFangofWar i might play it when I have time
@@Oliverph0enix Strongly recommended, though you'd have to finish SMTIV first to fully understand what's going on.
Yakuza like a dragon says hello 😜
Kinda wild that Trails of Cold Steel didn't make it on here, but great list!
Erick, how about 10 best old school JRPG stories?
yess
In a way he did that video 4 years ago. Look up Top 10 Best Stories in JRPGs. That should cover the retro area.
Wish Berseria would come to the Switch, if most PS4 games could make it to Switch, so could it as well. Same with Code Vein.
Just started on 13 Sentinels. Beat the first battle, haven’t done any others yet.
Cold Steel only an honorable mention? With the complexity of all of Legend of Heroes, the Cold Steel arc is easily up there.
agree, we should commenr on bamco youtub or socmed lol
I dunno if Code Vein would work
but Tales of Berseria COULD work, if they don't port the PS3 version
Fire Emblem Three Houses ModCheck ???
am always so hyped when a new video is being released ! :D
Yeah,me too
The reason I love 13 Sentinels is because of their ENG localization Subtitles and texts
MAN I LOVE IT
Unlike GGST ENG localization team...
Less goo, new video! Great content as always Erick!
Scarlet nexus wa a ride. I enjoyed it way more that I anticipated
No Yakuza: Like a Dragon? Just wondering
He didn’t like the game. Didn’t like playing as drug dealers. Wasn’t his thing
@@redstratus97 I remember his shitty take- because he just assumed criminals= drugs. Yakuza never had a story about drugs.
@@DaakkuuYRS I don’t fault him for that since he is in Mexico and over there drugs and gangs are very much together. Drug cartels run half the country over there.
Hmm, I wouldn't have put SMT IV A on this list due to its disrespect for the Law and Chaos alignments, which are what make SMT what it is, but I respect your opinion.
Almost putting Scarlet Nexus instead of a Yakuza game is a sin
The story in Scarlet Nexus is one of the worst I ever played in JRPGs... indeed, deadly sin.
The only Yakuza game that's a JRPG is Like a Dragon.
@@scoutisabelle If Scarlet Nexus is considered a JRPG (which it isn't) then Yakuza is one too
@@scoutisabelle If Ys games and Nier automata are considered JRPG, then Yakuza is too
Thank you. Finally praise for Ys story.
Highly agree with Xenoblade chronicles 3 and 13 aegis rim. Great vid overall. And Cold steel saga is goated
List is too weeby, needed at least "Yakuza: Like a Dragon" (preferably in top 3) to balance all these tropey anime cliché ridden games. Not even in honorable mentions, come on 😑
Yakuza 7 Like a Dragon have also some of anime cliches (power of friendship, Dragon Quest storyline ,,from 0 to hero''). This game was clearly inspirated by Dragon Quest. But unlike in many modern jrpgs with those tropes like Persona 5, writting is top notch and story pacing is also great.
interesting! I will grab code vein as soon as I can
i stopped playing tales of berseria the combat system sucks
Is it just a button mashing without changing much of your moves?
@@soratheorangejuicemascot5809 its no only a button masher, you have stamina and have to wait until it refills. You can recover it using special artes and making sort of an infinite combo wich gets old really fast. There not much science behind the combat although the crafting system and the mix of artes is very convoluted and feels like a chore. The characters and their development is the best part of the game but it doesnt compensate for the horrid combat system. Had enough after 22 hours.
@@hiro6164 that sounds like a phase killing mechanic. I do get why you wouldn't enjoy your playthrough.
Take a shot everytime dark is mentioned jk
Man I wish sega released Valkyrie revolution and Sakura wars reboot outside of the ps4
That's propably will never happen. New Sakura Wars was awfully received in Japan (review bombing), and in West this game sold very bad. Maybe Sega port this games into Steam 7 years after release date, like they did with Valkyria Chronicles in 2015.
Yes code vein. I fell in love with the game so much that I platinum the game.
I like the list but Valkyria Revolution wasn’t rlly as good as VC4 to me but hey this list isn’t about me so I can respect the choices.
13 Sentinels was probably the BIGGEST let down for me. I love giant robots, I love Vanillaware games, but man did this game not deliver. I think the biggest problem was quantity over quality. Too many playable character and TOO many plot twists. I don't mind a story getting as 'broad' as 13 Sentinels did but honestly after around the 4th or so 'twist' I REALLY started to lose interest. It also didn't help that Some characters seemed FAR more interesting than others...even though they were the 'same' character. If the story was trimmed down in all aspects It would have been a more intimate experience and would have greatly improved my experience.....just my opinion though, no shame if you like it.
I love your videos. Keep up the good work. BUT I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH YOUR LIST! 🤣 SMT4A plot sucks ass if you compare to other entries, specially Nier and 13 sentinels. Also, Trails series deserved a place in this list! And don’t even ger me started with Tales of - Arise is better than Berseria.
With all that said (🤣), I would like to thank you - I only played 13 sentinels because I saw your recommendation in other videos. It was a hell of a experience. 😬
The great ace attorney definitely deserves to be on this list if 13 sentinels counts
Great ace attorney was... great indeed, haha. Probably one of (if not THE) best in the series. But while you can kinda pass sentinels as jrpg because of battles, gaa can be considered a pure visual novel (with the only battles there being court battles).
I loved your pics SMT four in particular is really good. One game that would be on my list is lost odyssey. That has one of the best JRPG stories of all time
Tales of Berseria: Better story than its predecessor, Tales of Zestiria, but... far from the best story in Tales. Granted, Tales of the Abyss isn't exactly "modern."
Octopath: Haven't played, no opinion.
13 Sentinels: Is this even a JRPG?
Xenoblade 3: Haven't played, no opinion. BUT if it's anything like Xenoblade 1, I may think it's mid-tier, cause that game is definitely mid-tier.
Nier Automata: Story is fine, gameplay is better tbh. Mostly cause Platinum knows how to make good action games.
SMT IV Apocalypse: Haven't played, but I have heard not all SMT fans like it due to the anime cliches. Mostly the SMT hipsters who think Nocturne is the second coming of Christ.
Ys 9: Honestly, this game is one of the weaker Ys games. Though I wouldn't say it's the plot, it's the fact you're stuck in one city. At least 6-8 gave you a lot more in terms of exploration, but in 9 it feels really boxed in.
runner-ups:
haven't played Triangle Strategy.
Scarlet Nexus is a DEFINITE agree, though I disagree with your thoughts on Yuito. Sure, on the surface he seems like Rean from Trails of Cold Steel, being dense af about love, but I feel like his bonding events were so much better compared to Kasane's because even when he's technically the enemies of those characters, he's still polite and amicable with them.
Trails of Cold Steel 4 is honestly my second favorite Trails game behind Trails in the Sky SC
Many gamers say that Zelda is an rpg, I don't agree. This game does have a level-up system and you can buy better weapons, but where is the story? There isn't any to speak of! So LoZ is not an rpg. Great video, but where is Suikoden 2?
XC3 might be better replayed on new game+, having a hard time as it is to level up my characters' classes and it'd help me not be in a hurry.
I found out that if you're over 5 levels higher than an enemy you won't gain class points from the fight.
@@luke3810 I never knew that, thank you
The only game from this list with a better story than Oninaki, is Nier Automata. The rest, not really
Two tropes I would not miss being gone from JRPGs are "high school kids save the world" and "the power of friendship" bullshit. When done right they can be well written, problem is 90% of all JRPGs are telling the same damn story in different ways and its getting real boring. There is so much madness in the modern conspiracy theory world to work with that I can believe no one created a flat earth RPG or use the myths of Antarctica and do the whole inner world theory. There is so much more out there to work with beyond "high school friends solve everything" when imo that is most unrealistic BS in existence. Hell at least make them college aged so they have some life experience. I want to see more late 20s early 30s protagonists because that actually makes sense.
I've been saying the same thing for months if not years.
Cultural differences, yadda yadda.
@@AnimeSimp234 And what does that have to do with anything? 😂
@@NeutralGloomBot What do you mean? That's literally the cause of the entire discussion you're having. Are you ignorant of japanese culture perhaps?
@@AnimeSimp234 There is a LOT more to Japanese culture than "high school friends save the world"....you're a white dude with a anime chick as avatar aren't you? 😂
I would love to know who is the girl in the video thumbnail and/or its game name.
Some choices were ok at best in MY OPINION , I'm more into light-hearted plots but I would like a GOOD blend of dark plots.
I EXTREMELY HATE PERSONAL EYE FOR AN EYE plots! Because they were OVER DONE and personal eye for en eye is evil! This is why I hate Valkyria Revolution. For Tales of Berseria, I have watch someone else play it and I Don't hate that game as much.
Anyway Keep up with something NICE and Enjoyable please.
Octopath would be left off of the list to me. I loved all of the stories until I realized that none of them come together. It’s selfish of me to think they could take 8 characters and somehow make them all come together at the end for a common story.
Did you beat the secret end dungeon?
Valkyria Chronicles 4's story is super dark too and even makes you question the mortality of both sides at some point
Even villains are great, because they are not like one-dimensional villains (except Belgar), especially Waltz and Crymaria, they have a good ending, which is very rare for a villains in JRPG's.
@@nr2676 Forseti aka Original Kai was the best villain imo because of how he made into a dark mirror of Claude by both of them being very talented young commanders and both having to make hard decisions based on their harsh situations & the dark truths they learned about the side of the war they once believed was worth fighting for. btw Belgar may be one dimensional but he was entertaining enough and his role as being a former friend of Riley's father was interesting even if Riley & Belgar never got the chance to meet face to face.
This video has me curious if a story can be as good without being "dark".
Yeah, you can definitely tell Erick Landon prefers a very specific tone of story in his games, because I think literally every single one of them hits a lot of the same notes. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but it might almost be more useful to do a few of these for different 'genres' of story
Do a collaboration with C4G
Berseria man, always get me in the feel
Persona 3 still got me the most, I always feel so sad everytime I remember what happen
play Tales of the Abyss then come back
@@GiordanDiodato the protagonist sucks
>no black souls
into the trash it goes
Why is this outputting at 48fps tho?
Surprised no Persona 5.
I think I can answer why so many people say the stories aren't as good, despite the list you put together. For one thing, the vast majority of the games on your list are Action. If you don't play Action games, most of your list is gone. Personally, I also have a "budget threshold". One of the two Turn-Based game on the list is a low-budget game (it's HD-2D). The other Turn-Based game on the list is SMT (and is also on a handheld). SMT games, like most of the rest of your list, are dark/gruesome which generally repels me.
Differences in taste.
Xenoblade 3 is a masterpiece.
🤣
Where is persona series? Dont agree with code vein or octopath but other than that great list! If anyone reading this has not played 13 sentinels buy ir right now! It is incredible.
Beat tales of berseria last year. Story was really good and shocking at times.
im LP Ys 9 on my channel. and i agree. i LOVE the game. i love the combat too!