Say what you will about FFX-2, but you have to admit that the combat was really interesting and unique and downright fun at times. Also, WHY THE HECK WAS TWEWY NOT ON THIS LIST???? The World Ends with You had THE most unique and fun combat in a video game ever. I ENJOYED grinding in it, and that's a miracle, because I typically despise chugging through random battles. It also perfectly utilized every single aspect of the DS, and made every battle dynamic and fun.
My favorite rpg which is a really underrated one, and I understand why, is golden sun. I love it because it is waaaaay more complex than it seems. When one plays the game and sees the djiin system it is annoying and just wants to keep each djiin with its respective character. But what I and most people don't know is that if you make djiin and character combinations, you can get waaaay stronger characters with more variety on terms of djiin attacks and magic. Each djiin represents indirectly a style: mercury is more magic and healing based. Jupiter is power up magic, which greatly increases the amount of strategy. Mars increases attack a lot, which is perfect for a hyper offense character. And Venus is weird, I can't find a way to classify it but I think it is balanced. With that system, you can make any character, even the worst ones, a great ones. I'm in love with it for the complexity and strategy it needs, I hope you give it a try!
I own and beat Golden Sun on my gb micro and it was great but, I prefer Mother, particularly Mother 3 because I enjoy the modern world and the rhythm based combat.
Nice to see Shadow Hearts Covenant getting some love here, and number one is spot on. I didn't think Til The End of Time's combat could be improved upon, but The Last Hope managed it.
@PunchFor Pound Till the end of time/ 3 is definitely better than Last hope on all ends except for combat out of their 3D games. I couldn't say much for the older games though, I haven't played but they also have a good reputation. The newest game, Integrity and Faithlessness has had poor reception so maybe pick it up once it's discounted enough. I hear good things about it's battle system though. Star ocean 3 used to be hotly debated by the fans however because of the plot twist near the ending though.
Legend of Dragoon is a timing hit buttom event, some games as Earthbound and Mario&Luigi Superstar Saga made it already, dont know if they were created first, but oh well...
Whoa!! wast not expecting that!! was caught completely off guard but I agree 100% Star Oceans Battle system is 2nd to non...what a game, What.............a...........game, though the only game I played on this list is Star Ocean & for what ever reason I was expecting one of the Final Fantasy games to be on here
+HarpuiaReturns 666 yes best experience ever hands down i was so afraid i wasn't gonna enjoy it after one but i saw hiw much faster and betterit was once i learned the system
As soon as the video started I kept repeating Shadow Hearts and Shin Megami Tensei in the back of my mind. I'm so glad someone else recognizes greatness when they see it. Good for you GameTrailers for making one of the only Top 5 lists I can completely agree with.
Really happy to see you guys mention Valkyrie Profile, it's a damn good JRPG that no one seems to talk about. Also, that Star Ocean seems really nice, i might take a time to see it.
Legend of Legaia had a unique and strange way to battle. Instead of attacking with basic slashes, clubing, ect., you use the D pad to choose what body part to attack with, your arms or your legs. You also don't ger magic by learning it you have to fight the enemy to abosrb it and it's magic into your magic power source. (Known as a Ra-seru in the game) It is very unique and allows for many other status effects such as rot, where you can't move either your arms, legs, 3 of the four, 2 of the four, or all of them. It really changes how things work. Plus your meter that allows you to attack more goes up with every level up because your character gets more flexible, allowing for more attacks. It is extremely different and unique.
+Dee Jaay to be fair in xillia 2 the ai can be rock stupid at some points especially if they are alone and you dont have them set with auto items. in graces the system(that i honestly cant remember the name of) that each character has can easily turn the tide of the strongest battles like cheria being able to stop time entirely for all enemies allowing her to heal or revive any dead members while in xillia mages just run in circles like idiots till they die. xillia 2 is probably my favorite story and has my favorite characters but honestly i find graces alot more fun to play. the combo system in that game is just so much fun and juggling bosses to death is hilarious.
Generally I agree on what you said, Xillia's AI has this slowness, doing anything only once every 5 seconds. But it doesn't turn down what you can do, you are so free with your chains it almost becomes a spectacle fighter. Well, to each his own. Tales rules.
NoctLightCloud for me its moreso that you have to go out of your way to get the things that give extra turns. im at the point where im using zepher(cant remember the spelling exactly) alone for a boss fight because the story forced it on me. i see videos of people doing it no problem but they have like 5 more move things more than i do i cant go and get more.
+Dee Jaay I still like Graces f best. Still ranks as one of if not my favorite Tales because of the battle system. But X1 and X2 are good too, in different ways, but I prefer Graces overall.
Love the list! I know my opinions just one of many that will be drowned in the comments, but I feel that Radiant Historia may have deserved a place in the rankings as well.
Mayo Rice To be fair, PE1 was just a prototype for Vagrant Story's battle system. Regardless, I feel they should've been on one spot like how SMT3/4 sorta was
I was hoping for Legend of Dragoon because of the Addition system, then you showed Shadow Hearts and that actually takes the idea I got from LoD and makes it so much better.
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I'm glad you at least mentioned Resonance of Fate. That's my favorite combat system
That's true but I am not saying that Bravely Default is the best because I know there are other good JRPG out there but here, they are counting the top 5 "Battle System" and Bravely Default has one of the best, strategic and unique battle system in the genre. I am just surprised that they haven't even show at least a short clip of it.
I wouldn't exactly call it truly unique, and there are much more strategic games even within this same list. I find the game way overrated myself, but as I said before, it is good. Just nothing much that blows my mind. It honestly feels like a classic FF in many aspects with some tweaked mechanics. Considering FF is one of the fathers of the genre to begin with, I wouldn't say it's one of the most unique or best within it's genre, just one of the better games to come out of it in awhile.
You are right, the game is overrated but for me, I am having a lot of fun with the game because I honestly haven't played any of the classic JRPGS shown in this video. The only JRPG that I played was Final Fantasy III on the R4i in the DS, for some reason I stopped playing it. But for the first time, I own and play a JRPG like Bravely Default, and its fun. Not praising the game or anything I am just surprised that they did not show in the video at least a clip of the game knowing that the recent JRPG that came out is Bravely Default. That is all :) Lol
NatRock BSA How can you honestly say, that Bravely Default has one of the best battle systems, when it is the only RPG you have actually really played!? That's totally stupid. It's like saying a specific movie is the best one in the world, when it is the only movie you have ever seen in your entire life. Tri- ace, Atlus,and tales games have far better battle systems than almost every standard RPG from Square, with the exception of Lightning Returns, maybe. However, tri- ace helped with the development of that title, so it's also partially thanks to them that it's good.
Ultralquimista its not that complex imho. it just takes like 2 hours until you understand this game. It took me until the first boss until I realized how this game works and after that it was very interesting combat
This video hit almost every bit of my JRPG childhood love journey. I agree with almost everything here. I played all those games and I consider them the best JPRGs segments of my life as a gamer due to their incredibly well-put together battle systems. The reason I said almost, is because I thought by following your implied criterias to determine the best JRPG battle systems, and since Shadow Hearts was number 2 on the list, naturally, the Legend of the Dragoon would be number 1 on this list. I don't really care about the numbering though, but this game most definitely has one of the best and most rewarding battle systems I had ever experienced in my 20+ years of playing JRPGs. LotD introduced QTE to RPGs, which was later on, adapted by Shadow of Hearts: Covenant. Surely the battle system is much simpler, back in 1999, however with the Dragoon mode and the human mode, the bosses and enemies later in the game "require" you to master the ability to time your presses to inflict as much damage as you can. Hence, bosses will have incredible amount of HP and will inflict enough damage that with a healer and going through 99x potions won't be enough if QTE mastery is not yet acquired. Side story: This video made me so nostalgic, I love it! I remember couple of years ago when I was playing Tales of Graces F, after beating the game several times, I started to play it on the hardest mode. The most simple enemies were so incredibly hard to beat, and the chaos on the screen when 6-8 enemies doing all sorts of special attacks and very tactful combos that leaves you so intensely involved in every character all the time. Once you mess up pre-planning for a character to hold their own in battle and provide less contribution to your grand 4-sided flexible strategies, then it's all over, basically. I seriously enjoyed those times. I truly wish for more games like those, games that don't just throw you in hours of stupidly limited battle system that feels more like a chore than anything else.
This is one of the best lists because it makes me want to go out and play these games that I've never seen or heard of before. If this was a Top 10, Bravely Default and FFX shouldve made the list.
I want to mention 3 that I do like a lot, the 3 of them share in common on how you can abuse them if you know what you're doing. Shin megami tensei press turn system The system lets you to play well and to use every single exploit you can learn in your favor, because this can also go for the enemy and thus it creates a battle on how much you can abuse the weakness or the buffs/debuffs in order to win. If you use the weakness or get a crit you'll get a flashy press turn which gives you an extra turn, but if you fuck up with null you lose 2 press turns or if it is absorbed or repeled you lose all of them. Bravely default The battle point system is a very interesting thing to be brought because it gives a risk reward system by either using brave and have more turns risking your next turns by having minus BP, or default and have an extra BP so that you can brave on the next turn and use 2 actions without having to wait a turn to use it again. And with certain skills you can play with the BPs so that you can play with this system more, by their having less BP but doing more damage or having skills that let you get more BP. Mario and luigi The inputs can let you either evade the attacks or do more damage, and that's a great example on how to make a battle system more dynamic.
One of my personal favorite game with a unique battle system is Eternal Sonata. Damage based on how well you time your attacks and where you're placed. You can also block/parry enemies strikes it is even recommended to master it for certain battles. Also, the difficulty raises progressively through the game so no worries the game actually gives you time to master.
I must question the decision to have this as a top 5 list. Baten kaitos, Chrono trigger and Paper mario (1000yd) all have intresting and greately engaging battle systems which fill up your criterias and that could easily make this list. Oh and bonus points for mentioning Shadowhearts. The series is so good and hardly anyone seems to know of it.
Its hard to pick one Tales game as having one battle system better than all others, also I absolutely loved Xenoblade Chronicles battle system with its all its nuances including unusual things like being able to see into the future and warning other party members of an oncoming brutal attack.
Personally I would have placed Valkyrie Profile 2 up there instead of Star Ocean 4, but that may be partially because of my undying hatred of Tri-Ace Syndrome which somehow VP2 didn't suffer. But I can't be mad, because SHADOW HEARTS COVENANT, WOOOOHOOOO. Such a perfect way to bring it up, "the best game nobody talks about." Makes me sad how few people got to play it, such a phenomenal game. Awesome combat, great and diverse characters, and a complete heartbreaker of an ending. Plus the music is pretty damn awesome.
You guys have some seriously great tastes in JRPG Battle Mechanics, I love this list. Except I felt there were other games that have a better BM than Shadow Hearts. Mind you I do like Shadow Hearts, but as for the list for me it would have to go from least to best Shadow Hearts, Legend of Dragoon, Baten Kaitos, Xenogears, Golden Sun, Megaman X Command Mission, Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel, Tales of Graces F, Star Ocean 4 and than undeniably in my opinion Grandia 3.
I liked this list. And I like how you defined JRPGs. If it was top 10, I would consider the following: Jade Cocoon 2 Resonance of Fate Eternal Sonata Radiant Historia FF13
AMEN! Star Ocean The Second Story is my favorite game of all time, and The Last Hope only held up for me thanks to the Battle System. The absolute perfection of SO2 with it's Non Turn-Based battles, deep skill system and brilliant customization actually ruined me for years being the first RPG I ever played. As much as I loved the story of FF7, I lamented every battle knowing Real Time combat was not only possible on the console but done perfectly by the same company in a game no one ever talked about. Daps to you, GT for having the balls to put Star Ocean on the top of your list.
I liked FFXIII for it's music, aesthetics and story. I didn't really judge it on it's gameplay, because it felt more like an interactive movie. And I think it did a fantastic job at that.
Star Ocean 4's battle system is so good! I played and finished this game twice! It's not spammy and it's strategic (for me) as well. Although some skills are spammed due to it's very high damage output. Meracle Chamlotte was my favorite to use just because of her Comet Impact ability.
I knew that the Tales series would end up here, but I hadn't expected Graces F to rep. Looking back, I have to agree. The battle system might actually be the best one I personally have ever played.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope had a good real time battle system which makes sense since most of the developers for the entire Star Ocean series worked on the classic Tales of Phantasia.
good list, grandia's would be my favorite though, took actual strategy when most jrpgs are either mindless button mashing or turn-based snore-fests (at their worst)
I liked the combat of TWEWY simply because it can use literally EVERY function of the Nintendo DS. I'm surprised it was a passing mention but still a good vid.
white knight chronicles battle system is broken and unbalanced, and is a huge reason the game isn't highly regarded. an enemy that's far away can hit you with a melee attack, and that alone ruins it.
That annoyed me a bit too, but white knight isnt a game set around avoiding and evading attacks, its about how you manage all of the stats and character growth, using attack chips to your advantage etc. It would have been far too easy if a dodge mechanic was implemented Its similar to how ff12 is i suppose, though at least in white knight the blocking is manual 'Broken and unbalanced' is just a statement i cant agree with, but thats just me
I'm surprised Tri-Aci's "Radiata Stories" didn't make this list. It's link system turned a tried combat system into a unique tactical experience. Speaking of tactics, would a tactical game like Zone of Enders Fist of Mars make this list since combat happens outside of the tactics part?
Wow thats a great list. Glad to see Grandia III since I loved that game and it doesnt get much attention, probably my favorite battle system of all time turn based wise. Also shadow hearts was a great series as was star ocean
Grandia's is really good. Tales of games battle systems are always above the norm. Star Ocean 4's seems VERY good, and now I really wanna play it. I thought 3 battles seemed awesome also. Although the list really need more turn-based-ness. I mean, Final Fantasy X is one of the most fun battle systems I ever played. FFIX also is very nice.
This video was uploaded in 2014. There was no Trails of Cold Steel at the time, only Sen no Kiseki. Most westerners probably didn't even know it existed.
You forgot to mention when your attacks are absorbed or reflected in SMT4. You are really going to lose your turns there. Btw, I'm looking forward to FFXV's battle system. Looks really dope.
I'm sitting here watching waiting for Legend of Dragoon to show up, and by the time I got to #1 I'm like "this better be it." Then it showed Star Ocean and I'm like ok, I can give them that, the combos you could do in that game were incredible.
Resonance of fate had the most original battle system i've ever seen. Mixing turn based with real time while running and using guns instead of swords was really awesome and hard to get in the first gameplay. I was only able to beat the entire game and the arena on the second time with a large amount of advantage against the enemies and bosses of the story. It should be on the list.
The only problem with Star Ocean: The Last Hope's battle system was the lack of being able to manually target enemies which annoyed me since you couldn't help your comrades if they were getting beaten up. I think Eternal Sonata should have been on this list as well as Legend of Legaia, both of which are unique with their battle systems, one being incredibly advanced for the time it came out. I'm so happy that Shadow Hearts made it onto this list as it doesn't get the recognition it deserves as one of the best RPG's out there.
Star Ocean is a very good choice for battle systems, but my favorite system is xenoblade. That mix of real time strategy with action based combat feels sooo good to someone who loves both RTS and JRPG.
Although it had its flaws, I absolutely love the Ar Tonelico 2 battle system. I've never seen anything quite as original as it. But it did definitely get too easy after a while if you trained your party right.
Glad Star Ocean:LH and Shadow Hearts Covenant (this amazing game is rarely recognised or acknowledged for anything) are on this list! Legends of Dragoon and Valkyrie Profile 2:Silmeria also had great combat systems. Quite enjoyed Breath of Fire 4's also. Tales games' combat looks good too, not played any yet (only just ordered Symphonia Chronicles and Xillia).
love how diveirtis from tales battle system held 3 and 1, since triace was once part of team wolf, the team that made the first tales of game that broke into the tales of studio of nomco, and Triace
i liked parasite eves battle system where you could dodge attacks at any time but had a time meter but at level 99 it doesn't matter because you'll have lightning fast turns where you're always attacking the enemy
The World Ends with You, both DS and tablet remake. Easily one of the weirdest and also funniest combat systems ever. Every move you make requires you to do specific movement on touch screen. For example, to fire bullet-type spell, tap anywhere you wanna hit, to do slash-type spell, quickly draw short line. To ignite ground, hold your finger and move it to anywhere you want. With system like that battles aren't simple cookie cutters like usually. Even if they were too easy, you could just turn up difficulty for increased rewards
TWEWY is so overlooked and underrated. It's one of the best games on DS for a reason. The fresh story, gameplay, great music is what got me stuck and playing on my tablet.
Tales of Xillia had a better system than Tales of Graces F in my opinion. Star Ocean 4 had an awesome battle system. I really enjoyed Final Fantasy 12s battle system and Final Fantasy 13 had a good one too that both changed the series dramatically. Ni No Kuni had a really fun battle system as well although not game changing. Valkyria Chronicles was amazing overall with story and battle system. Tales of Xillia, Star Ocean 4, Final Fantasy 12, Final Fantasy 13, Valkyria Chronicles, Ni No Kuni, Shadow Hearts 2 Persona 3/4 (Shin Megami Tensei 4 was great but Persona 3 and 4 were superior in my opinion), and I know these last 2 probably wouldn't count based on there system but Diablo and Elder Scrolls 3-5 are my top ten battle systems.
Michael Young actually, the system in tales of xillia is a bit annoying when you need to 'solo', if you already play Tales of Xillia 2, there's one battle that needs you to solo against 8 enemies lol
Firman Tri Wahyudi I understand where ur coming from with the solo battles. I thought the link systems was a really great and innovative way to change the battle system while sticking true to fans. I didn't find Xillia 2 changed the battle system as much as I found from Graces F to Xillia 1. I didn't include Xillia 2 only bc Xillia 1 did it first.
Great list. Mine would look like this: 1. Shadow Hearts 2: Covenant 2. Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2 3. Tales of Xillia 2 4. Star Ocean IV: The Last Hope International 5. Atelier Escha & Logy
The Judgment ring in Shadow Hearts: Covenant was one of the best battle systems across any rpg game that I ever played. Knowing that it was possible to land consistent critical hits made me want to "go big or go home" and take chances instead of always playing it safe
There are tons of rare JRPGs with unique battle systems. Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG had a very interesting battle system. Also, Robotrek for the SNES had a bit of a refreshing twist to the tried-and-true battle system.
Sadly, I'm not surprised The Last Remnant isn't in this. That game's gameplay had so much potential but the randomness made it weaker. It's still one of my most favorite JRPGs as a guilty pleasure.
So glad Star Ocean 4 got #1! That game is a guilty pleasure of mine. Despite its missteps (the largely horrendous English voice acting chief among them), I like it a lot. Never played the other games in this list though. Personally I would rate - in no particular order - Chrono Trigger, Persona 5, Star Ocean 4, Bravely Default and Xenoblade Chronicles as my favourite JRPG battle systems, off the top of my head. I really liked FFX's as well.
I feel like Etrian Odyssey 4 has one of the best and solid turn based combat mechanics in the genre. It's just very easy to use but difficult to master, menus are nice and everything is nicely designed. You don't need to pour endless hours into getting the hang of it but it still requires a lot of finesse if you want to play smart.
If you enjoy Etrian Odyssey, I wholeheartedly suggest Persona Q. It mixes the fusion system of Shin Megami Tensei with Etrian Odyssey's map making and battle system. The only issue being it is aimed towards Persona fans, so you're expected to know the characters, with them having only small introductions.
Honestly, the aesthetics and setting does not seem to be that appealing to me, even if it is a pretty superficial opinion to have and I have no interest in Persona whatsoever.
"Shadow Hearts: Covenant is the best JRPG that no one talks about"
This guy knows things.
Press Turn, while punishing when used against you, is one of my favorites. May be my favorite after Bravely Default's.
Final Fantasy X's turn-based battle system is still my favorite to date. No other has really kept my attention like that one did.
Say what you will about FFX-2, but you have to admit that the combat was really interesting and unique and downright fun at times.
Also, WHY THE HECK WAS TWEWY NOT ON THIS LIST???? The World Ends with You had THE most unique and fun combat in a video game ever. I ENJOYED grinding in it, and that's a miracle, because I typically despise chugging through random battles. It also perfectly utilized every single aspect of the DS, and made every battle dynamic and fun.
TWEWY has a one of a kind combat system. Only those who has played it, knows how awesome it is as compared to turn-based games.
Glad to see the Tales of series got some love.
My favorite rpg which is a really underrated one, and I understand why, is golden sun. I love it because it is waaaaay more complex than it seems. When one plays the game and sees the djiin system it is annoying and just wants to keep each djiin with its respective character. But what I and most people don't know is that if you make djiin and character combinations, you can get waaaay stronger characters with more variety on terms of djiin attacks and magic. Each djiin represents indirectly a style: mercury is more magic and healing based. Jupiter is power up magic, which greatly increases the amount of strategy. Mars increases attack a lot, which is perfect for a hyper offense character. And Venus is weird, I can't find a way to classify it but I think it is balanced. With that system, you can make any character, even the worst ones, a great ones. I'm in love with it for the complexity and strategy it needs, I hope you give it a try!
Golden Sun isn't underrated lol.
none talks about it on top rgp`s games, which for me is a let down for my favorite series
Diego Salazar I guess you as well as most of the gaming community does not understand what underrated means.
being top 5 systems of all the time, and not even considered on most people top 10 is underrated
I own and beat Golden Sun on my gb micro and it was great but, I prefer Mother, particularly Mother 3 because I enjoy the modern world and the rhythm based combat.
Nice to see Shadow Hearts Covenant getting some love here, and number one is spot on. I didn't think Til The End of Time's combat could be improved upon, but The Last Hope managed it.
It's too bad nearly everything about the plot and characters is shit, though..
Amazingly fun, otherwise.
SilentFantasy5 Yeah, the characters/plot were fucking awful. Goes to show what a good battle system can do for a game.
Are there any star ocean games with almost as good a battle system but that actually have good chars and story too/
@PunchFor Pound Till the end of time/ 3 is definitely better than Last hope on all ends except for combat out of their 3D games. I couldn't say much for the older games though, I haven't played but they also have a good reputation. The newest game, Integrity and Faithlessness has had poor reception so maybe pick it up once it's discounted enough. I hear good things about it's battle system though.
Star ocean 3 used to be hotly debated by the fans however because of the plot twist near the ending though.
I agree with Star Ocean and Tales series, but Legend of the Dragoon should be here imo.
Legend of Dragoon is a timing hit buttom event, some games as Earthbound and Mario&Luigi Superstar Saga made it already, dont know if they were created first, but oh well...
Ndoelicious Lagaia 2 had an interesting system as well....with the martial art combo system.
soundnfury actually was the first Legend of Legaia to introduce mainly the martial combo b.system because Legaia 2 had spell combo as well
Ndoelicious Yes, yes, YES. I really loved its battle system.
soundnfury i prefer legend of legaia , legaia 2 ..its ok
Guys please. Valkyrie Profile.
+Alexandre Rodrigues He mentioned valkyrie profile. One of the games by triAce.
ikr
Yes. Shin megami tensei iv getting some love.
I wish more games used an Action battle system like star ocean.
games like tales of " " has a very simillar battle system
ohkei Hmm I dont think is not that similar...
Tales of Berseria; tales of Xilia.
Tales of Vesperia, tales of Symphonia...
Why is The World Ends With You not here?
It's difficult, but definitely one of the best battle systems ever
Agreed. I'm still hoping that one day a spiritual successor to TWEWY will arrive on the 3DS.
Lindle Lee i found it interesting but awkward. not surprised ir didnt make the cut. i think they liked it too tho, as they showed clips in the intro
Finally,FINALLY someone talks,at least a little about Valkyrie Profile.
Such an underrated gem.
I was happy that Grandia and Tales made the list. Those games immediately came to mind.
I myself love the ffxii battle system
Dakota Evans a man of taste
GRANDIA YEEEEEEEE
Still the number one battle engine for me.
I dunno, I feel like Xenoblade Chronicles deserved a spot on this list.
Maybe in a top 15 to 10 list
Whoa!! wast not expecting that!! was caught completely off guard but I agree 100% Star Oceans Battle system is 2nd to non...what a game, What.............a...........game, though the only game I played on this list is Star Ocean & for what ever reason I was expecting one of the Final Fantasy games to be on here
Agreed. I just wish the characters were as charming as the ones in Star Ocean: the second story/evolution.
Baten Kaitos would be somewhere on here for me. The fact that you have to battle with a deck of cards is what is really interesting about it.
yesss origins took something good and improved upon it
+HarpuiaReturns 666 yes best experience ever hands down i was so afraid i wasn't gonna enjoy it after one but i saw hiw much faster and betterit was once i learned the system
As soon as the video started I kept repeating Shadow Hearts and Shin Megami Tensei in the back of my mind. I'm so glad someone else recognizes greatness when they see it. Good for you GameTrailers for making one of the only Top 5 lists I can completely agree with.
Really happy to see you guys mention Valkyrie Profile, it's a damn good JRPG that no one seems to talk about. Also, that Star Ocean seems really nice, i might take a time to see it.
You do some of the best gaming Top 5's and shows, especially for JRPG fans!
Legend of Legaia had a unique and strange way to battle. Instead of attacking with basic slashes, clubing, ect., you use the D pad to choose what body part to attack with, your arms or your legs. You also don't ger magic by learning it you have to fight the enemy to abosrb it and it's magic into your magic power source. (Known as a Ra-seru in the game) It is very unique and allows for many other status effects such as rot, where you can't move either your arms, legs, 3 of the four, 2 of the four, or all of them. It really changes how things work. Plus your meter that allows you to attack more goes up with every level up because your character gets more flexible, allowing for more attacks. It is extremely different and unique.
Not only Xillia (2) completely annihilates all other Tales games, #1 should be Resonance of Fate. There is absolutely no contest.
+Dee Jaay to be fair in xillia 2 the ai can be rock stupid at some points especially if they are alone and you dont have them set with auto items. in graces the system(that i honestly cant remember the name of) that each character has can easily turn the tide of the strongest battles like cheria being able to stop time entirely for all enemies allowing her to heal or revive any dead members while in xillia mages just run in circles like idiots till they die. xillia 2 is probably my favorite story and has my favorite characters but honestly i find graces alot more fun to play. the combo system in that game is just so much fun and juggling bosses to death is hilarious.
Generally I agree on what you said, Xillia's AI has this slowness, doing anything only once every 5 seconds. But it doesn't turn down what you can do, you are so free with your chains it almost becomes a spectacle fighter.
Well, to each his own. Tales rules.
I find Resonance of Fate's gameplay pretty hard, so that I've never finished the game :-/
NoctLightCloud for me its moreso that you have to go out of your way to get the things that give extra turns. im at the point where im using zepher(cant remember the spelling exactly) alone for a boss fight because the story forced it on me. i see videos of people doing it no problem but they have like 5 more move things more than i do i cant go and get more.
+Dee Jaay I still like Graces f best. Still ranks as one of if not my favorite Tales because of the battle system. But X1 and X2 are good too, in different ways, but I prefer Graces overall.
Love the list! I know my opinions just one of many that will be drowned in the comments, but I feel that Radiant Historia may have deserved a place in the rankings as well.
The first Parasite Eve should be on this list.
Mayo Rice To be fair, PE1 was just a prototype for Vagrant Story's battle system. Regardless, I feel they should've been on one spot like how SMT3/4 sorta was
+Screwy No transition.
Shadow hearts covenant was an awesome game, even for someone like me who doesn't play many jrpgs. Nice list and a nice mix of systems you chose.
I love action and turn based, anything that isn't unnecessary complicated. FFXV battle system should be on here. It was bloody great.
The World Ends With You has to be on that list!
Agreed wholeheartedly.
I was hoping for Legend of Dragoon because of the Addition system, then you showed Shadow Hearts and that actually takes the idea I got from LoD and makes it so much better.
I'm glad you at least mentioned Resonance of Fate. That's my favorite combat system
The battle system of tales of graces was the only memorable thing about it.
I am surprised that you haven't even show or mentioned Bravely Default at all :(
It's good, but I wouldn't put it among the best. Then again, a few of these games I wouldn't either.
That's true but I am not saying that Bravely Default is the best because I know there are other good JRPG out there but here, they are counting the top 5 "Battle System" and Bravely Default has one of the best, strategic and unique battle system in the genre. I am just surprised that they haven't even show at least a short clip of it.
I wouldn't exactly call it truly unique, and there are much more strategic games even within this same list. I find the game way overrated myself, but as I said before, it is good. Just nothing much that blows my mind.
It honestly feels like a classic FF in many aspects with some tweaked mechanics. Considering FF is one of the fathers of the genre to begin with, I wouldn't say it's one of the most unique or best within it's genre, just one of the better games to come out of it in awhile.
You are right, the game is overrated but for me, I am having a lot of fun with the game because I honestly haven't played any of the classic JRPGS shown in this video. The only JRPG that I played was Final Fantasy III on the R4i in the DS, for some reason I stopped playing it. But for the first time, I own and play a JRPG like Bravely Default, and its fun. Not praising the game or anything I am just surprised that they did not show in the video at least a clip of the game knowing that the recent JRPG that came out is Bravely Default. That is all :) Lol
NatRock BSA
How can you honestly say, that Bravely Default has one of the best battle systems, when it is the only RPG you have actually really played!? That's totally stupid. It's like saying a specific movie is the best one in the world, when it is the only movie you have ever seen in your entire life. Tri- ace, Atlus,and tales games have far better battle systems than almost every standard RPG from Square, with the exception of Lightning Returns, maybe. However, tri- ace helped with the development of that title, so it's also partially thanks to them that it's good.
Resonance deserves an honourable mention. Another underrated gem.
I konw a few people that says the same. They say that is a complex game that many people didn't understand.
Ultralquimista its not that complex imho. it just takes like 2 hours until you understand this game. It took me until the first boss until I realized how this game works and after that it was very interesting combat
This video hit almost every bit of my JRPG childhood love journey. I agree with almost everything here. I played all those games and I consider them the best JPRGs segments of my life as a gamer due to their incredibly well-put together battle systems.
The reason I said almost, is because I thought by following your implied criterias to determine the best JRPG battle systems, and since Shadow Hearts was number 2 on the list, naturally, the Legend of the Dragoon would be number 1 on this list. I don't really care about the numbering though, but this game most definitely has one of the best and most rewarding battle systems I had ever experienced in my 20+ years of playing JRPGs. LotD introduced QTE to RPGs, which was later on, adapted by Shadow of Hearts: Covenant. Surely the battle system is much simpler, back in 1999, however with the Dragoon mode and the human mode, the bosses and enemies later in the game "require" you to master the ability to time your presses to inflict as much damage as you can. Hence, bosses will have incredible amount of HP and will inflict enough damage that with a healer and going through 99x potions won't be enough if QTE mastery is not yet acquired.
Side story: This video made me so nostalgic, I love it! I remember couple of years ago when I was playing Tales of Graces F, after beating the game several times, I started to play it on the hardest mode. The most simple enemies were so incredibly hard to beat, and the chaos on the screen when 6-8 enemies doing all sorts of special attacks and very tactful combos that leaves you so intensely involved in every character all the time. Once you mess up pre-planning for a character to hold their own in battle and provide less contribution to your grand 4-sided flexible strategies, then it's all over, basically. I seriously enjoyed those times. I truly wish for more games like those, games that don't just throw you in hours of stupidly limited battle system that feels more like a chore than anything else.
This is one of the best lists because it makes me want to go out and play these games that I've never seen or heard of before. If this was a Top 10, Bravely Default and FFX shouldve made the list.
it's not often that someone makes a top whatever list and i didn't expect there answers AND end up agreeing with them. good list
This is the FIRST (!) top list I see which contains Shadow Hearts. It makes me happy because I love this underrated game so much
I want to mention 3 that I do like a lot, the 3 of them share in common on how you can abuse them if you know what you're doing.
Shin megami tensei press turn system
The system lets you to play well and to use every single exploit you can learn in your favor, because this can also go for the enemy and thus it creates a battle on how much you can abuse the weakness or the buffs/debuffs in order to win.
If you use the weakness or get a crit you'll get a flashy press turn which gives you an extra turn, but if you fuck up with null you lose 2 press turns or if it is absorbed or repeled you lose all of them.
Bravely default
The battle point system is a very interesting thing to be brought because it gives a risk reward system by either using brave and have more turns risking your next turns by having minus BP, or default and have an extra BP so that you can brave on the next turn and use 2 actions without having to wait a turn to use it again.
And with certain skills you can play with the BPs so that you can play with this system more, by their having less BP but doing more damage or having skills that let you get more BP.
Mario and luigi
The inputs can let you either evade the attacks or do more damage, and that's a great example on how to make a battle system more dynamic.
we will miss your videos like this GT .. long live GT!
what about bravely default the brave and default system was great
One of my personal favorite game with a unique battle system is Eternal Sonata. Damage based on how well you time your attacks and where you're placed. You can also block/parry enemies strikes it is even recommended to master it for certain battles. Also, the difficulty raises progressively through the game so no worries the game actually gives you time to master.
I kind of enjoyed Eternal Sonata's battle system as well!
I must question the decision to have this as a top 5 list. Baten kaitos, Chrono trigger and Paper mario (1000yd) all have intresting and greately engaging battle systems which fill up your criterias and that could easily make this list.
Oh and bonus points for mentioning Shadowhearts. The series is so good and hardly anyone seems to know of it.
Big ups for giving Shadow Hearts some love
Its hard to pick one Tales game as having one battle system better than all others, also I absolutely loved Xenoblade Chronicles battle system with its all its nuances including unusual things like being able to see into the future and warning other party members of an oncoming brutal attack.
Personally I would have placed Valkyrie Profile 2 up there instead of Star Ocean 4, but that may be partially because of my undying hatred of Tri-Ace Syndrome which somehow VP2 didn't suffer.
But I can't be mad, because SHADOW HEARTS COVENANT, WOOOOHOOOO. Such a perfect way to bring it up, "the best game nobody talks about." Makes me sad how few people got to play it, such a phenomenal game. Awesome combat, great and diverse characters, and a complete heartbreaker of an ending. Plus the music is pretty damn awesome.
You guys have some seriously great tastes in JRPG Battle Mechanics, I love this list. Except I felt there were other games that have a better BM than Shadow Hearts. Mind you I do like Shadow Hearts, but as for the list for me it would have to go from least to best Shadow Hearts, Legend of Dragoon, Baten Kaitos, Xenogears, Golden Sun, Megaman X Command Mission, Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel, Tales of Graces F, Star Ocean 4 and than undeniably in my opinion Grandia 3.
Nice to see Starocean take the top spot. great combat system.
this is a great list full of great games with great battle systems. and SO4.
I liked this list. And I like how you defined JRPGs.
If it was top 10, I would consider the following:
Jade Cocoon 2
Resonance of Fate
Eternal Sonata
Radiant Historia
FF13
I shuddered so hard to see Shadow Hearts: Covenant in this list.
If this video was more modern I'd say FF7 Remake's battle system should be on here. Had a ridiculous amount of fun with those fights
AMEN! Star Ocean The Second Story is my favorite game of all time, and The Last Hope only held up for me thanks to the Battle System. The absolute perfection of SO2 with it's Non Turn-Based battles, deep skill system and brilliant customization actually ruined me for years being the first RPG I ever played. As much as I loved the story of FF7, I lamented every battle knowing Real Time combat was not only possible on the console but done perfectly by the same company in a game no one ever talked about. Daps to you, GT for having the balls to put Star Ocean on the top of your list.
I liked FFXIII for it's music, aesthetics and story. I didn't really judge it on it's gameplay, because it felt more like an interactive movie. And I think it did a fantastic job at that.
Star Ocean 4's battle system is so good! I played and finished this game twice! It's not spammy and it's strategic (for me) as well. Although some skills are spammed due to it's very high damage output.
Meracle Chamlotte was my favorite to use just because of her Comet Impact ability.
I knew that the Tales series would end up here, but I hadn't expected Graces F to rep. Looking back, I have to agree. The battle system might actually be the best one I personally have ever played.
Star Ocean: The Last Hope had a good real time battle system which makes sense since most of the developers for the entire Star Ocean series worked on the classic Tales of Phantasia.
good list, grandia's would be my favorite though, took actual strategy when most jrpgs are either mindless button mashing or turn-based snore-fests (at their worst)
I liked the combat of TWEWY simply because it can use literally EVERY function of the Nintendo DS. I'm surprised it was a passing mention but still a good vid.
So glad shin megami tensei, tales of, and shadow hearts made the list, just a shame resonance of fate didnt, or white knight chronicles
white knight chronicles battle system is broken and unbalanced, and is a huge reason the game isn't highly regarded.
an enemy that's far away can hit you with a melee attack, and that alone ruins it.
That annoyed me a bit too, but white knight isnt a game set around avoiding and evading attacks, its about how you manage all of the stats and character growth, using attack chips to your advantage etc. It would have been far too easy if a dodge mechanic was implemented
Its similar to how ff12 is i suppose, though at least in white knight the blocking is manual
'Broken and unbalanced' is just a statement i cant agree with, but thats just me
I'm surprised Tri-Aci's "Radiata Stories" didn't make this list. It's link system turned a tried combat system into a unique tactical experience. Speaking of tactics, would a tactical game like Zone of Enders Fist of Mars make this list since combat happens outside of the tactics part?
Wow thats a great list. Glad to see Grandia III since I loved that game and it doesnt get much attention, probably my favorite battle system of all time turn based wise. Also shadow hearts was a great series as was star ocean
Grandia's is really good. Tales of games battle systems are always above the norm. Star Ocean 4's seems VERY good, and now I really wanna play it. I thought 3 battles seemed awesome also.
Although the list really need more turn-based-ness. I mean, Final Fantasy X is one of the most fun battle systems I ever played. FFIX also is very nice.
FFX battle system is my favorite out of the FF games and to me it is one of the best turn based systems.
Glad to see Tales of Grace f on here =) loved the combat so much! Tales of Abyss and Xillia also rate very highly for me.
I would have screamed for Kingdom Hearts, but then again, there was no transition from combat and environment.
WHERE IS TRAILS OF COLD STEEL?! DO GRANDMA FALCOM HAVE TO CHOKE A BITCH?!
This video was uploaded in 2014. There was no Trails of Cold Steel at the time, only Sen no Kiseki. Most westerners probably didn't even know it existed.
keioII Not even Trails in the Sky? Like, REALLY?!
idiot
You should've stopped at grandia 3 because that battle system is amazing! Here, I'm hoping to a new grandia game..
Yay! My beloved #Grandia made it to the list. This is a really wonderful list GT!
I thought star ocean 3 would be up here now I want play this star ocean.
You forgot to mention when your attacks are absorbed or reflected in SMT4. You are really going to lose your turns there.
Btw, I'm looking forward to FFXV's battle system. Looks really dope.
Honorable mention for Legend of Dragoon!
The World Ends with You is one of the best games I have played.
I'm sitting here watching waiting for Legend of Dragoon to show up, and by the time I got to #1 I'm like "this better be it." Then it showed Star Ocean and I'm like ok, I can give them that, the combos you could do in that game were incredible.
the bonus board in star ocean is everything
Resonance of fate had the most original battle system i've ever seen. Mixing turn based with real time while running and using guns instead of swords was really awesome and hard to get in the first gameplay. I was only able to beat the entire game and the arena on the second time with a large amount of advantage against the enemies and bosses of the story. It should be on the list.
it's not original - front mission is feeling here everywhere.
also balance is terrible. lvling farming crafting -- mixture is really not balanced. It is impossible to beat the game without stupid exp farm.
I heard that some guys from TriAce were actually guys who worked on the Tales games before.
Their battle systems feel very similar.
im so happy shadow hearts made this list :')
The only problem with Star Ocean: The Last Hope's battle system was the lack of being able to manually target enemies which annoyed me since you couldn't help your comrades if they were getting beaten up. I think Eternal Sonata should have been on this list as well as Legend of Legaia, both of which are unique with their battle systems, one being incredibly advanced for the time it came out. I'm so happy that Shadow Hearts made it onto this list as it doesn't get the recognition it deserves as one of the best RPG's out there.
Star Ocean is a very good choice for battle systems, but my favorite system is xenoblade. That mix of real time strategy with action based combat feels sooo good to someone who loves both RTS and JRPG.
Although it had its flaws, I absolutely love the Ar Tonelico 2 battle system. I've never seen anything quite as original as it. But it did definitely get too easy after a while if you trained your party right.
this list should be a top 10
Glad Star Ocean:LH and Shadow Hearts Covenant (this amazing game is rarely recognised or acknowledged for anything) are on this list! Legends of Dragoon and Valkyrie Profile 2:Silmeria also had great combat systems. Quite enjoyed Breath of Fire 4's also. Tales games' combat looks good too, not played any yet (only just ordered Symphonia Chronicles and Xillia).
I am pretty sure the only reason xenoblade chronicles wasn't mentioned if not the top was the "it must have a transition" rule
The Judgement Ring system (Shadow Hearts) would be my number 1 with Front Mission 5's and Panzer Dragoon Saga's battle system behind it.
love how diveirtis from tales battle system held 3 and 1, since triace was once part of team wolf, the team that made the first tales of game that broke into the tales of studio of nomco, and Triace
I'm glad Tales made the list, I always felt the real time combat was more enjoyable, especial on xillia and phantasia
A vampire who like wrestling why have I not played this game?
i liked parasite eves battle system where you could dodge attacks at any time but had a time meter but at level 99 it doesn't matter because you'll have lightning fast turns where you're always attacking the enemy
The World Ends with You, both DS and tablet remake. Easily one of the weirdest and also funniest combat systems ever. Every move you make requires you to do specific movement on touch screen. For example, to fire bullet-type spell, tap anywhere you wanna hit, to do slash-type spell, quickly draw short line. To ignite ground, hold your finger and move it to anywhere you want. With system like that battles aren't simple cookie cutters like usually. Even if they were too easy, you could just turn up difficulty for increased rewards
TWEWY is so overlooked and underrated. It's one of the best games on DS for a reason. The fresh story, gameplay, great music is what got me stuck and playing on my tablet.
Tales of Xillia had a better system than Tales of Graces F in my opinion. Star Ocean 4 had an awesome battle system. I really enjoyed Final Fantasy 12s battle system and Final Fantasy 13 had a good one too that both changed the series dramatically. Ni No Kuni had a really fun battle system as well although not game changing. Valkyria Chronicles was amazing overall with story and battle system. Tales of Xillia, Star Ocean 4, Final Fantasy 12, Final Fantasy 13, Valkyria Chronicles, Ni No Kuni, Shadow Hearts 2 Persona 3/4 (Shin Megami Tensei 4 was great but Persona 3 and 4 were superior in my opinion), and I know these last 2 probably wouldn't count based on there system but Diablo and Elder Scrolls 3-5 are my top ten battle systems.
Michael Young actually, the system in tales of xillia is a bit annoying when you need to 'solo', if you already play Tales of Xillia 2, there's one battle that needs you to solo against 8 enemies lol
Firman Tri Wahyudi I understand where ur coming from with the solo battles. I thought the link systems was a really great and innovative way to change the battle system while sticking true to fans. I didn't find Xillia 2 changed the battle system as much as I found from Graces F to Xillia 1. I didn't include Xillia 2 only bc Xillia 1 did it first.
+Michael Young I love the bosses in Ni No Kuni but I find the filler fights pretty boring and I normally like filler fights.
+Michael Young I love the bosses in Ni No Kuni but I find the filler fights pretty boring and I normally like filler fights.
Michael Young seriously, Elder Scrolls? They have shit combat lmao
Final fantasy xiii has one of the best battle systems in my opinion
Great list. Mine would look like this:
1. Shadow Hearts 2: Covenant
2. Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 2
3. Tales of Xillia 2
4. Star Ocean IV: The Last Hope International
5. Atelier Escha & Logy
The Judgment ring in Shadow Hearts: Covenant was one of the best battle systems across any rpg game that I ever played. Knowing that it was possible to land consistent critical hits made me want to "go big or go home" and take chances instead of always playing it safe
Star Ocean 4 would have been one of my favorite if they went with their anime style models instead of the creepy more relastic models
I quite liked the battle system in Crisis Core FF7, sort of a mashup of menu based and dynamic movement based.
There are tons of rare JRPGs with unique battle systems. Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG had a very interesting battle system. Also, Robotrek for the SNES had a bit of a refreshing twist to the tried-and-true battle system.
Loved Star Ocean 3's story & battle system. Star Ocean The Last Hope story was ok, but the combat was very good.
Sadly, I'm not surprised The Last Remnant isn't in this. That game's gameplay had so much potential but the randomness made it weaker. It's still one of my most favorite JRPGs as a guilty pleasure.
So glad Star Ocean 4 got #1! That game is a guilty pleasure of mine. Despite its missteps (the largely horrendous English voice acting chief among them), I like it a lot.
Never played the other games in this list though. Personally I would rate - in no particular order - Chrono Trigger, Persona 5, Star Ocean 4, Bravely Default and Xenoblade Chronicles as my favourite JRPG battle systems, off the top of my head. I really liked FFX's as well.
I feel like Etrian Odyssey 4 has one of the best and solid turn based combat mechanics in the genre. It's just very easy to use but difficult to master, menus are nice and everything is nicely designed. You don't need to pour endless hours into getting the hang of it but it still requires a lot of finesse if you want to play smart.
If you enjoy Etrian Odyssey, I wholeheartedly suggest Persona Q. It mixes the fusion system of Shin Megami Tensei with Etrian Odyssey's map making and battle system. The only issue being it is aimed towards Persona fans, so you're expected to know the characters, with them having only small introductions.
Honestly, the aesthetics and setting does not seem to be that appealing to me, even if it is a pretty superficial opinion to have and I have no interest in Persona whatsoever.