Ys X Nordics was also my GOTY this year as well! The existence of Proud Nordics unfortunately soured it a bit for me but that doesn't change the fact that the whole thing was an excellent release from top to bottom.
@ShadowXeldron I ended up returning it as I had not started the game yet. I'm not playing that game with companies. I'll pick it up when they eventually release it again
I honestly haven't gotten a chance to see what's coming up next year for RPGs, as I'm working through my current backlog. How will 2025 beat a year with FFVII: Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Unicorn Overload, and Ys X? I'm genuinely curious, because there were so many great games this year, I couldn't finish them all (or even start some of them)
Visions of Mana was one game I rushed to buy as soon as I got my PS5 this year. Like you said, it looks and feels so much like comfort food. I had played the demo on PC and loved it but denuvo was a dealbreaker for me, so I got it for console.
It's crazy that SMT V Vengeance didn't even make an appearance, to me it was one of, if not the best rpg this year. But I love seeing other people's opinions, and I do agree with some of the opinions in the video. Specially Unicorn Overlord, I absolutelly loved the game
YS X NORDICS was the most fun I've had this year as well, it was truly incredible from the beginning to the end I cannot believe it was so good. Going to play Proud Nordics when that comes over West also. Incredible list and can't wait to try other things on it also
It always makes me happy whenever one of these comes out and people talk about Granblue Relink, probably one of my favorite games of the year, and one of my favorite franchise in my entire life because of how many people it has let me meet over the years.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Abyss. Moreover, it makes me happy to hear someone discovering the game in 2024 and still having such a positive view of it, especially the story. That is still one of my favorite games and I hope it gets a remaster so that a new audience can discover it.
Thank you so much for all your recommendations! I've been a longtime lurker and recent subscriber of your videos. Looking forward to your videos in the new year-keep up the amazing work!
Love this list! Abyss was my first and is my favorite tales game! For me Metaphor was personally number 1 as I feel it had the most to lose and exceeded all expectations. While the persona skeleton is still there if it didn’t differentiate itself in the ways it did I don’t think it would have garnered as much love as it did. Hands down has the best villain we have seen in a JRPG in years. TRULY hoping it becomes its own series. All that aside, TKN your vids are always a major highlight for me when I open my UA-cam app for the day. Definitely gonna invest in the Patreon.
I think it's funny that you talked about preferring modern games (in your Chrono Trigger section), including reasons like excessive random encounters in old games. My first thought was "oh, well I guess DQ 3 HD-2D isn't going to be on the list!" only for it to be number 4 in the video 😅 The insane amount of random encounters,.constant grinding in slow battles (even when you jack up the speed to max), and lack of character animations in those battles (because that's how the OG was) really made the game drag for me. And I'm not alone, as the game sits at a "Mixed" rating on Steam a lot of the time, primarily for those exact reasons. If the game was $30, maybe it would've been more tolerable, but at $60 it doesn't feel anywhere near worth it to me.
Ys X was definitely my #1 this year as well. And gotta say thanks for the recommendation as I was looking for a cozy game to end the year with after the busy holiday season and loving Witch Spring R so far.
@@darknesswave100I gave up once I released I couldn’t do all the piano mini games with any kind of skill, not to mention the the boxing mini game. But I love queens blood lol. Best of luck, you got this!
@bonecloudgaming That boxing mini game was stressful as hell! Don’t get me started on the chocobo mini games too! Luckily there are guides here on UA-cam that help.
For me, not #1, but I think the most slept on RPG of this year is Mario and Luigi Brothership, mostly because of all the hype around DQ3HD which came out a week later so people didn't get to it. It takes a bit to get going, but the combat is fantastic in the game and I love the Plug system that they incorporate, was well as the difficulty spike near the end of the game that forces players to constantly switch plugs in and out, and the story eventually gets real good as well. Plus I love the puzzle system. It feels like a lot of people haven't had the time to play it yet, because it really hasn't been talked about/reviewed much in RPG circles even coming out a month ago.
Amazing List. My Own Top 15 of JRPG in 2024. 1. Ys X: Nordics 2. Metaphor: ReFantazio 3. Kai no Kiseki 4. Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution 5. Fairy Tail 2(Gust RPG) 6. The Legend of Heroes Trails through Daybreak 7. Persona 3 Reload 8. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance 9. Granblue Fantasy Relink 10. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth 11. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake 12. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 13. Unicorn Overlord 14. Romancing Saga 2 Remake 15. Vision of Mana Belated Merry Christmas and the Happy New Year see you in New JRPG in 2025.
Too many good jrpgs this year, but I gotta say, Relink was definitely my favourite. The spectacle, the nostalgia, the immersion, and that MUSIC is fantastic. Amazing game all around. Only thing I wasn't a fan of was the end game grind, but the Lucillius fight was worth it.
If anyone is thinking of buying Ys X... Keep in mind that an enhanced version called Ys X: Proud Nordics has already been announced in jp. We probably won't be getting it in English before 2026, but unless you are a diehard Falcom fan an plan on planning both versions, it might be worth waiting for the enhanced one.
Shame we didn't get Chrono Trigger back when it came out here in Europe, but those were some real dark ages for JRPGs here, at least up until FF 7's release. Except for Phantasy Star, we got very few games like that. Thankfully, things have changed a lot since the 90s in that regard.
@@TheKisekiNut Yes, you're right. I do believe that the PSP port was released here in the late 2000s at least, but that's still over half a decade after the original release. Again, this sadly proves the previous point. Thankfully more and more Japanese devs care about solid PC ports nowadays.
Great list! This year was the year I got into JRPGs and I found many of them thanks to your channel. My favourites were Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance, Nier Automata and Blue Reflection Second Light.
Loved this video. You shared with me and Witchspring R and Megaton Musashi W. I loved both games and got them on sale. I wouldn't have known about them. Thank you. I got Final Fantasy XVI at Steam Winter Sale and I'm playing it now. Loving every minute of it. I played Persona 3 Reload for 1st time as well. One of my favorites of the year. Metaphor ReFantasio is my game of the year. Atlus killed it with 4 great games. Unicorn, Persona 3, SMT Vengence, and Metaphor. I loved all 4 of them. I still need to play Ys X Nordics. Thanks for your channel.
Great list! I’m currently grinding away at Dragon Quest 3, but not because it’s a chore but rather because I can’t stop- it’s too much fun. The first time I had this type of experience was the first elder scrolls game I played: Oblivion. This is all the better because of details like the battle system, vocations, and the beautiful world of the game and the various ways to interact with it.
I'd be interested to hear about your take on Fantasian Neo Dimension as well as Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth. I just bought both yesterday after a long consideration. They both seem like great titles!
Personally speaking, I was going to double dip into Ys X: Nordics anyway, just to have a physical copy as I normally play Falcom on PC. With the switch's successor likely being the reason platforms have yet to be specified, I know I made the correct choice in holding off on getting that switch version. Not gonna lie, anyone who's miffed at the Proud Nordics reveal is completely justified, and I even agree. But all that said, I don't mind getting it again and replaying it with the additional content. I consider Ys X to be my third favourite game in the series (with Origin above it and IX taking the top spot), so I'll be looking forward to playing it on the switch's successor.
I just finished 8 Bit Adventures 2, it was one of the best games I've played in recent memory. It reminded me lot of Chrono Trigger. I can't recommend it enough
If you want a game from Level 5 then you should 100% play Rogue Galaxy. I have it on my ps5 (originally released for ps2) and the game is really fun. Can be a bit frustrating at times but I love that game so much
My order of all played RPGs (for the first time) in this year: 1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie 2. Unicorn Overlord 3. Ys X: Nordics 4. The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II 5. The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak 6. Tales of Arise 7. Ys SEVEN 8. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes 9. Eiyuden Chronicle: The Hundred Heroes 10. Ys: Memories of Celceta I think I haven't played more RPGs in this year. This also means "Unicorn Overlord" was my RPG and also game of 2024. As for releases 2024 was an amazing year regarding RPGs. So many games from this year I yet have to play like "Romancing Saga". And 2025 also will be stacked with tons of games by Nihon Falcom and also other jewels like new "Atelier" game and remaster of "Suikoden".
24:00 I won't pre-order any Falcom game after they've done this. I didn't even play Nordics but I preordered it because I wanted to support Falcom. They can go to hell now unless it will also be available as DLC which I doubt. They're pulling Atlus with fraction of their fanbase and it will only hurt them in the long term because people will stop preordering knowing there's another version behind the corner. I mean they announced it two months after western release. That's a spit in the face if I ever seen one. After P5 Royal was released I didn't buy SMTV out of fear they'd pull the same thing and they did. Now I'm waiting for ReMetaphor Refantazio announcement coming autumn 2025 with game releasing in Feb 2026 (just my estimates). They were justified with Persona 4 Golden on Vita but not with the other games. I don't think Falcom can afford the same strategy. I'd much rather they re-released/remade other old Ys games like Ark of Napistim and Ys Seven...
Falcom is going to have a great 2025. But I don't know if 2025 will top 2024, which i think made its case for one of the best years for JRPGs in quite some time.
Funny enough, the games I'm looking forward to the most in 2025 are... Sky FC remake, and all the JRPGs I missed in 2024, like Metaphor, FF VII Rebirth/XVI, and SMT Vengeance. It was a finantially tough year for me (everything is okay now tho, thank God) but boy, did we JRPG fans eat good this year
Thank you for your thoughts on the best games you played in 2024. A lot to be considered here for me (especially finally buying a PS5). All the best and a good "slide" into 2025 (as we say in Germany). 🙂
If you've ever got a hankering for how good Tales of combat can be, I highly recommend Graces f. A good thing then that's the first remaster they're doing. The story and characters can be up to taste, but to this day, I don't think a single other game in the series has combat that feels as good as Graces.
I love ToA and have replayed it multiple times. Just my personal opinion though, Graces' story and characters are so cringe and bad to the point that the combat couldn't carry it for me and it made me shy away from future Tales of games until Arise released. Each to his own I guess
Can you please explain to me why people like Tales Of combat so much? I tried Vesperia and brute forced it for 30 hours before giving up (it was the clunkiest game I ever played). I loved Berseria but all the older titles really scare me even though I wanna get into them one day.
As someone who loves a great, emotional story and intricate gameplay would you recommend Ys as a franchise? If so, which specific game? Nordics? I'd likely only be able to squeeze a single title into my backlog. Thanks again for your content, it's consistently excellent.
Hmm, Ys games aren't really known for 'deep' stories per se, but if you want emotional I'd say Ys VIII. I always recommend Ys VIII if someone hasn't played a game in the series before.
@@TheKisekiNutI second this. Y's 8 is peak for action RPG's, and the story doesn't let it down. There are a few slow spots, and in my opinion the ending is a little bit of a letdown, but overall it was my all-time second favorite RPG after FF Tactics. (And yeah, I know they're in separate categories.)
I've played so many great jrpg's this year, Visions of Mana is the only one I've not been able to finish. I just find myself wanting to play something else. I should force myself to get through the rest since I don't often drop games
Unicorn Overlord finally getting its due and from one of my favourite UA-camrs. This is my GOTY and one of my favourite games of all time - right up there with the game it was based on - Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen.
I also loved Ys X, Trails Through Daybreak and FFVII Rebirth and they were all *super close* to each other. Yet to play Metaphor but I'm also looking forward to that.
The only thing negative for me with Unicorn Overlord is there is no branching paths - in Ogre Battle (and Tactics Ogre) you can recruit different characters depending on your in game choices. The choices are more impactful in both story and gameplay. In Unicorn you basically are on a set path and you can choose to either recruit characters or not, with no real impact. Gameplay is still so good that I'll be coming back to it again and again.
Yep Nordic's was my favorite also haha, what I think is a problem with so many games nowadays and maybe its just that I am getting older. But I feel like so games are actively wasting my time with padding that is not very fun. Take Metaphor for example as my first atlus game on the persona side of things that I was able to finish due to a more interesting setting and story. I noticed these games are specifically designed to waste your time through the in game time system. I would spend 15-40 mins in a dungeon depending on the dungeon and then literally hour upon hour doing mostly jack with a few character story scenes mixed in. Without the time system in the game I guarantee the it would have been half the length and wouldn't have felt like it dragged on so much. Meanwhile, Nordics was just pure fun adrenaline pumping action the whole way through and nothing overstayed its welcome. Unlike so many other games I liked these last couple years, I never put Nordics down or got fatigued. Which for me says so much about how well made it was, even with its few flaws that they might just be fixing with the re-release! I won't be playing it unless they add it to the base game and even then I despise DLC not just because of extra money but if I beat a game I am done with that game for at least 10 years if not forever.
I know what you mean! Complexity can be a lot of fun, but man, sometimes I just need a simple, fun game. Ys consistently delivers that with killer music!
yeesh, am I the only one that really liked the story of Tales of Arise? I had no idea it wasn’t held in high regard. I’m currently finishing Daybreak and am about an estimated one-fifth through Ys X Nordics. P3 Reload, DQ III HD, Metaphor, Visions of Mana, and Granblue are all on my backlog list, but I have no idea what I’m going to play first after this until Daybreak 2 drops ._. great video, thanks for the list KN!
I'm looking forward for the Switch 2 for 2025. I'm excited to play all the JRPGs on it. Especially Trails in the Sky 1st. Also looking forward to see how well the Xenoblade games run on it.
I'm guessing Ys X Proud Nordics will be a launch titles for Switch 2, or at least close to launch. Seeing as Falcom is strengthening their partnership with Nintendo.
"there are so many new jrpgs this year!" me: "ok....anyway thanks for triggering my brain, time to replay chrono trigger again". Honestly wished i liked 16 more....at some point i realized my inputs didnt actually matter....specially during bossfights it was just one big cinematic, which was incredible but didn't justify to be a game, the combo's became super stale at the end and every new upgrade you got was just same attack with a different color....it was better then ff15 so there is that....and most of the story was told like a visual novel, exactly like ff14, which bored me to hell. sure there were 3d animated characters.....talking as slow as possible while saying absolutely nothing of interest....i really hope 17 does something new again :( Anyway....can't wait to play more Fantasian neo dimension! one of the top jrpgs this year
I think unicorn overlord will be a forever hidden gem. Because I don't think it has enough appeal for the masses to latch on but heaps of charm for those that look have the motivation to try it out.
regarding Visons of Mana, how does the Quality Mode on Ps runs? Cant decide between Steam and Ps5 Disc. Have an RTX 3080 but I would disc :( Also FF16 was my highlight this year on PC and last year as well on the Ps5 xD I really loved that I wasnt forced to equip and skill 8 party members.A bit more depth to combat would have awesome, but I really love this game.
I loved Ys X as well. If I had any complaint about it, it would be that it was very easy, even easier than Ys 9. I never really had to worry about dying. Heck, I hardly worried about taking DAMAGE. For people who like a challenge, I'd recommend turning the difficulty up. Also, as for the "enhanced version" coming out, is that not going to be accessible as a DLC download to the copy I already bought? If so, that seems fine, but people are making it sound like getting the enhanced version means buying a whole new copy. That obviously sucks.
there was no word of it being DLC (i really hope falcom does so) so people are kinda pissed because its been out in japan for a while and it just releasing in the west then getting that announced has people kinda pissed.
Everything I've read, including updates, suggests it's a new release. And that's probably because it has been out in Japan for longer. Doesn't translate well for us though for obvious reasons.
2024 seems like an incredible year for JRPG fans. I won't get to most of them for a year or two for budget reasons though. I recently picked up Final Fantasy 16 and played it throughout December. I remember reviews and opinions on this game being mixed...so while I went into it expecting a 7/10...I came out of it feeling like its the best Final Fantasy game I've ever played. I don't even care much for action combat JPRG's either and it overcame that hurdle. My game of the year for sure. Late 2025 I'm hoping to pick up Trails through Daybreak 1 & 2 and I kind of assume they'll be my top JRPG's of that year.
Great List. 2024 was an amazing year for JRPG Players. The one title I dont understand the love for is Grandblue Fantasy: Relink. I played through the campaign this month and found it very bland and generic. It felt like Fantasy Anime the Game.
Uhhm achtually Witch Spring R is a little bit above £30 not under 🤓 Jokes aside I spotted that one recently and added it to my wishlist to do a little research on later so seeing you recommending it here feels like quite the coincidence. I'll pick that one up, I love the style of it. I'll add Megaton to the wishlist too, I'll take all the mecha I can get after AC6 got me into it last year. Thanks for making me aware of it 😁
At least in rpg we can cook something, can't say I'm a fan of cozy games by design at all, but it if the game its good I can't ignore it for long, even if isn't meant for me
"No opportunity to switch characters" ... sorry, but how is that a negative for an RPG? RPG literally means *role*-playing game... how is it even remotely negative when you get to actually play a leading role, instead of being forced to switch between several characters who never truly carry the entire plot, dilute the experience... To me at least, getting to play as one well-developed, well-written character will always be the true RPG experience, rather than being forced to constantly switch between mediocre sets of characters which ruins immersion immensely.
i just finished FF16 not too long ago. I loved the game a lot. i enjoyed the DLC as well which i highly recommend . i am currently playing through Ys 10 which is slowly becoming my favorite Ys game. Persona 3 Reload was another favorite of mine as well.
Fantasy of mana might be good, but as with Dragon Quest an others, I just can't comprehend why this japanese studios make you have to beat the most adorable looking creatures as enemies. It's just bizarre. Just make them ugly and menacing, even a little, for Christ sake! 😑
12- For me i hate the protagonist. Even if the story make him evolve, it's to late. I hate Luke von fabre and every slap in his face with the truth is a Nelson "Ha ha".
Probably this is just me, but if I can complete game in anywhere under 60 hours I consider that game a bad one, unless it was on a sale or it cost significantly cheaper that the AAA price range. Still I especially hate when you can max out a game in some 20-30 hours. that's like 4 sessions at most. Not even worth a week. :/
This mindset is why so many games are bloated beyond believe these days. More content dos not equal better content. If a game is longer than 30 hours it better be a damned good game.
@@Satyr42 I can feel what he's saying though. I feel if I'm playing a JRPG and it's under 30 hours, it better be a damned good game. Also if I really love a game, I want to stay in it as long as possible. I don't really want to play a 40+ hour mario game, but if I'm playing an intense story filled JRPG, I want to be there for awhile like a good book.
I implore you to reconsider this mindset. A game's length is not its only value; you have to consider the gameplay design, the characters and stories, the music, themes, etc... every game is an artistic experience in its own way, not just a number of hours to get through. If you restrict what games you play based on this you're going to miss out on absolutely incredible experiences, stories etc you might love. If you're really concerned about time and value when you find that absolute banger of a 15 hour game you can always replay it 4 times. There's your 60 hours 😜
@@everythingmainecooncat4938Yeah I feel like you need both. As someone who has less and less time to play games as I get older I feel like it varies from game to game. Sometimes I want a super long rpg that I can play at the end of the day that makes me feel accomplished when I do finish it while other times I just want to finish a game and get it over with because of time. And while I lean more towards longer games we need both because it adds variety.
I think it highly depends on how your 60 hours was spent. If people finished in 20-30 because they just followed markers and were not incentivized to immerse themselves in the world or the game mechanics, then I think it's fair if you consider it a bad game. For myself, I prefer 20-30 for main story and 30+ for side content majorly because I take longer to finish a game as it is. I did finish Ys X in 75, but that's because I was doing all sorts of dumb things like trying to sail out of Obelia Gulf multiple times and fast travelling all over to follow all the NPC storylines. To me, a game making you want to do something like that is far more important than run time. IMO, longer run times in great games can be a detriment if you don't feel like immersing yourself in it.
People saying Metaphor is better then Persona 3, 4 and 5 is wild to me. If you have fun thats cool, nothing wrong with that. But Metaphor is a medicore game at best if we are talking JRPG's and especially Atlus games. If you ask me and this is of course just my opinion it does not deserve all the praise it gets, its a pretty bad Jrpg just in general. Is it pretty sure, it looks good, the combat is pretty fun too. But that honestly it. Nothing else about the game is good and i'd even say in some cases downright terrible.
My list: 1. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth 2. Final Fantasy VII original 3. Dark Souls (not jrpgs but I don't care, worth a mention is it's the first time I played it) 4. Persona 4 Golden 5. Final Fantasy VII Remake 6. Nier Automata 7. Ys Origins (still playing) Worst games I've played this year: 1. Valkyrie Elysium - felt like asset flip and I think it was, terrible everything from combat to story, animations, odd static graphics 2. Final Fantasy XVI - probably the worst FF I've ever played, incredible disappointment. I loved the adult writing but the boring gameplay loop and outright atrocious fetch quests made it incredible chore. Even half of main story quests are annoying fetch quests. Combat is annoyingly limited to two abilities at a time which is outright dumb as it would be easy to have shortcuts for four. The annoying running speed in towns was infuriating. Lack of sprint toggle even more. Game of Thrones like politics and dialogues were cringe as they didn't have the magnitude GoT had, I laughed everytime someone saluted or bent a knee.
theres so many better game out there....BD2?!?!? What about octopath traveller 2? what about Reynatis? or Soul Hackers 2? even Romancing Saga 2(?) remaster is better... or u can even go for the TRAILS SERIES GAME. LITERALLY BD2 is the worse game ever. ITs boring and very slow and so empty.
I dont begrudge anyone having any metric they choose. Its your list and your taste and its above reproach. I like your list a lot and there's not a bad game on the list and the video itself is well presented. But i challenge you with this statement: if your metric is "which did i have the most fun with?" Then baked into that is a concession. Games are not art. Theyre toys. In the same vein i would consider it poor critique to say the best novel ive read this year was the one that was the most fun. Or the same could be said for film. If the genre is more than meerly "toy" then surely "fun" shouldnt be paramount. Now again its your list and your evaluation you literally cant be wrong here. I do though find that observation particularly pressing as it comes up often.
You've seen the good, now check out the JRPGs that I wasn't impressed with in 2024!
ua-cam.com/video/Q8p6LUbFqO0/v-deo.html
Ys X Nordics was also my GOTY this year as well! The existence of Proud Nordics unfortunately soured it a bit for me but that doesn't change the fact that the whole thing was an excellent release from top to bottom.
@ShadowXeldron I ended up returning it as I had not started the game yet. I'm not playing that game with companies. I'll pick it up when they eventually release it again
We ate GOOD this year and 2025 is gonna be even better. Lord have mercy 🥹
I honestly haven't gotten a chance to see what's coming up next year for RPGs, as I'm working through my current backlog.
How will 2025 beat a year with FFVII: Rebirth, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Unicorn Overload, and Ys X? I'm genuinely curious, because there were so many great games this year, I couldn't finish them all (or even start some of them)
@@AntoinneWilliamsKN has an entire video about games coming out next year already. I'd recommend watching that.
The first part of 2025 is gonna be... interesting.
Visions of Mana was one game I rushed to buy as soon as I got my PS5 this year. Like you said, it looks and feels so much like comfort food. I had played the demo on PC and loved it but denuvo was a dealbreaker for me, so I got it for console.
Legit question. Most games drop Denuvo after a couple of years or it's a done deal forever?
@@RandomTube-is6gt It really varies by developer and game.
Visions was trash
It's crazy that SMT V Vengeance didn't even make an appearance, to me it was one of, if not the best rpg this year. But I love seeing other people's opinions, and I do agree with some of the opinions in the video. Specially Unicorn Overlord, I absolutelly loved the game
So happy Unicorn Overlord made the list. It's my GOTY. Vanillaware is one of my favorite devs.
YS X NORDICS was the most fun I've had this year as well, it was truly incredible from the beginning to the end I cannot believe it was so good. Going to play Proud Nordics when that comes over West also.
Incredible list and can't wait to try other things on it also
It always makes me happy whenever one of these comes out and people talk about Granblue Relink, probably one of my favorite games of the year, and one of my favorite franchise in my entire life because of how many people it has let me meet over the years.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is my game of the year. It’s fantastic! I’m playing Final Fantasy 16 right now and I’m loving it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed Abyss. Moreover, it makes me happy to hear someone discovering the game in 2024 and still having such a positive view of it, especially the story. That is still one of my favorite games and I hope it gets a remaster so that a new audience can discover it.
We live in a year where p3 reload didn't make it into the top 3. This was the jrpg year.
Thank you so much for all your recommendations! I've been a longtime lurker and recent subscriber of your videos. Looking forward to your videos in the new year-keep up the amazing work!
I’ve seen and have all from 1980-Now I have every console and tons of games love RPGs 2024 was another good year Unicorn Overlord was great
Love this list! Abyss was my first and is my favorite tales game!
For me Metaphor was personally number 1 as I feel it had the most to lose and exceeded all expectations. While the persona skeleton is still there if it didn’t differentiate itself in the ways it did I don’t think it would have garnered as much love as it did. Hands down has the best villain we have seen in a JRPG in years.
TRULY hoping it becomes its own series.
All that aside, TKN your vids are always a major highlight for me when I open my UA-cam app for the day. Definitely gonna invest in the Patreon.
If rumors are to be believed they're working on an Abyss remaster or something. Hope it's true cause it's definitely my favorite tales of game
Thank you for your support, bud! Here's to 2025 where we're gonna be adding more to the backlog!
I think it's funny that you talked about preferring modern games (in your Chrono Trigger section), including reasons like excessive random encounters in old games.
My first thought was "oh, well I guess DQ 3 HD-2D isn't going to be on the list!" only for it to be number 4 in the video 😅
The insane amount of random encounters,.constant grinding in slow battles (even when you jack up the speed to max), and lack of character animations in those battles (because that's how the OG was) really made the game drag for me.
And I'm not alone, as the game sits at a "Mixed" rating on Steam a lot of the time, primarily for those exact reasons. If the game was $30, maybe it would've been more tolerable, but at $60 it doesn't feel anywhere near worth it to me.
Ys X was definitely my #1 this year as well. And gotta say thanks for the recommendation as I was looking for a cozy game to end the year with after the busy holiday season and loving Witch Spring R so far.
Whatever you need to do to enjoy FF7 Rebirth and Infinite Wealth, I hope you can do it soon. Those were 2 BANGERS this year
I'm going for the platinum on Rebirth. Hope my sanity holds up 😂
@@darknesswave100I gave up once I released I couldn’t do all the piano mini games with any kind of skill, not to mention the the boxing mini game. But I love queens blood lol. Best of luck, you got this!
@bonecloudgaming
That boxing mini game was stressful as hell! Don’t get me started on the chocobo mini games too! Luckily there are guides here on UA-cam that help.
I'm waiting for the remaster of Tales of the Abyss so much.
Same. There's already the Graces F one coming in a few weeks that I'm getting day 1
It's got to be a planned remaster, no way are Bamco not aware it's an in demand game.
For me, not #1, but I think the most slept on RPG of this year is Mario and Luigi Brothership, mostly because of all the hype around DQ3HD which came out a week later so people didn't get to it. It takes a bit to get going, but the combat is fantastic in the game and I love the Plug system that they incorporate, was well as the difficulty spike near the end of the game that forces players to constantly switch plugs in and out, and the story eventually gets real good as well. Plus I love the puzzle system. It feels like a lot of people haven't had the time to play it yet, because it really hasn't been talked about/reviewed much in RPG circles even coming out a month ago.
I thought Brothership was fine, but I just got a bit tired of it by the end.
Ys 10 is goos game, but did it reach the greatness of Ys 8 ? Time will tell.
Unicorn Overlord by far for me. Incredible.
Hell yeah, Unicorn Overlord. Definitely my personal top game for the year, good to see it so high on the list.
Amazing List.
My Own Top 15 of JRPG in 2024.
1. Ys X: Nordics
2. Metaphor: ReFantazio
3. Kai no Kiseki
4. Neptunia Game Maker R:Evolution
5. Fairy Tail 2(Gust RPG)
6. The Legend of Heroes Trails through Daybreak
7. Persona 3 Reload
8. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
9. Granblue Fantasy Relink
10. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
11. Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
12. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
13. Unicorn Overlord
14. Romancing Saga 2 Remake
15. Vision of Mana
Belated Merry Christmas and the Happy New Year see you in New JRPG in 2025.
Dope picks. Really missed out on Romancing SaGa 2 ROTS though. What a game. What a game.
I think that's next for me.
Too many good jrpgs this year, but I gotta say, Relink was definitely my favourite. The spectacle, the nostalgia, the immersion, and that MUSIC is fantastic. Amazing game all around. Only thing I wasn't a fan of was the end game grind, but the Lucillius fight was worth it.
If anyone is thinking of buying Ys X... Keep in mind that an enhanced version called Ys X: Proud Nordics has already been announced in jp.
We probably won't be getting it in English before 2026, but unless you are a diehard Falcom fan an plan on planning both versions, it might be worth waiting for the enhanced one.
Shame we didn't get Chrono Trigger back when it came out here in Europe, but those were some real dark ages for JRPGs here, at least up until FF 7's release. Except for Phantasy Star, we got very few games like that. Thankfully, things have changed a lot since the 90s in that regard.
We got shafted in EU for JRPGs during the 90s. I think we missed out on Valkyrie Profile too?
@@TheKisekiNut Yes, you're right. I do believe that the PSP port was released here in the late 2000s at least, but that's still over half a decade after the original release. Again, this sadly proves the previous point. Thankfully more and more Japanese devs care about solid PC ports nowadays.
Great list! This year was the year I got into JRPGs and I found many of them thanks to your channel. My favourites were Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance, Nier Automata and Blue Reflection Second Light.
Loved this video. You shared with me and Witchspring R and Megaton Musashi W. I loved both games and got them on sale. I wouldn't have known about them. Thank you. I got Final Fantasy XVI at Steam Winter Sale and I'm playing it now. Loving every minute of it. I played Persona 3 Reload for 1st time as well. One of my favorites of the year. Metaphor ReFantasio is my game of the year. Atlus killed it with 4 great games. Unicorn, Persona 3, SMT Vengence, and Metaphor. I loved all 4 of them. I still need to play Ys X Nordics. Thanks for your channel.
Wait......you just finally played Trails of the Abyss this year?? Wow man that's crazy👀
This year is a banger for JRPGs!!!
Great list! I’m currently grinding away at Dragon Quest 3, but not because it’s a chore but rather because I can’t stop- it’s too much fun. The first time I had this type of experience was the first elder scrolls game I played: Oblivion. This is all the better because of details like the battle system, vocations, and the beautiful world of the game and the various ways to interact with it.
Dying on the hill Relink was GOTY.(especially if we got more content it was just waaay too polished)
Great List and Video. 2024 was a banger year. Persona3r, metaphor, Final Fantasy rebirth, yakuza IW etc….
I'd be interested to hear about your take on Fantasian Neo Dimension as well as Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth. I just bought both yesterday after a long consideration. They both seem like great titles!
Personally speaking, I was going to double dip into Ys X: Nordics anyway, just to have a physical copy as I normally play Falcom on PC. With the switch's successor likely being the reason platforms have yet to be specified, I know I made the correct choice in holding off on getting that switch version. Not gonna lie, anyone who's miffed at the Proud Nordics reveal is completely justified, and I even agree. But all that said, I don't mind getting it again and replaying it with the additional content. I consider Ys X to be my third favourite game in the series (with Origin above it and IX taking the top spot), so I'll be looking forward to playing it on the switch's successor.
How many of these games have the romance dialogue being censored/changed by the ''translation'' team?
I enjoyed Visions more, its easily one of the prettiest JRPGs in recent memory. We agree on #1 though, Ys X is just peak
100%, very pretty game.
I'm just annoyed at its reliance on duo mode...
I just finished 8 Bit Adventures 2, it was one of the best games I've played in recent memory. It reminded me lot of Chrono Trigger. I can't recommend it enough
I’m glad you loved Escha and Logy! Escha is my favorite from all the Atelier MCs. Plus I LOOOVEEE the intro song to the game.
@16:47 Huh? I played FES a few years back, and I don't know what that "ire" would be. I was amazed at how exact the remake follows the original.
If you want a game from Level 5 then you should 100% play Rogue Galaxy. I have it on my ps5 (originally released for ps2) and the game is really fun. Can be a bit frustrating at times but I love that game so much
Tales of the Abyss is the 2nd best JRPG ever made!!!! Such a beautiful game
I played baten kaitos origins and abyss in 2006. Glad you got a chance to experience them. Also, I really loved ff16.
My order of all played RPGs (for the first time) in this year:
1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie
2. Unicorn Overlord
3. Ys X: Nordics
4. The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II
5. The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak
6. Tales of Arise
7. Ys SEVEN
8. Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes
9. Eiyuden Chronicle: The Hundred Heroes
10. Ys: Memories of Celceta
I think I haven't played more RPGs in this year.
This also means "Unicorn Overlord" was my RPG and also game of 2024.
As for releases 2024 was an amazing year regarding RPGs. So many games from this year I yet have to play like "Romancing Saga".
And 2025 also will be stacked with tons of games by Nihon Falcom and also other jewels like new "Atelier" game and remaster of "Suikoden".
Ys X Proud Nordics hopefully gets released in 2025, maybe on Switch 2 as well.
24:00 I won't pre-order any Falcom game after they've done this. I didn't even play Nordics but I preordered it because I wanted to support Falcom. They can go to hell now unless it will also be available as DLC which I doubt. They're pulling Atlus with fraction of their fanbase and it will only hurt them in the long term because people will stop preordering knowing there's another version behind the corner. I mean they announced it two months after western release. That's a spit in the face if I ever seen one.
After P5 Royal was released I didn't buy SMTV out of fear they'd pull the same thing and they did. Now I'm waiting for ReMetaphor Refantazio announcement coming autumn 2025 with game releasing in Feb 2026 (just my estimates). They were justified with Persona 4 Golden on Vita but not with the other games.
I don't think Falcom can afford the same strategy. I'd much rather they re-released/remade other old Ys games like Ark of Napistim and Ys Seven...
Glad to see Unicorn Overlord, cheers!
I dont know if 2025 can top 2024...
Oh wait...Zemuria...ok, it will.
Falcom is going to have a great 2025. But I don't know if 2025 will top 2024, which i think made its case for one of the best years for JRPGs in quite some time.
Maybe someday ill see a legend of legaia remake.. one can dream
Funny enough, the games I'm looking forward to the most in 2025 are... Sky FC remake, and all the JRPGs I missed in 2024, like Metaphor, FF VII Rebirth/XVI, and SMT Vengeance. It was a finantially tough year for me (everything is okay now tho, thank God) but boy, did we JRPG fans eat good this year
I'm still playing games from 2020-2021 xD
However I did play the demo of Metaphor so it is a must buy for next year
My favorite this year was Beyond Galaxyland. It's a shame it didn't get much attention.
Thank you for your thoughts on the best games you played in 2024. A lot to be considered here for me (especially finally buying a PS5).
All the best and a good "slide" into 2025 (as we say in Germany). 🙂
If you've ever got a hankering for how good Tales of combat can be, I highly recommend Graces f. A good thing then that's the first remaster they're doing. The story and characters can be up to taste, but to this day, I don't think a single other game in the series has combat that feels as good as Graces.
I love ToA and have replayed it multiple times. Just my personal opinion though, Graces' story and characters are so cringe and bad to the point that the combat couldn't carry it for me and it made me shy away from future Tales of games until Arise released. Each to his own I guess
Can you please explain to me why people like Tales Of combat so much?
I tried Vesperia and brute forced it for 30 hours before giving up (it was the clunkiest game I ever played). I loved Berseria but all the older titles really scare me even though I wanna get into them one day.
As someone who loves a great, emotional story and intricate gameplay would you recommend Ys as a franchise? If so, which specific game? Nordics? I'd likely only be able to squeeze a single title into my backlog.
Thanks again for your content, it's consistently excellent.
Hmm, Ys games aren't really known for 'deep' stories per se, but if you want emotional I'd say Ys VIII. I always recommend Ys VIII if someone hasn't played a game in the series before.
@@TheKisekiNutI second this. Y's 8 is peak for action RPG's, and the story doesn't let it down.
There are a few slow spots, and in my opinion the ending is a little bit of a letdown, but overall it was my all-time second favorite RPG after FF Tactics. (And yeah, I know they're in separate categories.)
I really hope Unicorn Overlord will come to Steam.
I've played so many great jrpg's this year, Visions of Mana is the only one I've not been able to finish. I just find myself wanting to play something else. I should force myself to get through the rest since I don't often drop games
Then, i'm not the only one. This game was really boring.
Unicorn Overlord finally getting its due and from one of my favourite UA-camrs. This is my GOTY and one of my favourite games of all time - right up there with the game it was based on - Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen.
I also loved Ys X, Trails Through Daybreak and FFVII Rebirth and they were all *super close* to each other. Yet to play Metaphor but I'm also looking forward to that.
The only thing negative for me with Unicorn Overlord is there is no branching paths - in Ogre Battle (and Tactics Ogre) you can recruit different characters depending on your in game choices. The choices are more impactful in both story and gameplay. In Unicorn you basically are on a set path and you can choose to either recruit characters or not, with no real impact. Gameplay is still so good that I'll be coming back to it again and again.
Yep Nordic's was my favorite also haha, what I think is a problem with so many games nowadays and maybe its just that I am getting older. But I feel like so games are actively wasting my time with padding that is not very fun. Take Metaphor for example as my first atlus game on the persona side of things that I was able to finish due to a more interesting setting and story. I noticed these games are specifically designed to waste your time through the in game time system. I would spend 15-40 mins in a dungeon depending on the dungeon and then literally hour upon hour doing mostly jack with a few character story scenes mixed in. Without the time system in the game I guarantee the it would have been half the length and wouldn't have felt like it dragged on so much. Meanwhile, Nordics was just pure fun adrenaline pumping action the whole way through and nothing overstayed its welcome. Unlike so many other games I liked these last couple years, I never put Nordics down or got fatigued. Which for me says so much about how well made it was, even with its few flaws that they might just be fixing with the re-release! I won't be playing it unless they add it to the base game and even then I despise DLC not just because of extra money but if I beat a game I am done with that game for at least 10 years if not forever.
I know what you mean! Complexity can be a lot of fun, but man, sometimes I just need a simple, fun game. Ys consistently delivers that with killer music!
You have such a beautiful soul thank you for all your hard work and efforts my friend
yeesh, am I the only one that really liked the story of Tales of Arise? I had no idea it wasn’t held in high regard.
I’m currently finishing Daybreak and am about an estimated one-fifth through Ys X Nordics. P3 Reload, DQ III HD, Metaphor, Visions of Mana, and Granblue are all on my backlog list, but I have no idea what I’m going to play first after this until Daybreak 2 drops ._.
great video, thanks for the list KN!
I forgot about Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, also in my backlog. So many choices, such little time!
Arise has one of my top stories too.
I'm looking forward for the Switch 2 for 2025. I'm excited to play all the JRPGs on it. Especially Trails in the Sky 1st.
Also looking forward to see how well the Xenoblade games run on it.
I'm guessing Ys X Proud Nordics will be a launch titles for Switch 2, or at least close to launch. Seeing as Falcom is strengthening their partnership with Nintendo.
Shoutout smt5v and the saga 2 remake!
MEGATON MUSASHI MENTIONED!!
IT'S SO HARD TO PLAY ONLINE ON THE NEW MODE ADDED IN NOVEMBER 😭😭😭
Your list missed Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. Another classic jrpg in the series.
I mean, you literally had to watch 20 seconds of the video to see it wasn't going to be on here.
"there are so many new jrpgs this year!" me: "ok....anyway thanks for triggering my brain, time to replay chrono trigger again". Honestly wished i liked 16 more....at some point i realized my inputs didnt actually matter....specially during bossfights it was just one big cinematic, which was incredible but didn't justify to be a game, the combo's became super stale at the end and every new upgrade you got was just same attack with a different color....it was better then ff15 so there is that....and most of the story was told like a visual novel, exactly like ff14, which bored me to hell. sure there were 3d animated characters.....talking as slow as possible while saying absolutely nothing of interest....i really hope 17 does something new again :( Anyway....can't wait to play more Fantasian neo dimension! one of the top jrpgs this year
Falcom still rules on Action JRPGs hm?
YS8, YS9 and YS10 are three bangers.
I think unicorn overlord will be a forever hidden gem. Because I don't think it has enough appeal for the masses to latch on but heaps of charm for those that look have the motivation to try it out.
regarding Visons of Mana, how does the Quality Mode on Ps runs? Cant decide between Steam and Ps5 Disc. Have an RTX 3080 but I would disc :(
Also FF16 was my highlight this year on PC and last year as well on the Ps5 xD
I really loved that I wasnt forced to equip and skill 8 party members.A bit more depth to combat would have awesome, but I really love this game.
Solid list.
I loved Ys X as well. If I had any complaint about it, it would be that it was very easy, even easier than Ys 9. I never really had to worry about dying. Heck, I hardly worried about taking DAMAGE. For people who like a challenge, I'd recommend turning the difficulty up.
Also, as for the "enhanced version" coming out, is that not going to be accessible as a DLC download to the copy I already bought? If so, that seems fine, but people are making it sound like getting the enhanced version means buying a whole new copy. That obviously sucks.
there was no word of it being DLC (i really hope falcom does so) so people are kinda pissed because its been out in japan for a while and it just releasing in the west then getting that announced has people kinda pissed.
Everything I've read, including updates, suggests it's a new release. And that's probably because it has been out in Japan for longer. Doesn't translate well for us though for obvious reasons.
@@TheKisekiNut Well, dang.
i cant tell if his speaker is real or just photoshopped in there like a sticker lol
Metaphor was definitely my favorite game this year
No ff9?😢 I’m really surprised you seemed to really like it
It’s on of my favorite games ever
2024 seems like an incredible year for JRPG fans. I won't get to most of them for a year or two for budget reasons though.
I recently picked up Final Fantasy 16 and played it throughout December. I remember reviews and opinions on this game being mixed...so while I went into it expecting a 7/10...I came out of it feeling like its the best Final Fantasy game I've ever played. I don't even care much for action combat JPRG's either and it overcame that hurdle. My game of the year for sure.
Late 2025 I'm hoping to pick up Trails through Daybreak 1 & 2 and I kind of assume they'll be my top JRPG's of that year.
Great List. 2024 was an amazing year for JRPG Players. The one title I dont understand the love for is Grandblue Fantasy: Relink. I played through the campaign this month and found it very bland and generic. It felt like Fantasy Anime the Game.
Uhhm achtually Witch Spring R is a little bit above £30 not under 🤓
Jokes aside I spotted that one recently and added it to my wishlist to do a little research on later so seeing you recommending it here feels like quite the coincidence. I'll pick that one up, I love the style of it.
I'll add Megaton to the wishlist too, I'll take all the mecha I can get after AC6 got me into it last year. Thanks for making me aware of it 😁
At least in rpg we can cook something, can't say I'm a fan of cozy games by design at all, but it if the game its good I can't ignore it for long, even if isn't meant for me
After getting the platinum trophy for ys X this christmas im so not looking forward to get proud nordics if its all just the same gameplay again 😂
Didn’t you play FFIX? As well? That is by fat the best game out of those 15 with Chrono Trigger
Support !
Ready to sell a kidney for 2025. Need some extra cash
Dragon quest 3 is my favorite game 💪 of all time and game of the year 2024 and happy holidays 🎆🎇🎇
No Fantasian Neo Dimension?
Literally just finished it, so not in time for the list.
@TheKisekiNut I see. Hope you enjoyed it!
Wow, Like a Dragon, eiyuden, smt V, fantasian not even on the list
"No opportunity to switch characters" ... sorry, but how is that a negative for an RPG? RPG literally means *role*-playing game... how is it even remotely negative when you get to actually play a leading role, instead of being forced to switch between several characters who never truly carry the entire plot, dilute the experience...
To me at least, getting to play as one well-developed, well-written character will always be the true RPG experience, rather than being forced to constantly switch between mediocre sets of characters which ruins immersion immensely.
i just finished FF16 not too long ago. I loved the game a lot. i enjoyed the DLC as well which i highly recommend . i am currently playing through Ys 10 which is slowly becoming my favorite Ys game. Persona 3 Reload was another favorite of mine as well.
Fantasy of mana might be good, but as with Dragon Quest an others, I just can't comprehend why this japanese studios make you have to beat the most adorable looking creatures as enemies. It's just bizarre. Just make them ugly and menacing, even a little, for Christ sake! 😑
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for reminding me that Bravely Default 2 is a thing! This channel is very bad for my wallet.
12- For me i hate the protagonist. Even if the story make him evolve, it's to late. I hate Luke von fabre and every slap in his face with the truth is a Nelson "Ha ha".
Screw Netease :D
5 and 4 were horrible man T__T
Couldn’t disagree more with ff16, never been more bored by a lifeless generic rpg
Probably this is just me, but if I can complete game in anywhere under 60 hours I consider that game a bad one, unless it was on a sale or it cost significantly cheaper that the AAA price range.
Still I especially hate when you can max out a game in some 20-30 hours. that's like 4 sessions at most. Not even worth a week. :/
This mindset is why so many games are bloated beyond believe these days. More content dos not equal better content. If a game is longer than 30 hours it better be a damned good game.
@@Satyr42 I can feel what he's saying though. I feel if I'm playing a JRPG and it's under 30 hours, it better be a damned good game. Also if I really love a game, I want to stay in it as long as possible. I don't really want to play a 40+ hour mario game, but if I'm playing an intense story filled JRPG, I want to be there for awhile like a good book.
I implore you to reconsider this mindset. A game's length is not its only value; you have to consider the gameplay design, the characters and stories, the music, themes, etc... every game is an artistic experience in its own way, not just a number of hours to get through. If you restrict what games you play based on this you're going to miss out on absolutely incredible experiences, stories etc you might love.
If you're really concerned about time and value when you find that absolute banger of a 15 hour game you can always replay it 4 times. There's your 60 hours 😜
@@everythingmainecooncat4938Yeah I feel like you need both. As someone who has less and less time to play games as I get older I feel like it varies from game to game. Sometimes I want a super long rpg that I can play at the end of the day that makes me feel accomplished when I do finish it while other times I just want to finish a game and get it over with because of time. And while I lean more towards longer games we need both because it adds variety.
I think it highly depends on how your 60 hours was spent. If people finished in 20-30 because they just followed markers and were not incentivized to immerse themselves in the world or the game mechanics, then I think it's fair if you consider it a bad game.
For myself, I prefer 20-30 for main story and 30+ for side content majorly because I take longer to finish a game as it is. I did finish Ys X in 75, but that's because I was doing all sorts of dumb things like trying to sail out of Obelia Gulf multiple times and fast travelling all over to follow all the NPC storylines.
To me, a game making you want to do something like that is far more important than run time. IMO, longer run times in great games can be a detriment if you don't feel like immersing yourself in it.
People saying Metaphor is better then Persona 3, 4 and 5 is wild to me. If you have fun thats cool, nothing wrong with that. But Metaphor is a medicore game at best if we are talking JRPG's and especially Atlus games. If you ask me and this is of course just my opinion it does not deserve all the praise it gets, its a pretty bad Jrpg just in general. Is it pretty sure, it looks good, the combat is pretty fun too. But that honestly it. Nothing else about the game is good and i'd even say in some cases downright terrible.
My list:
1. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
2. Final Fantasy VII original
3. Dark Souls (not jrpgs but I don't care, worth a mention is it's the first time I played it)
4. Persona 4 Golden
5. Final Fantasy VII Remake
6. Nier Automata
7. Ys Origins (still playing)
Worst games I've played this year:
1. Valkyrie Elysium - felt like asset flip and I think it was, terrible everything from combat to story, animations, odd static graphics
2. Final Fantasy XVI - probably the worst FF I've ever played, incredible disappointment. I loved the adult writing but the boring gameplay loop and outright atrocious fetch quests made it incredible chore. Even half of main story quests are annoying fetch quests. Combat is annoyingly limited to two abilities at a time which is outright dumb as it would be easy to have shortcuts for four. The annoying running speed in towns was infuriating. Lack of sprint toggle even more. Game of Thrones like politics and dialogues were cringe as they didn't have the magnitude GoT had, I laughed everytime someone saluted or bent a knee.
Bravely Default 2? really?
really? that game? REALLY?!?!?
Even Bravely Second Feels better in a sense compare to Bravely Default 2.
theres so many better game out there....BD2?!?!?
What about octopath traveller 2?
what about Reynatis? or Soul Hackers 2?
even Romancing Saga 2(?) remaster is better...
or u can even go for the TRAILS SERIES GAME.
LITERALLY BD2 is the worse game ever. ITs boring and very slow and so empty.
and somehow u place it above GBF Relink & VISION OF MANA?!?!
LIKE SERIOUSLY ABOVE VISION OF MANA?!?!?
I dont begrudge anyone having any metric they choose. Its your list and your taste and its above reproach. I like your list a lot and there's not a bad game on the list and the video itself is well presented.
But i challenge you with this statement: if your metric is "which did i have the most fun with?" Then baked into that is a concession. Games are not art. Theyre toys. In the same vein i would consider it poor critique to say the best novel ive read this year was the one that was the most fun. Or the same could be said for film. If the genre is more than meerly "toy" then surely "fun" shouldnt be paramount.
Now again its your list and your evaluation you literally cant be wrong here. I do though find that observation particularly pressing as it comes up often.
It's not an alien thing to play games for fun, in fact it's the most basic thing a game should be doing.
bruh