Doing the post game in Octopath 2 and listening to this in the background. Loved hearing your thoughts on it too. The Octopath series is damn near my all time favorite JRPG series.
I shamefully started my Trails journey with Cold Steel and then played Zero/Azure when they got released in the west recently. So I'm finally playing through the Sky trilogy and after beating FC I regret not starting with them. FC was a masterpiece. Besides that I've been playing through the FF Pixel remasters.
What's their to be shameful about starting Trails with Cold Steel? Most fans I know, even the most well known in the community, started out with those games. The Sky Trilogy has the best characters, Crossbell duology a balance and the Cold Steel series the best gameplay.
Nothing shameful about it! I started with Cold Steel and ended up making this channel as a result so anyone who tells me you can't start there get's an instant 'objection' Phoenix Wright style from me.
OOH! COMRADE!! I also started from Cold Steel, I mean, it looks the most appealing to me cus I didn't know of this series before... I only know Ys from Falcom but I did not even play that X"D But I'm going the other way, I'm playing Sky trilogy first and am now saving to buy Zero and Azure and am excitedly waiting for Reverie!! XDXD
Radiant Historia has been on my to-do list for yeaaars, and after watching your videos I may pick it up soon. Refrain Chord went right off my list when I found out it doesn't have English voice acting.
Have you played Radiata Stories? It was never released in Europe but it was an amazing JRPG from the PS2 era. Still holds up with its wonderful characters and game mechanic.
I put 80 or so hours into SMT V before stopping, and the only thing that’s stopping me from picking it back up is the potential of a PS4/PS5 release. I wouldn’t mind starting over for some juicy 60 fps, and I’ll probably just do something different than a full physical build. I’m just hoping all the DLC comes packaged in a re-release.
Monochrome Mobius was notorious for having lots of technical issues when the game first came out last year, hence no Western console release till this autumn. Hopefully that launch has less issues.
Good to know octoath 2 is good, got it for cheap via gamestop and it'll definitely be a go to whenever I finish my backlog (never), thanks as usual man!
One JRPG I just played and had little to no expectations for that ended being very enjoyable was Star Ocean The Divine Force. Its not without flaws, but its a great step forward from V and had a decent story, enjoyable characters, really good music, and fun combat. Its not going to break any new ground, but its like a nod to the PS2 RPG days, which I mean as a compliment thinking of titles like Grandia 2 and SO3, but with modern conveniences. Its clearly a game that had a budget but they did well with what they had to work with imo. Raymond ended up being a solid protagonist too. Seems like the kind of guy I'd wanna have a beer with and then go kill some monsters. lol
For what little it's worth, not only does Fleur get new songs as she gets her own exclusive support Fairies, but Glace does too. I haven't finished the game so I haven't found out the reason why yet, but it's neat seeing how the songs mix and match the song and both singers depending on who starts singing first and what song they choose. The way each Muse sings differs accordingly, too.
I recently picked up Star Ocean: The Second Story R, and so far I love it. Also been dabbling with the Trails series with Azure and Zero. But I need to play the Sky Trilogy. Octopath 2 was just fantastic and I enjoyed my time with Fire Emblem Engage.
Hey Kiseki Nut, nice video as always, I'm gonna try Ar Tonelico soon, I think I'll love it as it looks like it has everything I look for in a JRPG. Did you try Stella Glow on the 3DS ? I found a undub version and I'm having quite a good time with it, you should try it :)
I too am playing through Ar Tonelico Melody of Elemia. Honestly I still prefer Ar Tonelico 2 it's story and characters are a bit better and it's combat is way faster and so much fun. And it has a way more fanservice which I really enjoyed.
The sequel is considered better in pretty much every respect, so I am looking forward to it. But since it's part of the retro series, it all depends on the patrons on whether I play it or not.
I'm glad Octopath 2 was a homerun. I never got around to Octopath 1 after all the shit flung at it in my JRPG communities. I have no idea how you get through this many JRPGs in such a short timeframe though lol. I was juggling Ys: The Oath in Felghana, Tales of Phantasia, Atelier Ryza 1, and Demons Roots, while dabbling in a few non-JRPGs, and they all incidentally ended up on-hold as I kinda got burnt out and moved on to binging some seasonal anime instead. With all that I've been playing, JRPGs ended up consuming almost all of my free time. I'd love to see your thoughts on Demons Roots, although I don't know if what is technically smut would ever feature on your channel.
do you do these "what i've been playing over the last few months" videos often? definitely a series i'll be following for my own knowledge on recent JRPGs i might've missed.
Hey Kiseki, I highly recommend playing Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 for the PS3 as the best possible way to get in that series. Then follow it up with Victory, Megadimension V2, and finally the original first game. I recommend the original last since it is very dated but since you've played the other games you'll appreciate what the first game was trying to accomplish. Also play the original V2 not V2R. It is very unfortunate that as the Neptunia series continues, it lost the original charm that it originally had by self referencing itself too much. I feel that all other games besides the 4 I mentioned are fanservice games. As in games meant solely for big fans of the Neptunia series. This includes the re-birth games.
I'm super-glad to hear that when a game doesn't "do it" for you, you're cool just walking away. That can be a pretty hard thing for us RPG gamers to do, but it's better than the alternative of letting a title that isn't grabbing us to burn us out....and then we don't feel like playing the good games!!
Tried that with Agarest back when I had the habit of never abandoning a game and it almost made me drop RPGs all together. People wonder why I hold such contempt for it, that's one of many reasons.
I always "accidentally" drop a game by getting distracted with something else when I'm trying so hard to push my way through something I'm no longer enjoying. Had that with Tales of Phantasia recently. I was really enjoying it for a while, then it just got so bloody slow and repetitive. Now I'm so close to the end I feel I owe it to myself to push through the last few hours to see if the conclusion is decent at least.
Agreed! That's something I had to do myself recently. I was trying to get into a bit of an older action RPG because it was the start of a series I absolutely love now, but I just couldn't get into it for the life of me. It had a solid start and the gameplay was alright, but the more I played, the less I enjoyed it. Finally, I realized that my desire to beat it was more of a chore than something I actively wanted to do, so despite my desire to beat it, I dropped the game. There's not much of a point in playing a game when you're no longer having fun with it, after all.
We really need that western re-release of ar no surge that was remastered last year! I have it on ps3 but also used to own the Plus version on Vita which was the better one. The three Ar Tenelico games would make a great little remaster trilogy too. I mean the last one is already HD certainly could drop straight into Switch’s stellar line up of olde RPGs
I also bought a Neptunia (Hyperdimension, PS3) years ago, but also didn't click with me. Also bought many other PS3 JRPs, just because I could... Lately been playing Steamworld Heist, which is super fun, also cheap in eShop in Europe while writing this (only € 2,99)
Thank you for the video! I always enjoy your critiques since my time is also limited, but I love JRPG, so screening is important. One suggestion though, could you mention right from the start on what console you played each game? I play only on PC and mostly with Steam. While most of the games are available on Steam, sometime other platforms (like Epic) have time exclusivity. It would help to know if the games you mention are available on PC, or only on Switch or PlayStation.
Radiant Historia is DS/3DS, Ar Tonelico is PS2, and SMT V and Xenoblade 3 are Switch-only. Everything else can be played on PC, though Fairy Fencer F hasn't released on PC yet.
Hmm, apologies for the overly long comment, I just finished "Refrain Chord" recently and I need some sort of avenue to spew out loose thoughts and observations. Overall, eh, I'm half and half with "Refrain Chord" myself. I'm not much of a fan of "Fairy Fencer F" though I am interested in seeing where it's going. But this entry is just...strange. The best way I can put this is that it feels like an odd in-between/semi-filler to me. In some ways, I understand why it is structured the way it is. "Advent Dark Force", while a remaster of the original, doesn't have a canonical true ending since all three routes branch out in ways where none of them are perfect. Every route has a couple characters dying for instance. But at the same time, new story elements were introduced that hint at the direction of the overall story. "Refrain Chord" is basically serving to become that perfect route where everyone possible survives while keeping those new story elements. But the way this is structured is weird since it begins with skipping the opening acts and ends before even directly addressing the new conflict that is faced in "Advent Dark Force", or even most of the original conflicts for that matter like the Vile God. So it kind of creates a situation where the game is a reboot but also a side-story where technically nothing progresses. As for the gameplay, I'm mixed. This is the second SRPG Sting made under CH I believe, the first being "Hyperdevotion Noire" on PSVita in 2014, and this somehow felt like a downgrade in many aspects. Battle animations were weirdly disappointing since they literally just took basic attacks from "FFF" and turned them into different skills. Despite the fact there were actual skills they could have used but left out entirely. The big Fairize specials were 1-to-1 recreated but that's it. There also were no stage gimmicks, besides sandy areas decreasing movement, or puzzles to my surprise. Adjustable platforms are in though, but you can't manipulate them besides creating or destroying them. So in that way, I did find it unfortunately disappointing. Even funnier since Tiara was a DLC character in "Hyperdevotion Noire" so seeing the contrast is bewildering. That said, I don't quite agree with you in some regards. Like the lengths of battles I thought were pretty short, at least compared to most SRPGs I've played. I want to say most lasted about 5 minutes, maybe 10 on the longer end. Though I do think there could have been better skipping options than just a mild animation speed up. Enemy HP wasn't an issue since I was regularly 1-2 shotting most enemies, 2-3 for the beefier ones, on Normal after a couple hours. So I don't know what's up with that discrepancy between you and me there. Though you also mentioned you played 8 hours but only had one of Fleur's songs? By that playtime, I had three. And I'm usually pretty slow. One of the very first side-quests, 3-4 hours in, gives you a Fleur exclusive sub-Fairy with a new song as a reward. I guess I must have just been more thorough. I don't know.
I don't remember what I played, it's more than 10, not all RPGs. The only ones I remember are somehow games who are at the same time old and new, which is a little funny. Majora's Mask for 3DS, Chrono Trigger DS, Like a Dragon: Ishin, Trails from Zero, Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
If you're after a Neptunia game with some decent action gameplay: Ninja Wars, tbh. Aside from that and Top Nep (very cosy rail shooter) I've never really been able to get into any of the series either tbf.
I definitely get what you mean about Neptunia. A while back I tried out the first game to see if I'd like the series and it just did not grab me at all. I usually don't mind games where the fighting can get somewhat repetitive as long as it's fun and it just wasn't one of those. Feels like a bit of a shame since I know there's such a broad story within the series, but... Yeah. Thanks for the video! Always glad to see something new from you.
The only actually decent Neptunia game I've played was Megadimension Neptunia VII. It's not like it was amazing, but the world was pretty good, it actually had stakes and the gameplay wasn't annoying, only somewhat repetitive which I don't always mind. I played the first 3 games, or rather, their remakes, they were OK, but not super impressive. Megadimension however is the best one by far. I won't say I outright recommend it, but if you want to give it another chance, go for it. I don't think the series as a whole is for you however.
Finish Utawarerumono Prelude of the Fallen just yesterday, I enjoyed, it had a few rushed arcs here and there, but is a solid experience, while not right away I'll definitely play the rest of the series, maybe after Trails into Reverie
Same for me. Just recently finished prelude but don’t want to interrupt the rest of series with Reverie which takes priority. But looking forward to it!
@@TheKisekiNut I guess I'm just coming back to say that I just finish all games, the second one start off more interesting but was very slow in the first half, but after that was pretty great, Mask of Truth in specific was great all around from pacing, characters development and even the battle system, played every game on hard and this was the only one that really nailed balance, really need to think how to approach some scenarios. Mighty have been the best game I played all year and I played quite a few of good ones so far. The closest thing I can think that remind me of this series is Moribito, granted they are not games (is a book series, the first book has a nice anime adaptation by the Ghost in the Shell studio though) but they felt very similar in some ways like setting
The thing with SMT series' story is that you need to be active in discovering what's happening in the world, instead of expecting everything on a golden plate. I played the game with me curious what is happening, and I must say the characters along with the story are compelling. It has become the best SMT game I've ever played. In regards to your setting comparison of 5 to 3, let's just say it has to do with how the MC came to be. Hope you will have a good time playing it.
Indeed, SMT can care less you know the history or not, everything is around you need to b the one interested in connecting the dots. Is a nice way to unfold the tragedy of the world, also they are not the high school setting of Persona... with IN YOUR FACE plot twists and teen drama...
My friend did a stream of Octopath 2 a few weeks ago. So who was you favorite character and why was it Temenos? I love Temenos. I only saw his first chapter, but his voice is great and he is the driest person ever and just can't be bothered. He is so great! I am still sitting on the Xeno 3 sidequest train even after finishing it. I want to see all the hero quests at least. Then I will play Future redeemed and maybe someday I will finally finish Legends Arceus. I at least got over the Lectrobal fight. By mashing Y and praying I don't die. I finished the first half of the cold steel games and chapter 3 of Harvestella. I should really play Harvestella a bit more. It is a very fun game. There are a bunch of kids in each town and they keep deciding I'm their new best homie and now part of the club. I just don't currently feel like playing an action RPG. Apollo Justice has taken over my life now. I regret nothing. I have never played Neptunia. Never saw the appeal of it. I hope you and I both keep having fun mate.
Currently I want to start collecting games from the Tales of series, the only game I played from this series was The abyss which had one of the best plot twists I've ever seen in a game, but I never gave priority to the franchise. And of course the new Honkai Star rail o famous gacha that alienates many people thanks to the aggressive farming and limited by its daily energy but the experience with the story, the soundtrack, the visuals, the beautiful turn-based combat and the phenomenal character design of Hoyoverse with its incredible characters is something irresistible to put aside, a game that just like Genshin Impact you don't need to rely on gacha or have a specific character or have an aggressive farm just to enjoy the game's plot. It's seriously a better experience than non-free RPGs I've had in years
Hey, talking about the Xenoblade DLC, should I play it if I only have played Xenoblade 3? I have understood that its more focused on the past games, to clarify, I have already bought the season pass but will I enjoy all the same ?
Hey TKN, one request I like to ask for videos like this... Can you let us know what platforms the games are available on? Even just text descriptors with the name is fine. A few times I've gotten excited about a game you liked, and then I get disappointed it's on something I don't have.
Nice list of games! I think I've never played an Idea Factory game before. They seem like interesting games, but there are other games that I want to play first. I am glad to hear that Octopath 2 improved in many aspects. While I enjoyed the combat and music of the first game, the story felt too disconnected in my opinion. I also did not enjoy that the "true ending" was hidden behind a boss rush. I think I will give Octopath 2 a try after I'm done with Reverie, Master Detective Archives, and FF XVI.
I think I just need to accept that Idea Factory games aren't for me, I haven't played one that stands out to me as spectacular. I intend to give Mary Skelter a go, as that's generally considered to be one of their best works. If that doesn't hook me, then the writing is on the wall.
@@TheKisekiNut yeah Pretty much the two best Idea Factory IPs are the (mainline) neptunia games, and mary skelter. If you cant do mary skelter then its definitely a wash
Octopath Traveler II is leading the charge for my GotY this year. Unfortunately the only thing Trails To Azure has over it is even more masterfully weaving the characters and the plot together. Everything else is simply inferior by virtue of being a port of a PSP game. Graphics, music (yes even music), combat, overall gameplay, all that.
Neptunia kinda fell off after Victory II if I’m being honest. I’ve played a few of the games that came after it but they just didn’t click with me. Just by watching the gameplay of Sisters vs Sisters, it looks shallow and unlike the charming fourth wall breaking shenanigans of the first few games. It’s a bad first impression, but the Rebirth games and Victory II are fantastic games. Also Noire is best goddess don’t @ me.
Nice list. I haven't been playing too many JRPGs this year, but I did play Future Redeemed and had a blast. I love how the Affinity System makes everything on the map meaningful. One thing I will suggest as a game, and this is gonna sound weird...is Honkai Star Rail. Ive been having loads of fun in that game and its really been scratching that turn based itch for me. Yes, its a gacha, but you dont have to spend a dime to enjoy the story and the...quite frankly, amazing lore and story that game has.
1) Mobieus is in my wishlist 2) I really enjoyed my Sisters vs SIsters till the it's final credits and true ending. And yeah, it's not the game for newcomers for sure. It have a lot ties to previous titles and you have to know who is who to get most of it. [!] I believe you should try at least Re;Birth 1-3 to understand what's good in the series and what can click with you. It would be a good start. 3) Octopath Traveller is total miss for me. I don't enjoy this kind of slow combat gameplay in TBS. I prefer something closer to The Legend of Heroes \ Atelier in terms of pace. Also, I don't like this kind of merge of 3D backgrounds and low-detailed pixel characters. I'd prefer it to be consistent 2D, or, at least have more detailed sprites of the characters. Also I prefer a linear progression without this "go whatever you want to go" thing. Point me where to go, I don't want to wander aimlessly. That's the reason why I don't like Zelda games. 4) SMT5 is no for relaxed play, but I had my good time with its first 10 hours. 7) XC3:FR is truly fantastic. I love it and whole series. 8) Just got my copy of Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord. I'm deeply impressed with idea of different songs and their clash on the battlefield. The story begins with the same level of humor and cozy idiocy, so I hope it will be at least good and fun.
Yh idk if he'd like Rebirth series, cuz they are quite literally reusing same assets througout all games. Story is decent though, got to stick around to the end, even tho I was considering dropping it cuz characters were anime levels of cringe
Even as a Neptunia fan I found Sisters to be a disappointment. Was excited because it is the first actual Neptunia game in years (recent releases have been collabs or advertisements) but it was just so poorly done. But otherwise been a good year so far personally. Revisiting Crossbell, caught up on old Ys titles except 7, Ryza 3 was best of the trilogy in my opinion, loved Prelude to the Fallen and would be diving deep into the series if Reverie weren’t around the corner. Currently playing Moonlight Witch and got an early copy of Loop 8 due to an error on Target’s part but very early impressions (maybe 1st hour) weren’t very positive so it may stay in the backlog for a while until I can give it a fair chance to see if it grows on me.
For Neptunia, it references the previous games so much so that them calling it a “spin off” was basically a lie. I’m a a huge Neptunia fan and loved it and got the platinum. The disc development isn’t actually as randomized as they make it seem and it’s fairly easy to become completely overpowered early on.
I haven't heard of a single reviewer that liked Netpunia Sisters vs Sisters. I would recommend starting with Rebirth 1 (though there may be even newer remake of first game out if memory serves me right and in that case go for that). But starting with a spin off isn't the best idea for almost any franchise.
I see... Neptunia, Fairy Fencer and Agarest.... Kiseki Nut bro, you have a seriously problem with IdeaFactory HAHAHHAH. About Neptunia in specific, try the "core" games, the spin-off games, sometimes can be pretty bad, with you try that and no "click" i recomend to abandon in this point, OH AND NEVER TRY THE NEPTUNIA HACK'N SLASH GAME, THAT SHIT IS A PILE of TRASH XD.
I used to like the Neptuniua series a lot for its goofiness and wierd characters, enemies, and all the memes, tropes and gaming references. Unfortunately, every, literally every, game in the series was worse than its predecessor. This series realy went down hill. Especially once they made their first action combat game, before it was all turnbased. Now they failed the action combat miserably again with the last entry in the series. And while the earlier games didnt have strong stories as well, at least they had good combat and the comedy was new and refreshing. But now the jokes reapeat themselves, and the story bacame even worse.
welp, I'm always interested in a new channel devoted to games like this, but after hearing the insult to Octopath I, I know I don't need to waste my time on it.
I've never understood the Neptunia franchise. I tried playing Hyperdimension Neptunia twice and I just couldn't get into it at all, the story is bland, there's no depth to the characters and the dialogues is so anime and predictable. And yet, there are 30 different games out there and I wonder; who the hell buying them? I can see this work in Japan but I've never met anyone who likes Neptunia. Maybe it's for people who play them to pass time without putting much thought, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
You didn't play first game on PS3 did you? I tried that and it was so god-awful I couldn't get halfway through it. Played the remake Re;birth1, though, and it was way better and funnier.
I love Neptunia franchise but tbh they've done nothing but pure concentrated dog shit since after VII, graphics were peak in Vtuber spin off but the gameplay was horrible, in sister vs sisters, both graphics and gameplay are awful, the next one is probably gonna be just as bad, they should have sticked to turn based and focus on making new interesting gameplay dynamics and add them to what worked well instead of going for a real time combat mechanic that is inferior to even a Tales of from 10 years ago.
I've been playing Octopath Traveler 2 recently myself, a great turn based RPG worth anyone's time imo!
i own it just thought you should know
Doing the post game in Octopath 2 and listening to this in the background. Loved hearing your thoughts on it too. The Octopath series is damn near my all time favorite JRPG series.
I shamefully started my Trails journey with Cold Steel and then played Zero/Azure when they got released in the west recently. So I'm finally playing through the Sky trilogy and after beating FC I regret not starting with them. FC was a masterpiece. Besides that I've been playing through the FF Pixel remasters.
What's their to be shameful about starting Trails with Cold Steel? Most fans I know, even the most well known in the community, started out with those games. The Sky Trilogy has the best characters, Crossbell duology a balance and the Cold Steel series the best gameplay.
Nothing shameful about it! I started with Cold Steel and ended up making this channel as a result so anyone who tells me you can't start there get's an instant 'objection' Phoenix Wright style from me.
OOH! COMRADE!! I also started from Cold Steel, I mean, it looks the most appealing to me cus I didn't know of this series before... I only know Ys from Falcom but I did not even play that X"D
But I'm going the other way, I'm playing Sky trilogy first and am now saving to buy Zero and Azure and am excitedly waiting for Reverie!! XDXD
@@mariachristi207 i started by CS1 too but as nice it is to play for the first time it is in my opinion the least replayable. Lacks of QoL.
I started the same way, now replaying cs after having finished zero azure in the lead up to reverie🎉
Radiant Historia has been on my to-do list for yeaaars, and after watching your videos I may pick it up soon. Refrain Chord went right off my list when I found out it doesn't have English voice acting.
Have you played Radiata Stories? It was never released in Europe but it was an amazing JRPG from the PS2 era. Still holds up with its wonderful characters and game mechanic.
I haven't, but knowing alumni from Radiant Historia worked on it makes me think I'll enjoy it!
I put 80 or so hours into SMT V before stopping, and the only thing that’s stopping me from picking it back up is the potential of a PS4/PS5 release. I wouldn’t mind starting over for some juicy 60 fps, and I’ll probably just do something different than a full physical build. I’m just hoping all the DLC comes packaged in a re-release.
Monochrome Mobius was notorious for having lots of technical issues when the game first came out last year, hence no Western console release till this autumn. Hopefully that launch has less issues.
I remember it having a 7 gig patch shortly after release. It wasn't pretty at first.
Good to know octoath 2 is good, got it for cheap via gamestop and it'll definitely be a go to whenever I finish my backlog (never), thanks as usual man!
It's a great game, absolutely loved it.
One JRPG I just played and had little to no expectations for that ended being very enjoyable was Star Ocean The Divine Force. Its not without flaws, but its a great step forward from V and had a decent story, enjoyable characters, really good music, and fun combat. Its not going to break any new ground, but its like a nod to the PS2 RPG days, which I mean as a compliment thinking of titles like Grandia 2 and SO3, but with modern conveniences. Its clearly a game that had a budget but they did well with what they had to work with imo. Raymond ended up being a solid protagonist too. Seems like the kind of guy I'd wanna have a beer with and then go kill some monsters. lol
Divine Force is great! Doesn't do anything ground-breaking, but ensures that its core gameplay is solid. A pleasant surprise from last year.
Good list to start off the year, things are about to kick into high gear in the 2nd half!
For what little it's worth, not only does Fleur get new songs as she gets her own exclusive support Fairies, but Glace does too. I haven't finished the game so I haven't found out the reason why yet, but it's neat seeing how the songs mix and match the song and both singers depending on who starts singing first and what song they choose. The way each Muse sings differs accordingly, too.
Cool to hear, glad someone can clear that up. I won't be going back to it, I know that much.
If you're into mystery VNs, I recommend Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo. I watched NicoB play through it, and it's a pretty fantastic VN
Ar Tonelico! One of my favorite RPGs. II's even better
Catching up on the watch list. Good notes for potential buys. Out of all these, octopath traveler 2 is the only one I have.
I recently picked up Star Ocean: The Second Story R, and so far I love it. Also been dabbling with the Trails series with Azure and Zero. But I need to play the Sky Trilogy. Octopath 2 was just fantastic and I enjoyed my time with Fire Emblem Engage.
Hey Kiseki Nut, nice video as always, I'm gonna try Ar Tonelico soon, I think I'll love it as it looks like it has everything I look for in a JRPG.
Did you try Stella Glow on the 3DS ? I found a undub version and I'm having quite a good time with it, you should try it :)
I actually have Stella Glow in my library, just never played it!
Good video as always! How did you play this many JRPGs in only 5 months???
I tend to get overwhelmed after playing 1 or 2 back to back, imagine 8 😳
I juggle 4 to 5 games at once and it works well! Plus, any game that doesn't do it for me gets abandoned now, I've got no issue doing that.
I too am playing through Ar Tonelico Melody of Elemia. Honestly I still prefer Ar Tonelico 2 it's story and characters are a bit better and it's combat is way faster and so much fun. And it has a way more fanservice which I really enjoyed.
The sequel is considered better in pretty much every respect, so I am looking forward to it. But since it's part of the retro series, it all depends on the patrons on whether I play it or not.
@@TheKisekiNut well I hope they do allow you to play it since it desperately needs more attention
I'm glad Octopath 2 was a homerun. I never got around to Octopath 1 after all the shit flung at it in my JRPG communities. I have no idea how you get through this many JRPGs in such a short timeframe though lol. I was juggling Ys: The Oath in Felghana, Tales of Phantasia, Atelier Ryza 1, and Demons Roots, while dabbling in a few non-JRPGs, and they all incidentally ended up on-hold as I kinda got burnt out and moved on to binging some seasonal anime instead. With all that I've been playing, JRPGs ended up consuming almost all of my free time.
I'd love to see your thoughts on Demons Roots, although I don't know if what is technically smut would ever feature on your channel.
Well..... I have played none of these games hahaha! Still need XC3 Future! Class video as always dude
Future Redeemed is sick man, try it out!
Guys should try Honkai Star Rail, one of the best trending turn based games for the past month and it has grown to be a super favorite among fans.
Octopath 2 is an unbelievable experience
6:54 Yeah, another win for SMT 3 Nocturne!
do you do these "what i've been playing over the last few months" videos often? definitely a series i'll be following for my own knowledge on recent JRPGs i might've missed.
Yep, I started it last year, but I've increased the time scope from every 3 months to every 4 months. Works better.
Hey Kiseki, I highly recommend playing Hyperdimension Neptunia mk2 for the PS3 as the best possible way to get in that series. Then follow it up with Victory, Megadimension V2, and finally the original first game. I recommend the original last since it is very dated but since you've played the other games you'll appreciate what the first game was trying to accomplish. Also play the original V2 not V2R.
It is very unfortunate that as the Neptunia series continues, it lost the original charm that it originally had by self referencing itself too much. I feel that all other games besides the 4 I mentioned are fanservice games. As in games meant solely for big fans of the Neptunia series. This includes the re-birth games.
I'm super-glad to hear that when a game doesn't "do it" for you, you're cool just walking away. That can be a pretty hard thing for us RPG gamers to do, but it's better than the alternative of letting a title that isn't grabbing us to burn us out....and then we don't feel like playing the good games!!
wow, I cant imagine forcing myself to play a game I don't like so that's intresting to hear. Dropping full priced games still defnitally hurt tho lol.
Tried that with Agarest back when I had the habit of never abandoning a game and it almost made me drop RPGs all together. People wonder why I hold such contempt for it, that's one of many reasons.
I always "accidentally" drop a game by getting distracted with something else when I'm trying so hard to push my way through something I'm no longer enjoying. Had that with Tales of Phantasia recently. I was really enjoying it for a while, then it just got so bloody slow and repetitive. Now I'm so close to the end I feel I owe it to myself to push through the last few hours to see if the conclusion is decent at least.
Agreed! That's something I had to do myself recently. I was trying to get into a bit of an older action RPG because it was the start of a series I absolutely love now, but I just couldn't get into it for the life of me. It had a solid start and the gameplay was alright, but the more I played, the less I enjoyed it. Finally, I realized that my desire to beat it was more of a chore than something I actively wanted to do, so despite my desire to beat it, I dropped the game. There's not much of a point in playing a game when you're no longer having fun with it, after all.
future redeemed was amazing glad you enjoyed it mate :)
It's such a good way to go out!
We really need that western re-release of ar no surge that was remastered last year! I have it on ps3 but also used to own the Plus version on Vita which was the better one. The three Ar Tenelico games would make a great little remaster trilogy too. I mean the last one is already HD certainly could drop straight into Switch’s stellar line up of olde RPGs
I finished Octopath traveler 1. Will be playing Octopath traveler 2 now ❤
Octopath Traveller 2 is an epic game! Seriously highly recommended
I also bought a Neptunia (Hyperdimension, PS3) years ago, but also didn't click with me. Also bought many other PS3 JRPs, just because I could... Lately been playing Steamworld Heist, which is super fun, also cheap in eShop in Europe while writing this (only € 2,99)
Thank you for the video! I always enjoy your critiques since my time is also limited, but I love JRPG, so screening is important. One suggestion though, could you mention right from the start on what console you played each game? I play only on PC and mostly with Steam. While most of the games are available on Steam, sometime other platforms (like Epic) have time exclusivity. It would help to know if the games you mention are available on PC, or only on Switch or PlayStation.
Radiant Historia is DS/3DS, Ar Tonelico is PS2, and SMT V and Xenoblade 3 are Switch-only. Everything else can be played on PC, though Fairy Fencer F hasn't released on PC yet.
I play most of my games on PC if they're on multiple platforms, but I'll mention what I played them on for the future videos in this series! Cheers.
Good to hear Octopath2 is good. I dropped the first one because no matter how strong my team was random battles always took forever
Hmm, apologies for the overly long comment, I just finished "Refrain Chord" recently and I need some sort of avenue to spew out loose thoughts and observations.
Overall, eh, I'm half and half with "Refrain Chord" myself. I'm not much of a fan of "Fairy Fencer F" though I am interested in seeing where it's going. But this entry is just...strange. The best way I can put this is that it feels like an odd in-between/semi-filler to me.
In some ways, I understand why it is structured the way it is. "Advent Dark Force", while a remaster of the original, doesn't have a canonical true ending since all three routes branch out in ways where none of them are perfect. Every route has a couple characters dying for instance. But at the same time, new story elements were introduced that hint at the direction of the overall story.
"Refrain Chord" is basically serving to become that perfect route where everyone possible survives while keeping those new story elements. But the way this is structured is weird since it begins with skipping the opening acts and ends before even directly addressing the new conflict that is faced in "Advent Dark Force", or even most of the original conflicts for that matter like the Vile God. So it kind of creates a situation where the game is a reboot but also a side-story where technically nothing progresses.
As for the gameplay, I'm mixed. This is the second SRPG Sting made under CH I believe, the first being "Hyperdevotion Noire" on PSVita in 2014, and this somehow felt like a downgrade in many aspects. Battle animations were weirdly disappointing since they literally just took basic attacks from "FFF" and turned them into different skills. Despite the fact there were actual skills they could have used but left out entirely. The big Fairize specials were 1-to-1 recreated but that's it. There also were no stage gimmicks, besides sandy areas decreasing movement, or puzzles to my surprise. Adjustable platforms are in though, but you can't manipulate them besides creating or destroying them. So in that way, I did find it unfortunately disappointing. Even funnier since Tiara was a DLC character in "Hyperdevotion Noire" so seeing the contrast is bewildering.
That said, I don't quite agree with you in some regards. Like the lengths of battles I thought were pretty short, at least compared to most SRPGs I've played. I want to say most lasted about 5 minutes, maybe 10 on the longer end. Though I do think there could have been better skipping options than just a mild animation speed up. Enemy HP wasn't an issue since I was regularly 1-2 shotting most enemies, 2-3 for the beefier ones, on Normal after a couple hours. So I don't know what's up with that discrepancy between you and me there.
Though you also mentioned you played 8 hours but only had one of Fleur's songs? By that playtime, I had three. And I'm usually pretty slow. One of the very first side-quests, 3-4 hours in, gives you a Fleur exclusive sub-Fairy with a new song as a reward. I guess I must have just been more thorough. I don't know.
EIGHT JRPGS IN FOUR MONTHS!?
How do I learn this superpower??
Abandon anything that doesn't resonate with you - that's the single biggest tip I give now.
I don't remember what I played, it's more than 10, not all RPGs. The only ones I remember are somehow games who are at the same time old and new, which is a little funny. Majora's Mask for 3DS, Chrono Trigger DS, Like a Dragon: Ishin, Trails from Zero, Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe.
favorite character story in Octopath 2? Mine would be castti narrow over throne
If you're after a Neptunia game with some decent action gameplay: Ninja Wars, tbh. Aside from that and Top Nep (very cosy rail shooter) I've never really been able to get into any of the series either tbf.
I'll probably try one more of them in like... a year or so. If that does nothing for me, then I'll forget it altogether.
I definitely get what you mean about Neptunia. A while back I tried out the first game to see if I'd like the series and it just did not grab me at all. I usually don't mind games where the fighting can get somewhat repetitive as long as it's fun and it just wasn't one of those. Feels like a bit of a shame since I know there's such a broad story within the series, but... Yeah.
Thanks for the video! Always glad to see something new from you.
They obviously have a fanbase, it's a multimedia franchise in Japan! I can't see it though.
The only actually decent Neptunia game I've played was Megadimension Neptunia VII. It's not like it was amazing, but the world was pretty good, it actually had stakes and the gameplay wasn't annoying, only somewhat repetitive which I don't always mind. I played the first 3 games, or rather, their remakes, they were OK, but not super impressive. Megadimension however is the best one by far. I won't say I outright recommend it, but if you want to give it another chance, go for it. I don't think the series as a whole is for you however.
That's an issue for me. When there are so many games demanding attention, I just don't want to waste it on a mid experience.
What’s that one 3G’s rpg with time travle The Chrono trigger like
Finish Utawarerumono Prelude of the Fallen just yesterday, I enjoyed, it had a few rushed arcs here and there, but is a solid experience, while not right away I'll definitely play the rest of the series, maybe after Trails into Reverie
Same for me. Just recently finished prelude but don’t want to interrupt the rest of series with Reverie which takes priority. But looking forward to it!
Prelude is generally considered to be the weakest of the main trilogy. So really it's only up hill from there.
@@TheKisekiNut I guess I'm just coming back to say that I just finish all games, the second one start off more interesting but was very slow in the first half, but after that was pretty great, Mask of Truth in specific was great all around from pacing, characters development and even the battle system, played every game on hard and this was the only one that really nailed balance, really need to think how to approach some scenarios. Mighty have been the best game I played all year and I played quite a few of good ones so far. The closest thing I can think that remind me of this series is Moribito, granted they are not games (is a book series, the first book has a nice anime adaptation by the Ghost in the Shell studio though) but they felt very similar in some ways like setting
The thing with SMT series' story is that you need to be active in discovering what's happening in the world, instead of expecting everything on a golden plate.
I played the game with me curious what is happening, and I must say the characters along with the story are compelling. It has become the best SMT game I've ever played.
In regards to your setting comparison of 5 to 3, let's just say it has to do with how the MC came to be.
Hope you will have a good time playing it.
Indeed, SMT can care less you know the history or not, everything is around you need to b the one interested in connecting the dots. Is a nice way to unfold the tragedy of the world, also they are not the high school setting of Persona... with IN YOUR FACE plot twists and teen drama...
My friend did a stream of Octopath 2 a few weeks ago. So who was you favorite character and why was it Temenos? I love Temenos. I only saw his first chapter, but his voice is great and he is the driest person ever and just can't be bothered. He is so great! I am still sitting on the Xeno 3 sidequest train even after finishing it. I want to see all the hero quests at least. Then I will play Future redeemed and maybe someday I will finally finish Legends Arceus. I at least got over the Lectrobal fight. By mashing Y and praying I don't die. I finished the first half of the cold steel games and chapter 3 of Harvestella. I should really play Harvestella a bit more. It is a very fun game. There are a bunch of kids in each town and they keep deciding I'm their new best homie and now part of the club. I just don't currently feel like playing an action RPG. Apollo Justice has taken over my life now. I regret nothing. I have never played Neptunia. Never saw the appeal of it. I hope you and I both keep having fun mate.
Particio actually, loved the voice actor.
Currently I want to start collecting games from the Tales of series, the only game I played from this series was The abyss which had one of the best plot twists I've ever seen in a game, but I never gave priority to the franchise. And of course the new Honkai Star rail o famous gacha that alienates many people thanks to the aggressive farming and limited by its daily energy but the experience with the story, the soundtrack, the visuals, the beautiful turn-based combat and the phenomenal character design of Hoyoverse with its incredible characters is something irresistible to put aside, a game that just like Genshin Impact you don't need to rely on gacha or have a specific character or have an aggressive farm just to enjoy the game's plot. It's seriously a better experience than non-free RPGs I've had in years
Hey, talking about the Xenoblade DLC, should I play it if I only have played Xenoblade 3? I have understood that its more focused on the past games, to clarify, I have already bought the season pass but will I enjoy all the same ?
Eh you should still enjoy it. There are plenty of callbacks to Xenoblade 3 too.
You'll probably be OK, but some moments within it won't hit as hard for obvious reasons.
Hey TKN, one request I like to ask for videos like this... Can you let us know what platforms the games are available on? Even just text descriptors with the name is fine. A few times I've gotten excited about a game you liked, and then I get disappointed it's on something I don't have.
Nice list of games! I think I've never played an Idea Factory game before. They seem like interesting games, but there are other games that I want to play first.
I am glad to hear that Octopath 2 improved in many aspects. While I enjoyed the combat and music of the first game, the story felt too disconnected in my opinion. I also did not enjoy that the "true ending" was hidden behind a boss rush. I think I will give Octopath 2 a try after I'm done with Reverie, Master Detective Archives, and FF XVI.
I think I just need to accept that Idea Factory games aren't for me, I haven't played one that stands out to me as spectacular. I intend to give Mary Skelter a go, as that's generally considered to be one of their best works. If that doesn't hook me, then the writing is on the wall.
@@TheKisekiNut yeah
Pretty much the two best Idea Factory IPs are the (mainline) neptunia games, and mary skelter. If you cant do mary skelter then its definitely a wash
I wish the Ar Tonelico series would be revived TvT
Awesome video
Octopath 2 was an absolute blast. I 100% cleared the game - and it's rare that I like games enough to do that.
It's such a good game! Couldn't put it down!
Octopath Traveler II is leading the charge for my GotY this year. Unfortunately the only thing Trails To Azure has over it is even more masterfully weaving the characters and the plot together. Everything else is simply inferior by virtue of being a port of a PSP game. Graphics, music (yes even music), combat, overall gameplay, all that.
I was wondering do you play these games one at a time or do you play them concurrently side by side?
Been playing SMT 3 & prelude to the fallen
"Feels like a wet noodle fight." 😂🤣
Is ocotopath 2 a lot better than 1? Just couldn’t get into 1. Weak story and characters and end game was lack luster
what is monochrome mobius on?
PC and is also coming to PS4 and PS5 soon via NISA.
Neptunia kinda fell off after Victory II if I’m being honest. I’ve played a few of the games that came after it but they just didn’t click with me. Just by watching the gameplay of Sisters vs Sisters, it looks shallow and unlike the charming fourth wall breaking shenanigans of the first few games. It’s a bad first impression, but the Rebirth games and Victory II are fantastic games. Also Noire is best goddess don’t @ me.
12 and 8 hours untill you dropped them, goodness you're generous
I like to give all games a chance, 10 hours is generally the max I'll give. I'm not waiting 30 for it to eventually 'get good'.
Fairy fencer F sounds like Stella Glow
Nice list. I haven't been playing too many JRPGs this year, but I did play Future Redeemed and had a blast. I love how the Affinity System makes everything on the map meaningful.
One thing I will suggest as a game, and this is gonna sound weird...is Honkai Star Rail. Ive been having loads of fun in that game and its really been scratching that turn based itch for me. Yes, its a gacha, but you dont have to spend a dime to enjoy the story and the...quite frankly, amazing lore and story that game has.
1) Mobieus is in my wishlist
2) I really enjoyed my Sisters vs SIsters till the it's final credits and true ending.
And yeah, it's not the game for newcomers for sure. It have a lot ties to previous titles and you have to know who is who to get most of it.
[!] I believe you should try at least Re;Birth 1-3 to understand what's good in the series and what can click with you. It would be a good start.
3) Octopath Traveller is total miss for me. I don't enjoy this kind of slow combat gameplay in TBS. I prefer something closer to The Legend of Heroes \ Atelier in terms of pace. Also, I don't like this kind of merge of 3D backgrounds and low-detailed pixel characters. I'd prefer it to be consistent 2D, or, at least have more detailed sprites of the characters. Also I prefer a linear progression without this "go whatever you want to go" thing. Point me where to go, I don't want to wander aimlessly. That's the reason why I don't like Zelda games.
4) SMT5 is no for relaxed play, but I had my good time with its first 10 hours.
7) XC3:FR is truly fantastic. I love it and whole series.
8) Just got my copy of Fairy Fencer F: Refrain Chord. I'm deeply impressed with idea of different songs and their clash on the battlefield. The story begins with the same level of humor and cozy idiocy, so I hope it will be at least good and fun.
Yh idk if he'd like Rebirth series, cuz they are quite literally reusing same assets througout all games. Story is decent though, got to stick around to the end, even tho I was considering dropping it cuz characters were anime levels of cringe
Currently playing the Trails series for the first time after being so disappointed with the new Neptunia games.
Even as a Neptunia fan I found Sisters to be a disappointment. Was excited because it is the first actual Neptunia game in years (recent releases have been collabs or advertisements) but it was just so poorly done. But otherwise been a good year so far personally. Revisiting Crossbell, caught up on old Ys titles except 7, Ryza 3 was best of the trilogy in my opinion, loved Prelude to the Fallen and would be diving deep into the series if Reverie weren’t around the corner. Currently playing Moonlight Witch and got an early copy of Loop 8 due to an error on Target’s part but very early impressions (maybe 1st hour) weren’t very positive so it may stay in the backlog for a while until I can give it a fair chance to see if it grows on me.
I'm mad jealous people got early copies of Loop 8! I'm really looking forward to that!
For Neptunia, it references the previous games so much so that them calling it a “spin off” was basically a lie. I’m a a huge Neptunia fan and loved it and got the platinum. The disc development isn’t actually as randomized as they make it seem and it’s fairly easy to become completely overpowered early on.
That's how they advertised it, and they said it's a great place to start. I took their word for it, and it did nothing for me.
@@TheKisekiNut yeah I know they did, I was saying I don’t know why they did that cause I think it kind of set you up for failure in a way.
I haven't heard of a single reviewer that liked Netpunia Sisters vs Sisters. I would recommend starting with Rebirth 1 (though there may be even newer remake of first game out if memory serves me right and in that case go for that). But starting with a spin off isn't the best idea for almost any franchise.
If I do go back to Neptunia, it won't be for a while.
I see... Neptunia, Fairy Fencer and Agarest.... Kiseki Nut bro, you have a seriously problem with IdeaFactory HAHAHHAH.
About Neptunia in specific, try the "core" games, the spin-off games, sometimes can be pretty bad, with you try that and no "click" i recomend to abandon in this point, OH AND NEVER TRY THE NEPTUNIA HACK'N SLASH GAME, THAT SHIT IS A PILE of TRASH XD.
Idea factory and gust tend to make my least favorite jrpgs
Maybe! The only one I straight up hate is Agarest, the others were just 'mid'. I've yet to find one which really pulls me in.
@@TheKisekiNut I recomend to try Megadimension Neptunia, is the "latest" in "core" games, i love Agarest because the skills and skill combination XD.
I wanted to play monochrome but I hate UWA series. It's too chaotic and endings are shitty.
octopath II is ok , ochette is annoying as heck
While Octopath is amazing, the random battles are tiresomely stupid. I have no idea why they have to be a thing, they add nothing to the game for me.
I used to like the Neptuniua series a lot for its goofiness and wierd characters, enemies, and all the memes, tropes and gaming references.
Unfortunately, every, literally every, game in the series was worse than its predecessor. This series realy went down hill. Especially once they made their first action combat game, before it was all turnbased. Now they failed the action combat miserably again with the last entry in the series. And while the earlier games didnt have strong stories as well, at least they had good combat and the comedy was new and refreshing. But now the jokes reapeat themselves, and the story bacame even worse.
welp, I'm always interested in a new channel devoted to games like this, but after hearing the insult to Octopath I, I know I don't need to waste my time on it.
"He had a different opinion than me on a single thing, so everything he says must be garbage" - closed-minded simpleton
I've never understood the Neptunia franchise. I tried playing Hyperdimension Neptunia twice and I just couldn't get into it at all, the story is bland, there's no depth to the characters and the dialogues is so anime and predictable. And yet, there are 30 different games out there and I wonder; who the hell buying them? I can see this work in Japan but I've never met anyone who likes Neptunia. Maybe it's for people who play them to pass time without putting much thought, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
From what I know the series is about the “console wars”, the fanbase. They are making fun and calling out the situation with there spin on it
You didn't play first game on PS3 did you? I tried that and it was so god-awful I couldn't get halfway through it. Played the remake Re;birth1, though, and it was way better and funnier.
@@metaknightguyWII I totally forgotten about that, the console war is pretty silly.
@@BlueCrimson10 I'm not sure, it was more than decade ago so it might have been on PS3. How does the remake compare? Any improvements on the writing?
It certainly has a fanbase, it's a fully fledged multimedia franchise in Japan. I don't get it though, not yet at least.
I love Neptunia franchise but tbh they've done nothing but pure concentrated dog shit since after VII, graphics were peak in Vtuber spin off but the gameplay was horrible, in sister vs sisters, both graphics and gameplay are awful, the next one is probably gonna be just as bad, they should have sticked to turn based and focus on making new interesting gameplay dynamics and add them to what worked well instead of going for a real time combat mechanic that is inferior to even a Tales of from 10 years ago.