Random thoughts on whatever JRPG you're currently playing?

[Falksi]

DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition (4 / 10) - As I wrote above, I hate the classic turn-based combat. And in general, no offense to the fans, but I consider the Dragon Quest series one of the worst.

Wha?

Don't get me wrong I think DQ11's a piece of shit too, but you "hate the classic turn-based combat", yet have the username "Jrpglover"?

Do you have an alt called "CRPGlover" where you despise party-based exploration?

Well, I don't like most old JRPGs, and my first JRPG was Vagrant Story, so it's no surprise that after such a masterpiece, Dragon Quest's shitty combat seems disgusting and intolerable

It was followed by the Grandia tetralogy, Dark Cloud duology, King's Field: The Ancient City (is it considered a JRPG?), the Shadow Hearts trilogy, the original .hack tetralogy, Wild Arms 5, Final Fantasy XII, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, etc.

Of course, after the combat system of these games, the classic turn-based combat became a piece of crap for me :D

The decline is real

Tbh I make you right about a lot of older JRPGs. It's not the system I dislike though, it's the pacing which wrecks most.

Shadow Hearts, Lost Odyssey, Last Remnant......I can still think of a lot of more modern JRPGs which do well with turn based systems though. Dragon Quest 11 I hate because of it's bloat, not the combat. After 13 hours you're where you are in most JRPGs after 3-4.

 

[jrpglover]

DRAGON QUEST XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age – Definitive Edition (4 / 10) - As I wrote above, I hate the classic turn-based combat. And in general, no offense to the fans, but I consider the Dragon Quest series one of the worst.

Wha?

Don't get me wrong I think DQ11's a piece of shit too, but you "hate the classic turn-based combat", yet have the username "Jrpglover"?

Do you have an alt called "CRPGlover" where you despise party-based exploration?

Well, I don't like most old JRPGs, and my first JRPG was Vagrant Story, so it's no surprise that after such a masterpiece, Dragon Quest's shitty combat seems disgusting and intolerable

It was followed by the Grandia tetralogy, Dark Cloud duology, King's Field: The Ancient City (is it considered a JRPG?), the Shadow Hearts trilogy, the original .hack tetralogy, Wild Arms 5, Final Fantasy XII, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, etc.

Of course, after the combat system of these games, the classic turn-based combat became a piece of crap for me :D

The decline is real

Tbh I make you right about a lot of older JRPGs. It's not the system I dislike though, it's the pacing which wrecks most.

Shadow Hearts, Lost Odyssey, Last Remnant......I can still think of a lot of more modern JRPGs which do well with turn based systems though. Dragon Quest 11 I hate because of it's bloat, not the combat. After 13 hours you're where you are in most JRPGs after 3-4.

This is all subjective, of course. But that 20 years ago I didn’t understand that now I don’t understand how you can enjoy the combat system of Dragon Quest... The use of the same skills from battle to battle, the lack of additional combat mechanics that would bring variety to the repetitive combat system, etc. All the following fights are just a repetition of the previous ones. Dragon Quest's combat system is still my worst nightmare

 

[Rean]

Non-debate.

Legend of Heroes Cold Steel III and IV are the apotheosis of gaming and have the best (turn based) combat IN EXISTENCE.
It's irrelevant discussing anything lesser as if it could ever get close to the PINNACLE, the ZENITH.

 

[Carpincho Pampeano]

Might drop Bravely Default, tired of grinding and i refuse to change the difficulty.

 

[GhostCow]

I thought the first Bravely Default was kind of shit and didn't finish it. Bravely Default II is much better. I can't speak for Bravely Second as I haven't played it.

 

[Carpincho Pampeano]

I played BD II and while there was grinding it was more tasteful, i'm going to delete it right now, any 3ds recs? I mainly played bravely default so i could play with it a little and remember in the process how inferior is to the vita.

 

[GhostCow]

Devil Survivor 1 and 2 are both great 3ds games. Not much else that I care for on that system

 

[Carpincho Pampeano]

I was thinking more about obscure stuff, those are well known titles. For a long time my 3ds was a SMT machine.

 

[Miner 2049er]

Obscure stuff ? Legend of Legacy ? It's the predecessor of The Alliance Alive. Most reviews hated it. I love it, but it's super niche.
7th Dragon is another quite obscure RPG. Very cool combat systems with lots of synergizing abilities.
Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is an outstanding game but not exactly obscure.

 

[Kaivokz]

I finished SaGa 1.

Very enjoyable. The last couple dungeons are maze like with hidden doors, false staircases, pitfalls and other traps, but I didn’t have to draw a map for any of them—sort of like Wizardry-lite. Monster characters were underwhelming even after eating the final bosses, but I didn’t use a guide to optimize them.

Other than being the beginning of the experimental systems of the SaGa series, this game also reminded me how much quest logs and quest markers suck in modern games. Figuring out what to do next is just a lot of fun; talking to people, hearing rumors and investigating them makes the progression more organic and requires more input from the player—less like watching a movie and more like solving a puzzle.


Dragon Quest IV

Party chat continues to add a lot of context to the story and characterization to the party members. Being able to play it on a DS with the patch is great.

This game is much easier than SaGa 1 obviously, but it shares the benefits of not having quest markers; you hear rumors in towns and go exploring to find what you need to progress.

I’ve got all the bros in the party now: Ragnar McRyan, Borya, and Torneko. I’m also enjoying this one.

 

[jrpglover]

I was thinking more about obscure stuff, those are well known titles. For a long time my 3ds was a SMT machine.

Ever Oasis
Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars
7th Dragon III Code: VFD
Culdcept Revolt
Unchained Blades
Crimson Shroud
Etrian Mystery Dungeon

 

[Falksi]

I've been wanting to play a good JRPG for a while, but I've fucking hated all the new ones which I've recently tried. And some of the old ones too.

Pacing is a big thing for me. I recently tried all the following.....

• Ys 8
• Trials of Cold Steel
• Dragon Quest 11

.....and they all sucked the fucking life out of me with every bloated, boring step.

So are there any recommendations of ones which actually grab you by the bollocks from the start? Or at least move at a good pace so you're not still doing basic shit after 15 hours?

To give you and idea of what I like, my fave JRPGs are.....

• Final Fantasy X
• Shining Force 2
• Phantasy Star 4
• Shadow Hearts: Covenant
• Tales of Berseria

Ta

 

[jrpglover]

I've been wanting to play a good JRPG for a while, but I've fucking hated all the new ones which I've recently tried. And some of the old ones too.

Pacing is a big thing for me. I recently tried all the following.....

• Ys 8
• Trials of Cold Steel
• Dragon Quest 11

.....and they all sucked the fucking life out of me with every bloated, boring step.

So are there any recommendations of ones which actually grab you by the bollocks from the start? Or at least move at a good pace so you're not still doing basic shit after 15 hours?

To give you and idea of what I like, my fave JRPGs are.....

• Final Fantasy X
• Shining Force 2
• Phantasy Star 4
• Shadow Hearts: Covenant
• Tales of Berseria

Ta

How about:
Persona 5
Resonance of Fate - One of the best combat systems in the genre. Unusual movement around the game world (hex system), interesting characters, good setting, the only problem with the game for me is the lack of plot and cutscenes.
The Last Story - The game is quite short and at the same time very interesting.
Lost Dimension - Short with few interesting mechanism. Also its SRPG.
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir - Another Vanillaware gem.
Lost Kingdoms 1 & 2 - Interesting combat system with cards. From Software hidden gem.
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon - Little and short gem.
Pandora's Tower - Its get Castlevania vibe, which is great.
Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter - Man, what a gem! Its really good and short.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness - Someone loves it, someone hates it, but it's short, you can try it.
Infinite Undiscovery - its like another Star Ocean clone from Tri-Ace.
Muramasa Rebirth - Another Vanillaware gem.
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines - I highly recommend it, but its not so short, something like 30 hours.

There are so many different interesting and short JRPGs that you can’t write it all at once.

 

[Falksi]

I've been wanting to play a good JRPG for a while, but I've fucking hated all the new ones which I've recently tried. And some of the old ones too.

Pacing is a big thing for me. I recently tried all the following.....

• Ys 8
• Trials of Cold Steel
• Dragon Quest 11

.....and they all sucked the fucking life out of me with every bloated, boring step.

So are there any recommendations of ones which actually grab you by the bollocks from the start? Or at least move at a good pace so you're not still doing basic shit after 15 hours?

To give you and idea of what I like, my fave JRPGs are.....

• Final Fantasy X
• Shining Force 2
• Phantasy Star 4
• Shadow Hearts: Covenant
• Tales of Berseria

Ta

How about:
Persona 5
Resonance of Fate - One of the best combat systems in the genre. Unusual movement around the game world (hex system), interesting characters, good setting, the only problem with the game for me is the lack of plot and cutscenes.
The Last Story - The game is quite short and at the same time very interesting.
Lost Dimension - Short with few interesting mechanism. Also its SRPG.
Odin Sphere: Leifthrasir - Another Vanillaware gem.
Lost Kingdoms 1 & 2 - Interesting combat system with cards. From Software hidden gem.
Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon - Little and short gem.
Pandora's Tower - Its get Castlevania vibe, which is great.
Breath of Fire V: Dragon Quarter - Man, what a gem! Its really good and short.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness - Someone loves it, someone hates it, but it's short, you can try it.
Infinite Undiscovery - its like another Star Ocean clone from Tri-Ace.
Muramasa Rebirth - Another Vanillaware gem.
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines - I highly recommend it, but its not so short, something like 30 hours.

There are so many different interesting and short JRPGs that you can’t write it all at once.

Ha, yeah tried Persona 5. Was OK, nice flashy style, cool characters, but the combat was just so predictably easy and social link mechanic so dull I quit around halfway through.

Only others which I've tried are Odin Sphere, and Infinite Undiscovery, neither which clicked with me, but there's a nice chunk of others to try there so thanks.

 

[Reinhardt]

Game upgraded my main character's robot but i really liked old one! His final attack was basically

New one is just pew-pew for now.

 

[Malamert]

Finished Gurumin: A Monstrous Adventure. It is an adventure and it is quite monstrous, so it definitely lives up to its name. Really charming and lovely game. Very short unfortunately, it only took me 13 hours to beat and I took my time redoing a few dungeons to get higher scores.
Gameplay's good fun. Having to time attacks properly to get critical hits that add up and eventually level up the weapon is pretty neat. It is rather annoying though that the drill weapon levels down if you take too much damage, but there are some cheap items that can be bought to instantly increase its level and protect against deleveling. The dungeons are pretty cool and, at times, filled with all sorts of devious traps. Thankfully there are certain hats that negate whatever those dungeons can throw at you. There are a few boss fights in the game and they're all good fun, though none, with the exception of the optional boss, are that challenging.
So the game has quite a few monsters, but don't worry, they're cute and friendly monsters. All the Monster Village denizens are a riot to have around and talk to. Motoro the cat monster is especially a ton of fun. The human cast is alright as well and the protagonist, Parin, is a bundle of joy. The English version of the game lacks Jap audio (forgot to mention that Zwei the Ilvard Insurrection suffers from the same issue in the last post), but thankfully there's a mod with the Jap voices. Parin's voice acting is quite emotionless and flat at times, but I think it just works perfectly and makes everything that much more odd and silly.
The graphics are good enough, but you may have to disable depth of field and back buffer in the game's options as those two can break other visual settings.
Man, now the soundtrack is simply radical. Could listen to the OP all day long, it's just that good.
Gurumin's story is pretty much like a children's fairy tale. There's a monster village hidden near the town and only children can see the monsters. Phantoms have attacked the village and kidnapped its people. It's up to Parin to save the day. It's all very charming and wholesome.
Had a good deal of fun with this game. Apparently there are quite a few extra difficulties, costumes and other content to unlock by replaying NG+. Might give it a go eventually.

 

[Carpincho Pampeano]

Seems like the game has a 3ds version, i also like the protag so i might play it, it also helps that it's a short game.

 

[newtmonkey]

Final Fantasy VIII (PSX)
I can finally check this one off the list, after two aborted attempts (first back in 1999, second 10 years ago or so). I did some of the optional stuff toward the end. Like with pretty much every JRPG I've played through, I didn't need to grind at all (in fact, grinding in this game probably just makes it more difficult).

FF8 has a great start; actually a great first half. I like the concept of the warring military academies, the witch stuff, and even some of the weird sci-fi stuff toward the end. However, I found nearly all the characters to be simply awful. They all seem to have one single character trait, and that trait defines everything about them. There is basically no character development, with the only real exception being a "love story" that is very forced and artificial. The game feels like it's three different stories stitched together.

Although FF8 seems like one of the more story-focused entries in the series, it is definitely not a game to play for its story and characters, imo. Instead, it's to appreciate some of the best pre-rendered backgrounds ever included in a game, and to enjoy the junction system. Junctioning spells and unlocking GF abilities is a great system that feels wasted in this game. It's a shame it was never revisited in a more combat-focused or nonlinear game.

I had heard that the last boss can be difficult, but at my level (early 30s) she wasn't much of a threat. Shell alone was enough to severely weaken even her most powerful attacks, and I just kept up on healing as needed—pretty standard tactics for a FF boss. Shell/Aura/Haste/Triple on all three characters made most of the battle pretty trivial, honestly.

---

With that, I have completed FF1-8. I'd rank them as follows:

1>6>3>7>5>4>2>8

Although 8 is my least favorite in the series, I still enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to moving on to FF9 next, though I might play something else before that.

 

[Carpincho Pampeano]

Haven't been able to finish a single game since SMT V.

 

[deuxhero]

Playing more Trials of Mana, almost near the end. While the gameplay in it is fun and each has a unique dungeon except one (which has a very unique fight attached to it), the spirit hunt followed by the Benevodon hunt is a really story light way to throw a bunch of dungeons at the player. I guess it beats the alternative, where the player fights through recycled stuff while plot unfolds, though. It's taken from the original game, but really noticeable in the remake with its much higher production values.

Otherwise the gameplay is still solid if largely easy (the wood Benevodon was the only really "hard" fight in the game and that's more the friendly AI getting one shot by everything because it can't dodge). One of very few jRPGs where I'm still hurting for money end-game. May wind up just farming seeds over money since those seem to be giving good gear with level 4 seed box+little cactus bonus.

 

[notpl]

I thought the first Bravely Default was kind of shit and didn't finish it. Bravely Default II is much better. I can't speak for Bravely Second as I haven't played it.

It's by far the best one. It was so good that it made me hate Bravely Default II by comparison. Legitimately interesting sidequests, entertaining story without any melodrama, more fun classes, better XP/random encounter system, just superior in every way. Developed by a B-team, apparently, and as is so often the case with japanese devs the less experienced B-team has way more talent than the stagnant main one it seems.

 

[Jermu]

Playing Mary Skelter finale with Ryujinx first switch emulator game for me. So far 22 hours in and it feels better than 1-2. Dungeons are just too long and you need to spam exploration / dungeon gimmick skills every 5 seconds which is getting annoying. Difficulty on hardest setting is easier than 1-2, but those games difficulty was sometimes kinda bs without much farming.

Mary Skelter 1-2 had relevantly "scary" bosses, but Finale took that to another level:

 

[lametta]

playing Alliance Alive HD on steam (originally 3ds)

its boring overall prolly gonna finish it since i dont like to drop games midway through...

 

[deuxhero]

Even more Trials of Mana. Honestly, I think this is the rare remake held back by its base game in some ways. The original had issues it couldn't change without rewriting the plot, like the sequence-free boss rush or how the first boss inexplicably reappears as a miniboss in one of the late dungeons and the party is unable to provide an explanation for what it's doing there.

Was the Hero King entirely nameless in the original? I know he's Richard from one of the other Mana games, but only a loading tip and random NPC mention it here.

 

[Carpincho Pampeano]

Just read some sub human say "Some dungeons were maze-like and annoying." about a fucking tales game, we are doomed, no wonder developers don't put any kind of effort into dungeons anymore. Reminder that Atlus had to patch the castle dungeon in SMT V because "people" were getting filtered.