I hate jRPGs and I wanna hate-try some

[Yuber]

Kinda sucks that I played 99% of the games on that list already
What am I suppose to do, devs don't make games like these anymore -.-

 

[Rincewind]

I am not a connosuer of JRPG as most are low quality storyfag games and cringe weebness, but rather a connoisseur of quality gaming.

Same here, so this general Top 20 is even better. Updated the spreadsheet with the recommendations (keeping Ash'es in a separate column; I don't believe in averages when it comes to reviews).

Please add:

Armored Core
Carnage Heart
Einhander
Elemental Gearbolt
Front Mission 2
Future Cop
Ghost in the Shell
Llylgamyn Saga
Nectaris
New Age of Lyllgamyn
Omega Boost
Panekit
R-Type Delta
RC de Go
Side by Side Special 2000
Silent Bomber
Trap Gunner

Cheers, added some of them that seemed interesting. I'm not gonna add straight shoot'em up and fighting games as I have zero care for those, sorry (but racing games are fine).

 

[Nutmeg]

fighting games

Which game are you referring to? Is it Trap Gunner? It's not really a fighting game.

 

[thesecret1]

Is there ANYTHING where I don't have to play as a little girl with a squeaky voice? Is there any jPRG where I can play a character like these:

Disregard everything else said in this thread, there's only one correct answer to such specifications. Play as the ultimate Chad in Sengoku Rance

 

[flyingjohn]

Kinda sucks that I played 99% of the games on that list already
What am I suppose to do, devs don't make games like these anymore -.-

Learn jap and play the hidden gems.

 

[cruel]

Three games I think about if someone says 'I want to play jrpg but I hate typical jrpgs':

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology
SMT3: Nocturne
Xenoblade Chronicles DE

 

[Rincewind]

fighting games

Which game are you referring to? Is it Trap Gunner? It's not really a fighting game.

Many on your list were action/shoot'em up games. There weren't any fighting games, I was just saying in general I don't care about them personally.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I must say, I've been curious about FF7 OG for many years but never got around to playing past the first battle in the train station (about 2 minutes in). But I finally obtained a copy after much anguish, indecision and research on which port or version to play (there must be at least 10 of them by now not including the remakes and spinoffs). Considered the PSX original in emulation but I want at least some QoL stuff. So I finally settled on the Switch version. Seems to give the most authentic experience with even original MIDI music and 15 FPS in battle, and bug fixes, of course. May the God of jRPG Emus be with me.

 

[Beastro]

So many people use threads like this to recomend their personal ultra-niche games. The point is to offer games that are accessible and ease players into the genre. No one is going to be turned into a JRPG fan by fucking Dark Spire.

CVV just play Final Fantasy 7 like everyone else, for fuck's sake.

I wanna hate-try some​

He wants to hate-try.

Nothing you try makes you hate it more than ultra-niche jRPGs.

 

[Rincewind]

I must say, I've been curious about FF7 OG for many years but never got around to playing past the first battle in the train station (about 2 minutes in). But I finally obtained a copy after much anguish, indecision and research on which port or version to play (there must be at least 10 of them by now not including the remakes and spinoffs). Considered the PSX original in emulation but I want at least some QoL stuff. So I finally settled on the Switch version. Seems to give the most authentic experience with even original MIDI music and 15 FPS in battle, and bug fixes, of course. May the God of jRPG Emus be with me.

I simplify these questions by going for the original experience 90% of the time. That's what represents the devs' vision best—the rest is usually just tampering and watering down by different people and teams.

So for me it will be the original PSX and PS2 releases for the later FF games, and the NES/SNES versions of the earlier ones (with fan-made translations for the titles only released in Japan, of course).

As Zed Duke of Banville has pointed out, the original SNES versions have superior music which has been probably mutilated to various degrees in the later ports and remakes.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

I must say, I've been curious about FF7 OG for many years but never got around to playing past the first battle in the train station (about 2 minutes in). But I finally obtained a copy after much anguish, indecision and research on which port or version to play (there must be at least 10 of them by now not including the remakes and spinoffs). Considered the PSX original in emulation but I want at least some QoL stuff. So I finally settled on the Switch version. Seems to give the most authentic experience with even original MIDI music and 15 FPS in battle, and bug fixes, of course. May the God of jRPG Emus be with me.

As Zed Duke of Banville has pointed out, the original SNES versions have superior music which has been probably mutilated to various degrees in the later ports and remakes.

I was scared off playing the PSX original because I heard some of the battles could be slow and that the Switch version at least has 2X-3X speedup option, though CE could probably speed up the OG PSX game if DuckStation supports that. I know I could never get Cheat Engine's speedhack to work in retroarch though.

Yeah, SNES music in FF6 was incredible. Will never forget the opera scene and the use of .mod files (I think) or something similar to simulate human singing.

 

[Rincewind]

Yeah, SNES music in FF6 was incredible. Will never forget the opera scene and the use of .mod files (I think) or something similar to simulate human singing.

MOD files were an Amiga thing. The SNES had a unique synthesiser chip that also had some DSP capabilities (for example, to generate the sound of echoes and reverberations), so they must have written some custom low-level driver that took advantage of that chip, similarly to how people coded their custom drivers to drive the SID synthesiser chip of the C64.

MOD files on the Amiga were basically collections of PCM samples and a MIDI-like notation to specify which sample to play and when (plus various effects to mangle the samples in real-time).

 

[Beastro]

Yeah, SNES music in FF6 was incredible. Will never forget the opera scene and the use of .mod files (I think) or something similar to simulate human singing.

MOD files were an Amiga thing. The SNES had a unique synthesiser chip that also had some DSP capabilities (for example, to generate the sound of echoes and reverberations), so they must have written some custom low-level driver that took advantage of that chip, similarly to how people coded their custom drivers to drive the SID synthesiser chip of the C64.

MOD files on the Amiga were basically collections of PCM samples and a MIDI-like notation to specify which sample to play and when (plus various effects to mangle the samples in real-time).

The echoing is what makes FF3s soundtrack so much, just as the bass on the Genesis made so much of that consoles game music iconic.









To me, it made the soundtrack so magical and stuck with me marking those few years in the mid-late 90s when I played the hell out of it.

 

[Rincewind]

Btw, a very good comparison why you need crummy NTSC CRT shaders for these old pixel-gfx games. What was happening back then was the *opposite* of what these indie "retro games" try to achieve. There were no blocky pixels in sight, the cheap consumer TVs and even cheap home computer monitors "melted away" the edges of the "pixels", plus the screens were small, so you were not looking at mosaics like on a 24-27" modern flat screen display with the ~320x200 content filling the screen with 100% sharp integer scaling...



I mean, I kinda understand it when people say they can't get into old games from the 80s because they can't stand the blocky graphics. Neither can I in emulators that display 100% sharp pixels! That's not how these games looked! In reality, graphics looked like the CRT-shaded footage on the left (recorded using a real small TV set); grungy, "organic-looking", and by no means like a mosaic! These old graphics on consumer CRTs definitely had an "analog" vibe.

 

[Beastro]

Btw, a very good comparison why you need crummy NTSC CRT shaders for these old pixel-gfx games. What was happening back then was the *opposite* of what these indie "retro games" try to achieve. There were no blocky pixels in sight, the cheap consumer TVs and even cheap home computer monitors "melted away" the edges of the "pixels", plus the screens were small, so you were not looking at mosaics like on a 24-27" modern flat screen display with the ~320x200 content filling the screen with 100% sharp integer scaling...

Of course they did. It's why, as amazing as the transition was from FF3 to FF7 was, I found the graphics a step down given how wonderfully smooth and apparently detailed things like fires and lamps looked when alight in the SNES game.

 

[Rincewind]

Of course they did. It's why, as amazing as the transition was from FF3 to FF7 was, I found the graphics a step down given how wonderfully smooth and apparently detailed things like fires and lamps looked when alight in the SNES game.

I've had the same experience when going from the C64 + small PAL TV and Amiga 500 + 15kHz Commodore monitor combos to a 486 equipped with a 14" SVGA monitor. 320x200 256-colour content just looked blocky as hell because PC monitors were first and foremost optimised for text sharpness so you can do office work on them all day. Gone was the magic and the lo-fi soul of low-res pixel graphics.

All in all, low-res VGA was a step back for me in gaming contexts, even at similar nominal screen resolutions, due to the *improved* display technology. The next real step-up came with 640x480 256-colour games, but those were relatively uncommon in DOS, so in PC circles Win 95/98 gaming was the next evolutionary step for me in graphics.

 

[Arthandas]

I must say, I've been curious about FF7 OG for many years but never got around to playing past the first battle in the train station (about 2 minutes in). But I finally obtained a copy after much anguish, indecision and research on which port or version to play (there must be at least 10 of them by now not including the remakes and spinoffs). Considered the PSX original in emulation but I want at least some QoL stuff. So I finally settled on the Switch version. Seems to give the most authentic experience with even original MIDI music and 15 FPS in battle, and bug fixes, of course. May the God of jRPG Emus be with me.

Really poor choice. All you need is either the original PC release or the Steam version and Reunion.

 

[Yuber]

Kinda sucks that I played 99% of the games on that list already
What am I suppose to do, devs don't make games like these anymore -.-

Learn jap and play the hidden gems.

Are there? Could you list 1-2 so I can check them. I was already planning learning japanese. Could be extra motivation

 

[flyingjohn]

Kinda sucks that I played 99% of the games on that list already
What am I suppose to do, devs don't make games like these anymore -.-

Learn jap and play the hidden gems.

Are there? Could you list 1-2 so I can check them. I was already planning learning japanese. Could be extra motivation

Dragon quest iv,dragon quest monsters 1-2 and uncharted waters jap only ports are nice.
The london game is nice if you are a storyfag.There are medarots game if you like robots.Crime crackers is also a good rec even though you can play it without jap.
Others include:
Atelier series and Lunatic dawn.
Edit:Forgot about carnage heart jap versions and front mission 2.

Plus,you can play the games you already played and actually find out most of the translations are fanfiction.

 

[Nutmeg]

fighting games

Which game are you referring to? Is it Trap Gunner? It's not really a fighting game.

Many on your list were action/shoot'em up games. There weren't any fighting games, I was just saying in general I don't care about them personally.

That's true, I just thought you rejected one or the other because it was a fighting game so I was wondering which one you thought was a fighting game, but I see now I just misunderstood you.

Anyway here's a short description of what I think is interesting about each game.

Armored Core -- A more segmented take on the real time dungeon crawler from genre experts Fromsoft, fixing many of the issues found in more cookie cutter takes on UU, Wiz or DM, at the very least, from the perspective of its structure as a game. Can be considered the first part of a single larger game along with its sequels Project Phantasma and Master of Arena.

Carnage Heart -- A Japanese military tactics game (in the vein of Daisenryaku, of which the Western Panzer General series is a clone), but where you design and program all your troops and they fight it out in fully simulated 3D battlefields when they engage. Comes with a cool 90s instructional video manual on the visual programming language and game system as a whole. N.B there's a later, Japan only, release which greatly expands the programming language and makes it more expressive. Did I mention the mechanical design was done by none other than Ma.K creator Kow Yokoyama?

Einhander -- A horizontal puzzle shooter in the vein of R-Type where every segment has a solution, favouring method and clinical execution to dexterity and reaction speed, which will really get you no where in this game. On top of that, it has a sim-lite approach to its action and very involved controls (speed throttle, holding arm extension and swapping).

Elemental Gearbolt -- A light gun game with beautiful Japanese Fantasy art, and a simple score for XP (which translates to HP and DPS) trade off system, capturing the (sad) essence of RPGs as games in a more sound fashion i.e. you the player still have to get stronger, even if the XP can nudge you further than your knowledge of the game would allow at that time. As you get better, you can ditch the training wheels. Some shmups take this approach, but this is the only light gun game I know that does it.

Front Mission 2 -- A big step up from the original in terms of complexity, though my history with the game doesn't allow me to give a full and fair assesment (I've written about it before, look it up). Just don't ruin the game for yourself using the network feature thinking it's legit -- it's basically a cheats menu.

Future Cop -- The only Western game on my list, for being an alternative, more faithful Western take on RTS progenitor (or at least milestone, if you refuse to acknowledge it as a progenitor) Herzog Zwei than Westwood's.

Ghost in the Shell -- Stealth sequel to the X68000 PC cult classic and tech juice squeezer Geograph Seal. Closest thing I know of to a Japanese Descent.

Lyllgamyn Saga -- Loving port of the first 3 Wizardry games.

Nectaris -- One of the classic Japanese tactics games, which was later cloned as the Battle Isle series by the well known Amiga developer Blue Byte. In Nectaris, you gain fixed reinforcements by capturing points on the map, which makes the game all about level design, and this iteration of the game gives you the most levels of all, some of which I believe originated from a competition run by a magazine.

New Age of Lyllgamyn -- See Lyllgamyn Saga. Wiz 4 and 5.

Omega Boost -- Probably 3D engine pioneer Kotori Yoshimura's dream game. In case you don't know Yoshimura was responsible for cult classics WibArm and StarCruiser for Japanese PCs in the 80s. Obvious passion project. Also, like Armored Core, the mechanical design was done by none other than Shoji Kawamori, except here it really shines through thanks to the engine. Easily one of the most beautiful and technically impressive games on the system.

Panekit -- Fun vehicle design sandbox with a surprisingly advanced physics engine. People are still sharing designs on the web.

R-Type Delta -- Copy paste my description of Einhander here, except it actually carries the R-Type name. No less complex in its control of the ship, but certainly more gamey.

RC de Go -- Gateway drug into the world of RC cars, just as Densha de Go is a gateway drug into Japanese rail autism.

Side by Side Special 2000 -- Great tracks and feeling, not realism, focused physics model. Must play with a neGcon.

Silent Bomber -- Great puzzle action scoring game. Games this tight with this much freedom of movement are a rarity indeed.

Trap Gunner -- Think of it as multi level vs. Bomberman, alternatively, vs. Metal Gear Solid.

 

[Jack Of Owls]

Btw, a very good comparison why you need crummy NTSC CRT shaders for these old pixel-gfx games. What was happening back then was the *opposite* of what these indie "retro games" try to achieve. There were no blocky pixels in sight, the cheap consumer TVs and even cheap home computer monitors "melted away" the edges of the "pixels", plus the screens were small, so you were not looking at mosaics like on a 24-27" modern flat screen display with the ~320x200 content filling the screen with 100% sharp integer scaling...



I mean, I kinda understand it when people say they can't get into old games from the 80s because they can't stand the blocky graphics. Neither can I in emulators that display 100% sharp pixels! That's not how these games looked! In reality, graphics looked like the CRT-shaded footage on the left (recorded using a real small TV set); grungy, "organic-looking", and by no means like a mosaic! These old graphics on consumer CRTs definitely had an "analog" vibe.

It's amazing how much detail comes out when you use a good CRT or scanline shader compared to raw pixels. Unfortunately, due to poor eyesight and my cramped living room in a small studio apt, I sit closer to my display (LG 65" 4K TV) than is recommended so I don't get the full benefit of using shaders, and I was disappointed when I made the switch from 1080p shaders to 4k ones thinking it would be a spectacular visual upgrade. Right now I'm trying to find a good shader for my Nintendo DS emu (melonDS). I think I use Lottes in retroarch for everything else.

 

[Ash]

Kinda sucks that I played 99% of the games on that list already
What am I suppose to do, devs don't make games like these anymore -.-

Well hello there. Not often you see a fellow cultured individual in the wild.

What do? I'll tell you what: you replay the classics, preferably with mods that take them to the next level, and hunt down the quality indies (rarely recommended on mainstream sites). Gaming sucks nowadays but the incline is there, in the underground.

 

[cvv]

Of course they did. It's why, as amazing as the transition was from FF3 to FF7 was, I found the graphics a step down given how wonderfully smooth and apparently detailed things like fires and lamps looked when alight in the SNES game.

I've had the same experience when going from the C64 + small PAL TV and Amiga 500 + 15kHz Commodore monitor combos to a 486 equipped with a 14" SVGA monitor.

Can't remember the year anymore, must've been late nineties I guess, but I bought a huge CRT Nokia monitor at a time when the transition from CRT to LCD was almost over and 90% of people were using LCDs.

I couldn't fucking stand how games looked on LCDs, CRT looked so much smoother and nicer than the plasticky digital jigsaw puzzle that was the first LCDs.

I wonder if I can buy a 20 yo CRT monitor today, plug it in a modern graphics card and play my old GOG games.

 

[Rincewind]

I wonder if I can buy a 20 yo CRT monitor today, plug it in a modern graphics card and play my old GOG games.

Use DOSBox Staging instead of the ancient original DOSBox GOG still ships the games with. It's a mostly drop-in replacement, but with *tons* of extra features.

I implemented an authentic, zero-config CRT shader that looks as close to the real thing as technology allows.

My original release notes (with pictures):
https://www.dosbox-staging.org/releases/release-notes/0.81.0/#authentic-adaptive-crt-emulation

Check out our front page for more examples:
https://www.dosbox-staging.org/

EDIT: Image links might be broken in the release notes because archive.org is down... The front page works, though, as those images are hosted on GitHub (I will shovel over the rest when archive.org becomes online again...)

 

[Nostaljaded]

How about a doujin (jap indie) ero JRPG that should fit your artstyle request?
You can also then say tried it, and hated it.

Ah, wrong doujin eroge.

Oops, not this doujin eroge.

Aiyayah, ain't this d6-rolls doujin eroge.

The Heart of Darkness (Steam/GOG)
Top-down exploration with visible enemies & old school JRPG turn-based party combat.

Besides the 1st 2 ero events at home base and the story events during dungeoneering, all other ero events should be avoidable; skip-text hotkey is at your disposal.
(Recommend to play at 2x/3x integer-scaled resolution for high DPI screens)

As per screenshot, 4 starting classes to choose from.
For additional combat challenge, pick Hard Mode and/or remain underleveled by choice.

Mentioned this title a few times (this will the last), but to lukewarm responses/critics.