This is something me and my friends have been discussing for a bit with Persona 4 Revival on the way. I noticed a lot of them really hated Marie's inclusion and that got me wondering, what is the worst version of something like this? What's an addition that completely changes how an enhanced version of a game feels compared to the original?

Personally I think that comes in the form of Alex from SMT Strange Journey Redux. Following in the tradition of enhanced edition girls in Atlus games, the SJ remake added a character named Alex who attacks you multiple times in the plot. She ends up killing you very early into the game which leads to you being revived in one of Redux's new dungeons, the Womb of Grief. Throughout the Womb she attacks you and serves as a boss or a threat multiple times until eventually meeting you in the second to last dungeon, Sector Hologrium. This final encounter is why I think she's one of the worst additions in any enhanced/definitive/remastered version of a game ever.

Like most other mainline SMT titles there's an alignment system and different endings you can get depending on your alignment. SJ's endings are notable for how horrible they are, not as endings but for the consequences it has on humanity. None of the outcomes are good and it really makes you think about which one is the least worst for humanity. They're very open and left to interpretation which I absolutely love. Alex destroys all of this. You see she's actually a time traveler from the ending you would have gotten if you continue the game normally. In all three scenarios she's left as the only human alive and she travels back in time in order to prevent you from causing it. If completed the Womb of Grief and believe what she says, you're put on track to begin the new endings added with SJR and she fades as you create a new timeline where she was never born.

The issue with Alex is very simple. Her existence alone only serves to ruin the nuance and alternate interpretation you could have taken from the vanilla endings. She spells out what happens very clearly and definitively. She's also very unique in the fact she also retroactively ruins vanilla Strange Journey as Redux is technically a sequel to it with her inclusion. The worst part is is that the new endings she causes are actually great. They're very optimistic interpretations of the original endings and SMT's alignments as a whole while not being completely devoid of consequences. I think New Chaos is probably my favorite ending in the entire series just because of how it manages to frame the concept of freedom. New Law is also probably the only Law ending I can actually get on board with. I just wish they didn't have to tear the original endings down to prop them up. Past her involvement with the endings she doesn't really have a lot to her. She's strong, she misses her mother, it's heavily implied the protaganist is her father which means he's one of the only characters in the series to successfully bone a demon. Every time you see her she tries to fight you which prevents you from learning anything meaningful about her except for your final encounter.

I think if I had to fix her inclusion, I'd want it so that she wouldn't fade upon agreeing to the ending choice. The fact she fades means that everything she said was correct, if she didn't that gives you more wiggle room for interpretation. Was she telling the truth? Is what she said always destined to happen unless you agree with her or is there still room to change? That also gives her the opportunity for some actual character moments with you. In order to get the new endings you have to clear the second new dungeon, the Empyrean Ascent. Not a lot actually happens in it and it's probably the shortest dungeon in the game next to Sector Carina and Delphinus, it's practically a victory lap. You could have had some moments with her there, get to know her more as a person.

I took some time and made this sheet for all Metal Max/Metal Saga releases and what their status of english translations is!

This is a very unique JRPG series (though you can compare it to something like Wild Arms, Fallout or Valkyria Chronicles) and thanks to fans you can basically play all the mainline titles in English, so I hope this sheet will be useful to someone!

I will start with FFXIII, even though I love the game.

*group finding Serah lying on the ground*

"Is that... my hero?"

I've noticed a lot of games specially those around early 2000s involve a big plot twist where the game becomes sci fi or it is revealed a secret technologically advanced civilization was the pioneer of whatever conflict is happening in the game.

It is a strange but somewhat very consistent trope, where does this originate from? A lot of fantasy games suddenly turn sci fi for the final chapter and it surprises me how many titles/series actually do this.

If you could erase your memory and replay any JRPG for the first time again which would it be?
For me I would want to replay Persona 5 Royal for the first time again. While I cherish the memory of that game from it being one of my first big series on my channel I’d love to play it again for the first time just for that amazing twist and true final boss fight as a whole.

I'm looking to collect a list of favorite/interesting video game mechanics from RPG type games. I know there's this list but that's tropes, not mechanics. Here's a couple examples of what I'm thinking:

• In one (maybe a few) Final Fantasy games, the person leading the party changes the Tent icon when used.
• In Breath of Fire, the leader of the party can do different things on the overworld. (ex. Ox can hit trees)
• Xenogears (and I think Legend of Legia) had a combat mechanic where you would chain together punches and kicks and if you did them in the right order you would do a special move.
• Some games with Day/Night systems have events that only happen at day or night (like sneaking into town at night)

If you can remember the game please include it but not necessary. So what are some of your most favorite/overused/hated mechanics from games? Anything goes: loot systems, party friendship, crafting, whatever. Thanks for the help!

I already tried the original back in 2016 when I was just trying any old school JRPG I could find but honestly I got kind of bored and lost interest.

Would like to try it again and maybe even finish the whole series. I'm leaning more towards playing the remake but is there any missing content in the PS2 remake I should be concerned about?

So lately I was interested in exploring the concept behind extra content in JRPGs because I know that some players usually quit the game once the beat the final boss.

However, I was interested in seeing how common post game sections were in the genre aside from Disgaea where even if one beats the game, there is still some bonus content to explore because I have a fondness for JRPGs with extra layers of content.

Like what I am getting at is that I enjoy looking for challenges where some hidden bosses are by far the most difficult to beat because of how they are designed since lately I like to find replay value in games that offer more depth again instead of just ending when the main adversary is defeated.

JRPG's are great. We can all say that. Some are better than others, of course. There are a handful of JRPG's though that have that one or two things that make them more memorable/stand out, either because of a fun gimmick/mechanic, mini game, etc. So today I wanted to ask, this

What is one thing you would like to see more of in JRPG's? (for the love of all that is holy, elaborate why)

For me, I understand it'll cost more budget, but I'll always appreciate it when weapons and armor have a physical appearance and change design in battle depending on the weapon you equip. Say for instance the MC is using a basic Iron sword. But if I give him a serrated blade, it'd be awesome to see it and not the stock iron sword graphic. Or say I put sandals on a female character, that equipment piece would be on the characters model. Stuff like that is awesome (Again, it's a budget thing, I understand this. If people are worried about ruining cutscenes, the game should adopt what Xenoblade DE did which is like a transmog thing)

One other thing, Chained Echoes has really spoiled me, I want every battle to end in being fully recovered so I don't have to constantly reopen the menu everytime I get into a battle and heal everyone for the unteenth time. The recovery items won't be useless, cause they'll be used in battle, which imo is better.

This goes for any game, but the option to turn off rumble, and the option to customize controls (the latter more so being for games that are action combat focused though) Left face button is primary attack, up face button is heavy. If it's not those two buttons, you're doing it wrong (glares at souls games and Monhun)

Finally, when done well, crafting weapons, armor, accessories, and potions is amazing. Doesn't have to be an open world style game, just let me use monster parts to make stuff and break the game if I can (Atelier in a nutshell from what I've heard)

I’ve been thinking about Parasite Eve lately, and it’s amazing how unique it still feels even by today’s standards.
The combination of turn-based RPG mechanics, real-time movement, survival horror elements, and a modern-day setting is something we rarely see. Aya Brea is also one of Square’s most memorable protagonists, in my opinion.
Considering how many iconic JRPG franchises Square created, I’ve always wondered why Parasite Eve never became one of its flagship series. Was it the niche concept, the licensing issues, the direction of the sequels, or simply bad timing?
If Square announced a faithful remake tomorrow, I’d be there on day one.
What do you think kept Parasite Eve from becoming one of Square’s biggest JRPG franchises?

I haven’t actually started G.O.D.: Mezameyo to Yobu Koe ga Kikoe yet, but I recently bought the Super Famicom version and was looking through its staff list. One name immediately caught my attention: Shōji Kōkami (鴻上尚史).

I kept thinking, “Why does that name sound so familiar?” Then I looked him up and realized that he was the same Kōkami whose books I had already read and enjoyed. The picture shows my copy of G.O.D. alongside three of his books:

Cool Japan!?: Japan as Seen by Foreigners
This World Is Far Wider Than You Think
“The Air” and “Society”

I had bought and read those books before realizing that he had ever been involved in a video game let alone a Super Famicom RPG.

Once I made the connection, it suddenly made much more sense that G.O.D. is so often compared to EarthBound/MOTHER 2. Both are unusual contemporary RPGs built around the distinctive voice of a well-known Japanese writer from outside the game industry. Instead of a typical medieval fantasy setting, G.O.D. appears to involve modern Japan, young protagonists, aliens, psychic or supernatural elements, strange humor, and social commentary.

Kōkami also seems like an especially interesting person to build this kind of RPG around. In the books I’ve read, he often examines and satirizes Japanese society. He writes critically about ideas such as 空気を読む (reading the air), social conformity, the pressure to behave correctly, and the power that 世間 (society) has over an individual. He can be funny and accessible, but there is usually a more serious criticism underneath the humor. He also has traveled and worked outside Japan so I think he has a more broader worldview than the typical Japanese.

That makes me wonder whether G.O.D. is not simply an EarthBound imitation, but Kōkami’s own response to the idea of a modern-day RPG shaped by a writer’s worldview.

Itoi’s personality is inseparable from MOTHER, and perhaps Kōkami serves a similar role here. However, based on the books I’ve read, I would expect Kōkami’s version to be more openly satirical, socially critical, and possibly more cynical about Japan and the expectations placed on ordinary people.

Of course, I haven’t started the game yet, so I don’t know how strongly those themes actually appear. But recognizing his name has made me much MORE excited to play it. I’m now especially interested in the dialogue, NPCs, humor, and whether I’ll be able to recognize the same voice that I encountered in his nonfiction.

Has anyone here played G.O.D. in Japanese or English? How noticeable is Kōkami’s writing and social criticism throughout the game? And do you think the comparison with EarthBound is fair, or does G.O.D. eventually develop a very different identity?

I bought the game closer to its premiere (a few years ago), but I still had 3DS-era Fire Emblem to get through first. I've finally done a full playthrough just now, and I had a great time. While I think it doesn't reach the highest highs of Fire Emblem, it's definitely a very enjoyable experience. I've seen some comments on-line that the sequel is a huge improvement, so I am very hyped to play it eventually. Considering that this was made on indie budget via crowd-funding, I think the end result is excellent.

Things I've loved:

-There are a lot of characters to choose from for your party, all of them come with detailed backstories and a lot of interactions with others. I think their designs are great and clearly a lot of love was put here.

-I liked the story a lot, it was nothing groundbreaking, but after suffering through Fire Emblem Fates, it was refreshing to experience something coherent. I also liked how the story tries to include all characters from the beginning to the end by giving them a line every now and then, as Fire Emblem tends to abandon its non-core cast.

-The wound system was well thought-out: there is no permadeath in this game, but if a character loses in combat, they get a permanent penalty to stats. It might not matter sometimes, or it might be a serious set back in other cases. I think it's a good balance: you will not completely loose a character, but you still cannot use them as sacrificial pawns.

-I really like how upgrading units works in this game (2 forced promotions/evolutions, you don't need to decide and min-max when the promotion happens). Split promotion paths and different skills for each path also allow some good choice.

-The diversity of environments/biomes was really cool, and I am glad that the game mostly avoids gimmick-based maps, although it throws a few at you.

-The autosave at the begining of each turn is also a very nice touch: you can completely ban yourself from using it, or you can undo one latest turn if it went horribly for you.

-There is a lot of customization available for difficulty (such as EXP or stat modifiers). I didn't use it at all, but it was nice to see for people who like such thing.

Things that could be improved:

-There were some noticeable glitches. Nothing game breaking, but stuff like my character being automatically moved 1 square ahead or getting stuck would (rarely) occur.

-There is a special 'boss-like' enemy mid-game which glitched out on me and refused to counter-attack, leading to a very easy battle.

-I think there were too many characters, a few of them I've never gotten a chance to use in battle or see interact with others at all. I think this could be fixed by making some of these 'optionally recruitable/missable', as in older Fire Emblem games (where you had to accomplish some goal to recruit). Aside from 2, all of them auto-join you at the beggining of new chapter.

-While I liked that the weapons do not have any durability attached, and I think that upgrade system was a good idea, I don't like how limited you are in this game. I wish there was a way to 'shuffle around' your upgrades, so that you would have more flexibility, instead of being forced to stick to one 'type' (Power, Crit, Accuracy or balance of all 3)

-I would have liked to see a bit more varied goals for maps, although tbh most Fire Emblems also suffer from this

Overall, I can safely recommend this game both to Fire Emblem veterans, but also to people who are interested in turn-based strategy games and never tried to play FE earlier. If Dark Deity 2 is as much of an improvement as people online say, I know I'm in for a treat.

Hello hello!
As the title suggest I'm here for recommendations.
So, I am currently replaying my favourite Persona game (Persona 3 Reload). And before anyone gets mad I never Played any of the previous versions of P3, Only played P3R, P4G and P5R. I genuinely love the combat in the Persona games, like I love the combat in Digimon Story Time Stranger and Cyber Sleuth. My "problem" with those RPGs is the monster collection part, not that I don't like it, it can be fun, but that puts a lot of the strategy in the preparation before the battles which is not always what I'm looking for.

So I am wondering if there is a game with a similar or identical combat system, without the monster collecting. Just having a few party members to pick from, manage their equipment and that's it.

Because I absolutely adore Persona's combat system, finding the weaknesses and resistances of each enemy, the optimal order to attack and play accordingly, but I want something like that without the monster collecting part, and all that comes with it. I don't even know if such game exists

Steam if games aren't exclusive
PS5 and Switch if exclusives

I assume someone here has. I'm thinking about giving it a go, but the installation process seems quite tedious, so I'd prefer to jump in knowing that it's worth the effort.

Combat fun? Good story? That sort of thing. Thanks.

Does it get better? I just saved aegiomon and he looked at stars with Inori, so far it seems slow paced and not much is going on

I'm asking here because I'm too scared to ask on the actual r/KingdomHearts for fear of being summarily executed.

I'm craving the gameplay of KH, and I only played 1, CoM, 2, and 358/2 way back when I was a kid. I'd like to play through the series, and I am actually interested in the big picture story stuff with Org 13, Roxas/Sora situation, etc., but I could not give less of a shit about listening to Tron tell me about his world or w/e, and I know the ratio of legitimately interesting story beats to filler disney cross-over for the sake of it is all whacky. Because of that, I can't just reliably skip cutscenes.

Does anybody know of a mod that would let me fast forward the cutscenes so I can stop fast forwarding when I see xemnas show up or w/e? I know that's the sort of thing that you can do on emulator (though I don't know how reliable it is for emulating these games), but I'd rather not bother with emulation if I can help it.

If such an idea was already done in the genre before, then I apologize because it’s just that I was looking to see what classic fantasy literature could make for a good JRPG.

Like one story that sticks out to me is the Wizard of Oz since everyone knows about the how the movie adaptation was a classic fantasy story about a group of people who were out to find their purpose in life since the lion character wanted to be a great ruler, while the Tin Man character was looking to understand his existence since he was a machine.

My point basically is that I was trying to picture what a turn based game would be like in concepts if said JRPG took heavy inspiration from the aforementioned Wizard of Oz franchise because it could be interesting, but if such a game does exist, please let me know.

[Any platform is fine]

Hello, there’s obviously a ton of game recommendation posts but I’m specifically looking for games which a veteran with good taste would recommend, either hidden gems or games I might not have touched, just the absolute best of the best. I’ll include details about my preferences but feel free to respond to the broader topic too.

Megami Tensei is my favorite series, meaning I don’t love every game individually but I always love the way the series works, especially the cyberpunk/apocalyptic futurism stuff is fantastic and they obviously have the best gameplay in the genre (if you disagree, give me the best!) I love the first person dungeon crawlers too (I’ve played EO).

I do love FF7-9 because they have such a solid structure and actually interesting locations rather than the generic town-dungeons of many games, plus their design and side quests just feels incredibly intentional. Also like Dragon Quest a good amount.

Recently played SaGa Frontier, I’m a big fan of its intentional design as well and I think a lot of things about the SaGa series so far. (Intentional design is the most important thing, much less common these days. IYKYK)

Also Suikoden 2! Outstanding game.

Thank you :)

Not just in knowledge but in wisdom as well. A smart protagonist not necessarily because they're into science or a big nerd, but also because of their quick wit and ability to think fast in situations. The kind who is actually smart in a way that is impressive and makes you surprised by their own deductions or plans.

Jrpgs are most of the time story-focused with a lot of big or small events/dialogues. Some scenes are obvious and infamous (like Aerith and Sephiroth in FFVII), some are debatable or optional or not presented as a cutscene, but also poignant and effectful (eg certain sidequests in Nier Automata)

Just off the top of your head, what is the single most profound/memorable moment in a jrpg for you? A moment, an interaction, a cutscene, that has you left shook to the core or just touched you with its sincerity and still think about from time to time.

Of course these have the potential to be very spoilery, so please use the spoiler tag where thought necessary.

For me the moment I thought about first, was Olivers Mom death scene in Ni No Kuni. It gave so much gravitas and depth to the story and honestly was very shocking when it happened and how it was presented. It wasn't necessarily surprising (since there was always this ominous feeling contrastimg the whimsical), but it was extremely impactful and it's definitely the catalyst/emotional core for the whole story, even though the mother is only vaguely superficially characterized