Japanese RPGs have come a long way in the past decade. No longer are these games ignored for being too niche; most gamers around the world ha🐷ve embraced them, and some developers have even made their own games in a JRPG style. And with the ever-increasing popularity of anime, even anime-style JRPGs have found a passionate fanbase.
So, it’s no surprise that 2019 was a great year for JRPGs. We had plenty of exciting releases like 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Ni No Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Final Fantasy XIV Shadowbringers and 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Kingdom Hearts 3. Mosꦫt of these games sold well and were warmly received.
But, as a testament to how the quality of JRPGs has soared over the years, there were also plenty of JRPGs that flew under the radar in 2019. These games range from origina💛l games to sequels and even remakes, and they are all worth ꦇthe time of any JRPG fan.
10 Fate/Extella Lꦯin🌼k (Metacritic Score: 75)
The Fate franchise is a maj🌄or franchise when it comes to anime and manga. The manga has sold millions of copies, while the anime has produced multiple seasons, some of which are the most defining anime of this era. So, it’s a bit of a surprise to see that the video game adaptations are not garnering anywhere near as much popularity.
Fate/Extella Link is the latest video game in the Fate/EXTRA saga and the sequel to Fate/Extella. A new tꦚhreat has arisen in the form of the ‘Great Emperor’. He forces various servants to team up to try and stop him.
9 Sag♕a: Scarlet Grace - Ambitions (Metacritic Score: 76) 💛
Initially coming out in Japan in 2016, Saga: Scarlet Grace – Ambitions came out in the re💫st of the world in 2019. The game is the 12tꦰh entry in the series and the first one in English. It follows the journey of four heroes as they travel the world after the defeat of the Firebringer, a fallen god who had wrought havoc on the world.
The player controls one of these four characters, and each one has a distinct storyline. So, Saga: Scarlet Grace – Ambitions is basically four JRPG storylines rolled into one. This s♏hould please gamers who love replayability in their ga🅺mes.
8 Atelier Lulua: The Scion of ꦅArland (Metacritic Score: 78)
Atelier Lulua: The Scion of Arland is the fourth entry in the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Atelier franchise that started with Atelier Rorona. It focuses on Rorona’s daughter, Lulua. They live in a small 🌼border town in the Arland Republic, and Lulua dreams of overcoming her mother when it comes to mastering alchemy.
Atelier Lulua is one of the most relaxing and inviting light JRPG experiences. It doesn’t focus on being gory, having adult themes, morally grey characters or being excessiv🍸ely difficult. Instead, the main character is a bundle of exuberance 𝐆and energy, while the plot is simple but entertaining.
7 🐓 The Legend of Heroeꦦs: Trails of Cold Steel II (Metacritic Score: 78)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II continues the story told in the first Trails of Cold Steel II game, starting one month after its ಌpredecessor’s ending. In this game, Erebonia is facing a civil war, and Rean wakes up in the mountains close to his hometown, unaware of the fate of his friends.
The gameplay is also similar to its predecessor🥃, in that it involves turn-based battles and includes tﷺhe Combat Link System. However, there are a few changes, like new modes of transportation, a new Overdrive mode and more lines of English dialogue for English-speaking players.
6 ꧃ Etrian Odyssey Nexus (Metacritic Score: 81) 🐼
Etrian Odyssey Nexus is intended to be the last entry in the franchise, which comprises of old-fashionജed turn-based JRPGs. This final game has 19 classes, which include roles from all the previous games. In addition, it includes a new Hero class, with characters whose fighting ability is almost superhuman. Players can have 5 characters in their party, so they are f🧸ree to pick their favorite classes.
The dungeons in the game are roughly the same size, but the game also has secret paths and plenty of hidden discoveries. The discoveries might help the player, make their progress more challenging, or even help out with a🎉 quest.
5 ജ The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel 𓄧III (Metacritic Score: 82)
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel III takes place one and a half years after the civil war in Trails of Cold Steel II. Like its predecessor, the story revolves around Rean Schwarzer—who is now a professor in the military—along with his old friends and his new students. He uncovers a plot that threatens his homeland, and he has to prepare new heroes♔ and guide them.
The gameplay i🍨s like its predecessors, but T🌌rails of Cold Steel III adds features like the Break System and Brave Order, which add a new dimension to battles.
4 𒁃 Octopath Traveler (Metacritic Score:🅰 83)
Octopath Traveler is one of the most fascinating JRPGs of 2019. Even though it is one of the bestselling games on the Nintendo Switch, its 2019 Steam release was not met with too much fanfare; probably because its competition included the likes of168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Yakuza 5, 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Heavy Rain, F1 2019 and168澳洲幸运5开奖网: Super Mario Maker 2.
The game lets the player control eight different travelers, each with their own roles and storylines. They have distinctive abilities, and each decision they make helps to shape their own unique path. The turn-based combat syst💖em is a delight, and the various branching storylines are worth experiencing for every JRPG fan.
3 Dragon Quest Builders 2 (Metacritic Sc♓ore: 85) ﷽
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is an action block-building JRPG that takes place after Dragon Quest II. The story revolves around the Children of Hargon, who wan꧋t payback against the descendants of Erdrick that defeated Hargon. To achieve this, they try to eliminate every builder and prevent people from building anything. The player controls a builder, called the Hero, who opposes the Children of Hargon.
The plot is easy enough to follow, especially since players don’t need to have played the previous entries to get the plot. The gameplay is also not overly complicated. With an open world to explore and an engaging combat system, Dragon Quest Builders 2 is one of the best games in 2019.
2 🏅 Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark (Metacritic Score: 86) ♉
The PlayStation 4 release of Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark is the highest-rated port of the game, with a Metacritic Score of♚ 86. The game is a turn-based JRPG with strategic battles and a deep, involving storyline with more than 40 story encoun🐻ters. The game’s class system is deep, with 300-plus abilities and over 30 skills, which make each of the player’s characters truly unique.
The game focuses on Arbiter Kyrie, whose role is to preserve order and stability thr✃oughout the lan🍒d. He and his party members—each of whom is customizable in both abilities and classes—take on various challenging encounters.
1 ๊ Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age (Metacritic Score: 91)
The Definitive Edition of Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age, which came out in September 2019, is the best version of the game. That is not faint praise since the game is already considered one of the best JRPGs of all time. It might not garner as much attention as the likes of Call of Duty, but it’s arguably better in its own way.
Even though this is the 11th main entry in the series, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes Of An Elusive Age – Definitive Edition has new characters and a new storyline that will entice both new and returning play🦹ers. The world is beautiful, the combat is immersive, and there are a ton of things to do.