r/JRPG • u/pneumoniahawk519 • 1d ago
Recommendation request Recommendations for somebody coming back to the genre
Hi there sorry if this ends up a long winded post.
I am looking for recommendations for games to start playing through on my channel. I started it a few months ago and have been playing horror games mostly but I’ve recently started playing Final Fantasy pixel remasters and FF7 Rebirth and have kind of fallen back into love with the genre and come November I’ll be making a hard pivot and changing directions.
I grew up playing FF mostly and played up until X, XI being online only sucked as a kid in a rural area because I couldn’t play it. But I never got into too many other series, I played Star Ocean Until The End of Time when I was younger but never beat it, I played some fire emblem and dragon quest games but I couldn’t tell you which because I don’t remember and that’s going back 15/20 year for some of them.
So I’m looking for recommendations for some games preferably ps5/4 because that’s what I can record right now. There’s a lot of stuff I haven’t played and I’m not entirely picky.
I’ve picked up a few games recently from a local shop that I’ve never played FF XII, Nier Automata, Valkyrie Elysium, and The Diofield Chronicles. Are there any good? I just kind of bought them because they were cheap and looked alright and we’re done by SquareEnix. Ill be picking up FF Tactics at the end of the month too since that a my S tier FF game.
Anyways, thank you in advance for recommendations, I’ll reply to anyone who comments because I genuinely want to have discussions about games I’ve missed out on and I know there’s a lot. So please tell me what I should try out for current games, what your favourites are currently, etc
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u/Significant-Tap-684 1d ago
Yakuza: Like A Dragon is technically the 7th game in its series but is the first JRPG in its series and is kind of a reboot in that you don’t have to play any of the previous games. There’s a real theme of returning to adventure after a long time and adjusting to how things have changed and it’s a 10/10 story, a classic job change system, and so forth. Can’t go wrong
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
I own like a dragon but never played it. I actually bought and played infinite wealthlast Christmas and loved it, I always meant to go back and play like a dragon but never did for whatever reason. I’d love to get into the whole Yakuza series too, I really like the characters in it
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u/medicamecanica 1d ago
Star Ocean 6 is the newest one and I felt pretty overlooked, I consider it pretty fun.
Diofield and Valkyrie Elysium are pretty mid, but honestly those are the kind of games that are covered less so maybe that works for your channel?
Trails in the sky remake is what I'd call a big release in the JRPG scene coming later this month. Maybe that'd be worth it.
Clair Obscur is also a big game this year, might even be game of the year.
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
I’ve heard a lot about Clair Obscure but never actually played it. Does it live up to the hype I hear?
Star Ocean is a series I’ve always been interested in but just never actually done. If I play 6 how confused am I going to be? Are the characters separate from past entries like FF games are? Or is it an ongoing story?
I’ll have to look into Trails in The Sky, I’ve never heard of it before
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u/medicamecanica 1d ago
I would say clair Obscur is a very good game, maybe on of my favorites of this generation, but it also has a heavy timing/parry system despite being turn based so be ready to have reflexes tested if you try it.
Star Ocean is the same universe but they're fairly separate. Taking place in different planets and/or many years apart.
Trails is a series thats been going on since the early 2000's by Falcom, whose actually one of the oldest JRPG devs. The series takes place in the same world and different arcs, but this happens to be the very first entry remade. The demo is out and is the first chapter of the game. Save transfers to the main game too!
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
I’ll have to give them a chance then. I’m not worried about timing and parry in Clair Obscure, between being a Dark Souls vet and playing a lot of FPS games online like COD I have pretty fast reflexes. Good to know also that Star Ocean is in the same universe but not same characters I was worried I’d have no idea what was going on but if that’s the case I’ll give them a shot too.
I’ll have to look for that demo aswell, these all sound like pretty solid recommendations, thank you so much, I’m actually really looking forward to these
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u/PneumaMonado 1d ago
Some extra context on the Trails series.
Trails in the Sky is a remake of the very first game, but the series currently consists of 13 interconnected games with a continuous story across 4 arcs.
The first arc, the Liberl Arc is a trilogy consisting of Trails in the Sky FC, SC, and The 3rd. The remake, The 1st is a remake of FC, with a remake of SC also hinted at already being worked on by series producer Kondo. This Arc takes place in-game year S.1202 and 1203.
The 2nd arc, the Crossbell Arc is a duology consisting of Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure. While you can start here, quite a few plot threads and characters carry forward from the Liberl arc so it's not recommended. This Arc takes place in-game year S.1204.
The 3rd arc, the Erebonia Arc is a quintilogy consisting of Trails of Cold Steel 1,2,3,4, and Trails into Reverie. You can also start here with Cold Steel 1 and 2 being mostly standalone, but the latter half of the arc definitely expects you to have knowledge from all the previous games. The first half also takes place in parallel with the Crossbell Arc, with the arc spread across in-game years S.1204-1207.
The 4th and latest as of now arc is the Calvard Arc. A trilogy consisting of Trails through Daybreak 1 and 2, as well as Trails beyond the Horizon. A 4th game is also expected to close out the arc in the future. The best starting point outside of Sky imo as very little knowledge of previous arcs has been required thus far. This Arc takes place during in-game years S.1208 and 1209.
TL;DR The proper play order from the beginning is: Sky FC / 1st Remake -> Sky SC -> Sky 3rd -> Zero -> Azure -> Cold Steel 1 -> Cold Steel 2 -> Cold Steel 3 -> Cold Steel 4 -> Reverie -> Daybreak 1 -> Daybreak 2 -> Horizon
If you like huge interconnected stories like this, you're in for a treat. Even if you don't, Sky FC and SC together make a great standalone story, then you can keep going if you do want more!2
u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
Goddamn that’s cool, I didn’t realize there was so much with that game. I do love a good story that is interconnected. I’m going to look into this series more and probably get into it soon
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u/anyrotmg 1d ago
Romancing Saga is the other big series from Square.
To just dip your toe a bit, try the recent return of the 7, which is a remake of romancing saga 2
If you don't mind taking a chance to see what makes the series special, try Scarlet Grace or Ministral Song (remake of RS1). They have intricate battle system that define the series. Especially Scarlet Grace, it has one of the best battle mechanic. (Emerald Beyond is great too, i bought the game, but haven't played yet, waiting to finish Scarlet Grace first)
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
I’ve seen the name pop up a lot but never tried them, I’d actually love to get into this series
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u/dlo_doski 1d ago
Ni no kuni
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
I’ll look into this one, I haven’t heard of it before
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u/dlo_doski 1d ago
Its a very beautiful game, the art style alone make it worth while
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
Wow you weren’t kidding, I see that the first one had art done by studio ghibli, that’s insane. I’m definitely buying this
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u/dlo_doski 23h ago
I think its the same studio behind the film spirited away, if you have an xbox its currently on gamepass, highly recommend it👍
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u/pneumoniahawk519 21h ago
Yeah that’s studio ghibli, I never realized they worked on a game. I’m on PS so no game pass for me but I found a copy on Amazon for like $20 Canadian so I’ll probably pick it up later this week when I get paid, I like to buy physical copies when I can anyways.
Thank you for this recommendation though, I’m extremely excited to play through it because just the screen shots alone look so beautiful, I love their animation and writing style
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u/MrMiniMuffin 1d ago
Check out the selection ot Atlus games. Good variety to find exactly what you're looking for. Persona is more casual laid back experience (while still having moments of challenge). And you can choose between playing one of their newer games like P5, or if you want one of their older ones they just remade P3.
SMTV is a fantastic yet more challenging Atlus game. More focus on mechanics and dungeon crawling if you want something more "hardcore".
Metaphor Refantazio is somewhere in between. If neither extreme is to you taste.
All are great games, really can't go wrong with any pick here.
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
The Persona games look really good, I just didn’t know where to start. Metaphor actually looks really cool too and my local shop had a copy of it super cheap, I almost bought it too.
I’ve hear that the Persona games are extremely long, is there any truth to that? A guy I work with is pretty big on them but told me once that they’re crazy long
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u/cheekydorido 1d ago edited 1d ago
Yah, they are persona 3 r load is probably the shortest one and took me almost 90 hours to beat lol, granted i played it on hard and too my time with it.
Persona 5 royal should be even longer.
Despite their size i would recommend them as well, the stories are a bit childish and the dialogue i way too long winded, but they are very fun and addicting games.
They are based on time management on a calendar so very good to play in short bursts.
If you have gamepass you can play 3 reload and metaphor. Can't go wrong with either of these three. Persona 4 remake has been announced already if you're interested, but base game i still very much a good time.
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
I’m on PS so no game pass for me, I like owning physical anyways. My local shop has metaphor for $20 CAD right now and a few of the persona games for around that too so I’ll have to pick them up this weekend.
Which Persona game would you recommend the most? Which one do you feel has the best story and gameplay? I’m not opposed to a more childish story, sometimes it’s a nice break from the ultra serious game entires I’ve been playing
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u/cheekydorido 1d ago edited 1d ago
My pick for a first persona game would be reload 3, it has the best and more mature story imo, and the gameplay while fun, is worse than p5 and metaphor, because it takes place mostly around a very big and repetitive dungeon, tartarus, while the other games are a lot more varied so playing them after isn't as big a shock.
Then persona 5 then metaphor, in that order, would be my recommendation. Metaphor is a significantly harder game than p3 reload and p5, so that's why i recommend playing it last.
But really can't go wrong with either
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
Alright I’ll keep that in mind. In what way is Metaphor more difficult if you don’t mind me asking? Is the difficulty spike just massive in the game or is it something else?
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u/cheekydorido 1d ago
It has a job system similar to ff5 so there a lot more mechanics involved, and persona 3 and 5 have some systems that make the games a cake walk like being able to one shot random encounters in 5 or the special attacks in 3 reload.
None of them are balls hard tho, and you always have difficulty settings, the original series, shin megami tensei, is another matter
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
I’ll keep that in mind, based off your rec I’m gonna try and find reload 3 first and start it either when I’m done playing Rebirth again or maybe play it alongside it
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u/cheekydorido 1d ago
Hope you like them.
Aside from persona i would also recommend dragon quest 11 S and Octopath traveler 2 (no need to play 1), for recent JRPGs.
You should be able to get them cheap too.
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
Octopath Traveller is one I want to get, it looks and sounds so good
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u/LilianaLucifer 1d ago
Demon Roots
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
Never heard of this one and can’t seem to find it on Psn, what platform is it on?
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u/CronoDAS 1d ago
For the record, Demon's Roots has explicit sex scenes, so you might not be able to stream it live. (I think they're optional, though.)
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u/pneumoniahawk519 1d ago
Thanks for the heads up, I’m not streaming so I’m not super worried about it. I’m just making videos of my playthroughs and it’s more for me and just kind of a hobby anyways.
Tbh I don’t even know if my PC would be able to run it, I’m saving for an upgrade in the new year, I’ll still keep this game in mind for then though, I’m not opposed to playing games with graphic content as long as the story is good and I can always censor parts like that out
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u/lavayuki 1d ago
For turn battles I highly recommend the Persona games especially 5 Royal and 3 Reload. I also recommend Metaphor, that was my favourite game I played this year and it’s highly rated, would recommend that as a top class JRPG especially if you like older FF games with the job system and more historical Europe kind of setting with kings etc.
If you like FF, then FF16 is great. It is action rather than turn based but is easy overall, and you have helper accessories if you needed those. Solid story, medieval Europe setting, excellent voice acting (has my favourite voice acting of all FF games to date).
If you want to try anime style action JRPG, then the Tales and Ys series are definitely worth a go. Ys 8 and 9 are on the ps plus extra catalog, both solid games, 8 is better than 9.
From Tales, I recommend Arise the most as it’s the newest and easiest to play. Other good ones on modern console are graces F, Vesperia and Berseria.
A few other mentions are the Kingdom Hearts games, the pack is good value for money especially if on sale as there are a few games in it.
Caligula 2 if you wanted something more niche, it’s a school setting.
Atelier series- can look a bit fan service like but the alchemy and gameplay is great. Light on story, these are certainly more character focussed games. Easy ones to start off with are Sophie, Ryza and Escha & Logy. The newest title Yumia is action battle, rest are turn battle.
For a challenging game, Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance.