By Will Hebert
As a kid, a lot of the aspects of punk that appealed to me were also present in Japanese Role-Playing Games. Often, the stories of these were populated by outcast characters who chose to forge their own paths and go against others’ expectations. These characters chose to do what seemed right in their own minds, despite outward pressure to preserve the status quo. I mean, one of the genre tropes is the heroes having to fight God, who has given up on humanity and wants to cleanse the world of human impurity. What’s more punk than rebelling against the heavens just to assert your right to exist?
So, in that spirit, here are my top five favorite JRPGs. I have a few disclaimers to get out of the way. First, I’m only picking one game per series or franchise. Second, these aren’t necessarily what I think are the objective best JRPGs but rather my five favorites.
5. Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4
A quick note: Persona 5 is just as worthy of this spot… but I haven’t actually played that game. I’ve watched my wife play though it multiple times. In fact, she’s platinumed it, but I have yet to get through it myself. That said, the characters in Persona 4 are on par with their more contemporary counterparts, though limited the scope of their adventure may be.
Persona’s refreshing mix of daily life simulation and RPG dungeon crawling is on full display in all its glory here.
Will H.
This game revolves around a group of teenagers trying to solve a series of mysterious murders and kidnappings in their rural hometown, while also balancing their daily responsibilities. Essentially, it’s a hybrid between a life simulator and a traditional JRPG. One of the story’s central themes is self-acceptance, and it is generally handled very well. Characters often come literally face to face with the aspects of their personalities they fear or hate the most. It’s a game about confronting the darkness within yourself as much as confronting external evil, underlining the notion that you can’t save others if you don’t take the time to save yourself.
From a gameplay standpoint, Persona’s refreshing mix of daily life simulation and RPG dungeon crawling is on full display in all its glory here. What are you doing after school today? Are you going to work at your part time job or slay shadow demons born from people’s subconscious thoughts? This mixture of the fantastic and the mundane is something I love in games, and few do it better than the Persona series. Plus, Persona 4 lets you befriend a Mysterious Fox…so like, it’s the best one, obviously.
4. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
How many kids got into RPGs because of the Pokémon series? Well, I don’t know, but I know at least I did, and this entry is my personal favorite. Running on the same engine as Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver are remakes of the second generation of Pokémon games, which some consider to be the pinnacle of the series. And I find it kind of hard to argue with that. Not only does the game give players access to an interesting region, but it also lets them revisit the first game’s region in the post-game. But these updates push things just a little further, giving them the edge in my heart.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of these remakes, however, is how much better it does at fleshing out the Johto region.
Will H.
Aside from the upgraded graphics, these remakes introduced new Pokémon from the third and fourth generations of Pokémon games, expanding the roster of playable monsters significantly from the original. Plus, it added new content such as story scenes and explorable areas that were not present in the original games.
Perhaps my favorite aspect of these remakes, however, is how much better it does at fleshing out the Johto region. Towns and buildings show true personality and culture in their design that was only hinted at in the original second-generation releases. Towers that hinted at Japanese architecture elements in the originals become beautiful and striking Pagodas in these updates. Light touches such as street lamps dotting the streets of cities make the world feel more lived in. The steps backward are almost imperceptible, but the leaps forward feel like great bounds.
Plus, HeartGold will always hold a special place to me for being the first game I ever found a shiny Pokémon in, that being a Pidgey.
3. Chrono Trigger
There’s probably little I can say about this game that hasn’t already been said, and for good reason. The brainchild of Final Fantasy creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi, and Dragon Quest creator, Yuji Horii, this game had some of the best minds in the genre working on it. It is to JRPGS what the Alkaline Trio/Hot Water Music split is to early 2000s punk albums. Plus, it features awesome character and enemy designs by Dragon Ball creator, Akira Toriyama.
Exploration in the game is extremely varied, as the player traverses not only different areas of the world but also different time periods.
Will H.
The game looks fantastic even today, with its charming sprites packing loads of personality and expression in their limited pixel counts. Gameplaywise, it has classic turn-based combat but shook things up a bit by allowing characters to team up and perform especially powerful super moves together. These obviously had a lot of power behind them but would require both characters to have their turn meter filled and would also use up both characters’ turns afterward. Adding to the depth, still, was that characters and enemies would move around the battlefield during battle, and the player could try to wait for the enemy to position itself just right to strike optimally. But waiting for that chance would mean enduring more hits in the time it took to set those scenarios up.
Exploration in the game is extremely varied, as the player traverses not only different areas of the world but also different time periods. Even revisiting the same area is fun to see what’s changes, and certain actions taken by the player in one time period can have resounding effects in the future. There are entire quest lines built around this concept, and it’s extremely impressive even by today’s standards, never mind that the game was originally released on the SNES. In fact, the game in general holds up extremely well and continues to be a joy to revisit today.
All of this, plus the mind-blowingly good soundtrack make this a must play, and there are a few different versions of this title. My personal favorite is the DS port because of some added content and the obvious bonus of portability.
2. Dragon Quest XI
Remember when I talked about Yuji Horii at the beginning of the Chrono Trigger entry? Well, he’s back. In fact, Toriyama’s back, too. I’ll never understand people who complain about Chrono Trigger not having a sequel because of two things: First, there literally is a sequel called Chrono Cross. It’s very different, but it exists. Second, if you do want something more like Trigger, the Dragon Quest series features two of the three creative powerhouses behind that game. And there are 11 of them, so you’ll probably have no trouble occupying your time with them. Of these, the 11th and most recent entry at the time of this writing is my favorite.
These segments are even rendered in a charming 2D style reminiscent of the earlier games in the series.
Will H.
This game is a love letter to the Dragon Quest franchise, being filled with allusions and nods to previous games. In fact, the Switch definitive editions of this game even feature a series of side quests that allow you to revisit worlds from previous games in the series and solve various problems plaguing them. These segments are even rendered in a charming 2D style reminiscent of the earlier games in the series.
Putting aside the barrage of nostalgia this entry induces, this game is an extremely solid JRPG, featuring classic turn-based combat, a bevy of side quests, and plenty of areas to explore and secrets to find.
The main campaign is not the most difficult I’ve ever seen, but there are plenty of bonus challenges for players seeking a more grueling experience. There are secret bosses, super bosses, and extra rules the player can opt into to make the game more difficult if desired. Plus, you know, just stop leveling up if you feel things are getting too easy.
The game’s story isn’t the most inventive narrative, but it does feature a mid-game twist that I was really not expecting the first time I played through. Like, it seriously stressed me out seeing it all go down. Where the storytelling really shines in its character development. I think this is an area where the Dragon Quest series surpasses most of its peers, including the bulk of Final Fantasy games, and this entry certainly follows the lead of its predecessors. The characters who inhabit this world are complicated and are filled with motivations, fears, strengths, weaknesses…they have personality. I find that Final Fantasy often takes itself so seriously, it comes off silly and kind of juvenile, whereas Dragon Quest often comes off as silly but is serious under the surface. Once you get past the bizarre monster designs, the whacky dialogue, and the pun-based moves, the game deals with myriad serious topics. The characters experience grief. They celebrate victory. They mourn death. They try to help those they meet, but they cannot magically fix every scenario they come across, and the games conveys the weight of these situations. People die in this game, and they don’t often come back. It’s not just the heroes who get this depth either. Some of the most heart-wrenching moments are delivered by villains and side characters. If you like RPGs, I cannot recommend this game enough. Everything about it was a joy to experience and revisit.
1. Final Fantasy IX
Okay, I know I talked a bit of shit a while ago about Final Fantasy, but I truly do love this series, and this is my favorite entry. Similar to Dragon Quest XI, this entry is filled with various references to other games in the series and serves as something of a quintessential Final Fantasy experience. Series creator, Hironobu Sakaguchi has even gone so far as to say it’s the entry that most resembles what he always dreamt a Final Fantasy would look like.
And the love story in this entry is one of the best game romances I can think of. Both characters involved, Zidane and Dagger, are independently compelling and have agency.
Will H.
This entry has one of my favorite stories as well. Central to the narrative is the theme of identity; however, this story is largely about characters becoming who they choose to be instead of who they were born to be. This is a game about defying one’s supposed destiny rather than fulfilling it. Be they a princess who stands against her mother’s warmongering or a living weapon who chooses to live a life of peace, these characters look at what is expected of them and emphatically reject it. The Black Mage Vivi in particular has one of the most touching character arcs I’ve seen from any medium, and his message in the game’s epilogue chokes me up just about every time I read it.
The main character, Zidane, is also notable for breaking the Final Fantasy hero stereotype of being a mopey edgelord. As I mentioned earlier, I think this series’ propensity to have its heroes be these brooding silent types makes it come off as immature because it feels like it’s trying to be Important with a capital I. Zidane, in contrast, is fairly easygoing. He displays true happiness and kindness to those around him, with his highlighted quote in the game’s intro being, “You don’t need a reason to help people.” Yet, he’s not played off as a boring do-gooder. He’s literally a thief and is often admonished by other characters for his less-than-noble profession and lack of refinement. His arc is about grappling with the drive to help others in his own way, despite the expectations set out by others, fitting nicely with the theme of the game. He is the embodiment of chaotic good; an outcast striving to do the right thing, often in the wrong way.
And the love story in this entry is one of the best game romances I can think of. Both characters involved, Zidane and Dagger, are independently compelling and have agency. In fact, there are several points when they are separated, and the player follows them concurrently. But the player experiences them getting to know each other and sees them grow together in an organic way. Each character stands on their own, and it’s truly beautiful to see them become close. In fact, the relationships between all of the characters are a highlight. Everyone grows closer, and the player sees friendships develop throughout the narrative. Every character gets to grow as a person, and the experience really benefits from this.
From a gameplay standpoint, the combat runs a little slow, and exploration suffers from the 2D backgrounds struggling to convey walkable paths clearly, but the first issue is solved easily with the speed-up option on modern ports of the game, and the environmental problems are fairly par for the course in PS1-era RPGs.
Plus, this game has some of my favorite minigames and side quests. I’m in the minority of players who actually liked the in-game card game, Tetra Master. Yeah, it kind of sucks at the beginning when all of your cards are weak, but as you level them up, the game gets way more fun. And the side quests here are mysterious and varied, and completion often leads to gaining access to secret areas, adding to the sense of wonder. Upgrading the game’s Chocobo mount and delivering mail to Moogles across the world stick out as highlights, and the latter culminates in the discovery of an underground post office filled with the adorable flying cat-things. Not to mention the Zenero/Benero family quest that went undiscovered in the west for 13 years after the game’s release.
There’s just a lot to love in every aspect of this game. The world is interesting and fun to explore, and players are often rewarded for doing so. The characters feel like real people and are often complicated. Even villains have their reasons for their actions, and it’s not hard to see everyone’s point of view.
