The Top Ten JRPGs You've Never Played

Sure, there are tons of Japanese RPGs out there. Chances are if you're a fan of the genre, you can easily name off many great RPGs like Final Fantasy, Persona, Kingdom Hearts, and Disgaea. But what about the great RPGs out there which fell through the cracks? Typically victims of dying systems, these games were well received by the few who actually play the games.

10. Luminous Arc 2 (Wii, 2009)

Starting off is a title with much higher fan ratings than the professional reviews gave it credit for. It's a Strategy/RPG which improves upon a number of elements of the original LA. If you liked any of the Final Fantasy Tactics titles, there's little chance you can go wrong here. Don't worry if you haven't played the first - you can play the second with no knowledge of the series, but playing the first does enhance the experience. The humorous, fanservicey characterization is a strong selling point for LA2. Much of the art is hand drawn and of course, very anime-stylized.

While LA2 did sell better than most of the titles on this list, it has remained outside the mainstream of JRPG fandom. I would blame the relative unpopularity of the Strategy/RPG genre compared to traditional RPGs, which is a shame considering how absorbing Strategy/RPGs are.

9. Class of Heroes (PSP, 2009)

Another recent title, CoH is a dungeon crawler, featuring the ability to customize a party from the outset of the game by choosing race, gender, alignment, and major. Combat is turn-based. Much of the gameplay hearkens back to older RPGs whose main aspects were centered on exploring dungeon after dungeon. To proceed to the next dungeon, a player needs to grind for levels while exploring the present dungeon, else become unable to survive getting to the next. The game is praised for being original in spite of the old school style dungeon crawling. It features fairly balanced gameplay as well as interesting monster and dungeon design.

Up to this point, the game's sales are somewhat weak despite decent fan ratings, having only sold in the range of 20-30,000 units as of this writing. The fan ratings of CoH disagree with the comparatively low professional reviews sharply enough that CoH belongs on this list.

8. Mana Khemia: Student Alliance (PSP, 2009)

Next on the list is this remake of the PS2 title, Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis. It's a turn-based RPG which mixes in achemy elements, an involved system of creating equipment through various ingredients and materials. Visually, the game is very anime-oriented with heavy usage of hand-drawn character portraits as well as sprite-based characters. The storyline is one of the more recent stylings of JRPGs known as campus-style - heavy elements of academics and school life in general.

The PSP port upped the features of the original by adding a multiplayer battle mode and reducing load times by caching data on a memory stick. So, of the two versions, the PSP version was the clear pick for this article. Despite generally strong ratings, the game has only sold several thousand copies in North America as of this writing.

7. Breath of Fire III (PSP, 2006, originally released on the Playstation in 1998)

BoF3 was first released on the original Playstation. The game had mild success and while not especially favored by professional reviewers, retained a cult following. Arguably it's the most well-received title of the series. However, the most recent release of the series, Dragon Quarter, as well as its developer Capcom placing priorities on its other flagship titles has left the Breath of Fire series by the wayside. The PSP remake of BoF3 featured relatively few new features - some recolorations, an art gallery, and an item drop from the final boss. Unfortunately for people in North America, the game was never released. Despite this, it was released in Europe so the game is still very much playable in English.

Fans of BoF3 applaud the clean graphics for its time. During a time when RPGs were prone to gritty, pixelated graphics, BoF3 stood out with a notable lack of grit. Combat is tradtionally turn-based and generally very straightforward. Battles actually take place without switching to a battle scene, keeping load times minimal. The story sees the main character, Ryu, start as a child and eventually grow up, while finding out about the world he inhabits and his destiny as a dragon.

6. Dokapon Kingdom (Wii, 2008)

DK is unlike your average JRPG. It's centered around multiplayer and has something of a board game interface. What's to like? DK is not as involved as your usual RPG - you can sit down with other live human beings and poke fun at it, without feeling like you're ruining the experience. That's right, it's an RPG with social elements to it!

Players pick from three classes at the start - warrior, magician, thief, with later classes unlockable as you play the game. The world map is actually something of a board game, with movements dependent on a spinner. Easily the most entertaining part of DK is the fact that you get to mess around with the other players in any number of ways - hiring assassins, messing with the local king and shifting the blame on someone else, stealing stuff, you name it.

5. Mega Man Battle Network 6 (Gameboy Advance, 2006)

Another victim of the GBA's last days. It was the final installment of the Mega Man Battle Network series, featuring two separate titles (think Pokemon) - Cybeast Falzar and Cybeast Gregar. It takes place months after Battle Network 5, with the two main antagonists giving MMBN6 its name - the Cybeasts.

The Battle Network series is a spinoff of the Mega Man storyline, featuring an alternate version of the Mega Man Universe. It's generally a standard RPG with internet-based subtext, but the battles are more Action/RPG oriented with card game elements. MMBN6 is fairly faithful to the Battle Network series, but it was largely ignored because the Gameboy Advance was on its last legs.

4. Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2 (Gameboy Advance, 2006)

Ah, Super Robot Wars. SRT:OG2 was not only a victim of a dying system, but the entire series is a victim of licensing. The series itself is basically a crossover with many, many giant robot animes put together with an actual storyline. But, thanks to licensing, the only games which could be released in North America officially were ones with original, made-up robots. As such, the only games in the series which could be released were the Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation line which used no licensed robots whatsoever. Most people who would have wanted to play the game are put off by the lack of robots from licensed animes.

However, the game retains a loyal fanbase because as it turns out, the game itself is actually very good. Gameplay in SRT:OG2 is described as being similar to the popular Fire Emblem series. It's recommended to play both Original Generation 1 and 2 if you're interested in the storyline.

3. Shining Force III (Sega Saturn, 1998)

A good way to ensure low sales in the North American market in the late 1990's was to release your game on the Sega Saturn. So many gems passed us by because the system itself was floundering. Marketers often decided it wasn't worth the effort to release good JRPGs in English. Thankfully, a couple of them actually did make it here.

Shining Force III was probably the most famous of these. It was released in three separate games, each with their own completely different storyline, all of which overlapped each other. Each one could be played without having played any of the others, but to gather the entire storyline a player would need to play them all. Despite its fairly high popularity in the NA market due to its Genesis predecessors, the game was never really given much of a chance. It was released around the time that Sega had removed its support for the Saturn. Because of this, only the first of the three titles was released. The one SF3 which did get released is absolutely worthwhile to own without being able to play all three scenarios and is a worthy title for any avid Strategy/RPG fan.

2. Knights in the Nightmare (DS, 2009)

A very unique title! It has strategy/RPG, and shooter elements. Battles take place on a grind in the sense of a Strategy/RPG. The player controls a wisp via the DS' touchscreen, which travels from point to point and gives orders to allied units. Attacks are even controlled by the direction in which the wisp is manipulated on the field. Complicating this is that this wisp is always under fire from the enemy. Story is told uniquely as well; rather than a straightforward storyline, we see events in the past unfolding as the story progresses, which influences events in the game's present.

Reception for this game has been virtually nothing but positive, yet the game itself hasn't sold especially well. If you like Strategy/RPGs, I suggest picking this title up before it becomes too scarce and the price rises.

1. Panzer Dragoon Saga (Sega Saturn, 1998)

A bit of a strange title. Let's not kid around here - it's a cinematic experience on the Sega Saturn; the graphics are dated. Yet, the game still manages to maintain a solid cult following. What does it do right? The developer, Team Andromeda, stopped at nothing. Literally. Every single piece of dialogue is voice acted in Japanese, the cinematics are about as high in quality as it gets for a Saturn game, and the sound is fantastic. PDS does many things unconventionally from your average JRPG as well. You don't have much to worry about with inventories or equipment lists. Even exploration is done with a crosshair interface which streamlines the process in what is usually considered a good way. The only issue with the streamlining of the gameplay is that the experience is short - only 15-25 hours, all told.

Predictably, the battle system is also unconventional. You fight your battles on the back of a dragon, using a gun or the dragon's breath. Enemies have multiple contact points, of which there are usually weak points, adding to the level of strategy in the game. They're also dynamic - you don't simply stay in the same position in relation to the enemy at any given time, and your relative position effects the points on your enemy which you can target.

In any case, Panzer Dragoon Saga is a title which should not be missed if you have the opportunity to get your hands on it. It's an experience you cannot get with any other RPG. What a pity that it was released as a Saturn exclusive, as this title deserved to be played by more people.

Sources:
Sales figures come from VGChartz.com.
Fan ratings are generally taken as a composite average of the scores listed in game profiles of gamefaqs.com, which also takes into account professional reviews via GameRankings.com.