There are many varieties of role-playing games, including those originating from Japan (JRPGs). Due to their popularity, JRPGs are often the first to come to mind when discussing the RPG genre. With historically stellar JRPG franchises like Final Fantasy and Persona leading the charge, many ofther great JRPGs get lost in the shuffle and forgotten.
These near-forgotten JRPGs may not always come to mind for players, but that doesn’t lessen their standing as fantastic games.Games like Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure and Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines have their place in the genre despite being overshadowed by the likes of Final Fantasy and Persona.
Oreshika Failed to Garner Attention on Both PS1 and PS Vita
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is the PS Vita remake of the PS1’s Ore no Shikabane o Koete Yuke, which was never released outside Japan. The game places a heavy emphasis on breeding, which is to say the player’s character has to produce offspring with members of their clan or party. This way, they can ensure that their descendants will be increasingly powerful in combat than the character they start as.
For a PS Vita JRPG, it’s a very intricate system. It didn’t catch on with players for the original PS1 release and likewise failed to gain popularity on the Vita. When combined with the unique roulette-based battle system, which can reward players immensely, there’s no reason Oreshika should remain in obscurity.
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure Is Exactly What Its Title Claims
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, as suggested by the title, is considerably more rhythmic compared to most JRPGs, even compared to the famously music-heavy Disgaea games. As far as combat is concerned, this means battles tend to play fairly quickly, with players expected to perform multiple attacks in quick succession.
Poetically, the game’s story is almost Disney-like, with the main protagonist, Cornet, out to rescue Prince Ferdinand from the evil witch Marjoly. This is a neat gender-role reversal that has gone unnoticed for so long. It’s not as if NIS, which made the game, could have done anything different regarding its musical numbers.
Shadow Hearts: Covenant Shouldn’t Stay In the Shadows
Shadow Hearts: Covenant is a horror game that happens to incorporate RPG elements. Case in point, the in-game world has all sorts of Lovecraftian horrors lurking within that Karin Koenig and Yuri Hyuga have to stop. Beyond this alluring premise, the game makes substantial improvements upon the first game’s mechanics.
Here, the signature Judgment Ring is now customizable, allowing the player to adjust timing for faster attacks or slower, more powerful strikes. This contrast between horror and action should’ve been enough to allow the game to fly off store shelves. At the very least, Shadow Hearts: Covenant needs a remake.
Arc Rise Fantasia Is a Forgotten Throwback
Arc Rise Fantasia serves as a return to tradition for the JRPG genre. This is especially true of the game’s story, which closely resembles that of earlier Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest titles, with mercenary L’Arc Bright Lagoon and his party having to take on the nefarious Feldragons.
As far as gameplay is concerned, Arc Rise Fantasia is made to be a return to basics, with the game’s Trinity Battle System allowing only one party member to attack at a time. It serves as a nice introduction to JRPGs for casual players, which makes sense considering the game was released for Wii. To the contrary, however, its Wii release may have limited its visibility for most gamers.
Vagrant Story Goes Full Solo
Vagrant Story is notably hard, even by JRPG standards. This can be attributed to the fact it’s a non–turn-based action RPG and it has only one playable character, Ashley Riot. He alone must investigate ties between several government officials and a dangerous cult that has untold influence.
It might be a difficult game, but that makes it all the more intimate. Because Ashley goes at it alone, players can focus solely on upgrading his stats and making him as powerful as possible. It does become a little melancholic at times, which is one reason the game went unnoticed by most gamers back then.
Jeanne d’Arc Turns History’s Greatest Lady Into a Video Game Hero
Jeanne d’Arc was released for the PSP, which may have undercut the game’s performance at the time of its launch, given the console’s relatively niche market outside Japan and Europe. That doesn’t do justice to how the game transforms Joan of Arc, one of the most powerful women in history, into one of the best female video game heroes.
Here, Jeanne leads an army against demons, who have made appearances in an alternate version of the Hundred Years’ War. Jeanne d’Arc is a turn-based tactical RPG, albeit with a plethora of unique twists. Mainly, the game utilizes a rock-paper-scissors mechanic to determine characters’ strengths and weaknesses. This affects their performance in battle, where one party member will be better suited over another.
Eternal Sonata Should Last Forever
Eternal Sonata is set within the subconscious of real-world composer Frédéric Chopin, more specifically during a dying dream of his. Without delving any further, it is one of the most beautiful, melancholic video games ever made. Its portrayal of the final hours of one of history’s greatest composers is breathtaking in every way.
For what it’s worth, the gameplay does justice in paying tribute to Chopin. Not only are his compositions played throughout in one way or another, but the game’s weapons and characters are all music-themed. More bittersweet is that even many diehard PS3 fans never heard of it.
Resonance of Fate Is a Little Complex, but Still Worth the Challenge
Resonance of Fate was developed by tri-Ace, the same studio behind well-regarded JRPG franchises like Valkyrie Profile and Star Ocean. Unlike those two, Resonance of Fate never attracted the same level of attention, despite having the hallmarks of a tri-Ace game. Mainly, the game has its own unique battle system, dubbed the Tri-Attack Battle System.
Whereas other RPGs have one life bar, Resonance of Fate gives players two, with each bar decreasing depending on the type of attack. Enemies are given these bars too, and to drain them, players can deal scratch damage from submachine guns or direct damage from grenades. This system might be a little complex for some gamers, but for others, it gives them a nice challenge.
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Terranigma Can Literally Change the World
To put it shortly, Terranigma has players rebuilding the entire planet Earth from scratch. This entails main protagonist Ark having to help evolve life into a higher form, as well as taking on an assortment of foes that stand in the way of progress.
The important part about Terranigma is that, the more enemies Ark defeats, the more energy he’ll acquire to help replenish Earth’s vitality. The most fulfilling part is being able to create whole new towns and villages for players to manage. This all sounds complicated, but if Terranigma was remade today, it could do very well commercially.
Skies of Arcadia Is a Victim of the Dreamcast’s Short Life
Skies of Arcadia was released for the Dreamcast near the end of its lifespan, which limited its reach. Even the later GameCube release failed to make it a major talking point when discussing retro JRPGs. Why the game never completely caught on is unclear, given one unique quality that sets it apart from other JRPGs: the fact virtually none of the game takes place on the ground.
Instead, players fly an airship to a myriad of destinations. From there, players can battle it out against enemies in the sky in a way that feels considerably more euphoric than the grim fights in Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. In all, what sets Skies of Arcadia apart from its contemporaries is that the game really shows the sky is the limit.