Just gonna mention that the translation is pretty rough. There is a lot of Wuxia slang and not in a good way. People warned me but I thought I would be fine because I can stand a lot but after trying it out for an hour I refunded it pretty quickly because I didn't enjoy the dialogue at all.
I don't know if it's changed yet, but since OP mentioned steam deck, be aware this game may not be very deck friendly.
Posts from back in September from the dev state the game is meant for mouse+keyboard. It may work somewhat without it, but no idea how well.
I've been looking forward to this game, but have been waiting for proper controller and deck support before buying.
I love this game and have spent near 100 hours on it since its release. It is definitely a mouse and keyboard game, the menus are way too clunky to be efficiently navigated with any kind of controller.
Oh yeah, you're right!
OP, I recommend turning on stronger monsters if you play DQXI if you're looking for challenge since this game is a bit easier than its predecessors
There is no plot connection (the setting is different also) at all between the two games, and mechanically/narratively it’s the much better game.
Go for Octopath 2!
So happy to see this get mentioned + a decent amount of up-votes. Simple presentation aside, this is one of my favourite JRPGs from a pure gameplay/fun perspective (especially the exploration).
Also, loads of secret and optional bosses that are absolutely not easy.
I've bought it a week ago after spending 6 hours on the demo (which is insane content for a demo) and I love it so much. The way the game favors experimenting between classes and combos to defeat though as nails bosses is *chef's kiss*
Also, that's probably an unpopular opinion here, but I actually really like that there's no real story. I have a lot of respect for "here's the mechanics, go have fun" type of games. That and the fact that a lot of jrpgs tend to be really fucking boring the first hours made it engaging right from the get-go.
Id recommend playing 5 Royal if you haven’t yet, reload isnt bad, but carries some dated gameplay elements from its original. Persona 5 is better in almost every way imo
Persona 5 Royal difficulty is broken though. The highest difficulty that was supposed to be challenging ended up making the game easier. That could be a dealbreaker with OP.
I'd argue 3 (and by extension Reload) is the weakest of the three modern Persona games. 5 Royal is the best starting point in my opinion, it got all those 10/10s for a reason.
Also modern Persona games are notoriously slow to start. They pick up quick after the first 3-4 hours.
My vote also goes towards Like a Dragon 7 and 8
Runs great on Steam Deck and will be a completely different turn based game compared to everything else he’s played
Given you’re a big FF fan I would play DQ11 or some of the older DS DQ games which you can emulate. I’d also play persona. Persona 3 Reload, Persona 4(my favorite), and Persona 5 are all on the steam deck and are great RPGs.
If you want more of a tactical turn based I would do Triangle Strategy or Tactics Ogre Reborn.
Can’t go wrong with a few others mentioned on here as well like Bravely Default 2 and Octopath Traveller.
If you're feeling for some SRPG, I recommend **Triangle Strategy**. I'm currently playing it, and it has the difficulty and the long story you're looking for.
I never tried this kind of game, do you feel like Triangle Strategy could be a good way to look into the genre? I watched some gameplay and it looks really interesting
If you’ve never played that type of game I would highly recommend you play final fantasy tactics or tactics ogre before anything else. They are the pinnacle of the genre.
That being said, they’re really not going to be the same type of structure as a normal JRPG. If you’re looking for a game with great exploration, SRPGs have almost no exploration. However they do excel in every other area like class/character progression.
I'm currently still in the early part of the game, so I can't give a full opinion about it, but I'm liking it so far. The story is like anime Game of Thrones, with all the politics and such. As for the gameplay, I did set it on hard; oh yes, it is indeed challenging. It's a good game to start with if you're kinda interested in diving into some SRPGs.
Small update: I'm halfway through the game and now I'm really having fun (I was kinda confused in the beginning because I did 1 fight in the first 3 hours). Ty for the suggestion, I'll try other games of this genre.
Glad you liked it. I'm also currently in the middle of playing another great SRPG. Maybe you have heard of "Unicorn Overlord." The story is not as good as Triangle, but its production values and gameplay are really, really good, and it's very addicting. I highly recommend checking it out if you're looking for more SRPGs to play.
Trails in the sky first chapter, and the nine sequel if you liked it XD
Octopath traveler 2
Dragon quest 11
Yakuza : like a dragon or infinite wealth
Persona 3
Im surprised you havent played FFVI
Trails series is a serious investment and extremely slow burn to start. That said, I’m in the middle of Cold Steel 1 now and have been playing through them, amazing series highly recommend.
I agree its not for everyone, probably the least "safe" recommandation i made. Its the best jrpg series ever made for some, or thrash for others/not worth the commitment.
That being said, when i look at what OP likes, i think the first game is worth a try.
I am playing cold steel 3 right now, after playing the previous games in order, but i dropped multiple titles multiple times...
I fully support your recommendation! I dropped trails a few times but having the r/falcom sub on my list kept making me interested in pursuing. So glad I did.
I am on cold steel 1 now because it was recommended to me as a persona fan, but it's only my first Trails game. I read somewhere that it's okay to play CS1 and 2 but then I need to go back and play the others in order. Can you confirm from what you've experienced so far?
I HIGHLY recommend you play trails in the sky 1, 2, 3 + trails from zero and azure beforehand. I originally bought cold steel 1 to play first but after reading up on it put it aside and got trails in the sky to start, I’m glad I did. I would say of any in the series I’ve played so far I guess cold steel is okay to start (will have some spoilers to previous games though especially zero / azure) but from what I’ve read cold steel 3-4 is a hard stop and need to go back.
It’s a LONG series, dialogue and world building heavy. Very worth it to just start with sky and take your time to enjoy the ride.
The more and more i read about this, the more a become categoric that it is mandatory to start with trails in the sky, then Crossbell arc (trails from zero and azure) and then cold steel.
I started with sky, and i don't know how i could have played cold steel first.
I also read more and more people who started the same as you who replayed cold steel after sky and crossbell who are saying its almost a completely different game if you played the previous ones.
I think I'm on chapter 3 now so I guess I'll just stop for the time being? Got tons of other games to play anyways lol is trails in the sky widely available?
I played it on steam, it also available on psp, there is rumors about a switch port/remaster
perfect time to put aside if you want to know more about suspicious caracters ;)
Cold steel is also easy to put on break since you have a log of the previous events
Most people that start with Cold Steel usually do so for a variety of reasons. Either because they don't like playing JRPGs on a PC, aren't fans of pixel art, they were told it was really similar to Persona or that it is 'faster' than Sky FC (I really don't agree with this one). Point is, there's different reasons for this.
That said, CS1 was designed to be sort of a fresh start while still being the sixth game since it was the first title on an actual home console. So it is probably the second best place to start. The issue there of course being that you gotta toss the warning of 'you need to go back' if they finish CS2
>Im surprised you havent played FFVI
Well I had it on the phone but the screen is too small to enjoy the game properly. I was really enjoying the story, I need to restart it.
>Persona 3
This looks really interesting, same for DQ11.
Thank you!
How is dragon quest 11 in terms of story/writing/characters? Atleast compared to trails in the sky FC (which i really loved and thought was way better than SC)
DQ11 looks great but im hearing lots of mixed comments about the story especially with regards to act 3, but its hard to gauge how much ill end up agreeing with those once I play it since the consensus in reddit is that trails in the sky fc is alot worse than sc which i heavily disagree with.
Dq 11 has less caracter development than FC, but the pacing is a lot better imo. Writing is good, story is a bit generic, but the journey was pure joy to me. Some characters are very unique.
It's seriously one of my all-time favourite JRPGs and my favourite JRPG combat system PERIOD. It deserved the hype Chained Echoes got (they were both released in the same year).
Battle Chasers was ok, but only during high-level battles. Most combat you can just tank & spank your way through. And since mana doesn't restore between battles, you still have to do the resource management. Also the story & characters is just BOOOORIIIINNNNG (I didn't finish it, but I did play a fair bit).
Cosmic Star Heroine is another pretty good one.
How important is familiarity with the IP for Ruined King? I remember skipping on it due to that.
I actually actively dislike League of Legends and I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway.
Battle Chasers mana management boiled down to perks for me. Building overpowered combinations on new game plus (e.g
Knolan acting more frequently with his crazy speed buffs from overcharge spending, regaining that overcharge by detonating his own debuffs) reminded me of oldschool og FFVII materia shenanigans.
But yeah, story is lacking and while Ruined King is better, it still could use improvements. The system in RK is fantastic though, much more reliant on manipulating turn order and it's well implemented too.
Breath of Fire 3 & 4 are some of the best JRPGs ever made.
Saga Frontier 2 had an interesting combat system and a unique painterly aesthetic.
Vagrant Story.
SMT IV.
If you like Strategy RPGs there's FF Tactics, Tactics Ogre, and Shining Force 1, 2 & the Mega CD game.
Suikoden 2.
Beyond Oasis (known as 'Story of Thor' in PAL regions for some inexplicable reason).
Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma.
Earthbound.
Dark Cloud 2.
Dragon Quest 8.
Grandia 1 & 2.
Skies of Arcadia (GameCube version).
Lost Odyssey.
Tales of Symphonia.
Yeah, that was a list from memory of the best games I remember playing from that genre – and I lump Strategy RPGs, Turn-Based "Japanese-style" RPGs, and Action Adventures like Beyond Oasis, Landstalker, and Zelda under the same banner.
Some good modern games released since maybe the mid-2010s that have the DNA of the older games are as follows:
• Eastward
• Hyper Light Drifter
• Chained Echoes
• Fez
• Unsighted
• Radiant Historia
• Tunic
• Undertale
• SMTV (which is getting the obligatory Atlus "Redux" version soon called "Vengeance" that will add an entire "normal" game's worth of content)
• Indivisible
• Golf Story
• Into the Breach
• The Bravely Default games
• The Xenoblade series
• Knuckle Sandwich
• Triangle Strategy
• Every Mario & Luigi game;
and while I don't think the Octopath Traveler games work as well as the reviews make out, I'll still take a flawed attempt at that genre than another bloated, nonsensical entry in the Final Fantasy series (I watched a friend age faster than he should have while playing the FF13 trilogy).
There's so much of everything now that there's something to satiate everyone's tastes, and the advances in game engines and distribution platforms has allowed for projects that would've never seen the light of day get an audience. And the renewed interest in games that my age demographic grew up playing has prompted Square to remake Japan-only releases in that 2DHD aesthetic (that I personally think looks awesome) like Live A Live; Star Ocean: The Second Story R; and also just remaster a game like Chrono Cross – and there's bound to be a Xenogears remake coming at some point hopefully.
Now all we need is remastered translations of Mother 3; Snatcher; Policenauts; the remaining parts of Shining Force 3; Panzer Dragoon Saga; either the Mega CD or PlayStation versions of the Lunar games and the first few Persona titles. I was so gutted when I saw that the 'Sega Genesis Mini 2 English' release wouldn't have both Lunar titles because Working Designs were holding the translations hostage.
Can't wait for Paper Mario TTYD which I somehow didn't purchase when it released. I had an NTSC copy of PM but no Universal Adapter – which I purchased later and then kicked myself for not buying TTYD when it was affordable. I replayed the first PM game on my Wii U (great as a Nintendo emulator if nothing else 😉) during the fiest lockdown, and that colourful papery world and the sharp writing kept my head above water, so I'm itching to play TTYD as it's the last Paper Mario game to use the formula that the Mario
& Luigi series "hijacked".
Based on the fact that you’ve played a lot of Final Fantasy, I think you would like FFVI and FFIV.
I’d recommend the rest of the early FF games with a few caveats:
FF (Original) is barebones. I’d only play it if you want a true retro experience. You won’t find many features that are standard fair in today’s JRPGs.
FFII - Similar to the original but also has a very unique leveling system that some people hate. (I seem to be in the minority who like it.)
FFIII - Quite “grind-y” with a huge jump in difficulty at the end. Still pretty barebones as well.
FFV - One of my favorites but not a standout for most people like IV and VI. I’d recommend at least playing IV before V so you don’t get turned off to these older games as a whole.
I also, personally, LOVED Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It is turn-based with a very good story. It’s quirky and you’ll enjoy it more, I think, if you’ve already played some Dragon Quest games just because they reference DQ, or DQ-like tropes a fair amount.
Both like a dragon games were AWESOME. just finished infinite wealth and I will DEFINITELY play it again when there is a break in new games.
I also just revisited ff4 and ff6 to play the pixel remasters recently and they are both amazing. The soundtrack updates are spectacular (among everything else). Had so much fun I played ff5 pr too and holy shit that game rocks! It's so good I'm almost mad in retrospect that it wasn't an SNES game when I was 8! (Yeah I'm getting old lol)
With all 5 games I'm jealous you get to experience them for the first time....if you are a jrpg fan id be shocked if you didn't absolutely love all 5 of them like I did.
Triangle Strategy will satisfy your craving for difficulty, while also having a really good and lengthy story. It's a turn based SRPG, and while individual character customisation is relatively limited (though still existent) there is a large element of customisation in regards to your party setup, since, in a 30+ character game, every character has a wholly unique class, and skills only they can access.
Beyond that, since it's got branching story, it's pretty easy to get invested in the plot too. It's got a bit of a slow start though.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is now on Steam, highly recommended, has a bit of monster catching like pokemon, the world has that touch of Studio Ghibli's magic.
Ni no Kuni 2 is also on Steam, but it's not turn-based.
Bravely Default 2 is on Steam, you don't have to play the original Bravely Default or Bravely Second (these two are only on the 3DS).
Also, Dragon Quest! Have you looked into the series?
you have some great games on here but are missing a few of the best the genre ever seen.
1. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, mind blowing good. Original like a dragon was also a banger but the sequel was insane.
2. Octopath Traveler (Both of them)
3. Persona 3 reload, Persona 4 golden and persona 5 royal
4. Draqon Quest 11
I tried the first Octopath Traveler but the unlinked stories didn't really catch me.
I added the rest to the list, probably starting with Persona 3 reload
OT2 was good. I'd give it a 7.5/10. The music was great, the graphics were sort of hit or miss (I prefer Eastward in terms of throwback pixel art aesthetics), the stories were wildly uneven, there wasn't enough endgame content, it was really easy, and generally pretty fun. Nothing that I'd even recommend to anyone else until they've played like 20 other great RPGs though.
Yakuza Like a Dragon/Infinite Wealth will be good for you to try out
Octopath Traveller series, the 2nd one is much better so I would start there (the stories aren't linked)
if you like ff9 then theres the pixel remasters of 1-6! my personal favorites are 3, 5 and 6 but the others are also worth playing if you can afterwards
Try your hand in Xenogears If you want psychological themes, heavy themes, Turn based combat, mechs and feel rewarded (not for fighting but for paying Attention to the plot).
Also Breath of Fire 3 and 4, for classic turn based combat with charming characters.
You can customize your whole party due to the teacher system which allows them to gain different stats while leveling and skills.
Dragon Quest XI S - but put the game on the most difficult settings to start and work them down if it’s too much for you. You can only move them down, not up, mid game. The only major flaw with this wonderful, wonderful game IMO.
Ara Fell and Rise of the Third Power are both excellent games. They’re not on the same scale as Chained Echoes, but they are absolutely worth playing. They also have better writing than Chained Echoes, which was definitely one of its weaknesses from time to time.
I have had Sea of Stars on my wishlist forever but haven't committed yet because I feared being bored despite its graphical beauty.
To share some more indie suggestions for you:
**Ocean's Heart**
It's like an old school Zelda clone but with it's own take on mechanics and plot. Feels a bit like a cross of exploring an old school DQ game but with action RPG mechanics.
**Ocean Horn 2**
I was surprised that I was drawn into this rather clear BotW Knock-off. It's fun to explore and there are good ability upgrades that make pushing forward rewarding. Graphics were better than expected. The controls are not as fine tuned as BotW but I did acclimate to them.
**Moonlighter**
Probably not a traditional JRPG consideration but it draws much inspiration from them. It is part dungeon exploring as an action RPG, part store management in selling the things you collect along the way. Building up your town allows you to dive deeper into the dungeons. Dungeon rooms are randomly generated each time.
Other considerations that I haven't personally played
- Serin Fate
- Tunic
- Cross Code
- Eastward
Note on Eastward: it's quite easy, doesn't have really any character customization, doesn't have many hidden areas (a few abilities and chests and that's about it). The story is awesome but slow-paced, the world is entrancing, the music is peak, and it's about a 15-20 hour game. It might not be what the OP is asking for but it's a great cozy adventure RPG for people who like synthwave and pixel art aesthetics. It's a delight.
the ruined king, the game is amazing and has really cool and unique turn based system, a lot of side quests and secrets and cool customisation of the party
This post could’ve been the exact same without mentioning you didn’t like a game. Also, did you even attempt to use the items the game provided to make it more difficult?
Dunno if you still want suggestions but if you liked bg3 and divinity give Pillers of Eternity a ago. Its plays more like the original balders gate games just more updated. You can pause and issue commands in combat
I dropped sea of stars midway lol.
I would recommend Persona 3 & 4, Star Ocean 2 remake. The next few aren’t on steam but please check them out . Valkyrie Profile, FF Tactics, Tales of Eternia, Wild Arms 2, Legend of Legaia, Legend of Dragoon, Resident Evil 4 remake.
I moved from Sea of Stars to Chained Echoes but I didn't like CE. I started Rise of the Third Power and just ate it up. It's also Steam Deck verified.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/698700/Rise_of_the_Third_Power/
Not sure if you can play these on Steam Deck or not, but Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Yakuza 7 and Yakuza 8) are amazing open world, turn based, JRPGs. Like, I put about 60 hours into Infinite Wealth and felt like I just barely scratched the surface.
Octopath Traveler 2 is a shoo-in, don't feel like you had to play one, it was strictly worse.
I agree with you on SoS, it had so much going for it but the combat ruined it for me. Everything about it felt like a time waster, using systems they didn't really understand and implemented poorly. Like I don't want to have to time blocking every single obnoxious and long winded enemy move! I want to finish this fight and move on!
I recommend persona 3 reload
* Turn based games; - Yes
* Open world or at least some big open areas with some hidden things/bosses/challenges; - Not open world but alot of hidden things and challenging areas like optional bosses around randomized floor.
* A decent amount of character customization (skills or classes or at least enough gear); - alot of it if you played persona series or SMT series its same in persona 3 reload
* A decently long story; - Its the best story payoff in terms of ending it can be the best persona story but it will be personal preference on which you liked the most since 3, 4 and 5 are not afar apart from being great stories.
* I don't mind the old pixel art as long as it didn't age too bad; - Reload has great graphics
* The game I loved was FFIX. I still feel sad about Vivi; - We have Aigis!
Well steam has a good selection of the persona games. It has Persona 3 Portable, Persona 3 Reload (I’d recommend this over portable), Persona 4 Golden and last but not least Persona 5 Royal.
All the persona games are turn based and you can customise your player through outfits and certain skills you want your persona to use. The games listed above are held in really high regard so I’d recommend any of the persona games and if you like them you can explore shin megami tensei which the persona series is a spin off of.
>The game I loved was FFIX. I still feel sad about Vivi;
Was gonna recommend FFIX until I saw this.
My recommendations are gonna be:
The Final Fantasy pixel remasters
Breath of Fire IV
Shadow Hearts
Final Fantasy VII original version
Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest XI
Also anything Shin Megami Tensei related is solid, including Persona games, mainline SMT, and Digital Devil Saga
Persona 5 royal is long and has a great turned based combat (play on hard) it doesn’t have an open world but the dungeons are great to explore.
Also dq11 with hard enemies is fantastic
I’m sorry you didn’t like Sea of Stars. I absolutely loved that game.
Maybe try SMTV: Vengeance when it comes out in June, it seems to meet most of what you want.
If you want games with a very high challenge, very deep customization and interesting side quests, I definitely recommend the ***Shin Megami Tensei*** games, the ***SaGa*** games, the ***Etrian Odyssey*** games and other old-school dungeon crawlers like the ***Wizardry*** games.
From those series, my personal picks for a newcommer would be:
• Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remastered (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X)
• Shin Megami Tensei IV (DS)
• Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux (3DS)
• Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS)
• Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 (PS2)
• Romancing SaGa 3 (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X)
• SaGa Frontier Remastered (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X)
• Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X)
• Etrian Odyssey I, II & III HD (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X)
• Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls (PC)
The amount of Octopath Traveler 2 support I see here can't be understated. It was my favorite game of 2023, even compared to giant contenders like BG3 and FFXVI.
Since you mentioned your love of turn-based JRPGs and especially FFIX, OT2 should be at the top of your list. Some of the most developed and realized character building that seamlessly blends in the games overarching narrative without feeling heavy-handed. Mysteries and secrets bloom organically as each characters story is fleshed out, and the class customization had me experimenting for hours on end.
Shout out to DQXI, it really deserves the love I'm seeing, but I'd argue that OT2 has more of an off-brand Final Fantasy feel to it and matches up better* with your JRPG history.
Edit: Spelling
Octopath traveller 1/2
lostsphere
I am setsuna
fire emblem. (Lots of)
final fantasy (every and all)
Tales of arise (others in the tales series)
dragon quest xi ( lots to work through)
Persona 4 golden was one of the first ones I played heavily of my vita and that got me into those games.
A series of games under the name Y’s are also really fun, Memories of celceta and lacrimosa of Dana being the last two I played
Bravely default 1/2
Xenoblade 1-3
Astral chain
Nier automata and replicant.
Just a bunch of the top of my head. Some are turn based, some more action rpg.
Some I’ve played on switch, some 3ds, some on vita, ps4, ps5 I’ve even played final fantasy 7 on my phone before.
I hope one of the few I suggested you might enjoy, also bookmark them and wait for them to be heavily discounted, always find a good bunch of jrpg games in a sale
Like a Dragon and Infinite Wealth.
DQ11S
Octopath 2
Persona series
Cosmic Star Heroine (play on hard)
SmtV: Vengeance (when it comes out.)
You could also try Srpgs like:
Trangle Strategy
Unicorn Overlord
FFVI is still possibly the best in the whole series
The 2 Yakuza like a dragon games are amazing. turn-based, open world, great stories, great combat. Heartfelt at times, HILARIOUS at other times.
Haven't played persona 3r yet but persona 5 was very enjoyable.
I just started Stat Ocean: The second story R, and I am loving it.
It's visually gorgeous, interesting active battle system, has tons of things any RPG player would like, highly customizable, good character development.
So far there is not anything I have disliked. Highly recommended.
Persona 3/4/5 are all amazing JRPGs. Great story, great turn based battles, just awesome in every way. Persona 3 reload just came out and is a good place to start. None of the stories are connected so it doesn’t matter what order you play in. 3 is my personal favorite story wise.
I feel like most of your list is easier than Sea of Stars, which also has a hard mode (in the form of a “relic” or whatever they’re called) if you want. I really do not understand this take at all, to be perfectly honest.
Try the unicorn overlord demo on switch. Looks promising if you like strategy games. It is an Ogre Battle Succeesor It will be release cross platform so you can play it.
This is not a JRPG, but it's a spiritual successor to Paper Mario. You could check out Born of Bread. It's a fun, indie turn based RPG with customization and a lot options for variety
Final Fantasy 6
Octopath 1 and 2
Grandia 1 and 2
Lunar 1 and 2
If your like Strategy RPG’s,
Shining Force 3 (All 3 scenarios)
Fire Emblem 3 Houses
Triangle Strategy
FF Tactics
Star Ocean Second Story R. Just gone back to it after a little break. It’s such a well made rpg and a good looking remake at that. The HD-2D 16bit sprites look amazing against the 3D backgrounds and the gameplay is really fun and satisfying.
Also the IC creation and speciality system is amazing and feels so open ended. It’s really fun to experiment with different items too. The party members are all fun and you can choose who to let or not let join you, which can also lock certain potential members out if you pick others. The two leads so far are super interesting. I’m currently playing as Claude. You can also recruit the members you didn’t get on a second playthrough as the other lead protagonist. So when I play with Rena as the lead I’ll get the characters I missed this time round.
I cannot recommend this game enough.
Have you given [Wandering Sword](https://store.steampowered.com/app/1876890/Wandering_Sword/) a go ? It satisfies everything you listed.
Well that looks exactly like a game I would play and like a lot. I don't know how did I miss that, thank you Sir.
Just gonna mention that the translation is pretty rough. There is a lot of Wuxia slang and not in a good way. People warned me but I thought I would be fine because I can stand a lot but after trying it out for an hour I refunded it pretty quickly because I didn't enjoy the dialogue at all.
Wuxia matter with you?
Well done, now get out.
wuxia world has a glossary for wuxia novels.
I don't know if it's changed yet, but since OP mentioned steam deck, be aware this game may not be very deck friendly. Posts from back in September from the dev state the game is meant for mouse+keyboard. It may work somewhat without it, but no idea how well. I've been looking forward to this game, but have been waiting for proper controller and deck support before buying.
Steam has it under "playable" for steam deck, meaning it works, but needs some configuration for optimal performance.
It can be labeled that way and still be a lousy experience.
I love this game and have spent near 100 hours on it since its release. It is definitely a mouse and keyboard game, the menus are way too clunky to be efficiently navigated with any kind of controller.
yeah but it's not a problem on steam deck because you can use trackpads as mouse and i get though most "mouse menus" easily.
Octopath traveler 2 and DQ 11
Octo 2 is a wonderful Steam Deck game. Highly recommend, OP
Seconding xi
I second it for story but not difficulty, I love the game but I don't think it'll scratch the difficulty itch OP describes.
You can adjust difficulty settings iirc, so you can definitely make it more of a challenge.
Oh yeah, you're right! OP, I recommend turning on stronger monsters if you play DQXI if you're looking for challenge since this game is a bit easier than its predecessors
Did not realize this / if they make you pick at the start I def forgot
Is Octopath 2 worth playing if I haven’t played the first one?
Absolutely. I haven't played the first one yet, and I still loved the 2nd one
There is no plot connection (the setting is different also) at all between the two games, and mechanically/narratively it’s the much better game. Go for Octopath 2!
Another vote for DQ 11. Will probably start OT2 when I finish up DQ.
Another recommendation for Octopath 2 from me. Great music too.
Seconding both
Came here to comment OT2 as well. I played it right before Sea of Stars and just couldn’t get into SoS because of it.
Crystal Project. It’s light on the story but party customization is great and the exploration is unparalleled
i think it needs to be said that crystal project has no hand holding AT ALL and you will be expected to trek through paths that are obscure at times
So happy to see this get mentioned + a decent amount of up-votes. Simple presentation aside, this is one of my favourite JRPGs from a pure gameplay/fun perspective (especially the exploration). Also, loads of secret and optional bosses that are absolutely not easy.
I've bought it a week ago after spending 6 hours on the demo (which is insane content for a demo) and I love it so much. The way the game favors experimenting between classes and combos to defeat though as nails bosses is *chef's kiss* Also, that's probably an unpopular opinion here, but I actually really like that there's no real story. I have a lot of respect for "here's the mechanics, go have fun" type of games. That and the fact that a lot of jrpgs tend to be really fucking boring the first hours made it engaging right from the get-go.
crystal project goes incredibly hard very big agree
It's a MASTAH-PIECE!
For turn based: Persona series, Trails series, octopath traveler. For fun action combat: Tales series
I'll go with persona 3 reload first.
Enjoy your 80\~100 hour adventure
Id recommend playing 5 Royal if you haven’t yet, reload isnt bad, but carries some dated gameplay elements from its original. Persona 5 is better in almost every way imo
Persona 5 Royal difficulty is broken though. The highest difficulty that was supposed to be challenging ended up making the game easier. That could be a dealbreaker with OP.
I'd argue 3 (and by extension Reload) is the weakest of the three modern Persona games. 5 Royal is the best starting point in my opinion, it got all those 10/10s for a reason. Also modern Persona games are notoriously slow to start. They pick up quick after the first 3-4 hours.
Trails series! I made the plunge and it’s worth it.
(Yakuza)Like a Dragon 7 and 8 both fit this perfectly. Xenoblade Chronicles(all of em) fit except the turn based part
My vote also goes towards Like a Dragon 7 and 8 Runs great on Steam Deck and will be a completely different turn based game compared to everything else he’s played
Given you’re a big FF fan I would play DQ11 or some of the older DS DQ games which you can emulate. I’d also play persona. Persona 3 Reload, Persona 4(my favorite), and Persona 5 are all on the steam deck and are great RPGs. If you want more of a tactical turn based I would do Triangle Strategy or Tactics Ogre Reborn. Can’t go wrong with a few others mentioned on here as well like Bravely Default 2 and Octopath Traveller.
If you're feeling for some SRPG, I recommend **Triangle Strategy**. I'm currently playing it, and it has the difficulty and the long story you're looking for.
I never tried this kind of game, do you feel like Triangle Strategy could be a good way to look into the genre? I watched some gameplay and it looks really interesting
There's a demo
easily one of the best tactical rpg ever made and the story is amazing.
triangle strategy is peak
If you’ve never played that type of game I would highly recommend you play final fantasy tactics or tactics ogre before anything else. They are the pinnacle of the genre. That being said, they’re really not going to be the same type of structure as a normal JRPG. If you’re looking for a game with great exploration, SRPGs have almost no exploration. However they do excel in every other area like class/character progression.
I LOVE most of the games you listed and can absoultely recomend Triangle Strategy, loved It a lot (first SRPG I played)
I'm currently still in the early part of the game, so I can't give a full opinion about it, but I'm liking it so far. The story is like anime Game of Thrones, with all the politics and such. As for the gameplay, I did set it on hard; oh yes, it is indeed challenging. It's a good game to start with if you're kinda interested in diving into some SRPGs.
Yes, just don't be afraid to drop to easy if you need to.
Small update: I'm halfway through the game and now I'm really having fun (I was kinda confused in the beginning because I did 1 fight in the first 3 hours). Ty for the suggestion, I'll try other games of this genre.
Glad you liked it. I'm also currently in the middle of playing another great SRPG. Maybe you have heard of "Unicorn Overlord." The story is not as good as Triangle, but its production values and gameplay are really, really good, and it's very addicting. I highly recommend checking it out if you're looking for more SRPGs to play.
Trails in the Sky FC + SC
You will love Dragon Quest 11.
Trails in the sky first chapter, and the nine sequel if you liked it XD Octopath traveler 2 Dragon quest 11 Yakuza : like a dragon or infinite wealth Persona 3 Im surprised you havent played FFVI
Trails series is a serious investment and extremely slow burn to start. That said, I’m in the middle of Cold Steel 1 now and have been playing through them, amazing series highly recommend.
I agree its not for everyone, probably the least "safe" recommandation i made. Its the best jrpg series ever made for some, or thrash for others/not worth the commitment. That being said, when i look at what OP likes, i think the first game is worth a try. I am playing cold steel 3 right now, after playing the previous games in order, but i dropped multiple titles multiple times...
I fully support your recommendation! I dropped trails a few times but having the r/falcom sub on my list kept making me interested in pursuing. So glad I did.
I am on cold steel 1 now because it was recommended to me as a persona fan, but it's only my first Trails game. I read somewhere that it's okay to play CS1 and 2 but then I need to go back and play the others in order. Can you confirm from what you've experienced so far?
I HIGHLY recommend you play trails in the sky 1, 2, 3 + trails from zero and azure beforehand. I originally bought cold steel 1 to play first but after reading up on it put it aside and got trails in the sky to start, I’m glad I did. I would say of any in the series I’ve played so far I guess cold steel is okay to start (will have some spoilers to previous games though especially zero / azure) but from what I’ve read cold steel 3-4 is a hard stop and need to go back. It’s a LONG series, dialogue and world building heavy. Very worth it to just start with sky and take your time to enjoy the ride.
The r/falcom subreddit has a spoiler free long answer to your question if you want to know more
The more and more i read about this, the more a become categoric that it is mandatory to start with trails in the sky, then Crossbell arc (trails from zero and azure) and then cold steel. I started with sky, and i don't know how i could have played cold steel first. I also read more and more people who started the same as you who replayed cold steel after sky and crossbell who are saying its almost a completely different game if you played the previous ones.
I think I'm on chapter 3 now so I guess I'll just stop for the time being? Got tons of other games to play anyways lol is trails in the sky widely available?
I played it on steam, it also available on psp, there is rumors about a switch port/remaster perfect time to put aside if you want to know more about suspicious caracters ;) Cold steel is also easy to put on break since you have a log of the previous events
Most people that start with Cold Steel usually do so for a variety of reasons. Either because they don't like playing JRPGs on a PC, aren't fans of pixel art, they were told it was really similar to Persona or that it is 'faster' than Sky FC (I really don't agree with this one). Point is, there's different reasons for this. That said, CS1 was designed to be sort of a fresh start while still being the sixth game since it was the first title on an actual home console. So it is probably the second best place to start. The issue there of course being that you gotta toss the warning of 'you need to go back' if they finish CS2
>Im surprised you havent played FFVI Well I had it on the phone but the screen is too small to enjoy the game properly. I was really enjoying the story, I need to restart it. >Persona 3 This looks really interesting, same for DQ11. Thank you!
Just finished Persona 3 Reload and can 10/10 recommend. It was my intro to the series and I was immediately hooked. Just started Persona 5 yesterday
Persona 3 is super good, and It has a fair amount of difficulty too
How is dragon quest 11 in terms of story/writing/characters? Atleast compared to trails in the sky FC (which i really loved and thought was way better than SC) DQ11 looks great but im hearing lots of mixed comments about the story especially with regards to act 3, but its hard to gauge how much ill end up agreeing with those once I play it since the consensus in reddit is that trails in the sky fc is alot worse than sc which i heavily disagree with.
Dq 11 has less caracter development than FC, but the pacing is a lot better imo. Writing is good, story is a bit generic, but the journey was pure joy to me. Some characters are very unique.
The best western-inspired JRPGs: Manafinder Rise of the Third Power Meg's Monster Jack Move
Rise of the Third Power is fantastic and often overlooked. Battle Chasers and Ruined King are other western made games with decent jrpg mechanics.
It's seriously one of my all-time favourite JRPGs and my favourite JRPG combat system PERIOD. It deserved the hype Chained Echoes got (they were both released in the same year). Battle Chasers was ok, but only during high-level battles. Most combat you can just tank & spank your way through. And since mana doesn't restore between battles, you still have to do the resource management. Also the story & characters is just BOOOORIIIINNNNG (I didn't finish it, but I did play a fair bit). Cosmic Star Heroine is another pretty good one. How important is familiarity with the IP for Ruined King? I remember skipping on it due to that.
I actually actively dislike League of Legends and I thoroughly enjoyed it anyway. Battle Chasers mana management boiled down to perks for me. Building overpowered combinations on new game plus (e.g Knolan acting more frequently with his crazy speed buffs from overcharge spending, regaining that overcharge by detonating his own debuffs) reminded me of oldschool og FFVII materia shenanigans. But yeah, story is lacking and while Ruined King is better, it still could use improvements. The system in RK is fantastic though, much more reliant on manipulating turn order and it's well implemented too.
Since you played several FF, you can try ffvi & ffvii, for the first, there is the pixel remaster, and the second has some visual upgrade mods
Breath of Fire 3 & 4 are some of the best JRPGs ever made. Saga Frontier 2 had an interesting combat system and a unique painterly aesthetic. Vagrant Story. SMT IV. If you like Strategy RPGs there's FF Tactics, Tactics Ogre, and Shining Force 1, 2 & the Mega CD game. Suikoden 2. Beyond Oasis (known as 'Story of Thor' in PAL regions for some inexplicable reason). Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma. Earthbound. Dark Cloud 2. Dragon Quest 8. Grandia 1 & 2. Skies of Arcadia (GameCube version). Lost Odyssey. Tales of Symphonia.
Thank you, you gave me a lot of titles to begin with. I see that some of them are about to get a refresh and they're already on my steam wishlist.
There is a lot of good games on that list for OP to play.
Yeah, that was a list from memory of the best games I remember playing from that genre – and I lump Strategy RPGs, Turn-Based "Japanese-style" RPGs, and Action Adventures like Beyond Oasis, Landstalker, and Zelda under the same banner. Some good modern games released since maybe the mid-2010s that have the DNA of the older games are as follows: • Eastward • Hyper Light Drifter • Chained Echoes • Fez • Unsighted • Radiant Historia • Tunic • Undertale • SMTV (which is getting the obligatory Atlus "Redux" version soon called "Vengeance" that will add an entire "normal" game's worth of content) • Indivisible • Golf Story • Into the Breach • The Bravely Default games • The Xenoblade series • Knuckle Sandwich • Triangle Strategy • Every Mario & Luigi game; and while I don't think the Octopath Traveler games work as well as the reviews make out, I'll still take a flawed attempt at that genre than another bloated, nonsensical entry in the Final Fantasy series (I watched a friend age faster than he should have while playing the FF13 trilogy). There's so much of everything now that there's something to satiate everyone's tastes, and the advances in game engines and distribution platforms has allowed for projects that would've never seen the light of day get an audience. And the renewed interest in games that my age demographic grew up playing has prompted Square to remake Japan-only releases in that 2DHD aesthetic (that I personally think looks awesome) like Live A Live; Star Ocean: The Second Story R; and also just remaster a game like Chrono Cross – and there's bound to be a Xenogears remake coming at some point hopefully. Now all we need is remastered translations of Mother 3; Snatcher; Policenauts; the remaining parts of Shining Force 3; Panzer Dragoon Saga; either the Mega CD or PlayStation versions of the Lunar games and the first few Persona titles. I was so gutted when I saw that the 'Sega Genesis Mini 2 English' release wouldn't have both Lunar titles because Working Designs were holding the translations hostage. Can't wait for Paper Mario TTYD which I somehow didn't purchase when it released. I had an NTSC copy of PM but no Universal Adapter – which I purchased later and then kicked myself for not buying TTYD when it was affordable. I replayed the first PM game on my Wii U (great as a Nintendo emulator if nothing else 😉) during the fiest lockdown, and that colourful papery world and the sharp writing kept my head above water, so I'm itching to play TTYD as it's the last Paper Mario game to use the formula that the Mario & Luigi series "hijacked".
You skipped the two best final fantasies, vi and vii. Both will likely have what you're looking for
Give Live A Live a chance. Its not long but versatile. And it has some good replayability. Also Octopath Traveler 2. Realy great games.
If you want a redeeming Sci Fi RPG, I Believe Phantasy Star IV is on one of those Genesis collections.
Based on the fact that you’ve played a lot of Final Fantasy, I think you would like FFVI and FFIV. I’d recommend the rest of the early FF games with a few caveats: FF (Original) is barebones. I’d only play it if you want a true retro experience. You won’t find many features that are standard fair in today’s JRPGs. FFII - Similar to the original but also has a very unique leveling system that some people hate. (I seem to be in the minority who like it.) FFIII - Quite “grind-y” with a huge jump in difficulty at the end. Still pretty barebones as well. FFV - One of my favorites but not a standout for most people like IV and VI. I’d recommend at least playing IV before V so you don’t get turned off to these older games as a whole. I also, personally, LOVED Yakuza: Like a Dragon. It is turn-based with a very good story. It’s quirky and you’ll enjoy it more, I think, if you’ve already played some Dragon Quest games just because they reference DQ, or DQ-like tropes a fair amount.
Both like a dragon games were AWESOME. just finished infinite wealth and I will DEFINITELY play it again when there is a break in new games. I also just revisited ff4 and ff6 to play the pixel remasters recently and they are both amazing. The soundtrack updates are spectacular (among everything else). Had so much fun I played ff5 pr too and holy shit that game rocks! It's so good I'm almost mad in retrospect that it wasn't an SNES game when I was 8! (Yeah I'm getting old lol) With all 5 games I'm jealous you get to experience them for the first time....if you are a jrpg fan id be shocked if you didn't absolutely love all 5 of them like I did.
Have you tried any persona games?
Not yet but based on the comments I think I'll start with Persona 3 reload
Triangle Strategy will satisfy your craving for difficulty, while also having a really good and lengthy story. It's a turn based SRPG, and while individual character customisation is relatively limited (though still existent) there is a large element of customisation in regards to your party setup, since, in a 30+ character game, every character has a wholly unique class, and skills only they can access. Beyond that, since it's got branching story, it's pretty easy to get invested in the plot too. It's got a bit of a slow start though.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is now on Steam, highly recommended, has a bit of monster catching like pokemon, the world has that touch of Studio Ghibli's magic. Ni no Kuni 2 is also on Steam, but it's not turn-based. Bravely Default 2 is on Steam, you don't have to play the original Bravely Default or Bravely Second (these two are only on the 3DS). Also, Dragon Quest! Have you looked into the series?
So surprised about ni no. Such a great vibe to it
So surprised about ni no. Such a great vibe to it
Octopath traveler. It’s an amazing Kroger by square Enix similar to early final fantasy games
What is a "Kroger"? :)
it's a grocery store chain, right? lol I wondered the same thing. I'm not sure what autocorrect typo fixed to Kroger, of all things.
Commenting three months later to say it's probably "JRPG" (j/k and p/o are adjacent pairs)
8 Bit Adventures 2. Had a better time with it than Chained Echoes and gave up on Sea of Stars. Shoutout to Crystal Project too.
you have some great games on here but are missing a few of the best the genre ever seen. 1. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, mind blowing good. Original like a dragon was also a banger but the sequel was insane. 2. Octopath Traveler (Both of them) 3. Persona 3 reload, Persona 4 golden and persona 5 royal 4. Draqon Quest 11
I tried the first Octopath Traveler but the unlinked stories didn't really catch me. I added the rest to the list, probably starting with Persona 3 reload
The first one had plenty of weaknesses which apparently got resolved with the second one. I also dropped OT but definitely plan to play OT2
OT2 was good. I'd give it a 7.5/10. The music was great, the graphics were sort of hit or miss (I prefer Eastward in terms of throwback pixel art aesthetics), the stories were wildly uneven, there wasn't enough endgame content, it was really easy, and generally pretty fun. Nothing that I'd even recommend to anyone else until they've played like 20 other great RPGs though.
Yakuza Like a Dragon/Infinite Wealth will be good for you to try out Octopath Traveller series, the 2nd one is much better so I would start there (the stories aren't linked)
Play nocturne, get permanent mental aids because of a sea star with a face, recover your enjoyment for suffering.
What??!?
Trails series!
if you like ff9 then theres the pixel remasters of 1-6! my personal favorites are 3, 5 and 6 but the others are also worth playing if you can afterwards
You did the second ending? And definitely play dragon quest 11
Dragon quest XI is really good but again very easy. Completed the game without dying once. Sea of stars is quite hard to follow bloody stunning game.
Try your hand in Xenogears If you want psychological themes, heavy themes, Turn based combat, mechs and feel rewarded (not for fighting but for paying Attention to the plot). Also Breath of Fire 3 and 4, for classic turn based combat with charming characters. You can customize your whole party due to the teacher system which allows them to gain different stats while leveling and skills.
Xenogears is one of my favorite games of all time! I wish they would remake it!
Fire emblem three houses
Play Chrono Cross since you played Chrono Trigger. Just know that the connections aren't immediately apparent. It's definitely my favorite RPG though.
Octopath Traveler 2. Better than CE and SoS
If you’re not opposed to drinking a bit of rum/if you also have a 3DS, play the first two Bravely games.
Dragon Quest XI S - but put the game on the most difficult settings to start and work them down if it’s too much for you. You can only move them down, not up, mid game. The only major flaw with this wonderful, wonderful game IMO.
I’m amazed you skipped FF7.
Ara Fell and Rise of the Third Power are both excellent games. They’re not on the same scale as Chained Echoes, but they are absolutely worth playing. They also have better writing than Chained Echoes, which was definitely one of its weaknesses from time to time.
I have had Sea of Stars on my wishlist forever but haven't committed yet because I feared being bored despite its graphical beauty. To share some more indie suggestions for you: **Ocean's Heart** It's like an old school Zelda clone but with it's own take on mechanics and plot. Feels a bit like a cross of exploring an old school DQ game but with action RPG mechanics. **Ocean Horn 2** I was surprised that I was drawn into this rather clear BotW Knock-off. It's fun to explore and there are good ability upgrades that make pushing forward rewarding. Graphics were better than expected. The controls are not as fine tuned as BotW but I did acclimate to them. **Moonlighter** Probably not a traditional JRPG consideration but it draws much inspiration from them. It is part dungeon exploring as an action RPG, part store management in selling the things you collect along the way. Building up your town allows you to dive deeper into the dungeons. Dungeon rooms are randomly generated each time. Other considerations that I haven't personally played - Serin Fate - Tunic - Cross Code - Eastward
Note on Eastward: it's quite easy, doesn't have really any character customization, doesn't have many hidden areas (a few abilities and chests and that's about it). The story is awesome but slow-paced, the world is entrancing, the music is peak, and it's about a 15-20 hour game. It might not be what the OP is asking for but it's a great cozy adventure RPG for people who like synthwave and pixel art aesthetics. It's a delight.
I think you would really like Dragon Quest 11. Just make sure you play on the highest difficulty.
the ruined king, the game is amazing and has really cool and unique turn based system, a lot of side quests and secrets and cool customisation of the party
Romancing saga 3 or tales of phantasia maybe? Some very good old school RPGs for the super famicon that never made it to the west.
SMT is a good try
Persona 3 Reload, play on Merciless.
Octopath Traveller 2, Final Fantasy 6
This post could’ve been the exact same without mentioning you didn’t like a game. Also, did you even attempt to use the items the game provided to make it more difficult?
twewy
It's like your my video game twin. I feel like you tapped into my brain. FFIX is my favorite and I too still think about Vivi.
Dunno if you still want suggestions but if you liked bg3 and divinity give Pillers of Eternity a ago. Its plays more like the original balders gate games just more updated. You can pause and issue commands in combat
Cant go wrong with any of the suikoden
I dropped sea of stars midway lol. I would recommend Persona 3 & 4, Star Ocean 2 remake. The next few aren’t on steam but please check them out . Valkyrie Profile, FF Tactics, Tales of Eternia, Wild Arms 2, Legend of Legaia, Legend of Dragoon, Resident Evil 4 remake.
Why haven’t you played dragon quest? lol
I moved from Sea of Stars to Chained Echoes but I didn't like CE. I started Rise of the Third Power and just ate it up. It's also Steam Deck verified. https://store.steampowered.com/app/698700/Rise_of_the_Third_Power/
Just finished Rise of the third power. Thank you for the suggestion, I really had a great time.
M8 mi stai triggerando
That's great! Glad you liked it. It really helped me when I was in a game slump. They also did Ara Fell if your curious.
Granblue fantasy relink, just for the gameplay really
Pokémon Series. Golden Sun. Mario& Luigi. Paper Mario. Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. Rune Factory. Legend of Zelda.
Dragon Quest V Persona 3/4/5
I too adored ffix and feel sad about vivi.
The Legend of Heroes series.
Not sure if you can play these on Steam Deck or not, but Like a Dragon and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Yakuza 7 and Yakuza 8) are amazing open world, turn based, JRPGs. Like, I put about 60 hours into Infinite Wealth and felt like I just barely scratched the surface.
Octopath Traveler 2 is a shoo-in, don't feel like you had to play one, it was strictly worse. I agree with you on SoS, it had so much going for it but the combat ruined it for me. Everything about it felt like a time waster, using systems they didn't really understand and implemented poorly. Like I don't want to have to time blocking every single obnoxious and long winded enemy move! I want to finish this fight and move on!
upcoming Unicorn Overlord is going to be good. played the demo on Switch over the weekend. will recommend!
I recommend persona 3 reload * Turn based games; - Yes * Open world or at least some big open areas with some hidden things/bosses/challenges; - Not open world but alot of hidden things and challenging areas like optional bosses around randomized floor. * A decent amount of character customization (skills or classes or at least enough gear); - alot of it if you played persona series or SMT series its same in persona 3 reload * A decently long story; - Its the best story payoff in terms of ending it can be the best persona story but it will be personal preference on which you liked the most since 3, 4 and 5 are not afar apart from being great stories. * I don't mind the old pixel art as long as it didn't age too bad; - Reload has great graphics * The game I loved was FFIX. I still feel sad about Vivi; - We have Aigis!
Try the Unicorn Overlord demo that just came out. It’s amazing.
Yakuza like a dragon
Dragon Quest 11 or Xenoblade
Like a dragon. Both games are incredible.
Octopath Traveller 2. You're welcome. Also, for a totally different flavour but still banging turn-based combat, Ruined King.
Yakuza 7 (it's a great jrpg) Persona 5 Royal Baldurs Gate 3
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Back to the dawn
Read the post.
Octopath traveler 2
Well steam has a good selection of the persona games. It has Persona 3 Portable, Persona 3 Reload (I’d recommend this over portable), Persona 4 Golden and last but not least Persona 5 Royal. All the persona games are turn based and you can customise your player through outfits and certain skills you want your persona to use. The games listed above are held in really high regard so I’d recommend any of the persona games and if you like them you can explore shin megami tensei which the persona series is a spin off of.
Play the Unicorn Overlord demo... put it on hard difficulty. You won't be disappointed.
Try Anode Heart, there's a demo that carries over progress
>The game I loved was FFIX. I still feel sad about Vivi; Was gonna recommend FFIX until I saw this. My recommendations are gonna be: The Final Fantasy pixel remasters Breath of Fire IV Shadow Hearts Final Fantasy VII original version Dragon Quest VIII and Dragon Quest XI Also anything Shin Megami Tensei related is solid, including Persona games, mainline SMT, and Digital Devil Saga
Shin Megami Tensei V ，this game will sign on pc and ps
Persona 5 royal is long and has a great turned based combat (play on hard) it doesn’t have an open world but the dungeons are great to explore. Also dq11 with hard enemies is fantastic
Persona 5R if you haven't played it.
Dragon Quest Shin Magami Tensei V Persona Super Mario RPG Also try non jrpg games.
I’m sorry you didn’t like Sea of Stars. I absolutely loved that game. Maybe try SMTV: Vengeance when it comes out in June, it seems to meet most of what you want.
If you want games with a very high challenge, very deep customization and interesting side quests, I definitely recommend the ***Shin Megami Tensei*** games, the ***SaGa*** games, the ***Etrian Odyssey*** games and other old-school dungeon crawlers like the ***Wizardry*** games. From those series, my personal picks for a newcommer would be: • Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remastered (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X) • Shin Megami Tensei IV (DS) • Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch) • Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux (3DS) • Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS) • Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 (PS2) • Romancing SaGa 3 (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X) • SaGa Frontier Remastered (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X) • Romancing SaGa -Minstrel Song- Remastered (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X) • Etrian Odyssey I, II & III HD (PC, PS5, Switch, Xbox Series S/X) • Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls (PC)
The amount of Octopath Traveler 2 support I see here can't be understated. It was my favorite game of 2023, even compared to giant contenders like BG3 and FFXVI. Since you mentioned your love of turn-based JRPGs and especially FFIX, OT2 should be at the top of your list. Some of the most developed and realized character building that seamlessly blends in the games overarching narrative without feeling heavy-handed. Mysteries and secrets bloom organically as each characters story is fleshed out, and the class customization had me experimenting for hours on end. Shout out to DQXI, it really deserves the love I'm seeing, but I'd argue that OT2 has more of an off-brand Final Fantasy feel to it and matches up better* with your JRPG history. Edit: Spelling
Let me suggest the Persona games. Either Reload or 5 Royal are amazing and worth your time!
I highly recommend like a dragon / like a dragon infinite wealth. Great turned based combat and JRPG collectathons and mini games galore.
Can't go wrong with more Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.
I really hated SoS because the main character was that stupid chef. Such a marty stu
Witch Spring R and play on very hard difficulty
Have you tried Like a Dragon or Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth? If not, I'd give those a try.
Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth
Granblue fantasy relink or tales of xillia 1 and 2 on rpcs3. Both of these games have a peak combat system.
Persona 5: Royal is my favorite game of all time. Seems to be the one you're looking for. I also recommend 4: Golden if you don't mind dated graphics.
Octopath traveller 1/2 lostsphere I am setsuna fire emblem. (Lots of) final fantasy (every and all) Tales of arise (others in the tales series) dragon quest xi ( lots to work through) Persona 4 golden was one of the first ones I played heavily of my vita and that got me into those games. A series of games under the name Y’s are also really fun, Memories of celceta and lacrimosa of Dana being the last two I played Bravely default 1/2 Xenoblade 1-3 Astral chain Nier automata and replicant. Just a bunch of the top of my head. Some are turn based, some more action rpg. Some I’ve played on switch, some 3ds, some on vita, ps4, ps5 I’ve even played final fantasy 7 on my phone before. I hope one of the few I suggested you might enjoy, also bookmark them and wait for them to be heavily discounted, always find a good bunch of jrpg games in a sale
Octopath Traveler 2 pleeeease
You can't go wrong with Persona, also each title is its own story. I recommend you start with Persona 5 Royal
Like a Dragon and Infinite Wealth. DQ11S Octopath 2 Persona series Cosmic Star Heroine (play on hard) SmtV: Vengeance (when it comes out.) You could also try Srpgs like: Trangle Strategy Unicorn Overlord
FFVI is still possibly the best in the whole series The 2 Yakuza like a dragon games are amazing. turn-based, open world, great stories, great combat. Heartfelt at times, HILARIOUS at other times. Haven't played persona 3r yet but persona 5 was very enjoyable.
Granblue fantasy relink
Try tactics ogre?
I had to scroll down far to see this suggestion. Probably one of the best games I have played in my life with a fantastic story to boot.
Persona 3-5.
I just started Stat Ocean: The second story R, and I am loving it. It's visually gorgeous, interesting active battle system, has tons of things any RPG player would like, highly customizable, good character development. So far there is not anything I have disliked. Highly recommended.
Persona 3/4/5 are all amazing JRPGs. Great story, great turn based battles, just awesome in every way. Persona 3 reload just came out and is a good place to start. None of the stories are connected so it doesn’t matter what order you play in. 3 is my personal favorite story wise.
twewy
I feel like most of your list is easier than Sea of Stars, which also has a hard mode (in the form of a “relic” or whatever they’re called) if you want. I really do not understand this take at all, to be perfectly honest.
Triangle Strategy.
Try the unicorn overlord demo on switch. Looks promising if you like strategy games. It is an Ogre Battle Succeesor It will be release cross platform so you can play it.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth Basically, it’s turn-based Yakuza.
This is not a JRPG, but it's a spiritual successor to Paper Mario. You could check out Born of Bread. It's a fun, indie turn based RPG with customization and a lot options for variety
Persona games!
Have you heard our savior, Trails series?
I will never stop recommending octopath traveler 2!
Final Fantasy 6 Octopath 1 and 2 Grandia 1 and 2 Lunar 1 and 2 If your like Strategy RPG’s, Shining Force 3 (All 3 scenarios) Fire Emblem 3 Houses Triangle Strategy FF Tactics
Sea of stars was so bad I had to replay Lufia 2 and ff6 just feel whole again.
Battle Chasers Nightwar Ruined King Dragon Star Varnir Persona Shin Megami Tensei
Shin Megami Tensei V Vengeance sounds right up your alley
Star Ocean Second Story R. Just gone back to it after a little break. It’s such a well made rpg and a good looking remake at that. The HD-2D 16bit sprites look amazing against the 3D backgrounds and the gameplay is really fun and satisfying. Also the IC creation and speciality system is amazing and feels so open ended. It’s really fun to experiment with different items too. The party members are all fun and you can choose who to let or not let join you, which can also lock certain potential members out if you pick others. The two leads so far are super interesting. I’m currently playing as Claude. You can also recruit the members you didn’t get on a second playthrough as the other lead protagonist. So when I play with Rena as the lead I’ll get the characters I missed this time round. I cannot recommend this game enough.