The JRPG genre has tons of great qualities that distinguish it from regular RPGs. Chief among them are non-traditional storytelling and impactful characters. Their aesthetic reflects the popular manga/anime culture of Japan, and they are faithful to their traditional animation standards. However, there are times when a great game can go on for hours, making players lose track of time. Sometimes, players can get stuck in an endless loop of secondary routes, or dialogues between characters that have a lot to say about the world they live in.
The following titles are filled with great gameplay and characters, but they might be considered too long for normal standards. From never-ending dialogue cutscenes and chatty villains to incredibly well-hidden secrets, these JRPGs are worth their weight in gameplay hours. That said, completionists be warned: These games require patience and dedication to reach 100%.
10 Best JRPGs For The Switch
The Nintendo Switch has amazing JRPG titles you can play like Persona 5 Royal, Super Mario RPG and more! Here's the top 10 you can play on the system!
Tales Of Berseria
Vengeance That Takes Far Too Long To Fulfill
Tales of Berseria narrates the journey of Velvet Crowe and her merry group of allies in her quest for vengeance through the land of Midgand. Velvet is looking for the man who murdered her brother. She’s also a demoneater, a being capable of absorbing the powers of Hellions/Daemons alongside their memories.
The gameplay is great, and the characters are colorful and well-written. However, the plot doesn’t integrate well with each of the characters’ “mission in the world.” This dilutes the main storyline until the player loses track of what began as a quest for vengeance.
Chrono Cross
Spend Years Unlocking All The Characters
Chrono Cross is a timeless masterpiece and a must-play for every lover of the JRPG genre. The curious thing about this game is that its world is so big and colorful that even today, even the most hardcore players doubt they have unlocked all the available content.
Chrono Cross: Things That Make No Sense About The Ending
Chrono Cross is a firm fan-favorite and JRPG classic, but the plot was more than a little convoluted, particularly where the ending is concerned.
Depending on the choices players make, or which characters they recruit for their journey, they might miss some other characters that get locked, or not meet the conditions to recruit them. It is a beautiful mess, guaranteed to take thousands of hours of gameplay to complete it all. But, the question remains: Have all available characters been discovered?
Final Fantasy 13
Great Gameplay With A Vast World & Slow Plot
Final Fantasy 13 and its sequels revolutionized the FF core gameplay and visual engine. It is an overall great experience with incredibly dynamic combat. But sadly, the same cannot be said about its storyline.
FFXIII starts hard and fast, packed with action, only to be diluted by unnecessary dialogue, forced enmity between the main characters, and a plot that never fully takes shape. Even when the expansions shed some light on the events of the first game, this only delays the resolution of the plot. Eventually, it becomes too long for the average player to understand to its fullest. It's necessary play Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns to appreciate the plot in its whole, but for gamers who have the time, it is worth playing.
Tales of Zestiria
Getting The Good Endings Takes Too Long
This game has it all: great plot, characters, gameplay, fun, and a cool villain. All those things compose Tales of Zestiria, a visually spectacular JPRG. It is technically the sequel of Tales of Berseria, but was released before Velvet Crowe’s story.
What makes this JRPG such a long and tiring journey, is that several bad endings are lurking early during the adventure. Stumbling across them is all too easy. To reach the good ending of this story, players need to put in a whopping 120+ hours of gameplay. It’s excessive, for a game where players can get wiped by the BBEG three hours in, and kicked into a bad ending as a reward.
Legend of The Dragoon
Monologuing Villains Ruin The Mood
Legend of The Dragoon is a prime example of what a JRPG should be. It's got colorful characters, tragedy, a rampaging evil lord, and Super-sentai/dragon-inspired powers. That's a recipe for a cool mixture of Japanese narrative goodness.
Sadly, the worst mood-killers in this game are the villains. They seem addicted to never-ending speeches, where scrolling dialogue takes over the screen for hours. Players are ready to kick the villains out of reality with their hard-earned Dragoon powers, but no, they need to wait until the villain finishes his speech. The original PS1 game had four discs, and is one of the longest JRPGs ever created.
Octopath Traveler
A Masterpiece With Way Too Much To Do
Octopath Traveler is one of the best things that has happened to the JRPG genre in the past few years. It was created in Unreal Engine, but designed to look like a classic isometric JRPG, with some cool 2D/3D details.
Octopath Traveler: The Best Sub-Job For Each Character
While Octopath Traveler's eight main characters fit into specific classes, they can each take a sub-job. Which one is the best for each protagonist?
But going the infinite amount of content in this game can be overwhelming. There is not just one path to follow, but eight, hence the game’s title. With nothing but wits and the travelers' abilitie, it does tend to get convoluted. The game's main plot is diluted by the cross-country adventure gameplay. It's not for those who seek the goal, but it's great for those who enjoy the journey.
The Last Remnant
A Worthy But Over-Extended Heir Of The Final Fantasy Spirit
The Last Remnant has become a cult game already. Among the fans of the JRPG genre, its name echoes in the hall of fame of the longest games ever made. Though, after dozens of hours of gameplay, players begin to wonder: where is this going?
Its plot can be hard to understand at first, and its characters are a little bit cliché. However, its gameplay, design, and aesthetics are undeniably cool. Players can quickly get addicted. And since it's worth playing more than once, it is bound to be time-consuming.
Final Fantasy 12
So Many Classes To Try & Things To Kill
Having played all Final Fantasy games, one could expect to step into the world of Final Fantasy 12 ready to get more of the same good-old-fashioned turn-based goodness. Instead, FFXII brought a new combat engine, with an intricate class system that can provide hours of fun.
The hunt-quest system, guild rewards, and unlocking all the classes can potentially divert players from the main plot. This is both good and bad at the same time. Some fans of this game might adore this game for what it is: a fresh start for a stale formula. However, this game can be a time trap. It could take hundreds of hours to beat for those who jump into it unprepared.
The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel 4
Dialogue, Scrolling Text, More Dialogue, & Chatty Characters
Legends Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel 4 is a game for players who enjoy allegiance shifts, betrayal, and long monologues. With hundreds of dialogue lines between boss fights, and character drama to boot, this game has enough reflective content for a dissertation about the human condition. For some, it might feel unnatural to extend an otherwise harmonious plot into an amalgam of pop-up events and chatty teens trying to make themselves “understood” in a cruel society. But players who enjoy a deep, dramatic plot will find a treat in this game.
LOH: Trails Of Cold Steel 4 has a lot of playable characters (39 to be exact) and several endings to unlock. For those who manage to pull through thousands of dialogue lines, it's a great game. It's time-consuming, and some may find the writing cliché; however, it has a great visual design, and its tremendously enjoyable gameplay can trap players for hours once they get into it.
Persona 5
Persona's Not Such A Fast-Paced Franchise
From the legendary acclaimed series Persona comes the fifth title in the franchise, ready to twist players' inner worlds and set them on the right path. Persona 5 follows a group of troubled teenagers, trying to fix the damaged world that subjects them to a meaningless and oppressive life.
By using otherworldly powers to reform and dominate the minds of evildoers, they attempt to set themselves free from an oppressive, mind-controlling society. Fans love its side-quests and deep psychological drama. However, not everyone loves how this game forces players to complete scenarios while pressed by a deadline. If the heroes don’t complete the arcs in time, they get an immediate Game Over. As it's not a game that can be enjoyed at its fullest in only one playthrough, players need to put in hundreds of hours to see all that Persona 5 has to offer.
8 Best Tales Of Games, Ranked
A staple of the JRPG scene, the "Tales of" franchise has produced plenty of great games. Which entries rank the highest overall?
