There was a time when people considered turn-based JRPGs to be obsolete after the genre's golden age ended on the first PlayStation. After all, people were focusing more on real-time combat that grew to look even flashier with graphical enhancements. However, the genre was still very much active with a slew of brilliant yet underappreciated games releasing for the longest time... before the debut of Persona 5, that is.
A game that was so ambitious that it got delayed a bunch of times, Persona 5 was finally released in 2017 to rave critical and commercial reviews. Its enhanced edition — Persona 5 Royal — managed to improve the formula even further. It brought a whole host of upgrades to the gameplay, story, and locations, making for an even more amazing and compelling experience.
The story of Persona 5 Royal was definitely one of a kind, and people who wish to experience more games with massive and expansive narratives should try out the following ten games as well.
10 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel
The Legend of Heroes series is considered by many JRPG veterans to be one of the best JRPG franchises around and a criminally underrated one to boot.
Out of all the games in the series, it's the Trails of Cold Steel arc that definitely feels the most like a Persona title, with mechanics and story beats certainly feeling familiar to anyone who has played any Persona game.
However, that's not to say that Trails of Cold Steel is an uninspired game — if anything, it's actually a great story split across four games that give players hours upon hours of entertainment.
9 Final Fantasy VII Remake
The Final Fantasy VII Remake was something that fans weren't really sure about, given the creative decisions that had gone into the making of this product. However, regardless of what most people might've felt before release, there's no denying the fact that the Remake has definitely done justice to the original title while simultaneously allowing a bunch of new gamers to experience this classic as well.
While the game might have padded moments and some truly weird additions, the Final Fantasy VII Remake is still a great title for both new and old fans to re-experience this masterpiece.
8 Final Fantasy VI
However, if a player wants a more classic JRPG experience that features turn-based combat as opposed to a real-time system, then they can't really go wrong with Final Fantasy VI.
Featuring a brilliant cast of characters and an excellent story that takes some truly wild turns, Final Fantasy VI is a brilliant title to play for anyone who's even remotely invested in the franchise. It also happens to feature one of the best villains in any game, period.
7 Chrono Trigger
It would be impossible to talk about old-school turn-based JRPGs without mentioning one of the most beloved releases of all time — Chrono Trigger.
Featuring the minds of three brilliant creative geniuses — Hironobu Sakaguchi (the creator of Final Fantasy), Akira Toriyama (the creator of Dragon Ball), and Yuji Horii (the creator of Dragon Quest) — Chrono Trigger ended up being a brilliant title that used its concept of time travel to allow for some truly excellent stories to unfold.
6 Dragon Quest XI
If people wish for a modern yet still turn-based JRPG, then Dragon Quest XI should be right up their alley.
The latest entry in the critically-acclaimed Dragon Quest series ended up being one of the best games in the franchise. Dragon Quest XI featuring a brilliant story, colorful characters, and engaging combat that is bound to satiate the needs of any JRPG fan. While the original version is good, Dragon Quest XI S: Echoes of an Elusive Age - Definitive Edition is the ultimate way to experience this adventure.
5 Tokyo Xanadu
Tokyo Xanadu basically takes the core concepts of the Persona series and molds them in a similar setting, albeit with real-time fighting as opposed to turn-based combat.
While this might seem like an uninspired decision, the fact of the matter is that Tokyo Xanadu is actually a brilliant title that any fan of the Persona series should definitely not miss out on. After all, it does scratch that itch that Persona 5 has probably left behind for so many people.
4 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
While not a JRPG in any sense of the word, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is still a brilliant title that any fan of video games should definitely try out. This is especially the case for those who want to enjoy a lengthy plot that lasts longer than a hundred hours.
The story of Geralt as he embarks on his quest for Ciri is a magical one, with a bunch of side quests coming along the way that feature brilliant stories in their own right.
3 Red Dead Redemption 2
Another excellent modern title with hundreds of potential hours of gameplay under its belt — in no small part due to a captivating story and some highly memorable characters — is Red Dead Redemption 2.
Arthur Morgan is easily one of the greatest and most complex video game characters of all time. The time he spends in Dutch van der Linde's camp is an eventful ride that strikes upon everything from broken friendships to the hubris of man himself.
2 Persona 5 Strikers
The only game on this list that probably no one has played yet, Persona 5 Strikers is an official continuation of Persona 5's tale and features real-time combat in the same style as the Dynasty Warriors series.
Regardless of what people might think about Dynasty Warriors as a series, Persona 5 Strikers will still be a treat for fans of the original simply because of the extra story beats. The game will be released worldwide on February 23, 2021.
1 Persona 4 Golden
For people who just played Persona 5 Royal and want to try out more games in the franchise, there's really no title more fitting than Persona 4 Golden. The fact that this game is now available on PC as well means that it's probably one of the most accessible Persona titles around, and one need only look at its sales volumes to understand just how many people went gaga over this game's re-release.
The small town of Inaba ends up crafting a story that feels more personal and grounded than its successor, with the act of trying to catch a serial killer easily being one of the most compelling aspects of Persona 4 Golden by a country mile.