RPG Franchises With Lesser-Known Spinoffs

Highlights

Obscure RPG spinoffs exist, like .hack//Versus and Dragon Quest Wars, that may have been overlooked due to limited release or timing.
Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary offers family-friendly RPG fun but remains trapped in Japan.
Persona 4: Dancing All Night and Pokemon Conquest are unconventional spinoffs that offer unique gameplay experiences within their respective franchises.

Non-RPG games get spinoffs all the time and are welcomed into the genre. One of the most profile examples has to be Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars which took the platforming mascot and turned him into a classic turn-based hero. Mario’s rival, Sonic, also got an RPG via Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood.

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There are countless other franchises including Metal Gear Solid and Onimusha but that’s not the focus here. Instead, let’s take a look at spinoffs from RPGs that are not as well-known. Maybe they came out at a bad time or maybe they weren’t even released over here. Either way, there are surprises inbound.

7 .hack//Versus

Fighting In Cyberspace

Release Date: June 28, 2012
Developer: CyberConnect2
Platforms: PlayStation 3

.hack//Versus has to be one of the most obscure RPG spinoffs ever created. There was a movie based on this series called .hack//Beyond the World. On the Blu-ray, there was an unlockable fighting game called .hack//Versus featuring characters from the games and anime which could only be accessed if the movie was played on a PS3.

The roster was small as was the game’s scope overall but it was full of fan service for those who had been digesting the series since it began in 2002. It should also be mentioned that this game was never released outside of Japan. The PS3 is not region-locked, so it is possible to play it although getting a working PS3 and Blu-ray of this movie may be tricky.

6 Dragon Quest Wars

Tactical Monster Action

Release Date: June 24, 2009 (Japan)
Developer: Intelligent Systems Tose
Platforms: Nintendo DSi

Dragon Quest Wars is locked away in a store that no longer exists. It was exclusive to the DSiWare shop which predated the eShop on DS. The game was a tactical RPG wherein players could pit classic monsters, like Slimes, against each other in a tactical battle.

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It was a small game as it was seemingly a spinoff for Square Enix to test the waters of the DS’ online capabilities. It was short, but it was also good as it gathered a modicum of praise from reviews at the time. It’s the only game in the franchise to offer tactical combat like this, so it’s a shame a sequel was never made let alone a port.

5 Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary

RPG Fun For The Whole Family

A cutscene featuring characters in Itadaki Street Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary

Release Date: October 19, 2017
Developer: Square Enix
Platforms: PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4

Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary is both a Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy spinoff and part of the larger Itadaki Street games. The overall series began on the NES in 1991 and the only game that was brought over here was Fortune Street in 2011 for the Wii. That game crossed over Dragon Quest and Mario characters in a board game-infused RPG similar to Monopoly or Mario Party.

That’s how Itadaki Street: Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary played as well and it has been the last game in the series as of 2017. Strangely, there haven’t been more family-friendly games in either the Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy franchises in the West. It’s also a shame this game remains trapped in Japan.

4 Persona 4: Dancing All Night

A Groovy RPG

Promo art featuring characters in Persona 4 Dancing All Night

Release Date: June 25, 2015 (Japan)
Developer: P-Studio
Platforms: PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4

Persona 4 got a few spinoffs following the PS Vita port of the game. First, there was Persona 4 Arena which was a fighting game. It was odd, but it made sense since there was still a lot of fighting involved. There was also the dungeon crawler that crossed over characters from Persona 3 called Persona Q.

Persona 4: Dancing All Night is the spinoff that most may not remember as it was bizarre. Characters had to literally dance to save the world or have a good time. Persona 3 and Persona 5 eventually got dancing spinoffs as well. Unfortunately, they are all rhythm-based using buttons and they can’t be danced to in real time unlike Just Dance or Dance Central.

3 Pokemon Conquest

Take Over Japan With Pokemon

Pokemon Conquest

Platform(s): Nintendo DS
Released: June 18, 2012
Developer(s): Koei Tecmo
Genre(s): Tactical , RPG

Pokemon was practically built on spinoffs following the games in the 90s. Most make sense within the context of the game or anime universes like Hey You Pikachu or Pokemon Snap. The one that blows the roof off all spinoffs has to be Pokemon Conquest which is bizarre even for a crossover game.

Samurai from the feudal era of Japan could raise Pokemon to fight battles for them as they conquered the country. It was a crossover between Nobunaga’s Ambition and Pokemon and it was a tactical RPG on DS. Weird yes, but even stranger was the fact that it turned out so good and Nintendo hasn’t greenlit a sequel.

2 Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village

It’s A Palico’s World

Fighting a battle in Monster Hunter Diary Poka Poka Airou Village

Release Date: August 26, 2010
Developer: FromSoftware
Platforms: PSP, Nintendo 3DS

Monster Hunter Diary: Poka Poka Airou Village is another exclusive to Japan which shouldn’t be that surprising since they seemingly have a lot of great content hidden over there. This spinoff was all about the cat-like creatures of this universe, the Palicoes. Perhaps one of the wildest things about this game was that it was developed by FromSoftware.

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It was not an action RPG, unlike the main entries. Players instead built little Palico armies and sent them into battles to fight monsters which looked like a cross between Final Fantasy and Patapon. The overall style was very cute which is something FromSoftware isn’t known for from their more modern Soulslike experiences.

1 Tales Of The Heroes: Twin Brave

Dynasty Warriors Plus Tales

Promo art featuring characters in Tales Of The Heroes Twin Brave

Release Date: February 23, 2012
Developer: Alfa System
Platforms: PSP

The Tales of franchise was forward-thinking when it hit the SNES as it infused traditional random battles with action gameplay. The further the series has gone on, the more action-oriented things became. As exhilarating as the combat is in the latest game, Tales of Arise, Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave still features more seamless action.

While not developed by Koei Tecmo, Tales of the Heroes: Twin Brave can still be considered a Musou game. Players could control various heroes from across the series like Lloyd from Tales of Symphonia. They would go into missions, fight hundreds of enemies, and then level up as the game or pressed on. There is a fan patch for it in English although it’s not 100% complete.