My RPG Journey
Tracking all the RPGs I have played with my thoughts!
342 Games
Refer to SoulSilver note.
My introduction to RPGs and Pokémon series. A cozy game of my childhood that offers a ton of activities to do, areas to explore, and a refined presentation that holds up today!
"Don't judge a book by its cover" has never been more true in this wacky and stylish beat 'em up RPG. An impressive replica of the Akihabara streets, phenomenal attention-to-detail in NPC behavior and a plethora of customization options (down to walking style, nickname called out by pedestrians, and strip style). Hoping for a third game in the series some day!
Fast-paced combat mixed with rewarding exploration in lush environments won my heart in this excellent action RPG!
An "Alternate RPG" that tells about the people around you, the world as a whole, and understanding growing up as an individual. A work of art that I want to see to the end one day...
A complete reimagining of River City Ransom that goes above what a remake should be. Explore a brand new, yet familiar open world as you brawl high school baddies, shop at vast locales, and suit your best equipment in this beat 'em up RPG! Multiple endings and secrets encouraged me to replay this hidden gem for Nintendo 3DS.
Hunter RPG with magic combat blended together with a dark fantasy style, how awesome is that? This updated version of Soul Sacrifice refines the varied combat system with new spell & combos to master, dynamic arena effects to alter battles, and a new faction to leave fate to decide a monster's grieving. So much potential to create an original action RPG out of this underappreciated title.
Choose your own adventure samurai simulator. From start to finish, you choose the weapon, factions, clothing, and fight style to create your samurai adventure. Even without the DLC, the multiple endings and activities to do is staggering! Wacky humor may not be of the best taste, but what's here is an action game that kept me busy for hours upon completion.
Suburban Action RPG with a touching story about individuality and loss in life. Love trying out and experimenting with new pins, exploring the vast Shibuya area, and the "dualscreen action" combat system is phenomenal. Can't imagine how my experience would have been if I played the mobile or Nintendo Switch port, the DS original is the way to go!
This is what I wanted from a Zelda game after my love for Ocarina of Time & Majora's Mask. A fully open world experience where you can go anywhere and engage in tight action combat. The physics interaction, stunning cel-shaded style, and rewarding exploration made this an unforgettable experience as my first proper open world RPG!
A beginner friendly introduction to the Pokémon series. There's a good balance of exploration, monster catching, and battles in this JRPG that others in the series do not capture. The smooth performance and catchy soundtrack elevate this great remake! Postgame could have been a bit better though...
"Free-Roam RPG" perfectly describes this revolutionary title in the Mega Man series! Watch as your actions have consequences in the town, discover interlinking dungeons, and equip many parts to power up the blue bomber! It's like an OVA as a video game, with an excellent art-style that holds up today.
Despite the corny localization, the game holds up pretty well. Roam the streets to make money, eat food to level up your stats, and have a friend join you as you beat up those baddies! PLEASE use save stats or the modern collections, 20+ character passwords is absolute insanity!!!
Charming spin-off to the Mega Man Legends series. The different subgame styles are fun to play, upgrading and customizing the mecha and Servbots incentivizes what your preferences. Writing and dub is phenomenal, I feel this game is much closest to the original Legends vibe than the sequel dropped off for a more story driven game.
High school is prison, and so is Persona. I enjoy the social aspects and time management as someone who was playing this before high school. I felt that even with its controversial issues, I would become more open about myself for peers during high school. Thank goodness for being on Vita, I don’t think I would have ever finished it if it was on another system.
Observe your surroundings and learn the ham ham language in an unexpected title developed at Nintendo. Some of the best visuals on the system, a cute RPG-lite conversation that has you learn new words to solve hamsters' demands, and perfect portable play for quick or long sessions. For a kids' licensed title, this is one of the best you can find!
This is what I wish more Action RPGs were like; action combat that rewards those skilled but also options for those who want to level up and adjust their play-style to their liking. Gorgeous environments mixed with satisfying "sword dance" and heavy action combat shine Genji as one of a kind in the genre!
My introduction to the Yakuza series and wow, talk about a first impression! I love everything about the game…except the combat unfortunately. It’s because of that, I have not finished the game. I tried it recently and nah, this combat stinks. So much to do around the cities, one of the best maps in a video game.
Stumbled across a demo on the PSN Store for this game published by Sony. Little did I know it would be a pretty cool experience. Visual fidelity I have not seen in other Vita games, a cool grim fantasy aesthetic and decent action combat. Nowadays Delta is the way to go, but I still enjoyed my time with the original Soul Sacrifice.
How music and visuals can save a game. Setsuna was a rather boring title to play, there was not much to explore and the story was lame. However, the solo piano soundtrack and bright visual style won my heart in this Chrono Trigger inspired RPG. Vita port is a disaster, a shame since it fits the portable nature perfectly more than the Switch/Steamdeck.
I remember discovering Yo-Kai Watch before plans for a localization were announced. I watched subbed episodes of the anime, loving the Japanese culture and humor. Come time the game came out and I tried the demo, I hated it. It felt so misguided and confusing, like was this really the game that won a huge following in Japan? I would later buy a copy to see if I would like it, it would change my life forever. Explore a dense Japanese city filled with secrets and key locales, find wacky yo-kai to befriend, and enjoy life as a youth in a large world! This game gave me an opportunity to experience freedom that I wish I had as a child.
This once unlocalized eShop title is a neat distraction. You run a shop with a blacksmith and have to craft weapons for “JRPG” heroes. It includes tropes like random encounters, leveling, and quirky characters who need the best weapon for combat. Conversations are available in real-time on the touchscreen and the rhythm gameplay to crafting weapons is fun for awhile. It becomes a drag later on, repeating dialogue and character interactions, ending off with a terrible conclusion. There’s more to reach the true ending, but I reached my run by the time the original ending concluded.
What a weird game, in a good and bad way. It’s been years since I last played it, I doubt it holds up with the basic platforming and pace becoming a drag. I don’t feel inclined to replay, it’s a title I’d rather leave as rose-tinted glasses. Writing is funny, the pixels were alright to use, and the motion aspects weren’t too bad.
Another multimedia project from Level 5, which is lame. It basically feels like 13 Sentinels with the hybrid 2D exploration and 3D action combat. Every line is fully voiced and features a handful of anime cutscenes. Language barrier makes this title difficult to play, plus action combat is a bit simple for my liking. One button action (with tilts and aerial chains), skill system and guns, it’s like a step above LBX. If it ever gets localized, I would play it.
Marigul funded Mecha Action RPG left in Japan. I like the premise of being a new kid in town who wants to become the ultimate Custom Robo master. Adorable presentation of pre-rendered sprites exploring small 3D hubs as you fight battles for new pieces to customize your mech. Custom Robo’s meat is the battle system, and while it is pretty fun, that meat wears dry when the skeleton of the experience is alright. I played about two hours before I closed my adventure. It even has VS mode locally, which is an awesome feature! Hopefully V2 gets translated some day, I like what is presented here over the latter titles in the series.
Stumbled this one while looking for action games on iOS. It was better than expected, but not enough to grab my attention. It’s more involved than most idle gachas and cramps my fingers since I used touch controls. Bayonetta style action gacha can only go so far. Visuals are a looker, and drain the battery depending on your phone…
Unexpected gem in modern JRPGs. Thought this was going to be some life sim where you watch the yo-kai interact in school, but it is an action rpg sandbox game. It basically takes the Blasters combat system with different weapons and mixes it with a large world to explore. The Live2D portraits are weird for this kind of game, but it does allow full voice-lines during battle and free-roam. I wish this game was localized or available as an English patch, it was pretty fun and cute.
I miss this gacha a lot. It was a simple battle simulator of the Star Ocean series, but it looked phenomenal for mobile devices and the gameplay was addicting. The doll model style worked in its favor here, with collabs with Valkyrie Profile & Persona for the Japanese release. Story was typical isekai oc meets characters from series, yet that gameplay is probably the slickest of all the Star Ocean games I’ve played.
My first MMORPG and wow, what a mess! So many tutorials and menus just to do basic functions, a phenomenal character customization system, and good Action RPG combat with the class styles and “Press Action” system. I gave in pretty quickly, mainly due to the awful way missions are structured in the localization, but I’d like to play some more and New Genesis when it arrives on PS4.
The only RPG I have finished twice…I don’t know why. It feels like a Hunter RPG mixed with free-roam style flight, but unfortunately both are pretty weak. Some of the most uninspired dungeons I’ve seen in a JRPG. I wish the flight lead to interesting exploration, there’s a limit for a marginal portion of the game, but they do nothing with it. Random treasure chests and material drops around the map, PS4 version does add bosses on the field. Not excited to see how worse Accel World vs SAO is…
Simple premise ran thin through its short campaign. Mix Kunio-Kun with a fantasy RPG, including sidequests, weapons, and shops. It’s fine for an eShop title, but falls flat of leaving a good impression on how a fantasy RPG should be. A fun distraction nonetheless, but better Kunio games are available on 3DS.
Advertising for this mecha Action RPG was dumb. Why did they highlight 6 player VS battles when it doesn’t support online at all??? And then the physical copy had to put a sticker to say “Online multiplayer is unavailable”, what the hell was Nintendo & Level 5 doing??? Game itself has you explore hub areas, participate in battles, and learn what the LBX truly holds. Combat is subpar and janky, but does offer some decent weapon options. This 3DS port allows dragging parts of the mecha into place, which is pretty awesome. It’s a pretty easy game, worth a try if you want something different on 3DS.
What I expected: post apocalyptic JRPG with wild enemy designs and environments to explore.
What I got: choose your party JRPG with an aggressively boring battle system and linear hallways to travel. Hatsune Miku is here and is a central part of the story. Thought that was the most interesting thing 7th Dragon does.
What I got: choose your party JRPG with an aggressively boring battle system and linear hallways to travel. Hatsune Miku is here and is a central part of the story. Thought that was the most interesting thing 7th Dragon does.
Neptunia unreal engine tech demo action rpg. It’s a parody of SAO and MMORPG tropes, I knew that going in. I was thinking since Tamsoft developed the game, it would be a little more depth than a one button action game with skills. Nah, somehow has less going for the battle system than either Neptunia U or MegaTag. Definitely worse out there in terms of Compile Heart titles…
It’s more Chaos Rings. Same battle system, visuals, and similar story. I didn’t like the original, so I didn’t give much time to this sequel either.
A prequel to Chaos Rings. No idea how it connects to the original, it feels like the exact game over again.
A product of its time, Chaos Rings is nothing special. The idea of an original turn based rpg built from the ground up on mobile devices might have been a novel idea back then, but it’s so forgettable. Basic story, characters, and combat made it hard to proceed any further. I am glad the series has been preserved on PS Vita, mobile game preservation is a travesty…
“Horizon effect” is funny, when a more influential (and better) open world RPG eclipses its release window. Don’t like the main protagonist, environments weirdly look gross with the janky movement and pop-in, and since it’s an RPG, skill might not matter if number isn’t high enough. Not interested in trying the sequel, it's an Ubisoft open world game in its ugly core.
I barely pass the tutorial area when I played. It’s a complicated old school RPG, not of my style. Willing to try the other newer Elder Scrolls titles, this is not a game I could see myself getting into.
A marginal improvement over the original versions, but it’s hard to stomach Gen 1’s buggy and unbalanced quirks. It’s cool this version is inspired by the anime, with exclusive events that occur only in this game. Nowadays I would rather play Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee, but there’s heart in this Special Pikachu Edition!
Final Fantasy action combat meets Disney adventure exploration, neither of which I enjoy in this first outing. It’s nice that this Action RPG feels like a traditional action game, down to having a level 1 option purely based on skill, but it feels so awful during combat. Mostly button mashy affairs that don’t have enough feedback to hits, plus lackluster exploration bits. There is platforming, puzzle solving, and quests, in which neither are all that fun to do. It sucks knowing I’d have to watch a summary of this game to begin the sequel. So lame…
Remember Mistwalker of Lost Odyssey & The Lasty Story fame? Well their most recent JRPG came out last year…as an Apple Arcade exclusive. It’s a turn based battle system where you align your aim to hit enemies. They introduce a cauldron’s pot mechanic where you can store random encounters to fight them all at once or can be turned off for a traditional encounter system. Sounds cool so far, now I’ll mention its biggest problems. It’s a two part game now combined into one experience, but both are so vastly different in execution. Part 1 introduces the story, characters, and simple enough battle system that beginners can enjoy. Part 2 opens up everything, becoming a brutally difficult nightmare where you NEED to understand boss weaknesses and patterns to survive. It’s this disproportional experience that made me drop Fantasian, and it’s on a sub service, so good luck finishing it in time before the renewal starts. A console port with major balance adjustments would be a blessing!
All style, no substance. It’s a Hunter RPG where you fight giant colossus bosses between both screens. Phenomenal 3D models and 2D sprites evoke a 5th gen aesthetic akin to Xenogears. Gameplay comes down to tapping spots on the monster to attack, it gets tiring fast. Even with multiplayer, I can’t imagine this game having longevity with the sheer repetition of basic quests to proper boss quest. Makes me wish this was a Shadow of the Colossus style game instead.
A bit better than the original release, but not enough to recommend. New Ace skills meant better balancing in single-player and an infinite tower mode to grind materials. No new weapon classes is pretty disappointing, and whatever online services that were here have been shut down. PS3 & PS Vita cross-play is nice, despite the region locked servers. There are better Hunter RPGs on PS Vita than this.
A title that lives in the shadow of Tales of Phantasia. It looks and sounds phenomenal, building off Phantasia's production with a fully voiced opening and character voices during battle. Combat is this messy real-time affair where you have only 2 skills and mostly mash a button to do attacks. Story is just Star Trek 1, has a handful of weird bugs, and a plethora of backtracking, it felt like Enix didn't gave the budget that Wolf Team received with Namco. On its own, Star Ocean is untapped potential that could be awesome, but alas the original is not that enjoyable.
Clearly a different style of JRPG available on Super Nintendo, but it’s not of my tastes. Ugly art-style meets poor isometric exploration crashes into bad battle system. The timing for commands is completely off (played on SNES Mini for reference) and I can only imagine how much platforming would be required in this perspective. It’s a shame, but Geno can stay in that game.
So this game is based off a multimedia IP that has mostly faded away from pop culture. Battle system is like a third person shooter mixed with some action, think Mega Man Star Force. It was a bit of fun, but the mission structure and empty exploration made this difficult to catch my interest. It works for a PSP game, but for a title so late into its lifespan (2011/2013), I expected a bit more here.
Will be reevaluated.
The definition of a turn-based RPG. Brave Story is based off a book/anime of the same name, but it's so painfully generic. Isekai that links with the source material, it was one of the earliest JRPGs available on PSP. It looks alright, even with the bloom yet they have the camera so far out during exploration. Makes it hard to appreciate the visuals when all you see is some shadows and small character models.
Prope's only JRPG and it sure feels like a majority of what the PSP had to offer. I like the character models and the cel-shaded style, seems to be a good adaption of Digimon Adventure. Basic exploration and having to hold a button to run somehow felt dated for being a 2013 game. I might give it another chance in the future, but it didn't hook me in.
What the hell is this combat system? Having artes become the main attack commands didn't sit right for me. It seems that I could put a certain attack attribute on each button to mix them up, but it felt so messy to me. Visuals are pretty, story seems okay, not enough for me to continue though.
Bought this with some leftover PSN credit, it was alright. This was before my distaste for roguelites began, but I enjoyed the simple if janky action combat and phenomenal soundtrack. There’s many customization options to your hero, summon circles, and weapons, kept me busy for awhile. I dropped it due to boring story and lame difficulty spikes with latter story missions. Give the soundtrack a listen, it’s a hidden gem.
