20 JRPGs worth playing (Topic)

There comes a time in every adult's life when he has to sit down and think about one important question: "What JRPGs should I play?" Kotaku editor and investigator Jason Schreier comes to the rescue with a selection of 20 JRPGs worth playing. Some of them are new, others are quite old. But don't worry. Every game is worth playing today, even if you have to get your hands on the Super Nintendo and try to find cartridges on sale. These games are timeless and ageless.

Final Fantasy VI

Platforms: Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, iOS, PC

Part steampunk, a little Star Wars, and 100% great adventure, FFVI is the best of Final Fantasy and one of the first RPGs to show that video games can move. The adventures of Terra and Celes and their fight against the demonic clown Kefka still continues today, even if their animations are out of date. Despite the limitations of 16-bit graphics, Final Fantasy VI still shines in the modern era. [If possible, play the original rather than the pass-through PC remake].

Illusion of Gaia

Platforms: Super Nintendo

Back in the early 90s, a small studio Quintet released several RPGs for Nintendo consoles. Many of them are very good - ActRaiser, Soul Blazer, Terranigma, but the best is Illusion of Gaia. In it, you play as a psychic named Will, who travels through a distorted version of the real world, making his way through an alternate Earth and destroyed landmarks like the Great Wall of China. Will's journey is touching and partly raises questions of mortality.

Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete

Platforms: Sega Saturn, PlayStation

No game has embraced the concept of a traditional JRPG as a turn-based, music-rich adventure filled with interesting people and places like the Lunar series, created by the talented team from Japan's Game Arts studio. Eternal Blue is the best of the series, beautiful, long and with a killer soundtrack.

Ni no Kuni

Platforms: PlayStation 3

If Ni no Kuni was in the dictionary, then she would surely stand as an example of the word "charming". A beautiful, fun adventure that is essentially a Miyazaki movie from the gaming world. The sequel is great too, and also has improved combat.

Phantasy Star IV

Platforms: Sega Genesis, PC, PS4, Xbox One

In the 90s, when Final Fantasy took off and JRPGs became as ubiquitous as MOBAs were back in their day, Sega released the sci-fi epic Phantasy Star. While some skeptics and Nintendo fans alike considered Sega to be conveyorized rubbish, people who actually played this RPG on Genesis got the best sci-fi RPG. In particular, Phantasy Star IV is central to the entire series.

Chrono Trigger

Platforms: Super Nintendo, PlayStation, Nintendo DS, iOS, Android, PC

Time travel, talking frog swordsmen, Lavos, Lucca, a mute protagonist named Jesus, a kingdom floating in the sky. If you've never played this game before, try to temper your expectations, it may not be a phenomenon in your gaming life, but it's still a top-notch RPG.

Persona 5

Platforms: PlayStation 3, PS4

Persona 5 is a school simulator in which you descend into a dungeon to play heroes at night. It sounds boring, but this is until you play it, and it will not absorb you for a long day. While Persona 5 may be a little drawn out at the end, it has an atmosphere and an inimitable style.

Final Fantasy VII

Platforms: PlayStation, PC, iOS, PS4

Just go and play ...

Xenogears

Platforms: PlayStation, PlayStation Classic

There are games that have common sense, and then there are Xenogears - an epic about giant robots and religious mythology that somehow manages to be acutely social. If you overpower bad design and excruciatingly slow writing, you'll have an amazing story of people battling odds and against what might be God.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky

Platforms: PSP, PC

Great game, but with a dull name. The game has a lot of interesting gameplay solutions, plot twists and funny details that were preserved during the translation. We advise you not to ignore conversations with treasure chests.

Earthbound

Platforms: Super Nintendo, WII U

Yes, Nintendo's cult classics are really as good as everyone says they are. Yes, she is funny, funny and full of unforgettable moments. No, it's not about the embryo.

Radiant Historia

Platforms: Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS

Radiant Historia is similar to the Chrono Trigger for the modern era. Time travel, combat, strategy, lots of drama - everything is perfectly combined.

Lufia 2

Platforms: Super Nintendo

JRPGs are generally not puzzles friendly, but Lufia 2 pits Zelda in the ability to surprise and challenge you with puzzles in each dungeon. This is a great game and looks good today. Just be prepared for bugs that turn a couple of levels and unintelligible nonsense, if that happens, just go ahead. And don't match the Nintendo 3DS version

Suikoden II

Platforms: PlayStation, PS Classic

If you're wondering what a mix of Game of Thrones and Pokemon looks like, this is it, but a hundred times better. The story of Suikoden II is one of the most emotional I have ever seen, and every time you are surprised in a new way, screaming "Wow, f *** me!" during the twist. If you like stories of friendship, betrayal, then this JRPG is for you.

Super Mario RPG

Platforms: Super Nintendo, Wii Virtual Console

How many RPGs allow you to play as Mario in the Mushroom Kingdom? Well, okay there are enough of them today. But Super Mario RPG was the first and still one of the best, and this is the only RPG about Mario with a weapon, and that's almost all you need to know.

Final Fantasy IX

Platforms: PlayStation, PS1 Classic, PC

Clever and surprisingly well-written Final Fantasy 9 is a Shakespearean joke with a lot of humor. What else could you expect from a game about a thief in love with a princess? True, random battles are a dime a dozen, but this is the only drawback.

Dragon Quest VIII

Platforms: PlayStation 2, iOS, 3DS

The Best of Dragon Quest is fascinating. If you don't mind a fair amount of bad mechanics like grind and weird pumping, then you can play.

Final Fantasy Tactics

Platforms: PlayStation, PSP, iOS, PS Classic

Games love to romanticize war, but the war in Final Fantasy Tactics is real and unpleasant, despite the fact that wizards in ridiculous costumes are fighting in it. FFT is full of death, betrayal and bad news for everyone, unless you are a player, in which case you will love the devilishly nifty quest system in the game and exciting battles in the main storyline.

Kingdom Hearts II

Platforms: PlayStation 2

If you're not wasting time thinking about that tangled mess that Tetsuya Nomura calls the plot, jump into the Disney world, it's really fun.

Lost Odyssey

Platforms: Xbox 360, Xbox One

Even before Hironobu Sakaguchi fell into the trap of mobile games, he created some fantastic RPGs. This includes Microsoft's exclusive Lost Odyssey, which is easy to play today thanks to its backward compatibility with Xbox One. With a compelling story about the team of immortals, Lost Odyssey is still worth your time.

The Topic of Article: 20 JRPGs worth playing.
Author: Jake Pinkman