There was a time when people considered the JRPG genre to be obsolete, with the advent of real-time action seemingly becoming the norm. However, this narrow viewpoint takes away fromthe massive success of games in this genre to this day, with titles likePersona 5andDragon Quest XImaking it infinitely clear thatthe JRPG genre is far from being obsolete.
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That being said, the gripe against combat that people have for most JRPGs does hold true, especially for the following games on this list. However, it’s a shame, sincethese games boast some of the best stories in video gaming, which most people may miss out on due to the implementation of poor combat.
10Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
The first game in thePersonaseries might’ve set the bedrock for what would eventually become one of the biggest JRPG franchises of all time, but there’s no denying that the initial entry of this spinoff certainly made some serious missteps.
The story might be excellent, but the insane encounter rate coupled with the slow pace of the game’s combat makes the first game a rather hard title to get into. People who want to experience the history of thePersonaseries should just try out the second game(s) in the series instead.
9Ni No Kuni: Wrath Of The White Witch
The firstNi No Kunigame is undoubtedly a brilliant title, in no small part due to a charming story and a brilliant art style. However, one has to admit that the combination of real-time and turn-based gameplay wasn’t exactly executed with great panache in this title.
Thankfully, the plot and graphics of the game more than make up for this lackluster combat, andthe second game takes major strides in improving and fixing the gameplayof its predecessor.
8Koudelka
A survival-horror JRPG that set the foundation forShadow Hearts— a vastly underrated JRPG series that fans of the series absolutely need to try out —Koudelkais a hard sell for most players mainly due to the obtuse and punishing nature of the title’s combat.
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However, players who manage to get accustomed to the challenging nature of the game’s combat will definitely find themselves enjoying what is arguably one of the darkest and most unique stories ever told in a JRPG.
7Drakengard
Speaking of unique storytelling in video games, one can’t fail to mention the enigma that is theDrakengardseries. Yoko Taro might not have accrued the reputation that he had in modern times, butDrakengardwas a showcase of his brilliance. The plot was riveting and featured enough twists and turns to keep fans hooked as they reached one of the many endings in these games.
That being said, one has to admit that the combat of the firstDrakengardtitle is absolutely abysmal. Thankfully, later games in the series improve upon this combat somewhat and do wonders to eliminate the awful repetitious nature of the first game’s combat.
6Baroque
The idea of a roguelike JRPG is something that is quite unique indeed, andBaroquedefinitely has a brilliant plot weaved around this gameplay structure that makes the act of going through the game quite a blast indeed.
However, it’s the combat where people will definitely find the most issues. The challenge present inBaroqueis downright unfair at times, making the act of progressing through the Neuro Tower an absolute slog at times.
5Infinite Space
A JRPG with an absolutely overwhelming amount of content that can definitely confuse the bulk of players who try out this title,Infinite Spacehas more than enough backing through its in-depth story to keep players hooked once they get over this initial gameplay hurdle.
However, this hurdle can be truly massive, and new players might find themselves losing interest easily enough due to the rather oppressive and overwhelming nature of the game’s many systems.
4Final Fantasy IX
There’s no denying the fact thatFinal Fantasy IXis easily one of the greatest role-playing titles of all time, but the gameplay of this title definitely took a knock… especially after the advancements made in this particular area in the last two games.
While harkening back to the classic systems of past games in the series definitely allowed for a more charming and memorable story, it came at the cost of diluted combat.
3Final Fantasy XII
Another game that tried to combine real-time and turn-based gameplay with mixed results,Final Fantasy XII’s combat is something that will either intrigue players… or infuriate them to no end.
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It’s a shame since the latter would find themselves unable to enjoy the strong story ofFinal Fantasy XII, bolstered by a wide cast of likable characters and a truly imaginative setting.
2Xenogears
Easily the game with the most wasted potential on this list,Xenogearscould’ve been an absolute masterpiece had it not been for time limitations and budget constraints, which forced the second half of the game to become what was essentially a visual novel coupled with some trite dungeon crawling.
It’s the second half that really showed how the story was what carriedXenogearsthrough — the combat of this title slowly becomes rather rote and uninspired in comparison and ends up taking away from what should’ve been a near-perfect experience.
1Xenoblade Chronicles 2
After the blistering success ofXenoblade Chronicles, it was only a given that a sequel to this game would release at some time or the other. However,while the original game paced its gameplay well, the second game ends up settling on an extremely slow burn that can turn off fans to what is otherwise a spectacular title.
After all, the story ofXenoblade Chronicles 2is genuinely brilliant, andthe gameplay certainly picks up after the first half of the title. It’s just a shame thatthe gameplay is so restrictive and tutorials are so frequent in the early goingthat the allure of this game wanes off criminally early for most players.
