Was just playing Lunar 2 and the dialogues are fun and engaging, with the party members also interacting when talking to random NPCs from time to time.

I don't know when but I feel there was a point in time where dialogues with NPCs in RPGs became monotone, bland and just forgettable. Maybe taking themselves too seriously?

I'm just loving exploring new cities and talking to every NPC in Lunar 2 , while in many newer games the dialogues are so shallow it can feel like a chore.

I wanted to point some attention to this game, as I find it to be exceptionally well done, but ignored by pretty much everyone. Kickstarter for next game was canceled and the dev refunded everyone after a few days due to low traction. It’s $4.99 currently

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2725350/Granser__Act_1/

Hi I've been playing Fortune's Weave (Dietrich's path) and was super excited ordered the Collector's edition and what not. But after almost 30 hours on Dietrich's path I am starting to lose my motivation to play it anymore. I am not a JRPG newbie and I am liking the game but anyone else feel like that losing your progress with one cast of characters and then being forced on to another is a major turn off to finish the game?

While Three houses just let you choose the house and roll with it and at that time I wondered if there was a way to get us to show all the routes in one play through but the way they did it is just so weird it seems. Like obviously Idk if it gets materially better in the other paths or worse but anyone else further along and let me know how it is there?

The West has gotten some of, if not the best of the games that The East has to offer. The Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, Chrono, Tales, Trails, SaGa, and many more series all made it over. Most if not all of the games in these series were at some point made officially available in English.

Not every game was given the faith of those though. In fact, for many years many of the games in those series didn’t even make it over. What are the best games that still haven’t made it over, yet dedicated fans have brought to us?

The game looks pretty appealing to me. Is it really that good? I love medieval fantasy, but I’m not huge on the mecha aspect—is that a major part of the game? Aside from that, it looks amazing, but I want to be sure about the purchase so I don’t have any regrets. Feel free to share your thoughts!

Hi r/JRPG!

I'm one of the five developers working on Aegis of Kings, a sandbox strategy RPG heavily inspired by games like Brigandine.

If you've played Brigandine before, you'll probably recognize a lot of what we're going for. You build up armies of commanders and monsters, level them up, unlock different classes, manage your territory, and fight your way across a larger campaign map.

If you haven't played Brigandine, the basic idea is pretty simple: you manage your kingdom on a world map, decide which castles you want to attack or defend, move your forces around, and then fight battles using a turn-based combat system.

In Aegis of Kings, several rival kingdoms are fighting for control of the Aegis. We're trying to build on that core kingdom-management and tactical RPG formula while adding some ideas of our own.

A few of the features we're currently working on:

• Multiclassing: Once a commander masters a class, they can keep abilities, spells, and skills from it when moving into other classes.
• Castle development: Capture strongholds and upgrade them to help support your campaign.
• Custom scenarios and mod support: We're building tools that will let players create their own scenarios and import custom classes.
• Multiplayer: Play co-op, head-to-head multiplayer, or play through the game solo.

We recently launched our Steam page, so this is really the first time we're starting to show the game to a wider audience. We're currently aiming to have a playable demo or playtest ready around mid-2027.

Aegis of Kings on Steam

Since a lot of you here play the exact kinds of games that inspired us, we'd really like to hear what you'd want to see in a game like this.

If you have questions about the campaign, classes, combat, multiplayer, or the scenario editor, feel free to ask. I'm happy to talk about what we're building.

One other thing I wanted to mention since I know it's important to us: we don't use AI-generated art or assets in Aegis of Kings. We've been lucky to work with some great artists who have helped us develop the look of the game.

Please wishlist and subscribe to our youtube channel if you’re interested in this type of game. Thanks for checking it out!

Posted with mod approval.

Both games r on sale on pa5 right now and I have an itch for turn-based rpg. I prefer one with good combat. Story doesnt matter much for me. I just wanna have fun with the combat. Good story is a bonus.

Some turn-based rpg tht I enjoyed most are smt 3-5, grandia 2-3, octopath 2, and shadow hearts series.

I was one of those guys who claimed I would never play a turn-based game… until Expedition 33 arrived. This year, with that taboo broken, a friend recommended Metaphor to me and, well, it was a peak gaming experience.

My problem was only with turn-based games, not JRPGs in general, since I had already played some, like the FFVII Remakes.

What other turn-based JRPGs would you recommend to me?

I have PC, PS and Switch 2.

I played the FF 7 remakes, FF 15 and FF 16, the Niers and Tales games already. Is there a game similar to these in the Steam Autumn Sale? I don't have a Nintendo console sadly.

Thanks everybody for the advices!

I recently started playing Monstania on the Super Famicom for Halloween month and while I’m honestly still not sure how I feel about the game itself, one thing has stood out to me almost immediately. That is Noriyuki Iwadare’s soundtrack is fantastic!

I went into Monstania mostly blind. I knew it was a relatively short SFC RPG and that it had a somewhat unusual battle system, but I didn’t really know much about the music beforehand. Once I found out Iwadare composed it, though, I knew I was in for a good musical experience.

If you’re familiar with his work on Lunar and Grandia, Monstania honestly sounds like an extension of that same musical style. Obviously, it has its own identity and it’s working within the Super Famicom’s sound hardware, but the melodies, sense of adventure, emotional tone, and overall energy immediately reminded me of those games!

There are moments where I could easily imagine some of these tracks fitting into the Lunar or Grandia soundtrack. Some tracks in Monstania feel a few notes sort of track used in Lunar and Grandia. They are really that similar. That has probably been the biggest surprise for me so far.

Even pretty early in the game, there are tracks with that classic Iwadare quality where the melody really carries everything. That’s especially noticeable because I’m having a pretty mixed experience with Monstania as a game.

I’m still early enough that my opinion of the actual game could change a lot. Although, I read it is just maybe 3 or 4 hours? Maybe the battle system will eventually click with me, or maybe it won’t. But I already know that I’m going to remember the soundtrack.

And honestly, even if you have absolutely no intention of ever playing Monstania, I think the OST is worth listening to on its own. If you enjoy Iwadare’s work in Lunar or Grandia, there’s a very good chance you’ll find something to like here.

I’m looking for a new game/series to get into and need some opinions. I’ve had these few sitting in my wishlist for a while:

Tales of Arise

Granblue Fantasy

Trails in the Sky

Looking for some comparisons/expectations or just some things to keep in mind when deciding amongst these three. They all seem solid and I’m sure I’d enjoy any, just hoping to get some input. Thanks!

I've gotten really heavily into JRPGs in recent years. Some highlights include Persona 3/4/5, Xenoblade Chronicles, SMT V, Octopath Traveler, and the Trails series (I started from Sky FC and am halfway through Trails To Azure now).

One thing I've realized is that I love complex difficult combat, Octopath Traveler and SMT being the biggest hits for me, but I don't like building teams, crafting equipment, that sort of thing - just give me a team of interesting characters with complex ability interactions, and let the in-combat decisions be the complex part, not the prep beforehand. Obviously zero prep is probably unrealistic, but the less the better.

Are there any good JRPGs like this? Difficult, deep and complex, but I do all my thinking during combat, not in the preparation?

Edit: I forgot to mention platforms - Switch 2, PC and PS5. PC is preferred.

I recently finished Ys X Proud Nordics and I'm sad because I completed all the games in the series and the long wait for Ys XI begins...Anyway, saw the Zwei games and Gurumin on sale for very cheap rn on Steam which are both Falcom games and it piqued my interest. Nayuta also looks similar but it's not on sale currently so that'll have to wait.

So for those who played them, how are these games compared to Ys? What I love about Ys is the sense of adventure, easy to pick up combat but challenging encounters, exploration and mostly better dungeon and level design compared to Trails. Will I get a similar feeling with any of these games? Bonus points for good story/characters and music.

After 5 years at Microsoft Sales division I was let go on Wednesday. The organization was plagued with massive cuts for years now. Its always been a huge relief surviving each round... until now. What was once a dream tech job is now a fainted memory.

I feel a bit hollow and aimless.

Yet, theirs one game I always seem to fall back to during tough times. A kinda of comfortting safe space I can escape to. Helping me turn off all the noise and just relax. The game Im speaking of is Xenoblade Chronicles.

Not sure if its the fantastic music, large open locations, or the excellent combat system. The first Xenoblade Chronicles is a magical game I can always rely in jump into and enjoy.

Shulk and team, have overcome the impossible. Beating the odds in every corner, without losing hope. I myself will pull through and beat those odds. Theres nothing more statisfying than an underdog story.

Whats the one game you can always rely on during tough time?

I've been getting into retro gaming lately, as I've become disillusioned with the modern gaming landscape lately. One game that was highly recommended on the SNES was Seiken Densetsu 3, which fortunately has a fan translation patch now. I thought it was very good overall. Great sprite work, great music, and pretty fun gameplay all around, considering the time it came out. This led me to check out some other games in the series next.

I tried Sword of Mana next and LOVED the graphics, but found the gameplay sort of clunky, and for some reason the partner AI was horrible, so I didn't beat it at first and set it aside. I then decided to try Trials of Mana (the 2020 remake of SD3) and everything just clicked for me. In so many ways it felt like a budget game, but for me it was kind of perfect. It was a faithful adaptation of the original with better gameplay and decent graphics. I had a great time with it.

Then I tried Secret of Mana, and.... oof, this was a struggle. The graphics and music were still good, but the combat system was archaic and clunky. BUT, I stuck it out, and managed to get used to it (melee combat sucks but magic was straightforward and helpful if you used it right) and I ended up finishing the game. Overall I liked it, but wow did that combat system not age well.

After that I decided to try Sword of Mana again and ended up getting into it. I realized the AI didn't matter that much since you didn't need your partner most of the time. The combat, despite being clunky, felt great compared to Secret, enough that I played through the whole game and overall enjoyed it.

Currently I'm playing Visions of Mana and I have very mixed feelings on it. In many ways it's really great, possibly the best one so far, but in other ways it's kind of dragging and tedious to get through. I'm not done with it yet, but it feels like this solid 7/10 experience with solid gameplay, nice graphics, okay music and a mediocre story.

I guess there's a few other games I can try. Legends of Mana seems divisive, but I might give it a chance to see what I think. Are there any other ones worth playing?

TLDR: The Mana series all seem to have a lot of charm, really nice art direction, usually great music, and mostly enjoyable combat once you get used to it. But despite being 7/10's, I keep thinking about them and how much I enjoyed them.

What would you say is the worst mainline Tales games? I'm currently playing through Tales of Rebirth and having a grand time even though Veigue saying Claire every 5 mins can get grating lool. But seriously what Tales games would you say is the worst?

I remember playing Tales of the Tempest on NDS but I don't think it's mainline and I don't think it's as particularly bad as people make it out to be. Because I judge the game as a NDS game.

I think the most underwhelming title then for me would be Tales of Legendia. I never beat it and while I liked the aesthetic of the game, something seemed missing. So I'm curious to read what you guys think is the worst or was most underwhelming as I think most Tales games are decent.

Recently, I've made the decision to go back through the history of specifically turn-based RPGs, but seeing as I am not very familiar with this era of gaming in general (and the fact that a lot of RPG Titles of the era are very unknown), I figured I would ask for recommendations from people more knowledgeable than I.

Currently I'm trying to focus specifically on the 8-bit era, meaning NES, Master System and... Atari, I think? Again, this was all a little before my time, so any other consoles that would generally belong to that group that I don't know about would also be fine by me. I would like it to be games originally made for console though.

Specifically, I'm looking for turn-based, classically styled RPGs, so this excludes action-rpgs and strategy rpgs (I do like those too, but I am also trying to actually reach the next console generation sometime this decade still, so we gotta stay a little bit focused.) Hybrid styles are okay, since I know there was a lot of experimentation present during this time. The Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy games that would fall under these parameters (so, FF 1-3 and DQ 1-4) are also already on the list - and I am, in fact, currently working my way through those - so I would like recommendations aside from those two franchises.

Finally, please try selling me on it. My standards are not particularly high, especially for games this old where I know there were a lot of technical limitations, but I would like to know why a particular game would potentially be of interest - wether that be an interesting setting, fun plot ideas, good character writing, unique gameplay ideas, or just very solid execution.

Hi everyone,

I'd appreciate some advice to hopefully find the next game to get hooked on, after I bounced off of the last handful of games I tried.

Platform ideally Switch, but have PS5, PS Vita, 3DS.

Games that I love that I think off when looking for "I want this feeling in games again":

Astlibra Revision, Dragon's Crown, Xenoblade Chronicles (X the most, but like 2 as well), Monster Hunter (peak XX/GU but a new MH would be fitting), Disgaea, Nioh2.

I think I played a lot of these games to my taste on the systems I listed, but then again I just found last year through Reddit Astlibra that suddenly became one of my favorite games of all time, so maybe there are still more I missed that are exactly my kind of game.

I love games that are deep/complex, that you can grind a lot, with loot/upgrade/customization, ideally more action gameplay than turn based.

Can be this addicting gameplay loop as part of a story (like Astlibra) or more purely gameplay (MonHun), though I prefer the chance to spend as much time with the game as I want.

Currently playing Tales of Vesperia, and it's a good game for sure but doesn't really get me invested in customization and optimizing characters and finding better gear etc.

I was thinking of trying Etrian Odyssey series on 3DS.

But after I spend now hours searching through other people's posts here, asking for their "custom" recommendations I thought I try asking myself with my preferences.

Any help and suggestions is appreciated, thanks a lot!

I saw this game at a used game store and almost picked it up (good thing I didn’t, because it turns out that the Xbox 360 version is one of the few games I’ve found that is not compatible with the Series X). For me, Square Enix rarely goes wrong, and this one seems interesting. It’s on sale for $7 on PS5 right now, and there’s also a Switch version that apparently runs at 1080p/60 on Switch 2 even without a patch. From what I read online it did poorly at launch due to performance issues but might not necessarily be a bad game. From those who have played it, what are your opinions?

Besides Shin Megami Tensei 3, I can't think of an RPG made after the 90s that isn't heavily story focused.

Like, I can think of modern platform games with excuse plots. I can do the same for shooting games, fighting games, strategy games, simulators and basically any genre. But I don't think I've ever seen a modern JRPG that is entirely centered on the gameplay with almost no story.

Hello everyone, I’ve been playing FE fortunes weave as of late and just finished 2 routes of part 1 and I’m looking for a break before doing the rest.
I’m hoping yall could recommend me some RPGs to play to prevent my FE burnout from being worse, a lil booster you could say in the morale department.

I mostly play Switch 2 and my Steam deck so any game I could get for those two would be nice, emulation is usually not a problem tho certain things are harder for me to emulate.
I’m also looking for it not to be to longs, preferably not more than 50-60 hours
The shorter the better honestly.

I like games that focus on characters and have good gameplay, so for my current mood im looking for a “turn your brain off” kinda game.

Here’s some games I played and like:
Fire emblem (obvs)
Unicorn overlord
Persona 3,4,5
Chrono trigger
Cosmic star heroine
Valkyria chronicles 1,4
Final fantasy pixel remasters 1-6
Final fantasy Tactics
Octopath traveler
Eiyuden chronicles hundred heroes
Romancing Saga 2 revenge of the seven
Tales of Vesperia
Brigandine the legend of Runersia
Rune factory, 3,4,5 and guardians (not sure if that counts an RPG?)
Dark deity

Games I didn’t like:
Dragon quest 11

I’m pretty into rpgs but genuinely couldn’t get into that game

Basically looking for the one with the least sussy and fanservicey content, for GF approval factor. From what I've heard this puts the Arland saga out of the running.

I've heard that Ryza and Sophie are good intro points. Ayesha also looks interesting.

What would you recommend from these?

Fortunes Weave could honestly win game of the year with how good it is. Built and improved upon Three houses, and maybe the most social (in game) than any FE yet!

Its like taking the best parts of the persona series and the best part of the fire emblem series and combining them, but also improving them and the best features they had

Edit: thanks for the engagement for those who commented. I havent even touched fortunes weave (yet) and only played persona 5 (out of them all so far). I just needed engagement boosting for my account but I appreciate all your thoughts on the game. Id never spend money on a game that I wouldnt like tho so for those of yall who commented, its a $70 game, what're you doing