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Can we agree that WRPGs generally have better writing than JRPGs? (examples)
- Thread starter OSPC
- Start date
A lot of the examples come at climatic moments of the game where stakes and emotions are high, and in that context they seem more appropriate.
As a generalization I would say I agree. I haven't seen a JRPG that has reached the heights of some WRPGs I've played.
Obviously both genres have some good & bad writing in them.
Obviously both genres have some good & bad writing in them.
I feel your take is right OP. Good games in the OP too. Disco Elysium is another good answer. I feel it's the game where the dialogue is the most natural even if it takes place in a fictive world.
As I get older it gets more and more apparent to me. I think a big reason is that the target audience is often not the same. A lot of JRPGs are targeting Japanese teens. I don't think you can say the same with something like Disco Elysium. I recently played Tales of Cold Steel 3 and it was pretty awful writing wise. I still love both JRPG and WRPG though.
As I get older it gets more and more apparent to me. I think a big reason is that the target audience is often not the same. A lot of JRPGs are targeting Japanese teens. I don't think you can say the same with something like Disco Elysium. I recently played Tales of Cold Steel 3 and it was pretty awful writing wise. I still love both JRPG and WRPG though.
I would love it if overwrought purple prose was the standard for good writing. If it was, I'd be fucking William Shakespeare.
Also, conversations like this overlook the fact that video game storytelling has more factors than just the quality of the dialogue. In fact, I'd put writing quality near the bottom of the list.
Also, conversations like this overlook the fact that video game storytelling has more factors than just the quality of the dialogue. In fact, I'd put writing quality near the bottom of the list.
Most of the team for Tactics Ogre also went on to make Final Fantasy Tactics, another game with good writing, with a serious plot, and subplots.
I left Bloodborne out since it's not really a JRPG or a WRPG, but we can include it if you want.
So 3 good RPG stories then.
I vastly prefer WRPGs to JRPGs in every way, especially in terms of writing, but I wonder how much of the issue is translation-based. Maybe the writing of some of those JRPGs that I've played is better than I thought it was, but the localization was weaker?
Unfair comparison. Only in the past decade have most JRPGs - low and high budget - received competent translations. Even with big games like Persona 5 we get awkward phrasing and outright typos.
Also the genres are different. I associate tons of lore stored in books, letters, documents, etc. with WRPGs. A lot of JRPGs don't do this - lore is explained directly or via NPCs. Or maybe there's almost no interest in expanding the lore vs telling a linear story.
Also the genres are different. I associate tons of lore stored in books, letters, documents, etc. with WRPGs. A lot of JRPGs don't do this - lore is explained directly or via NPCs. Or maybe there's almost no interest in expanding the lore vs telling a linear story.
This is a silly comparison because they clearly aren't trying to do the same thing.
In a based crpg like a Planescape Torment you pretty much talk about your entire life with the npc you just met while the npc in a based Jrpg like Xenogears will only say something like "Please don't activate the lift!".
Seriously, poor dude on the lift in Thames.
When i think good writing in rpgs, i probably think about something like Deus Ex or Shadowrun, but i feel like i have a cyberpunk bias and don't really understand writing to differentiate my tastes with critical quality.
That said, Xenogears is still my favorite story of any media. It doesn't say much about the actual quality of the writing, however.
Maybe in the end, it's safer to say the mediocre wrpg is better written than the mediocre jrpg but i would put stuff like Xenogears, Valkyrie Profile or Mother 3 above any wrpg. But even then, i feel they're too different to compare.
In a based crpg like a Planescape Torment you pretty much talk about your entire life with the npc you just met while the npc in a based Jrpg like Xenogears will only say something like "Please don't activate the lift!".
Seriously, poor dude on the lift in Thames.
When i think good writing in rpgs, i probably think about something like Deus Ex or Shadowrun, but i feel like i have a cyberpunk bias and don't really understand writing to differentiate my tastes with critical quality.
That said, Xenogears is still my favorite story of any media. It doesn't say much about the actual quality of the writing, however.
Maybe in the end, it's safer to say the mediocre wrpg is better written than the mediocre jrpg but i would put stuff like Xenogears, Valkyrie Profile or Mother 3 above any wrpg. But even then, i feel they're too different to compare.
I have liked the JRPG stories I've played.
I value entertainment/fun over quality/complexity or whatever tho.
I value entertainment/fun over quality/complexity or whatever tho.
Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is up there IMO. It also has relatively little dialogue (one of your 3 party members is even mute).
For sure. JRPGs are still on that K12 Young Adult shit- and that's okay, if you're looking for saturday morning cartoons. Which they are. And that's fun!
And it's fantastic! But it was one game released decades ago.
Possibly (probably); but it's telling that I scrolled through most of the examples without even reading them because they were just giant walls of text.
That tends to be how I differentiate WRPGs from JRPGs.
That tends to be how I differentiate WRPGs from JRPGs.
Sadly JRPG go hand in hand with anime tropes and cliche. So usually it's bad. But a few times it's really really good.
I have no experience with old WRPGs but modern ones aren't that great either.
In general, few games have strong writing and it also depends on someone's personal stance on tropes and cliches.
Love plenty of WRPGs but let's not forget this sub-genre has both Fallout 3 & 4, one of the worst written games... like ever.
Both JRPGs & WRPGs have their ups and downs but I personally lean to WRPGs as a matter of preference.
Both JRPGs & WRPGs have their ups and downs but I personally lean to WRPGs as a matter of preference.
That's fair. I need to play more classic cRPGs. Especially fond of RTwP systems (I know, the horror).
Ughhh this was my quota for how many times I have to see this game recommended on Era before I have to look up pricing for this game on eBay. Now I have to look up pricing for this game on eBay. I remember skipping over that game back in the day at Blockbuster many times because "the graphics on the cover look bad"
There are some good exceptions don't get me wrong but a lot of recent JRPGs were really bad when it comes to story/dialogue and interaction with NPCs.
When I was a kid I used to like them but nowadays? It's hard for me to stomach something like Atelier games or No No Kuni 2 or DQ XI
I didn't think this conversation was restricted to time of release, but there's much more JRPGs produced than there is WRPGs, so I'm not surprised, there's more bad than good among JRPGs.
It bombed badly at the time (it's so incredibly different from any other JRPG that people didn't know what to think). Looking at Amazon marketplace, there are a lot of $10-$15 used offers so it's not an expensive game even now: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00007KQC1/ref=dp_olp_used?ie=UTF8&condition=used
I really hope that Capcom decided to port it to a new system at some point since more people should play this game. I also think it'd have a better reception now.
To be fair, if you're playing an Atelier game you should be EXPECTING that kind of stuff. Those games are niche on top of a niche on top of another niche.
I have a $15 offer in on a copy already @_@. When I seen it was only $20 for a perfect copy with box and manual I immediately put in a $15 offer.
They certainly have more text
WRPG's stories have never grabbed me the way my favorite JRPG's have so its definitely a case by case scenario for me. Even Planescape which is famous for its writing didnt do it for me because of the sheer volume of information being thrown at me, I respond better to writing thats more seamlessly integrated into the play experience.
WRPG's stories have never grabbed me the way my favorite JRPG's have so its definitely a case by case scenario for me. Even Planescape which is famous for its writing didnt do it for me because of the sheer volume of information being thrown at me, I respond better to writing thats more seamlessly integrated into the play experience.
I love KH and no one is fooling themselves into saying the writing is good. It's entertaining because of how ridiculous and genuine it is.
It's actually not writing. It's typing a letter on a smartphone keyboard and then picking the recommended next word for a bunch of hours.
Here's the link to the video of the guy who was the guy who was the guy who knows maybe we can meet up for a drink with you and your family a very happy and prosperous new year and I have to go to the store and get some rest and feel better soon and that is why I am asking for a friend.
Here, Kingdom Hearts 4.
You'll get no argument from me on that point. KH3 was a mess writing-wise. Very fun game, very pretty game, one of the DUMBEST games I've played in years. And I'm used to Sora being a dumb golden retriever.
As long Bioware is not used as an example of good writing yet again.
But also no because the "j" and "w" rpg labels are garbage that serve no purpose other than push discussions of one vs the others when both have very fucking different games.
But also no because the "j" and "w" rpg labels are garbage that serve no purpose other than push discussions of one vs the others when both have very fucking different games.
Sounds brilliant. Also seen it recommended as a good challenging game. I'm very interested now.
Is it slow, though? Only played BoF IV, and it's charming, but soooooooooooooooooooooooooo fucking slow.
I don't think it's particularly fair to compare localized and unlocalized games, as the act of localizing often has a significant impact the quality of writing. I'd agree that WRPGs generally do conversations and lore better but JRPGs generally have stronger plots, but that's a product of the different design philosophies of the genres rather than a clear mark of quality.
There are some tremendously written WRPGs but I also find badly-written WRPGs way more tedious because they tend to have reams and reams of pretentious boring text because they think "more text" is "good text".
I mostly feel like this comparison gets at the fact that comparing WRPGs and JRPGs doesn't really work, though? They're not just two variations on the same style of game and they're doing different things with their writing and their design. Also, as others have mentioned, translation is a thing.
~~~
You enter once again that debauched hive you call Resetera. As the LED screen flickers to life, you wonder what hot take (as you call the sort of sectarian saber-rattling you see in these places) is in store for you. You grind your teeth and run your hand over the obligatory scar across your right eye. Just another day shitposting on the internet, and it was going to be a goddamn beautiful one.
I mostly feel like this comparison gets at the fact that comparing WRPGs and JRPGs doesn't really work, though? They're not just two variations on the same style of game and they're doing different things with their writing and their design. Also, as others have mentioned, translation is a thing.
~~~
You enter once again that debauched hive you call Resetera. As the LED screen flickers to life, you wonder what hot take (as you call the sort of sectarian saber-rattling you see in these places) is in store for you. You grind your teeth and run your hand over the obligatory scar across your right eye. Just another day shitposting on the internet, and it was going to be a goddamn beautiful one.
Let's put it this way: you know how Dead Rising has an emphasis on timers and starting the game over but carrying all of your powerups through to the next "loop"?
Dead Rising got that from Dragon Quarter.