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Is Dark Souls a JRPG?

Is Dark Souls a JRPG?

  • Yes, Dark Souls is a JRPG

  • No, Dark Souls is not a JRPG

Results are only viewable after voting.
Stef

Stef

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,410
Rome, Italy, Planet Earth
No. It is a japanese fantasy action-game or a japanese action-rpg, but not a classic JRPG in the sense, even thought this genre changed a lot in the last two decades in comparison to its origins.

I've seen people starting to call Demon's Soul and Dark Souls "JRPGs" before the release of Final Fantasy XV and, in general, before the recent resurgence of the genre, when most probably JRPGs fans needed more good games to be included in the genre to demonstrate it was in good health.

I guess now it is no longer the case, so let's stop saying that "soulslike" are JRPGs.
 
Dr Pears

Dr Pears

Member
Sep 9, 2018
2,673
A JRPG can be an Action RPG.
A WRPG can be an Action RPG.

Dark souls is a JRPG.

Its a Soulsbornekiro masocore metroidvania with rpg elements
 
Kill3r7

Kill3r7

Member
Oct 25, 2017
24,446
When I think of JRPGs it is a certain style/type of RPG rather than an RPG made by Japanese developers. Anachronox or Undertale are JRPGs made by western developers.
 
Viale

Viale

▲ Legend ▲
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,617
werezompire said:
Traits that are frequently found in JRPGs:
Visual-style based on manga/anime, rather than the more realistic style WRPGs usually go for


Dark Souls was inspired by Demon's Souls which was inspired by King's Field which was inspired by the Ultima Underworld games. I wouldn't consider it a JRPG, but it's definitely an Action/RPG.
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Lol, we know dark souls takes a lot of inspiration from Berserk which is, ofc, an anime/manga.
 
DaBuddaDa

DaBuddaDa

Member
Oct 25, 2017
17
I see JRPG as a game style - like metroidvania - based off the original FF and DQ series. They could be called Finaldragonquests. So no, Dark Souls is not.
 
dancingphlower

dancingphlower

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,058
Even under JRPGs you have games that are action RPGs, turn-based RPGs, or strategy RPGs. What makes all of those games the same genre?
 
Jakisthe

Jakisthe

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,583
Ivalice said:
Not necessarily. For example, Kobe beef needs to be made from Kobe cows in Japan and real champagne comes from the Champagne region of France. These are just two examples of place of origin.
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Those aren't genres/cuisines of food; those are location-based indicators of provenance for legal purposes...and if someone were to say they had "kobe-style beef", it would not mean "beef which is from somewhere near Kobe", but beef raised in a similar manner/with similar content/qualities.

Only someone arguing in bad faith would say that "Japanese restaurant" means "any restaurant in Japan and nowhere else" and not "a restaurant which sells Japanese food"; the content is what matters, not where it physically is.

Same for games. Not all RPGs playable on PCs are CRPGs, there exist western made JRPGs, not all RPGs made in Japan are JRPGs, and content will continue to be more important than location of origin for genre classification.
 
Odeko

Odeko

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Mar 22, 2018
15,180
West Blue
Dark Souls is a JRPG like Metroid Prime or Portal are FPSs

Which is to say "yes," all those words apply individually — but no.
 
waugh

waugh

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Banned
Feb 21, 2020
1,401
b3llydrum said:
My question for anyone who says Dark Souls is a JRPG: why is there a distinction between JRPGs and RPGs?
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Because there is an undeniable difference in game design approach between RPGs made in Japan and made in the west?

A JRPG is any RPG that places emphasis on telling predefined story and with a focus on mechanics. A WRPG is an RPG that places emphasis on a personal role-playing experience.

Dark Souls has a predefined story with 0 role-playing mechanics and the majority of the game is focused on the exploration and combat. Dark Souls is 100% a JRPG.

JRPG and WRPG are not genres but styles.
 
Budi

Budi

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,883
Finland
Zealuu said:
For JRPG and WRPG to be meaningful terms today, they have to delineate genre and not just place of origin. So Dark Souls is not a JRPG.
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Is WRPG meaningful? Does it mean Western made action-RPG? Or any kind of Western RPG? Diablo, Disco Elysium, Witcher 3 are all WRPG:s? Even though Disco and Witcher are from Eastern Europe and all the games play very differently.
 
Dogui

Dogui

Member
Oct 28, 2017
8,813
Brazil
Yes, but also no.

Jrpg has zero objective value as an acronym. It's something different depending who's asking.

Personally, i like to call Dark Souls a 3D Igavania. Which is ridiculous, but most video game genre names aren't exactly better : p

John Kowalski said:
Ys games.
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There's a lot of discussion about stuff like Dark Souls or Yakuza being jrpgs or not, but you're the first person i'm aware of that cites Ys as not being Jrpgs.
 
Sanka

Sanka

Banned
Feb 17, 2019
5,778
Raigor said:
And waht defines WRPGs and JRPGs?
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Absolutely nothing. All the things you mentioned could and do exist in what you would call jrpgs.
The only thing that truly decides whether something is a jrpg or not is its anime aesthetic.
If you can see its "japanese-ness" people will call it a jrpg.
 
Massicot

Massicot

RPG Site
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
2,232
United States
I always lean yes to this question mainly because 'RPG' in itself is a loosely defined, nebulous genre and by layering another loosely-defined, nebulous archetype on top of that turns a vague-but-useful genre tag into a near-meaningless one. If you simply specify the country of origin as the qualifier, you've at least removed one degree of freedom, and deconvoluted the picture to some extent. You make at least one component of the definition more well-defined.

But even this mindset becomes compromised as games become global products. So there's no right answer really.
 
Fisty

Fisty

Member
Oct 25, 2017
20,227
Jakisthe said:
Those aren't genres/cuisines of food; those are location-based indicators of provenance for legal purposes...and if someone were to say they had "kobe-style beef", it would not mean "beef which is from somewhere near Kobe", but beef raised in a similar manner/with similar content/qualities.

Only someone arguing in bad faith would say that "Japanese restaurant" means "any restaurant in Japan and nowhere else" and not "a restaurant which sells Japanese food"; the content is what matters, not where it physically is.

Same for games. Not all RPGs playable on PCs are CRPGs, there exist western made JRPGs, not all RPGs made in Japan are JRPGs, and content will continue to be more important than location of origin for genre classification.
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Is Code Vein a JRPG?
 

Deleted member 431

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Oct 25, 2017
1,675
Jakisthe said:
Those aren't genres/cuisines of food; those are location-based indicators of provenance for legal purposes...and if someone were to say they had "kobe-style beef", it would not mean "beef which is from somewhere near Kobe", but beef raised in a similar manner/with similar content/qualities.

Only someone arguing in bad faith would say that "Japanese restaurant" means "any restaurant in Japan and nowhere else" and not "a restaurant which sells Japanese food"; the content is what matters, not where it physically is.

Same for games. Not all RPGs playable on PCs are CRPGs, there exist western made JRPGs, not all RPGs made in Japan are JRPGs, and content will continue to be more important than location of origin for genre classification.
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Well in general I think this comparison is kind of silly since you can consume games made in Japan worldwide but not restaurants in Japan.
 
Odeko

Odeko

One Winged Slayer
The Fallen
Mar 22, 2018
15,180
West Blue
waugh said:
The truth? Character creator doesn't count.
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What about the extensive stats and level up mechanics? What about the weapon and gear options and customization? What about the branching outcomes of every side quest? What about the morality decisions packaged into every main quest outside of DaS2? Do none of those count either for some reason?
 
waugh

waugh

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Odeko said:
What about the extensive stats and level up mechanics? What about the weapon and gear options and customization? What about the branching outcomes of every side quest? What about the morality decisions packaged into every main quest outside of DaS2. Do none of those count either for some reason?
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Those things exist in other JRPGs. If you define those as role-playing mechanics than I mean role-playing as in DnD role-playing.
 
Sasliquid

Sasliquid

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,295
I believe there are four main sub genres to the RPG

JRPG - Perhaps Console RPGs is a more accurate term as they're streamline for a console experience. Examples include FF, DQ, SMT

WRPG - aka Computer RPGs, typically more expansive and complex for better or worse. Examples include Baldurs Gate, Elder Scrolls, Dragon Age

Action-RPGs - Often less tactical and more focused on reactions. I.e. Souls, Kingdom Hearts, Neir Automata

Strategy-RPGs - The most tactical but typically least emphasis on story or non-combat activities. Often some emphasis on grid movement. I.e. Fire Emblem, X-Com, Valkyria Chronicles

You can probably make a chart for any RPG with Console/Computer on the X-axis and Strategy/Action on the Y-axis
 
jaymzi

jaymzi

Member
Jul 22, 2019
6,546
Yep. Action RPG from Japan, therefore it is a JRPG.

I feel like the art style is the main reason people are hesitant to call Dark Souls a JRPG. Imagine if it had the same look as Persona 5.

Which doesn't make sense because since when are genre's classified by the art style?
 
Hamlet Machine

Hamlet Machine

Member
Nov 22, 2017
344
If it was only meant to be a marker of geographic origin then we would have JFPS and JRacing Games, etc...
(I could be wrong) but JRPG is the only genre with a geographic localisation ?
So although it used to define a RPG made in japan, I think it evolved into a subgenre in itself with specific traits and tropes (based on a formula derived from dragon quest and final fantasy)... all of which, you don't find in Dark Souls.
But that my opinion and you are free to believe in whatever god you want to :)
 
Odeko

Odeko

One Winged Slayer
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Mar 22, 2018
15,180
West Blue
waugh said:
Those things exist in other JRPGs. If you define those as role-playing mechanics than I mean role-playing as in DnD role-playing.
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By Miyazaki's own admission the Souls games are extremely D&D-inspired, primarily via the Fighting Fantasy books he loved growing up which are extremely derivative. Demon's Souls even just flat-out has Mindflayers in it.

I've long maintained that nothing really captures the same feeling as dungeon crawling in D&D as Sen's Fortress because I think they nailed the details so perfectly.
 
OP
OP

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Odeko said:
By Miyazaki's own admission the Souls games are extremely D&D-inspired, primarily via the Fighting Fantasy books he loved growing up which are extremely derivative. Demon's Souls even just flat-out has Mindflayers in it.

I've long maintained that nothing really captures the same feeling as dungeon crawling in D&D as Sen's Fortress because I think they nailed the details so perfectly.
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Have you played Dragon's Dogma? It's basically DnD the game if made by Capcom.
 
waugh

waugh

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Odeko said:
By Miyazaki's own admission the Souls games are extremely D&D-inspired, primarily via the Fighting Fantasy books he loved growing up which are extremely derivative. Demon's Souls even just flat-out has Mindflayers in it.

I've long maintained that nothing really captures the same feeling as dungeon crawling in D&D as Sen's Fortress because I think they nailed the details so perfectly.
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That doesn't make it a WRPG, Final Fantasy draws so much from DnD too. I'm talking strictly about mechanics. The mechanics of the Souls games are closer to Japanese-style Action RPGs.
 
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