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Resetera's Top 101 Essential RPGs - Final Update. Top 101 up plus many extras.

Deleted member 419

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Oct 25, 2017
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I'm loving the runners up and franchise inclusions. Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is a stone-cold classic and it's unfortunate that it just barely missed the top 100. You all play it and vote for it next year! Here's my writeup for it in the spoiler tag below, if you're curious about the game:
Like Panzer Dragoon Saga, Dragon Quarter is uncompromisingly unique. It was so ahead of its time at release in 2002, that 15 years later it's arguably still ahead of its time. The game focuses on a series of overarching systems that interact with each other to form a canvas of rules operating in the background. And, in the web of interlocking mechanics it constructs and challenges you to navigate, is by far the most elegant systems-driven JRPG I've ever played.

Absolutely no mechanics are wasted; everything has been meticulously implemented, from the ground-up, to be a system playing off of all the others. Even setting aside the phenomenal soundtrack, memorable setting, and unique art direction, it is the gameplay systems themselves that lead to the incredible sense of immersion that the game offers.
The combat is incredibly strategic, dependent on positioning and manipulating traps and environmental hazards. There is an ominous countdown until the main character dies and the game ends (not a temporary game over - the playthrough literally ends), and this mechanic interacts with the limited saves and special abilities to form a complex web of risk/reward decisions. The narrative itself is even systems-driven, and unfolds differently depending on how many times you've viewed the cutscene. Hell, there is even a respectable risk/reward decision in choosing to restart the entire playthrough, as the lost progress is counterbalanced by certain things that you hold onto on a manual restart.

In many gameplay-driven games, the game gives me the tools I need to fight the enemies I face. In Dragon Quarter, more than any other RPG I've played, I feel like the only truly critical tool I have is my own brain, and behind the mask of enemy units, my true enemy is the game itself. Not in a frustrating or tedious way; but, rather, in a chess-like, challenging battle of wits, against a team of designers who engineered an enormous puzzle to ensnare me if I let my guard down. Sightseers and those looking for a relaxing, fun romp need not apply under any circumstances - Dragon Quarter is punishing, challenging, and preys on your poor decisions mercilessly. But the payoff for that intensity is one of the most thrilling and immersive experiences in all of gaming, and the absolute pinnacle of systems-driven gaming in the JRPG format.

As a bonus, the narrative itself is a fascinating, surprisingly well-executed thriller that reveals itself in tantalizing chunks. A brutal, powerful testament to game design, and one of the most memorable experiences in the medium. Second only to Nocturne in its elegance. Absolutely essential.
Speaking of franchises on the list, the two biggest ones - Final Fantasy and Persona - had a lot of great writeups for entries that didn't make the cut. Here are two of those writeups, one for each series, and I really recommend checking these games out if you want deeper dives into these franchises:

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Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is a perennially underappeciated entry in the series, one that would appeal to fans of Final Fantasy V, Bravely Default, and Octopath Traveler in particular. Firemind had a great writeup for it (full ballot here):
Firemind said:
This game feels like a blast from the past except it's coated with modern sensibilities. It really is a contemporary take on classic Final Fantasy. Where most of the JRPGs from the early to mid 90s have aged poorly in my opinion, The Four Heroes of Light revels in JRPG traditions and gives them a modern twist, even making fun of them at times. The four main characters don't take themselves too seriously and only end up together due to circumstances. The writing is clever and don't have the localization and text space issues of its older brothers. Tomoya Asano, the producer of The Four Heroes of Light, went on to produce the Bravely Default games, but while that series has been criticized for being tedious and obtuse in the later half of the story; The Four Heroes of Light is briskly paced with no excessive bloat. That's how I like my RPGs. It's like a book. If it doesn't tantalize your readers and goes somewhere, then don't write it. I have high hopes for Octopath Traveler, Asano's next game. Let's hope it's as much of a love letter to classic JRPGs as The Four Heroes of Light.
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Persona 2: Innocent Sin. Though it's often overshadowed by its massively popular successors, P2 has a long-standing reputation as a classic for the quality of its writing and its treatment of mature themes. Wazzy had a great writeup for it (full ballot here):
Wazzy said:
I'm giving this the Underrated rating due to it being absent from many Persona lists. The writing and characters in this are wonderful. This also avoids a lot of the recurring issues that the newer titles have such as weird treatment of female and gay characters, personality types carrying over from game to game and finally the romance system which while fun can also take away from characters to fit the romantic aspect. Even with these issues I still adore the later titles for their stylized appearance and poppy soundtracks but Persona 2 EP is special for it's place of being just before the huge changes that have become most known in the series. The music is great, as most Persona games are and the game features an adult cast which is not common in later games. The story, which is a sequel to the game Innocent Sin( I heavily recommend playing it before EP IF you want to understand some motives and characters) follows a female writer named Maya who begins following rumours that lead her into a chase to find someone.

The gameplay has a negotiation system that we saw return in Persona 5 in which you can convince monsters to give you Tarot cards or Items. It's a straightforward system outside of the negotiation system with regular attacks and spells that you can combo together depending on the order and spells used.

This is a game I heavily recommend people play, especially if you're a fan of the series but want something with a mature cast and focused character development.
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And finally I'd like to recommend one of my own favorite games from the Final Fantasy series that unfortunately didn't make the list:

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Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. One of the strongest games in the series in terms of the core gameplay and game structure. From an earlier thread about the game:
FiveSide said:
Final Fantasy XIII was divisive, and for good reason. The narrative was convoluted and at times even contradictory. The characters could be grating. For the first half of the game, it was extremely linear, at times painfully so. And the battle system, while well-received, took a while to blossom into the strategic, unique system that ended up being one of the game's biggest strengths.

Final Fantasy XIII-2, for those who stayed onboard and gave the setting another chance, fixed several of the most notable issues that its predecessor had. But, for all intents and purposes, it was Final Fantasy XIII writ large - a few new mechanics, a new emphasis on time-travel, but otherwise a more polished and well-rounded version of the game that came before it.

Lightning Returns is not that game.

Many people have already played Lightning Returns, and have formed their own opinion about it. But this thread is for those of you who never played Lightning Returns. Most likely you were fed up with the setting and characters after two games straight of them. Perhaps the timer mechanic gave you pause. Or maybe you just didn't get a chance at the time, and the game slipped under your radar. For whatever reason, I'm here to tell you: don't miss out on one of the strongest JRPGs of the last decade.

Buried at the tail end of arguably Square Enix's most controversial trilogy is an incredibly experimental game, one that eschews the framework that XIII established and instead seems to have more in common with cult classic favorites like Valkyrie Profile. While the germ of XIII's combat is still recognizable, it has been transformed into one of the best battle systems ever seen in Square Enix's storied history - an airtight, meticulously-designed set of mechanics that keeps the player on edge, constantly managing real-time prompts while also juggling ATB cooldowns and menu-driven tactical decision-making. As of now, it is the perfection of the mythical "real-time/menu-driven" hybrid that many JRPGs have attempted over the past decade - fast-paced and strategic, requiring both mental and physical reflexes.

But LR's incredible battle system is only one facet of a broader strength that the game has. Specifically: it is a game built entirely around the idea of "flow."

"Flow" was a central concept of FFXIII's battle system. The core principle of that system was that actions were not necessarily directly controlled - instead, the player "manages" the party during combat, executing higher-level decisions that are then filtered down into specific actions. The player's objective was not just to think strategically, but to organize the party's actions in a way that produced "flow," produced a state of forward momentum that fed onto itself in a positive-feedback loop, until it eventually overwhelmed the enemy and put them into a "stagger" state, in which the most significant amounts of damage could then be dealt. The challenge in FFXIII arose from maintaining this "flow" over the course of a battle, and taking swift and decisive actions to maintain it when an enemy's actions threatened it.

Lightning Returns takes this emphasis on systems-driven efficiency, and extends it to the entirety of the game. The game has often been criticized for the formulaic writing in its sidequests, but the function of those quests isn't necessarily to inspire awe with literary excellence. Rather, the quests (which are mandatory to some extent, as they are the only means through which Lightning gains XP) are a means of challenging the player to move efficiently through LR's open-world. They work in conjunction with the game timer, challenging the player not just to finish them, but to finish them efficiently - to really think about what tasks can be combined, what activities are worth undertaking instead of others, where the player's time is best spent maximizing the rewards that make Lightning stronger. Completionism, though possible, is not the focus of LR; the point is maintaining "flow," maintaining forward momentum through constantly making decisions about how to most efficiently use your limited amount of game time. In the end, and with proper understanding of the game's mechanics, the timer largely becomes a non-issue; but its presence nevertheless subtly changes the player's perception of the game, reminding the player to think in terms of efficiency and momentum rather than exploration.

LR boasts other strengths as well. It is arguably the most challenging game in the series, which is a welcome change of pace from the traditionally low difficulty of the series beginning around the VI-VII era. Customizing Lightning's abilities is a massive system that permits incredible levels of customization, a welcome return to one of X-2's best elements. The sound wizards at Square Enix return for another knockout soundtrack, and the story, while head-scratchingly bizarre, concludes in a surprisingly fascinating way. The game's final boss is also one of the best boss fights in the entire series, a punishing skirmish against a legitimately intimidating foe, set to one of the most epic songs in the franchise.

Is Lightning Returns an all-time classic? Probably not (though, in my opinion, its battle system brings it just to the cusp of that tier). It is, however, one of the most experimental and satisfying JRPGs of the last decade, a bold reimagining of genre and series conventions, and an entertaining finale to one of gaming's most divisive trilogies.

If you haven't played it, at least give it a shot.
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hemtae

hemtae

Member
Oct 25, 2017
110
I'm surprised Baten Kaitos beat Baten Kaitos Origins. I thought Origins was better in pretty much every way.
 
Dreamboum

Dreamboum

Member
Oct 28, 2017
22,852
I wouldn't say The 4 Heroes of Light is underappreciated, its writing is nothing special and especially grating considering it spends most of its time trying to be "ironically aware" of JRPG conventions. It stops being funny after 10 minutes, and then the rest of the game just doesn't hold up that well. I hardly think that fans of FF5 would find solace with 4HOL
 
Rotobit

Rotobit

Editor at Nintendo Wire
Verified
Oct 27, 2017
10,196
Dragon Age Inquisition is one of those games where I'm glad I played it before I read any comments. I honestly really enjoyed the adventure and the companions, some of the emotional beats are strong too (like after you escape the original base.) The main story wasn't the best, and the side content is a little iffy, but so long as you don't try and do everything the second it unlocks it's a fun time IMO.

Makes me wonder if I'd have enjoyed Mass Effect Andromeda more if I wasn't faced with the crushing brunt of negative opinions the week before release.

(Also yes Lightning Returns is great, though I think it's best to play it on Easy if time management isn't your thing. The combat is still fun and challenging enough but without the more frustrating punishments if you die)
 
SatelliteOfLove

SatelliteOfLove

Member
Oct 26, 2017
7,961
South Carolina
FiveSide said:
I'm loving the runners up and franchise inclusions. Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter is a stone-cold classic and it's unfortunate that it just barely missed the top 100. You all play it and vote for it next year! Here's my writeup for it in the spoiler tag below, if you're curious about the game:
Like Panzer Dragoon Saga, Dragon Quarter is uncompromisingly unique. It was so ahead of its time at release in 2002, that 15 years later it's arguably still ahead of its time. The game focuses on a series of overarching systems that interact with each other to form a canvas of rules operating in the background. And, in the web of interlocking mechanics it constructs and challenges you to navigate, is by far the most elegant systems-driven JRPG I've ever played.

Absolutely no mechanics are wasted; everything has been meticulously implemented, from the ground-up, to be a system playing off of all the others. Even setting aside the phenomenal soundtrack, memorable setting, and unique art direction, it is the gameplay systems themselves that lead to the incredible sense of immersion that the game offers.
The combat is incredibly strategic, dependent on positioning and manipulating traps and environmental hazards. There is an ominous countdown until the main character dies and the game ends (not a temporary game over - the playthrough literally ends), and this mechanic interacts with the limited saves and special abilities to form a complex web of risk/reward decisions. The narrative itself is even systems-driven, and unfolds differently depending on how many times you've viewed the cutscene. Hell, there is even a respectable risk/reward decision in choosing to restart the entire playthrough, as the lost progress is counterbalanced by certain things that you hold onto on a manual restart.

In many gameplay-driven games, the game gives me the tools I need to fight the enemies I face. In Dragon Quarter, more than any other RPG I've played, I feel like the only truly critical tool I have is my own brain, and behind the mask of enemy units, my true enemy is the game itself. Not in a frustrating or tedious way; but, rather, in a chess-like, challenging battle of wits, against a team of designers who engineered an enormous puzzle to ensnare me if I let my guard down. Sightseers and those looking for a relaxing, fun romp need not apply under any circumstances - Dragon Quarter is punishing, challenging, and preys on your poor decisions mercilessly. But the payoff for that intensity is one of the most thrilling and immersive experiences in all of gaming, and the absolute pinnacle of systems-driven gaming in the JRPG format.

As a bonus, the narrative itself is a fascinating, surprisingly well-executed thriller that reveals itself in tantalizing chunks. A brutal, powerful testament to game design, and one of the most memorable experiences in the medium. Second only to Nocturne in its elegance. Absolutely essential.
Speaking of franchises on the list, the two biggest ones - Final Fantasy and Persona - had a lot of great writeups for entries that didn't make the cut. Here are two of those writeups, one for each series, and I really recommend checking these games out if you want deeper dives into these franchises:

81tv8Ve9j1L._AC_SX215_.jpg


Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is a perennially underappeciated entry in the series, one that would appeal to fans of Final Fantasy V, Bravely Default, and Octopath Traveler in particular. Firemind had a great writeup for it (full ballot here):
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Yeah, DQ is REKNOWNEDLY beautiful under the hood. The Swiss Watch Factor is off the charts on that one; the better you know it, the more you appreciate it.



Also 4 Heroes' boss fight theme is legit.

 
Soneji

Soneji

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
1,454
Considering Inquisition is a runner up I wonder where DA2 ended up. It's considerably more hated and for reasons I can't argue against. I generally still like it and on a few days out of the year would say I prefer it to Inquisition. Really wish Bioware wasn't rushed to get it out by EA, at least to the point of polishing things as to my understanding the design choice of it being a personal story with a central hub was due to the time constraints(ala Majora's Mask).

It's hard to forgive it for the enemies that spawn out of thin air though. Have never and will never play it on Nightmare mode, whereas I loved Origins on Nightmare.
 
ghibli99

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,728
Great work on this! Honestly blows my mind. Only game in the top 10 I haven't played is NV, so I feel pretty good about the choices I've made over the years. LOL

Also, that #1 is perfect. It's the game I recommend to anyone who has interest in the genre.

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Opa-Pa

Opa-Pa

One Winged Slayer
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Oct 25, 2017
8,810
Both Alpha Protocol and Dragon Quarter are far shorter than I expected, cool. I might get the former soon, I was always curious about it.
 
Dullahan

Dullahan

Always bets on black
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,410
Codeblue said:
Persona 5 is a surprise. I adore that game but I got the impression that there was a lot of disappointment surrounding that title.
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It's the thing with online forums. A handful of vocal people, can seemingly color the sentiment projected while not being quite representative of the whole.

Still opinions and all! All are welcome. If you can't vent about a game online, then what's the point!?!
 
AtmaPhoenix

AtmaPhoenix

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,001
The Internet
Soneji said:
Will try my best to finally play Alpha Protocol before next years list, from all I have ever heard about it it's right up my alley.
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Aters said:
Alpha Protocol is that short? Might give it a try next time.
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Opa-Pa said:
Both Alpha Protocol and Dragon Quarter are far shorter than I expected, cool. I might get the former soon, I was always curious about it.
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Yes, yesssssss! More blood for the blood god!

Ahem, er, I mean, good choice. Alpha Protocol is a great game.
 
OP
OP
kswiston

kswiston

Member
Oct 24, 2017
3,693
texhnolyze said:
Damn, I should've voted for Breath of Fire. I completely forgot about the series, even though it's one of my most beloved ones.
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20 games over the entirety of gaming history is going to lead to stuff being left out if you have been playing RPGs for a long time.

Also, Dragon Age 2 was #231 for whoever asked above.
 
texhnolyze

texhnolyze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,155
Indonesia
kswiston said:
20 games over the entirety of gaming history is going to lead to stuff being left out if you have been playing RPGs for a long time.

Also, Dragon Age 2 was #231 for whoever asked above.
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Yeah, I tried to limit my list to only mention 1 game per franchise so that I could cover most of them. But apparently, 20 franchies is still not enough!
 
leng jai

leng jai

Member
Nov 2, 2017
15,117
This list just makes me think about how many more RPGs I could have played in the last 3 years instead of TW3 over and over again.
 
Psychonaut

Psychonaut

Member
Jan 11, 2018
3,207
Dragon Age: Inquisition is good, actually. I hate the fantasy genre, but DA:I had enough going on with its world, story, and characters that I was able to look past that bias.

A lot of saltiness around Bioware results in general, I see. I think the results with regard to that company are about right, though.
 
Kwigo

Kwigo

Avenger
Oct 27, 2017
8,028
Did someone by any chance make a youtube playlist out of all the OST recommandations in the top 101 ?
 
Aters

Aters

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
7,948
Is it possible to see the ranking base on mention alone? Honestly I don't like the difference in points. 20 is not a big number considering how many great RPGs out there. It's hard to pick "lesser ten". I'd rather every mention has the same point.
 
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Feral

Feral

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,006
Your Mom
hey, quick FF12 question since a number of people here played it:

what's up with the quickening abilities one-hitting bosses? It's ridiculous. Can you play the game without quickening or are later bosses designed around using it?
 
Opa-Pa

Opa-Pa

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,810
Feral said:
hey, quick FF12 question since a number of people here played it:

what's up with the quickening abilities one-hitting bosses? It's ridiculous. Can you play the game without quickening or are later bosses designed around using it?
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Not sure if for the whole game (probably), but I made it like 50 hours into the game without using them, and even after that I think I only needed it for one particularly annoying boss.
 
texhnolyze

texhnolyze

Member
Oct 25, 2017
23,155
Indonesia
Aters said:
Is it possible to see the ranking base on mention alone? Honestly I don't like the difference in points. 20 is not a big number considering how many great RPGs out there. It's hard to pick "lesser ten". I'd rather every mention has the same point.
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Yeah, I've requested that kind of list before. I'd love to see which game had the highest mention, especially for the main highlight spot.
 
GSG

GSG

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Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,051
Weird to see Horizon ZD and Breath of the Wild on the list. If I knew those types of games were applicable, I would've voted for OOT and ALTTP(and it's a shame that neither are on the list since they're both better than BOTW).
 
Opa-Pa

Opa-Pa

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Member
Oct 25, 2017
8,810
GSG said:
Weird to see Horizon ZD and Breath of the Wild on the list. If I knew those types of games were applicable, I would've voted for OOT and ALTTP(and it's a shame that neither are on the list since they're both better than BOTW).
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It's not because people necessarily like Horizon and BoTW more, it's because those other Zelda games you mention don't qualify as RPGs at all whereas BOTW does for many people.
 
Luminaire

Luminaire

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,610
GSG said:
Weird to see Horizon ZD and Breath of the Wild on the list. If I knew those types of games were applicable, I would've voted for OOT and ALTTP(and it's a shame that neither are on the list since they're both better than BOTW).
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You were welcome to vote for anything you felt was an RPG or had strong enough RPG elements to be considered one (or at least a hybrid of sorts) within reason. But, that doesn't mean it will list. People voted for many games that are not RPGs in a traditional sense, and they simply didn't make the list because no one really felt the same. If 50 people thought it'd be funny to vote for Tetris, then the veto rule would have to be enacted.

As mentioned many pages ago, the term RPG is very different now. It's broader and hundreds of new games have bits and pieces of RPG in them. Some have much stronger elements and the case can be made that its fine to call them it. Websites like Gamespot and IGN have called Yakuza, Horizon, and even BOTW RPGs. It's not surprising that many other people feel the same way. Granted, people have made sure to say they're action RPGs and not traditional types.

Having three games that are action RPGs out of a a hundred and one that isn't a bad thing really. It gives you some insight on this community and what RPGs they like, recommend, resonate with, and how broad their own definition of RPG goes. It also may help people who liked games like Yakuza, HZD, and BOTW see their favorite games list. They could see the list and catch interest in things they'd never heard of. I think it's a great thing to introduce people who got started with hybrids to more traditional rpgs whether they came out this past year or almost thirty years ago.
 
Weebos

Weebos

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,060
Thuddert said:
HZD is even labeled as a rpg.

While one can ask if it even makes a strong case, it would be kinda shit to throw it out just because people don't like it.
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Nintendo calls Breath of the Wild an RPG as well.

Honestly I think its fine for everyone to have their own definition of RPG, if most people don't think a game is an RPG then it won't place (or place highly in the case of BOTW).
 
Thuddert

Thuddert

Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,298
Netherlands
Weebos said:
Nintendo calls Breath of the Wild an RPG as well.

Honestly I think its fine for everyone to have their own definition of RPG, if most people don't think a game is an RPG then it won't place (or place highly in the case of BOTW).
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They did put it in that category hmm.

They always called it an open air adventure game when it came to marketing :P.

And of course everyone has their own definition this is why there is no clear cut line for rpgs.

Not like platformers have it any better.
 

Deleted member 419

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,009
texhnolyze said:
It's interesting to see that Suikoden II has as much as highlight votes as some of the top 10, even more.
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Yea it's awesome how many highlights it got. It's a big part of the reason why it managed to barely squeak into the top 20 which I was not expecting at all. I mean it got more points than Persona 3 for instance, crazy.
 
Htown

Htown

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,318
Weebos said:
Nintendo calls Breath of the Wild an RPG as well.

Honestly I think its fine for everyone to have their own definition of RPG, if most people don't think a game is an RPG then it won't place (or place highly in the case of BOTW).
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If I thought Breath of the Wild was an RPG it definitely would have made it onto my list, because that game is incredible. I don't think it is, though I can kind of see why some people disagree.
 
esserius

esserius

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Oct 26, 2017
7,276
Still feel like all games that have been released in the past five years shouldn't be included. I'd have a hard time calling any game that just dropped "essential".
 
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