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hussien-11

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,315
Jordan
Def more of a gameplay / strategic element lover than the story. I know this will grind people, but story is a secondary consideration.

I love RPG that let you customise a team with jobs/ classes to suit your play style.

Love both real time and turn based so that doesn't both me (though I may be learning towards turn base atm).

Wow I there are so many 'good' rpgs on the system.. I didn't even know.

Fire Emblem intrigues me... only ever played the one on 3DS - I might have to add it to the list.

So it seems it's mostly a race between DQ11 (I'll check out the demo!) and XB2.

This changes everything. skip Dragon Quest XI for now, the gameplay is entertaining but not very strategic. and I will change my recommendations a bit:

- Final Fantasy XII: this game should be your priority, I think. it has some of the best battles you can ever play in a video game. Hunts are amazing and can be really brutal, the combat in this game is unmatched even to this day.

- Xenoblade Chronicles 2: no job system but Blades will give you a good variety to tackle encounters, but the game is a bit slow and the battle system will truly open after 20+ hours. get XC2 also if you want the game with the most beautiful locations and the best soundtrack. XC has always been a gameplay focused series.

- Fire Emblem Three Houses: play the game on Hard difficulty to enjoy some of the most fun and balanced battles you can have in a video game. it is just the right level of (challenging but fun not annoying).

- Octopath Traveler: while I didn't enjoy it very much, you may enjoy it more than me.
 
Nov 23, 2017
4,999
Play Final Fantasy VII and IX. Timeless classics. Graphics didn't age well and the FPS can stink but they are phenomenal games.
 

Egida

Member
Oct 27, 2017
4,383
Xenoblade 2
Fire Emblem TH
As for ports, if you haven't played it yet, DQXI is amazing.
 

Tibarn

Member
Oct 31, 2017
13,370
Barcelona
Def more of a gameplay / strategic element lover than the story. I know this will grind people, but story is a secondary consideration.

I love RPG that let you customise a team with jobs/ classes to suit your play style.

Love both real time and turn based so that doesn't both me (though I may be learning towards turn base atm).

Wow I there are so many 'good' rpgs on the system.. I didn't even know.

Fire Emblem intrigues me... only ever played the one on 3DS - I might have to add it to the list.

So it seems it's mostly a race between DQ11 (I'll check out the demo!) and XB2.
Mmmm Fire Emblem 3 Houses has maybe the most flexible gameplay, as any character can be reclassed to any class (following some pre-requisites) and the core gameplay is amazing as an S-RPG (map design is not that good).

Octopath has also a really fun class system and lets you use a secondary class for your characters, half the fun in the game is broke the system using crazy combinations. It may feel repetitive during the middle point of the main plot though, only the optional bosses will test your imagination with class combinations.

Xenoblade 2 has a MMO-inspired combat style that feels fresh and a lot of fun, but the depths of the system are tied on unlocking random "weapons", and depending on how much you want to invest time on preparing your team etc and which difficulty setting you use it can feel shallow at times.

DQ XI has IMO a really weak battle system. The characters have skill trees, so you can choose how to specialize them, and there's depth there no doubt, but the basic "combat feeling" is slow and lacks anything interesting if you have played some turn-based JRPG, it feels really stale (buff/debuff, some healing, elemental weaknesses...) Also lacks some basic QoL like turn order and some spells like resurrect depending on RNG feel pretty cheap.
 

Shoon

Member
Dec 25, 2017
106
Shining Resonance Refrain is really fun! The combat is engaging and the characters are really nice
 

Dee Dee

Member
Nov 2, 2017
1,868
I will echo that if you don't care much for the plot and the dialogue, Octopath Traveler is a very pure turn based RPG with a great mix of mechanics from other games, namely Bravely Default (Brave/Default), FFV with the jobs and sub-jobs and maybe even some SMT with the Break system mimicking weakness targeting and Press Turn.
Mechanically very fun, although the only challenging bits are the boss fights and quest fights, unless you walk into a field of high level mobs unprepared (which happens unfortunately).

Fire Emblem Three Houses has A LOT of fluff to wade through inbetween battles - I personally am a sucker for all that fluff and specifically grind stuff just to see MORE support scenes, so I can't attest to it, but you could theoretically skip most story scenes, and use the fluff academy part simply as an overly complex menu where you decide how to build your units and manage your inventory.

The game is very forgiving since it has a mechanic to take back turns that didn't go well for you, so it's not the worst entry to get into the series with and try the mechanics.
People that claim that it's one of the more easy games definitely take this mechanic into consideration.
It's still not one of the more challenging or diverse entries in the series, but, eh, it's on Switch.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a really cool battle system, but also a shit ton of other systems to take care of, and some RNG lootbox nonsense when it comes to acquiring Blades (special weapon sets). It's a lot. If you only want to play one JRPG for the rest of the year, you could probably deep dive into XB2 and the prequel/sequel Torna, and you'll have your fill of diverse mechanics, challenging battles and a whoooole load of JRPG nonsense and characters to top it all off.

Final Fantasy XII - The Zodiac Age on Switch (and Xbox) is the best version of the game to play (compared to PS4 and Steam) since you can reset your job board at any time, meaning you don't have to commit to one build for the whole game. It also allows you to switch between gambit presets you made. Personally I hated the combat (especially the stupid chaining, which seems like an excuse to make a maximum of 4 enemy types per region), but that's just me. A lot of it kinda revolves around programming your AI group members by assigning them gambits ("IF x DO y"-conditions), which can be really fun and puzzley? It's very unique in this sense, and allows for lots of interesting party combinations.
Concerning the story, I was not impressed (and lost interest SUPER EARLY), but the set pieces are very nice.

Upcoming recommendations:
Someone here mentioned Crosscode by the way, a Western made RPG with lots of JRPG-inspirations you'll enjoy. The Switch port was announced for this year, but it still has no official release date unfortunately. Another thing that's still a ways out would be Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore - the shortest way to describe it would be a "Persona Lite" with some puzzle dungeons, I enjoyed the battle system a lot, especially boss fights are pretty challenging. It does require you to have a high tolerance for saccharine J-Pop nonsense though. It comes out January next year.
 

werezompire

Zeboyd Games
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
11,378
Def more of a gameplay / strategic element lover than the story. I know this will grind people, but story is a secondary consideration.

I love RPG that let you customise a team with jobs/ classes to suit your play style.

Love both real time and turn based so that doesn't both me (though I may be learning towards turn base atm).

Wow I there are so many 'good' rpgs on the system.. I didn't even know.

Fire Emblem intrigues me... only ever played the one on 3DS - I might have to add it to the list.

So it seems it's mostly a race between DQ11 (I'll check out the demo!) and XB2.

If you like gameplay/strategy, then might I recommend a game I worked on, Cosmic Star Heroine? It's got a very unique turn-based combat system (with 4 difficulty levels which can be changed whenever you want), 11 playable characters, a killer soundtrack, great 2D pixel art, and is very fast-paced.



That's an old trailer, but it's also available on Switch and we're still trying to get it on XBO.

As far as other JRPGs on the system that I've played...

Dragon Quest XI has fantastic traditional turn-based gameplay as long as you activate some difficulty mods (which has to be done right when you start the game). With a bunch of Draconian Quest options on, you really have to learn a bunch of tricks & adjust your strategy to meet each boss. The Switch version has a bunch of improvements plus additional content that the previous versions didn't have. Highly recommend it.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I really didn't like. I hear it gets better, but it felt like a big step back from Xenoblade Chronicles 1 (my favorite in the series) & X (also good).

Octopath Traveler, I loved when playing the demo, but the more I played it, the more it felt like busywork. The soundtrack is amazing & it has a cool battle system, but it just gets so repetitive and the non-linear structure they choose for the game makes it feel like it's not very balanced.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE isn't out yet, but I really enjoyed this game on the WiiU. It's somewhere between a SMT game and a Persona game in style & gameplay so if you like either series, be sure to check it out when it comes out in January.

Also, it's not a JRPG, but if you like interesting combat, I highly recommend Has-Been Heroes. It's like a roguelike crossed with Plants vs Zombies and it's a lot of fun. Likewise Into the Breach & Overland are worth checking out.
 

What-ok

Member
Dec 13, 2017
3,038
PDX OR
I started FFVII a few days ago. It took a long time but getting that title on a handheld Nintendo is such a treat. Highly recommended and on sale in the EShop.
 

Tibarn

Member
Oct 31, 2017
13,370
Barcelona
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE isn't out yet, but I really enjoyed this game on the WiiU. It's somewhere between a SMT game and a Persona game in style & gameplay so if you like either series, be sure to check it out when it comes out in January.
This I agree, TMS is amazing and has both good dungeons and a really fun combat system. But be aware that is a game about idols, I mean the entry point was really high even for me that I love japanese games and watch some anime from time to time.
 

werezompire

Zeboyd Games
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
11,378
This I agree, TMS is amazing and has both good dungeons and a really fun combat system. But be aware that is a game about idols, I mean the entry point was really high even for me that I love japanese games and watch some anime from time to time.

To be more specific, the theme is the Japanese entertainment industry. It's not just idols - you also have singers, actors, etc. One of the guys on your party does stage performances of tokusatsu stuff (think Power Rangers). I thought it was fun stuff.
 

Tibarn

Member
Oct 31, 2017
13,370
Barcelona
To be more specific, the theme is the Japanese entertainment industry. It's not just idols - you also have singers, actors, etc. One of the guys on your party does stage performances of tokusatsu stuff (think Power Rangers). I thought it was fun stuff.
It's fun, but the first impression can be rough for people that is not into some japanese media. I mean, I fully understand why Xc2 can be hard to get into for some people, as it has some cuestionable designs and some "anime nonsense" moments, specially at the start. But I think that TMS is even more "japanese" "anime" and niche. I don't say this as a bad thing at all, I love both games and are some of the best JRPGs from recent years, but to some people the main aesthetic and theme will be a barrier. Also the game is not dubbed to any language but Japanese.
 

Disclaimer

Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,532
Octopath Traveler has perhaps the best traditional turn-based battle system of all time. If you're a gameplay first person, certainly check it out. It has a demo on the eShop, although don't necessary take that as representative of the gameplay as a whole, because it doesn't allow access to the game's robust job system.

Octopath's boss fights are some of the most satisfying I've experienced in the genre, especially the optional endgame ones. The job system, much like others like FFT's, allows you to break the game wide open if you're willing to be creative. And the game's unique battle mechanics — break and boost — strongly reward players who utilize them properly. (If you ever hear someone describe its battles as "HP spongey," or anything of the sort, they weren't doing it right.)

And, unpopular opinion in these parts, but I love Octopath's short story narrative approach as well. It's a real break from the genre's usual "grand adventure" format, and allows the telling of less conventional stories for the medium.

That said, there are other JRPG options for great gameplay. I'm playing DQXI S now, and with draconian Stronger Enemies enabled, it requires a satisfying level of strategy. Cosmic Star Heroine's got good gameplay too, although I found it a bit cumbersome at times, and the story/characters are nothing interesting.

Three Houses, while I love it, is... not a game I'd recommend for rigorous gameplay. Normal mode is too easy, Hard mode is also not very challenging, and the new Maddening mode is ludicrously unbalanced, so there's no "just right" difficulty level. It has all the mechanics to make for something really tightly designed, but the difficulties are all over the place.
 

Bulebule

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,805
Octopath Traveler is fun game but falls little flat on the story department (however characters are great and the world is interesting). Gameplay is where it excels at, though.

I can easily recommend Dragon Quest XI's 3D-version because it is one of my favourite JRPGs all the time (hoping to get a copy of Switch-version tomorrow so I can try the 2D-mode as soon as possible) - everything is great from dialogue and graphics to gameplay with PLENTY to do. Fantastic game.
 

deathsaber

Member
Nov 2, 2017
3,099
For right now- Dragon Quest 11. Best traditional jrpg out for the platform.

I would also say Xenoblade 2, though if you haven't had any exposure to the series, wait for the Xenoblade 1 remake first which will come next year. Play that and then go play 2 if you like it, since your experience with Xenoblade 2 will be enhanced with knowledge of Xenoblade 1's story.
 

Neoleo2143

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,462
Also worth pointing out, XC2 is better with its DLC, which includes another title, Torna the Golden Country, which has some pretty vital story content. But Nintendo hasn't really put out any convenient bundles for it. The story has some absolutely phenomenal characters including the main protagonist, who is probably one of the best takes on his archetype in gaming. And the soundtrack is just pretty much on the tier of legendary osts such as Xenogears and Chrono Cross.

DQ11S is a sort of miracle game though, the scale of this kind of JRPG simply does not exist anymore and with this level of production value is simply ludicrous. It's something to be experienced, even if the silent protagonist can be a bit of a turn-off. Still, the cast is great to journey with and it has a lot of smoothness in its progression including itemization which the genre has all but forgotten about. Dragon Quest 11 is a deeply refined piece of JRPG craft.

Ys VIII is similar to DQ11 minus the production values, but it's best played on the PS4. But it too is very refined and well made and rapid in its hits.
 

ghibli99

Member
Oct 27, 2017
17,817
I'm playing FF12 right now handheld, and it's great, although the map/icons are a bit too small IMO, and the game's kinda blurry on a TV. Makes me want a Switch with just a bit of a larger screen even more (as does Three Houses).
 

Deleted member 8861

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
10,564
I've not played many (full price is a mf and I've had my switch for 10 or so days) but I think my favorite JRPG that happens to be on Switch is Final Fantasy X. A simple but touching story and just, simply, a beautiful world that got to me in a way no other high fantasy world like it quite has.
 
OP
OP

Mr.Beep

Banned
Oct 30, 2017
832
Thanks all. I'm going to try the demo for DQXI, although OT may end up being the game I will enjoy more.
 

Femto0

Banned
Apr 28, 2018
2,591
I say play xenoblade 2 it is my favorite jrpg on the system than dq11 and the old ffs
 

DSync

Member
Oct 27, 2017
679
Dragon Quest XI S
Tales Of Vesperia
Octopath Traveler
Fire Emblem Three Houses
Ni No Kuni Wrath Of The White Witch
Final Fantasy IX (not sure if they've patched some of the slight bugs though)
Xenoblade Chronicles 2