JRPG With The Best Gameplay?

[Rex34]

Nonsense not allowed

 

[Metroid_Hybrid]

I'm a big fan of Star Ocean: The Second Story..

Star Ocean: The Second Story (USA+UNDUB) PSX ISO – The Repo

Star Ocean: The Second Story (USA+UNDUB) PSX ISO Game ID: SCUS-94421, SCUS-94422. Languages: English, Undub. For Sony PlayStation.

retrogametalk.com

I prefer the PS1 original over the PSP remaster. Although I haven't gotten around to playing the (2023) "R"/remake..

 

[Graw]

Final Fantasy V's job system has always been one of the best for me. The SaGa games are also heavier on gameplay than story. Romancing SaGa Minstrel Song has some of my favorite gameplay in a JRPG. The character and party system is ridiculously in depth. The game is based around a free event system that affects basically every choice you make in the game.

 

[Disgaean]

If grandia's 3 story wasn't complete dooky it would be a really good game, the combat system is interesting with the real time elements on it, plus the air combos look really cool.
A little bit more and it would be an excellent game.

 

[Majora Fi]

Nonsense not allowed

So I have nothing to say.

 

[SamanthaSamantha's icon]

Lunar: Eternal Blue on PSX is just excellent.

Dragon Quest on DS (all of them), too.

 

[PSVitaForever]

Grandia 2
Bravely Second
(I think I could mention more titles, but right now only these ones come to mind, sorry)

 

[Appiplyer]

Ngl but i like the Mario & Luigi gameplay, espescially how combo move mastery works,

Like you can spend less Mp by risking not doing the move properly or spend more to achieve the maximum result.

(i know there might be several game that used this but Mario & Luigi was the first experience i have with this system)

 

[Tsukishima]

I never, ever get tired of the gameplay found in Lost Kingdoms, and it's sequel for the Gamecube.

It's in my top 5 games of all time, and people walked all over this game like its a bad habit and didn't give it the chance it sorely deserved. a JRPG with using cards to fight is one of the coolest things I've ever seen and hardly anyone even tried after it. No real carbon copy exists.

You cards can do many things using the idea of monsters trapped in them and are assigned to your face buttons. You can summon creatures to fight with you in battle, use them for a quick strike, and summon bigger creatures for a well timed mighty blow. And the mechanics are so much fun to play with. When you're throwing a Independent creature on the field for example, you're immune to damage until that creature is summoned. So much more tricks to learn too.

 

[Ikagura]

Dragon Quest.

I am dead serious. Sometimes simplicity triumphs.

 

[Lokgamer]

For me tales of (any of them) is the best of the best. The simple fact that the combat isn't turn-based already makes it superior to any JRPG, but also Its fast real time combat with customizable artes and strategies is wonderful. Also, I could mention ys origins, which is not as good as tales of but, pretty enjoyable too.

 

[Bakuma1997]

Any SMT post Nocturne, the Press Turn mechaninc makes turns more like an actual strategy and removes the usual "Mash Attack on a mob to win" mentality you only forgo on bosses

Paper Mario counts too, simple games that are real fun to master

 

[Grumpy_Old_Man]

The Mana Khemia games, battle system is somewhat of mix between FF X swapping system and Grandia, using certain attacks to manipulate turn order.
Ar Tonelico 2, battle system heavily based on timing, with good timing you can reduce your damage to zero and greatly power up your attacks.

 

[Dyne]

I like the combat in the Trails series, with how you arrange Quartz in different ways to get abilities and then in combat theres a positional aspect where you can move around a bit and different attacks have a different AoE.

I like the Overdrive bar in Chained Echoes quite a lot.
It keeps things interesting by rewarding you for keeping the bar in the green but you dont have to if you really want to use a certain ability.

I quite like the combat in the Octopath Traveler series, especially Octopath Traveler 0.
Although OT 2 is the better game in my opinion, the strategic use of 8 characters at once in OP 0 is very fun.

The combat in Expedition 33 is also a lot of fun. I can be quite challenging but if you like that kind of challenge/reward aspect then the dodging is super fun.
Although Maelle gets a bit overpowered at the end (which is its own kind of fun I guess)

 

[Burzuru Burzuru]

press turn system in the smt games are phenomenal.

i also really enjoyed how in ffx you'd want to swap characters around to fit the situation. i will admit thought that lulu/black magic falls behind late game, because at that point everyone has access to elemental weapons and if you're using the expert sphere grid then yuna becomes a better black mage anyways.

 

[Pandaprewmaster325]

Any RPG made by Squaresoft

 

[Super Funky Piece]

adding to the mention of the Trails series, i especially love the hybrid of action and turn based combat in the Trails in the Sky remake, along with the added support abilities from newer titles and the classic magic customization. makes for a real Best Of for the series gameplay as a whole.

 

[Graw]

Dragon Quest.

I am dead serious. Sometimes simplicity triumphs.

I was thinking of adding Dragon Quest to my post but I figured people would think it's too basic but I enjoy the gameplay in Dragon Quest. For me Dragon Quest VI has some of the best exploration in a JRPG. The whole game feels like going on an adventure with your friends. The Job system isn't super flexible like FFV's is but I still prefer it over the monster catching in V. The exploration though has that perfect balance of making the game feel less linear than it actually is while never making you feel totally lost.

Another one I forgot from my other post is Crystal Project. It's like a JRPG crossed with an open world(from the beginning if you know what you're doing) metroidvania that uses a job system based on Final Fantasy V's and a combat system that reminds me vaguely of SMT's. The platforming can be a bit finicky and annoying though but it's not too bad once you get the hang of it. It uses a mount system that work basically like metroidvania powerups that unlock new areas of the seamless overworld but it's also possible to sequence break.

 

[Lokgamer]

adding to the mention of the Trails series, i especially love the hybrid of action and turn based combat in the Trails in the Sky remake, along with the added support abilities from newer titles and the classic magic customization. makes for a real Best Of for the series gameplay as a whole.

I have been curious about trails in the sky remake. Its gameplay is always hybrid or theres's an option to play full real time? I remembered watching the first trailer and it said somehing like that, but I'm not sure anymore.

 

[Super Funky Piece]

I have been curious about trails in the sky remake. Its gameplay is always hybrid or theres's an option to play full real time? I remembered watching the first trailer and it said somehing like that, but I'm not sure anymore.

basically you can do some basic real time combat when approaching monsters in fields/dungeons and inflicting enough damage to stun some of them will give your party a turn advantage if you switch to turn based mode after. it's more of just an opener to a fight but it is useful for how you want to try and group enemies together for using magic and crafts.
turn based mode is definitely still the central way to beat encounters but have also seen some changes since the original trilogy, such as being able to freely move before attacking instead of having it as a separate action altogether.