In the real world, I've reminded people that turn based and active games have existed for centuries. In one camp, you have board games as old as chess, go, and mancala. Also, card games as old as cribbage, rummy, and solitaire. In the other camp, you have centuries-old organized sports, and playground games such as tag or hide-and-seek.
So, anyway, what would I recommend if you need a break from Dragon Quest clones? Well...
* Half Minute Hero, especially Hero 30 mode. This is a dumb comedy game with level building, equipment, consumable items, and enemies. The player constantly sees a thirty second timer. It can be reset, but that costs money. From what I remember of the PSP version, most stages can be completed in a couple minutes.
* Sakura Wars GB. Ever wanted a Gameboy Color game with robot versus robot duels? Ever looked for a story-rich game that can be completed in less than four hours?
* Crimson Shroud. This was a 3DS EShop exclusive that's out of print. The world is missing out on a dungeon crawler that remembers the days when all you had were miniatures progressing on a board with danger around every corner.
* Destiny of an Emperor. I wonder if this game started by asking "what if, instead of hit points, you had soldiers?" There was one officially translated NES game, and a sequel with a fan translation. Either way, the player gets to recruit generals and visit real locations. Today, I learned there's a fan-made modding tool for the first game.
* Golf Story. Is this a turn based game? No, because the player needs to learn timing. But it's close. This game provides objectives that have to be completed in a relatively linear way. It's also a comedy game that isn't snubbing or deconstructing other games.
* Any decent tactical RPG. Most of them don't ask the player to deal with random, unavoidable foes. Shining Force asks the player to learn the following in the first stage: protect both the protagonist and healers / mages, plan distance attacks, and prepare to deal with bosses.
* Look for short RPGs on Itchio. I don't know any specific examples which can be completed in only one or two hours. However, if you take a few minutes to search, you should avoid games which fit into other categories (puzzle, adventure, story-rich).
What do I want from console RPGs? Well...
* "Easy, funny, brief, and sincere." What if the Persona 4 team had only one mission across a couple weeks, and that was it? What if the short segments in Live a Live or Dragon Quest 4 were separate stories?
* Surprises. I still remember getting into the comic Elfquest thirty years ago. It did things which I assumed comics couldn't do. Characters stay dead, injuries don't go away. Sexuality is flexible. A good ending can be achieved without defeating an enemy. So yeah, surprises are good -- and they don't require the game being angry or miserable.
