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I want to like JRPGs so much, but I'm not sure I can do it.

BossLackey

Gold Member
I've only played a handful of JRPGs. It's one of the few genres outside of sports games that I haven't played a decent amount of. Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Tales of Symphonia, Chrono Trigger, most of FFXII (I got disctracted), FFVIIR (never played the originally, but really enjoyed this), a couple hours in a bunch of other JRPGs, and now I'm stuck on Tales of Arise.

I'm 50 hours in and there's still plenty of game left. The dialogue is so frequent and repetitive and there are VERY few enemy types in this game it seems. The combat is fun, but at the end of the day, it's incredibly repetitive. I'm really getting burnt out on it.

I really enjoy the grandiosity, art styles, getting stronger, strategy and prep and other aspects of JRPGs, but I don't know if I can play 70 hours of the same thing over and over and watch characters repeat themselves. It might just be Tales of Arise, but I've felt these feelings with other JRPGs. It's like I enjoy them in theory, but practice is a bit different. It doesn't help that the stories are often full of tropes and can have some cringy-ass dialogue (so far I've enjoyed Final Fantasy's dialogue and fiction the most so far (super small sample size though).

I'm not looking for any answers or anything, just seeing if other people have felt this internal struggle when it comes to JRPGs.
 

Filben

Member
just seeing if other people have felt this internal struggle when it comes to JRPGs.
Only for a short while. I was interested in the worlds they often create but this is out-weighted by all the what I find weird anime stuff I simply cannot bear nor take seriously in any way. I moved on and never looked back. There a plenty of other games that do the strategy and prep and getting stronger aspect (even better) without all the things I dislike in JRPGs.
 

Kimahri

Banned
Modern jrpgs are obese. They are full of characters who rarely have interesting traits and generally are just walking tropes, while being so overloaded with idiotic and unonteresting dialogue that it's next to impossible to stay interested.

It's sad to say. But jrpgs generally suck these days. They used to be awesome, but it's like all the great storytellers just abandoned ship and let incompetent fools take their place.
 
Eh, I had to take a break a couple of times during P5 Royal but I think its because I have less time to game. It really is one of my favorite JRPG's. I did think FFVIIR was a little too short though but is also one of my favorite JRPGs.
 

Boss Mog

Member
I got a little burnt out on Tales of Arise too right when I unlocked the 2nd intro so I took a couple of months off, came back to it recently and had a blast finishing and platinuming it.
 

TLZ

Banned
Not all JRPGs are good. Play what keeps you interested. You don't have to force yourself. Just the same with any other game.

Maybe try older JRPGs. Try a variety of them and see which one keeps you playing. Also which types are you more interested in? Turn based? Action? Strategic? Tactical? Etc. They're not all the same.
 

BossLackey

Gold Member
I dont understand why need to force yourself to like something, you dont like what you dont like. I'm not gonna waste my time to force myself to like WRPGs, I rather put that time to play games I do enjoy.

I guess because it has things I like about the genre that aren't really available elsewhere. If they were less grindy and long, it would go a loooong way.
 

Danjin44

The nicest person on this forum
I guess because it has things I like about the genre that aren't really available elsewhere. If they were less grindy and long, it would go a loooong way.
I played SMTV, Takes of Arise, Bravely Default 2 and FFVIIREMAKE and I did zero grinding in those games. What I notice most of the time is some players die in one of the bosses and instead of trying come up with different tactic to beat it they think they should “grind”.
 
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Shtef

Member
I used to play JRPGs when I was a teen, but now I cannot play them.
I dont care about the story, they are too long and I cannot stand anime style anymore, and I used to watch anime a lot before.
I tried playing mass effect today on gamepass and after 20 minutes I uninstalled it.
Just don't have time and patience to play long games, expections are from software games :)
 

Fuz

Banned
Modern jrpgs are obese. They are full of characters who rarely have interesting traits and generally are just walking tropes, while being so overloaded with idiotic and unonteresting dialogue that it's next to impossible to stay interested.

It's sad to say. But jrpgs generally suck these days. They used to be awesome, but it's like all the great storytellers just abandoned ship and let incompetent fools take their place.
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Fbh

Member
I still enjoy the genre but JRPG's basically peaked with Chrono Trigger:
Fun and varied world instead of just generic fantasy
Fun and likable cast of characters with no kids and no annoying half retarded high pitched voice girls
No need to grind
Good pacing with 25-30 hours of playtime to beat the game (including sidequests) instead of endless bloat

The game is so respected, well liked and influential even 25 years later, and yet somehow everyone missed the memo where the lack of bloat was also one of its strengths.

Maybe check out stuff like Radiant Historia, Valkyria Chronicles (1 or 4) or the YS series.
They aren't completely devoid of the stuff you dislike but they aren't a never ending bloatfest like most modern JRPG's
 

MachRc

Member
Edit

Oh my last full jrpg playthrough was Like a Dragon.
I did enjoy that and it brought many memories of good turn based JRPGs

as before that was tales of vesperia, star ocean and lost odyssey back in the 360 days.
Those are the few I enjoyed and finished.
SO much that i even got a cheesy tales of vesperia faceplate for the 360.



Ive tried Dragon quest 11, on PC with the orchestra mod(gawd I can still hear the battle music now), got 30 hours in.. ultimately didnt end up finishing it... I really gave it my all on that one(like Blue Dragon).
I got sick of seeing the mute Protagonist in his purps..
Ive played 30 minutes of FF remake before heading back to Ghost of Tsushima on the ps5.

I think current JRPGs lost me once they got rid of the turn based combat and replaced it with this action timers.
 
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Chastten

Banned
Most modern jRPG's aren't even remotely grindy and can be finished in 20-40 hours if you so desire. Repetitive? Sure. But most are only grindy if you don't want a challenge. 80+% of my Switch jRPG's have a playtime of under 40 hours. A far cry from the average 70+ in the old days.

That being said, you don't like what you don't like. Most jRPG's are far from perfect. Often low budget, cliche characters and story. But as long as they nail the most important aspects for me personally: a fun combat system, great music and nice looking places to visit, than I'm okay with whatever bullshit the game throws at me story or character-wise. But it's okay if you can't deal with that. Plenty of other games to play.

I personally had to accept that with wRPG's. The Witcher, Mass Effect, Dragon Age... they all have fantastic worlds, great fleshed out characters, the production value is there... I should love them, but I don't. The combat and gameplay in all of those games is just so... dull. Feels like a chore to play. The only one so far I really enjoyed was Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. That game had awesome combat. Sucks, but I've got plenty of games to play so yeah, ultimately is't no big deal.
 

Nickolaidas

Banned
I've only played a handful of JRPGs. It's one of the few genres outside of sports games that I haven't played a decent amount of. Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Tales of Symphonia, Chrono Trigger, most of FFXII (I got disctracted), FFVIIR (never played the originally, but really enjoyed this), a couple hours in a bunch of other JRPGs, and now I'm stuck on Tales of Arise.

I'm 50 hours in and there's still plenty of game left. The dialogue is so frequent and repetitive and there are VERY few enemy types in this game it seems. The combat is fun, but at the end of the day, it's incredibly repetitive. I'm really getting burnt out on it.

I really enjoy the grandiosity, art styles, getting stronger, strategy and prep and other aspects of JRPGs, but I don't know if I can play 70 hours of the same thing over and over and watch characters repeat themselves. It might just be Tales of Arise, but I've felt these feelings with other JRPGs. It's like I enjoy them in theory, but practice is a bit different. It doesn't help that the stories are often full of tropes and can have some cringy-ass dialogue (so far I've enjoyed Final Fantasy's dialogue and fiction the most so far (super small sample size though).

I'm not looking for any answers or anything, just seeing if other people have felt this internal struggle when it comes to JRPGs.
I have yet to play a game which I thought it was horrible the first 10-20 hours, then around 50 I thought it was the best thing ever.

If you haven't enjoyed yourself by now (50 hours in), you will never be.

Drop the game and play a different one. Video games are supposed to be fun, not chores. Grind is ok as long as you're having fun with it. But if the characterization is getting on your nerves to the point the characters annoy you, this is a red flag for a JRPG. Drop it. It won't get better. Stop punishing yourself.

I couldn't get into Metal Gear games because of how over-the-top stupid the characters were and how pretentious the storyline was.
 
I don’t really enjoy them either although I recently played Yakuza 0 and it’s easily in my top 5 best stories in a video game

Game had me hooked, characters and story are both incredible
 

BossLackey

Gold Member
I have yet to play a game which I thought it was horrible the first 10-20 hours, then around 50 I thought it was the best thing ever.

If you haven't enjoyed yourself by now (50 hours in), you will never be.

Drop the game and play a different one. Video games are supposed to be fun, not chores. Grind is ok as long as you're having fun with it. But if the characterization is getting on your nerves to the point the characters annoy you, this is a red flag for a JRPG. Drop it. It won't get better. Stop punishing yourself.

I couldn't get into Metal Gear games because of how over-the-top stupid the characters were and how pretentious the storyline was.

I have been enjoying myself quite a bit, it just feels like it should have ended by now. I wouldn't play a game for more than a few hours if I didn't enjoy it.
 

R6Rider

Gold Member
There's only specific types of JRPGs I enjoy anymore. More typical stuff like Tales of Arise just isn't fun for me.
 

Nickolaidas

Banned
There's only specific types of JRPGs I enjoy anymore. More typical stuff like Tales of Arise just isn't fun for me.
Honestly, what's putting me off nowadays in JRPGs is the party being made of teens. It just feels so silly to have teenagers slaying the Pope, or God, or Satan or Alien warlords ... I mean, when they're at an age where they would like to pull pranks or just get laid.
 

BigBeauford

Member
JRPGs peaked in the early 90s with stuff like FF6, Chrono Trigger, and Phantasy Star 2. There was a charm to the simplistic presentation, and you had to fill in the gaps with your imagination. As technology progressed, the genre has become filled with crappy and embarrassing anime tropes that have put me off entirely. But what a run it was.
 

cireza

Banned
Scarlet Nexus was unbearable because of all the ridiculous side stories and amount of text. I felt that Arise was going to be the same thing and avoided it.

You should look at other JRPG rather than the obvious ones.
For example Radiant Historia is very good and you will not get bored as much as with modern, big AAA games.
Older games as well, like Phantasy Star IV or Shining Force series. These games don't try to last for too long.

As for more recent games, I would recommend a few :
Lost Odyssey was really entertaining from beginning to end.
Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns as well.
Valkyria Chronicles 4, fantastic game.
 
Not all JRPGs are good. Play what keeps you interested. You don't have to force yourself. Just the same with any other game.

Maybe try older JRPGs. Try a variety of them and see which one keeps you playing. Also which types are you more interested in? Turn based? Action? Strategic? Tactical? Etc. They're not all the same.
Yeah, like all genres, it just depends on the individual game. I can't paint with such a broad brush when experiences can vary so greatly within genre examples.
 
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Deerock71

Member
Pretty much the only thing I actively dislike in JRPGs are random battles. So I tend to stay away from those.
 

ReBurn

Gold Member
Modern jrpgs are obese. They are full of characters who rarely have interesting traits and generally are just walking tropes, while being so overloaded with idiotic and unonteresting dialogue that it's next to impossible to stay interested.

It's sad to say. But jrpgs generally suck these days. They used to be awesome, but it's like all the great storytellers just abandoned ship and let incompetent fools take their place.
I kind of agree. I haven't been able to enjoy them since SNES and the PS1 Final Fantasy games.
 
You don't have to play them in one whole go, and like anything else it helps to play them in moderation. I balance out my JRPGs with other games in-between them, like fighting games or racing games, etc.

And like some others have said, just play what keeps you interested. I stopped playing a JRPG a while ago while at the final boss because the logic for the boss fight made no sense and I could not trigger the next phase for the life of me. But, that doesn't mean I might not try picking it back up in the near future to finally beat it and call it done. If I'm playing any game for a while and want a break, I just...take a break. Switch to something else, then come back to the game a bit later.

For JRPGs I've also found it helpful to decide how much specific progress and tasks you want to get done during a play session, that way you know what your goals are and have a general idea of what needs to be done to reach them during a session.

Scarlet Nexus was unbearable because of all the ridiculous side stories and amount of text. I felt that Arise was going to be the same thing and avoided it.

You should look at other JRPG rather than the obvious ones.
For example Radiant Historia is very good and you will not get bored as much as with modern, big AAA games.
Older games as well, like Phantasy Star IV or Shining Force series. These games don't try to last for too long.

Playing Phantasy Star IV right now and can agree. It's also the kind of JRPG that doesn't require too much grinding. You'll still need to grind a bit on occasion, but you won't be needing to spend hours to grind for EXP. Dungeons so far also feel just about right for amount of time you spend in them, and aren't overly confusing labyrinths you'd need to refer to a map for all the time (or at all...not that I think there's an option for getting dungeon maps in the game. Nothing I've come across so far, anyway).

OP might want to try Panzer Dragoon Saga if they want a classic JRPG with a unique battle system and isn't dozens of hours long. The scale is also a bit more intimate and while it's a prequel to the PD series, you don't need to have played the rail shooters to follow Saga's story.
 
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Kataploom

Gold Member
I want to play other things but I’m so deep into Xenoblade 2 that I don’t feel the urge, doing whatever but main quest in this game is sooooo good! And before I got it all I wanted to play was fast paced action games like DmC or a Bayonetta... Sometimes you just need the right game ;)
 
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hGiving up on JRPG was like pulling tbe plug on paying for old decrepit cable TV And doing streaming only. It hurt a bit at first but Im never going back to the old way.
JRPG is old as old can get without using pen pencil and rolling dice.
 

M1chl

Currently Gif and Meme Champion
I don't play many. Last one I loved was Nier: Automata.
That's "jrpg"? I mean sometimes game goes above from those boxes, but for once it's not turn based and RPG... Well maybe light one, but still. Automata was awesome in any case.
 

RavageX

Member
Here is whats weird about this game.

I find Rex pretty annoying, and at his age and size im not sure why people are even listening to him but I finished the main story and have over 100 hours invested apparently. I enjoyed it a lot, but it features a lot of the stuff im sick of in jrpgs.

Really strange.

Im working on Tales of Berseria right now, I like it cause it was a bit difficult from most story-wise. Managed to stick with it so far.

Like others have said, Radiant Historia is interesting cause its a bit different, along with Valkyria Chronicles....but couldnt deal with the one on psp...falls into those annoying character holes.
 

pramod

Banned
I feel the same as you OP. I used to love JRPGs but just grew tired of the grinding and repetitive battles. I pretty much stopped playing them 20 yrs ago and these days I mainly play Japanese action Rpgs, strat Rpgs, or even Puzzle Rpgs. With these games I find that you can get the same things you love about JRPGs: great artwork, music, character designs, but without the grindy combat.
 

Mister Wolf

Member
Here is whats weird about this game.

I find Rex pretty annoying, and at his age and size im not sure why people are even listening to him but I finished the main story and have over 100 hours invested apparently. I enjoyed it a lot, but it features a lot of the stuff im sick of in jrpgs.

Really strange.

Im working on Tales of Berseria right now, I like it cause it was a bit difficult from most story-wise. Managed to stick with it so far.

Like others have said, Radiant Historia is interesting cause its a bit different, along with Valkyria Chronicles....but couldnt deal with the one on psp...falls into those annoying character holes.

You might think I'm crazy but I like Rex. Much more than Shulk. I never felt like the people accompanying Rex on his journey considered him their leader at all.
 
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kalecsan

Banned
Honestly your list is pretty shitty (except CT), not surprised that you think you don't like jrpgs.

There are only a handful of good jrpgs tho, the rest are fucking shit.
To start, play FF7, Baten Kaitos Origins, Suikoden 2.

Then just play srpgs like real men do; FFT, Tactics Ogre, Vandal Hearts, Jeanne d'arc.
 

Bakkus

Member
If you've played Chrono Trigger and didn't like it, the genre probably isn't for you. You could try other games like the first two Paper Mario games or Persona 4.
 

fermcr

Member
Not a big fan of JRPG's and don't play many of them, but there is one I played and liked called Lost Odyssey on the X360. Lot of grinding but the story and characters were interesting.

Have Final Fantasy 13 and 15, Ni No Kuni 1 and 2, Dragon Quest XI, among others on my Steam account and still haven't touched them. I've asked myself several times.... why the f**k did I purchase those games.
 
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