JRPGs that Aren't Final Fantasy Catch-All 2.0

Vector wrote:

Have either of you tried Costume Quest? It’s not fantasy but is adorable and easy to play.

I have 10 minutes on it but don't recall ever playing it. I'll watch a video or 2 tonight. Thanks.

-BEP

Maybe Child of Light?

Disgaea 5 for PC Steam launches October 22 and will cost $40.

I only mention the price because people are complaining (and they're wrong, it's worth it) but because it'll be on sale for $30 until the 29th. At that price I can whole-heartedly recommend it though the obvious caveat that NISA's track record on PC hasn't been great, so maybe wait for others to buy it first.

@Bepnewt, while its not fantasy based, Valkyria Chronicles has similar combat, its turn based, but when its your turn you get an action bar to decide where to place your unit/shoot.

ComfortZone wrote:

Maybe Child of Light?

I almost bought this the other day for me on the Switch. She might dig it, too. I'm looking for something that has a party system, though, where you control 3 or 4 characters in combat.

Fastmav347 wrote:

@Bepnewt, while its not fantasy based, Valkyria Chronicles has similar combat, its turn based, but when its your turn you get an action bar to decide where to place your unit/shoot.

This was the game that was recommended to me years ago when I posted on some other forum asking basically the same question. I rented it on PS3 and she was a hard pass on it after only a couple minutes. I thought it was a decent game, although I took it right back and exchanged the rental for another. I may get the remaster on Switch.

I don't think I'm going to find something with the same combat mechanics - that light & dark thing. So, I'm thinking if I find a fantasy JRPG with combat that has your guys moving around some but not a bunch of spammy attacks with numbers flying all over the place I may get a winner. Worst case, one with FF style combat where your guys don't even move may work. I'll pick up Octopath used at some point, but I don't think she'll get into it. Based on what I read about Disgaea in the Switch threads, I think it's a big NOPE for her.

I wish Xenoblade C2 didn't have such a complicated combat system. I think she would like it if it were more laid back because of the story and the characters.

On another note, she saw a kid playing Hyrule Warriors at a game store and that really piqued her interest. I have no idea what kind of game it is so I'm going to look into it.

I watched a guy playing Costume Quest last night when I went to bed but fell asleep not too far into it. What I saw makes me think she might like it. I have it on Steam so I'll have her install it on her Surface 3 Pro to see if that will run it. Thanks for the suggestion.

-BEP

Do you think that the music and art style drew her to the game more, or the combat mechanics? I'm sure she enjoyed the combat mechanic, but I also think "do I like this mechanic" may be a question that resonates more with experienced gamers than people trying to find a way into the genre -- and it sounds like your wife maybe hasn't found her niche, yet.

If she doesn't like games that are heavier on the action, maybe she would like something turn-based or quasi-turn-based (like most of the older Final Fantasy games)? And if you have a 3DS, I think Bravely Default (but not Bravely Second) has some beautiful music. It can also be very approachable with the ability to tweak difficulty settings.

I'm curious given you said she likes Hyrule Warriors. It sounds like there's a lot of emphasis on Eternal Sonata's more accessible nature, allowing her to take her time, and thus everyone's thinking of games that won't make her feel overly pressured. However, for whatever reason Valkyria Chronicles was a hard nope, and I'm curious if maybe it's because it was too slow for her.

This is just a guess as I've not played Eternal Sonata myself and am unable to look up gameplay for the moment. However, it sounds like we cannot leave presentation off the table in regards to what drew her to the game in the first place, as LastSurprise notes.

It might be worth it just to look up and grab some game demos for her to try for free. Doing a search through the Nintendo Switch eShop for games with demos, Dark Witch Music Episode popped up. It might appeal given the music aspect, though... well, you said she's not great at action games, but what sort of action games are we basing that off of?

Switch also has a demo for Shining Resonance Refrain, though I dunno the likelihood of her being interested in that. I have few comparison points to make but Shining Resonance Refrain's demo fell flat for me, and it's also pretty deep into the fan-service outfit design.

Child of Light shows up as having a demo for PS3, so you can give it a spin before buying if you wish. There's also a demo for Ni No Kuni, though it sounds like that might get frustrating over time.

Alright, I managed to give Eternal Sonata's combat a look after all and it seems there's a lot of aesthetic comparisons that can be made. However, what I also picked up on it's sort of like Star Ocean action-combat, but everyone goes one at a time. So it's an action game where you use the whole party, but is more accessible by letting everyone take their turn. Nevertheless, there's a time pressure involved, which encourages the player to think fast. It seems like positioning is key, so you want to spend as little time as possible moving, but otherwise enemies may block your blows if you don't. Similarly, it seems you can extend your time by achieving higher combos.

Basically, given her interest in watching someone play Hyrule Warriors, she does seem to enjoy action games, but it may be the action games she's played thus far have challenged her in ways she doesn't like to be challenged. What are the prior action games she has played that she has bounced off of? Also, are you able to see if she can vocalize the things she liked about Eternal Sonata that she maybe disliked about Valkyria Chronicles, and perhaps anything that she did like of what little she played of Valkyria?

bepnewt wrote:

I almost bought this the other day for me on the Switch. She might dig it, too. I'm looking for something that has a party system, though, where you control 3 or 4 characters in combat.

Child of Light is a party JRPG and you end up with three members in your party.

bepnewt wrote:

I don't think I'm going to find something with the same combat mechanics - that light & dark thing. So, I'm thinking if I find a fantasy JRPG with combat that has your guys moving around some but not a bunch of spammy attacks with numbers flying all over the place I may get a winner. Worst case, one with FF style combat where your guys don't even move may work. I'll pick up Octopath used at some point, but I don't think she'll get into it. Based on what I read about Disgaea in the Switch threads, I think it's a big NOPE for her.

Resonance of Fate has similar combat to what you describe in terms of movement. You run your party members around a battle field then pause to use your action points. It has a surreal future-fantasy vibe but around guns. The remaster is out on the PS4 and PC in two days.

bepnewt wrote:

I watched a guy playing Costume Quest last night when I went to bed but fell asleep not too far into it. What I saw makes me think she might like it. I have it on Steam so I'll have her install it on her Surface 3 Pro to see if that will run it. Thanks for the suggestion.

-BEP

No problem! There's also Costume Quest 2 but I haven't played that yet.

Vector wrote:
bepnewt wrote:

I don't think I'm going to find something with the same combat mechanics - that light & dark thing. So, I'm thinking if I find a fantasy JRPG with combat that has your guys moving around some but not a bunch of spammy attacks with numbers flying all over the place I may get a winner. Worst case, one with FF style combat where your guys don't even move may work. I'll pick up Octopath used at some point, but I don't think she'll get into it. Based on what I read about Disgaea in the Switch threads, I think it's a big NOPE for her.

Resonance of Fate has similar combat to what you describe in terms of movement. You run your party members around a battle field then pause to use your action points. It has a surreal future-fantasy vibe but around guns. The remaster is out on the PS4 and PC in two days.

Resonance of Fate also has one of the most complex combat systems and worst tutorials explaining said combat system. I've tried to play it a bunch of times and I never really understood how to do half of the things the tutorials asked you to do.

Ni-no-kuni 2(not 1) is a complete systems remake from the original, and it might be what you're looking for more.

cube wrote:

Resonance of Fate also has one of the most complex combat systems and worst tutorials explaining said combat system. I've tried to play it a bunch of times and I never really understood how to do half of the things the tutorials asked you to do.

I'm going from memory so you're probably completely correct.

Vector wrote:
cube wrote:

Resonance of Fate also has one of the most complex combat systems and worst tutorials explaining said combat system. I've tried to play it a bunch of times and I never really understood how to do half of the things the tutorials asked you to do.

I'm going from memory so you're probably completely correct.

The arena is the real tutorial. That's where you learn what to do. Without it you're screwed.

bepnewt wrote:

[
I wish Xenoblade C2 didn't have such a complicated combat system. I think she would like it if it were more laid back because of the story and the characters.

On another note, she saw a kid playing Hyrule Warriors at a game store and that really piqued her interest. I have no idea what kind of game it is so I'm going to look into it.

-BEP

Musou! More or less mindless hack n slash. But Hyrule Warriors has lots of variety going on, so it's a good romp.

It's been a long, long time since I played Eternal Sonata but I do t recall anything like it.

As others have said, Ni no Kuni 2 is an action title instead of the weird turn based Pokemon-lite that the original was. The second game is notoriously easy and combat isn't particularly involved. Level 5 is all about accessible combat. Heck, some of their PS2 offerings might work, like Dark Cloud.

But, really, yall should give Kingdom Hearts a go.

garion333 wrote:

But, really, yall should give Kingdom Hearts a go.

Jesus, garion, what did the guy ever do to you?

ClockworkHouse wrote:
garion333 wrote:

But, really, yall should give Kingdom Hearts a go.

Jesus, garion, what did the guy ever do to you?

Eternal Sonata had a bad story, so why not another one?

Actually, I don't remember anything about the story other than Chopin being a big part. I thought it very quaint, which was a bad thing to me at the time. I'd probably love it now.

These potato chips had some sharp edges, so why not eat glass?

How about Nier then?

Good music at least.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

These potato chips had some sharp edges, so why not eat glass?

I hear glass makes an excellent children's toy:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/2j9TOa6.jpg)

Okay, out of left field idea from early in the PS3 that's not something I have played, so YMMV:

It's more of an action adventure game first and RPG second.

bepnewt wrote:
ComfortZone wrote:

Maybe Child of Light?

I almost bought this the other day for me on the Switch. She might dig it, too. I'm looking for something that has a party system, though, where you control 3 or 4 characters in combat.

-BEP

Child of Light is party based. It's been a while since I played it, but there is also a "helper" that can be controlled by a second player for some light co-op. The entire game is narrated in a lyrical style, which was actually a turn off for me, but might appeal to someone more musical

Thanks for more suggestions. She definitely liked the ambiance of Sonata - the music and the general look of the game graphics-wise. She really liked the characters - the cuteness and the individual spells. The combat was real simple at the beginning and got progressively harder by restricting your time as the game went on. Basically, it held your hand as it taught you.

We got rid of her 3DS when we got the second Switch. I thought I tried the Bravely Default demo and found the combat unintuitive. Perhaps it was a different game or maybe I was sober that day.

I just watched a few videos of Child of Light and I'll be picking it up for sure. I know I'll like it if she doesn't.

The theme of Valkyria was a big nope - guns and tanks bad - bows, magic and swords good. The tactical part of it also contributed. Suggesting that it may have been too slow is right on the money. If she's playing a game with combat, she doesn't want to think a bunch about it, she just wants to kill things.

Dark Witch Music Episode - Ok, that game is just weird. It made me laugh, though, so that's something.

Hyrule Warriors - our whole interaction with this game was watching a kid play it for a few minutes. I'll have to watch a few videos before I bite on it. She does like some hack-n-slash now and then if she's in a mood. After a bad day at the office, we used to fire up Sacred 2 and "just kill some sh*t" as she liked to put it. We even did some Diablo III cop-op a few times to sate that "kill some sh*t" hunger. Breath of the Wild is one of her all time favorite games, but she plays it like a hack-n-slash and loves it.

Tales Of... Neither of us has played a Tales game. I'm thinking about Tales of Vesperia on Switch. I just watched a few minutes of gameplay; the combat seems a little frantic but maybe not too bad. I'll probably like it even if she doesn't.

Shining Resonance Refrain - same as Tales of Vesperia. The combat may be a little too crazy, but maybe not.

Resonance of Fate would appeal to me, but not her because of the guns being the weapons. She's much more into fantasy stuff. I wish it were coming out on Switch so we could have it with us in the trailer when we're glamping.

I haven't even looked at Ni No Kuni 2. I burnt out on 1 after a while and she didn't get too far into it at all before dropping it. I didn't know 2 was that much different. I just watched a couple videos on it and the combat seems about the right speed. I don't know if it will play on her Surface 3 Pro, though. It looks like Level-5 will be releasing stuff in the future for Switch, but I didn't see them say that NNK2 will be ported. I'd put it on the Buy list if they did.

Lots of good suggestions, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to help out.

-BEP

There is a remaster of the original Grandia coming out eventually (on Switch and PC, I believe). It has lots of charm, an amazing and relatively simple battle system, great music, and a fun story. You can also get the original as a PSOne classic on PS3, if you'd prefer not to wait, and I believe it's still perfectly playable today, provided you can tolerate pixelated textures.

Grandia II (already available on PC) is better looking (as it was originally a Dreamcast game), but also has a more serious tone (and the characters are not as fun, IMHO).

bepnewt wrote:

Thanks for more suggestions. She definitely liked the ambiance of Sonata - the music and the general look of the game graphics-wise. She really liked the characters - the cuteness and the individual spells. The combat was real simple at the beginning and got progressively harder by restricting your time as the game went on. Basically, it held your hand as it taught you.

With that in mind, have you looked at the Atelier games? There's one out on Switch already with four others due out soon (a new release plus a remaster of an older trilogy). They're all themed around a young woman establishing herself as an alchemist.

The combat is strictly turn-based, but the ambiance and characters are in the brighter, friendlier, more feminine mold of Eternal Sonata. Personally, I love the look of those games. They also have a nice ramp up in difficulty, especially the newer ones.

I'd look at Atelier Lydie and Suelle on Switch and see what she thinks.

Doesn't one of the Atelier games have a girl with guns, though?

ClockworkHouse wrote:

With that in mind, have you looked at the Atelier games? There's one out on Switch already with four others due out soon (a new release plus a remaster of an older trilogy). They're all themed around a young woman establishing herself as an alchemist.

The combat is strictly turn-based, but the ambiance and characters are in the brighter, friendlier, more feminine mold of Eternal Sonata. Personally, I love the look of those games. They also have a nice ramp up in difficulty, especially the newer ones.

I'd look at Atelier Lydie and Suelle on Switch and see what she thinks.

Never heard of them. I just skimmed through this video:

and came away incredibly confused. She mentioned Lydie and Suelle near the end. I'll find a video just on that one.

Thanks for the reco. Seriously colorful games.

-BEP

I have played pretty much all post ps3 Atelier games (except the latest) I my favorites were Rorona Plus, Sophie, Escha and Logy. Big part of most Atelier games is the in game time limit, every action takes time and the game will keep moving regardless if your being productive or not. Granted they give you plenty of time to accomplish the main goals with enough time to explore and experiment. Second big part is crafting, its almost the entire point of the game.
I would suggest Atelier Sophie as a starting point if it available on the systems you own as it is one of the few games that does not have a time limit of any sorts, so your free to explore and learn the deep crafting system at your own pace.

Sophie is an awesome entry point. Charming story and characters and the crafting mechanics are a bit easier than some of the other titles.

So ten years ago Level 5 was working on a horror-themed RPG for the PSP called Ushiro. It was canceled.

It's now rising from its grave, pulled out of cancellation to be developed for the Switch.

I'm curious, but from what little I've dabbled in Level 5's works their accessibility has always been a bit too accessible for my tastes, making it hard to get into their work.

I'm not sure if there's an actual Dragon Quest XI thread (if there is, I'm either blind or simply unable to search). Is anyone else absolutely adoring this game?

I'm fairly new to Dragon Quest. I recently picked up DQIV on the DS and fell in love, shortly after I picked this up and have been having the time of my life. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a JRPG this much. It's not fancy, it's not overly complex, it's just the simple joy of JRPGs condensed down into it's most pure form.

Word on the street was that it was a little too easy, so I turned on the extra tough monsters "draconian" option. The difficulty is perfect, though I did struggle a bit with the 2 griffins early on, requiring me to grind for 1-2 hours (though this could have been fixed had I stuck more sleeps, or even knew I could affect bosses with status ailments earlier).

But I think I'll run into a problem soon. The game is long. Really long. I'm wondering if the same difficulty could be achieved by simply avoiding overworld enemies and rushing to each boss, it could save me quite a few hours. I have a feeling this difficulty mode is going to add a minimum of 20-30 hours ontop of the already hefty time commitment this game demands.

But hell, if I'm enjoying this much already I may just power through. It's a joy!

So ten years ago Level 5 was working on a horror-themed RPG for the PSP called Ushiro. It was canceled.

It's now rising from its grave, pulled out of cancellation to be developed for the Switch.

I'm curious, but from what little I've dabbled in Level 5's works their accessibility has always been a bit too accessible for my tastes, making it hard to get into their work.

OMG. I remember being so excited for this and then it disappeared into the void. Wow!

I do agree that level 5 stuff is often a bit too easy, but they always have such fantastic presentation. Very keen to see what happens with this.

A_Unicycle wrote:

I'm not sure if there's an actual Dragon Quest XI thread (if there is, I'm either blind or simply unable to search). Is anyone else absolutely adoring this game?

Here's the thread. The title makes it sound like the thread is for pre-release stuff, but we've been talking about the game there.

A_Unicycle wrote:

I'm fairly new to Dragon Quest. I recently picked up DQIV on the DS and fell in love, shortly after I picked this up and have been having the time of my life. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed a JRPG this much. It's not fancy, it's not overly complex, it's just the simple joy of JRPGs condensed down into it's most pure form.

Dragon Quest IV is great. If someone who had never played a DQ game asked me where they should start, I would recommend DQ IV as the entry point into the series. It's got a lot of character, heart, and charm, but doesn't get too cumbersome with mixing job classes and such. The world is big, but not too big. And I think it really nails the episodic nature of a Dragon Quest game, with each part tying back in to the larger story, without being bloated.

A_Unicycle wrote:

Word on the street was that it was a little too easy, so I turned on the extra tough monsters "draconian" option. The difficulty is perfect, though I did struggle a bit with the 2 griffins early on, requiring me to grind for 1-2 hours (though this could have been fixed had I stuck more sleeps, or even knew I could affect bosses with status ailments earlier).

But I think I'll run into a problem soon. The game is long. Really long. I'm wondering if the same difficulty could be achieved by simply avoiding overworld enemies and rushing to each boss, it could save me quite a few hours. I have a feeling this difficulty mode is going to add a minimum of 20-30 hours ontop of the already hefty time commitment this game demands.

But hell, if I'm enjoying this much already I may just power through. It's a joy!

I've wondered about this too. I think if you like the extra challenge, and if you're inclined find all the shiny spots and use the fun-sized forge to make great gear, that Draconian Quest will end up being perfect for you. You will probably fight some extra battles doing that stuff, which would make it hard to remain under-leveled throughout the game. Although I'm not super far in, I have been playing on Draconian Quest and haven't felt like I've needed to grind much to get past bosses. I do sometimes lose on my first try, but that's mitigated by the availability of campsites, including in dungeons (so far).

Ah, I did see that thread but wasn't aware it was the go-to place for DQXI discussion. Thanks!

Dragon Quest IV is great. If someone who had never played a DQ game asked me where they should start, I would recommend DQ IV as the entry point into the series. It's got a lot of character, heart, and charm, but doesn't get too cumbersome with mixing job classes and such. The world is big, but not too big. And I think it really nails the episodic nature of a Dragon Quest game, with each part tying back into the larger story, without being bloated.

Yeah, it's incredible! I did a lot of reading of various discussion boards and most people seemed to agree that it was a great starting point. It can be a little bit too old school at times, often offering only the most obtuse directions, but it's nothing a quick glance at a guide can't fix. I really enjoy the episodic start, it made encountering each character out in the world so much more exciting! I also LOVED the total change of pace with Torneko's chapter. It was really chill, and totally unexpected (though I honestly just love making money in games, so there's a bit of personal bias there).

I've wondered about this too. I think if you like the extra challenge, and if you're inclined to find all the shiny spots and use the fun-sized forge to make great gear, that Draconian Quest will end up being perfect for you. You will probably fight some extra battles doing that stuff, which would make it hard to remain under-leveled throughout the game. Although I'm not super far in, I have been playing on Draconian Quest and haven't felt like I've needed to grind much to get past bosses. I do sometimes lose on my first try, but that's mitigated by the availability of campsites, including in dungeons (so far).

Yeah, thinking about it more, it wouldn't just be ignoring enemies on the overworld. It would require you to not really engage with all of the game systems and exploration which would be a bit of a drag. I really can't emphasize just how much I'm enjoying the Draconian Quest difficulty, though that may change as I get to the Slayer of Sands which I've heard so much about. Will report back