MiuSTJrpgs for a beginner
If you enjoyed Persona 5 then I can definitely recommend Persona 4! Persona 4 Golden is actually what got me into JRPGs when it was released on Steam a couple years ago.
But if you want to try different series some I’ve enjoyed and think would be beginner friendly are:
- Dragon Quest XI S
- Final Fantasy VII Remake
- Tales of Arise
I’d also recommend Chrono Trigger if you want to check out an old classic.
Thanks for the recommendations! Tales of Arise and persona 4 seem interesting so I try them out!
dragnaTales of Arise is great. The whole Tales series is really great, but Arise really felt like that next step from niche to the preeminent example of a modern epic JRPG. Something Squeenix has been trying and largely failing to recapture.
chalkmanIMO I think that old jrpgs can be easier to acclimate to as they have less feature bloat. They can be hard sometimes but there are more fair ones. I think final fantasy V, Lufia, or Dragon Quest V are pretty good, pretty simple jrpgs. If you want more like persona 5 there are a ton of games in the persona and SMT series and most are good, but they can be more challenging.
I'm playing Chained Echoes at the moment which is superb. Feels like a classic JRPG but with some modern elements to make it feel fresh.
While not really what one would think of as a classic JRPG, one of my all time favorites is Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. I tend to have a hard time getting into turn based combat, so the action command system really improved the moment to moment gameplay for me.
SkelectusI'm not deep into the genre, but my recommendation is Chrono Trigger. Such a good game.
Absolute classic and perfect for emulating on a phone too for on the go. The music still one of the best after decades.
I'll look into it! I have heard very good things about it so I'll probably play it
I have absolutely loved both of the Octopath traveller games. Bravely Default II is also similar and similarly great.
These are great games, but I don’t know if I’d recommend them to beginners into the world of JRPGs. Their primary draw, for me at least, is the complexity of their battle systems. It’s a lot to take in if you’re new to the genre. I could be monstrously wrong though, heh
NaateMy biggest issue with Octopath was the grind. Maybe I was playing "wrong", but I hit a point fairly early on where I wasn't high enough level to continue the story. I was sort of stuck in an in-between spot where I could win fights but get trivial amounts of xp, or die every other encounter.
The story had me hooked, I love the visual style, and I liked the combat system... But the grind destroyed me.
sunaurusAre you into pixel art?
If so, I would recommend:
- Chrono Trigger is a genre-defining classic and definitely still enjoyable IMO. The difficulty is quite easy overall and the game doesn't require any real grinding.
- If you want something more fresh, Chained Echoes is a modern take on a lot of classic JRPG formulas, but still retains a lot of that great classic feel and beautiful pixel art.
If you're more interested in 3D stuff, Final Fantasy VII Remake is an excellent JRPG. While not turn based, it is accessible to beginners as you can tone down the difficulty a lot. Also, don't worry about the "VII" - you don't really need to know anything going into it.
Chained Echoes is a good one, it's got some depth to it, but it's not overly complex and feels pretty classic
I have had chained echoes on my wishlist for a pretty long time and I will probably buy it. It looks really good and I like pixel art but also want something more modern.
It really is worth it. One of my favourites this year so far.
luciole (they/them)Dragon Quest XI would be sweet for a beginner I think! It’s not too complex and it’s so full of charm.
Yeah, I'd second this. It's pure old school turn based JRPG. Good starting point to branch out from in the genre.
Quest 64 is basically baby's first RPG.
It has no money. It has no gear. It has no cutscenes or events. All it has is spells and stats.
All four elements have their individual levels. To level them up, find spirits in the overworld or get a level up, and it'll let you put one point into an element. When you have enough points in two or more elements, it'll let you combine them (but you have to remember the combinations).
All your stats have individual XP bars, and raising one to 100 gives you 1 character level (which also gives you 1 point for your elements). To level them up depends on what you wanna raise. DEF is raised by getting hit. MP is raised by using magic. HP and physical attack are raised by bonking enemies with your staff. That kind of thing.
It's very simple as an RPG, but it's pleasant to look at and listen to.
Good suggestion.
I think we should stop saying "JRPG", but if you must, another vote for Chrono Trigger, though it will spoil you on games of that type: no grinding, no random encounters, good balance of playable characters, unique combat mechanics that to this day haven't really been explored
So, Should We Stop Saying JRPG? (The Jimquisition)
This is a near-perfect suggestion
What would be perfect?
I guess there probably isn't a "perfect" first JRPG since people love particular things (A better first one for my preferences would have been something like Persona 4/5 just because of my story/style preferences), but I think generally Chrono Trigger is as close as you can get.
I will never recommend Persona games because Atlus is a bully and a jerk.
Fair point. I'd actually forgotten about this.
Any recommendations for similar social-simulation + role playing games?
alternativeninjaAre we really just dropping the catagorization of a common genre?
These suggestions are all great. I would firstly pitch Earthbound, which is an offbeat example of the genre with it's bizarro take on urban fantasy. The art and music are terrific and the whole experience is just really memorable and sweet.
I also want to pitch Final Fantasy 9 especially if you play on PC with the lovely Moguri Mod.
It's an accessible example of the genre with a great story and well written party members, and the mod updates the look of the game while providing some handy quality of life options (e.g. switching on/off random enemy encounters).
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What's Moguri Mod ? Moguri Mod is a faithful revamp of Final Fantasy 9 (on Steam), aided by AI (ESRGAN and Stable Diffusion). It makes backgrounds more detailed, highres, cleaner and less noisy, while respecting the original art. It is aimed to first time players and veterans alike. It restores a
WitchDon't get into the Trails series.
Not because it's not good, but because the grindfest is definitely better suited for when you have a few JRPGs under your belt.
If you like Persona 5, I recommend looking around at ATLUS's other entries. There's the Digital Devil Saga, Soul Hackers, Devil Survivor, Raidou Kuzunoha, the other Persona series... I really liked Devil Survivor 2 growing up, it was light-hearted in comparison to everything else despite the eldritch gods plot.
Final Fantasy VI, AKA Final Fantasy III, as it was called stateside when I first played it in the 90s (I bought it at Media Play, anyone remember that?).
Great cast of recruitable characters that isn't too large, in my opinion, and the Esper system is pretty great. Also, for me, one of the most impactful JRPG storylines of all time.
Have fun, whatever you choose! It's a great genre, but time consuming. If a game doesn't click for you within 15 or so hours, it may not be one for you.
MonkeyhogAnd the Pixel Remaster updated versions of the 1st 6 games are pretty decent.
flyinghorseI'd just pick a game you like the look of and jump in. Any game you are really enthusiastic about is as good an entrypoint to the genre as any. Chrono Trigger is of course a classic, and I really liked Triangle Strategy as well.
The original Final Fantasy 7.
The gameplay is not difficult and straightforward, the story is still interesting, not too cookie cutter, compared to some SNES RPGs.
It also has enough bells and whistles (e.g. cool limit breaks, summons) that might entice you to keep playing the game till the end.
patchymooseOnly thing I would recommend for a brand new player is to use an online strategy guide/walkthrough if and when you get stuck. FF7 definitely has some moments where it's not clear where you are supposed to go next. It was the product of an earlier era before your goals and objectives were clearly laid out in a menu at all times.
Xenoblade chronicals and dragon quest are both good
Xenoblade is one of my favourite series of all times! Definitely recommend!
Never played dragonquesto but DQ11 looks so good.
Also it depends on what you're looking for, jrpgs are a vast category and persona feels very different from final fantasy.
Are you looking for something turn based or real time/action? What settings you'd like?
Honestly! Xenoblade is genuinely such a good game/series and I don’t see people talking about it as much as it deserves
Probably because the Xeno series has always been very niche, xeno chronicles being switch-locked restricted the playerbase by a lot (not saying the switch market is small, but it's very casual)
definitely not fear and hunger
Not seeing it mentioned anywhere, but if you manage to emulate mother/earthbound and start getting into it you're in for a wild ride.
Those game made the history not only of jrpgs, but of videogames in general.
Furthermore, thier spiritual successors are contemporary classics, like Undertale and OMORI (which are both more story-heavy than gameplay-heavy)
I have played Undertale and it's definitely in my top 3 favourite games. I have to look more into Omori though. My main concern with it is that it looks pretty dark but maybe it's fun, I don't know.
It's fun alright, if you liked undertale you'll probably like OMORI too (heavily inspired by mother, same kind of humor, multiple routes and endings, amazing setting and characters), even though it's definitely darker
My first ever was Dragon Quest I (originally called Dragon Warrior), which you can get and play on Android/iOS or emulate, depending on what kind of JRPG you're looking for. Dragon Quest XI on newer consoles is also a terrific classic-style game in the genre.
I think Dragon Quest XI is a great choice if you want to play a classic-style round based JRPG. It was just a bit on the long side for me, I like shorter games more, but most JRPGs are pretty long.
Derrek130 hours spent and I will vouch DQ11 was well worth the money for a fat free RPG.
Chrono Trigger for sure. It's considered one of the JRPGs of all time and is relatively short with little no grinding.
Surprised Pokemon hasn't been mentioned yet, they're light on story compared to more serious RPGs but they're designed to be fun (at least following the main story) and are mostly successful. I haven't played the latest generation but Sun and Moon was a good pair, my biggest complaint was an overly long intro.
In addition to what others have said, I recommend The Legend of Heroes, which is a six game serialized series. Start with Trails from Zero (if you are on a PS4 or PS5 or Switch) or Trails in the Sky (if you are on Windows) and work your way forward from there. That will keep you busy for quite a while.