JRPG fans love turn-based combat because the battles move at the player's pace in contrast to fast-paced action battle systems that tend to be button-mashers or test player reflexes too damn much.
While early JRPGs like Dragon Quest had simplistic turn-based combat, later ones would go all-out in experimenting with new mechanics that would add various degrees of strategy to really make players think.
This article aims to explore the best turn-based Japanese RPGs that any self-respecting fan of Japan's takes on the roleplaying game genre absolutely owe it to themselves to check out.
25. Star Renegades
Windows | Switch | Xbox One | PlayStation 4
Developer Massive Damage inflicted a lot of destruction with Star Renegades, which combines influences from Japanese RPGs and roguelite games, which favor short gameplay bursts with victory terms unlike traditional roguelikes that emphasize long play sessions. Cyborgs invade multiple dimensions and obliterate solar systems, with the player controlling defenders of one of them, with failure to vanquish them necessitating that they restart their mission in another dimension. The player can also involve characters in relationships to produce offspring that inherit abilities from both their parents.
The plot begins with a service robot, J5T-1N, arriving in the player's dimension to warn of impending calamity from a sinister force called the Imperium, with the player consequently needing to fight for survival. An intelligent Adversary system stands in the player's way, with opponent officers evolving and advancing through the ranks, with J5T-1N able to cross dimensions in case your original team of heroes falls in their struggle against the Imperium. Overall, Star Renegades combines the strongest elements of JRPGs and roguelite games, sure to appeal to those seeking something different.
Star Renegades gameplay:
24. Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
PlayStation 3,4 | Switch | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Level-5 took Japanese RPGs to a new level with Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, which features its own take on the monster-collecting and battling formula established by franchises such as Pokémon. Combat plays out in real-time, with players utilizing familiars that they can tame and capture to duke it out with the enemy, with each familiar able to level alongside the human characters. While characters can get damaged and lose health, they can restore it either through items or through orbs called glims, with golden glims restoring all HP and enabling a Miracle Move to perform beneficial effects like aiding allies or damaging all foes.
The story revolves around Oliver, a resident of the quaint community of Motorville, which, true to its moniker, specializes in automobiles, with the protagonist trying out a vehicle designed by his good friend Philip. After nearly drowning due to an accident as a result of test-driving said car, Oliver's mom, who rescued him during said incident, immediately dies from heart problems. Thus begins an emotional story when a lantern-nosed fairy named Drippy guides him to the eponymous Ni no Kuni (another world), resulting in a heart-wrenching plot that will be sure to touch the coldest hearts, sure to provide a good experience alongside combat.
Ni no Kuni Wrath of the White Witch gameplay:
23. TROUBLESHOOTER Abandoned Children
GeForce Now | Windows | Linux | macOS
Dandylion shot a lot of trouble with its turn-based strategy RPG TROUBLERSHOOTER: Abandoned Children, which features a complex, strategic battle system that really takes a lot of thinking and the in-game tutorials to fully understand. Each character has a mastery board, a set of abilities unlocked through loot drops or character actions, that has a huge array of over eight hundred options to consider alongside their base vocation. Fans of overly-complicated roleplaying games probably won't take kindly to these mechanics, but those who love endless customization will be in pure tactical RPG heaven.
The narrative occurs in the futuristic megacity of Valhalla with a skyrocketing crime rate and where private companies called Troubleshooters (heh) attempt to take their crack at gang violence. The player controls Albus (no relation to Dumbledore), who recently formed his own company and is drawn into citywide battles between the official police force and rival gangs. The endless cast of characters with different personalities, themes, and potential relationships are sure to appeal to video gamers who love character-centric storylines and is fitting for a strategy RPG such as TROUBLESHOOTER.
TROUBLESHOOTER Abandoned Children gameplay:
22. Disgaea 5 Complete
Switch | Windows
Dood, where's my Netherworld? The fifth entry of Nippon Ichi's beloved Disgaea series continued to evolve the franchise's formula of incredibly-deep tactical RPG gameplay with experience levels ranging into the thousands and dealable damage in the millions. New systems absent from previous Disgaeas include the number of onscreen displayable characters in combat to a hundred, compared to ten in earlier entries. Other inaugural features include a revenge system when party members are killed, and special attacks called Maougis where characters can pair up to unleash fusion skills.
Disgaea 5 occurs in a universe with countless Netherworlds, each ruled by an Overworld with a unique ability they can also use in battle as special attacks. Before the game's events, Tyrant Overlord Killidia fought his way into power in the Netherworld Cryo Blood, only to die at martial arts master Goldion's Ultimate Demon Technique fighting style. As a result, Killidia, his name shortened to Killia, becomes Goldion's pupil and swears vengeance against Void Dark, who had stolen Killia's Overload, his Overlord ability. Given its deep mechanics, the fifth Disgaea is sure to provide a hellishly-good time for long-time series fans and newcomers.
Disgaea 5 Complete gameplay:
21. Megadimension Neptunia VII
PlayStation 4 | Windows | Switch
Idea Factory and Compile Heart provide a mega-good time with Megadimension Neptunia VII, which features a new battle system with a different combination structure like previous installments of the Hyperdimension Neptunia series. The placement of characters plays a critical role in combat, with each goddess character having what the game dubs a Next Form, a supplemental transformational phase atop those which they already have. The game uses a four-member party Unit Turn-based system, where characters can freely roam the battlefield, alongside Guild missions to get extra goodies.
The plot is divided into three chapters with different stories for every dimension, the first focusing on two ruling Console Patron Units (CPUs), Neptune and Nepgear, who fear being ousted by their citizens. The second involves the CPUs, several days after the uprising begins, discussing the CPU Shift Period and their attempts to regain public faith, similar to politicians across the world. The last revolves around a wormhole opening above Gamindustri that the CPUs wish to explore, with different endings depending upon the player's actions, rounding out the game alongside its solid gameplay.
Megadimension Neptunia VII gameplay:
20. Banner of the Maid
Switch | PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | Windows
No, not a housemaid, but rather one of French Emperor Napoleon's younger sisters, Pauline Bonaparte, who takes to the battlefield during the French Revolution in 1791 in an interesting take on strategy RPG gameplay. Princess Pauline bequeaths a distinct ability to inspire others that makes her known as the Maid of Toulon, said to have been used by Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans, making her the game's title character. Terrain can affect unit movement and abilities, with weather playing a role in combat as well, with the style of battle resembling that in the Advanced Wars series.
Banner of the Maid's narrative provides a good, if creatively liberal, take on the French Revolution, with the ruling House of Bourbon collapsing and different factions vying for power. The aforementioned sister of Napoleon will attempt to lead her forces to victory but will need to tread the waters of war carefully while dealing with factions like the Royalists, the Club des Feuillants, the Jacobins, and the Malmaisons. Pauline will also need to take advantage of her secret power as a Maid while navigating the treacherous revolution, accounting alongside the combat for a great military storyline.
Banner of the Maid gameplay:
19. Battle Chasers Nightwar
macOS | Windows | PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | Switch | Linux | Android | iOS
Joe Madureira's Battle Chasers will hotly pursue a Nightwar in Airship Syndicate's video game adaptation, where players explore a linear overworld and fight enemies at fixed points until they enter dungeons. Critics have likened the game to entries of the Diablo franchise, where players battle enemies in an isometric view in dungeons and dodge traps with special abilities. Rather than having a standard RPG system of mana or magic points, Nightwar sports an overcharge mechanic where non-magical attacks generate energy that the player uses in MP's place.
Based on Madureira's fantasy comic books series, the main characters of the narrative include the brooding swordsman Garrison, the kind war golem Calibretto, the rogue Red Monika, the snarky old mage Knolan, and the magi gauntlet-wielding girl Gully. The airship they're riding in the beginning is shot down over an island, where they have to deal with freeloaders who flock there for want of a motherlode of mana, prime among them being the evil sorceress, Destra. The game serves as both a continuation and jumping-on point of the original comic book series, sure to appeal to fans and newcomers alike.
Battle Chasers Nightwar gameplay:
18. Dragon Cliff
Android | Windows | macOS
Meta Interaction invites you to climb its Dragon Cliff, which they dub a Semi-Idle RPG, where players collect adventurers, slaughter monsters, craft facilities, advance skill trees, forge equipment, find strange scrolls, and assemble the adventuring team of their dreams. The game sports deep itemization systems for endless character builds, up to twenty-five different adventurer classes, a Time-Based Command battle system that frees players of micromanagement, and so forth.
Players have an arsenal of nearly a hundred active and passive abilities to experiment with, with each having their own positives and negatives that beg for said experimentation. Hundreds of pieces of equipment and scrolls abound to be discovered and crafted as well, with the Effect System allowing neverending customization of your adventurers, not to mention whatever they're wearing or wielding. The gem and monster varieties, along with the ability to attract residents and conduct explorations to expand your town, round out a great turn-based RPG battle system.
Dragon Cliff gameplay:
17. Sea of Stars
Switch | PlayStation 4,5 | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S | Steam
Dive into Sabotage Studio's Sea of Stars, a retro-style RPG where the heroes Valere and Zale utilize lunar and solar power to battle an evil alchemist's creations, with plenty of puzzle-solving, turn-based combat, and six playable characters. Battles emphasize timed button presses to increase damage output and reduce incoming damage, with multicharacter combination attacks and being able to hinder enemy spellcasting. Sea of Stars sports an immersive take on RPGs where there are no random encounters, transitions to separate battlefields, or grinding.
The narrative sees Valere and Zale pursuing the aforementioned alchemist, the Fleshmancer, millennia before the developer's previous game, The Messenger, with their Eclipse magic being the only kind that can damage otherworlders known as the Dwellers. Dwellers eventually grow into superpowerful beings known as World Eaters, with the heroes needing to chase them across dimensions to see to it that they don't do what they do best while continuing to give chase to the Fleshmancer. The storyline luckily backs the mentioned solid gameplay and is a must-play for any self-respecting RPG enthusiast.
Sea of Stars gameplay:
16. FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster
PlayStation 3,4 | PlayStation Vita | Windows | Switch | Xbox One
Experience Tidus and Yuna's stories in the remasters of the tenth entry of the long-running Final Fantasy franchise and its direct sequel, each with vastly-different mechanics, as has been the series' norm. Final Fantasy X ditched the Active Time Battle system of its predecessors, sporting strictly turn-based combat that will definitely test players' thinking with strategic situations to think about like targeting aerial enemies with ranged attacks. In contrast, direct sequel X-2 brought back Active Time Battles with full force, coupling it with the Dressphere system to allow characters to change classes on the fly in combat.
The first game's story follows Zanarkand Abes Blitzball player Tidus, who, along with his mentor Auron, is sucked into the world of Spira, where he must embark with Yuna and others on a quest to defeat the force responsible for sucking them there in the first place, Sin. Even though the Calm is brought about as a result in defeating the mysterious entity, Yuna, her friend Rikku, and the deadpan-snarking Paine, become Spira's equivalent of Charlie's Angels and party on a ton of missions afterward to seek her lost love. Given the serious story of the tenth Final Fantasy balanced with its humorous direct sequel, both games are sure to provide tons of gameplay and narrative entertainment.
FINAL FANTASY X/X-2 HD Remaster trailer:
15. WitchSpring R
Switch | PlayStation 4,5 | Xbox One | Windows
A Witch shall Spring from KIWIWALKS' RPG where the player trains a young witch named Pieberry as she goes on a grand adventure to become more powerful. The player's choices will decide her future growth, alongside the ability to collect and fuse magical ingredients, with magical meals galore Pieberry can consume to increase her talents. She can also feed superfluous ingredients to her staff to upgrade it in whatever directions the player desires and whoop the tails of whatever monsters she encounters in the forest where she lives, while seeking a way into the outside world.
Pieberry herself is a bunny-eared witch who wants to relive her childhood memories by eating delicious food and venturing into the human world, but as mentioned, can't for the life of herself find her way out of her forest in the first place. That's where the player comes in to help her explore, with Pieberry brought to life by vivid animation and voicework and can sneak into the human world by dressing as one of them. Coupled with the diverse gameplay systems, players are sure to have a fun time guiding Pieberry along her journey out of the wilderness.
WitchSpring R trailer:
14. Persona 4 Golden
Switch | PlayStation Vita | PlayStation 4 | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S | Windows | Steam
The Shin Megami Tensei spinoff series Persona really went Golden with its fourth mainline installment, carrying on the change for the better that its predecessor made with regards to the subseries' mechanics that made it more accessible to mainstream gaming audiences. Much like Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Persona 4 rewards players for exploiting enemy weaknesses to grant their characters extra turns and, if they knock down all foes, beat the living crap out of them through all-out attacks. As they win battles, characters develop their respective Personas to allow them to learn more abilities to really pulverize their foes.
The plot revolves around a high-schooler who moves to the countryside with his maternal uncle and cousin, forming bonds with his fellow students and other residents while delving into the mysteries of a series of murders connected to a mysterious TV World. The game's adorable mascot Teddie will help the hero and his companions along the way as they find out the reasons and motives being the various killings, with a few red herrings thrown into play along the way. All the action culminates in an explosive ending with potentials for variations, accounting alongside the gameplay for a definitive JRPG experience.
Persona 4 Golden gameplay:
13. Yakuza: Like a Dragon
PlayStation 4,5 | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Like a Dragon, the seventh mainline installment of Sega's Yakuza series struck by ditching its predecessors' action-based battle systems with a fresh new turn-based battle system inspired by the likes of other RPGs such as Final Fantasy X. Real-time elements play a part as well, with players having a four-party team that can use environmental elements like bicycles to attack foes or kick objects at their adversaries. Each character can also have a Job, which functions like class systems in other RPGs, which players can adjust to fit whatever playstyle they prefer.
Ichiban Kasuga replaces Kazuma Kiryu as the franchise's protagonist (but Kiryu is still a supporting character), recruiting companions like the homeless ex-nurse Yu Nanba, former policeman Koichi Adachi, and barwoman Saeko Mukoda. Eighteen years prior, Kasuga confessed to a captain his murder committed to shield his reputation, and in the game's present battle the Geomijul Mafia and the Omi Alliance that ultimately goes under the laughable guise of Bleach Japan. Along with Kasuga learning about his parentage, the plot, coupled with the solid gameplay, is sure to make players take to the sky Like a Dragon.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon gameplay:
12. Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout
Switch | PlayStation 4 | Windows
Get ready to go a Secret Hideout of Ever Darkness in Atelier Ryza, part of Gust's neverendingly-growing series, like its myriad predecessors focusing on crafting and alchemy. Combat incorporates real-time elements, with time continuously moving as the player commands their characters, with attacks building Action Points usable for skills, special attacks, or raising the party's Tactics Level to unlock more powerful abilities. Outside battle, the player can make use of alchemy with the resources they gather outside their workshop, placing them onto a field of elemental nodes to unlock new recipes and create various usable items.
The protagonist is the eponymous Ryza, full name Reisalin Stout, who lives on Kurken Island and wants to go on her own adventures, sneaking onto the mainland with her friends and being ambushed by monsters there. Ryza and her friends convince their rescuers, Empel Vollmer and his bodyguard Lila Decyrus, to make them their apprentices, with their training as alchemists and warriors then beginning. Ryza and her friends ultimately discover a gate leading to an alternate realm called the Underworld, which will definitely give players a hell of a good time along with the solid gameplay.
Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout gameplay:
11. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
Switch | Windows | PlayStation 4
Ride upon Wings of Ruin in the second Story of the Monster Hunter spinoff series, where players assume the role of a Rider who becomes friends with monsters by stealing eggs (yes, you read that correctly) and hatching them. The player's character joins their companion monster, hilariously dubbed a Monstie, in turn-based battles versus wild monsters, with three different types of attacks: Power, Speed, and Technical. In a rock-paper-scissors formula, Power beats Technical, which beats Speed, which beats Power, with Head-to-Heads occurring where the dominant type prevails, and Double Attacks occurring when the player's character and their Monstie attack with the same type.
The story involves the massive disappearance of Rathalos, which are giant bipedal wyverns, and are seen at a festival occurring on Hakolo Island, not to mention the appearance of pits emitting weird pink light. The protagonist is the descendant of the legendary Rider named Red, and fatefully encounters a white-haired Wyverian girl named Ena, entrusted by Guardian Ratha with a Rathalos egg. A black Rathalos suddenly bursts out of the egg and is prophesied to bring destruction to the world, with the player facing several pink-eyed monsters throughout the game. Coupled with the strategic gameplay, Wings of Ruin certainly won't be ruined to fans of the first game.
Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin gameplay:
10. CHRONO TRIGGER®
Super NES | PlayStation | Nintendo DS | i-mode | iOS | Android | Windows | Apple TV
Square Enix's beloved time travel RPG Chrono Trigger will definitely make players trigger-happy with its unique reworking of the Active Time Battle system of the Final Fantasy games. Enemies are visible in dungeons and other places, with no transitions to other screens for combat, and every character able to attack, use a technique, or use items. Characters can launch two- or three-character combination attacks to really dish out the punishment, with elemental weakness exploitation adding further strategy. Also one of the first Japanese RPGs to feature a New Game+, the classic is sure to provide limitless lasting appeal for gamers seeking to get the biggest game out of their gaming buck.
The plot begins with Crono attending the Millennial Fair and bumping into Marle, with whom he tests his inventor friend Lucca's teleportation device, only to be thrown into the past in the start of a time-travel adventure that will span eons. They'll meet numerous colorful characters including a frog named, well, Frog, and the futuristic robot named, you guessed it, Robo. Their ultimate goal will be to stop an ancient beast named Lavos from partying in the year 1999 with hellfire to bring about the world's destruction, with numerous endings sure to provide players more lasting appeal alongside the gameplay, and making Chrono Trigger a bucket-list JRPG.
CHRONO TRIGGER gameplay:
9. Chained Echoes
Linux | macOS | Windows | Switch | PlayStation 4,5 | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Chain a lot of Echoes in the game made by German developer Matthias Linda inspired by tons of Japanese RPGs, where players encounter enemies visible on maps and fight them on the same screen a la Chrono Trigger. Each character has a regular attack, numerous special abilities, items, and defending, with attacks and skills raising an overdrive meter that can "go green" and make said abilities more effective. However, the overdrive meter can get overheated, necessitating that players use specific abilities like defending and superpowerful "Ultra Moves."
Chained Echoes occurs on the Valandis continent during a multigenerational war between the kingdoms of Taryn, Gravos, and Escanya, who sign a peace treaty, only for a new force to start a new war a year later. Among these are the protagonist Glenn, a sky armor pilot; Kylian, an ambitious mercenary working with Glenn; Lenne, the princess of Taryn, sister of King Frederik who wants to see more of the outside world; Robb, Lenne's friend and bodyguard; and Victor, an aged playwright with connections to Glenn and Lenne. With its diverse cast of characters along with the gameplay, this homage to JRPGs is sure to cause many memorable Echoes in your mind.
Chained Echoes gameplay:
8. FINAL FANTASY IX
PlayStation | Android | iOS | Windows | PlayStation 4 | Switch | Xbox One
Sing sweet "Melodies of Life" in what had been the Final Fantasy series' PlayStation 1 swan song throwback to prior entries of the beloved series, bringing the number of playable battle characters back up to four unlike three as in the seventh and eighth entries. Each can attack or use items, with everyone having their own unique talent, such as Zidane's ability to steal items from foes, Vivi's black magic, Dagger and Eiko's White Magic and Eidolons, and so on. Rereleases after the original PlayStation 1 version have extra features like being able to toggle on/off random encounters and high-speed mode.
The narrative begins with the monkey-tailed protagonist, Zidane (no relationship to the soccer player), kidnapping the princess of Alexandria, Garnet, who eventually goes by the nickname Dagger, and discovering a plot by her ugly-as-sin mother Brahne to try to take over the game's world of Gaia. They'll meet a variety of colorful allies like the androgynous chef Quina and the dreadlocked Amarant, not to mention other endearing luminaries like the noble Cid, who can't decide for the life of himself what species to be. All this is sure to charm the most nostalgic Final Fantasy fan alongside the improved gameplay.
FINAL FANTASY IX gameplay:
7 .The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky
Windows
The three-part RPG The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is sure to provide players happy trails with its strategic gameplay, with enemies visible on fields and in dungeons, with running into them transitioning the action to a separate screen for combat. The players' party of up to four characters can move around the battlefield to whoop enemies, use Arts and Crafts that each have their respective points, use items, or use limit break-esque abilities. Experience acquired after battles is proportional to character levels, which largely counters the typical JRPG problem of excessive grinding, with a turbo mode allowing players to really speed things up and not have to waste time sitting through everything.
The plot revolves around Estelle Bright and her amnesiac adopted brother Joshua, who seek their missing father, getting involved in a conspiracy against the royal family of Liberl (not Conservative, mind you) Kingdom. Joshua regains his memories at the end of part one, with the second chapter focusing on Estelle battling a sinister underground organization known as Ouroboros. The concluding game whisks all the playable characters away to an otherworldly dimension to put a stop to all the evil forces behind everything, accounting along with the gameplay for a fun time.
The Legend of Heroes Trails in the Sky gameplay:
6. The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel
PlayStation 3,4 | PlayStation Vita | Windows | Switch
Nihon Falcom's long-running Trails series goes Cold Steel with the four-apart follow-up to the Trails in the Sky trilogy and Crossbell duology, set in the Erebonian Empire and occurring concurrently with the mentioned Crossbell games. The new battle system allows players to select commands at a faster rate, with characters able to pair up with a Link system, allowing for follow-up attacks and providing various other perks. The Cold Steel tetralogy retains the Action Time battle system of its precursors, where ally and enemy turn orders are displayed a la Final Fantasy X, with the Orbment system streamlined as well.
The storyline focuses on Class VII at Thors Military Academy in Trista, a new class formed at the school, and the only one not separated by social class, composed of both Erebonian nobility and commoners. The class includes protagonist Rean Schwarzer, who, with his colleagues, undergo various field studies taking them to various locales across Erebonia so they can witness the Empire consumed in a power struggle between different classes. The next few games involve Class VII resolving various conflicts across Erebonia, accounting for a great tetralogy that adds well to the Trails universe.
The Legend of Heroes Trails of Cold Steel gameplay:
5. Monster Sanctuary
Switch | Xbox One | PlayStation 4 | GeForce Now | Windows | Linux | macOS
Players will be more than happy to seek Monster Sanctuary in this monster-taming Metroidvania, with the capability to catch up to 111 monsters and hatch, collect, evolve, and train them from across the titular Sanctuary. Players will utilize their monsters in and out of combat, where fightable enemies are visible, and battles are turn-based. Each monster has a skill tree for players to customize as their party's strength increases, with the player needing to strategically order their monsters' commands to maximize their efficiency and stack their attacks to deal deadly combo attacks to the enemy.
Monsters roam freely in the eponymous Sanctuary, with the player controlling a Monster Keeper from a notable family, along with three others gifted with a Spectral Familiar, which is a powerful and immortal creature (and the game's equivalent of Pokémon). The player embarks upon an adventure to become a great Keeper yet stumbles upon a group of cultists called The Alchemists, who practice taboo forms of science, and it's up to you to stop them from executing any kind of doomsday scenario. Overall, Monster Sanctuary is sure to provide a good alternative to the Pokémon games.
Monster Sanctuary gameplay:
4. Ruined King: A League of Legends Story
Switch | PlayStation 4,5 | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Prepare to join a League of Legends in this spinoff to Riot Games' popular game, which plays similarly to Airship Syndicate's Battle Chasers: Nightwar, where players navigate a world and through dungeons, encountering enemies and bosses. Battles occur in turn-based battlefields where the player's characters and the enemy await their turns to attack, with everyone having a passive and active Dungeon Ability players can execute on the overworld. Ruined King features an Initiative Bar, where battles of up to three allies and three enemies display their turn order, sometimes displaying the commands that the latter will execute.
The game will take players on an adventure through Bilgewater and the Shadow Isles, which are regions in the world of Runeterra, the canon setting of League of Legends. Gangplank the Saltwater Scourge, a ruthless captain, aligns with Thresh to gather artifacts to revive King Viego of Camavor, meeting Captain Fortune and setting sail for the Shadow Isles. Viego is revived but still needs time to accumulate power, possessing Gangplank and then going rogue, raising hell in his path of destruction. Together with the gameplay, Ruined King will be far from a ruinous time for League of Legends fans.
Ruined King A League of Legends Story gameplay:
3. OCTOPATH TRAVELER II
PlayStation 4,5 | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Another team of eight travel in the sequel to Octopath Traveler, a traditional RPG where each character has their own "path action" to interact with NPCs to get reward items or allies to fight for their causes. A change from the original is the introduction of daytime and nighttime gameplay segments, with path actions being different depending upon the time of the day. Battles retain the same turn-based structure as the original game, including the break and boost systems, with every foe having several hidden weaknesses that, when exploited, cause them to become "broken," temporarily weakening them.
The playable characters include the hunter and beastling Ochette, the amnesiac Castti, the Black Snake thief Throné, the magical scholar Osvald, the merchant Partitio, the dancer Agnea, the church cleric and inquisitor Temenos, and the warrior prince Hikari. All have four to five chapters to themselves alongside two Crossed Paths chapters, with all sitting around a campfire exchanging stories about their goals once the player has completed their plotlines. When everything goes dark and night becomes eternal, they must bring dawn back to the world and deal with the Moonshade Order that played a role in their journeys, rounding out a fitting sequel.
OCTOPATH TRAVELER II trailer:
2. Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Switch | PlayStation 4,5 | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
Nahobino will definitely gain all sorts of Glory in the rerelease of Shin Megami Tensei V, which brought the long-running Atlus series to a new generation of players. The Megami Tensei series was the first to feature a monster collection mechanic way back in the 8-bit era of gaming, predating even the likes of the Pokémon series, refined to new heights in the fifth installment. The player's character can negotiate with enemies they face in combat to get them to join, although they may make tons of demands only to flake out in the end, and at the same time, it's advisable not to piss them off and either scare them away or make them assault you suddenly.
The story follows a highschooler returning home from school one day with his buddy Ichiro Dazai, with both being pulled into the Da'at, an alternate version of Tokyo destroyed in a conflict between Angels following the Creator and demons loyal to the rogue angel Lucifer. The protagonist fuses with the Proto-Fiend Aogami to become the androgynous demonic entity Nahobino, who retains the divine Knowledge that the Creator stole from other deities during the conflict between Him and Lucifer. Law and Chaos from very early Shin Megami Tensei games play a part, with the Vengeance rerelease adding the Canon of Vengeance alongside the main Canon of Creation, allowing for great narrative variety.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance gameplay:
1. Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
PlayStation 4,5 | Windows | Xbox One | Xbox Series X/S
The eighth mainline installment of Sega's Yakuza / Like a Dragon series, going with the latter name for a change in its English version, is sure to reward players with an Infinite Wealth of gameplay that builds upon that of its precursor. The battle system is now dubbed the Live Command RPG Battle System, with each character freely movable around the battlefield, their positions critical to the flow of combat, allowing perks like the ability to deal extra damage to enemies from behind. A Hype Meter lets everyone except Kasuga perform team-up attacks to further smack down enemies, with Kasuga able to use an Ultimate Tag Team ability to really dish out a lot of punishment.
Infinite Wealth also lives up to its name regarding its narrative, with the former Tojo Clan yakuza gangsters Ichiban Kasuga and Kazuma Kiryu going on a new adventure to various places in Japan and Honolulu, Hawaii. Kasuga is seeking the mother he thought was long dead, with Kiryu tasked with finding and protecting her as well from various gangs wanting to kill her. Both encounter a variety of Japanese and Hawaiian criminal organizations and characters in Honolulu, including one who really resembles actor Danny Trejo, and is, unsurprisingly, voiced by the Latino actor himself. Given its rich gameplay and Godfather-esque narrative, Infinite Wealth is sure to appeal to those seeking a fun time.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth gameplay:
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