JRPG typically means Japanese Role-Playing Game. These are games that, as well as being in developed in Japan, have a distinct type of gameplay. They focus on story, character development, combat, and exploration. Most of them are turn-based, with immersive storylines that lure gamers into playing dozens of hours. JRPGs have existed for decades, and they have given gamers incredible franchises like Final Fantasy and Persona.
These games enjoyed massive popularity back in the ’80s and ’90s, and are currently enjoying a resurgence, especially in countries outside Japan. However, one interesting thing to note is that not all JRPGs being released now are made in Japan. Some are made in Western countries, and they are inspired by the gameplay elements and immersive storytelling of JRPGs.
In fact, some Western JRPGs are made so well that gamers would have a hard time differentiating them from the original JRPGs. So, let’s look at the games which some gamers didn’t even know weren’t made in Japan.
10 Septerra Core
Released in 1999 for the PC, Septerra Core is one of the earlier JRPGs that didn’t come from Japan. The game is as immersive as any Final Fantasy title, with seven massive continents to explore, each with its own culture and people.
Septerra Core has over 140 characters, an intriguing storyline, up to nine characters in the player’s party, and a combat system that combines both real-time and turn-based elements. And even though the game was released close to the turn of the century, its graphics still hold up well.
9 South Park: The Stick Of Truth
South Park: The Stick of Truth was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, the people behind classics such as Fallout: New Vegas and Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic. Even though it’s based on the South Park animation—and the creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, even lent a hand in developing it—the game plays like a typical JRPG.
The Stick of Truth has turn-based battles, a solid and hilarious story, characters you can recruit to your party, a range of magical weapons, and more. It’s no surprise that the game was critically acclaimed for its gameplay elements; it’s fun from beginning to end.
8 Child of Light
Child of Light is a 2D JRPG made as a love letter to fans of classic games like Grandia and Final Fantasy. The game has a deep, engaging story, turn-based battles, lots of puzzles to solve, and a huge world to explore.
Child of Light follows a young girl, Princess Aurora, who is the daughter of a Duke in Austria. She falls critically ill one day. However, instead of dying, she finds herself in Lemuria, a lost continent. She’s given a quest to take back the stars, sun, and moon, all of which the evil Black Queen stole.
7 Magna Carta: The Phantom of Avalanche
Magna Carta: The Phantom of Avalanche was released on the PC back in 2001. The game was heavily inspired by Final Fantasy VIII, especially its Carta system. It used turn-based battles, had a solid storyline, and the graphics were stellar for its time.
When it was released, Magna Carta: The Phantom of Avalanche became a hit in Japan, and it ended up selling over 300,000 units by 2005. However, the game was actually developed in South Korea by Softmax. The Magna Carta games are the only ones that Softmax developed, which is unfortunate.
6 Cthulhu Saves The World
Is it possible for a game to be both a parody of classic JRPGs and a celebration of them? Well, Cthulhu Saves The World certainly tries to do both. It’s an old-school-style RPG with heavy JRPG elements, a combo system, branching level-ups, funny gameplay involving HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu, and fast-paced gameplay.
The game is about Cthulhu, who wanted to set the world into destruction and insanity when a mysterious sorcerer sealed his powers. To reclaim his powers and destroy the world, he has to save the world first.
5 Crimson Gem Saga
Crimson Gem Saga was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2008, and later ported to iOS in 2010. Even though the game was published by Japanese company Atlus, it was actually developed by a South Korean studio called IRONNOS.
The game follows Killian von Rohcoff, who gets caught up in the secret hunt for the Crimson Gem. It has typical JRPG elements, from an involving storyline to weapon and skill customization and turn-based battles. However, its battles stand out by its ambush system, where a battle occurs when the player’s icon meets a monster’s icon on a field map.
4 Battle Chasers: Night War
Made by American developers, Airship Syndicate, Battle Chasers: Night War is a game inspired by JRPG classics. It has JRPG-Esque turn-based combat, deep dungeon diving, a big world to explore, and a rich story.
The dungeons in Battle Chasers: Night War are all randomly generated, so the replay value is high. The player can survive these dungeons by using the unique attributes of each member in their party. Players can also create powerful items by using the ingredient-overloading system when crafting. Battle Chasers: Night War is a lot of fun, and playing it feels nostalgic.
3 Shadows of Adam
Developed and published by Something Classic Games, Shadows of Adam is an indie gem that feels like it was made for the SNES. It’s a western JRPG that can easily be mistaken for being a port; that’s how authentic it looks. As an ode to JRPGs of days gone, Shadows of Adam was a Kickstarter hit, with tens of thousands of supporters from all over the world.
The game has a compelling story with a deep narrative revolving around 4 characters, a unique AP management battle system where AP is automatically restored after each battle, and a beautiful soundtrack.
2 Undertale
Undertale is one of the most critically acclaimed indie games in recent times, even though at first glance it just looks like a classic JRPG. It’s a 16-bit game with minimal but cute graphics, an excellent story and gameplay choices that make it stand out from almost every other JRPG.
When one is facing a monster in Undertale, they don’t have to fight. They can just choose to run, or even talk to the monster. In fact, one can complete the game with little to no combat. This game is a treat to both JRPG fans and other gamers.
1 Cosmic Star Heroine
This is a science fiction JRPG developed and published by American studio, Zeboyd Games—the ones responsible for Breath of Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World. The game blends classical JRPG elements with modern features, with autosave, fast pacing, no separate battle screen, retro-styled animated cutscenes, combos involving characters and more. All of these features combine to make the game stand out from other JRPG-inspired games.
Cosmic Star Heroine follows Alyssa L’Salle, who is forced to go rogue after she unearths a conspiracy. Her adventure takes her to three different planets, where she meets plenty of characters and faces numerous enemies.
NEXT: 10 Best Turn-Based JRPGs Of All Time, Ranked
