5 Overlooked JRPGs That Deserve a Second Look

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is not a traditional JRPG as it was made in France, but it is an honorary one. It’s a good example of an RPG that can come out and dominate the conversation. A more traditional JRPG is Persona 5, which is so widely popular, it can dwarf others around it. And that’s part of the problem with success stories.

8 Forgotten JRPGs That Deserve To Be Rediscovered

These more obscure JRPGs are in dire need of gamers rediscovering their charm.

Sometimes, a game can dominate the conversation so much, it can make other games seemingly disappear. Bigger games releasing next to the following examples could have affected why they weren’t paid attention to originally. There are other reasons to consider, too. Thankfully, they got second chances via remasters for JRPG fans to rediscover them. While they may be technically old, they still hold up.

Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha Vs. The Soulless Army

Spirit Detectives

Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army was released for the PS2 in 2006, which was late for the system since the PS3 also launched in 2006, which may be why it was mostly ignored. Beyond a port to the PS3 digitally, the game remained untouched until 2025, when it was remastered. Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army launched simultaneously on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S, which is always good to see when a game returns after a long hiatus. The more consoles a game hits, the bigger an audience it can gather. Also, this is more of a remake than a remaster because the quality of life improvements and buffs to the combat are astounding, making this a must-play Shin Megami Tensei title.

Players are a spiritual detective, Raidou, hunting down demons in an alternate version of what appears to be 1930s Japan. During cases, players can fight demons, befriend them, and also fuse them together to form new creations. It’s a system most Shin Megami Tensei fans should be familiar with, but what makes Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army unique is that it has action-based combat. Together with two other demons, Raidou can attack enemies with various weapons and spells, and while it is no Devil May Cry, the combat is hugely improved. With these improvements and new consoles, hopefully, it can find a bigger audience.

Ys: The Oath In Felghana

Zelda As An RPG

Ys 3: Wanderers from Ys was released in 1989 in Japan for their PC systems. North American fans wouldn’t get to play it until the TurboGrafx-CD version in 1991, but the real masterpiece was the remake, Ys: The Oath in Felghana. It was released first in Japan in 2005 for PC, and the 2010 PSP version would be North America’s first tussle with the remake. Finally, it was enhanced once more in 2023 for the Switch in Japan as Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana, and as of 2025, it can now be played on the Switch, PS4, and PS5 in North America. Disregarding the original game’s many ports, the remake alone has had quite a long time to linger around.

A scene featuring characters by a crystal in Chrono Trigger

10 Old-School JRPGs That Are Perfect From Start To Finish

These old-school JRPGs represent the best the genre had to offer before the 2010s, with no drops in quality during their playthrough.

Port history aside, if anyone wants to get into a Ys game, Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is the one. All entries follow one character, Adol Christin, and the games are episodic, often out of order, and don’t really connect too much. The game can sort of be described as a top-down, more action-heavy version of the older Zelda games. Players can hack and slash enemies in the world or in dungeons, gain magic spells, buy equipment, and even gain Metroidvania-like powers and items. With a downplayed story and a quick runtime, this will be an easy game to scratch off the list in a weekend.

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings And The Lost Ocean

Card-Based Angels

Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean was released for the GameCube in 2004, which was a year after Japan. For a console lacking in JRPGs, it was a big deal for the GameCube, and fans of Monolith Soft and tri-Crescendo now would surely love to know they co-developed the game. It remained exclusive for years until Baten Kaitos 1 & 2 HD Remaster was released for the Switch in 2023, and then a year after for PC platforms in 2024. The other game in the collection, Baten Kaitos Origins, was a prequel, which launched first for the GameCube in 2006.

Unlike most JRPGs at the time, Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean took place in a series of floating islands with angelic humanoids as the protagonists. Also, instead of normal turn-based combat, players had to assemble decks and use cards to execute turns. While the card combat may have impeded some JRPG fans from checking it out in 2004, it wasn’t the most impossible system to learn. Now that deck-building games are more common, card fans may be curious to know that there are other games out there from the past just waiting to be discovered.

The Legend Of Legacy

Mechanically Gifted

The Legend of Legacy

Released: January 22, 2015

The Legend of Legacy was released for the 3DS in 2015, followed by a remaster, The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered, in 2024, which reached PC, PS4, PS5, and Switch. Beyond graphical enhancements, it wasn’t a huge improvement as the game already had a distinctly colorful art style on the 3DS. Originally, it was aimed to be a spiritual successor to the SaGa series, which has one of the more unique turn-based battle systems in all of JRPG history. Before getting to that, players should know they had a choice between several characters at the start of the game. Who they chose didn’t matter too much beyond class adjustments, because the story was the same no matter what, as it was rather light.

A scene featuring characters by the Masamune in Chrono Trigger

The 10 Most Timeless Classic JRPGs, Ranked

From the SNES to the 3DS, these JRPGs remain timeless in quality and have earned their spot as genre classics.

The important thing was the combat and the dungeons, which would expand over time. Instead of traditional EXP, characters would increase their stats after battle depending on how they performed. Getting hit may increase HP, while attacking with a melee strike could increase power. Also, if players used abilities, there was a chance they’d unlock new techniques through experimentation. It was all one big roll of the dice, which is why the SaGa series remains so niche. Even with the remaster, The Legend of Legacy may not gain too much newfound praise, but it should. For anyone who loves a good experimental battle system, this is the JRPG to check out.

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy

A Great JRPG Returns For A New Launch

Bravely Default: Flying Fairy has a confusing history, as this was the name given to the 3DS original Japanese version in 2012. It was then enhanced in Japan as Bravely Default: For The Sequel in 2013, and when it was finally released in North America a year later, it was just called Bravely Default: Flying Fairy, even though it was based on the second edition. Decades after that, it returned in 2025 as Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster, which was one of the Switch 2’s launch games. History aside, this was an idea within Square Enix to experiment with old-school Final Fantasy combat and traditions as a spiritual successor, or perhaps more like a spiritual regressor.

Players could command only four heroes, who would gain classes, called Jobs, as they fought new bosses. Players could equip one Job, like a Black Mage, but also use abilities as a Monk. Beyond Jobs, what really set it apart was the Brave and Default system. When players wanted to defend, they could Default and gain an extra turn that they could then use at their leisure. It added another strategy layer to an otherwise traditional battle system. Between the colorful world, charismatic characters, and the battle system assisted by the class system, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy became one of the 3DS’ best JRPGs, and it remains a gem now on the Switch 2, even with some of its story faults in the latter half.