JRPGs/Turn Based Role Playing Games That I Have Played

This list was inspired by a long and detailed conversation that I had with @thatpinguino. The startling conclusion of the conversation is that I have played a scant number of traditional JRPGs, especially those that are considered to be classics of the genre. Most notably absent from this list would be entries from the Final Fantasy franchise. For those that have not heard of this "outlandish" factoid before here we go:

I have never played a game developed by SquareEnix

Yes I know, I know. As a moderator of a video game website not playing any games from an entire developer is insane, but that's kind of what this list is for.

So one more humiliating fact before reading this list. Just because a game is on this list does not mean that I actually completed it. In fact for one entry I only played the game for about an hour and a half.

Current Tally

• FIVE - Turn based role playing games played during my lifetime.
• THREE - Japanese developed turn based RPGs played during my lifetime.
• THREE - Turned based games completed all the way during my lifetime.

List items

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  1. Pokémon Red/Blue

  Pokemon Red was the first JRPG that I ever played that said I have been informed that calling Pokemon a "JRPG" is controversial. Anyways with the help of friends and my step-brother I got all the way to Giovanni, but as a young kid that was as far as my feeble understanding of RPG mechanics would allow me. To this day, I don't buff, and instead invest heavily into straight damage all the time, every time. Rest assured that I understand that this will seriously hold me back from making it far in most JRPGs today.

  I did not finish this game, but I guess I got close?

  Also does Pokemon count as a JRPG?

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  2. Pokémon Gold/Silver

  It really depends on how you define "defeating" Pokemon for this one. I beat every single trainer in the game including Red and the Elite Eight. Was I able to catch every single Pokemon? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPE!

  I would call this a partial completion.

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  3. Golden Sun: The Lost Age

  Or "The Great Mistake" as I like to call it. So a bit of back-story for this one. I had a friend that loved the first game, and told me that Golden Sun would be a great place to learn how to play JRPGs. I was maybe...twelve at the time, and did not play the previous Golden Sun game before jumping into this.

  I completed Air's Rock and was confident that I was almost done with game considering how long it took me to get through the level. When I discovered that I was not even halfway done with the game...I tossed the cartridge and didn't look back. I have ZERO buy-in that playing the first game would have improved my experience.

  It goes without saying that I did not finish this game

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  4. Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden

  I loved this game not just for its humor but for its combat system. Each character has a different fighting system, and because it is a fan game it does not require that much grinding. It had what I wanted in most games: a concise and engaging story that kept me wanting to see more, and a combat system that did not take forever to open up.

  I finished this game and even beat the secret boss.

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  5. Breath of Death VII

  I got this and Cthulhu Saves the World as part of a sale where both of the games were priced at $.99 on Steam. So, I gave both games a shot when I had some down time. If you wanted to know, I finished both of the games in about three days. I am going to hazard a guess and say that most people could finish this game in an even shorter amount of time.

  One thing that I need to address about this game. As someone who has not played that many JRPGs...the humor in this game was occasionally incomprehensible. I understood few of the references and ended up asking fellow mod Mento for help in regards to understanding certain one-off jokes. I can't entirely fault the game for this because it clearly wasn't developed for me.

  I also had some serious struggles with this game by the end with bosses defeating me in a few salvos, and moments of serious user helplessness on my part. Like why the fuck do so many bosses resist damage at the end of these types of games? How is that fun?

  I finished this game.

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  6. Cthulhu Saves the World

  I enjoyed this game more than Breath of Death VII. The first reason for this is that the story was easier to follow for me in that it muted its reliance on in-jokes. Secondly, the gameplay was more accessible and had more depth with the inclusion of the insanity system. Also, Cthulhu Saves the World just feels more like a fully realized game rather than a funny homage to games of yesteryear. This is all a long-winded way of me saying that I had an easier time playing this game than Breath of Death VII, and as a result had a better time actually playing it.

  I finished this game and beat the secret boss which was a real pain.

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  7. Child of Light

  This game is...okay. It's just okay. The combat system is entertaining enough, but it is lacking in every other regard. The backdrops are picturesque, but lack interactivity or player agency. The characters are fun to play around with, but their tropes and idioms wear thin very quickly. Worse of all it just feels...soulless. However, for what it is worth Child of Light is a fun game to play, and no point was I questioning my humanity as I played it.

  Child of Light is the Little Caesars Pizza of RPGs. It gets the job done, but lacks any nutritional content to sustain you for any great amount of time.

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  8. Final Fantasy VIII

  I beat Omega Weapon and saw the ending...this game is alright.