The world of video games has been and will forever be changed by the power of Japanese role-playing games. This genre, born in the Land of the Rising Sun, has spread across the Earth, empowering countless players to take up the mantle of heroes on quests to save the world, their friends, themselves, or whatever else was at stake. The JRPG has passed through many generations of consoles and has taken many different forms on the path to becoming a worldwide phenomenon. This experience enjoyed in its purest form on consoles such as the PlayStation 4 or the Nintendo Switch offers a powerful elixir of interesting gameplay mechanics; relatable, memorable, and MUST-SEE-TO-BELIEVE moments; and characters and stories that encourage us to invest (read: sink hours and hours into) the massive virtual worlds that open up before us.
My voyage on the good ship JRPG began in the late 1990s when I first picked up “Final Fantasy VII.” Their siren call was irresistible. At that time, my primary interest was still with respect to Western RPGs and action games, which had started with the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, but the portal of my PS1 opened up a whole new world. A moment after I had started up FFVII, I knew I would not be leaving the RPG love boat. That game was a whirlwind that didn’t let go; it was, as my grandparents would put it, heavy-duty. Its narrative contained rich twining vines that led me on a path to an opening that burst apart with the mere suggestion of another life form. Its outcome: a new love for me, with those damn games.
The emphasis on storytelling and character development is the element that truly sets Japanese role-playing games apart. Of course, good narratives are something that many games strive to have, but what makes the narratives of JRPGs unique is their structure. The eyes of the player are funnelled towards the narrative in a much more linear fashion. This is not “linear” in a pejorative sense. Instead, it is linear in the sense that the story is being told with a very clear beginning, middle, and end. In a very real way, JRPGs are like a digital novel that the player is “reading.”
Final Fantasy VI is a shining illustration of a narrative-focused game. It came out in 1994 for the Super Nintendo and had a huge ensemble of characters. The main cast alone was 14 heroes deep, and each of those 14 had something going on that made them unique, not to mention the many, many other NPCs with plot involvement. The tale this game told was about as close as a virtual experience could get to reading a thick fantasy novel, and the story was a damn good one to boot. It had all the makings of a great rebellion tale, and I remember being verifiably moved on a regular basis.
Intricate and beautifully imagined worlds form another tentpole upon which the modern JRPG stands. The original Dragon Quest, Dragon Quest IV, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, and Suikoden are elaborate tales set in painstakingly rendered, far-flung worlds. Besides lots of talking, the most common form of exposition is the text-based lore dump. The player can read all about a world’s history, economics, religions, and peoples—usually by reaching the end of a dungeon and opening up a treasure chest that contains the most amazing books. A few games do this well. Players don’t typically have to read all about a world to benefit from its narrative pull. The details are just there in case you really do want to know why some of your favorite characters lived long enough to do something awesome or to die in a heroic manner. In no other genre do you get such intricate dungeons filled with so many books!
One of the most cherished JRPGs of all time features innovative mechanics, a meaningful story, and endearing characters, a classic. Its innovative use of time travel granted players access to numerous eras with unique cultures and their own individualistic dungeons and an almost peerless soundtrack working in tandem. Memorable characters abound (my beloved frog knight!). The game’s mechanics in combat, too, are almost deceptively deep, with a good deal of JRPG strategy to be found in a game with so many endings and at a moment seen as pivotal for this young medium. (And who can say why the game’s lead artist, Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball notoriety, has also got something to do with the enduring appeal of this classic JRPG from the ’90s.)
The development of the characters in Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) is not limited to the main characters. The creators also give rich histories to the support characters and even the villains. Thus, the world of the game becomes a complex web of deep, intertwining relationships that the player can’t help but become a part of.
JRPG storytelling extends beyond the genre and developers draw from it to create inspiring narrative depth and character development. Games like “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” and “Horizon Zero Dawn” incorporate rich narratives and are sophisticated in character development. These Western video games are the JRPG in mature disguise.
Japanese role-playing games or JRPGs are unique types of video games, which are known for a wide variety of innovative gameplay mechanics. Some of these JRPG mechanics include but are not limited to battle systems that require more than just spamming an attack button, systems that make character customization and character growth stronger than in other types of games, and mechanics that involve puzzle-solving and world exploration.
Undoubtedly, Final Fantasy Tactics is a masterpiece of the JRPG genre’s strategic scope. Since its release in 1997, it has often been lauded for its use of tactics and strategy in a generally iconic game. And indeed, the very thing that made it a standout entry in the Final Fantasy series was that the word “tactics” wasn’t just a part of the game’s title—it is actually a part of the DNA of the game.
The game uses a job system that combines with an equally dense system of abilities to create a kind of toolbox for the player. The characters that make up your party serve as the tools that shine a light on this system of mixing and matching. It is a game that rewards tinkering and thinking.
The Persona games offer something unique: a hybrid of traditional RPG dungeon crawling and a life simulation where you can build relationships with those around you. And as any fan of Persona 3 and Persona 4 can tell you, the mix really works. These games have a crazy amount of depth. On the surface, they might not seem all that different from other RPGs, including the dungeon-exploring parts. However, what really sets them apart is the Social Links system, wherein almost everyone you meet in the game has a relationship to you that you can develop by interacting with them when you’re not causing mayhem in dungeons.
Xenoblade Chronicles is known for its exciting combat system, which offers a fresh blend of the traditional turn-based combat of classic JRPGs and the more action-focused gameplay of the modern era. The game gives you control over one character at a time (from a cast of characters), with whom you can run, jump, and do all sorts of fun “on foot” stuff. But it’s still mostly about hitting bad guys with all sorts of exotic weapons. The big change, by the way, is that there are no “random encounters” to worry about. There’s lots of room to explore, and plenty of people to meet. But when you travel to one mountain-top region, the locals might warn “the creatures there are really tough!” And any chance you get to read something like that, you’d better believe they’re giving you a “command cue” to be “on guard!” Because chances are very good you’re going to be in a fight.
The genre, too, has been recognized for the fresh mechanics it brings to character progression and customization. In the Final Fantasy series, for instance, each game since the seventh instalment has used a Materia system of sorts that lets you equip your character with “magic rocks.” Compared to some Western RPGs that use a “Dungeons & Dragons” style of character progression, these Eastern RPGs are some of the most un-dungeon-y games on the market when it comes to character progression, and Final Fantasy VII is still bringing in converts.
Many current games, both in and outside the JRPG genre, show the influence of the form. Notably, Dark Souls and Nioh feature the kind of player-agency-emphasizing combat and customizability that has historically been the province of the JRPG. They pay dividends on the diversification of combat as it molds “player strategy” and JRPG-style growth and customization; and, even more importantly, they prove that these are principles that can extend across genres to touch, and usually help a wide range of player types.
Gameplay and storytelling may pull players in, but what differentiates JRPGs (Japanese role-playing games) from their competition is art.
The lead concept artist of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, Akihiko Yoshida, brings immense credibility to that statement. Yoshida has a lengthy history with the genre. He started on the Super Famicom’s Romancing SaGa series, with the bizarre Bahamut Lagoon and the PlayStation’s inclusive Vagrant Story thrown in for good measure. He was the character designer for Final Fantasy XII’s pseudo-Medieval, Near Eastern look. And he even did the art for this Bravely Default.
JRPGs are often recognized by their bright and colorful art style, along with unique and recognizable character designs. The Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Tales of series are just a few games that embody this iconic art style. They feature character designs from renowned artists like Akira Toriyama and Tetsuya Nomura, who have created a visual identity for these games that has become synonymous with the genre. And this identity has broad reach. You can see its influence in a vast number of other modern video games, as well as in many different anime and a number of high-profile apparel collaborations.
The artistic aspect of Japanese Role-Playing Games is illuminated in games like Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch. The development team, Level-5, worked in the same building as the world-renowned animation team, Studio Ghibli, for much of the development period. The teams worked very closely together, to the point that Ghibli had hand-drawn much of the game’s world art and characters. The gorgeous design of the game only bolsters the already captivating narrative the player is experiencing, making them feel as though they’re actually playing out a Ghibli film. The whimsical world of Ni no Kuni is one that can only exist in a game, and it sure plays like one.
JRPGs have left a notable footprint in the world of music, particularly through their widely celebrated original soundtracks. These games nearly always place a high priority on the music that accompanies play, and that is for a good reason: in addition to the other elements that stimulate a player’s emotions and the feel of the game, music is one of the most important, if not the most important, vehicle of emotion in a video game. Indeed, this is a personal medium, and it has been artfully used to intensify the “you are there” / “you are me” quality in the gaming experience.
JRPGs are likely to have a strong theme; they express big ideas. The most mature JRPGs often place both the individual and the party at the crossroads of serious ethical dilemmas; the characters have to puzzle through who they are and who they want to be in situations that are guaranteed to come up. Those games almost always have a basis in making the best of a world that’s more a reflection of what we humans ought to do rather than what we usually do. The best JRPGs are like the best books: they’re the ones that often are the most about something.
JRPG themes and aesthetics have traveled beyond the world of video games. More recently, in the late 1990s and 2000s, they started to permeate domestic and international popular culture. The influence of the JRPG is so pervasive that if one is aware of the tropes, one can see it not only in mediums like anime and manga, but also as cosplay and even on fan art that populates the halls of conventions. Indeed, if one looks at just the animes and mangas that have any relation to JRPGs from 1983 to 2008, the number comes out as a staggering 774 titles and 33,000(!) individual episodes and volumes.
When we peer into the coming years, the JRPG seems as healthy as ever and stands poised for another period of growth and even greater diversity. The arrival of new technologies over the past few console generations has taken the JRPG genre (and games at large) to new artistic and technical frontier after frontier. The games just keep getting more impressive. The graphics and visual style obviously make up a big part of that, but the mechanics and top-level design also have a kind of range to them that you just don’t see in other kinds of video games.
The evolution of Japanese role-playing games is showcased in recent works like Persona 5 and Final Fantasy VII Remake. In the former, traditional turn-based combat, social simulation, and a flagrantly stylish, contemporary aesthetic combine in a way that’s clearly meant to resonate with today’s player, especially the player who’s part of a new, diversifying audience for console games. In its narrative, Persona 5 takes on nothing less than the experience of personal growth and the essence of social justice. The defeat of the game’s villains carries a clear metaphor for the upending of real-life villains; its pacing and climactic moments work like those in a great action film.
The adorable classic of Final Fantasy VII Remake has been recreated for the modern world with new and vibrant graphics, real-time combat, and an opened story. This virtual reality makes old games new again and balances nostalgia with fresh content. Gamers with all the amount of amazing ’80s and ’90s JRPGs one could play aren’t really the audience this growing series seems to be targeting. But if the ’80s and ’90s are your golden age of gaming, then you already are.
The genre’s evolution is also being nurtured by a new wave of “indie” developers. Notably, the fresh new looks of indie JRPGs are not something that sprang up overnight. Titles that have been released in the recent past, such as Undertale and Octopath Traveler, are now considered instant classics because of both their appearance and the odd but appealing game mechanisms that the player grows accustomed to. The next paragraph, of course, will reveal the “unique” storytelling approaches of these indie devs. We swear we’re not out to bury the subgenre cliché under another layer of subgenre cliché.
JRPGs’ influence stretches well beyond the games themselves and into others. Their focus on storytelling, character development, and strategic decision-making has left a lasting impression on game development as a whole. JRPGs are the backbone for enriching the narrative and putting as much importance on the story and characters as on the gameplay itself. By doing so, they have served as an inspiration for carrying that narrative emphasis over into any game, regardless of genre. As the graphics and potential for visually stunning games keep getting better with the advancement of technology, we can expect the influence of the JRPG to stay in our virtual space.
For those who matured alongside Japanese role-playing games, the genre bears a unique authority. It is a kind of snow globe of memory, forever encapsulating the boyish thrill of embarking on top-down, epochal adventures and the bittersweet, almost melancholy, moment of the final return home. It is a lost world that tragically nixed its single beloved male character to boot. More than any other genre of video games, it gives us an intimate view of dying cultures, as in Ys, Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and Tales of Symphonia, and acquaints us with reborn cultures, by the same titles, after great cataclysms.
The profound, far-reaching impact of JRPGs on not just the gaming industry but also popular culture is hard to overstate. They have certainly been a massive force of change. The JRPG pushed gaming in a new direction toward much heavier emphasis on not just telling a story, but on making it a good one. Toward character development. Toward innovative gameplay. And toward what might be called (for lack of a better term) a certain artistic “seriousness”. And, most important of all, they pushed games to be something that a much broader audience could love and cherish.
