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What JRPG has the best story? *NOT A LIST THREAD*

SolVanderlyn

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
Aeana said:
We're not having this thread if people are just going to respond with game titles and nothing of substance. I'll leave it up to you guys to decide.
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I love JRPGs, primarily for their atmosphere and story. I've played almost all of them over the years. In between the good games, I've seen a lot of pitfalls for the genre: overly convoluted plots, awkward dialogue, bad dubs, anime tropes, and sometimes even over-sexualization of its characters. These pitfalls have somewhat marred the legacy of the JRPG for the uninitiated, but I think the genre still stands out as capable of providing an entertaining world, story and characters in a way that other genres don't.

I think that the facets of storytelling can be divided into five categories. They're all self explanatory, but I'll add a little addendum anyway:

The Plot - The overarching narrative, its message, and the "big picture"

The Dialogue - The line-to-line conversations in the game

The Characters - The different personalities that you meet

The World - The world the game has designed

The Mood - The tone the game takes with its story, the "atmosphere"

I find JRPGs usually excel at three of these at the most, and fall short on the last one or two. For example, I think Tales of Destiny, one of my favorite RPGs of all time, falls a bit short with the plot: talking elemental swords help save the world from an ancient evil, betrayals happen, etc. etc. - it's all very cliche. Likewise, the world it's designed is stereotypical fantasy fare.

But the characters, mood and dialogue all work against its shortcomings to make the game an extremely enjoyable experience. Is it cliche? Yeah, it is, but I became invested in its lackluster world through its strengths, and now I have a genuine appreciation for the parts of the game that can't stand on their own. That's when you know a game has told a good story - when its strengths envelop its weaknesses and make you care about them.

For me, I'd have to give it to Xenogears.

top-100-rpgs_xenogears.jpg


I don't like every facet of it. It's a bit too depressing at times. It shoehorns its philosophical references and inspirations in a bit heavy handed at times. Its religious references can be a bit vapid. But man, this game is more than the sum of its parts. The history of The Contact and his legacies, The Eldridge, mankind's beginnings, the menacing
Miang
and Grahf, Citan's mysterious nature, Fei's struggle with his mental illness - everything about this game stands out to me years after beating it in the 90's. It is the grandest of grand journeys, with some of the highest stakes and best realized historical timelines in a JRPG.

xenogears_01.jpg


Is it perfect? No, but it's unique, and has a compelling overarching narrative with a main cast you end up caring about.

I'd give the runner-up to Chrono Cross, again for possessing an extremely unique and memorable main plot. The repercussions of the time travel from CT are explored in an extremely unconventional way, and we even get a glimpse into alternate histories. The characters and dialogue were a bit lacking, but again, the world, mood and plot helped to elevate it beyond its narrative weaknesses.

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Sorry if this is a little barebones, but those are my favorites. What are yours, and what makes them good in your opinion?
 
S

SephLuis

Member
I played too many JRPGs, lots of which I don't remember many details.

One of the most recent examples is the Trails series. I played them all (including the japanese only releases) and I believe Zero/Ao stand as one of the best stories I played and the world they created with Sky/Crossbell/Cold Steel is one of the most interesting I have ever seen.

Outside of that Nier Automata and Yakuza 0 this year were absolutely amazing in terms of narrative and definitely would rank as top RPGs.
 
A

Aeana

Member
We're not having this thread if people are just going to respond with game titles and nothing of substance. I'll leave it up to you guys to decide.
 
K

kennyamr

Member
For me it is Final Fantasy IX.

The world itself and the story behind it, the mystery that slowly reveals itself.

Charming characters and one of the best char. development I've seen that include romance, fear, and friendship.

Dialogue always always on point, showing each character's point of view and with time also showing us how they slowly adapt, change, and persevere in spite of everything that happens around them.

Oh man it is so good, I'm sorry, it's just my fav game of all time.... I really want to play it again now.

Final-Fantasy-IX-Featured.jpg
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S

Shizuka

Member
SephLuis said:
I played too many JRPGs, lots of which I don't remember many details.

One of the most recent examples is the Trails series. I played them all (including the japanese only releases) and I believe Zero/Ao stand as one of the best stories I played and the world they created with Sky/Crossbell/Cold Steel is one of the most interesting I have ever seen.

Outside of that Nier Automata and Yakuza 0 this year were absolutely amazing in terms of narrative and definitely would rank as top RPGs.
Click to expand...

Yakuza isn't a JRPG though.
 
kamineko

kamineko

Does his best thinking in the flying car
I believe it's Dragon Quest V.

The grand scope encapsulated within the intimacy of a family story.

I feel like FFVI is the better game from that era, but it is harder for the narrative to remain emotionally potent in a consistent way, due to the massive cast.

The multi-generational approach is novel and works really, really well.

My favorite DQ game.

61de1800b5d711e6b22f67674b87a241.png_480x480.jpg


EDIT
jholmes said:
Also, best villain out there.
Click to expand...
This is definitely true, though. FFVI Kefka is the GOAT
 
C

Corpekata

Banned
Xenogears I might've also said when it came out and I was still young but revisiting it broke that illusion. The translation's atrocious. It's also very weirdly paced, with half the party members amounting to basically nothing beyond their introductions. The world itself is all over the place, especially anything to do with the animal-people (who, aside from Hammer, I legit forget exist everytime I've replayed). Soylent Green moment is pretty much hilarious in how dickheaded Cyan is to Fei and Ellie during that segment. The middle of the game feels like you're changing channels between a variety of different shows and they do not fit together at all.

I think if you cut the middle of the game and useless party members like Not-Blanka and actually had a finished 2nd disc it could be a real contender.
 
L

Lulubop

Member
FF9 for me. Best dialogue, well developed cast (some of the best), great villains with quirky and unique personalities, the best most belieavble JRPG romance, the best ending in avideo game, well paced and just a good overall story without trying to hard.
 
B

Blackleg-sanji1

Banned
Ima get run out off the site but kingdom hearts

-The characters all going threw hardships and some being connected by a single thread/or two(sora,Xehanort). When something happens to them you feel it because you get really connected to them.

-the worlds are obviously Disney ones but it just works so well for me.

-I know the plot seems really outrageous to some but the way the events have been set up, the careful calculations of one man really impresses me.

I'll go into more detail later at work
 
S

simtmb

Member
kamineko said:
I believe it's Dragon Quest V.

The grand scope encapsulated within the intimacy of a family story.

I feel like FFVI is the better game from that era, but it is harder for the narrative to remain emotionally potent in a consistent way, due to the massive cast.

The multi-generational approach is novel and works really, really well.

My favorite DQ game.
Click to expand...

Honestly, word for word this is exactly what I feel.

So another vote for DQ V from me.
 
D

Dio

Banned
Shizuka said:
Yakuza isn't a JRPG though.
Click to expand...

I don't know, I can see why someone would call it one.

It has instanced encounters, levels, experience, items, sidequests, et cetera.

The only thing that's different is that the instanced encounters are brawler combat instead of being ATB, turn-based or whatever.
 
T8SC

T8SC

Member
Final Fantasy VII or Persona 4.

Both gripped me in their story, had good pacing and characters to care about.
 
D

DrArchon

Member
Chrono Trigger.

Easily my favorite cast of characters in an JRPG. I love the time traveling and seeing how your actions impact all of the timelines. All of the twists and turns are fantastic, like (spoilers for a SNES game)
learning that Magus also wants to kill Lavos, finding out who Frog really is, learning where Lavos really came from,
and more.
 
Z

Zap Rowsdower

Banned
Nier, no question.

It's cast is all great, it plays with being a video game narrative quite well which very few JRPGs even attempt to do, and its mature in a good way that many JRPGs also tend to not be.

Yet to play Automata, but its apparently not any different to its predecessor in this regard.
 
kamineko

kamineko

Does his best thinking in the flying car
Lol you guys, a mod already said this would be shut down if we just name-drop games and bounce

Let the TC have his thread

EDIT

I tried
 
Astral Dog

Astral Dog

Member
I don't plays lots of RPGs but to me Xenoblade Chronicles and FFVI.

XC i genuinely enjoyed how the cutscenes were directed and how the voices work together in the game,they made the world more beliavle.

I hope XC 2 finally puts those in HD because XCX was a big dissapointment in that department.
huge,big dissapointment :(
 
M

Meowster

Member
It's between Final Fantasy X and Suikoden II for me. X has such a rich and wonderful world that has plenty of well developed themes and really expands on the common tropes of the JRPG (the corrupt religion, specifically). I think Suikoden II has fantastic build up and layers everything delicately - it's essentially the Game of Thrones of video games.
 
V

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Skies of Arcadia

I sorta want to say TWEWY, but it's more setting than plot that gets me with that game.

Skies really had me invested in my pirate brethren.

That being said I was more drawn into the world and lore of World of Warcraft more than anything, but that's not an A to B story per se.
 
SolVanderlyn

SolVanderlyn

Thanos acquires the fully powered Infinity Gauntlet in The Avengers: Infinity War, but loses when all the superheroes team up together to stop him.
I give 7/10 posts in this thread an F-, some with a recommendation for remedial reading lessons.
 
S

SarusGray

Member
I would probably say Dark Cloud 2.

Not to get into any spoilers but the relationship between Maximillion and Monica is so beautiful and loving but it never gets romantic. It's awesome! The villians in the game are misunderstood, confused and the protagonist are extremely mature for their age. It's a great coming of age story with amazing world building and seeing the past and the future was such an awesome idea that blended well together.

Each NPC had a little story about them, some were less interesting than others but others that would make you nearly cry. (Specifically in Venice Beach and Pao.... holy cow)

The lore in the game and the music synergize so well in my opinion and its a DAMN SHAME WE DON'T HAVE A DARK CLOUD 3.

If you have a PS4, and haven't played Dark Cloud 2, PICK UP DAT SHIZ NOW.
 
R

Robert at Zeboyd Games

Banned
I know it's not the best strictly speaking, but my favorite for story has long been Lunar: Eternal Blue.

At the time, the writing was fantastic compared to the competition (which were mostly struggling to just be coherent) and other than the fairly typical lead, the support characters were a lot of fun. A goddess who lost her powers? An ex-priest turned degenerate gambler? A money-grubbing young wizard? A dancer-kungfu assassin? A by-the-books soldier who is too embarrassed to help you so he pretends to be a cheesy superhero? Good stuff. And it certainly didn't hurt that it was one of the earlier RPGs to feature a lot of voice acting and anime cutscenes.
 
S

SarusGray

Member
Robert at Zeboyd Games said:
I know it's not the best strictly speaking, but my favorite for story has long been Lunar: Eternal Blue.

At the time, the writing was fantastic compared to the competition (which were mostly struggling to just be coherent) and other than the fairly typical lead, the support characters were a lot of fun. A goddess who lost her powers? An ex-priest turned degenerate gambler? A money-grubbing young wizard? A dancer-kungfu assassin? A by-the-books soldier who is too embarrassed to help you so he pretends to be a cheesy superhero? Good stuff. And it certainly didn't hurt that it was one of the earlier RPGs to feature a lot of voice acting and anime cutscenes.
Click to expand...

oooh I want to buy this game in the sale now on the PS store.
 
C

cryptosporidium

Member
Xenoblade Chronicles

develops the entire team, well paced, fun to play/context in battle such as seeing the future, the world adds to the story, and the overall story does anime tropes very well





shoutouts to Mother 2/3 which im now conflicted on whether theyre better or not.
 
T

The Greek Freak

Member
Persona 4.

Finishing the game made me so sad because I had no more time with those characters.

I wanted Persona 4-2 to be Persona 5 so bad.

Too bad the story in Persona Q and the fighting games is rubbish.
 
W

wrowa

Member
Xenogears's story is nice on paper, but its execution is rather lacking (and not just due to that whole second disc dilemma).

In terms of games made by Monolithsoft, I actually think Baten Kaitos Origins is their game with the best story. It's an utterly fantastic prequel: it completely changes the perception of what the first game was about without feeling forced or too contrived.

I also thought - at least way back when I played it - that it had some really well-rounded characters. Something made possible by going the opposite of the usual Xeno-way: instead of having dozens of important characters, BKO focuses on just three of them. In turn, I felt like I developed a very close relationship to all of them by the end of the game.

I should probably revisit the game sometime.
 
J

jholmes

Member
FFVI doesn't have the best dialogue, but otherwise it's just too good. The way you bound between characters just reinforces that the world itself is a character, and the arc the world of FFVI goes through is second to none.

Also, best villain out there.
 
U

Usobuko

Banned
Final Fantasy Tactics

Before I played this game, I thought the underlying plot was something like a simple tale of Delita betraying Ramza, turned evil and corrupted, eventually becoming the main antagonist in the game where they ultimately faced off for a final showdown.

What I got was a strikingly resemblance of modern world increasingly class-based hierarchy where Ramza was born so privileged that he was oblivious to it at first. He don't understand the anger and resentment the poor have towards those in power.

Add in a poetic contrast between Ramza's path of forsaking everything to live by his morals whereas Delita took a " the end justified the means " approach and crossed every section he joined without a second thought. Along with the bittersweet ending, it makes the audience reflect the whether it's all worthwhile for Delita at the end and the tragic realization that he himself could have save Tietra on his own if only he don't harbor blind faith that the nobles see them as fellow humans rather than cattles.
 
D

Dark_castle

Junior Member
Overall, it's got to be FFVI. I love its great ensemble cast of characters despite the absence of a clear cut protagonist, memorable villain, fun story progression that's filled with interesting twists and turns, an overaching plot that's serious and gets fairly dark at times, but also filled with lighthearted and fun moments. In fact, the story department of FFVI is so strong that it (along with the soundtrack) carried the game, for the gameplay aspect is honestly not very good and filled with issues.
 
Velcro Fly

Velcro Fly

Member
I'll say of the games I've played, it is probably Dragon Quest V.

Just the structure of the narrative where you start out as the young son, see your father killed, grow up while enduring a life of slavery to the same people responsible for your father's death, to finally becoming the father and having your son be the legendary hero that everyone has been searching for all game. The way the game comes full circle in so many ways (especially if you aren't a heartless bastard and marry Bianca) is just really touching. And all of this is accomplished without any convoluted plot ideas or ridiculous leaps in logic or anything like that.
 
P

perorist

Unconfirmed Member
OP nailed it. Xenogears excels in all 5 of those categories.

3cc5d41726.jpg

9e73a2d3be.jpg

b53ad3423c.jpg

83257546a3.jpg


The plot/story of XG ruined the stories of other games for years after I played it. Even the rest of the games in the Xeno franchise can't hold a candle.

That said, the game hasn't aged that well and can be a chore to replay.
 
T

themagicalkitsune

Member
Before the thread gets locked for people namedropping a game and leaving, I want to rep Breath of Fire 3 (again):

- It has a lot of likable characters (Rei, Nina, Momo among others) that you bond with over the course of your journey. Every one of them has the virtue of not being annoying, which is not something I can say for most games in the genre.

- Your main character (and the rest) develops a lot during the journey. Like Dragon Quest V, the story spans several years and the main character develops from a frightened young boy to a fearsome adult warrior and a prince of dragons.

- The story becomes thematically interesting at many points. During the childhood part of the game it's kind of a whimsical adventure of two kids as they escape from their hunters and recruit a number of friends along the way. Then something happens which changes the tone of the story. During the adult part it becomes a lot more philosophical, the notion of good intentions and morality is brought into question and the game becomes surprisingly dark in some aspects.

- By the end of it, the game is not about destroying some evil force that plagues your land as you're trying to find the God that created the land in the first place.

- The ending is kind of tragic, for many reasons that I won't spoil. But the message it conveys is very hope inducing.
 
Wireframe

Wireframe

Member
Grandia 1 takes it for me.

Cast of memorable characters that start with humble and child-like beginnings that soon see you go on an incredible adventure. Exploring forgotten ruins, fighting an imperial army and discovering the mysteries of the world lead to an incredible experience that comes full circle by the end and left me feeling what I can only describe as content and satisfied.
 
O

Opa-Pa

Member
Nice post OP. I recently bought Xenogears on PSN to play it eventually but your impressions made me even more eager to start it.

For me though, it'd be Mother 3, hands down. It's one of the best written games I've ever played and it also happens to be very fun to actually play.

The story is generally about loss and how the cast manages to overcome it, growing up as people and becoming stronger. There is also social commentary about industrialization and the relationship between man and nature, it's a surprisingly deep game behind a cutesy (and gorgeous) aesthetic.

It's kind of hard to go into detail without spoiling much, but the game also gives a wonderful closure to the series. I always see people recommend this as a standalone game, but the emotional value it gains if you have experienced the other two games is incredible.

The game's tone is a neat mix between EarthBound Beginnings and EarthBound. It's a sad game, but its positive and innocent mood, plus the great humor make up for a good balance, and it has a focused approach to its story and none of the events happen just to be funny or quirky. Everything in the game, no matter how absurd or overly cute, has an important meaning and contributes to the narrative.

Another neat aspect is how expressive character animations and the visuals in general are. You can show someone some of the major scenes in the game without any dialogue and they'll probably understand what's happening, if not at least the mood of it. Quite the feat for a game with such a minimalistic style.

Mother 1/EarthBound Beginnings is also a surprisingly deep game for its time and the story takes very interesting twists, I recommend it a lot.
 
Begaria

Begaria

Member
250px-Vagrantstorybox.jpg


A dark, mature, political thriller involving a super spy in a fantasy world that deals with a cult, sacrifices, and mind blowing twists. Ashley Riot is a badass, Sydney is one of the best antagonists of all time, and the flow of dialogue has only been matched by the likes of The Witcher 3.

Written and directed by the mind of Yasumi Matsuno - the creator of Ivalice, Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy XII. Oh how even better FFXII would've been had he been allowed his original vision.
 
L

Lothar

Banned
I agree with Xenogears. The characters were very well developed and made you care about them. Even the minor villains had more depth than the main characters of most RPGs. The story was very emotional. The world had a lot of history that made it feel believable. There was a ton of mystery and suspense. I have not played it since 1999 though. I hope it still holds up.
 
E

Eusis

Member
Wireframe said:
Grandia 1 takes it for me.

Cast of memorable characters that start with humble and child-like beginnings that soon see you go on an incredible adventure. Exploring forgotten ruins, fighting an imperial army and discovering the mysteries of the world lead to an incredible experience that comes full circle by the end and left me feeling what I can only describe as content and satisfied.
Click to expand...
I remember not considering it a good story at first, but in hindsight... I did enjoy following it in the end, and it's basically Laputa the RPG (well, the late 90s edition. Loads of games with Laputa similarities out there, it's practically THE JRPG template with plucky kids going on an adventure discovering the secrets of a lost civilization.)

I'm not sure I'd consider Xenogears my favorite now, but I guess it's like Link to the Past (which was on the gameplay front instead) in hitting the notes I like while I'm at a young enough age to be blown away. Large scale to the story, the crazy plot twists, and the themes of (should I worry? Whatever)
reincarnation and actually following those prior lives to some extent, and just the crazy turns that has with consciousness transmigration.
I was also entertained by cheap religious symbolism, coming from a secular background.

EDIT: And I'm partial to Vagrant Story's. Not sure how to best describe why though, I think it was just solidly told, or translated anyway, with an enigmatic antagonist whose goals were not a basic villain plan.
 
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