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[Nyoro SF]

Trails in the Sky FC for certain. Big under the radar title. Really impressive, has good support for both keyboard/mouse and controller. A game that really takes the time to nail down the details of the whole story, including side characters. If you enjoy reading books and seeing literary threads pay off in a huge universe, this is the game to start with.

Xanadu Next. Short little heavily overlooked game recently released on PC. People might turn their nose up when I say this due to indie developers abusing the label but this game really is a precursor to Souls games by about 5 years. We have the whole interconnecting world that becomes more connected the more you progress with shortcuts and hidden paths, true RPG-stat investment, assignable Skills that can do everything from either boosting stats or giving you really cool passive skills like hyperspeed or awesome sword attacks. Has a sad but heartwarming story at the same time.

 

[randomengine]

My favorite RPG of all time.

 

[byropoint]

Love this game -- unique, turn based combat system, good story, music, atmosphere and great boss battles.

 

[Roubjon]

I never hear anyone talk about Radiata Stories and it bums me out. I've never seen more detailed environments in a JRPG, let alone most games out there.

 

[casablanca]

Guardian's Crusade was very unique, I remember liking it a lot.

Wow thanks for the sweet memories !!
I was in love with this game as a kid.

 

[Fou-Lu]

the music alone is godsend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7GQ0L3hiNQ

Almost mentioned it, but it's kind of bad... I do love the music though and played the hell out of it considering I had a Genesis instead of a SNES for most of that generation.

 

[FStubbs]

I think this was the third game in the series, after Minelvaton Saga and Silva Saga 1.

There's also Glory of Heracles. Glory of Heracles made it West officially with Glory of Heracles V on the DS, but the interface was so awful I dropped it. I hear IV on the SNES was better.

 

[bryt]

Atelier games. They're just so relaxing.

 

[Manmademan]

Resonance of Fate.

Great characters and one of the most badass turn based battle systems in an rpg.

Absolutely loathe this one. Never understood the appeal.

 

[dreamlongdead]

I think The 7th Saga is pretty underrated.

Lumpy Onion's post has given it some much needed love!

 

[Sölf]

I am pretty sure most people don't know Monster Seed even exists. It's a tactical RPG, but still pretty unique in what it does. You are Daniel and are able to summon and control monsters which you breed from eggs. During combat, you can only play as Daniel, as each of your monsters acts on its own, depending on it personanility, type and vague commands you can issue. There are no level ups, weapons or anything, but many different items and you can increase your monsters stats. However, monster can permanently die and if you use them often their lifespan gets reduced - so it's not even that good an idea to put everything into a single monster and then loose it because it just dies of old age, so to speak.

I never finished the game, but I am at the final dungeon and at the penultimate boss or something. The game is pretty hard and while it only has 3 different areas, those areas are MASSIVE and you visit each area 3-4 times and each of those times it feels like a "normal" dungeon. Yet each time you only visit parts of the whole place. I really, really like this game and should probably finish it one of these days.

 

[Fou-Lu]

Atelier games. They're just so relaxing.

Don't they have time limits? Sounds that opposite of relaxing to me.

 

[Garlador]

Shadow Hearts Covenant sold really poorly considering how well it reviewed. I rate it the best jrpg without the FF name.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcj3jnNHD7Q

I was going to mention Shadow Hearts, felt that too many people knew it, then said "screw it. Not ENOUGH knew or cared at the time."

It was the first JRPG that just firmly beat Square at their own game and gave me a timeless JRPG epic that has stayed with me and lingered for years to come.

 

[cj_iwakura]

I was going to mention Shadow Hearts, felt that too many people knew it, then said "screw it. Not ENOUGH knew or cared at the time."

It was the first JRPG that just firmly beat Square at their own game and gave me a timeless JRPG epic that has stayed with me and lingered for years to come.

For me that was Persona 2, but SH is the only RPG that I think has nailed modern occult besides SMT.

 

[Aeana]

I think this was the third game in the series, after Minelvaton Saga and Silva Saga 1.

There's also Glory of Heracles. Glory of Heracles made it West officially with Glory of Heracles V on the DS, but the interface was so awful I dropped it. I hear IV on the SNES was better.

Glory of Heracles 3 is my favorite, but yes 4 is good. Frankly, they're all good except the DS one.

 

[Fou-Lu]

Glory of Heracles 3 is my favorite, but yes 4 is good. Frankly, they're all good except the DS one.

What are they like?

 

[sixteen-bit]

Suikoden II

Still mad at FucKonami for not localizing the PSP double pack

 

[iclash]

i remember liking jade cocoon a whole lot

Came to post this. Jade Cocoon (PSX) and Jade Cocoon 2 (PS2) were both interesting takes on the monster capturing/raising/breeding genre. Think Pokemon but you can mix the Pokemon to make different ones.

 

[Luminaire]

You.

I like you.

 

[crinale]

Romancing Sa Ga 2 is the best JRPG.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

It's even better than Naruke.

!!!!

I don't believe you

 

[Aeana]

What are they like?

The series started off as a fairly straightforward Dragon Quest clone, set in ancient Greece. Glory of Heracles 3 begins to veer off into some new territory, and 4 runs with it.

2-4 (and the DS game, but let's please not talk about it) were all written by Kazushige Nojima (FF7, KH, etc). Many Japanese fans consider Glory of Heracles 3 to be his best story, and while there's definitely some nostalgia there, I think it's really good. 3 has a standard amnesiac hero, with the twist that he finds out he's immortal. This plays into the story in a lot of really interesting ways. Glory of Heracles 4's hook is that the hero's body is sealed away, and thus he and some of his party members can inhabit the bodies of other people. There's over 100 different bodies to find and inhabit, each of which has its own story and stats and abilities. It's an interesting take on the class system idea.

 

[onemanasylum]

Persona maybe?

 

[SephLuis]

Trails in the Sky FC for certain. Big under the radar title. Really impressive, has good support for both keyboard/mouse and controller. A game that really takes the time to nail down the details of the whole story, including side characters. If you enjoy reading books and seeing literary threads pay off in a huge universe, this is the game to start with.

Xanadu Next. Short little heavily overlooked game recently released on PC. People might turn their nose up when I say this due to indie developers abusing the label but this game really is a precursor to Souls games by about 5 years. We have the whole interconnecting world that becomes more connected the more you progress with shortcuts and hidden paths, true RPG-stat investment, assignable Skills that can do everything from either boosting stats or giving you really cool passive skills like hyperspeed or awesome sword attacks. Has a sad but heartwarming story at the same time.

I am not sure if I should be happy or sad that part of this is becoming Falcom the Thread. I am happy because we fans keep recommending and sad that the fans are still a small number.

 

[Fou-Lu]

The series started off as a fairly straightforward Dragon Quest clone, set in ancient Greece. Glory of Heracles 3 begins to veer off into some new territory, and 4 runs with it.

2-4 (and the DS game, but let's please not talk about it) were all written by Kazushige Nojima (FF7, KH, etc). Many Japanese fans consider Glory of Heracles 3 to be his best story, and while there's definitely some nostalgia there, I think it's really good. 3 has a standard amnesiac hero, with the twist that he finds out he's immortal. This plays into the story in a lot of really interesting ways. Glory of Heracles 4's hook is that the hero's body is sealed away, and thus he and some of his party members can inhabit the bodies of other people. There's over 100 different bodies to find and inhabit, each of which has its own story and stats and abilities. It's an interesting take on the class system idea.

That sounds really interesting. Immortal characters have a lot of interesting possibilites to play with, and the possession thing sounds crazy. Any chance they have fan translations or don't use a lot of kanji?

 

[Aeana]

That sounds really interesting. Immortal characters have a lot of interesting possibilites to play with, and the possession thing sounds crazy. Any chance they have fan translations or don't use a lot of kanji?

Yes, the entire Glory of Heracles series is fan translated.

 

[Shouta]

Albert Odyssey 1 & 2 for the SNES.
Beyond Oasis for the Genesis
Venus and Braves for the PS2/PSP
Frontier Gate for the PSP
Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki for the PSP
Tales of Destiny R for the PS2
Shining Hearts for the PSP
Growlanser, all of them
Brigandine Grand Edition for PS1

These are ones that I enjoyed that most don't know about or haven't played for various reasons.

The only ones I want to mention specifically is Frontier Gate and Shining Hearts. Most people will have no idea what either is about just by looking at the name, lol. Frontier Gate is a Monster Hunter style game but uses an interesting turn-based battle system. tri-Ace made it which is why it was pretty fun despite the MH grind. Shining Hearts is the only one of the dozen Shining games they produced with Tony Taka that isn't just an excuse for VA wank. It's an RPG that focuses on bread-baking and unlocking people's hearts through it. It's a surprisingly fun, relaxing title.

 

[Giolon]

Radiant Historia on NDS is excellent!

Borrows a lot of elements from Chrono Trigger!

I tried to like this game twice. I just could not get into it at all, and Chrono Trigger is one of my favorite games of all time. I don't see the similarities at all.

The Last Story is a fantastic JRPG that not enough people played because it was on the Wii. It's ugly as sin, but the story is well told and the characters are well realized.

 

[purseowner]

Persona maybe?

Please tell me this is sarcasm.

 

[Thud]

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

It's hard as nails, however the experience is unforgettable. Such an oppressive atmosphere.

 

[KyanMehwulfe]

I want to say Suikoden V because either it's not well known enough or it's simply ignored... But it's a really great game. It's got a huge story with some of the best plot development in the series in terms of plot landscape changing events. It has a fun and streamline simple skill system, and a fun and fast combat system, so essentially the best gameplay/combat/party elements of both I/II/IV and III. Fun, albeit sometimes low quality (or poorly mixed) soundtrack that's wonderful but at times does leave your ears tired (e.g. those castle chimes). I'm not sure I'd put it quite alongside Suikoden II, but if I try remove all possible nostalgia, it's genuinely not that far behind -- and it's a much better designed game than the other 4 Suikoden games IMO.

It's not one of the greatest RPGs made but certainly one of the better, and once you get into it -- the first 10 hours are a slow chore, that serve as an emotional investment that IMO do greatly benefit the story if you can get through it -- it's a huge epic story. Must be at least 50-60 hours, and 75+ if you try make a decent attempt at finding all the side characters (or use a guide). That's a pretty huge story when you consider it's still ultimately a linear story driven game.

 

[Black_Red]

Etrian Odyssey games

IV is one of my favourite 3DS games.

 

[That1BlackGuy]

Going off of this thread, I must play more obscure games than I thought.

Also had multiplayer. I was a fan of this one.

I'll go with Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom. An action RPG / loot game that never got any love, but I ran through multiple times. Very much reminded me of PSO.

Nice pick but Blueside is a Korean developer fam.

 

[sn00zer]

This game was something else... It was perfect, IMO better than any of the FFs.

Maybe I'm just generalizing, but I never see it being commented or discussed on the internet/game forums/etc.



PS. This is a game that DESERVES a remake.

As a person who generally hates JRPGS and turn based systems Grandia is one of my favorite games ever.

 

[Dark_castle]

How do we know what is actually considered "most people don't know about"?

It just seems like what are the titles not made by Square.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Albert odyssey on sega saturn

Superhero league of hoboken on pc

 

[Fou-Lu]

Yes, the entire Glory of Heracles series is fan translated.

Oh boy, the carts aren't even that expensive either. I might have found a new old school series to play, thanks!

I tried to like this game twice. I just could not get into it at all, and Chrono Trigger is one of my favorite games of all time. I don't see the similarities at all.

Radiant HIstoria is an interesting one. I played it and enjoyed it a lot, but I don't think I'll ever get the praise that fans heap on it. It had a good battle system and a great main character, but I don't think it succeeded at the time travel aspect. Which is probably how other people feel about my pet games.

 

[ThatStupidLion]

Albert Odyssey was one of my favorites on the Saturn. I got a PlayStation a few years later but I grew up on the jrpgs on Sega's machine. Other notables I adored where Shining the Holy Ark, Dragon Force and Shining Force 3. Oh and of course Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Albert odyssey in particular was just a classic epic jrpg. Gryzz 4 lyfe

Fuck yeah!!! I also nominated AO a few posts up...awesome game, shocked its so under the radar

 

[YankeeDonB]

I never hear anyone talk about Radiata Stories and it bums me out. I've never seen more detailed environments in a JRPG, let alone most games out there.

It was super charming! And yeah, great environments. I still remember the autumn leaves forest... couldn't stand the battle system though, even though I liked the recruitment aspect.

My vote is Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits for PS2.

Lots of folks consider the PS1 games classics, and they're good. But TotS is my favorite. The way they develop the two sides of the cast in opposition and then bring them together, the snappy but engaging tactics light battle system, Bebedora. Nothing about this game is spectacular, but everything they set out to do they executed well, and it's a great package.

I'd say Suikoden V, one of my favorite RPGs of all time, which apparently no one bought, but most people around here seem at least fairly familiar with it (and the series still has good mindshare).

 

[whyamihere]

Easily.

 

[Worldshaker]

 

[YankeeDonB]

Oh shit, I just remembered one more I used to play all the time in college: Miura Warrior. It was freeware, hand coded (not RPG-maker) by one guy as a side project (apparently no other game experience), had a big cast, an engaging battle system and skill system, good music, and it was LONG (40 hours?). Was basically a metastasized prototype SNES jRPG in the Square style from an alternative universe. I don't think the guy developed anything else, and I don't know that you can even get it anymore. I suspect it would be very dated, but I always had a soft spot for it and have never heard anyone else bring it up, even on a message board.

 

[Willenium]

Robotrek is absolutely amazing. So fun!

I really liked Riviera: The Promised Land for GBA

and I feel like Lufia II isn't as well-remembered as it should be:

 

[Linkura]

My vote is Arc the Lad Twilight of the Spirits for PS2.

Lots of folks consider the PS1 games classics, and they're good. But TotS is my favorite. The way they develop the two sides of the cast in opposition and then bring them together, the snappy but engaging tactics light battle system, Bebedora. Nothing about this game is spectacular, but everything they set out to do they executed well, and it's a great package.

Agreed, TOTS is my favorite in the series as well. I'd say it definitely belongs in this thread too. I don't think most people are aware of its existence.

 

[Dingens]

another +1 for infinite space
most ambitious game I've ever played. there's nothing like it (which is very sad)

 

[Teriyaki Blues]

A lot of the lesser-known or played JRPGs that I like have already been well covered by others, so how about this one?

The prequel to La Pucelle, which is the prequel to Disgaea, Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. Kind of a cross between a traditional rpg, a tactical one, and an an over-the-top-satirical-magical-girl anime musical comedy. It didn't score well (perhaps in part because of the "girly" atmosphere?), but I enjoyed it greatly and have fond memories of the PlayStation version. The DS remake is not good.

There are two more Marl Kingdom games, but they never made it out of Japan.

I'm not sure if Dragon Force for the Sega Saturn counts as a JRPG, but it enterained me for far too may hours and has a great deal of critical acclaim. It is also difficult to find anyone who knows what I'm talking about, as it was overshadowed by Panzer Dragoon Saga and Shining Force III, which are both very good games that seem to be more well known.

 

[Arkam]

Didn't this have some weird marketing which tried to couch it as the next FF7?

Fun game though.

I dont remember the marketing for this one. i just went to the store and bought it cuz I wanted an new RPG for my DC that day... low and behold it was a good one!

 

[B.K.]

Venus and Braves for the PS2/PSP

All these years later and I STILL want to play Venus and Braves. I wish someone would have translated it.

 

[Vazra]

Lost Kingdoms 2
Resonance of Fate
Riviera: The Promised Land
Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll
Eternal Sonata

 

[Brandon F]

Another just popped into my head. Defenders of Oasis for Game Gear. It was basically a proper portable FF RPG by Sega, which even Square wasn't doing at the time(lots of SaGa cosplay on GB). Wonderful little jRPG that, much like Brave Story on PSP(another overlooked gem), is traditional but comforting and pleasant.