<cracks knuckles>
You lot? You're all fortunate, if those are the worse JRPGs you've played. A little over a year ago, there was a thread for "Worst game you've ever completed", and I nominated a JRPG there that I still stand by today.
This beauty:
Now, first of all, it's imperative that I highlight that people might argue it's not a JRPG. I'm including it because it has JRPG battles and a Japanese designer (emblazoned on the cover, to boot!) (Edit: and I've just looked up the name. If it's the *same* Hiroyuki Miura, he's certainly got valid JRPG credentials)
In between the battles progression is closer to a point-and-click adventure. Very simple puzzles, but given it's aimed at a family audience, I'm willing to overlook that. The graphics *are* diabolical, though. It's from 1995 and very clearly low-budget, and my word, it shows.
But all the negatives would be forgiven if the gameplay was top-notch...
...the gameplay is linear, boring, combat is dull,
and the whole thing is over in about an hour. The
whole thing. There's about five fights,
total
Oh, and on the subject of an ending... it doesn't, really. It ends with 'To Be Continued", and does very little to resolve the plot.
I need to highlight: This isn't me being an arrogant, oh-I'm-too-good-for-kid-friendly-games person. Both of my parents were in education, so I saw a
lot of software pitched at kids for education purposes, and I developed an understanding on their own merits; I remember being utterly charmed - in my mid-teens - by the Broderbund Living Books series, for instance. This game, though, is still dire.