Well from that list, the only game I’ve played and sorta enjoyed is FF12. And while that’s a fascinating game in some ways, it’s got a ton of problems that make it hard to recommend. And it definitely misses the mark in terms of depth.
Sooo… my vote goes to Tales of Berseria or Sakuna, despite not having played them. Berseria seems well received by Tales fans, and the grappling hook combat and rice farming in Sakuna look pretty nifty.
Only played two games from this list, and from those two, I’ve only finished one - Sakuna. I put down Final Fantasy XII after some hours of playing because there were other games that were more appealing to me at that time, and I guess that’s lasted until now because I still have no plans of picking it up again anytime soon.
In any case, I’m voting for Sakuna because I thought it was a good game. They were trying something different there, and it was cute. I don’t know if it will bring you the depth you’re craving but it is a relatively short game (compared to other JRPGs) anyhow. Plus I’m a big fan of rice.
These aren’t listed in your poll, but can I also throw out recommendations for Ruined King and Atelier Ayesha? Ruined King has got probably the best combat and character building of any JRPG from the past decade, and Atelier Ayesha has a unique mix of crafting, expedition planning, and time management mechanics that I really dig. Both on sale on Steam currently.
Kaijū and mecha-weapons might be exactly what you need to forget stupid characters in Harvestella!
From those I’ve only played XC3 but it is a good game, and I’ve heard that the new DLC story is also quite good as well.
Wow, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim is more popular than I expected.
I’ll consider them for future, but I think I picked up enough lately to keep me busy. Is that Atelier game like the rest of the series? I tried some of the entries on PS3 and they weren’t my thing. I’m always willing to give games another chance, however.
From what I’ve read, people like it and it’s maybe more unique/interesting than the others.
I too have read that. And I enjoy a lot of Vanillawear’s work. Odin Sphere is a favourite of mine. Actually I have two Vanillaware games I need to play, 13 Sentinels and the Grim Grimoire remaster. I should have added that to the list.
For sure. I’ve really been enjoying your conflicted playthrough notes on Harvestella, so I’m just excited to hear about whatever you end up picking. It’s refreshing to talk about the sexism rampant in JRPGs without having to dance around the issue or constantly be told that you’re overreacting.
The Ateliers are all broadly similar, but Ayesha treats the women in its cast better, has a super unique and lovely soundtrack, and is the only game in the series with a story that’s even a little bit effective. The later PS3 games and beyond also abandon the time management gameplay, which I personally really dig.
There’s a lot about Harvestella that bothers me. But they found this balance for the farm and resource management that feels just deep enough to be enjoyable without involving systems that are so complex that the game becomes tedious. I admit, I could handle a bit more depth, but I’ve never felt overwhelmed by the systems and how they operate. I just wished they married that with a more nuanced and thoughtful story. It amazes me that in the mid-nineties Square got so many things right when it comes to complex and interesting character development in games like Chrono Trigger that a game from 2022 has such backward and thoughtless writing. And yet, every once in a while there’s a side quest thread that is almost a work of art, and I’m flabbergasted that it exists in the same game.
I feel this way a lot, and remember the Squaresoft of yore is not the same SqEn today. It’s too bad.
Thanks to everyone for voting in my last poll. I’m playing 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim and loving it so far (with some minor but reasonable critiques in the back of my mind).
New Question. If I play a Xenoblade Chronicles game after 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, should I respect the chronological order of the game (Torna – The Golden Country, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Xenoblade Chronicles 3), the release order (Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Torna – The Golden Country, Xenoblade Chronicles 3), or just skip to the third one? Let me know below (note, I’ve already played the first in the series):
I’ll explain my vote: XC2 can be very annoying at points and, IMO, where it stands out is in the story and plot twists. If you can get that content in another form that doesn’t mean putting 100 hours in a game that can be even frustrating at times, do so and then play Torna, which is a very much polished and friendlier version of the engine itself. I say this because to me, playing Torna knowing what happened in XC2 beforehand gives it a more complex tone that I enjoyed more (but I have read opinions stating the exact opposite as well).
If you don’t want to get the XC2 plot by other means rather than actually playing the game, I think it’s still worthy to play, but definitely the least enjoyable of your 3 options.
I appreciate the insight. Let me ask, based on what you said, if the fact that I own physical copies of all of them because I already owned the first and third so it made sense to buy the second and Torna to complete the collection. With that in mind, do you still think it’s best to read up in the story of the second and skip straight to Torna?
I’ve been thinking a bit and I liked the story mainly because of some twists and pacing. Not sure if that can be transferred in a good way from the game to another media so in that case, probably just reading the plot will be a subpar experience. It’s soundtrack is also outstanding, probably my favourite of the three games. However, the storywriting itself can be annoying at times, more when you consider that all the characters are 12-15 yos (I never resonated with any of them nor with their problems and challenges - definitely was more of a passenger) - even more awkward when you think on the oversexualisation of some characters and cutscenes. There are also a few QoL features that are not only not present bur removed from the previous game, I noticed a bit of overcomplication in some mechanics, both in combat and in world travel. Most of those are solved in Torna.
In the end, I played XC2 and liked it but noticed so many defects. Then I went to Torna and found a better overall experience. I don’t think playing XC2 is necessarily bad. I wouldn’t replay it but to be fair, I wouldn’t replay any of the XC saga. What I definitely wouldn’t do is play Torna first and then XC2, I believe that that will highlight every single defect on the latter to a point where it can become even unenjoyable.
I’ve read that the DLC retroactively fixes some of the issues in the base game. The physical copy of Torna I bought comes with a code for those DLC elements. Not sure if it addresses all, but I wonder if it makes the base game a bit friendlier to play from a QoL perspective.
Might be the case, I only got Torna after finishing the base game (and never booted the base game after finishing it) so I can’t say if it improves the initial game or not. Went to check some DLC details and didn’t find anything that told me “yeah, finally!”, but might also not be seeing full DLC descriptions, as the ones I looked say something like “extra currency 1”, “extra currency 2 and 3” and so forth.
EDIT: Just noticed on the remark of “already owning them”. I did not put money as a factor, more as a time and enjoyment. IMO in any of these games you’re definitely getting what you paid in content and story.
I’ve been struggling getting through I Am Setsuna. I can’t seem to progress without getting a full-party wipe against random mobs. I don’t think I’m particularly under-leveled so I think it has to do with having the proper gear, which I’ve been having a difficult time understanding what I should be equipping for each character since you get complete freedom of choice.
I’m writing a short review soon if anyone cares, but I just finished Destiny Connect: Tick-Tock Travelers (2019) | Grouvee and I strongly recommend if you’re looking for something both comfy and familiar, but a teeny bit different than your typical fantasy fare.