11. Yakuza: Like A Dragon – James
Honestly, one of these games would be on here even if they didn’t become Dragon Quest love letters
Many of us here at Underlevelled are big fans of Yakuza. I personally have played through all of the mainline games, both Judgment games, Like a Dragon Gaiden, Ishin and the weird PS3 zombie Yakuza game. Yakuza: Like a Dragon stands out as one of the best out of the bunch. Developed by Ryu Ga Gotoku, Like a Dragon has a new protagonist named Ichiban Kasuga.
Ichiban is a lovable dope with frizzy hair who seems to get himself into all kinds of ridiculous situations. Ichiban is also obsessed with Dragon Quest, which transforms the combat from a ‘my fists do the talking’ beat-em-up to a more traditional turn-based RPG. What we lose out on in the series staple ‘heat action’ moves that the previous protagonist loves to perform, we gain in a whole host of imagination-fueled craziness instead. You will fight homeless people in bin bags, a monkey driving a digger and jugglers, just to name a few.
As per usual in the Yakuza franchise, the main story can go from comical genius to gut-wrenching heartbreak in a matter of moments. You have a whole hub area to explore, with silly side-stories, mini games and collectables to find. You can even take tests on real-world knowledge in a test centre to improve Ichiban’s stats. Don’t worry, karaoke is still available.
Like a Dragon is a long game; however, there is a lot to do and a lot to love. Wholeheartedly recommended. You don’t even have to have played any of the previous games, which is a massive benefit too.
12. Blue Dragon – Kane
The guy from Deep Purple sang the boss theme on this
Akira Toriyama lent his character designs to a surprising number of titles over the years, and Blue Dragon is probably the most forgotten of the lot. That’s not a reflection on the game’s quality by any means; it’s just in the shadow of some really famous siblings.
Speaking of shadows, the unique combat gimmick here revolves around them. After some dramatics involving a “land shark” and this game’s Piccolo clone, Nene, your party gains use of a unique magical shadow. Shaped like mythical creatures and implied to be the same power wielded by Nene, the shadows rise from the floor behind you, casting magic on your behalf and swiping at your enemies.
No, for real, the track is called ‘Eternity’, look it up!
If you’re looking for a story that stays close in tone to Dragon Ball while still being its own thing, this will be right up your alley. The colourful cast of characters feels like they’ve jumped directly off the page of Toriyama’s famous manga, and the writing, while not quite as strong as its media siblings, is still a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
13. Pokémon Black 2/White 2 – Riley
The sequel to the Pokémon race wars
Honestly, Pokémon didn’t really feel suitable for this list, while it is undeniably a JRPG, they feel so disconnected from the other titles here that it could feel disingenuous, which is why I chose Black 2 and White 2.
Pokémon Black 2/White 2 is the most content-rich game in the franchise, with difficulty options, multiple battle facilities, beautiful sprites and world design, and an intriguing and thought-provoking storyline. While Pokémon isn’t exactly brimming with depth beyond the competitive scene, I believe they hit the peak here with nothing quite like it before or after, making it the best way to experience the Pokémon world to date.
14. Trials of Mana – Kane
Like “Mana” from heaven
Trials of Mana originally came out in 1995 as Seiken Densetsu 3 on the Famicom. Unfortunately, it wasn’t localised for many years after. However, despite this, the game still garnered a worldwide fan base, with fan-translated ROMs making their way online. Then, in 2020, Square Enix released a 3D remake in all territories, finally bringing the 3 entry in the series to the West.
Which version you play is up to your own preference of aesthetic, but the key selling points for me are the same either way. The gameplay is an evolution of the previous game, with action-based combat where you control one character directly, while the game’s AI controls your party members.
The truly unique aspect of Trials is in the story. You pick your party members from 6 possible choices, and who you choose will change where you start and who your main antagonists will be. But not choosing the other 3 characters doesn’t erase them from the story. There’s still a chance you’ll come across them during the course of the story. This not only adds a layer of replayability to the game, but makes the world feel much deeper, knowing these other characters are having their own experiences outside of your control.
Who will you pick to take on your adventure?
15. Shin Megami Tensei (PSX) – James
Probably better at making you confront death than the Persona game with the death theme
The brainchild of Aya Nishitani, Shin Megami Tensei was released by Atlus in 1991 in Japan on the Super Nintendo. Without an official English translation, the only way to play is to find a fan translation. SMT was released on multiple consoles, but the best version is the PSX remaster. It has the best soundtrack and an automap—something incredibly important in some of the labyrinthian dungeons you will explore.
Shin Megami Tensei stands out as having strong moral and religious themes in its narrative. It’s unlike other RPGs, where you may be asked to follow a “good” or “evil” path with minimal differences. At the beginning of the game, you experience a dream-like world where you are asked to name various NPCs. These NPCs turn out to be incredibly important characters. The Law Hero, Chaos Hero and the Heroine. Depending on your actions in-game, the story will play out in vastly different ways. There’s even a neutral route to the story if you’re paying attention enough to figure it out.
Sado-Masochistic Torture
As for the gameplay, SMT uses a turn-based system, with magic, physical attacks and guns. Demon negotiation is a core part of the gameplay, as this is how you recruit your allied demons. Watch out for your alignment, however, as some demons have preferences for law or chaos MCs. Dungeons can be long, with traps, loot and one-way doors. It all sounds like a lot, but all put together, SMT is incredible—and is the last SMT game that the original creator actually likes.
16. Koudelka – James
The first JRPG to be set in Wales
If you want a horror RPG on the PSX, there aren’t a lot of them. Fortunately, they’re all good. Take this entry, Koudelka. You play as Koudelka, a Romani Gypsy who has received a message to come to the game’s setting, a haunted mansion. Along the way, you are joined by Edward, a treasure hunter, and James, an Irish priest. Refreshingly, these guys don’t get along too well, which leads to some interesting dialogues.
Cutscenes play out both in-engine and in FMV with incredibly expressive animations and high-quality voice acting, especially for the PSX. Koudelka uses so many high-quality FMVs that it spans across 4 discs. Atmosphere and great visuals are this game’s bread and butter, with a great soundtrack and well-drawn pre-rendered backgrounds.
The not-so-good in this game is two-fold
The turn-based combat can be painfully slow, with slow animations and the game having to reload the scene in the background each time a turn is completed. This can be remedied by running the game in an emulator and whacking the internal speed to 2x, which is what I did. Other than missing out on the fantastic music, this made the experience a lot better. The other annoyance is that weapons degrade and break, so definitely be careful if you’re using your best weapons all the time.
Koudelka can be a mixed bag, but if you can look past its weaker points, it’s fantastic and well worth playing.
(Editor’s note: We are well aware this title is followed by a sequel series of games called Shadow Hearts that make some exciting historical deep cuts, but none of the staff have gotten around to playing them yet. Koudelka is also uniquely set entirely in Wales, which resonates with the 90-something per cent of writers whose hearts bleed for God’s Country.)
17. Lunar: Genesis (Dragon Song) – Kane
Celestial Beauty
The Lunar games are well respected in the JRPG space, often being mentioned in the same breath as Ys or Breath of Fire. I’m well aware that Genesis isn’t considered the best in the series, and to some it’s downright hated, but I’ve come back to it multiple times over the years and enjoyed it thoroughly.
The game follows the story of Jian, an athletic teen who earns a living delivering packages with his partner Lucia. They very quickly get themselves in trouble on a delivery, and Jian finds himself drawn into the wider world, joining the fight against the Vile Tribe and taking up the mantle of Dragonmaster.
The characters are likeable and the battle system is simple and easy to grasp. This is a pretty decent pick for anyone new to the genre.
18. Parasite Eve – James
Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the HELL
The other horror RPG on this list, Parasite Eve, takes a different approach to Koudelka. Released in 1998 on the PSX by Square, Parasite Eve has a more paranormal sense to it. The game begins with an FMV scene of an opera play. The audience sits, enjoying the spectacle, until the leading lady begins to sing, and the audience, one by one, spontaneously combusts. You play as Aya, a police woman who is curiously the only one in the audience immune to bursting into fire. Thus begins a game of cat and mouse across New York City between Aya and this seemingly otherworldly being. The reasons behind the above make all the more sense as you progress through the game.
If fighting a mutant zombie dinosaur isn’t your thing, you should Parasite Leave
With iconic scenes just like the above, Parasite Eve also boasts beautiful pre-rendered backgrounds as a backdrop to the in-game action. Sequences of exploration are interrupted by real-time with pause combat. Zombified enemies, huge bosses and strange creatures alike inhabit this, giving a lot of variety to the enemies. Dialogue is given in text form, but the character animations are expressive enough and still impressive for the 90s.
Overall, Parasite Eve is well worth a play. It has the visuals, really fun combat and a great story. There are also two more games in the series if you feel so inclined.
19. Monster Rancher 2 – James
I was transported to a faraway land. Into the world where monsters rule
Not a JRPG in the way that it has a definitive end, but Monster Rancher 2 on the PSX deserves a spot on this list. It was released in 1997 by Tecmo. MR2 is a monster-raising sim, where the twist is that you can generate your own monsters from any CD-based disc in your home, be it PSX, Saturn, Sega CD, CD-ROM or music CD. With 38 species of monsters and 408 different combinations of those, you could sit in front of your PSX for hours discovering which monsters are lurking in your collection.
Monster Rancher 2 would have you take your new monster home to the ranch and then begin to train it. The calendar goes by weekly, with 4 weeks per month. This leaves 48 weeks in an MR2 year. This is important to take into account, as this is where Monster Rancher is different to the likes of Pokémon and Digimon. In the background, each monster you have has a finite lifespan. It ticks down 1 week naturally every week, but invisibly, other things impact it.
I played the game like an ace, now I’m in this place
Battles reduce lifespan by a few weeks, and being tired and going on expensive training courses to learn new moves also do. The killer of monsters, however, something that young James didn’t realise until he was older, is stress. Once you realise all of this, the game becomes a dance of training, battling, getting new moves and managing stress and tiredness so your monster can have a full life.
As JPRGs go, this one isn’t conventional. It is, however, somehow capable of producing genuine moments of elation as your monster clears the tournament in a clutch moment of strength. Some would say it can even produce love.
20. Hyperdimension Neptunia Rebirth;2 – Riley
RILEY CAN’T KEEP GETTING AWAY WITH THIS!
On the surface, Neptunia looks like the textbook definition of “weeb trash” with its brightly coloured characters, risqué transformations and abundance of characters. The characters, that I must add, are all personifications of game studios or consoles, which was a big trend in the 2010s. From Tekken, Cave, and Falcom, to Mages and 5pb, no one’s safe from becoming a cute anime girl. Fortunately, since it is on this list, this is the surface-level lens at the franchise, and it is much deeper than it appears.
The main series games follow a loose timeline that is spread across multiple dimensions, so knowledge is helpful but not necessary to enjoy any of the titles. Rebirth;2 follows the console candidates, the younger sisters of the main goddesses, who try to rescue their siblings and save the world. The enemy is Arfoire, or the embodiment of video game piracy, who threatens to destroy Gaminidustri and turn the public against their goddesses, who rely on the belief, or shares, of the public to power them.
AAIIIEEEEE!?
There are recurring villains throughout the story that embody different elements of the gaming world. CFW Judge, voiced by Kyle Herbert, is the personification of developers’ anger from their games not selling, so he’s loud-mouthed, angry and intolerant towards player taste.
Combine the premise, the cute presentation and the quite deep battle mechanics with a lot of customisation and party dynamics, and you have a solid JRPG. While it may not be to everyone’s tastes, it’s great for someone who wants a unique and deep turn-based battle experience with a cute and colourful presentation. But prepare for meta jokes and gaming puns, they are absolutely rife here.
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