My 3 JRPG New Year Resolutions for 2018

Since 2015, it’s been my own tradition to make a few JRPG resolutions to improve my gaming life for the year ahead. I do this to encourage myself to play the experiences I think I don’t have time for and to finally catch up with any JRPG urges I had throughout the previous year that I didn’t take the time to cater to. These resolutions always come with mixed levels of success, but they always help me improve my gaming time and are a fun way to start planning what I want to play each year. While keeping up with new releases is a challenge in itself, there are a few things in my JRPG life I’ve been wanting to do since I found some new things I liked last year and also things I’ve been wanting do for a while and never got around to. With those things in mind, these are my three JRPG resolutions for 2018.

What Draws Me To JRPGs

Whenever I approach the end of a game, even if it's an absolutely outstanding game, I start getting excited for something new. My backlog and my wishlist are both overflowing with so many JRPGs to play next and whether it’s Atelier, old Final Fantasy, Disgaea or Tales of, as vastly different as they are, they're all apart of this genre I love. I'm a fan of all genres of video games, but JRPGs are where I feel my happiest and most at home when gaming. Whether for the quirky characters, the long hour counts or the unique worlds to explore, these are some of the reasons I'm drawn to JRPGs.

Gameplay Systems and Mechanics

JRPGs feature a variety of gameplay systems and mechanics, with well-known ones including turn-based battle systems and skill trees. A lot JRPGs are for having unique stories, but gameplay is equally important and JRPG's focus on stat progression or skill acquisition is one of the most enjoyable parts of playing JRPGs for me. I find leveling and grinding really satisfying, even more so when paired with a good skill tree to pave through or skills to reach for as I level up.

Another big reason I love JRPG mechanics are the variety of them. I can go from playing an active battle system in Final Fantasy XII to a turn-based one in Final Fantasy X. I can play tactical battle systems like the one in Fire Emblem or an action ones like in Kingdom Hearts. There are a bunch of genres blended together in JRPGs and while there are definitely some common elements, the combination of these makes each game feel unique. Blending in different genres such as the visual novel aspect of Lost Dimension, the social sim part of Persona 4 Golden or the roguelike dungeon crawling in Sorcery Saga, it’s this kind of variety that makes playing JRPGs fresh and exciting to me.

Collectibles

Whether it's real life toys or in-game items, I love collecting things that interest me and JRPGs really cater to this. Most JRPGs feature plenty of items, weapons, monsters and even dialogues to collect and unlock through difficult but rewarding side and main quests. In my current platinum trophy playthrough of Final Fantasy X HD (that I'm really neglecting by the way), the hardest part so far has been trying to get the Ultimate Weapons, especially with tasks including dodging 100 lightning bolts and playing way too much Blitzball to wait for a rare item to pop. It might sound tedious, but knowing my characters will have the best weapons in the game and I will have gotten some extremely rare items through my own hard work and dedication is enough to keep me pushing forward in the hunt. This is what makes me what to replay so many JRPGs - I want to unlock all of the Dive scenes in Ar nosurge or try to get all the Digimon in Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth one day, along with all the other various JRPG challenges that stick in the back of my mind. Whether you're a collector or a completionist at heart, JRPGs are an incredibly fun way to indulge in these tendencies.

Game Length

While I assume most people reading this blog already love JRPGs, a point I usually raise to non-JRPG fans who wonder why I’m so into these seemingly strange Japanese games is that I enjoy the length and value of putting 100 hours into one experience rather than putting 20 hours into many smaller experiences. My reason for playing JRPGs isn’t solely because I feel like I’m getting better bang for my buck out of them than other games, but I like really throwing myself into activities and 50+ hour JRPGs are a great way to do this. Some of my absolute favourite JRPG experiences have been games I’ve spent hundreds of hours in, like Kingdom Hearts and Persona 4 Golden, and their long length only added to my investment in the story and my enjoyment of their systems. For some people the length of JRPGs is daunting, but for me it’s one of the most rewarding parts of playing JRPGs.

Story

When choosing a JRPG to play, I'm usually first attracted by the story premise more than gameplay. While gameplay is no doubt important in a video game, the stories of JRPGs are usually one-of-a-kind. I think there’s no other genre of games where I can say I’ve played stories about medieval fantasy, high school students fighting monsters inside someone's heart, a great curry God, being a CPU or making star children in order to stop the spread of monsters. I’ve also had plenty of emotional moments with JRPGs where I’ve laughed or cried, since many JRPGs aren’t afraid to explore really heavy subjects all while mixing in humourous quirks such as talking bears, sometimes crude humour or awkwardness. When a JRPG story gets it right, playing for hundreds of hours flies and I leave the experience feeling like I learned or experienced something new.

There are many reasons to love every game genre, but JRPG's great gameplay, stories and fun collectables are the reason I play them for longer than I probably should without any shame. I love feeling like I’m progressing through an interesting world with complex characters and while you can find that in many genres, paired with JRPG gameplay, story length and scavenging, it definitely feels like the right kind of game for me. Whether it be for fun, an escape or a good story, I'm sure that with these things that appeal to me, JRPGs will continue to be a prominent part in my gaming life for a long time.

You can pick up the JRPGs mentioned in this article at Play-Asia.com!

(This link helps support the site, so if you use it or buy something from there, thank you!)

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Why do you play JRPGs? What was the first game that made you love the genre?

Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up Facebook or Instagram and let's talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Make sure to follow the blog here, follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter and Instagram and like JRPG Jungle on Facebook for updates on content and random musings on JRPG news and games. You're awesome! <3

Six JRPGs With Great Music (Volume One!)

JRPGs have unique gameplay, brilliant stories and lovable characters. Most of them also have music that brings these experiences to new heights in the form of catchy emotive tunes and pumping battle melodies. Some of the best, most unique pieces of music can be found in JRPGs and luckily there are many games full of them. Here are six of my current favourite JRPG tracks from JRPGs full of great music.

Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star

I love the music in the 'nosurge' games. The interesting mix of melodic and tribal vocal styles against a complimentary mix of orchestra and electronic sounds is like nothing I've ever heard before. One of the best parts of Ar nosurge's soundtrack is that each track is significant to the game's story because the game revolves around the power of Song Magic, making music and singing a big part of Ar nosurge's story.

There are so many tracks I could have put here (special shoutout to the beautiful Russian vocal track 'em-pyei-n vari-fen jang;'), but the soundtrack's standout track has to be CLASS::Exsphere nosurge. It's featured in multiple important parts of the story as powerful song magic and there's enough variation in the tune to notice something different every listen. I love the experimental feel and use of white noise to show the feeling of the song's user and the track's many changes make it sound like an epic, destructive journey. Honestly one of my favourite video game tracks ever.

CLASS::Exsphere nosurge - Composed by Morrigan

Kingdom Hearts

All of the Kingdom Hearts games have brilliant soundtracks, with a perfect a mix of songs from famous Disney franchises and new original songs that capture the magic of Disney while creating the right mood for Kingdom Hearts' story. The soundtrack creates a great feeling of nostalgia mixed with playfulness and also throws in a pumping battle theme.

Out of all of the versions of this song (including Utada Hikaru's original version, the dance remix and the orchestra version above), the orchestra theme to Kingdom Hearts' trailer is my favourite. Whereas the Ar nosurge track perfectly fit it's scene, Hikari is a reflection of Kingdom Hearts' journey - gentle and sweet at times, but strong and powerful, with a hint of magic. This song is brought to life by the incredible orchestra and is one of my favourite video game themes of all time.

Hikari - Composed by Yoko Shimomura (based off Utada Hikaru's song for the game)

Persona 4 Golden

Spanning many genres and moods, Persona 4 Golden expands upon an already great soundtrack for Persona 4. Each track is filled with emotions that reflect the characters feelings, which is fitting for the rich story and characters. Most songs are fun and upbeat, mixing jazz and rock sounds with beautiful melodic themes, and give the game a youthful feeling. With all the fun tracks, it's no wonder the series now has it's own rhythm game.

-Reincarnation- I'll Face Myself features some of the best music from Persona 4 Golden, specifically the battle themes mixed with some of the more emotive themes. The opening melody gave me chills the first time I heard it and the scene it's featured in feels 100% more epic, thanks to the feeling of nostalgia created by using many tracks from the game and the pumping, rock orchestra.

I'll Face Myself (-Battle-) - Composed by Shoji Meguro

Final Fantasy X

Nobuo Uematsu, the mastermind behind most Final Fantasy soundtracks, created a diverse soundtrack for Final Fantasy X. With his unique melodies, the mood of Final Fantasy is set with a mix of ambient, melodic music and heavy rock tracks (such as the awesome 'Otherworld'). The soundtrack's music also plays a big part in the games famous scenes. I hear 'Suteki da ne' in my head everytime I see a photo of the famous Tidus and Yuna scene and the below, slightly gloomy track To Zanarkand is a great opening theme to the game that captures the story's theme of longing.

To Zanarkand - Composed by Nobuo Uematsu

Child of Light

As French singer/songwriter Coeur de Pirate's first video game composition, her piano based tracks and beautiful melodies are a perfect match with the feeling of the magical, unique world of Child of Light. Feeling of loneliness and strength are heightened with each track thanks to the unique melodies.

Boss Battle Theme 2 (great name) is a great example of the strong orchestra pieces in the game. Coeur de Pirate steps outside her signature lighter piano sound and adds a booming orchestra to heighten the tensity of the battle. When I was playing Child of Light and this track came on, I felt like I was concurring the world in the most epic way possible.

Boss Battle Theme 2 (With Chorus) - Composed by Coeur de Pirate

Disgaea 5

LieZe Rock - Tenpei Sato

Spoiler alert - I haven't played Disgaea 5 past the first cutscene in the demo. I put this track here mostly as a reminder to myself. Whenever I'm visiting my family, my brother is playing really cool video game music most of the time and he's a big Disgaea fan. Everytime I hear the epic-to-a-ridiculous-extent music, it reminds me that I want to play the game, if not for it's crazy opera rock, theatrical sounds.

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Credit/shoutout to the composers of these tracks and the people who uploaded them to Youtube!

I love finding new music (and games of course), so comment below with some of your favourite music pieces from the JRPGs above or your own favourites!

Thanks for stopping by and make sure to follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter for updates on content and random, shorter musings on JRPG news and games!

This Week's PSN EU/AU PSN Releases, JRPG Style! (2/7/15)

Why hello! Welcome to this week's edition of Europe and Australia's new PSN releases, which pulls each week's PSN additions related to the JRPG genre and other Japanese games into one post for your convenience.

This week we see two releases hitting the PSN in their localised forms. First is Ar nosurge Plus, the enhanced PS Vita version of the PS3 game Ar nosurge that was released (and I reviewed) last year that boasts extra content and DLC for those who didn't play the game and for those who loved it. Second is the cool Japanese fighting game J-Stars Victory VS+ which features a ridiculous cast of characters from anime ranging from Dragon Ball to Assassination Classroom to To Love-Ru to Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. Anime fans will probably want to pick this up this fun game!

For those who aren't interested in the new releases or who enjoy saving money, the Big In Japan sale is still going, so if you need a new JRPG, you can probably find one at a great price.

Enjoy your week and happy gaming! 

New Releases

• Ar nosurge Plus: Ode to an Unborn Star (PS Vita)
• J-Stars Victory VS+ Digital Edition (PS4, PS3, PS Vita)

DLC

Ar nosurge Plus (PS Vita)

Free:

• Amenomirai Vestments (Free until 29/7)
• Sports Wear (Free until 29/7)
• UNITY-CHAN! (Free until 29/7)

Deals

• Agarest: Generations of War 2 (PS3)
• Akiba's Trip (PS4, PS Vita, PS3)
• Arcana Heart 3 LOVE MAX!!!!! (PS3)
• Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star (PS3)
• Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk (PS3)
• Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of the Arland (PS3)
• Atelier Shallie with Bonus (PS3)
• Atelier Shallie ~Alchemists of the Dusk Sea~ (PS3)
• Catherine (PS3)
• Child of Light (PS3, PS4, PS Vita)
• Child of Light - Complete Edition (PS Vita)
• Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars (PS Vita)
• Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc (PS Vita)
• Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair (PS Vita)
• Deception IV: Blood Ties (PS Vita, PS3)
• Demon Gaze (PS Vita)
• Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days (PS Vita, PSP)
• Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention (PS Vita)
• Disgaea 4: A Promise Revisited (PS Vita)
• Disgaea D2: A Brighter Darkness (PS3)
• Dragon's Crown (PS Vita, PS3)
• Dragon's Dogma: Dark Arisen (PS3)
• Fairy Fencer F (PS3)
• The Guided Fate Paradox (PS3)
• Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F (PS Vita)
• Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA F 2nd (PS Vita)
• htolNiQ: The Firefly Diary (PS Vita)
• Hyperdevotion Noire: Goddess Black Heart (PS Vita)
• Hyperdimension Neptunia ReBirth 1 (PS Vita)
• Hyperdimension Neptunia ReBirth 2 (PS Vita)
• Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection (PS Vita)
• Hyperdimension Neptunia Victory (PS3)
• Lunar: Silver Star Harmony (PS Vita, PSP)
• Maken Shao: Demon Sword (PS3)
• Malicious (PS3)
• Mind Zero (PS Vita)
• Monster Hunter Freedom Unite (PS Vita, PSP)
• Muramasa Rebirth (PS Vita)
• Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution (PS3)
• Natural Doctrine (PS Vita, PS3)
• Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (PS3)
• Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (PS3)
• Persona 4 Golden (PS Vita)
• Okami HD (PS3)
• Omega Quintet (PS4)
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors (PS3)
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors Grand Line Edition (PS3)
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 (PS3)
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 Prestige Edition (PS3)
• One Piece Unlimited World Red (PS Vita)
• Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines (PS Vita)
• Resonance of Fate (PS3)
• Rune Factory Oceans (PS3)
• Senran Kagura Bon Appetit! (PS Vita)
• Senran Kagura Shinovi Versus (PS Vita)
• Short Peace: Ranko Tsukigime's Longest Day (PS3)
• Soul Sacrifice Delta (PS Vita)
• Suikoden (PS3, PS Vita, PSP)
• Suikoden II (PS3, PS Vita, PSP)
• Sword Art Online: Hollow Fragment (PS Vita)
• Tales of Graces f (PS3)
• Tales of Graces + Tales of Xillia Combo Pack (PS3)
• Tales of Hearts R + 6 Tales of franchise Costume set (PS Vita)
• Tales of Symphonia Chronicles (PS3)
• Tales of Xillia (PS3)
• Tales of Xillia 2 (PS3)
• Tears to Tiara II: Heir of the Overload (PS3)
• Time and Eternity (PS3)
• Tokyo Twilight Ghost Hunters (PS Vita, PS3)
• Toukiden: The Age of Demons (PS Vita)
• Toukiden: Kiwami (PS Vita)
• Under Night In-Birth Exe:Late (PS3)
• Valkyria Chronicles II (PS Vita, PSP)
• Virtue's Last Reward: Complete Collection (PS Vita)
• Ys: Memories of Celceta (PS Vita)
• Zone of the Enders HD Edition (PS3)
• Zone of the Enders HD Collection (PS3)
• Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner HD Edition (PS3)

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Pick of the week: J-Stars Victory VS+ for it's ridiculously diverse cast. Seriously. How are characters from Dragonball Z and Nisekoi in the same game? Brilliant.

What's your pick of the week? Will you be picking up anything from the PSN this week?

I love hearing your thoughts, so please comment below or send a tweet to @JRPGJungle and follow to keep up with the content I post. :) Thanks for stopping by!

Please note the content available is subject to change by region and the content listed in this post is based on the European/Australian PSN at the time of writing.

JRPG Jungle's Top 5 Games of 2014!

Happy holiday season to all! Since 2015 ends very soon (a mere few hours for me), this means the beginning of a new year and most importantly for anyone reading this, new games will be coming soon (cough Persona 5 cough)! But this year was also full of some unforgettable games, so before the year is done, I think it's only fair to remember them.

Here are my top 5 games of 2014, all released this year! Enjoy and leave your own list below.

5. Freedom Wars (PS Vita)

Admittedly I haven't owned Freedom Wars for much more than a month, but it has taken over my Vita quickly enough in a short amount of time to make this list.

In Freedom Wars you are granted a 1,000,000 year prison sentence for rudely losing your memory and thus wasting resources. One may think this game centers around chipping away at that sentence and in some ways it does, but more of the game is about your character's experience in the Panopticon and the missions you partake in to protect it. Your goal is to be a valuable resource to your Panopticon and this fast-paced third-person action JRPG makes it fun with its challenging abductor enemies, use of shooting mechanics and the unique thorn mechanism which allows your to drag down enemies or climb to a more advantageous shooting point. Partnered with the amusement gained from getting a 10 year prison sentence for being silent for too long, Freedom Wars is a worthwhile addition to the action genre.
(Side note: I need this Beatrice Nendoroid in my life. New Years Resolution: Buy more figures!)

Available for purchase at Play-Asia.

4. Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD (Playstation 3 and PS Vita)

Final Fantasy X as a standalone game is one of the must play JRPGs for all fans of the genre, for many reasons. The refined turn-based battle system, Tidus and Yuna's love story and the conflicts between life, death, religion and a world that needs saving make this game stellar. Throw in some HD visuals, an updated soundtrack and X-2 and this HD remaster is worth playing the game again to remind yourself of just how good it was.

The HD remaster includes trophies, the international content from both X and X-2 (Eternal Calm for X and the ever-so-fun strategy Last Mission for X-2) plus a new slice of story in the form of Final Fantasy X -Will-.

Missed out? Don't worry, it's coming to PS4 in Q2 2015.

Available for purchase and PS4 pre-order at Play-Asia.

3. Ar nosurge (PS3)

Read my review here!

Nothing has caught my eye in a long time like Ar nosurge's stunning trailer and it seemed like a game I had always dreamed of. Although its production wasn't the most polished, Ar nosurge has a strong cast with a passion to build a brighter future for their planet and its people. Its battle system is also highly addictive and if you enjoy games such as Persona which have social sim elements, the Genometrics system and its visual novel feel are rather enjoyable and in-depth.

New Years Resolution? Learn enough Japanese to play Ciel nosurge (its untranslated prequel) and hunt down a physical copy of the the breathtaking soundtrack.

Available for purchase at Play-Asia.

2. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax (PS3)

While I haven't fully finished the story, the P4 side of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax has me hooked and ready for the rest (I'm only putting it off so I can finish Persona 3 and the original Arena game). I feel strongly about mentioning this game because between me and my partner, it is our most played game in the house. Arc System Work's games never seem to disappoint in giving a slick and unique battle system and with its roster including more Persona characters plus game changing Shadow forms of nearly all characters, fighting game fans and Persona fans need this game.

Available at Play-Asia.

1. Child of Light (Most platforms)

Read my review here!

While I write about mostly Japanese RPG games originating from Japan, Child of Light is at its roots heavily inspired by games such as Final Fantasy VI and plays like a JRPG and was the most innovative game to come out in the genre this year.

Simply put, Child of Light takes the beautiful visuals, touching story elements and turn-based systems of a JRPG but only takes the cream. The game is innovative by taking the battle system and turning it into a perfect balance of active and turn based and the story and music made me feel like I was inside the best story book I've ever read. It's a must play for fans of JRPGs and great games alike.

Currently available PRETTY DARN CHEAP on Steam.

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Honourable mentions:

• Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection for making me giggle and being one of the few localised Idol games this year.
• Persona 4 Golden for being my first platinum trophy.
• Conception II for making me forget I'm playing a dating sim and subsequently making me feel shameful once I remember that fact.
• Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn for showing me MMOs can be super fun and can take up my entire annual leave period.
• The hilarious touch mechanism added to a lot of Japanese games.
• Square Enix and Atlus for understanding how to empty my wallet (along with their backlog of Final Fantasy and Persona games that I need to finish)

And of course....

THE WONDERFUL GAME STUDIOS, LOCALIZATION STAFF, DEVS, STAFF AND PUBLISHERS WHO KEEP US GAMING!

AND THOSE READING THIS!

Happy 2014 everyone. Let's make 2015 even better.

-Tara/JRPGJungle

Edit note (2018): a few formatting and grammar edits have been done so I can link this in a more recent article. :)

A World Away - Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star (PS3, Review)

So you haven't played Ciel nosurge or any of the Ar Tonelico games, but have an interest in Ar nosurge - this is where I began my journey with Gust's Ar nosurge: Ode to An Unborn Star. Its stunning trailer instantly piked my interest with its striking visuals and moving music, prompting me to walk into its world with no prior knowledge, just with high expectations of these things being woven into a complex story. To put it simply and honestly, I was ready for Ar nosurge to be my next favourite game. Realistically, Ar nosurge has a tendency to spoil itself with a lack of overall polish in various areas such as translation and field design, but definitely filled the brief on the story and the stunning anime cutscenes I was hoping for. In my 50+ hours of gameplay, it managed to surprise me with just how deep its social elements had me feeling strongly attached to the main cast of characters and always left me ready to advance the story and bring myself further into its world. Even though its not the best game of this year, Ar nosurge's emotional story and strongly willed characters have certainly earned a special place in my heart.

Ar nosurge begins in the world of Soreil, a spaceship that citizens are living on thanks to the destruction of their previous planet. Soreil's world is plagued by a fear-filled divide between species and the citizens experience even more trouble thanks to power hungry individuals who don't care who they have to destroy to get what they want. The main cast fight for the greater good in this story and the overall story is coloured strongly with shades of trust, the coming together of races, the acceptance of differences and deepness of relationships, all with a pinch of risque humour.

The story follows two pairs - Delta and Casty, and Ion and Earthes - who provide a look into different, intertwining parts of the story. You play as the male members of these duos, helping guide your female partner to success. Maybe this says something about the JRPGs I've been playing of late or the actual level of quality in the game's character design, but I was particularly impressed by the hot-headed tsundere Casty and the strong-willed and kindhearted Ion as the game's main female characters. Without giving too much away, it was wonderful to play a game with strong female characters who had their eyes set on some pretty ambitious goals with strong morals and a drive to make things better for everyone around them. All the other characters compliment both pairs well with their own beliefs and personality quirks, which make for amusing dialogue, even in unvoiced scenes.

Working alongside the strong story are Ar nosurge's mostly optional social sim elements, mostly in the Genometrics system. The Genometrics system links your duo's female character's heart to their male partner's heart and allows you to get to know both the NPC and your own heroine at a deeper level while working towards earning highly useful song magic for battle. These Genometrics scenarios play out like a dream sequence and have a visual novel feel, due to the choices you can make having an effect on the outcome of each scene. Since these Genometric 'Dives' are designed to help you get to know each character's heart more intimately, these sessions are raw and emotional, consequently helping you get to know the deeper, more hidden sides of each character. The two heroines have a lot of different sides to their personalities to unlock and the Genometrics are well paced enough to keep things surprising and interesting until you've completed them all.
There's also the Purification system to help get to know the two heroines further all while in lesser clothing. It's a lot more tame than it sounds, which I personally was thankful for as it is used to also equip status boosts to your duo. Don't be totally fooled though - Ar nosurge does throw in the occasional fan service moment, often when you least expect it.

After earning Song Magic and boosts from the social system, they're put to use in Ar nosurge's battle system. At the beginning each battle, you will pick the Song Magic you want to charge during battle. The battle system takes elements of active battle systems by having the player choose between different attacks that all have a limit of use per turn and can be used consecutively to create combos and 'break' your opponents next attack. Each turn you don't use your Song Magic (the overdrive attack of the game), it charges and becomes stronger. The stronger it gets, the closer you are to using it to wipe away all waves of enemies in one hit, earning some pretty sweet EXP bonuses and other perks in the process. Although the battle system can be guilty for being repetitive after 20+ hours of game time, it does hold a good balance between being outwardly simple but more complex if you pay more attention to things such as breaking your enemies attack. I spent most of my battles striving to annihilate my enemies with Song Magic in order to level up my characters and because each chapter of the story matched my level well, the system continued to remain challenging throughout my entire campaign with it. The only downside is there isn't much of a variety in enemies, but the game makes up for this by giving you more waves of enemies to defeat as you progress.

Ar nosurge also boasts a secretly complex equipment upgrade system and item synthesis. If you were wondering why I said 'secretly', it's because there is barely a tutorial on how to use it (if at all). I didn't work out just how useful equipment was and where all my newly synthesized items had been going until very late in the game, meaning I probably could have been a lot stronger and have been completing battles faster if it was explained to me. Ar nosurge has a tendency to forget to explain itself sometimes or be too fast in its explanations - it does provide small tutorials, but only the very basic fundamentals of the game.

I managed to work out most of the games mechanics, complete most genometrics, complete the main story and a few side activities in 50 hours. The back of Ar nosurge's cover says there is over 100+ hours of content and I tend to believe that - I still had a lot I could have done by the time I finished. It has roughly five endings, including two possible true endings. To add to that, there are also various levels of genometrics and purification conversations to complete and shop synthesis conversations that can actually take hours of time. I often found myself leaving shops with recipes left over to synthesize and new conversations left just because there were so many. I did enjoy the optional nature of these things because I was enjoying the main story a lot, but it's nice to know there is more content to complete if I do want to come back to it.

Ar nosurge is at its core a good game, however there are some glitches and parts of the game lacking detail that I unfortunately couldn't ignore. One of the first things I noticed immediately in Ar nosurge was that its visuals were not very detailed and character models were sometimes jumpy in cutscenes. It does make up for this during its high quality animated cutscenes and generally good character models, but it often means that the landscapes being traveled really don't have a lot to offer. To add insult to this, these landscapes are often filled with groups of multiple NPC characters that are visually exactly the same. I also found translation inconsistencies (things such as the spelling of names were frequent offenders) and a glitch I encountered twice that didn't want me to use a large amount of attacks in a specific area and instead took me to a permanent loading screen, which was annoying after not saving for an hour. Other great elements such as music, animated cutscenes, an enjoyable story and mechanics allow me to overlook these things for the most part, but I feel like these things could put off more casual or newers fans of JRPGs considering there are plenty of games and other JRPGs without these problems.

(Review edit: A new patch was released two days ago (read more here) for Ar nosurge and may possibly deal with the in-game terminology inconsistencies I mentioned. I began writing my review before the patches release and therefore have not seen the changes, so please keep that in mind while reading!)

Despite its lack of polish, at the end of my time with Ar nosurge I've found myself wanting to go back and plainly wishing I had more time to complete all of its endings. The characters and story of Ar nosurge was full of strong ideas and there is definitely a good game to be found behind it's imperfections. While Ar nosurge may not be the most remarkable or groundbreaking JRPG of the year, it's fun combat, genometrics system and moving story with memorable characters is worth the time of anyone who is already interested in playing the game.

Score: 7.6/10
I can't wait to play the Plus version on Vita!

Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star can be purchased in English and Japanese at Play-Asia!

All photos for this review are from the game and are not my own. They were sourced from Ar nosurge's official website.

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Will you be picking up Ar nosurge? Team Casty or Team Ion?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, so comment below or send a tweet to @JRPGJungle. Thanks for reading!

Edit note (Jan 2018): I did some clean-up to this review as I'm linking it in a much newer article. The score remains the same, I mostly just fixed up some horrid grammar and overuse of certain words, but most of it is at its core the same (I could've done much more :3). Also, this was a good game that I want to play again sometime and I still haven't picked up the Vita version. Oops.