Why There's A Place for Silly JRPGs

Last year, I tried a few JRPGs in my backlog I had been really excited for, such as Fire Emblem: Awakening and Lost Dimension. I really enjoyed both of these games, but they both had stories that were predominately serious and after playing them back-to-back, I found myself in a weird place where I briefly wondered if I needed a break from JRPGs because the stories were feeling so heavy. But if course, the answer turned out to be no, as after playing a very silly JRPG in the form of Sorcery Saga: the Curse of the Great Curry God, I'm into JRPGs more than ever, with my love of JRPG silliness fully tended to. Silly JRPGs often get a lot of flack from well-meaning JRPG fans that think they're a trashy part of the genre and I understand they're not for everyone. Personally, I love these silly and sometimes trashy JRPGs for a break between and during serious games or for when I want to laugh while still playing game mechanics I like.

My first silly JRPG experience was probably Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection (Technically it's not JRPG, rather an Idol Simulation game, but it's in the same vain as the main Neptunia series so I count it). I was attracted to it because I'd always had a small interest in trying the Neptunia series because of its gorgeous anime cover art and the Idol premise in Producing Perfection pushed me over the edge as a fan of pop music. I spent a pleasant few hours in my first playthrough with Neptune and was completely charmed by her love of pudding and refusal to take anything seriously. I was so charmed by her I played through each other character's story as well and found myself giggling and just feeling happy while playing this carefree Idol game. I'd always played serious games with a hint of humour, so having the humour portion outweighing the serious was a completely new experience and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.

I found the same light-hearted feeling when I tried Sorcery Saga: the Curry of the Great Curry God last year. I was really excited for Sorcery Saga because along with being humourous, it was a proper RPG. In terms of being delightfully ridiculous while being a good gaming experience, it didn't fail to deliver. I was hunting around a fantasy world desperately looking for curry ingredients that were centuries old with my strange everything eating pink thing named Kuu and was constantly bombarded with silliness from every side character in the game, including but not limited to a group of heroes named after food, a Prince that falls in love with almost every woman he sees and his poor wife. Best of all, I was getting this beside a fairly familiar gameplay experience, which allowed me to have fun while also feeling at home.

Outside of full silly JRPG experiences, silly moments can also be a great way to break up the heaviness in a JRPG and humanise otherwise very serious characters. One of my recent favourite characters is Ignis from Final Fantasy XV and I don't know if he would be if there hadn’t been the more lighthearted moments with the group. Imagining Ignis without the recipes and sarcastic humour is pretty sad as they're what make him so likeable and made him feel much more relatable when heavy story moments hit. This kind of silliness has made many of my favourite characters feel much more relatable and the fact that so many JRPG series embrace this is one the things that make me love JRPGs above all other games.

Whether it's in a royal quest or a search for legendary curry, silliness is a great thing that has been embraced in the JRPG genre and it's great that there are games that embrace this in big and small ways. I probably love deep stories more than silly JRPGs, but I hope to try more silly games such as Senran Kagura and Cyberdimension Neptunia for more laughs mixed in with my JRPG fun. Some people may brush these silly games aside, but for me they’re a strange part of what makes the JRPG genre special.

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What's your favourite silly JRPG? Do you prefer your JRPGs to be more serious or silly?
Leave a comment below, send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle, hit me up on Facebook, Youtube or Instagram and let's talk!

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JRPGs I Played In Winter 2016!

During Winter, appropriate to the indoorsy weather, I played a lot of games. I'm meant to exclusively be playing Persona 3 in order to play it faster, but I got swayed by a lot of cool games. For a start, Final Fantasy Record Keeper got it's hooks in me again, I really wanted to play Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth and I wanted to platinum Final Fantasy X (still going for it!). Persona 3 is long and while it's really good, I wanted to keep trying new stuff. So here's what I played during Winter while I should have been playing just Persona 3. Let me know what you played too!

Persona 3 FES (PS2 Classic)

Status: 50+ hours in and going strong!

I've spent a surprising amount of time grinding and versing bosses, but I'm sure I have a minimum of another 50 more hours in the game because the story is huge! Usually by this point, I know if what I'm playing is a game that's for me and I'm pleased to say that I'm totally enjoying it. The story, albeit a little slow moving, is interesting and the whole concept of the Dark Hour still feels very mysterious. My opinions of the characters keep changing as I play the game, which is keeping my interest. I will say one thing though, although I'm enjoying it, I still haven't gotten completely hooked by the game, which is probably evident in how many games I've played while playing it. I don't want to say too much because I haven't finished the game yet, so I still have hope it'll suck me in like Persona 4 Golden did.

Final Fantasy X HD Remaster (PS Vita)

Status: finished the story, now platinuming

I'm very proud to say that Final Fantasy X is the first game I've completed in Japanese. I know the story really well, so it may not have been as difficult as playing a story that was new to me, but my Japanese reading and listening skills benefited from playing it again and it was really interesting to hear the Japanese voice staff and see the small localisation differences. (I wrote an article about my experience playing the Japanese version if you want to read more about it!)

Now I'm onto focusing on getting the Platinum Trophy for it, which is going to take some time, I know for sure it's going to take probably another 50 hours since I'm 50% in and I haven't done the lightning challenge yet or started cranking the sphere grid yet. But, since it's not my New Years Resolution to Platinum it this time, it's nice to have it as a casual game between JRPGs and it's a fun way to study Japanese.

You can pick up Final Fantasy X HD Remaster from Play-Asia.com!

Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection (PS Vita)

Status: Finished for the second time, considering platinuming it one day.

I really enjoyed playing Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection again! I needed a break from long RPGs and this Neptunia game delivered yet again as a great light game for the weekend. Since it had been a while since playing it for the first time, the story felt fresh again. I had to relearn how to play again, but after 20 in game days (which is probably equivalent to about half an hour of playing), I was right in, remembered my strategies from my first time playing and was laughing at Neptune's witty humour again. You can read my full review here.

You can pick up Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection from Play-Asia!

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth (PS4)

Status: 32 hours in and will probably finish it soon (hoping to review it this week or next week if all goes to plan!)

I'm so pleased to say that a PS4 game finally got it's hooks into me. I've had my PS4 since launch and have been a little disappointed that I had nothing that made me keep the console plugged in for more than a few days. Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth both scratches the Digimon game itch I've had (I played Digimon World on PS One a lot as a kid and it was a big favourite of mine) and means I finally have a worthy JRPG I can play on PS4. I intended to only play the game for a week, but I've been so into the monster collecting and case solving that I may as well just finish it this point.

(I kind of want to get all the Digimon too, so I may try to get the platinum trophy for this one too.... :) )

You can pick up Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth at Play-Asia.com!

Final Fantasy Record Keeper (iOS)
Status: Playing the Final Fantasy X Jecht Event

I've found a healthy way to play Record Keeper: events only. As I mentioned recently, I got back into the game during the Rikku event and after remembering how much I enjoyed weapon and character collecting, I decided to stay on, but manage my gaming time better. It's good, casual fun at the moment, although I do wish they added something like Conception II's ability to skip battles where you'll win with one hit, as I find a lot of the initial battles are way too easy if your characters are anywhere higher than 20 and while they're quick, the time could be better spent on the later levels. But anyway, I'm having fun after winning Jecht's bandana and plan to win him and maybe Tidus' memory crystal before this week's event is done.

Spring's Game Plan

Despite getting a 3DS LL for Christmas, I've barely touched it other than to check the eShop and for the occasional Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai 2 song. Once I finish Persona 3, I'd like to either jump into Persona Q or Digimon World ReDigitize: Recode on 3DS and keep my PS4 plugged into the TV for awhile. I also currently have Danganronpa: Ultra Despair Girls on my Vita, so that's something I'm interested in completing as well. But the main plan for Spring is to play some 3DS, which should be a lot of fun!

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What did you play during Winter? Do you have any gaming plans for Spring?

Leave a comment below or send me a tweet at @JRPGJungle and let's talk!

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Make sure to follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter for updates on content and random, shorter musings on JRPG news and games. You're awesome! <3

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Review: Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection (PS Vita)

Hyperdimension Neptunia is always ready to make it's players laugh. It never takes itself too seriously as it parodies the real world video game industry, replacing the big name corporations with beautiful female heroines called CPUs. My first dive into the series was with this Idol spin-off game, Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection. While Producing Perfection is very different from the JRPG gameplay of the main series, the Idol simulation game is full of funny dialogue and it's simple but fun gameplay and light-hearted story provides the perfect amusement level and length for a light game, being able to be completed in just a few hours. It's a great introduction to the series, especially for players like myself who are new to the series. With plenty of comedic moments, the girls of Hyperdimension Neptunia entertain both with their songs and their humour in this fun-filled Idol story.

The standard Hyperdimension Neptunia games are a parody of the video game world that usually involves JRPG mechanics and the girls fighting for their shares (as in stocks) in a 'console war'. The girls, known as CPUs, along with the areas they rule each represent a console. For example CPU Noire rules Lastation and Vert rules Leanbox, both which have names that match very closely to two real life game consoles. In Producing Perfection however, the story premise is twisted to include Idol culture. Set in Hyperdimension Neptunia's appropriately named world called Gameindustri, the four girls unexpectedly lose all of their hard-earned shares thanks to an Idol boom, which means they will lose their power. In order to keep their powers and their areas alive, they decide to combat this by becoming Idols themeselves. They will be helped by you, their Producer, who has been transported to the world of Gameindustri because of your Idol game prowess.

As an amateur producer, you have the opportunity to work with a single heroine on this journey, with each girl's personality offering different personality quirks to your journey to Idol share domination (or something like that). Neptune is very fun and happy, Noire is the sassy tsundere type, Blanc is somewhat balanced mix of extremely calm and violent and Vert is the most mature of the bunch and an avid gamer, who openly boasts to have the biggest breasts in Gameindustri. While all the girls are different, each story takes advantage of their more amusing, flirty and funnier sides to ensure that no matter which girl you pick, you will have fun. I played all the routes last year and in my recent replay I came back to Neptune, as her fun energy is infectious throughout the silly story.

Each in-game day lets you choose a different Idol or CPU related task. There's options to train to improve stats, have a publicity event to increase fans, spend time relaxing to decrease stress, move your Idol operation to another area or put on a concert (the biggest stat increaser). For the most part, you are completely free to choose whatever you want to do, as long as your Idol isn't stressed (if she's 100% stressed, it's game over). Balancing your Idol and Fan level is the main name of the game, but doing different tasks offer different cutscenes to help you get to know your Idol, so each option is kept interesting and entertaining. There isn't a lot of skill needed in every aspect of Producing Perfection, but I didn't mind as I was busy watching my character's funny antics and gaining fans to progress the story at a nice pace. Because the days are so fast, it's easy to advance multiple days in a manner of minutes. I liked the fast pace, especially since the game's subject manner is light. It stops Producing Perfecrion from becoming repetitive, which is probably best .

Lingering throughout the game is the time limit that the girls must complete their Idol quest in. If they don't complete this task within 180 days, they will lose all of their shares to MOB48 (a clear parody name of Japan's massive AKB48 girl group) and consequently their power. Once I spent maybe 10-20 in game days learning what would increase my Idol's stats and fans the fastest, this time limit was never an issue. Days pass by quickly and the game is achievable with 50-100 in-game days, depending on your luck or skill. The first time I played the game two years ago, I completed it in about 90-something days. In my most recent playthrough, it took a mere 51 days and about 4-5 real life hours.

The length of the game is either Producing Perfection's biggest fault or biggest success. You won't find a long term idol-simulation in this game, unless you're a completionist or enough of a fan of the Hyperdimension Neptunia series to unlock all events with all girls. If you're looking for a long game, this isn't it. For myself, Producing Perfection was an appropriate length, as there's not enough serious plot or twists to keep this game amusing for more than a few hours. However more replayablity can be found through playing as each of the girls or unlocking extra events. Because of Producing Perfection's short length, I really like that it allows you to play at a pace and seriousness level of whatever you're feeling like at the time.

Because of Producing Perfection's fast nature, most time is spent fleshing out the story. However there are some faults to be found in Concert Mode's gameplay. Concert mode is where Producing Perfection is the closest it gets to being an Idol game - you put on a stage show and it's time to try and win over the crowd. Choosing a costume and stage setting's for my Idol CPU girl was certainly fun, but the lack of song selection can make Concert mode feel repetitive, especially with only cute dancing (albeit very cute indeed) to hide behind since there's no dialogue. Once the Concert has begun, you have to win over the crowd, using stage effects and camera angles or even getting your CPU to use her more mature (both in personality and also visuals, with a noticeable chest enlargement for almost all character's forms) HDD power-up form. HDD mode almost always guarantees a successful show, stage mechanics can be fun to add, but there seemed to be no system to using the camera properly - it almost seemed like if I just moved it around and switched angles enough, my score would increase. I didn't personally mind the lack of overall challenge in Producing Perfection as I was just enjoying getting to know the CPU's, however for fans of Idol games or the JRPG version of Hyperdimension Neptunia, I can see it being potential bothersome to some players.

Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection opens with a message encouraging people to basically 'relax and don't take it too seriously' and it sums up the game well. It's a humourous light Idol simulation game, with the spotlight mostly shining on it's fun dialogues and characters. Although it's day-to-day game life  is fun, it's idol components aren't the most challenging. If you're looking for deeper gameplay, I'd encourage you to look elsewhere (such as the main Hyperdimension Neptunia series), but if you're looking for a fun-filled, quick adventure living in a interesting universe mixed with a little music, Producing Perfection is good fun to fill a weekend or a day or so.

Score: 7.4/10
Not the most challenging game in the universe, but it's full of good quick Idol and Hyperdimension Neptunia fun for on the go or a relaxing afternoon full of cute and amusing characters.

You can pick up Hyperdimension Neptunia: Producing Perfection for PS Vita from Play-Asia.com now!

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Whose route are you the most interested in - Neptune's, Vert's, Blanc's or Noire's? What did you think of Producing Perfection?
Leave a comment below or send @JRPGJungle a tweet and let's talk!

Thanks so much for stopping by!
Make sure to follow @JRPGJungle on Twitter for updates on content and random, shorter musings on JRPG news and games. You're awesome! <3

Note: This article does contain affiliate links to Play-Asia to help support this site. You can read our Affiliate Link Policy here. Photos in this post are also from Play-Asia.