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My 5 Favourite JRPGs of 2018

There was a big variety of JRPGs in 2018. From retro-inspired games set on making old ideas even better, to great modern narratives set in worlds full of futuristic tech, there’s something to satisfy most players when looking at all the releases this year as a whole. I managed to finish a fair few JRPGs from this year and there were a lot of enjoyable ones, but the JRPGs that were my favourite this year were the special gems scattered throughout that brought something unique to the genre. So as we look back on another year of JRPG fun, these are my five favourite JRPGs from this year.

JRPG Jungle The Blog! - Updates/Changes Going Forward

Hi there!

First of all, if you’re reading this, thank you! As a lot of you probably know I’m much more active on YouTube these days and that has a much more vocal audience, so I always wonder how many people come around to my little writing area on the internet. I’m 90% sure my analytics on Blogger are full of weird bots as there’s a huge discrepancy between those stats and Google Analytics, so I pretty much have no idea how many people do or don’t come to the blog at any given time. So if you do visit here, thanks!

Being more active on YouTube is basically what leads me into making this post. For almost two years now, I’ve been crossposting my content both on YouTube and on here, with YouTube as a video version and the written version here. The idea was always that people could consume my content however they wanted - if you forgot your headphones you could come here and if you wanted some gameplay to watch along with what I’m saying you could go to the channel. It was a very simple idea I didn’t think about much, but I noticed things tilting after my first year on YouTube.

I’ve learnt over the past two years that making video content takes time, significantly more than when I was just blogging. I also work full time which takes time too and I’m grateful every week I find the time to do both. But when I’m doing descriptions, thumbnails etc for the video, it then gets to the point where I put what is nowadays my “script” for when I’m recording my videos onto this blog and unfortunately, I’ve found myself rushing and not making things the best they could be on here. Typos slip in, paragraphs aren’t properly spaced, things I’ve made better while improvising when recording don’t make it in, etc. They’re small things, but when you spend so much time on making a video just to put it on here in a rushed form, it feels a bit odd. I could take the time to read over things better and make them the best they could be, but the effort I put into the videos I think is ultimately the better version of my content - I just put more work into it and therefore it turns out better. (and I don't mean my content is great by the way, I just mean better between the two versions!)

Because of that, I’ve made the decision to stop crossposting my content here on the blog in 2019. I was going to ask you guys if there’d be any objections, but I think for myself I want to present my content in its best form and right now I think that is the video version.

IN SAYING THAT - I’m still keeping this blog! I’m about to pay for the domain for another year (which I can only do because of YouTube and I’m grateful for that too) and still have ideas for the blog going forward.

Basically, I want to bring blog exclusive content back whenever I can. It won’t be as regular as videos, but I’ve had a few ideas I think would go better as blog posts, so I’d like to keep this as a more casual and fun place I can post content for fun. Videos end up being a bit of work and feel a little more serious even though I genuinely enjoy making them, so I'd like to use this space much more like a blog and just post what more random JRPG-related things I find interesting or fun, without much pressure.

As for the channel, things will keep going as normal and this may give me a small fraction of time to get ahead on content there. Or it will make no difference, but either way nothing will change there! I have more ideas than I have time right now, but I’m always trying to make more and more as I really enjoy making videos now.

Thank you to anyone who reads this blog, watches my videos or consumes my content in any way. I feel really lucky with every comment and interaction I have with you all, so I hope you’ll stick around in the New Year too. Happy Holidays and thank you always :)

-Tara

Update 8/2019 - Hey again! I finally had a minute to come back here and sit down and update a little. I was gonna make a whole other post, but I think what I said in this post really still stands and since it's pretty quiet here nowadays, I don't feel the need to make a big fuss on what I'm gonna type now, but I do wanna put it here for anyone who's ever wondering (side note - my analytics for this blog are still bizarre and I still have no idea how many people ever come here and don't know if I ever will. But again, if you do, thank you :3).

I'm basically doing what is called an indefinite hiatus with the blog right. As I wrote above, I think my best content is on YouTube purely because of how much more effort it takes to make video than to make a blog post (for me at least) and all the ideas I initially wanted to do just on the blog I know how to make a videos now and would probably want to do that way so I can put the right amount of effort and quality into them. When I was just writing on here, I would read things three times because I was so nervous about putting my thoughts into the world (and would still miss typos lol) and I wanna keep that same energy going forward and not just throw things on here unfinished like I was when I was crossposting, so I think I wanna leave this blog as it is with work I'm proud of on it in a kind of "archive" of all the work I did on here.

So yeah, I will be keeping this blog up because this blog meant a lot to me and there's my first reviews and what not on here that's kind of fun to look back on sometimes. This is where I grew my writing skills and learned how to structure my thoughts on games and that skill is invaluable now and I feel lucky that even a few people kept up with most posts I made the years I was only on here. I'm eternally grateful to anyone who enjoyed even one post on this blog, shared them etc and the things I learned here and wrote here are still things I'm really happy to keep on here as this'll always be where I started and grew the confidence to be able to go onto YouTube which I'd always wanted to, but was really scared of doing until almost three years ago.

If you ever read anything on here, feel free to leave a comment and say hey as I'm sure I'll check in every now and then, but for now, thank you to anyone reading this and I hope to see you on YouTube!

Persona 3 and 5 Dancing - Some Tips For Unlocking Things Efficiently

As much as I love the Persona Dance games, I understand when people find it an odd crossover since Persona is a JRPG series. It seems these dance games sometimes present a new challenge to JRPG fans since the gameplay is not what they’re used to, which is fair enough when you consider how different this rhythm game is to the turn-based JRPG combat the Persona series usually features. When I reviewed the Japanese versions of the Dance games months ago, there were a few comments expressing concern about completing everything and unlocking all of the story content for people that are more Persona fans than rhythm game fans but wanna get the most out of everything. After playing these games a bunch over the last few months, I think the story moments and unlockables are achievable for players of all levels of rhythm game skill at a fairly quick pace as long as you play it smarter rather than harder, so here are some tips to help you experience the narrative of the Persona Dance games as efficiently as possible and unlock a fair few costumes and extras along the way.

Review: Persona 4 Dancing All Night (Reviewed on PS4 via the Endless Night bundle, also on PS Vita)

When Persona 4 Dancing All Night was announced back in 2015, I was so excited. That excitement led me to buy it in Japanese right when it came out because I was worried if we’d see a localisation announcement and while I couldn’t understand the story parts much as I was a total beginner at Japanese at the time, I played all of the songs and unlocked everything enough to get the Platinum trophy, despite pretty much not knowing any of its story and just enjoy its dancing fun in the Vita version.

With the recent Endless Night collection including the Persona Dance games for Persona 3, 4 and 5, this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get to know the wonderful remixes of the songs I loved from Persona 4 and the Vita version all over again while finally getting to know its story too and after spending almost 15 hours with it, I’m glad I did. The twist on Persona 4’s world and story with an Idol mystery was a great way to see the charming characters from the original paired with some new favourites, and seeing the high quality visuals on PS4 with snappy load times and sharp visuals in its rhythm game moments made the quality of this Persona Dance game feel not far behind the newer releases. If you’re looking to experience a different mystery with the Investigation Team alongside fun new characters and involved dance mechanics that feel just as good as its more recent editions, Persona 4 Dancing All Night is well worth it for fans of Persona 4 and rhythm games, and with it being such good value in the Endless Night collection on PS4, it’s an experience that Persona fans who like more story mixed in with their rhythm mechanics can enjoy experiencing in its best form yet.

JRPGs I Played in November 2018

November was a month of monster hunting JRPGs for me. With the main two releases I was interested in having heavy themes of catching them all in distinct ways, my month of November nostalgically brought me back to this type of JRPG I loved as a kid and the story heavy games I love now with a monster collecting twist, alongside solid turn-based combat systems. While I didn’t play a heap of games in November, but monster collecting games are big so there was still plenty to play, so here are the JRPGs I Played in November.

Review: Pokemon Let's Go (Nintendo Switch)

If you like video games, chances are that at some point you’ve played one of the many Pokemon games that exist on older consoles, ranging from the Gameboy to the Nintendo 3DS and now the Nintendo Switch. The newest Pokemon game Pokemon Let’s Go manages to keep the nostalgic feeling of games like Pokemon Yellow by using similar layouts and the original 151 Pokemon, but updates visuals and everything else to make it feel much better on a modern console. With a mix of streamlined Pokemon catching mechanics from Pokemon Go, clever dungeon puzzles, all those trainer battles and a personalized-feeling gaming experience thanks to the choice of a partner Pokemon, Pokemon Let’s Go combines old and new concepts well to make Let’s Go echo the greatness of its source material while being simple enough to make it enjoyable now, and this easy-to-pick experience in my first return to the world of console Pokemon games is one I’m glad that Let’s Go made me come back to.

Review: World of Final Fantasy Maxima (Played on Switch, also on Xbox One, and PS4 and PC as DLC)

World of Final Fantasy was and still is a great journey. With its light-hearted monster collecting that evolves into an emotional big story that made me both laugh and cry, its story and gameplay is just as captivating to play years after its initial release. The game is full of many nods to the main Final Fantasy series games with its roster of familiar characters that you can now battle as in the new Maxima edition, on top of its interesting original mechanics like its size and stacking ones that are fun to play with all together, even if the frame rate wasn’t always perfect outside of docked mode. Years later, World of Final Fantasy in its updated Maxima form is still a story worth experiencing for fans of Final Fantasy who don’t mind a light-hearted story and for those who like the idea of exploring its unique, fun take on the Final Fantasy universe that now has even more to offer.

First Impressions: Crystar (PS4, Japanese Version)

Crystar’s trailers portray it as an emotional dark fantasy with fluid action gameplay and unique tear-based mechanics and after playing its first chapter, I’d say that’s pretty accurate. Its swift action gameplay makes running through its maze-like fields a satisfying experience and its mix of animation styles and storytelling ways the story explores make the story feel deeper than its already interesting premise. While I only saw the first chapter of Rei’s story, I still feel one thing for sure: Crystar still has the potential to be an interesting dark, story-based JRPG thanks to its gameplay and ideas so far and with good voice acting and visuals that bring everything to life in its first hours, Crystar is still a JRPG I want to see more of.

Extended Impressions: Dragalia Lost (Played on iOS, also on Android)

When I first saw Dragalia Lost and the effort Nintendo was putting into advertising it, I thought it looked too good to be a smartphone game. With small areas to run freely in, gorgeous character designs and many different systems to try, it seemed like a high quality smartphone game with depth to rival some console ones and that rings mostly true after playing it. Its main story has lots of good characters that it takes time to develop in both the main story and free side content, and thanks to daily rewards giving free summons, I could level these characters and get new ones without feeling as though I needed to pay. Dragalia Lost is a quality JRPG story for smartphones so far and with its likeable characters, rewarding systems and wealth of content, it’s become my new favourite smartphone game in a while.

Review: The World Ends With You -Final Remix- (Nintendo Switch)

With undeniable style in everything it does, The World Ends With You -Final Remix- fits beautifully as a handheld on Switch in its updated form. While its DS trailers make it already look good enough thanks to choice of artstyle, the fresh coat of paint on Switch makes the experience play out smoothly with its comic book-esque visuals that pop off the screen, with its own control schemes that make playing with the Switch’s touchscreen a quick and fun battle experience. If you’re open to playing with different control styles and experiencing a story with colourful style and dialogue on the go, The World Ends With You -Final Remix- is a great game to discover in its Switch version for new players like myself and for those who want to see the additions to its world.

Review: Torna, the Golden Country - Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Nintendo Switch, DLC/Standalone)

Whether you want to think of it as DLC or as a standalone game, Torna, the Golden Country captures some of the best parts of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 in a small, but still content packed form. Its prequel story to Xenoblade Chronicles 2 serves well as both as something that gives more insight into the world and history of it, but also as its own complete story, featuring its own new characters alongside ones that had development that helps me properly understand them as characters. Beyond that, Torna, the Golden Country also boasts the great quests and blade development systems that made the original game so addictive and the way some of these quests tie into the story and character development made doing them feel very rewarding and the world richer for it. As an expansion on an already great world, Torna, the Golden Country feels like more than just DLC with its 20 hour story campaign and with plenty left to do after, it’s a perfect addition to enrich Xenoblade Chronicles 2’s world while standing more than well enough on its own.

The Interesting Subtle Details of Dragon Quest XI (Erik is Left-Handed?!)

On a Monday morning, I was playing Dragon Quest XI and scrolling through Erik’s weapons to switch from Boomerang to Sword when something finally dawned on me after 26 hours of playing. You see, usually when I do this weapon switch with a character like Sylvando it also involves putting a shield back after using a two handed weapon, so I’m in the habit of checking the other non-dominant hand is equipped with what it needs to be regardless of what kind of weapon I’m switching. For Erik, this usually involves me being told I don’t have anything to put in his right hand even though I have a few spare shields, which made me realise something. His character holds his dagger on the left and he can’t hold the shields that the other right handed characters can hold in their left. It was then I had the realisation that the Dragon Quest team probably make a conscious decision to impact gameplay with Erik because he is left-handed, a tidbit I found pretty amusing.

The Crazy Concepts of Zanki Zero

If you’re like me and have played the killing game visual novel that is Danganronpa, you could be forgiven for expecting the same kind of death-filled thriller from Zanki Zero. While Zanki Zero does carries similar ideas in its own way, it also brings in its own set of outlandish ideas that set itself apart from the Danganronpa team’s previous work as a unique game of its own. In a post-apocalyptic world that touches on immortality and cloning tied together with characters representing the seven deadly sins and a new duo of quirky mascots, the concepts introduced in its Japanese demo got me very excited for when it comes out thanks to how it took the concepts I loved from Danganronpa and turned them upside-down to make what looks like a new story like nothing I’ve played before.

JRPGs I Played in August 2018

As expected, August was a pretty free month for JRPGs. I didn’t pick up any new releases, although I did manage to find the time to try newer experiences in demo form and left each one feeling fairly positive. I also kept true on my promise of playing Persona 2, found a new IP I’m super excited to learn more about and rearranged my gaming time a little to help me enjoy JRPGs even more and as much as possible going forward. While August wasn’t full of releases, I had no shortage of things to play in my JRPG time, so here are all the JRPGs I played in August.

First Impressions: Valkyria Chronicles 4 (Played on PS4 and Nintendo Switch, also coming to Xbox One and PC, Demo)

While stories about war aren’t typically something I enjoy, Valkyria Chronicles 4’s complex tactical battles and characters may have found a way to make this one interesting for me. As someone new to the Valkyria Chronicles series, I was pleased to see its tactical battle system that combines turn-based and action gameplay well felt as smooth to play as it looked in trailers and combined the two styles well, along with its artstyle and many deep mechanics making the experience stand out from other tactical experiences. Topped off with a narrative that keeps things feeling light-hearted enough in a story with a serious premise, Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a great tactical experience so far and left me much more keen to try its full game next month as a new player of the series.

First Impressions: Yakuza Kiwami 2 (Demo, PS4)

If you’re like me and enjoyed the outrageous combat, outlandish villains and wide-range of mini games available in Yakuza games like the recent Yakuza 6, Yakuza Kiwami 2’s version of these things in its demo makes it look like an intriguing experience. With a new city to explore, Kiwami 2 features a lot of what’s made more recent games in the series feel good mechanically, along with a stylish visual flare that make it easy to forget that Yakuza 2 was originally a PS2 game. With a few new mechanics that save it from feeling too similar to the last Yakuza game and a wealth of new activities in this demo alone that keep the charm of the Yakuza series while adding plenty of new things to play with, Yakuza Kiwami 2 seems to be a satisfying new take on an older game in its series that is easy to pick up for those who’ve played the newer games in the series.

Review: Octopath Traveler (Nintendo Switch)

In a world of modern graphics and one track story paths, Octopath Traveler is unique. With its premise of telling eight different stories in one world, Octopath Traveler gives you the opportunity to choose the order and flow of how you want to play through its interesting seperate stories, with the choice of playing as many as you want at a time offering a custom gameplay experience. While having to level up your characters each time you want to try a new one from its eight can make the experience run a little long, it makes each experience feel like a journey of its own in this world harboring its own lore that leaves a connecting thread to each story if you play them all, but also has each one stand well enough on its own. All of its unique storytelling partnered with a great battle system that makes finding and exploiting weaknesses a rewarding process and its class actions that make each character useful in different ways make Octopath Traveler a satisfying JRPG with no shortage of things to do and a great world to play in.

JRPGs I Played in July 2018

With eight story paths to follow and a mid-month release, my July went exactly how I expected it to and was full of a lot of Octopath Traveler and time with my Switch. I began the month on the tail end of Ys VIII and immediately jumped over to Octopath Traveler, so my PS4 hasn’t seen that much love this month but I’ve enjoying playing the Switch both on my TV and with me on the go and the extra time I’ve been able to get into my games. The only other games I played were a few smartphone JRPGs for times like being at work where it would be inappropriate to pull out my Switch and for some special collaborations, but I only put a small bit of time into these because I was into already big games on the go and didn’t feel the need to play much else. So in what was a month full of portable goodness, here are the JRPGs I Played in July.

The Unique Storytelling and Game Flow of Octopath Traveler

Octopath Traveler definitely reflects its name. With eight characters and their stories available to play through, I was expecting to dive into my chosen character Primrose’s story alone when I began my Octopath journey and was surprised when I noticed all the adventures available on the map, ready to be explored at my leisure. These eight paths are just the beginning of Octopath Traveler’s ability to create freedom in each players Octopath journey, with freedom of party members, secondary jobs, story paths and more making each player traveling through the world of Orsterra have their own unique journey that may be deeper or more challenging than others. In a world that truly makes you feel like you have many paths to take, Octopath Traveler’s ability to create your own story and game flow make it a unique JRPG that combines the linearity of its individual stories and the freedom of its big world to make each playthrough a true, one-of-a-kind experience.