Thoughts on the evolution of JRPGs?

[MrLacksOriginality]

I've always seen the original SMT games as first person grid based dungeon crawlers, another genre that i really like. i think that's a genre that shouldn't evolve any more than looking nicer and quality of life improvements. i was disappointed with SMT IV and i much prefer Strange Journey.

I hated it too. But the sub sequel SMT IV:Apocalypse is much better.

[Inside_Smoke]

I've heard that apocalypse is good, i have both IV and apocalypse. i'm very far into IV and I've been trying to finish it for over a year, just keep getting lost and putting it down and im the type of person who wont allow myself to move on to apocalypse until i finish IV.

[StanTheStrongArm]

It would be nice if Japan incorporated traditional choices and consequences into their RPGs, if for no other reason than to distract from how low budget they tend to be (compared to most Western RPGs).

[Aerrae]

3D graphics are just gonna be what any dev will do if they can do it with a pleasing art style.

Turn based is far from dead, take a look at Falcom JRPG's. They've got a new entry into their Legend of Heroes series coming out in Japan soon and it's turn based as are all of its entries.

What about Persona 5?

Square Enix kinda sucks now for JRPG's. Falcom and Atlus make the best JRPG's now imo. Hell I think theirs are better than FF ever was.

Bravely Default was great imo and Octopath seems good too but SE is just... it thinks it HAS to have the best graphics and chase the latest trends. JRPG's don't need ridiculous innovation, they NEED good characters, story, and world building. SE is too busy making shiny graphics, new engines, and other nonsense to do it for FF anymore.

Btw check out a small indie dev called Stegosoft games. I have a feeling in the future that they just might make some big popular JRPGs some day. They made Ara Fell which while overly simplistic mechanically does tell a decent story with enjoyable characters.

[AnarchyInBlack]

My favorite JRPG will always be Golden Sun from Camelot. I don't own a console, so, gone are the days of, what I personally believe to be, the golden era of JRPGs. Take my opinion with a grain of salt, however, I thought FFXIII was pretty good, too.

[isturbo1984]

The 7th generation of consoles brought an incredibly stagnate ecosystem of JRPGs. I skipped almost the entire gen. It took a while for Japanese developers and publishers to finally evolve past using old engines, re-using the same boring art style and finally incorporating some Western ideas. I think JRPGs are in a healthy place here at the mid-end of the 8th gen. Some of the best games in, well... an entire generation. They aren't perfect. And the innovation differs on a case by case basis. But its going to be a while before I walk away again.