Tag: jrpg
Experimental JRPG Live A Live finally arrives on PC after 29 years
Live A Live was originally released in 1994, but only on SNES and only in Japan. It was short as far as Square Enix JRPGs from the period go, but was unique in that it featured 8 inter-connected stories set across 8 time periods.
Last year, a remake brought the game to Nintendo Switch, and as of today it’s also available on Steam.
Trinity Trigger Is a Rare JRPG That Lets You Save the World with Your Friends
Japanese role-playing games are more available and accessible than ever before. However, there are very few traditional games that allow multiple people to party up and play through its story together. Square Enix’s Mana franchise and Bandai Namco’s Tales of series are probably the best known for this in the past. Among some other one off titles, Trinity Trigger aims to add to that short list. While there seems to be a lack of depth in combat and how interesting the world is remains to be seen, Trinity Trigger’s first impression shows potential.
A young man named Cyan stars in Trinity Trigger as the Warrior of Chaos, and along with friends Elise and Zantis in tow they are traveling the world of Trinitia to find the Weapons of the Gods to prepare for a fate-defining battle with the Warrior of Order. Each party member has a partner known as a Trigger, which is more or less an animal-like companion that’s fully self-aware and voiced who also transforms into your weapons. All party members can eventually gain access to every weapon type by exploring dungeons, but they all have their own expertise. Cyan excels with the sword, Elise the bow, and Zantis with his axe. I unfortunately did not get to explore an entire dungeon, but you can expect puzzles and a boss fight along the way.
During my guided demo I was in a snow village called Hoplard where the townsfolk have been trying to deal with a monster in a nearby forest. After believing that the beast determines the weather for them, the townsfolk have been sacrificing citizens as tribute in hopes to stop the blizzards corrupting the town’s harvest. It was a pretty straightforward plotline and there didn’t seem to be much else to do in the town afterwards. There was a store to buy supplies and people to talk to, at least, but I didn’t experience any sidequests along the way.
Gameplay is presented in an isometric view with real-time action combat and is ultimately very straightforward and beginner friendly. Attacking consumes stamina, but tiring out didn’t stop me from being able to swing my weapon at an enemy – it just dealt miniscule damage until I stopped and let my stamina gauge recharge. Stamina is consumed by dodging as well so there was a small level of management on how I wanted to use it. In battle normal foes only have a health bar above their heads to deplete, but bosses are equipped with a stagger bar too that will temporarily stun them while the party can unleash an all-out assault. Bosses also have weapon weaknesses to discover to deal extra damage, encouraging me to experiment with the weapons I had to figure out how to prioritize the fight and which character to take control of.
Outside of stamina there are two other gauges that need managing during combat. One of them was an ultimate ability that released a devastating “super” attack that was ready to be unleased once my weapon glowed, while the other strengthened my weapon for a short time. Unlike most JRPGs there appeared to be no magic, spells, or elemental damage of any sort – and that includes healing. All healing is done by using potions, as is warding off other status effects too – like being poisoned – so I found myself rummaging through the menus a lot during battle.
Trinity Trigger is not a technically advanced game and I didn’t have any complaints on the performance playing it docked on the Switch, but visually it was rough to look at. In general, the presentation isn’t trying to stand out outside of the stunning character portraits during important and well voice acted character conversations, but if you do care about getting the best visuals or willing to give up the convenience of playing on the go I’d maybe look at the PlayStation 5 or PC versions that will be available instead.
Trinity Trigger appears to be a serviceable JRPG from what I got to play. Its biggest immediately apparent issue is that co-op play will only be available locally at launch. With so few games in the genre offering this kind of experience, knowing that players can’t squad up online in 2023 feels like a huge missed opportunity. I do want to give it its points though. It’s offering something that very few games in the genre do, and like most I come across I’m curious about the story and characters that exist in the world. I can’t say much about the story because I didn’t get exposed to much of it during the short time I got to play, but hopefully it will turn out to be a highlight. Regardless, JRPGs can be intimidating, and Trinity Trigger is looking like a great example of a relatively rare kind that will let you bring your friends along for the ride.
As Final Fantasy 16 boss Naoki Yoshida calls it “discriminatory”, is it time to drop the term ‘JRPG’?
Probably the most interesting thing to come out of Final Fantasy 16 previews yesterday wasn’t anything to do with the game. It was a single off-the-cuff remark from the game’s producer, Naoki Yoshida – a comment inspired by a single word from an interviewer that has triggered some intense debate online.
Yoshida doesn’t like the term ‘JRPG’, meaning Japanese RPG – and goes on to explain that the first time he heard it, he felt it was a “discriminatory term.”
The comments were made by Yoshida, now one of Japan’s most prominent and important creators, in an interview that forms part of YouTuber SkillUp’s excellent FF16 preview. The comments were picked up in text by RPG Site, and pretty quickly it became a hot topic of conversation.
Honkai: Star Rail is a stylish turn-based JRPG, with very similar energy to Genshin Impact
Over the last few weeks I’ve spent a number of hours with Honkai: Star Rail‘s closed beta, and it certainly seems that MiHoYo’s upcoming free-to-play RPG is hoping to capture a similar audience to Genshin Impact’s. Star Rail’s turn-based battles and JRPG leanings might be a bit of a departure from Genshin’s open-world adventuring, but it’s definitely, 100%, without a doubt, anime as heck. Oh, and very gacha. There’s a lot of currencies. So many currencies. Still, I think it’s shaping up to be a decent time.
Octopath Traveler 2 review: the flawed JRPG returns for more of the same
You know that famous saying about those who forget the past are forever doomed to make the same mistakes? That’s Octopath Traveler 2 in a nutshell, a JRPG that follows so precisely in the footsteps of its predecessor that you’d be forgiven for thinking it was suddenly 2019 again and that the last few pandemic years were nothing but a terrible existential nightmare. But alas, here we are in 2023 with another Octopath Traveler game that is, bar a couple of very light tweaks and additions, exactly the same game as what came before it, for better and for worse.
Octopath Traveller 2’s substantial JRPG demo is out now on PC
Katharine and I were lamenting earlier today that Square Enix seem inconsistent when it comes to releasing demos of their games on Steam. Forspoken’s demo only came to PC months after its console release, and Harvestella’s demo remains exclusive to Switch. Likewise, the Octopath Traveler 2 demo which was released on console yesterday was nowhere to be found on PC.
Uh, until today. It’s out on Steam now.
Octopath Traveler 2 – Everything We Know About The HD-2D JRPG
2018’s Octopath Traveler is getting a sequel this year, continuing the story of Solistia from the perspective of eight new playable characters. Developed by Square Enix and Acquire, Octopath Traveler II uses the same HD-2D art style as its predecessor. Below, we go over everything we know about Octopath Traveler II, including when it’s coming out and who the new playable characters are.
If this new game is anywhere as good as the first, we’re in for a treat. In GameSpot’s Octopath Traveler review, Peter Brown wrote, “Despite the lackluster stories that pull you through the world, Octopath thrives on its character progression and the temptations of high-level challenges and rewards. The promise of new jobs, exciting boss fights, and powerful gear will inspire you to poke around every corner, and there are no shortage of discoveries to strive for. And all the while, you’re treated to one of the most interesting and effective re-imaginings of a retro aesthetic around.”
Release date
Octopath Traveler II is scheduled to launch on February 24. Like the original Octopath Traveler, it will launch for all regions on day one, meaning it won’t be released in Japan first and then other regions later like Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent.
Persona 3 Portable isn’t only a great JRPG, but a history lesson too
As someone whose only experience with the Persona series lay with Persona 5, I dove into Persona 3 Portable‘s PC re-release with one expectation: it will be old and therefore quite bad. Looking back, was I naïve? Yes. And was I wrong? I’m delighted to report that I was catastrophically wrong.
From what I’ve played so far of Persona 3, I reckon it’s well worth a whirl if you’re a newcomer, or a Persona 5 fan who’s concerned that a game from 2009 won’t be all that good. Not only does it stand on its own as a fun high school mystery with an alarmingly dark undertone, it almost acts as a fun history lesson too.
I desperately need to go to this JRPG Taco Bell
How a random Taco Bell in South Dakota become a meme