So what is the deal with JRPGs?
So what is the deal with JRPGs? Why should I care about them?
Well, they're awesome. More than any other genre of video game, JRPGs are adept at playing with your emotions and crafting the illusion that you're fighting your way through grand adventures. They tend to focus on narrative and exploration. Sometimes they tell wide, sweeping stories about angry gods and evil empires. Other times they keep things simple and adventurous. And sometimes hanging around high school.
JRPGs offer a unique experience that sets them apart from other games. However, they often demand a degree of patience from players.
Wait a second, what exactly a JRPG?
It's a bit complicated. Technically, a JRPG is simply a role-playing game developed in Japan. However, there are also many Western-made games that try to mimic the look, feel, and gameplay of Japanese RPGs, such as Anachronox, Charles Barkley's Shut Up And Jam: Gaiden, and the Penny Arcade game.
In many ways, the genre has evolved to become something more than just "a role-playing game made in Japan."
Wait a second, what exactly a JRPG?
Any number of things. One common factor is turn-based combat—that is, combat in which every character stands around and waits for some arbitrary clock to run out before they attack. You'll usually gather a party. You can usually visit a variety of exotic cities, dungeons, and other locations. You'll usually participate in some sort of character progression system. Maybe there are airships. World maps. Lots and lots of bosses and monsters and tough challenges. Awesome music and humor sense.
But it's not those parts that make a JRPG a JRPG; it's the sum of them all. JRPGs are JRPGs because they're dream-packed, emotion-triggering, hair-raising adventures that make you laugh, cry, and everything in between. In other words, JRPGs are JRPGs because they feel like JRPGs. Helpful, right?
Okay... then what should I play?
Have you tried the Paper Mario series? Or Mario & Luigi? Both are hilarious, fast-paced twists on the genre.
Want something faster? How about the action-packed Kingdom Hearts series?
Or a fast-paced, politic-heavy game that places you in the shoes of a rebel out to fight against a nasty, oppressing empire. It's a little rough around the edges, but that's part of the charm. And it'll help you segue into my favorite game of all time, the illustrious masterpiece Suikoden II.
Or Final Fantasy VII - You might as well see what all the hype is about.