The Nintendo Switch has quickly become the prime console for RPGs and JRPGs. The library has grown tremendously over the years, which means it’s time to pick out the best JRPGs you can play on the Switch right now.
Fire Emblem Three Houses
Fire Emblem Three Houses isn’t just one of the best JRPGs you can play on the Switch, it might very well be the best game in the Fire Emblem series, period.
Playing as Byleth, you’re a professor in the Garreg Mach Monastery who’s tasked with teaching your students in the ways of combat. Three Houses also happens to feature the most compelling cast of characters we’ve seen in a Fire Emblem game, fascinating political machinations, and an honestly engaging main story that will keep you invested from start to finish.
We haven’t even talked about the gameplay yet, which is still fun as always if you’re into all that tactical goodness. Fire Emblem’s weapon triangle system may feel a little too simple for some, but as always, the challenge lies in trying to make it through a battle without losing a single unit.
Persona
The Persona series needs no introduction at this point, and yes, they’re an absolutely perfect fit for the Switch. All three games are among the best JRPGs in video games, and if you’re at all interested in the genre or if you’re in the mood for comfy socializing with cute anime characters who have depth, then these are worth a look.
All three Persona games on Switch follow the same formula: your days are spent in school, going out on dates and outings with your friends, while your nights are usually reserved for dungeon-crawling where you fight off the forces of evil to protect Japan. The turn-based combat holds up surprisingly well, especially in Persona 3 and 4, while 5 easily offers up the most accessible and modern take on the turn-based formula today.
Octopath Traveler
In an attempt to bring back the retro-styled JRPG resembling Final Fantasy games of the past, Square Enix brought Octopath Traveler into this world and, on the Switch.
Octopath Traveler introduces you to eight different people who all live separately from another and have completely distinct lives. Chapter by chapter, you switch between the eight characters to play out all of their story arcs.
From playing as a suave professor and a female escort to a warrior and a huntress; each playable character in Octopath feels really different from the next in terms of combat and special abilities that they can perform on and off the battlefield.
Octopath Traveler’s unique HD 2D art-style has been coined by Square Enix and its developers, and after playing this lengthy JRPG, you can see why. The pixel art in play here looks glorious and with the lighting effects, soundtrack, and setting, Octopath Traveler shines as one of, if not, the best JRPGs available on the Switch.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is one of the biggest and sprawling JRPGs that you can get your hands on with the Switch. Taking control of a party of soldiers, Xenoblade 3 tells a pretty heavy story about wanting to break free from a cycle of violence while also wrestling with the consequences of war.
Throughout the 60-hour RPG, you will be learning new combat mechanics for almost the entire story. It’s not that Xenoblade Chronicles 3’s combat is confusing, but there’s always something new to learn, bringing in new methods to deal with the variety of enemies that you encounter.
If you’re looking for a heavy JRPG to jump into with a great cast of characters and tons of content that provides dozens of hours of gameplay, then look no further.
The World Ends With You: Final Remix
Starting the game off with an angsty teenager named Neku Sakuraba, you find yourself in the middle of Shibuya Crossing with an eerie red timer on your hand. The timer is ticking down and Neku soon realizes that he is the underground of Shibuya participating in a round of the Reaper’s Game.
Neku teams up with other players to complete daily missions in order for them to stay alive and not to face erasure.
Taking place in Tokyo, The Worlds Ends With You is such a quirky little game but it also has tons of style. The music is super poppy and Japanese, you can go shopping and change around your character’s equipment to customize their stats and you even buy ramen to increase health.
Using pins as your main source of power, you defeat enemies to gain experience and to collect money so that you can buy some new threads or pins for battles.
The World Ends With You is one of the best JRPGs of all time, and while playing it on the Switch isn’t as good as playing it on the DS (where it first launched) but it’s still great fun with an intriguing story with a varied cast of characters.
Pokemon Legends Arceus
To say that Pokemon Legends Arceus is a refreshing change of pace for the series would be the understatement of the century. Not only does it completely shake up the Gyms and Elite Four formula, it also gave us a first taste of what an open-world Pokemon game could look like.
The catching mechanic and Poke Ball crafting system added a lot of depth to the game, and also helped with its pacing, as you could literally run around the world and throw balls to catch Pokemon in the wild without having to skip a beat. It honestly makes the mainline games feel archaic and outdated as a result.
The boss battles are genuinely fun and challenging, and the story itself is actually good and considerably mature for a Pokemon game. It’s worth noting that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are also currently available on the Switch, and if you’re looking for a more traditional Pokemon experience, those would be the games to look at. That said, there’s just something special about Arceus.
Valkyria Chronicles 4
Valkyria Chronicles 4 is a strategy role-playing game similar to Fire Emblem or Advance Wars in that you control units on a map with a goal to defeat the enemy before they kill your squad.
This fourth iteration in the series actually takes place during the events of the first game but, this time, the story revolves around an entirely different squad. Commander Claude Wallace of Squad E of the Federation teams up with his best friends of childhood’s past to fight in a war that has no winners.
The gripping story arcs and varied party members draw you deep into the world of Valkyria Chronicles and once you get sucked in, you might not be able to come out.
Disgaea 5 Complete
Disgaea 5 is a tactical RPG that served as a launch title for the Nintendo Switch back in 2017 and is a port of the PS4 version but with all of the extra content such as bonus scenarios, new characters, and special classes.
This is the first time that a numbered entry in the Disgaea series has seen release on a “portable” console making this Switch port something to celebrate besides the free DLC content.
Set in a strange demonic world full of strange creatures, Disgaea 5 leans towards humor instead of world-threatening JRPG seriousness, which should be refreshing for JRPG fans used to the latter.
With Disgaea 5’s lengthy campaign, the Switch is a great place to play this gem of an RPG. It’s perfect for quick pick up and play sessions, and trust me, this one will take up a ton of your time if you plan on putting effort into actually finishing it.
Final Fantasy
Whenever anyone mentions the greatest JRPG’s of all time, specifically on the PlayStation, it’s hard not to bring up Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IX. VII ushered in a wave of brand new JRPG fans that would introduce players to Cloud Strife and the rest of his odd crew.
Sephiroth is one of the most infamous villains to ever grace the PlayStation and now, these two games are pretty much playable on any modern console.
With Final Fantasy IX, Square went back to their roots by giving us a proper fantasy game with knights, mages, princesses, and a guy with a monkey tail. It’s all very whimsical and child-like, compared to the steampunk setting of Final Fantasy IX.
Whichever one you decide to choose, you’re in for quite the ride my friend. These two JRPG’s were so seminal at the time of release, especially FFVII.
Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition
Taking place in a world called Terca Lumireis, you play as Yuri Lowell. Yuri is an ex-Knight of the empire who ends up teaming up with the princess to stop the abuse of a power called Blastia.
Being a port of the Japan-only PS3 version of the game, Tales of Vesperia still holds up ten years later and its cel-shaded graphical look fantastic on the Switch. This JRPG is a classic that stands as one of the best Tales games of all time.
In our review for the Switch version, we called Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition “one of the biggest Tales experience to date,” praising the fact that the game is not just a simple port:
“In many ways, it feels like a brand new experience, even for someone with plenty of experience with the original game and the Tales series, like myself.”
And that does it for our picks for the best JRPGs on the Switch. Be sure to search for Twinfinite for more news and information on Switch-related content.
Published: Jan 5, 2023 09:31 pm