5 Games That Show 2016 Is the Year of the JRPG

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE

The game now known as Tokyo Mirage Sessions sounded like a joke at first. A crossover between Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei seemed a bit outlandish, but it’s a reality. What comes out is a game that looks and feels more like Persona, and something fresh for the JRPG genre.

Every aspect of Tokyo Mirage Sessions oozes Japanese culture. The game itself is set in Tokyo, utilizing many well known locations like Shibuya and Harajuku. The main cast is part of a talent agency known as Fortuna Entertainment. Music features heavily as a theme of the game, and even features original songs from Japanese entertainment company Avex Group.

The game combines elements from both Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei both in battle and out. Beings known as “mirages” function similarly to Personas from the SMT games, and the mirages are in fact based on Fire Emblem characters from other worlds. Tokyo Mirage Sessions features a turn-based battle system that combines the weapon triangle system of Fire Emblem, and the mechanics of melee weapons and elemental properties from SMT.

The fact that Nintendo chose to localize the game in North America is surprising enough, let alone knowing that they’ll be using the Japanese voice tracks with English subtitles. Fans of the genre should make sure it’s on their radar this year. As unlikely of a combination these two series were, they’ve come together to make something wholly unique and fresh for JRPGs.

I Am Setsuna

Sometimes looking back on our past is more important than moving forward. I Am Setsuna runs with this idea, hoping to be a homage to the golden era of JRPGs in the 90’s. The developer, Tokyo RPG Factory, was created by Square Enix in order to make original RPGs. They’ve cited games like Chrono Trigger and the older Final Fantasies as their inspirations.

I Am Setsuna takes place on a snowy island with a cast of three main characters, and Setsuna’s central theme to its story is sadness. The game wants to use this theme to evoke the emotional feelings that JRPGs used to, with their characters and stories. Games like Final Fantasy 6 built their characters through interaction, and memorable events like the Opera scene. Even the soundtrack of Setsuna is recorded almost entirely on a solo piano, only adding to the somber feeling.

Setsuna’s battle system is directly inspired by Chrono Trigger, with players controlling their characters from an angled top-down perspective.Battles take place directly where the player runs into enemies, and an Active Time Battle System is implemented similarly to what’s found in the Final Fantasy series.

I Am Setsuna may not reinvent the wheel, but it looks back at the ways JRPGs used to be and tries to recapture that magic. Everything about it is a throwback to beloved classic role-playing games, and anyone who has a soft spot for 90’s JRPGs should give it a chance.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness

For a series celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, it’s surprising that only five Star Ocean games have been released up to this point. Still, each Star Ocean game is looked back on fondly by fans in different ways.

Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness is chronologically the second to last game of the series taking place between The Second Story and Till the End of Time. The third game of the series, Till the End of Time, had a mind bending story twist that’s still a bit divisive for fans. With this fact in mind, Star Ocean 5 is essentially the furthest we’ve seen the series go timeline wise.

The game takes place on the planet Faykreed, 6000 light years away from Earth. Two inhabitants of the planet, Fidel Camuze and Miki Sauvester, act as the games protagonists. The two get drawn into a conflict larger than they realize, along with a mysterious amnesiac girl named Relia.

Integrity and Faithlessness tries to update and provide growth to almost every feature about the Star Ocean series. A big focus for Integrity and Faithlessness is continuing to expand the fast-paced battle system the series is known for.  Combat in the new game has been pumped up, with players bringing a whopping seven characters into battle. You have the ability to control one of these seven and switch between the others at any time.

Much of the design of Integrity and Faithlessness also makes an effort to streamline the JRPG experience. Battles happen seamlessly as you run into enemies in the world, instead of cutting away to a separate battle screen. Cutscenes work on this same concept, as the game seeks to make them interactive and dynamic.

Even though there’s only been a handful of Star Ocean games, each entry has shown the natural progressions of the JRPG genre. Integrity and Faithlessness takes the next step to modernize the series, and push the JRPG forward.

Persona V

Although the Shin Megami Tensei series has been around for over 20 years, its offshoot series Persona has forged quite a name and following for itself. Persona features similar mechanics and themes to the main series with its own twist, and a much larger focus on developing its characters.

Persona 3 and 4 have become especially well loved because of their fascinating character development and social link system, on top of engaging main stories. The games essentially combine supernatural stories and dungeon crawling with living the life of an every day Japanese high schooler. Persona 5 runs with this, and tries to bring even more contemporary themes into the mix.

The newest entry sticks with the same story setup, as the game starts with its 16-year-old protagonist being transferred to Shujin High School in Tokyo. During his time there he meets new friends, including a talking cat named Morgana, and somehow discovers the power of Persona. Feeling suppressed by their environment the five main characters form a group known as the “Phantom Thieves of Heart,” and explore a place known as the “Palace” created by people’s hearts.

The Persona games are always heavy with themes, and Persona 5 is no different. One of the central themes of the game is freedom, and how the group strives to attain it.  Authority, learning your place in the world and others can also been seen as present themes in the game. The color red also plays a role, giving the game a harsher feel compared to the yellow of Persona 4 and the blue of Persona 3. The social link system will also be making a return in an altered form.

Persona games have set a standard for character development and party interaction, with other JRPGs trying to follow suit. The new story setup and setting provide an interesting opportunity to tell a story about finding freedom, with the strong party interaction that the series has become known for. An updated combat system and incredibly sleek visual aesthetic only help to sweeten the deal even more. Fans have every reason to be eagerly awaiting this title.

Final Fantasy XV

Final Fantasy XV is finally releasing this year after one of the longest development cycles in gaming history. Whether or not the game is a success, it’s certainly an important release. The series has been undergoing change for quite a few years now, with XIII changing aspects of the game like the combat system and linearity. Final Fantasy XIV brought another massive MMO to the series after that. However, XV may be the game that changes the series the most including the direction it goes from here.

Final Fantasy XV is a huge deviation from anything we’ve seen over the series history. A darker story tone, smaller and more personal party, and expansive open world are just some of what Final Fantasy XV is trying to do. A fast, real-time combat system similar to that of Kingdom Hearts changes gameplay, and gives players multiple options for weapons, magic and more.

Exploration is a huge aspect of XV with multiple ways of traversing the expansive world like Chocobos and even a car that can potentially turn into a plane. Even the story sees a bit of a different take, as the world of XV is something more akin to that of modern-day Earth. A dynamic weather and day/night system can affect how you travel the world, and even the effectiveness of magic and skills in battle.

Story themes are another portion of XV that bring something new. The countries of Lucis and Niflheim have been locked in a cold war for years over possession of the worlds last remaining crystal. Noctis is the main character of XV and prince of Lucis, and has to retake his throne after Niflheim invades. After going through multiple iterations Hajime Tabata, director of Final Fantasy Type-0, was brought on to help finish the game that’s now coming on September 30. Themes of a “road movie” and “bonds” are the direct influences on the games story. Tabata has even said that he hopes the ending of Final Fantasy XV will make fans cry.

No matter what your experience with the series is, Final Fantasy XV is trying to modernize and bring a completely fresh experience for fans new and old. The battle system, story and open-world mark a departure from tradition, but the team is willing to take a chance on a big new game. We’ll ultimately see if the ten year wait is worth it, but the game’s ambition is definitely impressive. Final Fantasy XV will undoubtedly change the series, and could very well end up being one of the most remarkable video games of this year.

What JRPGs are you looking forward to this year? Do you think the genre is on its way back into prominence? Let us know in the comments.