Hello! Justin here and welcome to the Otaku Mind. A little over a week ago we lost Akira Toriyama, the man who revolutionized manga forever. I’m still in shock over this news. DBZ was the series that introduced me to anime. So many owe their love of anime/manga to him. Without him there is no Naruto, One Piece, Bleach or Project Nitsuj. He was that important to all of us and so I thank him for creating Dragonball and for showing us that the best stories are the ones that are simple with creative ideas. May you rest in peace and enjoy Heaven. Now Akira is very well known for his manga but one thing people don’t talk about all that much is his impact on the videogame industry. Particularly JRPGs which is what we’re talking about today. Over these last few months, I’ve noticed that JRPGs are taking over the market and rising in popularity. The year started off hot with Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth becoming the fastest-selling game in the franchise’s history followed by Persona 3: Reload which finally got the worldwide recognition it deserved and the much anticipated FFVII: Rebirth. Even Unicorn Overlord lived up to the hype it was getting online and has become a potential GOTY candidate. This doesn’t even take into account last year when we got Super Mario RPG, Octopath, FF16, and Persona 5 Tactica. With SMT V: Vengeance, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Dragon Quest 3: Remake, and even Persona 6 coming out in the near future, I think it’s safe to say that we are entering the JRPG era of videogames. But, why now? Why the sudden increase and interest in JRPGs?
Change in culture
I think the biggest reason is a change in culture. During the 90s people weren’t all that big into anime, manga, or Japan. This would all start to change in the late 90s thanks to Toonami and Pokémon but even then, it was still small and unknown. Fast forward to the present and we have whole generations who love anime, manga, and the Japanese culture. There was also the internet which spread information about these games and how great they were. We didn’t have to rely on gaming magazines to get information about games. We could check game reviews online, watch videos of the game on Youtube, and listen to trusted reviewers for honest opinions about the game.
Presentation and Storytelling
Another major reason is presentation and storytelling. Looking back, JRPGs always had a presentation that was different from other games. There was more time, effort, and detail put into everything. This wasn’t just a game this was a whole world imagined for us to explore and venture into. With videogames now being seen as art in the same way movies can be seen as art even the most casual gamers were starting to see the appeal to them. Videogames are kind of like interactive movies that allow you to go at your own pace. You can follow the main story or take a detour and do a side story to see what this world has to offer and interact with the people of this new world. The storytelling of these games was also phenomenal. People want to get sucked into stories nowadays and JRPGs are a good way to get people sucked into a story. We got to know these guys and relate to them. Take for example, Ichiban from Like a Dragon. Within the opening moments of the game we get a clear idea of who this guy is and what he values. He’s a yakuza but has a code of honor that he follows. He’s not the smartest nor is he the strongest, but he’s the guy who always wants to help out people and expects nothing in return. He values the people closest to him and will always have their back no matter what. Stuff like this made the character interesting and someone you wanted to follow. It doesn’t stop with the MC, it extends to the rest of the cast as well. Some are rogues, have low self-esteem, a hidden past, carefree, serious, or former enemies turned allies. They all have a story and character worth exploring and we were drawn to them. We saw ourselves in these characters and could relate to what they were going through or acting like because we’ve faced it or gone through a similar experience. If a character or story can’t catch your interest, then why play the game in the first place?
Different levels of strategy and gameplay
On top of having amazing stories and presentations, JRPGs also presented players with a fitting level of challenge. The games would usually start off slow and easy but it was all necessary to get the gamer accustomed to the controls so they would be ready to face the challenges ahead. The Persona games were a great example of this. For the first two or three hours the game is slow but it’s helping you get accustomed to the gameplay before it lets you loose in their world. Once it’s done it gives you free rein to play the game however you see fit. Complete the main objective before the deadline or explore the world and interact with characters to help make yourself stronger for the challenges ahead. JRPGs always do a good job of giving the player free reign in their games to go and do whatever they want but always remind them to stay focus on their main objective. Getting back to the challenge, JRPGs would start off with simple enemies that you could easily defeat but as you got stronger and the enemies got stronger as well and you would have to think. Sometimes rushing headfirst trying to overpower your enemy wasn’t the way to go because they were stronger. So you have to change your strategy. Maybe come back and face this enemy when you’re stronger. Use a different party line-up to battle. Face the opponent a few times to understand their moves, learn from them, and then counter them to finally win. For me, stuff like this is always fun and satisfying when after you’ve been playing for an hour you finally manage to beat that one enemy you’ve been stuck on and come out stronger than when you went in. The same thing can be said when you beat the game. As the credits roll and you look back on the journey you went on to get here. The bosses you faced. The trials you overcame. The characters you learned about. The hours and days you spent playing, you can’t help but feel satisfied because you have learned something. You are a different person than when you first started the game and you should feel proud of your achievement and what you learned from this experience.
As much I love a good beat’em up and action/adventure game, JRPGs are the games I always look forward to playing the most because of the experience I’m going to get from them and I’m happy to see the community as a whole taking notice of that experience and realizing how great this genre is. Is it time-consuming? Yes, but those hours of playing the game are well spent and enjoyable. If you’re new to this genre and looking to get into JRPGs definitely check out the games I mentioned earlier. Like a Dragon is whacky and funny but knows how to tell a serious story that gets you invested. FFVII: Rebirth takes you on one of the greatest stories ever told in the series with some amazing graphics and characters. Persona 3: Reload has awesome gameplay that gives you a lot of freedom, great themes, and music. Finally, Unicorn Overlord is a great callback to old-school JRPGs where you don’t need the most stunning visuals to be interesting. All you need is a simple story with great characters and creativity. And if you want a blast from the past and admire the work of Toriyama then check out Dragon Quest the grandfather of JRPGs and one of the greatest franchises out there or Chrono Trigger one of the all-time greatest JRPGs in my book that revolutionized the genre as we know it. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.