JRPGs With The Best Gameplay Loops

Some JRPGs are so good that players never want to stop. This could be due to several things, like the story being so good that players just want to see the next cutscene. The multiplayer could also be good if players find a dedicated group of friends. And then, of course, there’s the general gameplay loop.

The following JRPGs have such a solid hook that hours can go by without anyone noticing. These games will have players saying, “Just one more game” before they inevitably have to shut systems down before the sun comes up. Have these games already gotten their hooks into you? If not, they’re still waiting for new players to discover their wiles.

Castlevania: Dawn Of Sorrow

The Best Of Looters

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is one of the finest entries in the series and is addictive from the first second, like most action-based Metroidvanias. Exploring the castle and its surrounding grounds is rewarding thanks to the ability and loot system. Players can equip various weapons and armor that are dropped from monsters, and then they can either buy gear or craft new stuff. Then there are the monsters that can give the hero cool abilities, like throwing spears or creating a familiar.

Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends Of The Titan

Dungeon Crawling At Its Finest

Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan is as good as any place to start with this franchise. It was the first one of the series on the 3DS to add a lot of quality of life elements to the series, like more diverse difficulties. Players can create their party from a wide set of original classes, and then explore dungeons.

Players can map out dungeons themselves with tools and also fight turn-based battles once random foes are encountered. Going back and forth to heal and get new gear in town may get repetitive for some, but others will appreciate the comforting loop. It’s one of the most challenging series around, even with difficulty settings in Etrian Odyssey 4: Legends of the Titan, but some JRPG fans love that rewarding sense of accomplishment.

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time

Live Your Best Life

Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time lets players go at their own pace, whether they want to fish, cook, or slay monsters with action combat. Mastering all the Lives, or classes, can be rewarding if players want to experience everything that this latest Level-5 game has to offer.

It also has a multiplayer mode if players are interested in exploring dungeons with friends, but this doesn’t extend to the campaign. Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time is one of the most chill games around for JRPG fans who prefer to take things at a more relaxed pace.

Final Fantasy Explorers

An Easy-To-Learn Monster Hunter

There are a lot of Final Fantasy games with great gameplay mechanics, but Final Fantasy Explorers stands out as a good alternative to the Monster Hunter games. Final Fantasy Explorers is much easier than most of those games. There’s still a bit of grinding to get materials, but it’s satisfying all the same.

Getting enough materials to craft that next big armor or weapon upgrade can make a huge difference. It’s a light-hearted adventure where gameplay comes first and story second. Sadly, it’s still only available to play on the 3DS, but maybe one day Square Enix can make it more available via a sequel or remaster.

Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories

Pixel Perfect Probing

Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories revisited most of the worlds from the original Kingdom Hearts, but was more light on story. Exploration had more of a randomness factor to it, as players used cards on doors to create new rooms. Combat was also card-based, so there was a collectability factor wherein players were incentivized to craft the best deck. Between the deck-building aspects and the randomness of rooms, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories offered players a lot to digest on the GBA, which is still the best version compared to the console ports.

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

No Mastery Involved

Pokemon Legends: Arceus resets things back to the basic hook of the Pokemon franchise: catching Pokemon. Players could progress through small quests from their hub town, but generally, they were free to roam around and catch Pokemon in the open world.

There was no need to collect gym badges, and Pokemon could be caught without battling them, which was a huge win. These two factors helped elevate Pokemon Legends: Arceus above every other entry on the Switch, and created something new for the beloved franchise.

Unicorn Overlord

Open-World Tactics

Unicorn Overlord is one of the most innovative and easy-to-understand tactical JRPGs from Vanillaware. Instead of going through linear battles on a static map with icons, players can explore an open world. They can collect materials, find treasure, talk to NPCs to get quests, and fight random enemies placed around the map.

Instead of grid-based battles, character units can march to designated areas like an RTS and will then automatically fight enemy units once encountered. This RTS influence makes battles go by much quicker in Unicorn Overlord than other tactical JRPGs, which is why it’s harder to put down.

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana

Breaking Down The Action Genre

Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is an excellent entry in the Ys series and perhaps the best one to start with. It feels similar to a Legend of Zelda game with more RPG elements, as players can level up upon defeating monsters. Gold and materials can also be collected from monsters to buy and upgrade the next best piece of gear for the hero. Ys Memoire: The Oath in Felghana is another game that is light on story in favor of giving players a satisfying action RPG across an ever-evolving set of dungeons.