10 BEST JRPGs of 2023 You NEED to Play!
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- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- It's that time of year again! Let's count down the top 10 best JRPGs of 2023. What were some of your favorite JRPGs? Drop a comment and let us know!
Watch next: 5 JRPGs Worth Buying in 2023 & 5 That Are NOT! 👉 • 5 JRPGs Worth Buying i...
Timestamps:
Intro 0:00
10. 0:08
9. 1:35
8. 2:57
7. 4:39
6. 6:14
5. 7:51
4. 9:13
3. 11:15
2. 12:28
1. 13:55
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Octopath 2 was amazing, and the things they improved made the game even better than octo 1. I hope they will continue the series.
There's a Steam sale for both right now, but I plan to get the first one and leave the second for later. Is the first Octo worth playing?
@@gotinogaden the first is worth playing yes. I didn’t finish it but put 60 hours into and was ok with that. 2 has so many quality of life upgrades and honestly is a better game. With the stories not connected I’d grab that one on sale over octo 1. Also the demo carries over your progress. Whatever you do I hope you enjoy your time gaming.
@@jgreysquirrel Thank you, I appreciate the response! I am playing through "Live A Live", as sort of a preparation for Octo :)
I'd recommend this one as well since you clearly love HD-2D.
@@gotinogaden it’s on my list to get! It looks like a fun game are you digging it?
I guess it's a mixed bag, since you have 7 main campaigns, each of which rely on different elements - some are more humorous than others, for example - and a final campaign that becomes available once you beat all of the others. I started with The First (Prehistory) and it's all a bit goofy, because the characters in it do not use spoken language, so deciphering what to do next becomes a puzzle of its own. I've only ever played the demo before that, with the Edo period shinobi in it, and that was a cool campaign as you can either choose a more stealthy or head on approach. Originally it was a Famicom only game, so despite the visual improvements, the game still retain those anachronistic gameplay elements that you encounter in older console jRPGs. I'd say, give the demo version a try and see if it's your thing (the game has general tutorials that apply to all chapters, but some require that you learn mechanics which are usable only for a particular chapter).
Man, this year was so packed. I’ve just barely made it a quarter of the way through the Megaman Battle Network Legacy collection. These were my favorite games while growing up and they still hold up fairly well, even if the first two had some pacing issues. Just so much fun and not enough time.
Man am I excited to play your number 1 pick because the one you picked for number 2 was my game of the year!
Awesome list Taylor! Man this has been probably the most stacked year for JRPGS and damn near every single one of them were amazing in their own right! 🔥
When a mainline, numbered Final Fantasy misses the list you know it was a banger year 😂
@@TheGamingShelf 😂 Right!
A like for putting Octopath 2 first
I’ve been blessed to see all from 1980-Now so many great JRPGs throughout the decades 2023 was a great year for gaming
Azure, Nayuta, and Reverie all the way! '23 was a fantastic year for me.
My favorite JRPG this year was Trails into Reverie for sure. Lots of hype moments, characters interactions I thought would be happen or even considered. Awesome pacing and Lapis is such an impactful character.
Octopath Traveler 2 is my favorite game of this year, hands down. All sixteen of em. I already adored the first (drawn in by the artstyle and music, kept engaged with fun characters, great turn based combat that somehow struck that balance of being satisfying and not making bosses feel like health sponges.)
The stories, while not perfect, definitely had their moments as well.
Octopath Traveler 2 took all that was great about the first and cranked it up to eleven. Even BETTER hd-2d artstyle, even better music, evolved combat in really nice ways, had overall improvements in flow, structure and writing, I could go on and on. Any fan of turn based rpgs, play this game. It is genuinely incredible.
Star Ocean 2 was already my brother's favorite video game, and having a remake that is just a straight improvement on everything it touched while keeping a lot of the classic so2 weirdness... it almost made his old bitter heart cry with joy.
Love to see FE Engage in your list. I haven't played it yet, but it's nice to see positivity about the game. Really helps with not beating my future enjoyment/experience with the game when I finally play it.
I feel like Chained Echoes, despite being released on Dec 8, 2022 needs more love.
It released too late last year that it got no love, and then nobody even cares about it this year. It is hands down the best "this year" in my opinion.
So damn good , I loved it but I was sad it didn’t have a new game +
Its SUCH a good indie jrpg. I'm excited for the future games
It topped my best JRPGs of 2022 list video for whatever it’s worth!
@@TheGamingShelf Shit, I know I watched that last year, but definitely don't remember Chained Echoes haha.
You're the exception then!
Finally someone else who actually enjoyed FE Engage, the combat was fun and fantastic, sure the story was just ok, but still what a great game overall. Great list.
Couldn't agree more
The combat being slightly better than Three Houses doesn't justify everything else being worse, even down to the DLC being FAR worse.
@@AzureRoxe I see your point, but in generally play FE for it's gameplay, especially on Maddening Mode and I'd have to say FE Engage Maddening mode had a better challenge personally.
3 houses is great dont get me wrong, but the new game plus eventually makes the game too easy, to the point where the is zero challenge.
Octopath 2 is also my jrpg of the year! What an amazing game built on the strong foundation of the first one!
Engage story might be weak, but the gameplay and replay value is stellar which explains why i just started my 4th playthrough of the year!
Games i want to play in the future are Star Ocean second story R and Eternights!
Thanks for your high quality videos: super well structured, narrated and written !
I appreciate the love as always, Alex 💜
story might be weak? .... that has to been 1 of the worst stories i have ever played in a jrpg ever. It felt like i was playing with statues no thank you.
I came from another of your videos cos you mentioned a game I love that no one else ever mentions - Sakura Wars. You have just done it again here with Nayuta.
You have good taste.
Subbed.
Thanks for the kind words! And thanks for the sub 😄
Subscribed. You got all the games that I have. Very good taste.
I'm at my fourth playthrough of Octopath Traveler 2. Still NOT bored and the final boss is always a blast to play through and its music is a BANGER.
Sea of Stars Octopath Traveler 2 Trinity Trigger and honorable mention Chained Echoes (released December 2022) are some of the best JRPGs for 2023
I really should get on Fuga 2, for I too bought Tears of the Kingdom instead that day, unique as I am... but I did wrap up Octopath Traveler 2 before TOTK, and man. That final boss and how the game treated it, that felt POWERFUL and I loved it dearly. Currently making my way through Super Mario RPG and feeling how my increased skills have made the game damn near trivial but like, at the very least it's still quickpaced and charming, I can't be too mad.
I almost lost hope when I didn't see Octopath Traveler 2! Then you put it in number 1! I really love you. I cannot express how this game made my whole year.
Glad to hear from a fellow enjoyer 🤝
im absolutely shocked how good is the game, i just need to tell every rpgist to buy it to support square, we need a 3
Yesss so glad Eternights was included. Not my top but definitely was one of my favorites of 2023.
I’m a sucker for Persona-likes lol. Is that a thing now? 🤔
@@TheGamingShelfEternights is not a Jrpg though. It’s made by a Korean guy.
I agree with you Taylor, I love Octopath Traveler 2. Best-looking HD-2D game imo. Sure, it still has a few problems, but overall, it's great!
I can whole heartedly commend the atmosphere and vibes of octopath traveler 2. the music alone is warm and comfy.
Octopath feels like someone looked at the SaGa series and said "What if we made this, but with a SANE progression system?"
Haha exactly!
and you hit the nail on the head on why i have never been able to beat the Saga series and by extension why the last remnant is eternally on my to be completed list.
Octopath traveler 2 is probably among the top 15 JRPGs of all time, what an amazing game
100%!
its a crime that he has been overshadow that bloody 2023 year, hope it will get the rating it deserve with the years, i blame a lot of loosy review from youtubers that dont have the time to really play the game too
Great videos as always. I have a few of these on the to play pile. I wonder how I missed out on Eternights since it seems like something I would like and $30 is not a bad price. I'll make a point to pick it up after x-mas. I have to be honest about the first Octopath traveler... I got about 25 hrs in gave up on it. I was disappointed about that as I wanted to like it. How much better is Octopath Traveler 2?
Awesome list!!! This was great! I can't wait to get a bunch of these for Christmas!!!
Nice! What’s been your favorite JRPG this year so far?
@@TheGamingShelf Honestly, for 2023, Fire Emblem Engage BUT I have a bunch that just came out that I need to play still so I know it will change!!!
Thank you for mentioning Eternights because nobody is talking about this game and i think it's fabulous. Combat is awesome and i love the feel of the interactions with the characters.
Idk how Octopath Travelers 2 didn't win an award this year.
Octopath Traveler 2 is my top 4 favorite game of all time!!!
For me, just Nier Auromata, FF7R and FF9 are better than OT2 ❤❤
Love the videos! Have you covered Earthlock? It's a retro style rpg from 2018 that me (a non rpg guy) really enjoyed. I hear its kinda like FF10. And there's a sequel on the horizon!
Octopath Traveler II was definitely my favorite game of the year. Great list!
It's so good!
I've been waiting for this ❤🎉
Let’s go! 🥳
I’m waiting to receive Star Ocean & SMRPG but I’m currently playing DQ: Treasures which is very fun and Hack G.U. which released a while back but I highly recommend it.
Star Ocean was my FAV game as kid. So happy with this, I've been trying to play it on emulators for years on and off. Octopath it's just amazing It's my favorite game of the nowadays. I'll have to say, plus many others on this list this was an amazing year for RPGs. It's just not enough time in the day
Great list
Octopath 2 is a true masterpiece. I full enjoyed it. I wish they would be more similar games.
I’m getting Super Mario RPG for christmas!
I’m in the same boat as you! I’ve never played the original, but I’m hyped to play it!
Also do I need to play any of the other Star Ocean games to play R? Because I think it looks really cool!
Not at all. It’s like Final Fantasy in that it’s its own self contained thing.
A game that came out quite late in the year that you might've missed was Small Saga. Those graphics, story, and music are truly 10/10. The game also oozes uniqueness in its theme of being small rodents. I will say, two slight criticisms I had of the game were that 1. It was too easy if you're used to turn-based RPGs, and 2. It was a bit short at roughly 7~ hours of gameplay (not criminal though for a $20 game). Overall, I would put it up with some of these games though. It's a great pickup if you're looking for a short RPG with 0 fat on it.
If Eternights gets a squel, the only thing I hope gets improved is the combat and lightening. Combat did feel like it dragged a bit because it had a requirement for a perfect dodge, when at late stage I wish it used whoever you ended romancing. Have it affect the story and gameplay to really add that replay need and force a different play style.
Yeah the game was really dark in parts. Pretty hard to see at times
So many good JRPG's this year, and I'm really looking forward to the JRPG line-up in 2024!
Same! Next year is gonnn be wild.
Sea of stars may have started weak, but it picks up on the third island and just gets better and better with insane twist of twist
Glad I'm not alone thinking Sea of Stars could've benefited from voice acting.
Loved playing it, but it felt like voice acting would've made it the perfect blend of modern & retro/throwback JRPG
Its still so funny that it’s called Octopath traveler. This was just the name for the project and they wanted recommendations from the fans, but everyone just liked Octopath traveler so it ended up being unchanged haha
I have the same top 2.
I’ve never checked out a Fire Emblem game but am super tempted to try Engage.
Was a real good year for JRPGs. There’s a couple I didn’t even get to like Fate/Samurai Remnant and Monochrome Mobius that I’m curious about.
My 1 and 2 are the same!! OCTOPATH 2 is brilliant ❤
Sea Of Stars won the indie GOTY on the TGA and Golden Joystick awards so I'd say it did live up to the hype
its incredibly underwhelming and the combat is insanely simple and boring. Goes to show what those "game journo's" like. Just make a nostalgia bait game with pixel art and hopefully it'll pull and walllllah it did. Ah well, some people like boring stuff like that 😅
@@jawadalikhan2077 To each their own, man. For me, it's a really nice game.
It’s a damn shame Trails to Azure wasn’t top 3. It easily deserved that, it’s a masterpiece 😤
It’s a solid game, it just didn’t stick out amongst the sea of other great games.
@@TheGamingShelf I have to disagree, I think the payoff was huge especially coming from Zero and all the plot lines that were resolved. It’s pacing was much better, it was much more challenging, the quartz system got an upgrade, fast travel and those boss battles were incredible. Those plot twists were crazy too. Again, the only contenders to it was Second Story R and Octopath Traveler 2.
But I get this is subjective, still love all your content Taylor. Keep up the good work 🫶🏻
it only came out a week before this video released, but Dragon Quest Monsters 3: The Dark Prince is absolutely FANTASTIC.
YESSS, some love for OT2. I love that game.
I think we can all concur that this was a PHENOMENAL year for jRPG fans!
With both the Mario RPG remake and Wonder, Mario's getting really good treatment in terms of visuals.
Absolutely! Both games look fantastic.
Sea of Stars has a great stories!
Persona 5 tactica is definitely the game I look forward playing this month
Aside of Y7, Yakuza Ishin is my favorite game in the franchise. The combat is that good, and while the story is not the best (You know the villain's "secret" idendty on his first scene) it is still good. I also love the edo peroid as well.
Fuga is my second favorite work of fiction next to Made in Abyss.
I played through Fuga Melodies of Steel 6 times alrady. I recently started my 7th playthrough. The first game I have played 16 times so far.
Great year for JRPGs and early next year is already stacked. Still yet to buy P5T and Nayuta
Nayuta looks incredible
Subbed
Man, I was gonna name Chained Echoes, until I googled it and learned it released at the end of 2022. Such a good game
It did come out really late in the year!
Totally agree with you with OT2. The only game that I 100%
Listen, I clicked so fast, I think I broke my mouse 😅
Time for a new one then! 👀
😂
I loved Octopath. 80+ hours with pleasure!!
P5T id give a 6-7. Game was fun and i love game style but enemy types arent varied much and combat starts to become stale quick. Story was solid. Erina is extremely likable and i found myself really enjoying her arc. Would still recommend but i wish the game was a bit more flushed out.
Good list
Glad you think so!
If they do a physical double pack for FUGA on Switch, I'd be all over that
Its just wishful thinking from me but I would love it if they do a physical 3 games in one package when the third game comes out.
Octopath Traveler 2 is my RPG of the year too & 1 of the best ever in the genre.
Top 5 best jrpg of all time for sure
Octopath Traveler 2 is amazing in every way, they did better than its predecessor, said that, octopath traveler 2 have arguably one of the best final boss themes ever in history of gaming and believe me I have been gaming since NES aeons 😂, while octopath traveler 1 have one of the best True Final Boss themes, at the end, both games are masterpieces, still if you wanna try OT start with the first one, if you start the other way around OT 1 will just be not good enough compared with is sucesor .
I think I'll check out Eternights.
Do it 😎
Octopath 2 is so good. It is a masterpiece and will be remember in the future.
tell them again we have to tell them again !
Crazy that that FF16 doesnt even make the top 10 jrpg list the yr it comes out, what a yr for games!
Wow this is actually a good list
Haha thanks? 😆
I just finished the first kingdom in P5 tactica and while the combat is great, I'm really struggling to get into the story. There is so much boring (non voiced) dialogue between the short bursts fights, that I feel like I spend far more time waiting to fight, than actually fighting. Unlike the base P5 game, which had a great story, this one is proving to be a struggle.
I’ve found myself skipping a lot of the story too. The gameplay really carries the game. There’s only so many times we can go into the metaverse with these characters to take down bad guys lol.
Need to get back into Octopath 2. So many games man an not enough time 😫
For real! 2023 was insane no matter which genre you played.
@TheGamingShelf Most Definitely. Won't be any better for the first quarter of Next Yr.
I never finished the first Fuga, not going to buy the sequel.
I really loved Ishin (I won't argue about the genre, it gets a pass)
Nayuta is still on my backlog.
Sea of Stars is one of my favourite games this year.
Playing Persona 5 Tactica right now, about halfway through
Still need play SO2 Remaster been to busy on tactica
Sea of Stars!
Awesome list dude. One of my Favorites from this year is definitely Star Ocean 2R but my number is gonna be revealed in my next video
It’s a fantastic game!
@@TheGamingShelf I'm gonna play it while I watch the game awards
Better start saving for Octopath Traveler and P5 Tactica...
I haven't checked out OT2 because I strongly disliked the OG and in the demo it felt way too similar. BUT SOSS2R is definitely my GOTY outside of TOTK and yes Engage is way underrated! I think being out early in the year and having bad DLC didn't help it.
Jokes on you, I nearly have all of these games, Jokes on me, most of then are stuck in backlog purgatory
Haha well you clearly have good taste too ;)
hahaha, and i thought this would be an excuse for you to tell the world born of bread has been released :D
Of all the game on the list, i only played sea of stars but the lack of skills meant that the lock style that they had is such a pain in the ass to deal with, at the same time with how low your mp are, i did end up using items more than i would have but also i wish that we had more slots for potions and our consumables are not just food.
This is the first time hearing of it! Perfect fodder for a hidden gems video though 👀
It's the first time I've heard that Sea of Stars story is not that great and I LOVE IT! Characters are nice, but the story was both underwritten and overwritten and lost focus quite quickly!
I want to play octopath 2 and I know you dont need to play the first one, BUT I still havent beaten it and wont start the 2nd one until so 😭
Don’t limit yourself if you really want to play 2! 1 will always be there 😉
My problem with Octopath Traveller 2 is that it got suuper easy after the first 10 hours or so
Really? Interesting! If anything I felt like it got harder, especially once you hit the final bosses of each story.
@@TheGamingShelfIm 30 hours in and at chapter 3 for some characters (recommended level about 34), and what i find super boring is that i have multiple story lines with recommended levels ranging from level 7, 11, 14 etc.
But yeah maybe i push trough to see some of the ends if you say the battles get harder :D
Because in general i love the mix of exploring the world, story and engaging battle system
Exactly my problem. I got to around 3rd chapters and just couldn't keep it going. It was way too boring with how easy everything is. And having an option to just x2 both shows that they knew this issue and makes all the encounters even more boring!
i love FE: Engage too
Nayuta looks pretry cool.
#10 Fuga melodies of steel 2. I couldn't finish that game. I thought it was pretty bad. The battle system forces you to use the best skill for the right enemy. It doesn't give room for trial an error which I think is better than USE BEST SKILL TO BEAT THE ENEMY IN THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME!. Just me tho
So it's the same thing that happen in the first game then
I never had the feeling Fuga forces me to use my best skills all the time. I actully like to use normal attacks a lot to save SP.
14:07 I honey thought it came out last year.
Haha right? It was that long ago!
R I P FF16 lmao
SO2 by a landslide for me
I really want to try Octopath 2 but I could not bring myself to finish the first one.
Same. The first one was so bland.
As someone who played both: Octopath 2 is much much better. I didn't beat both of them, but I've played around 15-20 hours more in 2 compared to 1, and that's just because of backlog. I'm not going to return to 1 but I will for 2.
@@DaakkuuYRS Ya, i had the same experience with the bravely default series, i never beat any of them but i did enjoy the 2nd one a tad more
I thought i was looking forward to P5T but i’ve just grown completely apathetic towards it. If i do play it, it’ll be after P3R.
Great list but I would rather pick Like a Dragon Gaiden over Ishin here
These are Amazing Role Playing Game... yes they may came form one country BUT there AMAZING ROLE PLAYING GAMES..
Also throne was not a story of revenge wtf thats Oswald. Throne is about gaining freedom alot like Therion but without the character growth he went through.
I don't like when people say best JRPGs, but then they add action games part of there list. I don't understand it. JRPGs were originally turn based.
So Tales of, Kingdom Hearts, Star Ocean, Ni no Kuni 2, NieR and Ys aren't JRPGs?
You gotta play Fate/Samurai Remnant!❤
I know! 😭 That’s my big regret this year. I’m hoping to try it out over the holiday break.
I want a game similar to Xenoblade Chronicles 😢😢😢
Let me tell you about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 😜
I kid. When you say a game like XC what do you mean? The combat? Exploration? Story?
I wonder how much flack i’ll get if i say i enjoyed Engage more than Three Houses
None from me. When it comes to combat alone, Engage shits on 3H. Then the story is up to prefernce. Some people are fine with childish story with cute characters. I know I did. I played Engage right after beating Yakuza Ishin, so I needed simple and cute story.
I like Engage more than Three Houses in terms of gameplay but the story is indeed pretty weak in comparison to Three Houses but even so i still enjoyed, sometimes its good to play an game with an simple story than play an game with an difficult story
@@gideonantonissen6275 I’ll be honest, the only reason for my preference to Engage solely comes down to the fact that I think three houses is too bloated with how there’s three to four paths of story because of the whole three houses gimmick I just grew so fatigued cuz even just from completing one path I didn’t feel like I got the whole picture. Not to mention the first quarter of the game is the same for all three paths, so in a way it’s like I’m playing both releases of a Pokémon dual release simultaneously except there’s three of them. Which is why I just prefer engagement because it’s one straightforward path with no bloating.
@@LucasThePhantomThief fair enough to me Engage is the more simple version in comparison to Three Houses and its also more friendly to newcomers to the franchise. Plus i do like that Engage let you marry any character regardless of what gender the Alear you choose is make it nice to people that are interested in the same gender as Alear.
Honestly i came away from Sea of Stars, with the feeling of Meh.The best part about the game was definitely combat, mainly because it does the good turn based combat of giving you buttons to press after you do an attack, instead of the basic choose enemy, choose attack and that's it. But the story and characters were somewhat disappointing
Sorry, but how was Hikari's story a story of redemption? He had absolutely nothing to redeem himself for. Also Throne's also wasn't a story of revenge, but more of emancypation. Still I was surprised you liked Agnea's the most(btw I like her story as well, but honestly I love all of them)
I’m a softie, what can I say 😅
So glad to see Octopath Traveler II is your number 1!! Definitely my favorite game this year and is on the list of my favorite games of all time! Agnea’s story resonated with me so much that I picked up my instrument solely based on wanting to learn her theme. It’s a truly special game 🔥
Wow what a cool story! Thanks for sharing 🙂
How is the ost in star ocean second story R?
Really good! One of the best in the series.
@@TheGamingShelf say less