Hi all, I'm a huge fan of RPGs and while I've never been a big fan of JRPGs (I don't really view them as true RPGs), I've been trying to open up my taste a bit and I figure the JRPG sale right now might be a good opportunity to check some out... so I figured I'd ask y'all for some advice.

I'm a massive fan of open world, sandbox sorts of RPGs but I do enjoy some narrative RPGs as well. My favorites includ the Elder Scrolls series, the Fallout series (old and new), the Witcher games, Mass Effect, Cyberpunk 2077, the Pillars of Eternity games, the Divinity series and so forth.

Are there any games in that sale list that you guys think might appeal to me based upon some of those favorites I listed? I realize the JRPG genre is significantly different from typical CRPGs but I just figured I'd ask and see what everyone's thoughts are.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous looks nice havent tried it yet thou
Immortal Fenyx Rising i have and it is fun game so far

JRPGs aren't like those games, so it's not possible to determine whether or not you'd like JRPGs based on your like of those games you listed.

I'm not sure why you don't view JRPGs as "true RPGs." Most JRPGS are way better than most Western RPGs are, in most ways.

You can't go wrong with any of the Falcom games, since they are all well-made, high quality games; although whether or not you would "like" them is a different matter since that depends on your personal taste.

If you go for one of the Legend of Heroes (LOH) games, they are all very story-heavy & world-building-heavy and reliant upon the prior games in the same IP, so in order to avoid problems, it's best to play those LOH games in chronological order, starting with Trails in the Sky 1.

LOH games are the closest JRPGs on GOG to some of the turn-based games you listed, although the "turn-based" concept isn't done in the same way in them as it is in something like the Divinity: OS games.

If you go for a Ys game, it doesn't matter what order you play them in, although those are not really RPGs; they are more of button-mashing, very arcadey, fast-past action-adventure games (I'm not saying they are bad games though; they are good too).

Zwei II: The Ilvard Insurrection is also a good game that is somewhat of a cross between the Legend of Heroes style and the Ys style (it's more story-heavy than Ys, but has more action-based gameplay than LOH), and it's relatively standalone (it has characters from the prior Zwei game return as side characters who appear once in a while, but it doesn't matter too much if you didn't play that prior game first, and the first Zwei game has rougher gameplay).

Tokyo Xanadu Ex+ is also a cross between the LOH style and the Ys style, and that game is standalone by default since they've only ever made one product in that IP so far.

So, if I were going to recommend something, I'd say try:

a) Trails in the Sky (just keep in mind that this is a very slow-burn game, so you have to stick with it for quite a while in order to begin to understand what it's doing) and

b) a Ys game of your choice (pick whatever one looks most appealing to you) and/or

c) Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection and/or

d) Tokyo Xanadu Ex+

...and then if you end up liking those games, then you could also buy more games from the same dev in the future.

Lol in all seriousness, despite the fact that those are far from JRPGs, I definitely plan to play both. Sadly, it's not but I have it on my wishlist from sometime (not sure when), it definitely looks pretty nice. I'll definitely keep an eye out for sales on it! I'm not here to debate why I don't view them as true computer RPGs but in simple terms, it's for the same reasons why I would consider the Witcher games to be "RPGlite" (a term I use inspired by 'roguelite') rather than straight up RPGs. One of my greatest gripes (though this has nothing to do with the "true RPG" argument) with this genre is its combat. I don't enjoy turn-based combat as it is (with the exception of the Divinity: Original Sin games) and I definitely don't enjoy most JRPG combat. Yakuza's the closest I've come to truly enjoying the genre and even it is all action-based, with the exception of Like a Dragon. I'll also mention that I own, yet have not played Valkyria Chronicles 4 so I'll be checking out a more traditional JRPG at some point even if I choose to not buy from this particular sale.

That said, I will certainly check out the ones you've suggested and I appreciate the effort in elaborating on your suggestions, it's very helpful! :)

Honestly, GOG's JRPG selection is weak and unless GOG is the only place for you, it is certainly not the best place to get into the genre. There is just about nothing on here that matches the genre greats (Final Fantasy, Persona, Dragon Quest, Chrono Trigger, Tales of, etc. etc.).

Tokyo Xanadu Ex+ is an absolute 7/10 title. Lots of it reminds me of Persona (except the action combat) but everything is more generic (generic school, generic city, generic characters). I'm not saying 7/10 means bad per se, but it means you only enjoy that under certain conditions.

Ys and Xanadu Next can also be entertaining for what they are, but you just have to be in the mood for some straight-forward action combat with a relatively irrelevant story and don't expect any meaningful build variety. Guess Zwei can be described in the same way.

Basically, there is just the LoH series here. I only played the first one and did like it. The story is decent, but the characters are written in a way that is really likable. However, combat etc. seemed promising, but ultimately felt like a weaker Grandia.

Just about everything else can be safely ignored. Stuff like The Alliance Alive seems to be for a niche audience who will put up with a lot of flaws because they are really into that design type. Heroland is terrible, btw.

Otherwise, combat can really vary, even if turn based. Titles like Final Fantasy X/X-2 for example are turn based but in a very fast-paced manner. Also, you should never expect meaningful choices from JRPGs or role playing in the CRPG sense.

what is a jrpg anyway?
is j as from japan?

I try to buy from GOG whenever I can, to support them and the DRM-free cause.. plus, I like to own the games I buy so there's that. However, I do still buy from Steam and I have the FF series pretty much entirely wishlisted over there.

Of the ones on the sale list, I'd say Tokyo Xanadu Ex+ is the one that seems to appeal the most due to how it says it has action-based combat and that is certainly my preference.

The LoH series looks intriguing for sure, I'm just not too sure about that pricing because even on sale, it ain't cheap haha

And yeah, that last statement is part of why I wouldn't consider JRPGs to be true RPGs, I'd classify them more as adventure games with RPG aspects. But again, like I said, I'm not trying to debate that here.

While not on sale right now, one I do recommend is Mary Skelter: Nightmares. It's available here on GOG, and imo, it is the most well made game from Idea Factory/Compile Hearts.

Just mind it has quite a few genres: Horror, visual novel, turn based combat (with a little touch of active time battle), first person dungeon crawler, ecchi, and maybe something else I'm forgetting.

Yes, the Final Fantasy series is a prime example of the gameplay and style.

My suggestion is shaped something like this.

See, GOG really lacks for what I'd consider a traditional JRPG.

Edge of Eternity is good at least at the start. Though I stopped playing because it's not yet feature complete. (It has a giant roadmap that will result in a quite different game [seems to be all positive] by its completion.)

Honestly, I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending anything based on what you've said, and the favorite RPG's you have listed.

What I'd feel most comfortable recommending to you isn't even on sale for some reason, and that would be Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, or Ys IX: Monstrum Nox. Both extremely enjoyable games, that are kind of open world with a fast paced, responsive, action gameplay.

I do not recommend Tokyo Xanadu Ex+, however. It's a very average at best mix of something like Ys VIII and Trails of Cold Steel. It might be worth playing if your a big Falcom fan, but it's not something I'd recommend to anyone outside of that. If you're thinking Tokyo Xanadu, just think again, and wait for Ys VIII or Ys IX instead. Ys IX is still really new though just an FYI.

The Legend of Heroes games are all extremely good, but the barrier of entry is very high, and I'm not sure they'd even appeal to you. If you were to say just buy the Trails of Cold Steel arc you'd still be looking at four (4) games to buy.

I honestly don't think there is any jrpgs on gog that matches your preferences.

Like several others here I'll put in a recommendation for the Legend of Heroes (Trails) series. It's one of the most narrative-driven series out there, with story and characters carrying across 10 games at this point with more on the way (although broken up into smaller, semi-self-contained arcs). I'd recommend starting at the beginning with Trails in the Sky to see if you like the style of the games- if you do then you have a massive experience ahead of you, and if you don't you're only out $10.

Another recommendation I'd make, although it isn't part of the current sale, is Ara Fell, which is a great self-contained JRPG if you're looking for a more bite-sized experience.