The last decade has brought us some wonderful JRPGs. There are plenty to choose from but according to Metacritic, these are the top five from the last ten years.
1. Persona 5 (Metascore 93)
Persona 5 was initially released on September 15th, 2016. Since then it has received a definitive released called Persona 5 Royal, which added a lot more content. Persona 5 Royal was released on October 19th, 2019.
While Persona 5 Royal might be the best way to experience the game, Persona 5 on its own was a great JRPG. It is the sixth installment in the Persona franchise.
Persona 5’s story follows Joker and his crew their journey while they discover and explore the Metaverse. As the game’s story unfolds, more people join Joker’s cause and they become the Phantom Thieves of Heart.
The game features classic turn-based combat, allowing you to control both the characters, and their Personas. Joker can wield multiple Personas, while everyone else has just one. You can capture Personas during combat and utilize them in battle to level them up.
Outside of the Metaverse, you’ll be living through Joker’s school life as well as his personal life. You can cultivate relationships with your fellow party members, or perform jobs for money. You can also do activities that raise certain skills that will help you in the Metaverse.
Persona 5 is a great JRPG with literally hundreds of hours of gameplay. If you haven’t played it yet, give it a try.
2. Persona 4: Golden (Metascore 93)
Persona 4: Golden is a remastered port of the original Persona 4 which was on the PlayStation 2. The port was released on PlayStation Vita and later Microsoft Windows. If you haven’t been able to play this title, then the Windows version is a great way to sink your teeth in.
Much like Persona 5, Persona 4 has a lot to offer. It is turn-based as well, but its story is very unique. It revolves around a group of high school students who begin to investigate a string of murders.
The protagonist and their friends discover they can walk into the TV world. There, they begin to unfold the mysteries of the murders that are happening around town. Like Joke from Persona 5, this protagonist can also wield multiple Personas.
Staying true to the Persona series, you’ll also live through the protagonists school and home life. Here you’ll develop relationships, raise skills, and work for money.
The game will run you anywhere from 70 hours, to 140 hours, depending on what you want to complete. It is a wonderful JRPG well worth your time.
3. Bloodborne (Metascore 92)
Bloodborne was released exclusively for the PlayStation 4 on March 24th, 2015. The game was developed by FromSoftware, the same creators of the Dark Souls franchise. As such, the game plays much like a Dark Souls game.
You’ll create your character and then begin your exploration. The game is mostly linear, and will require you to familiarize yourself with your enemies attack patterns.
Bloodborne is an action RPG and you will need to get the timing of dodging and blocking just right to survive. As you defeat enemies, you’ll collect Blood Echoes which you’ll use to upgrade your character or buy items.
If you die, you’ll drop all of these Blood Echoes, requiring you to retrieve them before dying again. This is what can make Bloodborne and the Dark Souls series so difficult. It’s possible to loose all of your Blood Echoes if you don’t make it back to the area you died in.
Bloodborne is a great action RPG if you enjoy challenging, yet rewarding combat. Bosses might take you a while, but when you finally take them down you’ll be rewarded handsomely.
4. Fire Emblem Awakening (Metascore 92)
The Fire Emblem series has always been considered to be one of the best JRPG series out there, and Fire Emblem Awakening is no exception. It was released on April 19th, 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS.
It was the thirteenth installment in the Fire Emblem franchise, and the first one to be developed on the Nintendo 3DS. Gameplay, like other Fire Emblem titles, is tactical. The battlefields are in grids and you move your characters across them to get to the enemies.
You can interact with other characters to improve their abilities, change the difficultly level of the game, and even turn off permanent death if you want to. Permanent death has always been present in the Fire Emblem games, and certainly add to their difficulty.
The game takes place 2000 years before the original Fire Emblem game. The story focuses on Chrom, the prince of Ylisse and his personal army. Many other popular Fire Emblem characters are present in the game like Robin and Lucina.
5. Xenoblade Chronicles (Metascore 92)
Xenoblade Chronicles was originally released on June 10th, 2010 for the Nintendo Wii. There has since been ports for both the Nintendo 3DS and the Nintendo Switch.
The game takes place on the Bionis and the Mechonis, which are the frozen bodies of Titans. The story focuses on Shulk and his friends as he sets out on a quest for revenge.
The battle system is a real-time action-based battle system. You will control Shulk, or whoever is the leader of the party, while the other members attack automatically.
There are abilities called “Arts” which can also be performed, but have a cooldown. Experience points can be used to level up characters and learn more Arts.
Shulk also has the ability to see glimpses of the future which take place during battle, too. This is represented in the game’s “Vision” system.
Since its release, it’s been described as one of the best JRPGs around. I would definitely encourage anyone interested in JRPGs to check this title out.
Conclusion
With so many JRPGs to choose from, it can be overwhelming to figure out which ones to play. Granted, most of them are all worth playing, but it can be easier to narrow down your selection thanks to websites like Metacritic.
Sometimes all it takes is just being able to get an idea of what the game is like, or how the battle system works. For me, a JRPG can succeed or fail depending on the battle system. This list just just 5 of some of the best JRPGs from the last decade, so check them out if you haven’t yet.
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