With accusations of being a dying genre by some of the weirder journalists, the encroachment of western RPGs, and supposed ‘free passes’ in the critic world, jRPGs (and, specifically, turn-based RPGs) seem to be getting a lot of negative publicity. There are many steady and hardcore fans within the genre, but nonetheless, news outlets can’t seem to cut the genre some slack. This article serves as a counterpart to all that negative publicity: these kinds of games have been here for decades, and they’re not going anywhere for as long as gaming exists on consoles, computers, and handhelds. Here’s why.
The nostalgia factor that follows the games is undeniable: the success of games like Pokémon and Fire Emblem show that even though there are many game alternatives which outpace their turn-based system, fans are still following their series and loving the same battle mechanisms. Granted, from sequel to sequel, many games will change their mechanics, but the success of those that don’t show that there is a huge nostalgia factor when it comes to these types of games. The same could be said for any successful series, but the prevalence of turn-based games released for older consoles and PCs gives the entire genre a nostalgia boost.
What’s more, despite not having action packed battles, the typical jRPG will have huge advantages over its western counterparts. A more linear approach allows developers to focus more on environments, character development, and the setting of the story. You are given a single journey with minimal paths (in contrast to the Western sandbox approach), but the things you can learn about the world are more concentrated and often carry more significance. The linearity of the game’s progress also keeps the game from becoming derailed by sidequests that range huge distances. When playing the western RPG Oblivion, I quickly forgot about the main plot and ended up knee-deep in the Dark Brotherhood quests. While that kind of approach does give the genre its charm, sometimes I actually want an attainable goal when playing a game, rather than fifteen different subplots to follow.
Along with that, the typical turn-based nature of jRPGs allows for more strategy than action-based games. While action-based games do take reflex skill, its strategies are normally focused around finding the enemy’s weak point, timing, and rationing healing items and ammo. On the other hand, turn-based strategy allows for a more precise way of doing all of the above, and often add in the interactions of a party and the battle’s terrain. The enemy’s weakness is a major factor, but the characters often have their own strengths and weaknesses to consider. You can’t just armor up a black mage and expect to beat the final boss in a solo run (barring crazy leveling or intense item creation)—you’ll need the whole party.
The accusation that jRPGs get cut some slack by the media is clearly untrue—just look FFXIII and FFXIV and see how that went for them—but it’s true that nostalgia does come into play when playing jRPGs. Their unique battle system and approach to storytelling gives jRPGs their own niche in gaming—a niche which can actually spill over in the form of Action-Adventure Platformers or western RPGs. Because of their prevalence in gaming culture, they will likely be here to stay for decades to come—or at least as long as the current concept of gaming exists.