I already read, that people think 2023 was not the stronges year for this genre. But maybe you have still something that surprises you in a positive way or you play and older game again?

  • AshtearEnglish
    2·
    9 months ago

    The only two I played that actually came out this year were Trails to Azure and Trails into Reverie. And those were replays for me since I’d already played them before this year’s official release. Also replayed Xenogears, which I’m happy to say is still my favorite story in the genre. That gameplay, though. Oof. Does not age well.

    I also finished:

    • Persona 5 Royal. Also mostly a replay since I played the original a while back, but the Royal changes/refinements were so worth it. Love this ending now.
    • Triangle Strategy. I wasn’t impressed with the story, but the gameplay was very good. This one almost didn’t feel like a JRPG with how thin/different the character advancement and equipment systems are. And what the hell is up with Team Asano’s English dubbing? The voice acting in this was seriously rough, again.
    • Atelier Rorona. Was nibbling at this for a while and finally finished it in May. Enjoyable once I finally got into the groove. Hilarious dialogues; Atelier is definitely my go-to now when I need something funny.
    • Shin Megami Tensei IV. Played as part of my Discord server’s Game of the Month book-club style event. Incredibly frustrating at times, but I’m still glad I played through it.
    • Xenoblade Chronicles 2. This was my surprise of the year. I’d heard so much about the fan service in this game, but it was really…tame? It’s virtually only the women character models that are ridiculous and just a smidge of the writing here and there (Tora’s maid fetish mostly). There’s even a hot spring scene without the usual nonsense. I found the gameplay to be nothing special but I loved, loved Pyra. Haven’t liked a new character this much in a long time. Really enjoyable story.
    • Atelier Totori. Mostly same good vibes as Rorona. Wasn’t expecting the story to go in the directions it did, surprisingly touching.

    Overall, among the JRPGs I played this year, I had the best time with Persona 5 Royal. Not a big surprise since I’ve really come to love this series. Excited about what’s next from Hashino with Metaphor next year.

    Baten Kaitos Origins was disappointing. It felt cozy early on since I have (mostly) fond memories of the original game. Between the new stuff (an enby character!) and the combat feeling much better, I had a good feeling early on, but I just couldn’t handle the dungeon design. Didn’t make it very far.