Here’s a list of some of the hidden gems of the JRPG world that we think could use a fresh coat of paint.
The trend of game remakes has taken the industry by storm and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. While we are getting remakes of some of the most iconic games in gaming history, such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, there are some rather unnecessary remakes, such as The Last of Us. Here’s a list compiling some truly underappreciated JRPG gems that are desperately in need of the remake or remaster treatment, some more than others.
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
Since its inception in 1992, Shin Megami Tensei has spawned multiple spin-offs such as Devil Summoner and, most famously, the Persona series. There is one spin-off from the PlayStation 2 era that flew under most people’s radars, Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga. Digital Devil Saga is a game in a dark post-apocalyptic world where clans can turn into demons. The games were famed for their gritty yet character-focused story but were also infamous for their lackluster level design and punishing battle system.
There truly is no narrative experience quite like Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga, and it’s a pity that due to it being stuck on the PS2, not many people will get to appreciate this gem of the JRPG genre.
Parasite Eve
When it first came out in 1998, Parasite Eve was a smash hit and had sold over 1.94 million copies by 2004; despite this, where are the other Parasite Eve games? You play Aya Beau, a rookie police officer who decides to attend an opera for a blind date. This goes horribly wrong, not because she was ghosted but because members of the audience started setting ablaze, and soon Aya encounters strange mutated abominations.
The games can best be described as Final Fantasy meets Resident Evil, and even though the gameplay was clunky, it was the story that gripped players which was praised greatly for its mature tone. Despite how iconic the series is, Square Enix shows no sign of resurrecting it, despite what ChatGPT says.
Parasite Eve is arguably a great cult classic of PlayStation 1, the horror genre. It could seriously use the remake treatment as seen with similar series such as Resident Evil remakes, which have all been critically acclaimed.
Resonance of Fate
Sometimes great games fall under the radar not because they’re buggy or don’t appeal to mainstream audiences but because of a terrible release date, such was the case of Resonance of Fate. There is truly no game quite like Resonance of Fate; the game was ahead of its time with a combat system that mixed turn-based combat with a third-person tactical shooter.
The game also had a simply gorgeous setting, that of a giant floating Steampunk sky-city, and though it suffered from the “gray-is-real” PS3 phenomena, the game was still just gorgeous to look at. So why did Resonance of Fate flop? Mainly because it had to compete with none other than Final Fantasy XIII.
Though the game was re-released on PlayStation 4 and PC with a 4K texture upgrade, it still doesn’t do the game justice, and personally, I would have preferred Resonance of Fate receive a fraction of the sales FFXIII had received.
The Last Story
The story behind Final Fantasy’s name was that – if the game failed, it would be the studio’s last game, and we know how that went. The same was the case for The Last Story; the game wasn’t expected to sell that well due to it being a Wii exclusive from a relatively unknown Japanese studio for Western audiences.
Well, The Last Story became Xseed Games’ best-selling game, and it earned several accolades. The story follows a gang of sellswords who find themselves tangled deep in political drama. The game is famous for taking most JRPG tropes and twisting them in a way that makes them feel less tiresome and more refreshing.
Despite earning several accolades and being arguably one of the best games for the Wii, it is unlikely we’ll see a remake, remaster, or even a port, for that matter, soon. You can still find copies of the game online if you have the cash, that is.
Vagrant Story
If you grew up in the 2000s and had a PlayStation 2, you are probably familiar with the critically acclaimed JRPG Final Fantasy XII. The game is remembered so fondly, not because of its story or art direction, which are both phenomenal in their own right, but because of its world. The reason why the world of FFXII feels so fleshed out is because the world of Ivalice originally comes from a much older game called Vagrant Story.
Well, that’s sort of a lie, as the world of Ivalice first appears in Final Fantasy Tactics, but it predominantly gets its aesthetics from Vagrant Story. The game is set during Ivalice’s dark age, and you must play as the lone knight, Ashley Riot, and rescue the son of the powerful Duke Bardorba. The game is filled with dangerous monsters, but your most difficult enemies may be the corrupt politicians of Ivalice.
Despite being the first 3D look at one of Square Enix’s most recognizable settings and pushing boundaries of back-then gaming technology, Vagrant Story will most likely be lost to time as Square Enix doesn’t seem interested in revisiting the game or the Ivalice setting as a whole.
Drakengard
Another iconic series of games is the Nier Series. The highly subversive series is famed for its use of multiple endings, themes of humanity, philosophy, and what does good and evil really mean. Another thing that the game series is known for is its complete subversion to any and all JRPG tropes, and that is thanks to Drakengard.
Much like the first Nier game, Drakengard is an incredibly niche and unconventional type of game that pushed the limit of what a JRPG is. The games also do not shy away from violence, swearing, sexual themes, and outright cosmic horror. In Drakengard, we play as a mortally wounded Caim who has made a pact with a dragon. Now, in most games, this would be seen as a good thing, but the problem is that Caim is a horrible, violent, PTSD-suffering sociopath.
Due to how absurd and unhinged the games were, it’s incredibly unlikely that a remake or Port is ever going to happen, which is a pity as that’s what makes the games stand out from others and disrupts the stale and tropey JRPG genre.
Panzer Dragoon Saga
We can’t talk about Drakengard without talking about the original Panzer Dragoon Saga. Essentially, Panzer Dragoon Saga was an RPG inspired by the original Panzer Dragoon, which was more of an on-the-rails shooter. The story focuses on Edge, who is also a young mercenary who rides a dragon who isn’t covered in blood. Edge ventures forth to try and avenge his fallen allies.
The game was a Sega Saturn exclusive and had the oh-so-difficult task of trying to compete with Final Fantasy VII. Sadly, the game was too ambitious and had to be built completely from scratch. This led to a delayed development cycle on a dying console, and sadly, despite its huge ambitions, there was just no interest in the game or the console it was tied to.
To this day, the game’s director, Yuki Futatsugi, looks back on the game with discontent. Due to the console, it was made for, the game was dead in the water, and its staggering reviews couldn’t save it. That’s not to say the Panzer Dragoon series is dead; quite the opposite, it just means not many people will have a chance to experience one of the most beautiful and tragic RPGs that beat Final Fantasy VII in terms of scores.
Code of Princess
You’ll notice a recurring theme in this list, and that’s despite being a huge success praised by many critics. Some games just don’t get the love they deserve, and sadly, Code of Princess is one such game. The game follows the story of the scantily clad Solange of DeLuxia as she must put a stop to the monster uprising threatening humanity. That’s just half of the game. Along with Solange’s Campaign Mode, there is also Free Play, which allows players to play up to 50 characters! Code of Princess was a unique gem for the Nintendo 3DS, merging Hack ‘n’ Slash combat with RPG storytelling and character leveling.
Luckily, the game did get a PC port in 2020, but sadly, all the things that could have been forgiven on the 3DS are still present in this Port, not just in terms of gameplay but also with Visuals which look incredibly dated. So, a modern remaster might tilt the scales in its favor.
Crimson Shroud
While we didn’t get a remake, remaster, or sequel to Vagrant Story, what we did get is its spiritual successor, Crimson Shroud. The game was directed by none other than Yasumi Matsuno, the director of both Vagrant Story and Final Fantasy XII, and shares a lot of similarities with his other works. The game follows Gianque, Frea, and Pippa, a team of “chasers” who track and hunt down criminals and evil-doers. The game is unique as it fuses your RPG formula and mixes it with simulated dice, similar to how it works in Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons and Dragons.
Once again, despite being a smash hit with gamers and critics, Crimson Shroud is sadly trapped on the 3DS eShop, which has been shut down, meaning there aren’t many legal ways to acquire the game. This is one of those games that have fallen victim to a console’s life-cycle and publishers being terrible at preserving their games.
Chrono Trigger
Now, we cannot speak of RPG remakes without mentioning Chrono Trigger, a hugely influential game that fans have been begging to get a remake of for nearly two decades. We follow the story of Crono, who must rescue his friend after a time machine goes awry. What follows is a truly excellent story about friendship, time travel, and a long-dormant evil that will cause the end of days.
The game did get two sequels, but the second one never left Japan. Despite the gaming getting a remake for the Nintendo DS in 2008, which was almost 16 years ago, and considering how influential the game is, it seems only fair that the game has the fresh coat of paint it deserves rather than a simple Steam port.
And that’s it; many of these games are truly phenomenal experiences that should not be lost to time; heck, one of them already is. Even if they don’t get remakes, you should try and experience these hidden gems for yourself, and who knows, maybe this will push the developers in the right direction.
