3DS: The Moses of the JRPG genre

For those who didn't attend Sunday school or perhaps never saw Prince of Egypt, Moses was a Biblical character who led a few million Hebrew slaves out of Egypt and into their promised land full of milk, honey, and...well, full of not being a slave anymore, too. It's an iconic story in Western culture of how one brave man led a nation to a better place.

I figure I might as well get the explanation for the thread title out of the way, because I do think the 3DS is the game industry's "Moses" for the JRPG genre.

Let me explain.

Japanese RPGs have long been on the decline in terms of popular reception. It seems like the less "J" JRPGs get (like in the case of Dark Souls and Dragon's Dogma) and the less "RPG" JRPGs get (like in the case of Final Fantasy XIII), the better they sell. And yet, there's a loyal niche of JRPG fans who cry out for deliverance from this action-RPG slavery. "Let my JRPGs go!" cry the fans. We just want some good cutscenes. We just want a great battle system. We just want a JRPG that can rival the great classics from the days of yore. A tall order, to be sure, but if the FPS and Western RPG and adventure and racing and puzzle genres can grown and evolve, why not JRPGs, too?

But as gaming evolves, so too must the JRPG genre evolve. As stated above, some developers have tried to do this simply by making the JRPG less "J" or "RPG". This dilutes the genre and puts a frown on the faces of people who grew up with Final Fantasy Tactics and Chrono Trigger and Breath of Fire and Pokemon. But what if there was a way to improve and progress the JRPG genre as a whole without stripping away its roots?

That's where the 3DS comes in.

In the past, I've been really down on the 3DS's focus on 3D (I think it's stupid), but the little portable platform has really outdone itself in terms of bringing something new to the JRPG genre while still respecting the genre's roots.

Take, for instance, the new Bravely Default. What are some of the biggest complaints you hear nowadays about JRPGS? "I hate grinding," is a common one. "The battle system is boring," is another. Interestingly enough, Bravely Default tackles both of those complaints head-on, not by tossing JRPG conventions out the window, but by giving the player the choice of how they want to play the game. Too tough? Reduce the difficulty on the fly. Too easy? Crank it up. Too many random battles? Adjust it (or even turn them off). Battles going too slowly? Use fast-forward and auto-battle. Bravely Default is a JRPG that is every bit as "classic" as JRPGs from the 16-bit and 32-bit eras, but it makes an effort to respect your time and your preferences.

Another great example would be Shin Megami Tensei IV. This game is every bit as beefy as its console cousins, but it adds in features to streamline the experience. Namely, auto-battles and also being able to save anywhere. Sick and tired of looking for those floating crystals or glowing blue circles on the ground? I mean, c'mon! You've had a long day, you've leveled up a dozen times, and you just want to take a break without having to trek all the way back to the Inn. Well, that's exactly what SMT4 allows you to do. Ironically, the game is tough as nails, evoking the brutal difficulty of JRPGs from the SNES and PS1, but even in death, the game lets you start over at a convenient spot and try again. It isn't so much about the game being "dumbed down" (believe me, it's not a cakewalk). Rather, it's about the game respecting your time. I loved being able to save before a boss battle or even save in the middle of a dungeon or a story quest.

In case you're thinking to yourself "Okay, Dedicated, but this has nothing to do with Nintendo. They may have made the 3DS, but it is ATLUS and Squeenix leading the charge".

Ho ho! Not so fast.

One of my absolute favorite games from last year was Fire Emblem: Awakening. You know why I liked it so much? Because I'm a Fire Emblem nub. I'm really not very good at those games. I always seem to get in over my head, too many of my party members die, and then I simply give up. Fire Emblem Awakening not only gave the choice of difficulty level, but it also allowed players to turn off the series' well-known permadeath feature (for the record, I played with permadeath turned On. Nya). While the core gameplay wasn't anything new (think Persona's social links combined with Final Fantasy Tactics), the game devs were flexible enough to give the player the choice as to how they would play the game. Scared of permadeath? Turn it off. Too difficult? Play on an easier difficulty. It stands as yet another example of a JRPG developer who was willing to be flexible and adjust the series' long-running conventions in order to allow a wider audience to enjoy the game, not by removing what the Fire Emblem series was known for, but by simply offering the choice for the player to play it their way.

Lastly, we have the Mario & Luigi series. It's pretty funny that I bring this up, because Mario & Luigi: Dream Team on the 3DS is the fourth game in the M&L series. It certainly isn't a "new" series nor are the mechanics "new", but despite that, AlphaDream's celebrated JRPG series still hasn't been aped by other developers. The iconic timing-based button press battle system remains - to this day - one of the most entertaining ways to deal Criticals and gain XP. I'm surprised no one has really been able to copy it successfully. More importantly, M&L is a series that proves a JRPG don't have to be dark and brooding and teenaged and carrying a massive zweihander in order to be good. So many JRPGs fall into the trap of trying to be too "mature", and M&L brings back the feeling of when JRPGs where a bit more lighthearted than they are today.

Similar to the DS that preceded it, I think the 3DS will be the go-to spot for JRPGs this gen, not because it has a lot of great retro-style JRPGs, but because gamers will be able to watch the evolution of the JRPG genre on the 3DS platform.

Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of console JRPGs that I enjoyed from the last few years, but it seems like every developer is shying away from the JRPG genre. On the 3DS, however, JRPGs are thriving and if you want to see the "next big thing" for the genre, it's on the 3DS.

Thanks for reading. If you've played an awesome JRPG in the past couple of years or if you just want to comment on the blog, say so below.

[3-4-5]

Really good read.

Makes a good point about Bravely Default fixing most if not all the complains of JRPG's.

One game single handed, fixed problems that other Dev's couldn't over an entire 2 generations.

Kind of a good accomplishment.

It's not the saving grace for everyone, but it shows gamers that if you actually try and be creative to solve problems + listen to fans, you end up with a really good game.

[NewMonday]

turning off parts of gameplay is one solution to get over game design.

but rewarding those who apply themselves is better

the best JRPGs that did this are Tales of Visparia where mastering criticals gives massive rewards, it has been years since I played the game but I still feel the fun I had combining encounters into one massive battle and hitting critical after critical

also, Tales of Graces had an addictive leveling system that kept me looking for the next reward, and that is combined with a fun battle system that multiplies rewards depending on difficulty, I kept unlocking the higher difficulties and enjoyed every minute.

and NiNoKuni had fun exploration, a game full of secrets to uncover and share with the community.

[AsheXII]

It doesn't fix the poor story plot targeted at teenagers and young kids. It doesn't fix the padding on later stages of the game. It doesn't fix the poor writing Jrpgs normally have.

[dedicatedtogamers]

I think "poor writing" is a criticism that could be levelled at most games in all genres. There are a significant number of excellent JRPG storylines.

[DCfan]

Hmm, i don't own a 3DS yet (I'm planning to buy one, but the lack of funds is a problem).
That sounds like the term "cakewalk" except in SMT, thats really helpful *Remembers Nocturne*
Im glad that the JRPG scene is thriving.

[DEATHxTHExKIDx]

And its getting PersonaQ very excited for that.

[caseh]

After reading this, I threw my 3DS into the local river...and it sank. The water did not part ways for my 3DS.

None the less, good read. :)

[Main_Street_Saint]

Perhaps your 3DS was the Jonah of handhelds and right now some fish got your 3DS?

[mydyingparadiselost]

You supposed to OPEN the 3DS to part the river, not throw it IN the river! Geez, what a miracle noob :P

[XabiDaChosenOne]

Guess I need a 3DS, honestly I feel like this should have been the PSVita, this is what the Vita was made for. I can't believe how badly Sony screwed up the chance for gamers to have console quality JRPGs on the go. It pisses me off just thinking about it, I want to punch the person in the face how suggested proprietary memory cards XD

[WildArmed]

Nicely written article. At the moment it seems PS3 is the place to be for JRPGs. I've got a quite a big backlog (which I am happy about!).

I've been waiting for 5 years for JRPGs to arrive on PS3, and now they've come. Bravely Default is really great, but I think there is still a place for all those things in moderation. Games like Lost Odyssey and Ni No Kuni proved that imo. I think it's still hard to make JRPGs appeal to a larger audience (see FF13), but I think it's about selling JRPGs to that larger audience, not conforming to something they aren't.

Bravely Default walks a tricky line, it's willing to let go of everything but also give you everything. But sometimes I like the designers to sell me an experience, what did the team think would work best. (And obviously Bravely Default comes w/ a default set of features).

Either way, I feel like this says "I'm not confident in my game design, so take away what you will". I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but I think devs should keep confidence in their design choices. Sell me an experience. Some games allow you to modify parts of the game in NG+ (Tales of Xillia). I think that's a great concept, finish the game once and experience it how the devs intended. Then play around w/ the settings if you like. But then again, in this day and age where modding is used to make games to a player's liking, maybe Bravely Default is ahead of the curve. It's catering to a mod-able console experience, the implications are pretty big w/ this one.

SMT had solid game design and they knew exactly what they were giving.

[mydyingparadiselost]

Great article, couldn't agree more about Fire Emblem in particular!