10 Best RETRO Turn Based JRPGs 

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Here for Lunar 🙌

Lunar Silver Star was originally on Sega CD. It was amazing.

Xenogears. Wild arms was the first rpg I played on the PS1. I'm 66 and I love RPGs.

I actually played Chrono Trigger this year for the first time and I loved it a lot.

Hoping to see SNES Lufia 2 on a list like this one day.. That game is just so good.. So underrated..

Ar Tonelico 2, Grandia 2, Final Fantasy IX, Persona 2, Dragon Quest VIII and Digital Devil Saga are some of my absolute favorites.

Lunar SSS was my first JRPG, it and Lunar EB Complete on the PSX both have special places in my heart and always will. I always feel like I'm one of the only people that love those games, so it was really nice to see Silver Star on this list.

Parasite Eve was the first game I remember where friends of mine that were girls really got into an RPG. Back then it was much more of a rarity in my friends circle especially but this game definitely got their attention and I'm so happy that it did. You are correct, a full remake is a must for this game, newer players need to try this one out. You nailed an incredible group of great games in this list, theres just too much to say. Your top 5 are certainly legendary and might I say the day we could get a fixed remastered or remade and fixed version of Xenogears will be a great amazing day indeed. These games share such amazing moments and memories....its such a huge reason I love JRPGs and always will. Thanks Taylor!

Very happy to see Persona 4 and Wild ARMs 3 on here. Wild ARMs has always been a super underrated series with great dungeon designs and puzzles and unfortunately a lot of people never got a chance to try the series out. Persona 4 is my favorite Persona game and I agree with you that it has some of the best characters in any game.

Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden II, Mario RPG, Seiken Densetsu III, Tales of Phantasia, Dragon Quest, Xenogears, Breath of Fire II

I’m a simple man, I see lunar, I click on the video

Love your list. Almost all my classic top games are on this list. Wish more ppl knew about the Mana Khemia series. Its one of the JRPG where I felt it still holds up to this day

I didn't realize RF3 Special was released already - this is maybe the first time I've been happy about the sponsorship segment 😂

Grandia made the list! Woot! Number 2 is my favorite of all time

Just from the Avatar you could see that Xenogears is number 1 to me. lol I have played all of the games and their sequels listed so this was very nostalgic for me. The original Wild Arms is my favorite of the series also.

Parasite Eve and Xenogears are amazing. I replay both about once a year on my Vita and PS3 Really wish they would come to Switch or PS5 store

I liked Dragon Quest 4 and 5 a lot more than 8. I have the uncommon opinion that games can be too big and I just couldn't force myself to finish DQ8. The other 2 being way shorter and keeping things fresher with the different chapters/time skips made them a lot more enjoyable for me.

Lunar and it’s sequel are some of my favorite games ever made. While the PSP version was good, they changed the boat song from the PS1 version and that was not okay lol.

Honorable mention for "Trails In The Sky."

Amazing video, really loved your selection. Hoping for a retro ARPG video soon

Glad to see Wild Arms 3 on here for all the unique things it does (like letting you rename your spells and *any* NPC), but surprised not to see Lufia 2 or Breath of Fire 3. Lufia 2 is the zenith of the series and had the best puzzles in any JRPG, even WA3. The casino and procedurally-generated Ancient Cave were revolutionary for their time, the latter giving rise to numerous competitions.

great list taylor, parasite eve is an underrated gem that i think more people should play. yes the controls are a bit clunky but once you get used to it and hooked on the story you realize they probably should have made at least one more game.

I'll add Shadow hearts 1& 2! amazing story and character, original setting during WW2 mixing historical events with fantasy, and a great turn based combat with the ring system that makes it very special and fun! Also Baten Kaitos, that just got re released in HD on switch, with cards based combat and great story and music !

Little late to the video, but man, what a great, diverse list. Handful of gems I still haven't tackled too. Your first place reminds me that LRG just launched a few physical editions of it. Pre-orders open until December!

My best retro RPG for sure is Radiata Stories, love that game so much, wish they did at least a remaster

Brilliant list my dude, so many bangers 😎

Great list the ONLY thing I would of loved is seeing what systems you can get these and play them on :). Was a wonderful list. Thanks for the upload

Wilds arms 2 is way better than 3 WAY.

Love this list quite a bit. only "gripe" is the lunar segment and I'm 82% sure its just nostalgia kicking me in the head but I felt that the psp version changed some things in the story/character portrayal and it ultimately changed how i felt about some key characters. PSX version in my opinion has more heart. (if that counts for anything) but I agree that the music is astounding through out all versions.

came for lunar. first JRPG i truly fell in love.

Xenogears was one of the first RPG video games I got in 1998 when I was 14 and to this day I have never beat it, but I am always super nostalgic for and I really love the music and atmosphere!

I know you said "Retro", but I really think *"The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky"* trilogy (and also *"Trails from Zero/to Azure")* qualifies as "retro" at least. *The Legend of Heroes* franchise in general has become *my all time favorite turn-based JRPG,* surpassing EVERY other franchise in the same genre, even Chrono Trigger/Final Fantasy.

We need a Wild Arms 1-5 compilation for Switch!

Grandia has one of the best (if not THE best) combat systems ever

Pretty solid list. Super Mario RPG and Pokemon Yellow always need to be on mine, and FFX too.

The entire Shadow Hearts series, Covenant in particular, is so criminally underrated.

Breath of Fire 3 will always be tied to my number one JRPG spot with FF7. I still try to play both at least once every couple of years.

Lunar for sega was good but it was the Working Designs remake that really brought it into its own. They put a lot of love into that project

You are hitting all of the right spots. I like everything you said. Subscribed.

One of my top JRPG memories is Golden Sun. It’s up there with FF7 and Chrono Trigger to form my top 3. Great list!

Can I please know how you captured these gorgeous looking visuals for Grandia? It's the PC version Remaster you mention ? That's just amazing

Thousand Arms was my favorite retro game, its still no.1 in my heart.

For survival horror, I remember Koudelka in PS1. I don't think many people knows about it tho, but it was really good. To be fair, I haven't play Parasite Eve 1, but I have played the 2nd and it was also really good. Too bad it is more like action RPG. Also, I will include Golden Sun there. It was really long and some of the puzzle was quite confusing, but at that time I put it together with Suikoden as my golden standard for JRPG

My personal top 5: 1. FF 10 2. FF 7 3. Xenosaga 3 4. Baten Kaitos 5. Skies of Arcadia Keep in mind there are many I haven’t played yet.

This is a pretty amazing list. I think the only game on the list I haven't played is Persona but I really want to try it eventually

Earthbound. It’s the music that I used to go to bed with especially the music from Ness house. And the first town. Onett

Great list. If you've never played Phantasy Star 4, i highly suggest giving it a try. It can stand right along side the very best the snes classics have to offer in my humble opinion.

Definitely some solid picks. One of my biggest gaming regrets is selling off my copy of Suikoden 2 after I lost my save data after like 20+ hours of gametime... TWICE. But the shoddy memory card was the guilty party, not the game. And years later it was worth WAY more than I got for it. lol Glad to see it and Grandia here in particular.

a remaster of dq8 would be nice but include all the extra content from the 3ds version

I love Grandia so much. One of my all time favourite games from my childhood.

My favorites are Final Fantasy 1 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 14, 7R. Dragon Quest 1-8 and 11. Breath of fire 1-3, Secret of Mana, Lunar Silver star story, FInal Fantasy Tactics, XenoGears, Chrono Trigger, Suikoden 1&2. My childhood was SNES and PS1, N64. So my favorites here are the originals. Exception being FF7 Remake which is the only one on the list. You mentioned Grandia and I remember that one. The combat was unique. It was enjoyable.

Wild arms and shadow hearts are my favorite series. Looking forward to these upcoming games: Armed Fantasia: To the End of the Wilderness & Penny Blood

My best retro turn based will always be Legend of Legaia and Legend of Dragoon. I also like Vagrant story. For ps2 Shadow Hearts is amazing.

Lufia 2 - amazing game at the time it was released.

Perfect list dude! 🤟

I’ve always wanted to try Suikoden II so I’m excited to hear about the remaster. Do I need to play the first game?

I respect your list , games that worth mentioning golden sun , fire emblem , skies of arcadia , super robot wars games

So many good choices, but one of my favs is Star Ocean Second Story. The new remake is amazing, and there are tons of cool and unique characters to find.

Perfect list but I'd swap Grandia 1 for 2 and swap out FF7 for Legend of Dragoon. I'm one of the few that like that one more. Also, Star Ocean as an honorable mention.

Omg...i have so many! Shadow Hearts series, Suikoden 2, wild arms code F, Persona 4, Dark Cloud 1 and 2...tales of Grace.

Awesome list!!! One game per series is definitely a challenge but I think you have a solid list here! I cannot WAIT for the Suikoden remasters because I haven’t played them yet! Gonna be awesome!

A Parasite Eve remake could work and still keep the turn-based mechanics by allowing players to move and shoot, then trigger the "turn" and have that scanning globe pop up and choose special attacks that deal much more damage. I have a feeling it would turn out being more like FF7 Remake in the battle flow, where you use a melee weapon like a truncheon or knife or knuckles and a gun like a pistol, revolver, shotgun, or rifle and do simple combos to build up meter for the special attacks.

This is going to be good. It's the list we've been waiting for folks. Let's get into it! Also, Persona games are very love it or hate it. Not everyone can get into the trope laden high school drama thing. I'm 44 years old, and I struggle with the Persona games. I still have yet to finish Persona 5, because I just can't get into the story/characters. The depth just doesn't seem to be there. I much prefer the style of writing in games like Lost Odyssey, Chained Echoes, and Outer Wilds, to name a few. To each their own, of course. Just an observation.

I miss lunar 2, but i actually never play the first. Looks gorgeous

All great picks, but my bias tells me that Lufia 2 should be on here somewhere.

I love lunar as much as the next guy, but saying they created all those rpg tropes is WILD.

My favourites are Arc the Lad 1 & 2. Hope somebody will remake them.

Love all the turn based JRPGs from Super Nintendo/Super Famicom and PlayStation 1

The Gaming Shelf: Parasite Eve is less than 10 hours Everyone else: *laughing in Chrysler building*

Started Persona 4 Golden this year and made my bf play it as well. He’s liking it so much that he quickly got further in the game. He has bought P5R and is looking forward to P3R. It’ll be interesting to see if 4 remains his favorite with time

FF7 and Chronotrigger really are the goats. Great list

Opinions are opinions and everyone is different, but if you played xenogears and only saw giant robots you missed the point. The game is absolutely perfect, even though it isn't finished. Every character is dynamic and memorable, the story is so in depth, the combat is incredibly unique, and the soundtrack...*chefs kiss* To each their own of course I'm just glad it made the list

"Lunar Silver Star Story Complete" for the PS1 is the quintessential version of the game. Hands down.

Great list and I couldn't remove any of your choices, but one would have to go so I could bring in breath of fire 3

Chrono Trigger I didn't get to play until PS1, also the same way I played FF 1-6. Minus 3 of course. Grandia at first glance was this obscure game my mom bought for xmas. But I gave it a try after watching my brother play a bit and now it's over of my favorite games. FF9 was another Surprise for me that I liked it

Lunar was one of my favorites! Parasite Eve was cool too, very creepy.

Is the Lunar:SSS a remake or remaster? I do not recall it looking that way.

Lunar was originally released on the sega cd

Really liked your list, though Xenogears and Parasite Eve would be the in top 3 for me. Final Fantasy VII was one of my favourites, along with Breath of Fire III and later on, playing with emulator, Earthbound, an amazing RPG on SNES, really surprised me! There's so many good RPG's like the Lufia, Phantasy Star series, Star Ocean series, a few bad too but even them have players who loved them and still do.

That there's no Disgaea or Phantom Brave on here is absolutely wild. Like, the levelling and ability customisation is insane you can basically play forever.

I have my own ideas on the order but this is a great top 10 list 10/10

8:47 "Originally released on sega saturn and ps1... pretty sure it was originally released on the sega cd, though personally speaking my first experience with it was on the ps1 with the 'complete' version.

I waited for months for Final Fantasy VI (3) to be released outside of Japan by salivating over magazine screen shots daily. To this day is the one game that not only lived up to the massive hype I put on it, but actually completely surpassed my expectations. All of a sudden (a few months later) CHRONO Trigger was released and I knew nothing about it. I was on the fence whether to purchase as it was around $90US and but eventually figured it was better than anything else. Whether you knew about a game developed by squaresoft or not, you knew you were in for something special.

Love most of the games on this list, but prefer “Persona 3” (portable or FES w/ mod to control all characters) but “Persona 4” is excellent! And I tried many times to play “Resonance of Fate”, but that battle system is just too convoluted for me. But it looks awesome when you perform attacks!

FFs 4, 7, 9, and 10 Grandia 1 and 2 They really were my jam as a kid. :-)

This is a great list! Man I would have loved to see breath of fire 3 on there tho

Mysteria realms of lore was such a underrated tactical rpg

Star Ocean and Bahamut Lagoon defo need a mention here.

Star ocean till the end of time, Super Mario RPG, Radiata Stories, Legend of Legaia. There are so many good rpgs.

For me, one of the best will always be the one that really got hooked onto the JRPG genre, the Breath of Fire 4. Loved Grandia and Suikoden 1-2. Also Dragon Quest 7, Legend of Dragoon,Star Ocean: Second Story, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment and Thousand Arms will have a special place in my mind too.

My top 10 retro JRPGs would be: 10: Legends of Legaia 9: Digimon World 2 8: Star Ocean Second Story 7: Valkyrie Profile Lenneth 6: Thousand Arms 5: Breath of Fire II 4: Final Fantasy IX 3: Grandia 2: Final Fantasy VII 1: Legend of Dragoon Oh how I miss the good old days :((

I got my dad to buy Saga CD so I could play Lunar Silvar Star Harmony, I was always chasing those JRPGs.

Wild ARMs 3 is epic. The cell shaded graphics are gorgeous and timeless and the music is some of the best in the genre. Virginia is one of the best protagonists. More female led JRPGs please! But man those overly long battles and the search system on the world map ... such a slog. Xenogears was amazing, just that second disc holding it back. You don't like giant robots? You crazy man... Grandia is amazing but I never beat it back in the day. I bought the HD remaster and intend to play it and 2 for the first time. Backlog a mile long. Lunar is so good! Such a fun game and great localization. Suikoden's 1,2,3,5 are all amazing. Some of my favorite games ever made. 2 is top 5 JRPGs ever made. Chrono trigger is great. Such an amazing game. That soundtrack.... Also can we get more time travel??? Radiant Historia was amazing but I can't think of any others aside from FF13 2 which I haven't played. Final fantasy 7 is the 5th best final fantasy in my opinion. And it has objectively aged worse than any other fantasy post NES. But it is still a pretty good game. I just played persona 4 golden the first time on the switch a few months ago. Such an amazing game. I fell in love with all of the characters. Was bittersweet to finish it and not be able to anymore.

Let me throw mine in....Lunar Silver Star and Eternal Blue....must play! Chrono Trigger, Mario RPG, Final Fantasy 6 or 7....idc, they're both S tier. Earthbound and Shining Force...all these listed were/are my favs. Till this day, I can't find anything takes me back to that place...but it's prob because of the nostalgia. :)

Because choices were so slim and I'd played all the games that caught my eye I randomly rented a game for sega cd called Lunar The Silver Star when I was 10 years old. My son Alex will be 18 next year..

FF7 story was so dark and music was dark and amazing.... my first❤

SO many good games on PS2 for rpgs also the SNES too man I'm so glad I have most of these still unfortunately I can't play them as consoles have been lost or broken during moves

I'm stuck and connected still... maybe my favorite jrpgs.... Shining Force 1 and 2 on Sega Genesis. Also not sure why they're never talked about because they are real classics. Much love yall.

The original Lunar: Silver Star Story came out on the Sega CD. PS1 and Saturn were upgraded remake.