5 JRPGs Worth Buying in 2023 and 5 That Are NOT! 

How wrong were my picks? 🧐

Neptunia is a series I'll never give up since way back in 2015. Just love it too much for being my very first jrpg series I've ever played

I haven't played a lot of JRPGs this year. I did really enjoy One Piece Odyssey. It had a decent story and an interesting combat system. The game is pretty easy though but gets steadily harder towards the end. Even if you're not into One Piece but like turn-based games, it is worth checking out. I replayed the Legend of Dragoon port on PS5 and the rewind system/save states makes the game a lot more accessible for modern gamers. Want to check out Octopath Traveller 2. Azure is amazing but a long game.

Trails to Azure is probably my favourite JRPG not just this year but my favourite game of all time. So to see it as “worth it” was not a surprise. It’s an absolute masterpiece that everyone should play. So so happy Crossbell finally got over that localisation barrier, worth every penny in my eyes

I loved the rebirth and megadimension series so I’ll probably get Sisters when it’s on sale. I actually really like the look of Trinity Trigger but again will wait for a sale

Worth: Fire Emblem Engage Atelier Ryza 3 The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure Like a Dragon: Ishin! Octopath Traveler: II Not Worth: Neptunia Sisters vs Sisters Trinity Trigger Mato Anomalies Redemption Reavers Tales of Symphonia: Remastered (Switch)

After just finishing Trails in the Sky SC this past week, I definitely have the Crossbell games on my list. FC and SC were phenomenal games, and I can’t wait to play Zero and Azure to explore more of the world (still want to play through Sky the 3rd before that though).

This probably shouldn’t count since it’s a DLC story for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 which came out last year, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed is undoubtedly the best JRPG I have played so far this year. Probably also the best DLC I’ve ever played too, it feels like there’s enough happening in the story and things to look for that it could stand as it’s own game. Incredible conclusion to the Xenoblade trilogy

I need to get around to picking up Engage(also Octopath 2), I've been behind on games this year. It's ok though since I have a neverending backlog and plenty I like to revisit. I'm pretty ok with it taking a step back on story and character interaction after that was so upfront and center in Three Houses. I would like to get another TH style game in the future as well though. I think I will like but not love Trinity Trigger based on the feedback I've heard about it, I'll probably grab it when it hits that $25-30 range. I agree on Tales of Symphonia, I've tried several times to playthrough it and never make it through. Last attempt was with the PS3 remaster and I was done.

Man i'm shocked mato anomalies isn't worth playing that game looks super interesting to me, i'll likely wait on a crazy price drop then pick it up and try it out for myself tbh, great vid as always Taylor 👌🏾

Trinity Trigger is not trying to be Diablo, this makes no sense. It's trying to be an Mana successor. It plays like an classic one, stamina bar included.

Disagree about Trinity Trigger and Tales of Symphonia (or at least I will when the patch comes out, hopefully). Agree with the rest.

I think with Trinity Trigger you need to know what you’re getting into before hand.

So Trails of Azure gets a pass of being a must get game even though it has the same dated graphics from a 2011 PSP game, but Tales of Symphonia doesn't because it doesn't "remaster" its graphics or features enough despite being ported as far back as 2003? Way to show your bias, Gaming Shelf -_-

I love tales of symphonia, i mean this port is a cash grab, but the original i think it’s great and so it’s characters

Appreciate these kinds of videos Great job Taylor 👍

Octopath is really great and the grinding was really cut short by a lot once you reach around 50ish and finished partitios story unlike the 1st game which took me forever to max out my characters

i already finished trinity trigger 3 times and i loved it, i played with my brother and it was a lot of fun, i dont know how it would feel playing alone

Very good list. On board with the 5 "worth buying" picks and for the "not worth buying" list, it sounds like they were given a fair shake. I WANTED Trinity Trigger to be better, but there's a reason you can still get the Limited Edition for $30 on sale most of the time (although the fact that it comes with a 2 disc soundtrack is a compelling reason to snag it! The music is easily the highlight, thanks to Hiroki Kikuta of Mana fame). And I must have missed the Alear design hate! I thought Engage had a much better and brighter color palette than Three Houses did. Alear kind of captured that aesthetic very nicely.

I've been playing Octopath Traveler II and it's such a great game. It definitely has a place in my heart right next to Suikoden 1 & 2.

I agree with you on the games.. but as far as not buying the only one I definitely can say would be Sisters vs Sisters. I am still playing Trinity Trigger and I know you reviewed the game but there is a LOT more going on with it that you didn't go over or didn't discover ( I'm on David's side on this one lol ) not to mention the Day 1 Edition is nice for the full price if you are a collector for display purposes. Mato is worth it imo but at a discount price, it's much better than Soul Hackers 2 and I enjoyed it for what it is. I really was looking forward to Redemption reapers but when I saw the reviews of how janky it was I had no choice but to pass. Besides it's digital only and I will NEVER pay full price for any digital game! Great video as always, letting the people know what's out there and giving the heads up.... see ya next vid. 👍

honestly any trails game is totally worth it. I tried my hand in Sophie but i just couldnt get into it. Also game AI - Somnium Files might be worth looking into, the 1st one was really good for me.

Trails to Azure was so good that it still has my vote for GOTY. Absolute masterpiece of a JRPG, and just as much so of a game. 1000/10

both azure and from zero is one of the best duallogy's of a game series in my opinion. thanks for the help taylor. i like this series and this time i agree with all your picks , even for the ones i have not played.😂😂

I just finished Ryza 1 the other day and loved it. Sounds like I've got a lot to look forward to.

Redemption reapers is a Japanese tactical game that finally has a dark, adult style. The soundtrack is excellent. The fights are very tactical and you have to be careful and think a lot. I agree that the rest is pretty vague. Overall it's a nice game. I'm tired of mashers with a young boy with a chaotic fighting style.

I really like how this video covers a lot and is to the point (something I need to work on). Anyway, I think I am going to need to check out Like a Dragon: Ishin since it has been coming up on other lists. I was not saved from the Trinity Trigger purchase (got suckered into the physical release). Guess I will see when I try it.

I'm a little disappointed that the Live A Live remake wasn't given a mention -- it's honestly got some of my favorite gameplay and storytelling in all of video games, and the final chapter is just absolutely perfect, hands down.

Bruh Neptunia is actually super fun and it runs at 60 - 120 after the updates

8:55 I liked the first one's stories personally. But the second has good storytelling too

There's a lot of good advice here. Octopath 2 is on my game of the year list, Trinity trigger is only fun if you have friends to play with because the AI is abysmal and it's unimaginative presentation holds it back.

I'm hoping Trails from Zero and Trails to Azure get English language patches. The characters are already voiced (and voiced well) in other Trails games, including Trails into Reverie which is coming out in a week. I put a few of the "don't buy at full price" games on my wishlist so I can check them out if the price drops waaaaay down.

Trails for the win! And honestly? 'Dated' or not, I prefer the visuals to Azure and Zero compared to even some of the more modern looking games on this list. Nostalgia I guess, but meh. What looks good, looks good.

If FEE has steam I'll probably buy it since the artist who drew the red and blue haired girl was ordan. The same artist who drew Tokino Sora

I had never heard of Redemption Reapers until this and I'm glad! Visually it looked nice but I will take your word for it.

Yakuza Ishin is my GOTY so far. I'm a massive fan of Yakuza, and it is amazing. Then I played right after it FE Engage. What an amazing game. My favorite thing in the game, is Byleth (which is basically one timed Dancer class for four units) then to loop it with Seadall's dancer. You can basically dancer on dancer and it is insane.

Redemption Reapers is designed around squad tactics and guerrilla warfare. Each character serves their role and if you go in with the wrong approach, you'll get stomped. Once you get going though and after the early part, you'll unlock the ability to revisit areas and this will help to balance things out with leveling or if you're so inclined, build up your squad further so you're well prepared before pushing forward. I respect your opinion but this is like complaining that Sekiro is too hard because of the parry system

You reminded me I need to go back to FE: Engage. But I have to admit, 3 Houses spoiled me with the slice-of-life elements and wish Engage had some of it

OT 2 is a masterpiece! would love a mesh of it and ff tactics.

damn, sucks to hear that about mato anomlies, that was one of those games that i was kinda interested in But like you say for fans of the neptunia series, we kinda know what we are gonna get when we buy any of their games but i agreed, to others though, it is tough to recommend any of the neptunia games to others, especially the spin off

I do not know Sisters Vs Sisters but the complete Neptunia series is one of it's own. If you are looking for highly polished titles with sophisticated battle system Neptunia is not for you. But if you allow you can have fun with it. In opposite with Ryza 3 (i really like the first two parts). You can see on this video here, the text boxes are so small, i cannot read it from my 2.5m seat away from the TV set. And for Tales of Symphonia: I had my fun with the original on the Cube and so i had with the Switch port. Yeah, there's plenty of room for technical improvements but the game as it is just fun.

As a super fan of the Tales of Series Symphonia is one of my favorite games of all time and this port was such a let down. I am looking forward to the update they said they are working on to potentially fix the Switch version at least and hoping maybe that update could potentially somehow make the game better somehow.....not likely but a guy can dream right?

Octopath 2 is a masterpiece, the story goes from okay to amazing (temenos is a standout for me), greay gameplay and the music, oh the music

Octopath Traveler 2 is a top 5 all-time game for me [Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger, Dragin Quest XI, Tales of Arise]. I'm sad my 140 hour journey concluded last week ): The game is a masterpiece ... my only small complaints are the mildly absurd XP requirements from levels 85-99 + the lack of good options in the endgame for the millions, literally MILLIONS of spare leaves [gold] and JP. I feel like spare JP should be allowed to translate into XP or the ability to equip an extra accessory or support skill + nuts should be available for purchase. I almost want to go back and play it again but I have too many games in my backlog and need to finally start Wicther 3. Keep up the great work!

I can't help but feel it was an unfair assumption to write off Trinity Trigger, just because the combat "just didn't feel right". The game as a whole is actually really good. Story is great, characters are memorable, the art style is beautiful, and the combat is fine as it is. A good chuck of players, including myself, have been loving the game and its base combat, ESPECIALLY since it's similar to another game, Secret of Mana, which is a well-beloved JRPG. Sure, everyone has their own preferences when it comes to RPGs but telling others to "not buy" or say "it's not worth it" just because you're unfamiliar with that kind of game style is quite harsh. I would even say it's up on that level of naivety and inexperienced perspectives of one of those terrible IGN reviews...

0:35 omg!! you have to use strategy in a strategy tactics JRPG?? 😱😱😱

Since Fe Engage came out in January i only played Engage and Octopath (with the occasional smash bros). Now that i finished my first maddening run with engage i can finally finish octopath 2 and keep on working my backlog lool

I know it technically came out last year, but the console versions of Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster released this spring are amazing games (except ff2), and I highly recommend them to people looking to get into the series, as well as existing fans.

You forgot to mention the co-op feature of trinity trigger, what a shame

neptunia sister had the potential to be good but as usual since megadimension the quality dropped a lot i think the last good one was the Sega girl which was short tbh

I never play Octopath Traveler, but I'm interested with the gameplay so far. I'll definitely grab one.

Oof I understand the port for Tales of Symphonia isn't very good, but saying that means the game isn't very good is definitely a step in the wrong direction.

Ys and trails series are both great game,though Nox has performance issue on switch,storyline and game mechanics are great,and music are banger also

WOW that Tales of Symphonia take is scalding hot! I had to pause the video after that. I know the port is bad, but once we get to the "Was this game EVER good?" discussion, we might wanna take a step back. I mean, its mostly Namco's fault, they really aren't doing their IPs any favors. Like releasing that Klonoa compilation with (probably) no intention of making a new game ever. Just milking the desperate fans for another decade.

Disagree on Trinity Trigger. Had a blast with it and my only complaint is that the bosses (especially the post game ones) were made for multiplayer and are very hard solo as your partners just die. Otherwise I completely recommend and don't regret buying and playing it at launch.

The trinity trigger reminds me my best old game , it's called heroes lore wind of soltia. The best java game with same combat style

Atelier is a JRPG thing that keeps entering my brain space and I keep wondering if I should play one of the games

What game is the thumbnail from?

Just bought Trinity Trigger day one edition on Amazon for $30. It's a Black Friday deal. Looks like a game I'll enjoy. Hope I like it more than you! Lol. Happy Thanksgiving!

I feel like people are misinterpreting the gameplay mechanics of Sisters vs Sisters by assuming it's an action RPG. It's more of a press-and-wait combat system that's in real time rather than in turns. Just don't button mash. Pressing an input while a combo is being performed will "queue" that input for the next combo move in your list, and you might accidentally use a move when you'd rather be dodging or guarding. I think the game has a lot of flaws, specially the overall presentation, but people saying that the combat is weak by just smashing the attack button are just not playing it right.

My first jrpg was disgaea and that ended up being my favorite franchise of all time

Honestly your choices for best jrpgs of the year so far are DEAD on! Love your channel keep up the solid work man🙏🏻

If we look at the indie scene I would also recommend Sea of Stars and 8 Bit Adventures 2.

Sisters vs sisters is trying to be like the tales games. Which feel exactly like that. Aaaaand u dont like tales of symphonia lol. Makes sense. But literally the majority of the tales games are like that. Its intentional. Not an oversight (Referring to the feeling of stiffness)

Only thing I'll say about Tales of Symphonia: play the original GameCube version. All future ports cut dialogue, run usually at 30fps (vs The gc at 60) and besides a few additional extra game choices (sidequests and stuff) there isn't much of a change thats really worth playing future ports. ToS on the original GameCube console is the literal best version. (I'm also replaying it for the 20 millionth time and it's my favourite so I'm biased but most will agree that's the best version)

Would you recommend playing the atelier series on switch or playstation ?

This dude never played Secret of Mana

Honkai Star Rail is actually very impressive, especially for a free game. Thank you so much!

I'm glad to see Atelier Ryza 3 as worth it on this list. I recently fell in love with the series and am close to finishing 3.

Don't forget Sea of Stars...My god that is going to be amazing

huh, so you were testing the waters of game development at some point. The gaming shelf lore is expanding.

I dont agree on redemption repears its a good tactical game ,very hard yes its like the dark souls of the tactical genre, but i really enjoyed playing the game , it has something special that no tactic game has it feels different....i can't explain how ,i love the gameplay and characters, cenimatique are top notch

As a huge Neptunia fan, Sisters vs Sisters is one entry I've been hesitant to buy because of the censored dialog. In other words: Blanc/White Heart can't swear. And that's her entire personality!

Some Neptunia games actually have pretty good gameplay, but they've really dropped the ball with all these spinoffs. They really should stick to turn-based combat.

Trinity Trigger reviews are all over the place 😫 I’m so conflicted one minute I wanna buy it then I see something like this

trinity trigger is very much worth buying for mana fans or general top down action jrpg fans.

Octopath Traveler II is my best game this year (FFXVI might dethrone it, but Square wouldn't complain), and currently sits at number 5 on my all time favourite games.

That Tales of Symphonia wanted poster was referenced in Scarlet Nexus...

would you say the Switch Symphonia port is not worth it IF th eperson buying it has NEVER played Symphonia before?

Great video on JRPGS released this year so far. I'm a Neptunia fan but that Sisters vs Sisters game looks like a lazy cashgrab sadly. My favorite JRPG i've played this year was Atelier Ryza 3. Fantastic finale to that trilogy. I also really enjoyed One Piece Odyssey. I'm not even a fan of the anime but the game was a fun jrpg. I plan to get the Yakuza Ishin game later on, after a price drop.

And just For conscience’s sake, Aster Tatariqus is a game that is being the water divisor of what is good and what is'nt good!

1:30 Dude, don't hate on Nep-Nep!! I know that the games are low effort, but it is actually part of the meta-discussion that is part of the franchise's core. Neptunia-series is all about the meta-joke of it all and I believe that the only real criticism one can bring to the series realistically is that one has to be 'in the know'. If one's not aware of the meta-joke and the ludicrous amount of in-jokes that keep mounting up and building off of each other as the series goes along Neptunia is a tough nut to crack. It's not just the game. It's the official manga, the several obscure anime OVAs, both official and un-official merch and fan fiction/manga that the devs found relevent enough to incorporate into the mainline series. There's also a crazy amount of Neptunia stuff (including lore) that never left Japan. Neptunia is what Square-Enix tried to do with Nova Crystalis and FF15. Neptunia succeeded. Trying to get into Neptunia now is very tough because a new person to the franchise is expected to know everything to the minute detail and because the joke that set everything in motion (console-wars, trolololol) is about 12 years old now. The meta-commentary has branched off into so many directions that even I don't really know what the devs are focusing on at any given moment. It's a day-job to keep current on Neptunia and I kinda gave up years ago. Nep-Nep is bae. If you want to know where Chris Chan got his self-proclaimed CPU-Goddess title from, look no further. Nep-Nep and her bullies are the OG CPU-Goddesses, LOL

I'm having a good time with Trinity Trigger, but the combat is lacking majorly in depth

Trinity Trigger might become my favorite RPG of this year. Sisters vs. Sisters is kind of a shame, they really ruin the potential of the series.

recommend the demo for octopath traveler 1+2

Trinity Trigger is an absolute must buy. The crack youre smoking is wayyyy too strong.

I wish they would release Octopath Traveler 2 on anything but Steam because the controller interferes with third party software and turning it off is not easy. Release it on anything else, please!

Cute characters are always worth my money, i so wish that neptunia game was on switch.

Im almost have the opposite opinion of each game you mentioned, but nice video

Fire Emblem Engage had such an amazing gameplay but I couldnt say anything for its story since it felt kinda childish. The overall gameplay really tested my mind for strategizing, especially since my first playthrough was on Maddening/Classic. I loved Atelier Ryza 3, it felt so refreshing to play the whole trilogy and it was a good conclusion.

Neptunia and Tales of Symphonia worth it of course.

Yea... I'm still confused about Neptunia Sisters VS Sisters... Dunno if I wanna refund or not, bought it cheap, but havent tried it yet. I finished mainline trilogy and liked it, even if I did skip through gameplay. I dropped side games, because I hated them and I have Megadimension to go through next. I'm conflicted about the newest game(have it on PC steam), because I heard in its story, it tries to make mobile gaming look innocent, which is typical, considering its a japanese game, made by developers who also have a Neptunia mobile game.. which is ironic considering the side story in rebirth 3 they made, where they had literal mobile card swiping games as villains who kept milking your money... I wonder if the game story is as "grand" as the rebirth 3 and megadimension...

They could have at least added voice sound to Tales of Symphonia.

I think Redemption Reapers much better than the video portrayed it. After the patches they balanced it much better.

Trails from Zero is absolutely a piece of art. 100% recommended.

I also like Ishin! Like, True, It's might not as good as og for someone and they called it Deshin! or Midshin! whatsoever. But for me, I love Samurai. I never played OG before and I don't think I know that much Japanese in general so when they remake it, I was so hype! And then when I played it, Oh man...this is amazing! If you like this game, I'd recommend you check out Kenzan as well. I pray someday that game will got Ishin! Treatment, Too.

Only part I disagree with is Redemption Reapers. I have always played JRPG's since I first played Dragon Quest IV on the NES. Lately I just can't seem to force myself to play a large chunk of Idea Factory, and NIS games. I have most of NIS library, but in the last 2 or 3 years, the overly happy "quirky" protagonists, spending most of the game with a group of teenage girls, it just really makes my brain hurt. In contrast Redemption Reapers, doesn't have memorable characters but what it does have is a brutal plot. That is just something JRPGS just have never been able to convey. You can say in a JRPG that monsters are going to destroy the kingdom, but you never see the blood and gore, of a peasant village having been slaughtered(Not to mention in Idea Factory games, the mosters look really cute, like an army of plushies) . More Hopelessness adds a degree of stakes that I require to keep me invested.

I thought sister vs sister was just as good as any other Neptunia game, it’s a niche series and only weebs will understand it’s beauty

Wait Neptunian actually evolve to Tales of combat? That is huge for me

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