I feel that in my current (and first) playthrough of Trails in the Sky 1. You literally walk from city to city, solve smaller quests, all while a bigger story unfolds in the background. It‘s the perfect mix between cozy and epic adventure for me. Definitely looking forward to the rest of the series 🥰
I’m also right in the middle of Trails in the Sky 1 and loving it so much! I totally agree that it feels like the definition of big adventure shared in this video.
Trails 1 and 2 is good. You finish the story and it's fine. I feel bad about the insane overarching story behind 20 games. It makes you like, dude how many years of my life do you expect me to invest here?
Ni no Kuni was indeed a bright spot for the PS3 era (along with Tales of Xillia I and II (which you could argue has a big world as well). I would put a vote in the Sky and Cold Steel arcs for the Trails series.
So happy you mentioned Grandia, one of the best coming of age adventures ever made. You hit most titles I thought of except for the Xenoblade Chronicles games. Excellent video Paige!
That is an excellent choice and is also an interesting variation on this theme because the story starts out as a quest for revenge and then gradually shifts into a bigger focus as the characters realize that there are much bigger things at stake than a personal grudge in their journey.
This is a great idea! I've heard Golden Sun, Lunar silver star story and Skies of Arcadia would fit that bill but I haven't played those yet. I need to though.
they're not RPGs but zelda games are really great at this sort of thing, of having a small time village kid get launched into a grand adventure, at least the older games
Pokémon hits me in the nostalgia real hard when I was playing Ruby/ Sapphire & Emerald when I was a kid it felt like I was a pirate exploring the ocean finding hidden islands. My personal picks are: Bravely Default, Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey, Final Fantasy XV, Unicorn Overlord and the Xenoblade games.
Admittedly, I never really played many JRPGs but I do prefer fantasy settings over modern day ones because of the whole adventuring aspect. The worlds just feel more mysterious and well, I don't have to get suspicious when there is a world ending threat and it seems Japan or America is the only places that matter. That and well, I don't have to ask questions on whether or not if a threat in a modern day story would actually lose to the military. But admittedly, I do like games like Half-Life 2 and Titanfall 2 for making me feel like I'm going on a journey since there is rarely any cutscenes or gameplay interruptions.
I don't think this qualifies as a big adventure JRPG since it's all in one city. But Vagrant Story is my favorite JRPG, the soundtrack is so, so, good 😊😊😊
Final fantasy 9 was my first rpg when i was a kid, so im biased, but its still my absolute favorite rpg, the world setting to me is just perfect. I have played other rpg's/jrpgs since but nothing ever got close to it for me, untill recently i played and beat Dragon Quest 11, it was so good it momentarily brought me back to my childhood as if i was enjoying final fantasy 9 for the first time. Perfect games.
I think you would love the golden Sun serie if you haven't had the chance to play it yet. The xenoblade série is also master pieces. Another serie that i hold near to my heart is breath of fire.
Grandia 1 and 2 are perhaps my favourite grand scale RPGs. There's just something wholesome and fulfilling about them. I thought that perhaps I was being a bit nostalgic so when I played the remaster recently, I felt the same. They truly are a masterpieces. My favourite Star Ocean is possibly Till the End of Time. I can't exactly say why, but it just edges it for me. Xenogears is also up there, as is the 5th or 6th Dragon Quest (the one where the main character goes through his whole life in three ages). I'll have to go back through my collection and see what I can suggest for you. As for Final Fantasy IX, it became my favourite after I played it. To the extent I went and had two tattoos - one of Zidane and one of Vivi.
Another awesome video idea. I would have to say that my favorite big adventure RPG series would have to be Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy. Persona is my favorite series of all time, but when it comes to big adventures as you said they don't really cover that territory. Awesome video and thank you for sharing your thoughts!
@@femtrooper I can see how it wouldn’t be for everyone, but those games were my childhood and I thought the edgy melodrama of the games was so cool as a kid lol
@@femtrooper I'd call it a big adventure game personally. You don't necessarily see the entire world, but the game takes place on a bunch of floating islands in the sky and each one has at least 2 different towns and each island has a distinct vibe/culture to it. The 2nd game is a prequel and you basically go to all the same places but a couple decades before the events of the first game.
I was a lot younger when I beat Chrono so I vaguely remember the story but I do remember the time travel stuff which was pretty cool. I will say Ni No Kuni is probably one of my favorite JRPG’s of all time. The scene with his mom in the beginning of the game made me caused me to ummm…shed a thug tear or two. Lol! Nonetheless such a great list. Can’t disagree with any of this.. outside of Earthbound only because I’ve never played it. Everything else…spot on!
Xenoblades games totally felt like a huge adventure! Also monster hunter stories games, like you leave from your recluded village to go to new towns, worlds maps etc. I love this series! I played most game you mention however i didnt finished Chrono trigger (i want a port on switch..). Earthboud is on the switch online, i should give it a try, you praised this game so much after all.
Hey Paige, great list thanks for the video! yeah these are great fun indeed! For me a greater adventure is when a series continue the story it started in one, like the 4 Phantasy star or the 2 Lufia. Also I know it's not a JRPG but a WRPG, but when I heard you talking about exploring a big world I though about Skyrim!
OMG these are SUCH good choices! If I have to leave the trail that you blazed, I'll go with the Ys Series, specifically Ys 8: Lacrimosa of Dana. While the adventure takes place on an island, its a pretty darn big island, and there's some 4th dimensional exploration as well.
Awesome picks, and I'm definitely in the same boat -- I love the big, sweeping, grand adventure. One that I've always loved is Xenogears. Going back to it is a BIT rough, because it was definitely a product of the early 32-bit era, but it's a grand adventure both in terms of physical scope and in terms of grand, epic storytelling.
adventure and jrpg go hand in hand, i love it when you get to the point where you get a ship or airship and I want to go explore and visit secret locations that were inaccessible. I just wished more JRPGs made exploring town and cities more fun, in many games you can only visit the inn, weapon shop and 1 or 2 houses. The first big city in Dragon Quest 11 was really fun to explore, would love to see more of that
These are all excellent choices for this kind of RPG and I'll also recommend the two main Lunar games in all of their variations as a companion to Grandia because they have a very similar feel to them in how the games approach the characters going on a big adventure. For a darker and more tragic take on this theme, SMT IV also has this big adventure feel to it but in a very different way from the other games that fit this category. The main characters bond on an adventure they have to go on out of necessity, but they eventually find themselves caught up in a situation where powerful forces are in conflict over the direction the structure of the world should take. The bonds that were forged on this adventure then can be either broken or reinforced depending on which path you choose for an outcome to the story.
I just like JRPGs in general, big adventure, little adventure, no adventure 😂…. But some of my favorite “adventure” RPGs fall out of the JRPG genre. Western RPGs really do capture that sense of adventure.
Grandia is my favourite and i just can not understand why the 3rd game was not included in the collection. The story and the music in the first Grandia is epic, i just love it :)
Great video as always. I’ve been banging this drum a lot but most recently it’s Sea of Stars. Can’t wait to hear you talk about it! Also I recently finished the original Paper Mario for the first time and that was a grand adventure!
I think that's why I love so many Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games! Love that exploration. Probably why I'm big on platformers too as many of them have that same feel of having a lava world, ice world, desert etc.
Great video! I think I own or have played the vast majority of this list. 😄 I *am* one of those people that haven't played 'Chrono Trigger' or 'Earthbound', yet. I have them on my laptop, ready to go as part of my emulation backlog, and the latter is on the SNES Classic Mini. I would add 'Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium' (Mega Drive/Genesis) to this list. It's a "big adventure" set in an entire solar system! The only negative I have for the game, though: you will be healing after every - single - battle. Ugh! 🤕 I also had great fun with 'Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition'. I was hooked as soon as the music started. I think it is rare nowadays for games to musically evoke the *feeling* of a big adventure.
When my mom bought Grandia I thought it looked so kiddy and snubbed it. But then I saw one of my siblings play it and when I got to playing it, I ended up loving it. Same thing happened with FF9 and that's when I learned never judge a game by its graphics.
@@femtrooper You get to explore a deserted island and figure out a mystery. The combat is amazing. I highly recommend it and would love to watch your video talking about the game after you finish.
I'm very impressed on how fast you get through all these RPG's. If I play one it can take me a couple of months to get through. Then I have to play a bunch of short title games.
*spoiler warning*………… I knew there was something really special about chrono trigger when I got to that part where you leave Robo in the past to replant the forest and go to the future to find the work he did, the forest grown etc. There are just so many little moments like this that are so touching and amazing.
Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals for me! You go across the entire planet and find all kinds of secrets. There’s even a mermaid haven. My all time nostalgia game. 10/10
The games that first come to my mind are Grandia, Lunar, and Xenoblade Chronicles. Tales of games tend to follow this format as well. If you're going to play more Star Ocean games, just avoid 5.
You are great and I listen to you all the time, I really love your enthusiasm for Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, I love it too and Im now on the new game plus 2nd playthrough
You might have missed out on the tales series. All tales series games have you travelling from town town and this series has IMO one of the best battle systems in JRPGs. I mean if you liked star ocean you would most likely love the tales series. Highly recommended
I agree that Tales of fits the bill but I’ve only played two in the series and I didn’t like them very much so hopefully I can find one I like one day.
Great suggestions overall. DQ is definitely my favorite out of this list. I do want to mention Ys and namely Ys VIII. Global/continentwise it's not as big as a world map or anything of that nature. However, the discovery of the Isle of syren is one if not the main portions that makes this game elite! I would totally count it as a big adventure game.
I can’t deny that they are big adventures! I didn’t list them because for some reason they didn’t give me the vibe I was looking for but they are some of my favs in general!
I love a grand adventure! First games that come to mind are the Xenoblade games and Dragon Quest XI. Definitely want to get around to playing Grandia, Star Ocean Second Story R and Earthbound!
I think Skyrim fits this. I have never finished the main quest, because I have had too much fun, just going around and exploring caves and new areas. I love Skyrim. I got introduced to the game by a classmate whom was playing it in bio class. Lets just say that my grade for bio, was not great, because there was something more interesting to catch my attention (^^") The last time I played Skyrim I had installed a mod which lets you have bears as companions. So I ended up having a Dova-bear (Bear with helmet) and a panda. I also happen to have a drinking match with a random dude and that was so much fun and so surprising. I strongly recommend the game to anyone whom have not had the pleasure of trying out this game. It is so much fun, as long as you are just doing whatever you want. I often hear people not liking "vanilla skyrim", but I think the issues stems from them only doing the main quest and not taking the time to just run around. (I am realizing it is not a J-RPG, but I still like my comment, so it stays ;P)
True, I have never found them as adventurous as other games which I know is weird! It’s why I didn’t mention them - maybe it’s the town thing I don’t know!
Great list! There are a few that I haven't gotten to myself because of the never ending backlog. As far as game suggestions, I don't remember if you ever tried Xenoblade Chronicles DE or The Legend of Heroes series (Trails). Both of those would meet the "world exploration/adventure" aspects. Also have really good story telling. Both have interesting gameplay mechanics (Xeno has an MMO kind of system while Trails has the Orbal system for magic), so those might be off putting to some people.
I absolutely love Xenoblade but oddly enough it hasn’t ever given me the big world feeling even though I know it’s a huge world to explore. I’m weird haha
Most of my picks are pretty old, but here we go. The first one that came to mind: Lost Odyssey. This is a Final Fantasy game that just isn't *called* Final Fantasy, and you definitely start roaming the world later on. It's not as freeform in your travelling as something like Dragon Quest XI though. Next Breath of Fire 4. Well, really all of them, but 4 is the one I like the most. This one uses nodes that you select from a map, but it still has that feel in my opinion. My next suggestion might not count, depending on how you define JRPG. It has real-time action combat rather than turn-based menus. In any case, the game is Terranigma. It very much has the feel of wandering around the world from quite an early stage in the game. You're tasked to revive the world, so plenty of travelling from place to place.
Fun topic & video! I'd really like to suggest the Monster Hunter Stories games. They are awesome JRPG's! They are similar to Pokémon in that you collect and raise "Monsties" to build your party. The battles are turn based and the adventure takes you to many different villages where you meet new people and monsters. You explore the world by riding on the back of your monster, which is so fun! Each monster has there own unique abilities you can use in the overworld to get past obstacles ect... Btw, they're coming out with a remake of the original Monster Hunter Stories this June 14th for Switch. I think they're selling a physical copy that has both games on it. They're 2 games in this series so far. Hopefully a 3rd is coming 🤞 they're great 👍
I’ve never played Chrono Trigger because it’s super expensive on SNES 😢and I don’t think I can afford it. I have played Earthbound though on the switch online. I love Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I think I put about 120 hours into that one!
Before I give alittle list I want to mention Terranigma. Its an action rpg on the snes and you only play 1 character. But you travel all around the world end meet alot of interesting characters on the way, they just dont join you. I dont know if that interests you but I wanted to mention it because Its one of my favorite games on that system. Breath of Fire 3 Lunar 1 and 2 Rogue Galaxy Chained Echoes Sea of Stars
The fact that Chrono Trigger isn't on the Switch is funny to me, assuming they're planning something big for it in the nearish future... maybe. And that's why?
If they come out with Star Ocean 3 remastered or something, you HAVE to check it out. It’s one of my favorite PS2 games! Even if they don’t remaster it, you should check it out it. Also, Xenoblade! You need to get to that 3rd one!
Is Star Ocean 3 available on the eshop maybe? I haven’t checked but I am sooooo down to check it out! Also yes to XC3 - I am gonna try my hardest to get to it this year!
@@femtrooper you get get it digital on the PS5 store but I’m REALLY hoping Second Story R did well enough for them to get a remaster/remake of it out. Or at least port it to the Switch
I would say Earthbound, pokemon, and the first Xenoblade chronicles would have to be my favorite. As for chrono trigger, like many classic games, I’ve just never got around to it lol!
Probably not a JRPG….but Fallout 4 is my go to. The gameplay, the mechanics, the music, the atmosphere. Almost a perfect game. (I couldn’t get into Skyrim) no knock on those that do but Fallout 4 is the sweet spot. IMO…..
even though they may not have enormous maps, lunar 1 and 2 as well as grandia have a sense of grandiose adventure for me. If you haven't played them yet....play the Lunar games. The ps1 versions. They emulate perfectly as well. For final fantasy I would say 6. You travel the world, then SPOILER have to travel it after an apocalypse of sorts.
Lufia 2 (one for me as i dont think the first was released in PAL) as my first big adventure rpg. Perhaps I will add chrono trigger as a favorite since I finally got one. Because of a great suggestion from orbalology :). Haven't been able to get my hands on earthbound. Also no show in EU. And so many more..
Ya know, if anyone could, play Black Sigil for the Nintendo DS. The encounter rate is ridiculous for that game, but the story and visuals harken back to that good ol golden age of RPGs. There is a patch for the rom that lowers the encounter rate significantly, the game is more enjoyable that way
People crap on Sun/Moon a lot but I enjoyed my time with Moon a ton, despite some of the bits I can agree are not the best (most trainer encounters having like 2 or 3 pokemon at most for example.) PD.- You sounded a bit low energy, at least at the beginning, hope everything is good. And if not, that whatever may be going on comes to pass as soon as possible.
I haven't played chrono trigger yet. I'm holding out for a remake cause I feel like with how high it's regarded by you jrpg folks, the have to be working on a remake. Also try sea of stars if you haven't. It took a lot of inspiration from chrono trigger. It was the first turn based game I played that wasn't Pokémon and really enjoyed it
