Recently I’ve had more time to go through some back logged games that I never had the time for. Specifically, I went through Legend of Dragoon, Parasite Eve, and now Final Fantasy VI. Apparently I had skipped some classics growing up, and I’ve gotta say, they’ve all shown to be pretty amazing so far. RPGs were a large part of my gaming life during my younger years, and getting back into them has rekindled my enthusiasm.
I have encountered a problem though. Save for the friends I grew up with, the ones that played with me, I find that many of the people I speak with have little to no experience with RPGs (JRPGs specifically). This is a problem. So what do I do? Obviously, I get them into RPGs. But which ones? With so many great games out there, what games should I recommend they play?
So that’s what I’ve been thinking about recently, and that’s what this article is. A “Where should you start?” on JPRGs. I’m sure some of you out there aren’t too versed, and that’s a shame. If you play games for more than explosions and achievements, and actually appreciate narratives and puzzles, this is a genre you really ought to at least try out.
So if I had to make a list of the best RPGs for brand new players, out of all the RPGs I’ve ever played, where would I start? I don’t think they should be too complicated. Maybe not too many hidden things for people to miss. Let’s see what I can pull out of my hat.
1) Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete
The first game I would recommend is Lunar: Silver Star Story Complete, on the PS1. It had some earlier releases, like on the Sega Saturn, but the PS1 version is what I played and it’s what I can speak on.
Lunar, of all the RPGs I’ve played, screams “welcome, newcomers.” You don’t have to worry about your team, every character you recruit can be used at the same time. There are no complicated crafting or item acquisition systems. None of your units have special skills that function with unique mechanics.
Each character was memorable and likeable (except Nash. So useless). Each character played their own role in combat and so felt different from one another. There weren’t too many secret items or places that you could miss.
Lunar is just an incredibly straightforward game. The best part is, though, that it’s actually also a good game. The writing is well done, the voice acting is humorous (can’t remember too many games where they actually have characters sing full songs during cut scenes), and the hand drawn cut scenes are visually pleasing. It’s just a great experience that doesn’t even take a lot of time.
Definitely the number 1 game I would recommend to a friend wanting to get into RPGs.
2) Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is another really great starter RPG. The class system and the side quests add a bit of complexity that new players may find unfamiliar, but much like Lunar, you don’t have to worry about shuffling party members. In fact, you don’t even need to worry about who to attack, as the game prioritizes your targets for you. I would almost put this title above Lunar, but the difficulty of some of the side quests stops me.
The story is decent, and the game sports good conveyance. That’s another very important issue. For an RPG to be good for newcomers, it’s always gotta be pretty clear about what you should do next. The narrative takes interesting directions, splitting your party up and swapping members around. Enough happens in this game that you shouldn’t get bored before the game is over (though you may before you finish all the side quests).
Final Fantasy is a time honored RPG series, and this may be the easiest one to get into. It by no means is the best in the series, but it should definitely be capable of easing new players into the genre.
3) Pokemon Red/Blue
Pokemon Red and Blue for the Gameboy should register here. No series has ever amazed me for being so easily playable, while simultaneously being so deep, as Pokemon does. You can run through the entire game with literally any combination of pokemon you wish, while later, spending hours upon hours micromanaging a team for competitive purposes.
The game lets you explore different party combinations safely, since the pokemon don’t rely on one another, you won’t happen into a situation where you accidentally construct a party of 4 healers and end up dying every fight and not knowing why. This is a really safe way to introduce players to a class-like system, variations of which are used by many more complex RPGs.
Red and Blue, being the earliest installments of this genre, also have the lowest complexity. Nothing along the lines of breeding pokemon, or different encounters based on time of day. That’s all stuff to tackle once you’re invested in the series, and there is no place to start like the beginning.
4) Tales of Symphonia
Tales of Symphonia was made on the Gamecube, which makes it playable on the Wii. This will be a huge convenience for players that don’t happen to have a PS1 or original Gameboy lying around. It’s also a very action packed RPG.
The thing that stands out here is Tales of Symphonia’s combat system. There are more here in the ways of side quests and secret items. You have to manage your party members, and having the wrong ones can make things more challenging (if they don’t mesh well together). However, the combat is more than enough to make this title very approachable.
During combat, players control a single character and they actively move about a field, while mashing attack buttons. You do not have to surf through menus, rather you get to actively hack-and-slash your way through all of your opponents. This makes combat a little more exciting and I think would be a much smaller gap to leap from whatever action packed games you undoubtedly have been playing.
The game’s overall quality lends a lot here instead. The combat is, indeed, exciting, but more importantly, it exists to support a strong narrative with interesting characters. A more modern example of a great starting point.
5) Summoner
I debated what to slot here at number 5. In the end, I opted for an RPG released by a western developer. It does however draw heavily from eastern RPG design and as such is appropriate, I feel, to include here. You may ask “If you’re going to include Western RPGs, why not go for something like Mass Effect?”. Believe me, I almost did. But I think games like Mass Effect (or even something even MORE western, like Skyrim) may be too different. I feel like it may be completely possible for a player to love Mass Effect, but dislike the genre on the whole.
What I did decide to go with may be an unusual recommendation, but I’m trying to meet some unusual criteria. This list is by no means “The best RPGs you’ll ever play”, but rather ones that I think might hook new players. So far, most of the RPGs I’ve listed, while accessible to adults, are mostly more child themed. Simple dialog, simple plot structure, and bright / colorful presentation. While they’re all excellent, I feel like they may miss the mark on gamers that are looking for something with a bit more of a mature feel.
Summoner retains many of the aspects of a beginner RPG that will make it easy to play for new players: Clear instructions on what to do next, a small party where characters have clear roles, basic yet engaging combat. Though many might find this game the weakest on this list, I legitimately enjoyed it. I’ve a fairly vast array of RPG experience, and it held up just fine.
Summoner’s appeal, compared to the other titles, are that the game is clearly geared more towards adults than children, in all aspects of the game. The setting is darker, the plot is more serious, dealing with concepts of betrayal and sabotage, while offering the player moral agency. This is the only game I’ve listed where the endings vary based on what the player thinks the right course of action is.
Really, all these games are excellent starting points, and should all be played. Once a player makes it through these 5, there are just so many great titles to get lost in. The entire Final Fantasy catalog, not to mention Dragon Quest, Earthbound, or Star Ocean series. Go get playing, and then come back and talk to me about them.
