Although Japanese Role Playing Games haven’t quite managed to retain the same level of
popularity among the mainstream crowd as they did in the late 20th century, the genre is
still going strong with a number of beloved franchises.
Action, romance, fantasy, drama, comedy -- if you can name it, it can be found in any modern
JRPG.
Now that 2014 has come to pass and the new year is upon us, we can usher in the new console
era with a fresh wave of promising games.
Here are some of the more prominent JRPG titles you should be keeping an eye on in the coming
months.
Some of these games are already available for preorder and we have links to Amazon pre-order
pages in the description.
As you are watching hit the subscribe button because we are releasing more upcoming game
previews all the time.
Final Fantasy XV http://bit.ly/AmazonFinalFantasyXV
Square’s Final Fantasy series almost singlehandedly popularized the JRPG genre in the west while
simultaneously revitalizing the dying company back in the 1980s.
Almost 30 years later, we have finally reached 15 main titles in addition to a multitude
of spin-offs and crossovers, and with the way things are going, the series is not going
to be leaving us anytime soon.
Final Fantasy XV has been at the forefront of fans’ minds ever since it was unveiled
at the Tokyo Game Show in 2014, and now that it has been confirmed that a playable demo
that will be bundled with the equally anticipated Final Fantasy Type-0 HD, we can finally rest
easy with the knowledge that the game will be receiving a physical release after so long.
From what little we can gather from various trailers and other promotional materials,
Final Fantasy XV will feature slick, fast-paced combat with a heavy emphasis on teleportation
and fast travel.
Modern cityscapes dot the game’s map, and players will be free to choose from a varied
cast of characters as they progress.
Kingdom Hearts 3 http://bit.ly/AmazonKingdomHearts3
It’s been nearly ten years since we last saw a Kingdom Hearts title, and now that Kingdom
Hearts III has finally been officially announced, fans are beside themselves with anticipation.
The series expertly combines the timeless magic of Disney with the fantastical sense
of adventure of Square’s award-winning Final Fantasy series in a truly unique action-adventure
experience.
Although very little information about the game has been released -- there’s only so
much we can gleam from an early gameplay demonstration that is less than a minute in length, after
all -- message boards across the net have exploded with speculation and pre-orders are
already available on Amazon.
Sora’s journey will be set to continue on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sometime within
the next couple of years.
Tales of Zestiria http://bit.ly/AmazonTalesOfZestiria
The latest in Namco’s critically acclaimed “Tales” series, Tales of Zestiria is slated
for a Japanese release on Jan. 22 and a localized release this upcoming summer.
Like previous entries in the series, gameplay will be divided between a puzzle-filled overworld
and a combat system that can support up to four party members at once.
Unlike previous entries in the series, Zestiria will take place in an open world and feature
special abilities for each party member, as well as an integrated battle system that will
be placed directly on the overworld, rather than in a separate screen.
Tales of Zestiria stars Sorey, a young man who possesses magical powers gifted to him
by the angelic Seraphim, who rule over the land of Glenwood.
Joining forces with a group of people blessed with similar abilities, he strives to rid
the world of the Hellion, demonic creatures created from negative emotions.
In honor of the 20th anniversary of Tales of Phantasia, the Japan-exclusive first title
in the franchise, Zestiria will include many thematic allusions to earlier “Tales”
games.
Persona 5
Despite its rough start in the late 1980s, a time when faithful English localizations
were worth their weight in gold, the Megami Tensei series has managed to find a devoted
fanbase even after a decent chunk of its entries never saw the light of day in the U.S. more
than 20 years later.
Persona, a spin-off series based in the Megami Tensei universe, has proven especially popular
among the English-speaking crowd in the past decade.
Persona 5, the latest title in the series, was confirmed last year at the Tokyo Game
Show via a short animated trailer, but much of the game’s content is shrouded in mystery
at this time.
Based on what we know, Persona 5 will continue the series tradition of starring Japanese
high school students and will feature the concept of freedom as a major underlying theme.
Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem
As one can probably tell from its current working title, Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem
is a long-awaited crossover between two wildly popular JRPG series, Shin Megami Tensei and
Fire Emblem.
Announced in late January 2013 to great fanfare, the game fell under the radar until late last
year when it was finally confirmed that it would be a Wii U exclusive.
The crossover has had a bit of a troubled production, having been scrapped and restarted
from scratch at least five times due to creative differences between the two teams, but is
so far delivering on everything fans of both games could ever hope for.
Both Atlus and Nintendo have intentionally kept quiet when it comes to Shin Megami Tensei
X Fire Emblem’s gritty details, but the joint project will feature a wide cast of
characters from both series, including Kazuya, Flynn and Aleph of Shin Megami Tensei fame
and Roy, Marth and Ike from various Fire Emblem titles.
A teaser trailer has since been made available to the public.
Disgaea 5 This upcoming tactical role playing game is
a PS4 exclusive and the first entry in the popular Disgaea series to be released on a
next-gen console.
As per usual in a Nippon Ichi game, Alliance of Vengeance will include the concept of vengeance
as a major underlying theme.
Players take on the role of Killia, a young male demon who seeks revenge against the tyrannical
demon emperor Void Dark.
Banding together with a group of like-minded party members, he sets out to put a stop to
the demon lord’s formidable army.
Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance will allow up to 100 characters on screen at once in
battle.
Quite impressive, especially considering earlier games could only manage a maximum of 10.
Also unique to the game is the revenge system, which directly affects the behavior of surviving
party members after another character falls in battle.
Alliance of Vengeance is slated for an international release in late 2015.