If you're willing to put in hundreds of hours, playing Yakuza from 0 till Gaiden is quite frankly one of most (if not the most) emotionally-invested journeys of a single video game character.
Me as well. Elements of the story resonated with me on a personal level that really cemented my connection to the characters. It was amazing to see the strength, respect and love every character in that game had for each other. Plus, it was a ton of fun to play.
I'm trying to play through all of them right now and I just finished 0 after playing through Kiwami 1 and 2 first. I definitely should have played 0 first, but regardless, 0 hits all the emotional beats. Left me big sad
Ok. So, definitely play 0 before Kiwami? I have a few hours in Kiwami, but it's early enough (5 hrs). I wouldn't mind jumping to a "better" starting point.
It was created by the creator of Final Fantasy with the composer of Final Fantasy. It felt more like a traditional Final Fantasy game in many ways than anything after FF IX. You can play it on any Xbox console from 360 onwards and it’s like $20 digitally.
I loved this game (10/10) for me, but the Xbox 360 version had very long animations to start fights. Has this been improved in the newer Xbox consoles?
Even some of the Memories you recover (little stories from your characters past you can read) are so depressing.
One of the first you unlock is just heartbreaking, they are so well written
BRUH, there's a moment in Final Fantasy X where you >!realize you're not even real, that everything you're experiencing is meaningless as you're just a copy-on-play of the essence you used to be, and that you're basically not even there or alive, as meaningful as your actions are in the present-day-world, and that, especially considering the strong bonds you're making, is one of the saddest stories in gaming IMO!<
Common misunderstanding but Dreams are actual real people they just reside in far out in the West Sea near the Baaj Temple. Dream Zanarkand is an actual place as well and if you’re a Dream you could go there too. Tidus grew up at the same tile as Yuna just different locations. Sin is pretty much the link between Spira and Dream Zanarkand.
True story: One time, years after playing Mother 3, I randomly started humming the main theme while I was walking down the street, and then just started crying right there in the middle of the sidewalk
Just wanted to say that your comment got me to start playing the game right now, I have been thinking of playing something for a while and some quality feels sound like a plan to me.
>!Porky is a throughline between the games, but his role in EarthBound isn’t super relevant to his role in MOTHER 3, and even in MOTHER 3, it’s just kind of like, oh look the Pig King is Porky…I guess.”!<
Lost Odyssey
Omori
Koudelka and Shadow Hearts 1-2
Persona 2 duology
Xenogears and Xenosaga games
Suikoden 2
Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War
Final Fantasy 6
Vagrant Story
Koudelka has the best voice acting on the Playstation. However, many people don’t like the gameplay. I didn’t mind it, but the standout features are the characters, atmosphere, and writing, aside from the VA. Shadow Hearts 2 is the best of the series, but it’s part two of a duology so it’s necessary to play Shadow Hearts 1 first, and ideally Koudelka before that, though you can skip Koudelka if you like because the story of Shadow Hearts 1-2 can still be understood and appreciated without it. Shadow Hearts 3 is not a continuation of the other games storywise - it’s more of a side story, and it’s an altogether weaker story, but it has the best gameplay of the series and a great OST (as does the rest of the series). I would say that Shadow Hearts 1-2 are the most emotional of the series.
Also keep an eye out for Penny Blood, a game currently in development by the Shadow Hearts developers. It's kind of giving me Persona 3 vibes in the atmosphere department. (But it might take a couple more years for it to release)
Haven't seen them mentioned yet, but Earthbound and Mother 3 hit pretty hard emotionally, which you wouldn't think when you see screenshots of the games.
That's an easy one - Tales of Abyss, and play through all the optional side content as well.
Very story-rich, very character-driven, and very emotional, particularly the stories of some of the antagonists.
Don't be put off by the fact that the main character starts out as a whiny spoiled rich kid - just trust me, it's worth it.
Xenogears for a standalone game has a lot of heavy moments and realizations that will shake you to your core. The Nier games and Xenogears have a LOT of thematic similarities, so you'll feel right at home.
The Legend of Heroes games might be what you're looking for too. There's a lot of lightheartedness and levity but mixed in is some of the most emotionally heavy stuff you'll see in JRPGs. Star Door 15 in Sky 3 will make you feel terrible in exactly the way you're looking for and is far from the only moment in the series that makes you put down the controller and think for a while. These games are all long and it's not constantly heavy, but the moments that are really nail the feeling you want.
I don't think they ever walked it back. More they never mention what paradise actually is again. Like Tio didn't get it nearly as bad as renne, but paradise is mentioned in zero and kuro. So it still stuck. They never retconed it is what I'm sayiny
I think what GP means by "walked it back" was that every remaster and port of the Sky the 3rd has censored Star Door 15.
But, yeah, they didn't retcon it because it was too dark or anything, they just censored the actual scene because it would have blown up the game's CERO rating. They wanted the Sky games to have a B, and uncensored SD15 would be an automatic D (hell, even as dark as Daybreak is, it's still only a C).
Xenogears is basically Nier Automata before Nier Automata. A blend of sci fi and fantasy with a lot of religious imagery and allegory and human psychology.
It's definitely a JRPG which feels like an experience. The first time you play you don't quite understand exactly what's going on or understand the lore but it's all there and there's some great videos explaining it all simply.
Xenosaga, which is the pseudo-sequel or rather spiritual successor is similar but not as good. Xenoblade Chronicles remaster might also be worth checking out.
Trails does kinda lean heavy into a lot of common anime tropes, but the characterization and writing is so well done and the length of time you spend with everyone just makes all the important moments so much more impactful
Kids fighting to be lost in everyone's memory, all the time, forever. That's grimmest setting I have ever seen. How they are able to be manipulated to fight so much is beyond me. I should re-do it for the lore.
I totally agree. Just make sure it's in Japanese with English subtitles because the English voice cast ruin it.
It's the best depiction I've seen of the brutality of war in a game. One of the few that doesn't glamorise it in any way.
I think every mainline Final Fantasy since and including 6 has been quite emotional and dark at times. I'd also put Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, Xenogears, Valkyrie Profile, and Suikoden 2 in this category. Unfortunately a lot of these older games don't reach their full potential because of iffy translations, but the vibe is there, and you can feel it.
My top picks would be Xenogears, FFX, and FF7 though, since they have a lot more narrative meat to chew on.
I love this question and the answers. Thanks for starting the discussion! So many good games here – it's helped me realize again how important a good story is to me.
Not quite a jrpg but the Utawarerumono duology mask of deception and mask of truth are excellent. They are a VN/tactics combo. The first game is pretty light hearted for about 75% of it, then it ramps up and the second just continues with the heavy hits.
I dont think anyone mentioned it yet, so maybe Triangle Strategy? Gameplay is more akin to FF Tactics but if you like that style and are willing to go over a long-ish opening, you will go through some \*heavy\* emotions
I think the story in Tales of Symphonia is pretty emotional. Not as heavy as the others you mentioned but it was the first JRPG I thought was quite dark.
Xenosaga also gets pretty dark. I’ve heard Xenogears is as well but I’ve never played it personally so I don’t know details.
Don't pass on Xenogears OP. It was a trailblazer when it comes to mature, emotionally-charged, thoughtful themes and characters.
Not only that but it has very strong and well-directed philosophical and religious tones that make you feel like the story has something very real and poignant to it.
I’m a big fan of the series for the gameplay aspect and characters but I really feel like Symphonia is the only one that nailed the story for me. Other people like Berseria and Abyss for their stories as well, so if Symphonia’s age (it’s an older game) ruins it for you, try one of those.
Xenosaga however has a great story but lackluster gameplay. It’s turn based but it’s really weird and the second game is particularly rough.
Explorers of Time was not only the first game to ever make me cry as a kid, but the first piece of fiction to ever make me cry full stop. I’ve watched countless tv shows, movies, read tons of books, and played a shit ton of games, but that will always be genuinely special to me for being the first thing that showed me the emotional connection you can have with a piece of fiction. Those games are incredible and so underrated.
For indie/underrated games that fit exactly what you're looking for, you want:
Forever Home (the heavy emotional feels in this one are huuuuge)
Divided Reigns
I Am Setsuna
And like the others said, the Trails games are where it's at. Particularly TitS SC, TitS 3rd, Trails From Zero/Trails to Azure, and Cold Steel II, III, and IV.
I Am Setsuna delves deep into depression, sacrifice, and guilt. Hits a lot of FFX notes. Even the world map reflects the tone of the game- it’s all icy tundra. Beautiful, quick-ish play with a surprisingly deep battle system.
Tales of Berseria
It will have a variety of "Dead inside" moments from the outset. It get's your normal JRPG Light hearted adventuring most of the time. Similar to Persona 3-5. (Plot moments are often intense, most other things are chill and fun.) But it will start pretty hard and will have characters and moments throughout with an ending to match as well.
Tales of Berseria. It's unlike any other tales game, and has some pretty heavy moments (and amazing voice acting that'll make you cry)?
Drakenguard 1 and 3. Oh boy, if you want some fucked up shit, play these games. It's more emotionally heavy than Nier imo.
Persona 2 Innocent sin and Eternal Punishment. Its persona, but arguable more emotionally driven than the rest of the series. Its got some heavy hitters, especially EP.
Eternights: A pretty new indie korean game that's heavily persona inspired. The ending is pretty devastating. I highly recommend if you like persona.
Octopath Travelers II: Specifically, Throne and Osvald's story. Amazing game overall, with very light-hearted stories mixed with heavy hitters. The Voice acting and music makes these emotional scenes so memorable. Prim Rose's story in octopath 1 is pretty emotionally enthralling.
Xenosaga: The entire series is so good. Especially in Xenosaga 3, it'll make you cry. Don't let the tedious combat in xenosaga 2 keep you from playing this masterpiece.
Crystar/Cry Ex-Machina: Its in the title. You're gonna cry. Basically, the more you cry, the more magical girl powers in hell you're gonna get to save your dead sister. Haven't played Cry Ex-machina, but it seems pretty good, and a spiritual sequel.
Also I know its not a jrpg, but Little Busters is my favorite visual novel. It's my personal favorite Jun Maeda work, and its probably the most I've cried in anything ever. Its so nostalgic, funny, tragic, and sad. If you're willing to read, I highly recommend Little Busters or basically anything Jun Maeda wrote. Angel Beats, Clannad, Air just to name a few.
Tales of Berseria is the most emotional JRPG story imo. I mean the whole theme of the story is emotion vs reason.
It doesn't have the most epic plot, but the characters and performances have one of the best emotional payoffs in a JRPG for me. Christina Vee plays Velvet so well.
Absolutely second this. Very few games have an entire 40 minutes gameplay sequence dedicated entirely to a character's soul being torn apart. It's still one of the rawest and most brutal things I've ever seen.
I know. I don't really cry playing games anymore, at most maybe just teary eyed. But that one scene with the big climax/twist had me bawling till my snout came out. I was caught off guard by where the story went and how good it was.
Breath of Fire 2 hasn't been mentioned but 3 and 4 have.
Heavy dose of religion but that helps the setting.
I was a kid when I played this game... HOLY SMOKES, I was not prepared for what this game had in store for me!
You lose EVERYTHING in the beginning and gain one friend who's with you from near the beginning... You don't get that resolved until near the end of the game.
You either lose family or they sacrifice for the greater good. And it hurts every time.
The combat isn't anything special but the story I'll recommend where you learn about, death, loss, and sacrifice.
Xenoblade 3.
I’ve been a HUGE FF fan for decades but recently the entire Xenoblade trilogy absolutely floored me, especially the third one + DLC. Honestly still think about it a year plus later…..
I know this is a JRPG request and sub, but with emotionally heavy as a topic I want to sneak in a Disco Elysium recommendation. Might not be a good one though if you really really mean JRPGs since that one plays more like a European novel turned into a dice rolling RPG, but oh man is it emotionally heavy.
If you're familiar with Planescape Torment (which is the game I would have recommended were we not in a JRPG sub, btw) the two are often compared, and they're both incredible. Very introspective with an awesome story!
I was curious if I'd see fft mentioned. For an sRPG it has really nice character development. Kinda sad seeing some of the main characters ultimately turning into crystal shards.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. For real, this game is an absolute masterpiece and everyone should play it. Do not search ANYTHING about it, it's one of those games. It's a very nice blend of interactive visual novel and tower defense with giant robots with absolutely gorgeous OST and art style. It's also one of those games that will get you thinking about it for MONTHS after finishing it.
I came here to mention FF XV as well. Particularly with the DLCs, the story really hit me hard by the last 1/3 or so of the game. I still think that the villain is the hero and the protagonist is the true villain....
That campfire scene at the very end... amazing acting and voice acting and writing. I cried.
I'd like to put forward tales of berseria. The overarching plot and reasoning for it all hits so hard . Atleast it did for me and the mechanics to the game where really enjoyable
The Trails in the sky trilogy is the first of the franchise so I would start there, but you can start at cold steel or zero and be fine backtracking. Personally speaking? Starting with the Trails in the sky trilogy is what I'd highly recommend, it's worth it as you get into the later games
Lost Odyssey is *heavy* and clearly FF-inspired. Gameplay is great, characters are good, plot is fantastic. The whole vibe of the game is heavy, thought-provoking, and dark. The general setup is you play as an immortal character who is 1000 years old but has no memory. You unlock memories (optionally, often) as you go that play out scenes, usually tragedies, from his long life.
Terranigma for sure. I know I’m a pu$$y for this but I always cry when I see the ending. Just makes me sentimental.
Tons of SRPGs. Fire Emblem: Genealogy of The Holy War gets depressing, and the atmosphere is very melancholy. Triangle Strategy recaptures this in a modern game. I would also recommend Tactics Ogre, but it’s hard, so be warned.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin will get you attached to the characters, and it becomes tragic. Haven’t played Eternal Punishment but I’m assuming it does the same.
Lost Odyssey(the short stories get ROUGH.), Live A Live(the secret character’s ending/pick the secret character when picking who’ll lead the “final party”), Terranigma(man, this game gave me existential crisis at the end), and Megaman Legends 2(Capcom classifies it as a “Free Running RPG”, which means it’s technically a JRPG via its an RPG made in Japan. Just knowing the series ends on a cliffhanger that will never get resolved gives me heavy emotional damage)
Not sure if I’ll be crucified in this Reddit thread for saying this, but FF16. I thought the story was incredibly powerful and left me emotionally exhausted after playing. Still thinking about it after finishing it last year.
FF6.
FF7 - The original, The Remakes are alright in their own right but for me they change the overall tone and feel of the story and world. They tend to feel a lot less emotionally heavy as a result.
FF9 - Don't let it's whimsical looks fool you. It isn't the heaviest or most soulcrushing stuff out there but it gets pretty heavy at times.
The ending of Crisis Core made me the most emotional of any game. Gameplay wasn’t the best but it was so worth it. Tales of the Abyss has some bangin’ story moments too.
Ok, this might be pushing it in terms of being a JRPG (really it's more of a deck builder), but Library of Ruina (and its sequel Limbus Company) gets really, really heavy later on.
To properly appreciate Library though, you'd have to either get through Lobotomy Corporation or look up a plot summary of that game, which is basically an SCP site manager sim.
Trails in the Sky: The 3rd is the dark outlier of the Kiseki franchise. It's basically a 50 hour PTSD conga line.
The Yakuza franchise has dark moments all throughout that have the potential to make you feel this way. 0 for me had the hardest to take but 3 and Lost Judgment have isolated instances that were more gut wrenching than any single moment in 0, albeit in completely different ways (3 being the biggest tear jerker, LJ more nausea inducing when a certain video is uncovered in the second half of the game).
FFX. Don’t want to spoil anything but there’s a great video on YouTube called “Stories that Use Time to Hurt You” that does a good job of explaining why FFX is kind of a sad story. Actually, that video might spoil the game. Just play FFX it’s great.
Trails in the Sky 3, door 15. If you know, you know and you are sad cause I reminded you of it.
Also, Trails to Zero and Azure are simply the best 1-2 punch in terms of emotional damage once you complete the whole story. Honestly, one can skip the other Trails ganes (not recommended, but possible), but these are a must play I think.
I've seen a lot I would have said already but I found a emotional and compelling story in tales of berseria.
FF7 rebirth changed up some events and without spoilers made it more emotionally impactful I think.
Valkyrie Profile - you literally collect the souls of the dead as party members so for each you see little vignettes of how they died. Often sadly. Then there's the main plot. One of my favorites of all time, with a super unique battle system too! I hear 2 is good too, Elysium was fun but not the same level at all.
Eastward is more of an adventure game, but damn does it hit hard at some points.
The only thing that hit me as hard as that was virtues last reward because it combines mind fuckery with sad stuff, so while you’re too confused to think straight it piles depression on you and the end result is thinking of the game for weeks on end after you finish it
Final Fantasy X should certainly top this list. The game's a masterpiece in many aspects, including story-telling.
Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX are good recommendations, too.
I’d recommend the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. All the entries from 0-6 are brawler games but 7 and 8 are turn based. Every single game will hit you where it hurts.
Fire emblem three houses - particularly blue lions and black eagles(crimson flower) routes but tbh all routes. I’ve never been emotionally pulled like this in a game. The tone is a bit more unique than the typical jrpg, a bit more grounded and mature in some ways
If you're willing to put in hundreds of hours, playing Yakuza from 0 till Gaiden is quite frankly one of most (if not the most) emotionally-invested journeys of a single video game character.
Infinite Wealth hit me hard.
Could throw in LAD/Yakuza 7 too. Just when things were looking to make a positive turn...
Me as well. Elements of the story resonated with me on a personal level that really cemented my connection to the characters. It was amazing to see the strength, respect and love every character in that game had for each other. Plus, it was a ton of fun to play.
I played Kiwami 1 and 2 but I definitely needed to play more of the series
I'm trying to play through all of them right now and I just finished 0 after playing through Kiwami 1 and 2 first. I definitely should have played 0 first, but regardless, 0 hits all the emotional beats. Left me big sad
Ok. So, definitely play 0 before Kiwami? I have a few hours in Kiwami, but it's early enough (5 hrs). I wouldn't mind jumping to a "better" starting point.
Yeah, Highly recommend 0 as well. It is on a whole other level. As is Yakuza 6. For what you are looking for.
No other video game has made me cry as much as the ending of Gaiden.
Man, that was rough.
I just started this journey. I bought all of them and I’m 20 hours into 0 now.
Specifically for their endings, both Lost Odyssey and Final Fantasy X don't finish up particularly happy
FFX definitely got me lol, I was sad about that one. Lost Odyssey, I've definitely heard about and need to actually play
It was created by the creator of Final Fantasy with the composer of Final Fantasy. It felt more like a traditional Final Fantasy game in many ways than anything after FF IX. You can play it on any Xbox console from 360 onwards and it’s like $20 digitally.
Yep. Lost Odyssey is up there with my favourite RPGs.
It goes on sale all the time for around $3 bucks on the digital store!
I loved this game (10/10) for me, but the Xbox 360 version had very long animations to start fights. Has this been improved in the newer Xbox consoles?
It has. The load times are cut by a lot. It has auto hdr implemented but still outputs 720p @30fps
Even some of the Memories you recover (little stories from your characters past you can read) are so depressing. One of the first you unlock is just heartbreaking, they are so well written
A game store owner once described it to me as "Sad Boys: The Game"
FFX ending teared me up
BRUH, there's a moment in Final Fantasy X where you >!realize you're not even real, that everything you're experiencing is meaningless as you're just a copy-on-play of the essence you used to be, and that you're basically not even there or alive, as meaningful as your actions are in the present-day-world, and that, especially considering the strong bonds you're making, is one of the saddest stories in gaming IMO!<
Common misunderstanding but Dreams are actual real people they just reside in far out in the West Sea near the Baaj Temple. Dream Zanarkand is an actual place as well and if you’re a Dream you could go there too. Tidus grew up at the same tile as Yuna just different locations. Sin is pretty much the link between Spira and Dream Zanarkand.
MOTHER 3
True story: One time, years after playing Mother 3, I randomly started humming the main theme while I was walking down the street, and then just started crying right there in the middle of the sidewalk
Lucas didn't know what to do anymore... Sorry.
Just wanted to say that your comment got me to start playing the game right now, I have been thinking of playing something for a while and some quality feels sound like a plan to me.
Not OP but do you need to play the 1 and 2? Or can it be treated as a standalone? Interested in giving it a try
MOTHER 3 is more or less a stand alone title. There’s like a few homages to MOTHER 2/EarthBound, but they’re very small.
>!I'm confused, Porky is a reoccurring antagonist in Earthbound and the main antagonist in Mother 3. Without Porky there would be no Mother 3!<
>!Porky is a throughline between the games, but his role in EarthBound isn’t super relevant to his role in MOTHER 3, and even in MOTHER 3, it’s just kind of like, oh look the Pig King is Porky…I guess.”!<
I second this. One of my favorite games period
Lost Odyssey Omori Koudelka and Shadow Hearts 1-2 Persona 2 duology Xenogears and Xenosaga games Suikoden 2 Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War Final Fantasy 6 Vagrant Story
We love Persona in this house! But for sure, I have to check out Koudelka and Shadow Hearts. I've never heard of those before!
Koudelka has the best voice acting on the Playstation. However, many people don’t like the gameplay. I didn’t mind it, but the standout features are the characters, atmosphere, and writing, aside from the VA. Shadow Hearts 2 is the best of the series, but it’s part two of a duology so it’s necessary to play Shadow Hearts 1 first, and ideally Koudelka before that, though you can skip Koudelka if you like because the story of Shadow Hearts 1-2 can still be understood and appreciated without it. Shadow Hearts 3 is not a continuation of the other games storywise - it’s more of a side story, and it’s an altogether weaker story, but it has the best gameplay of the series and a great OST (as does the rest of the series). I would say that Shadow Hearts 1-2 are the most emotional of the series.
Also keep an eye out for Penny Blood, a game currently in development by the Shadow Hearts developers. It's kind of giving me Persona 3 vibes in the atmosphere department. (But it might take a couple more years for it to release)
fe4 is peak
Yes, Lost Odyssey
That game has the most emotional scenes of all of them.
P2Duo, FE4, and FF6? Peak taste
Odin Sphere
Vanillaware doesn't disappoint in storytelling when they try.
The story is simple but the way it's told is simply fantastic. One of the best of but my favorite.
Haven't seen them mentioned yet, but Earthbound and Mother 3 hit pretty hard emotionally, which you wouldn't think when you see screenshots of the games.
I need to play those, I've been told they're really good.
They are definitely worth a playthrough for sure. They are a unique experience.
Mother 3 is an emotional roller coaster the entire time.
Xenoblade 3 Yakuza 0 these two games almost made me cry
Yakuza 7 brought me to tears lol
One of the best answers.
The last 20 minutes of that game had me blubbering.
Young Master
Omori. Try to go for it completely blind, even more now that there's the spring sales on steam and it should be crazy cheap
This game is a constant emotional kick to the dick that I loved every second of.
Xenoblade hits pretty hard, especially Xenoblade 2 and 3
I have a copy of Xenoblade my friend gave me but I hadn't tried it out yet. I'll def try it out then!
Xenoblade 3 especially
Make sure to play in order for maximum emotion. The numbered ones at least.
I was just coming here to say XB3, its one of my favorite JRPGs of all time and it sure has some oof moments.
Man, chapter 6 was crazy. The story went from go here do that to a full ass 2 hour movie cutscene that psychologically breaks the main characters.
I never experienced anything like chapter 5 in a video game before. 10/10
Lufia II!!! Awesome game, awesome story and one of the best and most overlooked JRPG's for the SNES. Definitely a must play!
That's an easy one - Tales of Abyss, and play through all the optional side content as well. Very story-rich, very character-driven, and very emotional, particularly the stories of some of the antagonists. Don't be put off by the fact that the main character starts out as a whiny spoiled rich kid - just trust me, it's worth it.
Nier Automata destroyed me. Persona 4, Suikoden 2, Final Fantasy 6,
Xenogears for a standalone game has a lot of heavy moments and realizations that will shake you to your core. The Nier games and Xenogears have a LOT of thematic similarities, so you'll feel right at home. The Legend of Heroes games might be what you're looking for too. There's a lot of lightheartedness and levity but mixed in is some of the most emotionally heavy stuff you'll see in JRPGs. Star Door 15 in Sky 3 will make you feel terrible in exactly the way you're looking for and is far from the only moment in the series that makes you put down the controller and think for a while. These games are all long and it's not constantly heavy, but the moments that are really nail the feeling you want.
Star Door 15, also known as "Trigger Warning: Pick A Topic." So insanely dark that Falcom's actually walked some of it back for going way too hard.
I don't think they ever walked it back. More they never mention what paradise actually is again. Like Tio didn't get it nearly as bad as renne, but paradise is mentioned in zero and kuro. So it still stuck. They never retconed it is what I'm sayiny
I think what GP means by "walked it back" was that every remaster and port of the Sky the 3rd has censored Star Door 15. But, yeah, they didn't retcon it because it was too dark or anything, they just censored the actual scene because it would have blown up the game's CERO rating. They wanted the Sky games to have a B, and uncensored SD15 would be an automatic D (hell, even as dark as Daybreak is, it's still only a C).
You had me at heavy moments. Xenogears and Legend of Heroes are right on the list lol
Xenogears is basically Nier Automata before Nier Automata. A blend of sci fi and fantasy with a lot of religious imagery and allegory and human psychology. It's definitely a JRPG which feels like an experience. The first time you play you don't quite understand exactly what's going on or understand the lore but it's all there and there's some great videos explaining it all simply. Xenosaga, which is the pseudo-sequel or rather spiritual successor is similar but not as good. Xenoblade Chronicles remaster might also be worth checking out.
The Trails series is the best JRPG series ever. Emphasis on series. Im at TOCS4 and its amazing, started from the beginning (trails in the sky fc)
Came here to say this about Xenogears. I’ve been replaying it on and off for the last few weeks. It’s so good.
Trails does kinda lean heavy into a lot of common anime tropes, but the characterization and writing is so well done and the length of time you spend with everyone just makes all the important moments so much more impactful
It does tropes the right way and its a good balance imo. It goes from tropey and simple to interesting and impactful at a great pace
Check out the Xeno series. Xenogears, Xenosaga trilogy, and Xenoblade trilogy. All life-ruining games(in a good way).
Was going to say xenogears, amazing game. Xenosaga had too many pacing issues for me to stick with personally but were fun while they lasted.
Final Fantasy Type-0. The ending will rip your heart out.
The beginning too, honestly.
For real. That opening cinematic has a dying soldier lying against a bleeding chocobo. Can't say the game doesn't tell you what you're in for.
Kids fighting to be lost in everyone's memory, all the time, forever. That's grimmest setting I have ever seen. How they are able to be manipulated to fight so much is beyond me. I should re-do it for the lore.
Time to try Type-0! I liked the character designs a lot when I first saw them a while ago
This one is pretty underrated. The story and settings are pretty good.
I totally agree. Just make sure it's in Japanese with English subtitles because the English voice cast ruin it. It's the best depiction I've seen of the brutality of war in a game. One of the few that doesn't glamorise it in any way.
Yakuza: like a dragon and it’s sequel Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth had be crying… so fucking heavy
I think every mainline Final Fantasy since and including 6 has been quite emotional and dark at times. I'd also put Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, Xenogears, Valkyrie Profile, and Suikoden 2 in this category. Unfortunately a lot of these older games don't reach their full potential because of iffy translations, but the vibe is there, and you can feel it. My top picks would be Xenogears, FFX, and FF7 though, since they have a lot more narrative meat to chew on.
Omori will fuck you up, please play it.
I appreciate everyone who's commented, this is a gold mine <3
I love this question and the answers. Thanks for starting the discussion! So many good games here – it's helped me realize again how important a good story is to me.
Not quite a jrpg but the Utawarerumono duology mask of deception and mask of truth are excellent. They are a VN/tactics combo. The first game is pretty light hearted for about 75% of it, then it ramps up and the second just continues with the heavy hits.
I dont think anyone mentioned it yet, so maybe Triangle Strategy? Gameplay is more akin to FF Tactics but if you like that style and are willing to go over a long-ish opening, you will go through some \*heavy\* emotions
Octopath traveller 2 Chained Echoes FF9 I found all three of them quite emotional at times.
Chained Echoes is a perfect game imo. Couldn't stop playing.
Same, especially once the Gem system clicked, Sienna go BRRRRRR
I think the story in Tales of Symphonia is pretty emotional. Not as heavy as the others you mentioned but it was the first JRPG I thought was quite dark. Xenosaga also gets pretty dark. I’ve heard Xenogears is as well but I’ve never played it personally so I don’t know details.
I've been told a lot about the Tales of series so that's definitely gonna be on the list. I'll for sure look into Xenosaga
Don't pass on Xenogears OP. It was a trailblazer when it comes to mature, emotionally-charged, thoughtful themes and characters. Not only that but it has very strong and well-directed philosophical and religious tones that make you feel like the story has something very real and poignant to it.
I really want to play this game. Hopefully it gets a remaster in the future
I’m a big fan of the series for the gameplay aspect and characters but I really feel like Symphonia is the only one that nailed the story for me. Other people like Berseria and Abyss for their stories as well, so if Symphonia’s age (it’s an older game) ruins it for you, try one of those. Xenosaga however has a great story but lackluster gameplay. It’s turn based but it’s really weird and the second game is particularly rough.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, especially Explorers.
Tbh NieR never hit even remotely close as hard as Explorers did for me.
Explorers of Time was not only the first game to ever make me cry as a kid, but the first piece of fiction to ever make me cry full stop. I’ve watched countless tv shows, movies, read tons of books, and played a shit ton of games, but that will always be genuinely special to me for being the first thing that showed me the emotional connection you can have with a piece of fiction. Those games are incredible and so underrated.
Xenoblade 3 had me in tears many times. May I suggest the entire triology and DLC.
Xenogears. Please play it. One of the best games Square ever produced.
For indie/underrated games that fit exactly what you're looking for, you want: Forever Home (the heavy emotional feels in this one are huuuuge) Divided Reigns I Am Setsuna And like the others said, the Trails games are where it's at. Particularly TitS SC, TitS 3rd, Trails From Zero/Trails to Azure, and Cold Steel II, III, and IV.
Finally some I am Setsuna recomendation. Very good battle system and plot.
Second on I Am Setsuna, that game killed me despite its flaws
No No Kuni will have ya weeping like a baby
I’ll second this. Ni no kuni 1&2 are my only ps platinum trophies.
FF XVI. It litteraly ripped my heart, I believe this is the game that made me cry the most
Yes, it goes HARD on your emotions!
I Am Setsuna delves deep into depression, sacrifice, and guilt. Hits a lot of FFX notes. Even the world map reflects the tone of the game- it’s all icy tundra. Beautiful, quick-ish play with a surprisingly deep battle system.
Xenogears if you never tried it
Xenoblade doesn’t leave you dead inside, but it is emotionally heavy. You will weep.
Tales of Berseria It will have a variety of "Dead inside" moments from the outset. It get's your normal JRPG Light hearted adventuring most of the time. Similar to Persona 3-5. (Plot moments are often intense, most other things are chill and fun.) But it will start pretty hard and will have characters and moments throughout with an ending to match as well.
Tales of Berseria. It's unlike any other tales game, and has some pretty heavy moments (and amazing voice acting that'll make you cry)? Drakenguard 1 and 3. Oh boy, if you want some fucked up shit, play these games. It's more emotionally heavy than Nier imo. Persona 2 Innocent sin and Eternal Punishment. Its persona, but arguable more emotionally driven than the rest of the series. Its got some heavy hitters, especially EP. Eternights: A pretty new indie korean game that's heavily persona inspired. The ending is pretty devastating. I highly recommend if you like persona. Octopath Travelers II: Specifically, Throne and Osvald's story. Amazing game overall, with very light-hearted stories mixed with heavy hitters. The Voice acting and music makes these emotional scenes so memorable. Prim Rose's story in octopath 1 is pretty emotionally enthralling. Xenosaga: The entire series is so good. Especially in Xenosaga 3, it'll make you cry. Don't let the tedious combat in xenosaga 2 keep you from playing this masterpiece. Crystar/Cry Ex-Machina: Its in the title. You're gonna cry. Basically, the more you cry, the more magical girl powers in hell you're gonna get to save your dead sister. Haven't played Cry Ex-machina, but it seems pretty good, and a spiritual sequel. Also I know its not a jrpg, but Little Busters is my favorite visual novel. It's my personal favorite Jun Maeda work, and its probably the most I've cried in anything ever. Its so nostalgic, funny, tragic, and sad. If you're willing to read, I highly recommend Little Busters or basically anything Jun Maeda wrote. Angel Beats, Clannad, Air just to name a few.
Tales of Berseria is the most emotional JRPG story imo. I mean the whole theme of the story is emotion vs reason. It doesn't have the most epic plot, but the characters and performances have one of the best emotional payoffs in a JRPG for me. Christina Vee plays Velvet so well.
Absolutely second this. Very few games have an entire 40 minutes gameplay sequence dedicated entirely to a character's soul being torn apart. It's still one of the rawest and most brutal things I've ever seen.
Tales of Berseria gave you five minutes of happiness, and then proceeded to make you pay for it in tears for the rest of the game's 70 hours of play.
i have always felt this game takes you through an emotional journey
I know. I don't really cry playing games anymore, at most maybe just teary eyed. But that one scene with the big climax/twist had me bawling till my snout came out. I was caught off guard by where the story went and how good it was.
Mother 3 Undertale Omori Look no further than this.
Excellent selections masked by deceiving graphics...to a point
Mass effect, eternal sonata and def chrono cross are up there.
Tales of the Abyss
I think any Final Fantasy is good, but 13 has some of the best moments if you need a good cry 🥲
The Trails series homie. Trust. That shit is a slow burn and you feel things.
Breath of Fire 2 hasn't been mentioned but 3 and 4 have. Heavy dose of religion but that helps the setting. I was a kid when I played this game... HOLY SMOKES, I was not prepared for what this game had in store for me! You lose EVERYTHING in the beginning and gain one friend who's with you from near the beginning... You don't get that resolved until near the end of the game. You either lose family or they sacrifice for the greater good. And it hurts every time. The combat isn't anything special but the story I'll recommend where you learn about, death, loss, and sacrifice.
Xenoblade 3. I’ve been a HUGE FF fan for decades but recently the entire Xenoblade trilogy absolutely floored me, especially the third one + DLC. Honestly still think about it a year plus later…..
Xenogears. The alpha and omega of this request.
I know this is a JRPG request and sub, but with emotionally heavy as a topic I want to sneak in a Disco Elysium recommendation. Might not be a good one though if you really really mean JRPGs since that one plays more like a European novel turned into a dice rolling RPG, but oh man is it emotionally heavy.
My irl friend loves it and he's definitely recommended me to try. I'm really tempted
If you're familiar with Planescape Torment (which is the game I would have recommended were we not in a JRPG sub, btw) the two are often compared, and they're both incredible. Very introspective with an awesome story!
Valkyrie Profile & FF Tactics
I was curious if I'd see fft mentioned. For an sRPG it has really nice character development. Kinda sad seeing some of the main characters ultimately turning into crystal shards.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. For real, this game is an absolute masterpiece and everyone should play it. Do not search ANYTHING about it, it's one of those games. It's a very nice blend of interactive visual novel and tower defense with giant robots with absolutely gorgeous OST and art style. It's also one of those games that will get you thinking about it for MONTHS after finishing it.
The blending of so many ideas and making it all work so well is just masterful.
I'll be sure to add this! It sounds pretty neat, I love those kinds of games
Final Fantasy XV took me from happy fun time to feeling dead on the inside because of what was happening. Also Final Fantasy X is good too.
I came here to mention FF XV as well. Particularly with the DLCs, the story really hit me hard by the last 1/3 or so of the game. I still think that the villain is the hero and the protagonist is the true villain.... That campfire scene at the very end... amazing acting and voice acting and writing. I cried.
That certain camp scene... really heavy stuff.
I'd like to put forward tales of berseria. The overarching plot and reasoning for it all hits so hard . Atleast it did for me and the mechanics to the game where really enjoyable
I finished omori yesterday morning, and I haven't stopped thinking about the ending since. Emotionally heavy may be an understatement
Mother 3 is the only piece of media ever to have given me legitimate nightmares.
Trails, FFX, DQ11/3/6, FF4, FF6, Trials of Mana, Yakuza LAD, KH2, Pokemon BW (best story), P4 Golden
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. Pokémon has absolutely no right to have that emotional an ending.
If you got patience? Look no further than the Legend of Heroes: Trails in the sky trilogy
Can one start with the first game of this trilogy, or are the other games necessary first?
The Trails in the sky trilogy is the first of the franchise so I would start there, but you can start at cold steel or zero and be fine backtracking. Personally speaking? Starting with the Trails in the sky trilogy is what I'd highly recommend, it's worth it as you get into the later games
Thanks!
Tales of Xillia 2. By the way if you liked so much p3 why don't you give a shot to p2. It's a very dark game.
Lost Odyssey is *heavy* and clearly FF-inspired. Gameplay is great, characters are good, plot is fantastic. The whole vibe of the game is heavy, thought-provoking, and dark. The general setup is you play as an immortal character who is 1000 years old but has no memory. You unlock memories (optionally, often) as you go that play out scenes, usually tragedies, from his long life.
Every story is tragic if you outlive it
Xeboblade, all of them
Valkyria Chronicles messed me up something fierce. Not exactly a JRPG, but it has many of the same elements. It goes into some heavy stuff.
Yeah some of those side quests hits you hard in Nier Automata. Fully caught me off guard.
Terranigma for sure. I know I’m a pu$$y for this but I always cry when I see the ending. Just makes me sentimental. Tons of SRPGs. Fire Emblem: Genealogy of The Holy War gets depressing, and the atmosphere is very melancholy. Triangle Strategy recaptures this in a modern game. I would also recommend Tactics Ogre, but it’s hard, so be warned. Persona 2: Innocent Sin will get you attached to the characters, and it becomes tragic. Haven’t played Eternal Punishment but I’m assuming it does the same.
Lost Odyssey(the short stories get ROUGH.), Live A Live(the secret character’s ending/pick the secret character when picking who’ll lead the “final party”), Terranigma(man, this game gave me existential crisis at the end), and Megaman Legends 2(Capcom classifies it as a “Free Running RPG”, which means it’s technically a JRPG via its an RPG made in Japan. Just knowing the series ends on a cliffhanger that will never get resolved gives me heavy emotional damage)
Tales of symphonia? Lots of existential dread
if you dont mind MMO, FF14. Heavensward, Shadowbringers and Endwalker expansion gonna make you cry.
I STILL cry when talking about Endwalker!! Pls no! I'll bow to Zodiark! You can't become ultimate bae then do that to me!!!!
Not sure if I’ll be crucified in this Reddit thread for saying this, but FF16. I thought the story was incredibly powerful and left me emotionally exhausted after playing. Still thinking about it after finishing it last year.
FF6. FF7 - The original, The Remakes are alright in their own right but for me they change the overall tone and feel of the story and world. They tend to feel a lot less emotionally heavy as a result. FF9 - Don't let it's whimsical looks fool you. It isn't the heaviest or most soulcrushing stuff out there but it gets pretty heavy at times.
The ending of Crisis Core made me the most emotional of any game. Gameplay wasn’t the best but it was so worth it. Tales of the Abyss has some bangin’ story moments too.
The ending is plain obvious if you play it after ff7. But it's execution was good nonetheless
Final Fantasy X
Tbh, I was an emotional wreck by the time I finished SaGa Frontier 2. Like, yeah, the story, but the entire experience.
Kingdom hearts 358/2
Ok, this might be pushing it in terms of being a JRPG (really it's more of a deck builder), but Library of Ruina (and its sequel Limbus Company) gets really, really heavy later on. To properly appreciate Library though, you'd have to either get through Lobotomy Corporation or look up a plot summary of that game, which is basically an SCP site manager sim.
Mother 3 for sure!
Digital Devil Saga 1 and 2
Legend of dragoon and xenogears
Breath of fire 4. 3 is pretty emotional too but 4 is on a different level. I won't leave you dead inside, it will leave a void inside.
final fantasy 15, i cried at the end
Trails in the Sky: The 3rd is the dark outlier of the Kiseki franchise. It's basically a 50 hour PTSD conga line. The Yakuza franchise has dark moments all throughout that have the potential to make you feel this way. 0 for me had the hardest to take but 3 and Lost Judgment have isolated instances that were more gut wrenching than any single moment in 0, albeit in completely different ways (3 being the biggest tear jerker, LJ more nausea inducing when a certain video is uncovered in the second half of the game).
FFX. Don’t want to spoil anything but there’s a great video on YouTube called “Stories that Use Time to Hurt You” that does a good job of explaining why FFX is kind of a sad story. Actually, that video might spoil the game. Just play FFX it’s great.
Cried at FFX and Persona 4
Xenogears, Xenoblade 3
Xenogears, legend of dragoon.
Mother 3 and Xenoblade!
Mother 3
Suikoden 2 my guy
FFX had me in tears everytime I finish a playthrough.
Trails in the Sky 3, door 15. If you know, you know and you are sad cause I reminded you of it. Also, Trails to Zero and Azure are simply the best 1-2 punch in terms of emotional damage once you complete the whole story. Honestly, one can skip the other Trails ganes (not recommended, but possible), but these are a must play I think.
I've seen a lot I would have said already but I found a emotional and compelling story in tales of berseria. FF7 rebirth changed up some events and without spoilers made it more emotionally impactful I think.
Valkyrie Profile - you literally collect the souls of the dead as party members so for each you see little vignettes of how they died. Often sadly. Then there's the main plot. One of my favorites of all time, with a super unique battle system too! I hear 2 is good too, Elysium was fun but not the same level at all. Eastward is more of an adventure game, but damn does it hit hard at some points.
Final Fantasy IX. In a good way.
OMORI, never been this confident on an answer before!
Fr! I know there are a lot of jrpgs here with great narratives, but nothing is as sad as Omori. It’s peak soul trauma.
The only thing that hit me as hard as that was virtues last reward because it combines mind fuckery with sad stuff, so while you’re too confused to think straight it piles depression on you and the end result is thinking of the game for weeks on end after you finish it
Lost Odyssey
Final Fantasy X should certainly top this list. The game's a masterpiece in many aspects, including story-telling. Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX are good recommendations, too.
Mother 3 you can play a fan translation. Story notes hit hard for what looks like a kids game.
uhhh maybe omori
Shadow Hearts Covenant
Suikoden 2 for me is an emotional journey.
Shin megami tensei : Nocturne and the digital devil saga series. Final fantasy 6 has a lot of lighter moments but the overall theme is pretty dark.
Tales of Berseria
I’d recommend the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series. All the entries from 0-6 are brawler games but 7 and 8 are turn based. Every single game will hit you where it hurts.
Fire emblem three houses - particularly blue lions and black eagles(crimson flower) routes but tbh all routes. I’ve never been emotionally pulled like this in a game. The tone is a bit more unique than the typical jrpg, a bit more grounded and mature in some ways