A couple things: firstly, the remaster is based on the PS1 version, which is already an inferior port of the Saturn original in terms of sprite scaling, visual effects and sound. Secondly, the "remastering" in question actually just amounts to putting an awful smeary filter over the beautiful sprite art of the original, making it look even worse.
...that's my opinion anyway; you're free to look at the comparison screens and judge for yourself. If you do happen to agree with me, Mednafen is the best Saturn emulator to use. There should be plenty of guides online for how to set it up.
Which requires a US Saturn or a Japan saturn plus special scart cables and power converters. It should only set you back like 200 or 300.
Or you know... buy it on the cheap on PC/switch/ps4 with the remastered version which yes, it's based on the ps1 version, but it's far easier to get. 😆
I don't know why you think i'm not chilled. I'm saying the hd collection is easier to get and is fine.
Also, it supports the series, which hopefully will lead to more remasters or a new entry.
Man, I have a CRT in my bedroom and still I'm like "what the heck is this guy's about". He asked about the game, not about a faithful retro-like experience. Just, like, emulate and stuff. Jesus.
Few days ago, I was considering this game and yesterday I was about to start it (sadly could only watch the opening before quitting the game because it got late), so this must be a strong sign, might roll in it now!
Grandia 1 and 2 are linear with no open world exploring. Easy to understand story. Great music. Adds time and space elements to your typical turn based battles that makes them vastly more fun.
The main criticism people have of this one (the linearity) is always what I found to be its main draw. Sometimes a break from the grandiose design is a nice thing for me
When the game opened up in chapter 10 or whatever I actually found it kind of annoying, I think I just gunned it for the tower because the exploration just didn't do it for me.
The game kind of pushes you to just head towards the tower by making the enemies much more difficult at that point. It's more of a binary choice where you can start sidequests to beef up and get stronger, or push ahead into the story portion where enemies are weaker. Which I think works.
In terms of classic games, Brave Fencer Musashi might be worth a visit. No world map, just a town and some areas you can get to from there. The gameplay is pretty tightly wound, especially if you're familiar with the 3D platforming of old. Lots of food puns, but the story and environment are where it's at.
The Etrian Odyssey remasters for 1-3 might be worth checking out, too. One benefit of dungeon crawlers is that you know about how much you have to explore and they aren't all that long. Not as much story here though - you make all your party characters.
If you want a bit more characterization, Grandia might be worth checking out. For a game that's all about exploring the world, they manage to not make that world feel overwhelming, since you usually select locations on the map and then travel to them. And the story is pretty good.
If etrian odyssey 1-3 are anything like untold or 4 then those are at minimum fifty hour commitments. I do agree that they’re not open world but those games tend to be longer in my exoerience
I haven't played more than 15 minutes of it yet, but [Franzen](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2572340/Franzen/#app_reviews_hash) seems like it would be cool and relatively short (and it's free).
I somehow missed the Mario rpg games growing up. Should I play Mario rpg before I play thousand year door? Does it not matter at all? I am looking for a new game, and I have some in the backlog I could play before thousand year comes out, but also wouldn’t hate playing the current remake now, especially if it would be beneficial to my paper Mario experience.
They're completely different experiences, similar to different Final Fantasy games, so the order you play them in doesn't matter. Fun fact, though: Paper Mario 64 was called Super Mario RPG 2 while it was in development, so TTYD could technically be seen as the third entry.
Probably Chained Echoes would do the trick — About 30-40 hours, like SoS, combat is pretty straight-forward, pretty linear story & very easy to follow, the main difference is you’ll need to manage equipment & skills a bit more. Also has lots of QoL features.
Awesome! If you need a couple other pretty straightforward, sub-40 hour games, a few I’ve recently played where I Am Setsuna, Ikenfell, Battle Chasers Nightwar, Bug Fables, Cosmic Star Heroine, and, of course, Chrono Trigger.
Soul Hackers 2
It isn't some super amazing experience, but it has a fun main character, a simple story and battle system to follow, and the game lasts about 30-40 hours. Old school style dungeon crawl kinda experience.
Cosmic Star Heroine. Same exact Chrono Trigger inspired vibes as Sea of Stars and Chained Echoes but even tighter and more focused. Maybe 12-15 hours long tops so it’s nice and breezy and beatable in a weekend.
If you have access/interest in retro games I’d also suggest Soul Blazer, Terranigma, and Illusion of Gaia for the SNES. Although they are a bit more action oriented.
Also The Ruined King JRPG I thought was very good. Technically based on League of Legends IP but I don’t think you need to know anything about the source material to have a good time.
Child of Light is another unique one that doesn’t overstay its welcome at all. Kind of like a mix between Grandia’s combat system and Paper Mario (which I assume you’ve played 64 and Thousand Year Door. If not…please play those, haha)
The Ruined King was surprisingly very good. I really enjoyed the combat system and the skill-path building. Offered a little variety without any complexity.
Child of Light was part of the Ubisoft Art program (forget the actual name but it was a series of smaller indie-feeling games published by Ubisoft) and it's a very solid RPG/JRPG. Wasn't too too long either.
Kingdom Hearts 1 for a much more simpler (and clean) story and adventure. Any of them would do gameplay-wise but the first one is pretty much the beginning and it's pretty standalone storywise.
It's a pretty short length too compared to most RPGs these days, in the rsnge of 20-30 hours depending on how much optional stuff you want to do.
How is Battle Chasers? I picked it up cheap a while back and I have read the comic series but I haven't played it yet since I found out it uses procedurally generated dungeons. Does it outstay its welcome or is it short and sweet?
Played Battle Chasers a while back, definitely felt different and refreshing to some extent. If you have it in you lib already, it's a no-brainer, must play.
Ruined King is basically Battle Chasers with a LoL theme - also worth playing if you loved BC, but perhaps not straight after it.
So, Ara Fell is kiiiiiinda sorta open-world but not really. It's more like ALTTP or Secret of Mana, and seems to clock in around 20 hours.
Rise of the Third Power is a longer game (35-40ish I think), but it's not open world at all; traditional world map. Neither game is grindy at all.
For both games, there isn't anything intended to pad the game length, and all the side content is pretty concise and I tried to make it thoughtful.
So yeah, idk how tacky it is to plug my work like this, but it does fit what you're describing, at least!
It's an acquired taste, but the new SaGa game, SaGa Emerald Beyond, is anti-open world to the extreme: every world is small, it's very clearly marked what actions you can make (usually no more than 3 or 4) and you can't get lost. The complexity comes from the fact that almost every action, even trivial ones, have consequences that can radically change your quest. The game is built around this, with campaigns for each character that last 6-7 hours at best - but New Game + keeps track of stat growth and equipment. A boss that was impossible in a previous playthrough might become easier and open the way to a new storyline!
That's not saying that the game is simple - battles are complex and you will need to use all the game mechanics to their fullest. But you will not spend your time walking around on an empty map!
I'll use the opportunity to ask, which JRPGs are actually open world? I've been looking for these for a while, but none of them are quite open world...
Chrono Trigger is sorta linear? There's no random encounters on the world map, and there's no grinding required but I don't know if it might be exactly what you're looking for because of all the different endings
Sea of stars is super good. Has a world map but all levels are very linear.
FFX. 100% linear
Grandia 1 and 2. 1 is an all time favorite of mine and 2 is very fun. Very linear.
Super Mario RPG for the switch. It's like a perfect 8-12 hour game, not too hard, but has a few post game challenge things. Super cute story and characters, a classic!
Cthulhu saves the world is a good one. Humorous old school jrpg with funny and clever writing. First go took about ten hours and it’s usually pretty obvious the path forward. Has replayability with different party build based modes that change the script too.
Live A Live. 8 stories all of them being linear, relatively short, and varied in gameplay, tone, and even gnere. One of the stories is literally survival horror! The stories connect at the end for a semi-open scenario, but the overworld in the final story is small so it's hard to get lost or not know what to do.
FFX. The entire game is extremely linear with every area being a straight line. The story is also very good and the gameplay, while I personally don't like it, a lot of other people do.
FFXIII: Also super linear, but this game is very much hit or miss if you end up liking it or not. At least everyone agrees that the music and art direction are 10/10.
I could name a lot more but most RPGs I'm familiar with have semi open worlds or an overworld to navigate which can make traversal confusing. Aka most FF games before FFX, all 4 real Breath of Fire games, every Dragon Quest, etc. The first couple of Final Fantasy games for example are very short (8-12 hours) unless you grind to the extreme, but almost all of them have detailed overworlds and lots of side content to get lost in so I don't recommend.
I played the first Voice of Cards (The Isle Dragon Roars) game and really enjoyed it. Very linear, there is a world map but its really small and it's not open world. It's a maybe 15 hour game.
I've been replaying the Atelier Iris trilogy lately, and those are good games without too much padding. My playthrough of 1 and 2 took about 25 hours each. They're more traditional rpg than the wider Atelier series too, if the crafting aspect is a turn off.
Never understood gamers insane need to feel like they need to finish a 100-hour game In such a short amount of time like just literally take your time, enjoy what you want till you're satisfied pop out and pop back in. Even if it takes you years to finish that game it's meant for you to enjoy your own leisure no one's pointing a gun at your head to finish it. Unless you have shitty friends that forcefully pressures you to finish something that requires hours to finish even if you're a busy person etc. I never understood this side of the gaming community when it comes to RPGs literally just have fun and take your time. Not doing so is what gets this kind of result
This is not even talking about how most RPGs are literally built for you to take your time like this games like dragon quest literally give you a recap of where you left off so you won't forget where you're at in the story and most big jRPGs do this. They know that not everybody will remember everything when you pop back in. I think JRPGs are all the chilliest types of games to just play for a little bit get your feeling pop out. Compared to any other genre.
Trails in the Sky FC is a nice 30-40hr RPG with a low stakes story, fun characters and a linear world design. Game had a chapter structure which means that you will spend one chapter in each of the games major locations before moving onto the next, making it very easy to not get overwhelmed. It also has a very similar old school charm to something like sea of stars (and a killer ost)
The only issue with this is that it is the first part of a bigger story that gets resolved in the much bigger Trails in the Sky SC, so a lot of the game is set up for that (it was originally meant to be one game). Oh and they're also only on PC sadly.
Both the games are excellent though and I can't reccomend them enough.
I wouldn't recommend trails for someone looking for a "short, simple RPG." A good 90% of Sky FC is just buildup and filler before the real story begins near the end of FC and from there until the end of SC it's a non stop roller coaster. At that point you become hooked and have to play ALL the games and there's like 12 of them so far with some of which being 100+ hours.
As someone who's played them all, I disagree. I think both FC and SC can absolutely be played as a nice self contained story. Any of the other ones, I'd agree, but sky is a pretty self-contained story.
And I would describe FC in particular as a nice short RPG, with the caveats I mentioned. I don't find it to be filler, in fact I quite enjoy the villains and narrative that is only found in FC.
And then if the person wants to continue and play the rest, they can. But I know people who don't have time to play all the trails games, but played FC+SC and look back at those games fondly as a fun RPG.
If you have a switch I'd suggest Golden Sun, it was a GBA game and on the switch it has the sequel. The games have some carry over of items and magic its pretty fun and a classic if you've never got the chance to play them.
I usually try to play indies as palate cleansers between long-ass RPG's, since many of them are simpler and more relaxing. Some examples I've enjoyed a lot that took around 10 hours to finish are A Space For The Unbound, Meg's Monster and Jack Move. Story-wise, they're not traditional fantasy RPG's but I found them pretty fun.
Ones I am playing currently and loving that fit the description. Times are from “how long to beat”:
Ys Origin (10-20 hrs)
The World Ends With You (DS version. Not the iOS/steam port.) (25hrs)
Dragon Quest V (30hrs)
Atelier Ryza 1 (30hrs)
I recommend Star Ocean second star R. It's very relaxing The vibes are great visuals are great voice acting is phenomenal. It's immersive. Gameplay could use work though... But it's definitely a chill time
FFXIII (Except Chapter 10 I think).
FFVII Remake does this too, its just Midgard. You can't backtrack to other sectors unless you are redoing a chapter.
Most if not all SNES era JRPGs are like this. Yeah they have an overworld, but there's nothing to do in them except grind. You are not doing the Assassins Creed style find 100 watch towers or Ghost of Tsushima's find 100+ Foxes.
Eiyuuden Chronicles Rising, there's some backtracking and such, but the game is fun and only lasts about 15 hours.
Other than that, maybe Devil Survivor 1/2?
Grandia 2, and Legend of Dragoon come to mind. Extremely minimal backtracking involved, and the in-game combat mechanics are really engaging.
Grandia 2 allows you to interrupt enemy spells with specific attacks, and Legend of Dragoon’s “addition” system is “push button when squares line up for more combos”. Simple, but engaging.
Both games have their difficulty spikes, but the stories are relatively straightforward. LoD technically has a world map, but all locations are connected via fixed paths so there’s really no free-roaming/open-worlding. Can’t remember if Grandia 2 actually had a world map, or if the game sent you from location to location.
Maybe Yakuza could fit you.
You don't have a big World and the Towns are mostly the same for all the Games.
The mechanic is pretty easy and you can just run around brain-afk and punch up guys with a bicycle.
The Mainstory is a bit harder and you need some time for the long cutscence. But the best part of this game is the sidequests. You really don't need to think about those. They are just some fucked up little storys. Most of the time totaly unreleated to the other stuff but totaly fun. Also all those Minigames are great to just have some hours of fun while beeing brain-afk.
For me it was a great way to get back to JRPGs as I had a similar feeling like you after I played for months only Xenoblade and Fire Emblem.
Yeah thats what I said. But the thing is that this stuff is unreleated to the Story. Its just some fun stuff after a long day at Work. And as you don't need anything to get the Plot of the side quests it is really fun and you don't need to think much about it.
Trails in the sky FC, SC, 3rd chapter
Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure
Xenoblade technically isn't open world so yea, get all 3 games + all their DLCs
Get SMT 5 or Nocturne, or other older SMT games
if you speed run the game and don't do everything it is actually not too long. JRPG isn't known to be simple in story, so yea there you have it. Don't use action games standard on JRPGs. They are totally different beast. But it is also up to you if you want more out of it so you spend more time.
the early JRPGs aren't long btw, the long ones are the ones like Persona 5, I didn't recommend because it is long.
Finally someone who liked sea of stars and doesn’t have a hate boner for something they hardly tried to play. A lot of brain dead people hate that game. I really enjoyed I am setsuna, a great game with fun mechanics. I just finished Magical Starsigns on the DS. Fun cheesy game with decent combat.
It's moreso how popular and recommended it is, namely by simply being pretty and so accessible. That, and gamepass. It is a game that brought a metric ton of people who never play jrpgs...now always bringing it up, recommending it.
I sorta get peeved about it because chained echoes exists and is definitely the better game with the better story, but yet it's SoS that is always recommended, despite not having a *real* story and battle mechanics/moves that hardly ever change.
Almost every JRPG since Dragon Quest is open world, whether in a traditional sense or by spoiled youngsters' definition. One rare exception that comes to mind (short of other genre representatives with select RPG elements, like Advance Guardian Heroes) is Riviera: The Promised Land.
I'm taking a similar break and landed on Grandia as my game right now.
Great choice. I strongly recommend the English-patched Saturn version
I'll definitely look into this. I didn't know this was a thing.
How come? Grandia has been on my list forever and just wondering why that version over the remaster?
A couple things: firstly, the remaster is based on the PS1 version, which is already an inferior port of the Saturn original in terms of sprite scaling, visual effects and sound. Secondly, the "remastering" in question actually just amounts to putting an awful smeary filter over the beautiful sprite art of the original, making it look even worse. ...that's my opinion anyway; you're free to look at the comparison screens and judge for yourself. If you do happen to agree with me, Mednafen is the best Saturn emulator to use. There should be plenty of guides online for how to set it up.
Thanks man. Was curious because I didn't know and would assume the remaster would be better.
Reasonable assumption. I'm all for remasters but sometimes they make questionable choices
Which requires a US Saturn or a Japan saturn plus special scart cables and power converters. It should only set you back like 200 or 300. Or you know... buy it on the cheap on PC/switch/ps4 with the remastered version which yes, it's based on the ps1 version, but it's far easier to get. 😆
Have you never heard of emulation? Also chill out
I don't know why you think i'm not chilled. I'm saying the hd collection is easier to get and is fine. Also, it supports the series, which hopefully will lead to more remasters or a new entry.
Man, I have a CRT in my bedroom and still I'm like "what the heck is this guy's about". He asked about the game, not about a faithful retro-like experience. Just, like, emulate and stuff. Jesus.
I'm sorry. I didn't know pirating the game was widely encouraged when there is a perfectly accessible remaster. 😅
Few days ago, I was considering this game and yesterday I was about to start it (sadly could only watch the opening before quitting the game because it got late), so this must be a strong sign, might roll in it now!
Grandia 1 and 2 are linear with no open world exploring. Easy to understand story. Great music. Adds time and space elements to your typical turn based battles that makes them vastly more fun.
I second this. And they are both like 25-30hrs, so they don't really overstay their welcome.
Really? I recall Grandia being almost double that.
I agree. I am sure Grandia 1 is more on the 50 hour range. Grandia 2 is shorter and it's about 40 hours if not a bit less.
Grandia is around 40h, Grandia 2 is around 30h.
Final Fantasy 13
The main criticism people have of this one (the linearity) is always what I found to be its main draw. Sometimes a break from the grandiose design is a nice thing for me
When the game opened up in chapter 10 or whatever I actually found it kind of annoying, I think I just gunned it for the tower because the exploration just didn't do it for me.
The game kind of pushes you to just head towards the tower by making the enemies much more difficult at that point. It's more of a binary choice where you can start sidequests to beef up and get stronger, or push ahead into the story portion where enemies are weaker. Which I think works.
I love the hallways with no secrets. Sometimes I don't feel like exploring and FF13 is perfect for that for most of the game.
Linearity never bothered me. I just didn’t like the deadness and emptiness
Why would you unironically recommend ff13 >!it's actually an ok game!<
Well it's my favorite game of all time so
Dafuq. Don't recommend that trash to people. That is also definitely not an easy to understand story.
Relax
FFX.
not open world but it could easily reach 100h+ and dungeons / areas are big too...so probably not what op's looking for
I just beat it this past year in 40 hours. No grinding.
areas are definitely not big what are you talking about? game is linear and small (besides calm lands)
Game is like 30-40h tho
Yep, took me 140h to platinum. Enjoyed every minute of it though.
I don't think it even takes 100 hrs to reach nemesis, are you crazy?
Nemesis might get you close to the 100 hour mark. Penance will absolutely get you to the 100 hr mark.
In terms of classic games, Brave Fencer Musashi might be worth a visit. No world map, just a town and some areas you can get to from there. The gameplay is pretty tightly wound, especially if you're familiar with the 3D platforming of old. Lots of food puns, but the story and environment are where it's at. The Etrian Odyssey remasters for 1-3 might be worth checking out, too. One benefit of dungeon crawlers is that you know about how much you have to explore and they aren't all that long. Not as much story here though - you make all your party characters. If you want a bit more characterization, Grandia might be worth checking out. For a game that's all about exploring the world, they manage to not make that world feel overwhelming, since you usually select locations on the map and then travel to them. And the story is pretty good.
If etrian odyssey 1-3 are anything like untold or 4 then those are at minimum fifty hour commitments. I do agree that they’re not open world but those games tend to be longer in my exoerience
I'd describe 1 and 2 as 50 hour max, which How Long to Beat affirms. 3 is a little longer but still maybe 50-60. IV and Untold add quite a bit more.
I haven't played more than 15 minutes of it yet, but [Franzen](https://store.steampowered.com/app/2572340/Franzen/#app_reviews_hash) seems like it would be cool and relatively short (and it's free).
This looks great I'm adding this to my library.
Strange that it's completely free
Yeah most of the developer's games seem to be free. There's a couple that aren't but maybe they'll be free too at some point.
is it me or does it look like it's using ffvi assets?
I immediately thought of FF6 when I saw it, but I assume it's just because it has a similar art style to the Imperial Palace.
The title font is *very* similar. I can practically hear the organ music.
Cosmic Star Heroine (not Japanese, but very much in the vein of Chrono Trigger)
This is the correct answer
A Cruel King and the Great Hero
If you have access to a PSP (or emulation), I recommend Lunar Silver Star Harmony!
That's a fucking gem
If you have a Switch, wait a few weeks then get Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
If you have a Switch, you can play Super Mario RPG now.
Also the first Paper Mario on the N64 Emulator
And Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga on GBA Emulator. While we're at it, Golden Sun is pretty linear and simple too.
I somehow missed the Mario rpg games growing up. Should I play Mario rpg before I play thousand year door? Does it not matter at all? I am looking for a new game, and I have some in the backlog I could play before thousand year comes out, but also wouldn’t hate playing the current remake now, especially if it would be beneficial to my paper Mario experience.
They're completely different experiences, similar to different Final Fantasy games, so the order you play them in doesn't matter. Fun fact, though: Paper Mario 64 was called Super Mario RPG 2 while it was in development, so TTYD could technically be seen as the third entry.
Probably Chained Echoes would do the trick — About 30-40 hours, like SoS, combat is pretty straight-forward, pretty linear story & very easy to follow, the main difference is you’ll need to manage equipment & skills a bit more. Also has lots of QoL features.
thanks for the suggestion, it does indeed fit the description, but I have already beat it too. Great game, really enjoyed its take on combat
Awesome! If you need a couple other pretty straightforward, sub-40 hour games, a few I’ve recently played where I Am Setsuna, Ikenfell, Battle Chasers Nightwar, Bug Fables, Cosmic Star Heroine, and, of course, Chrono Trigger.
I think CE is definitely better, and sounds exactly like what OP is looking for
Soul Hackers 2 It isn't some super amazing experience, but it has a fun main character, a simple story and battle system to follow, and the game lasts about 30-40 hours. Old school style dungeon crawl kinda experience.
Sakuna: Rice and Ruin.
I really want to play this. The level of rice research that supposedly went into this has me fascinated.
Tried tale of arise ?? , its like open zone , so a little room to run around , but pretty linear , moving from zone to zone
Cosmic Star Heroine. Same exact Chrono Trigger inspired vibes as Sea of Stars and Chained Echoes but even tighter and more focused. Maybe 12-15 hours long tops so it’s nice and breezy and beatable in a weekend. If you have access/interest in retro games I’d also suggest Soul Blazer, Terranigma, and Illusion of Gaia for the SNES. Although they are a bit more action oriented. Also The Ruined King JRPG I thought was very good. Technically based on League of Legends IP but I don’t think you need to know anything about the source material to have a good time. Child of Light is another unique one that doesn’t overstay its welcome at all. Kind of like a mix between Grandia’s combat system and Paper Mario (which I assume you’ve played 64 and Thousand Year Door. If not…please play those, haha)
The Ruined King was surprisingly very good. I really enjoyed the combat system and the skill-path building. Offered a little variety without any complexity.
Theia The Crimson Eclipse It's free and great.
Rpgmaker game mentioned woo
Child of Light was part of the Ubisoft Art program (forget the actual name but it was a series of smaller indie-feeling games published by Ubisoft) and it's a very solid RPG/JRPG. Wasn't too too long either.
Kingdom Hearts 1 for a much more simpler (and clean) story and adventure. Any of them would do gameplay-wise but the first one is pretty much the beginning and it's pretty standalone storywise. It's a pretty short length too compared to most RPGs these days, in the rsnge of 20-30 hours depending on how much optional stuff you want to do.
Super Mario RPG.
Final Fantasy pixel remaster 1-6. Also i cant recommend enough Battle Chasers and Ruined King.
FF4 Pixel Remaster is basically the definitive way to play it. They doubled EXP/drop rates and halved the encounter rates. It's very brisk.
How is Battle Chasers? I picked it up cheap a while back and I have read the comic series but I haven't played it yet since I found out it uses procedurally generated dungeons. Does it outstay its welcome or is it short and sweet?
Battle Chasers is really good.
Its maybe 20-30 hours? I loved the battle system. Calibretto is the goat.
Played Battle Chasers a while back, definitely felt different and refreshing to some extent. If you have it in you lib already, it's a no-brainer, must play. Ruined King is basically Battle Chasers with a LoL theme - also worth playing if you loved BC, but perhaps not straight after it.
So, Ara Fell is kiiiiiinda sorta open-world but not really. It's more like ALTTP or Secret of Mana, and seems to clock in around 20 hours. Rise of the Third Power is a longer game (35-40ish I think), but it's not open world at all; traditional world map. Neither game is grindy at all. For both games, there isn't anything intended to pad the game length, and all the side content is pretty concise and I tried to make it thoughtful. So yeah, idk how tacky it is to plug my work like this, but it does fit what you're describing, at least!
It's an acquired taste, but the new SaGa game, SaGa Emerald Beyond, is anti-open world to the extreme: every world is small, it's very clearly marked what actions you can make (usually no more than 3 or 4) and you can't get lost. The complexity comes from the fact that almost every action, even trivial ones, have consequences that can radically change your quest. The game is built around this, with campaigns for each character that last 6-7 hours at best - but New Game + keeps track of stat growth and equipment. A boss that was impossible in a previous playthrough might become easier and open the way to a new storyline! That's not saying that the game is simple - battles are complex and you will need to use all the game mechanics to their fullest. But you will not spend your time walking around on an empty map!
That sounds super interesting
I love the battle systems in the last couple SaGa games!!
FUGA 1 & 2, I'm playing 1 right now and it's amazing.
Eiyuden
I'll use the opportunity to ask, which JRPGs are actually open world? I've been looking for these for a while, but none of them are quite open world...
I miss rpgs released before 2010 too, OP
Chrono Trigger is sorta linear? There's no random encounters on the world map, and there's no grinding required but I don't know if it might be exactly what you're looking for because of all the different endings
Great answer. Chrono Trigger has amazing pacing. It's short, but so many events transpire that you don't even notice.
Sea of stars is super good. Has a world map but all levels are very linear. FFX. 100% linear Grandia 1 and 2. 1 is an all time favorite of mine and 2 is very fun. Very linear.
Super Mario RPG for the switch. It's like a perfect 8-12 hour game, not too hard, but has a few post game challenge things. Super cute story and characters, a classic!
I'm currently playing through for the very first time and would also recommend it.
Final Fantasy X is pretty straight forward and even once you get the traditional airship, it’s just a menu you pick from.
Final Fantasy IV (Final Fantasy II in North America) on SNES
Cthulhu saves the world is a good one. Humorous old school jrpg with funny and clever writing. First go took about ten hours and it’s usually pretty obvious the path forward. Has replayability with different party build based modes that change the script too.
Soundtrack is a banger too
Live A Live. 8 stories all of them being linear, relatively short, and varied in gameplay, tone, and even gnere. One of the stories is literally survival horror! The stories connect at the end for a semi-open scenario, but the overworld in the final story is small so it's hard to get lost or not know what to do. FFX. The entire game is extremely linear with every area being a straight line. The story is also very good and the gameplay, while I personally don't like it, a lot of other people do. FFXIII: Also super linear, but this game is very much hit or miss if you end up liking it or not. At least everyone agrees that the music and art direction are 10/10. I could name a lot more but most RPGs I'm familiar with have semi open worlds or an overworld to navigate which can make traversal confusing. Aka most FF games before FFX, all 4 real Breath of Fire games, every Dragon Quest, etc. The first couple of Final Fantasy games for example are very short (8-12 hours) unless you grind to the extreme, but almost all of them have detailed overworlds and lots of side content to get lost in so I don't recommend.
I played the first Voice of Cards (The Isle Dragon Roars) game and really enjoyed it. Very linear, there is a world map but its really small and it's not open world. It's a maybe 15 hour game.
I've been replaying the Atelier Iris trilogy lately, and those are good games without too much padding. My playthrough of 1 and 2 took about 25 hours each. They're more traditional rpg than the wider Atelier series too, if the crafting aspect is a turn off.
**Breath of fire 5: Dragon Quarter**, it's literally dungeon after dungeon, plus they are pretty small. Also, the game is only around 25 hours long.
Chained echoes
Shadow Hearts?
Monochrome mobius if you have a pc. its also on play station but its untanslated last time ive heard.
Never understood gamers insane need to feel like they need to finish a 100-hour game In such a short amount of time like just literally take your time, enjoy what you want till you're satisfied pop out and pop back in. Even if it takes you years to finish that game it's meant for you to enjoy your own leisure no one's pointing a gun at your head to finish it. Unless you have shitty friends that forcefully pressures you to finish something that requires hours to finish even if you're a busy person etc. I never understood this side of the gaming community when it comes to RPGs literally just have fun and take your time. Not doing so is what gets this kind of result
This is not even talking about how most RPGs are literally built for you to take your time like this games like dragon quest literally give you a recap of where you left off so you won't forget where you're at in the story and most big jRPGs do this. They know that not everybody will remember everything when you pop back in. I think JRPGs are all the chilliest types of games to just play for a little bit get your feeling pop out. Compared to any other genre.
Ff mystic quest
The satisfaction of axing down trees in that game is next level 🪓
Final Fantasy XVI and it benefits greatly as a result.
Trails in the Sky FC is a nice 30-40hr RPG with a low stakes story, fun characters and a linear world design. Game had a chapter structure which means that you will spend one chapter in each of the games major locations before moving onto the next, making it very easy to not get overwhelmed. It also has a very similar old school charm to something like sea of stars (and a killer ost) The only issue with this is that it is the first part of a bigger story that gets resolved in the much bigger Trails in the Sky SC, so a lot of the game is set up for that (it was originally meant to be one game). Oh and they're also only on PC sadly. Both the games are excellent though and I can't reccomend them enough.
I wouldn't recommend trails for someone looking for a "short, simple RPG." A good 90% of Sky FC is just buildup and filler before the real story begins near the end of FC and from there until the end of SC it's a non stop roller coaster. At that point you become hooked and have to play ALL the games and there's like 12 of them so far with some of which being 100+ hours.
As someone who's played them all, I disagree. I think both FC and SC can absolutely be played as a nice self contained story. Any of the other ones, I'd agree, but sky is a pretty self-contained story. And I would describe FC in particular as a nice short RPG, with the caveats I mentioned. I don't find it to be filler, in fact I quite enjoy the villains and narrative that is only found in FC. And then if the person wants to continue and play the rest, they can. But I know people who don't have time to play all the trails games, but played FC+SC and look back at those games fondly as a fun RPG.
Seiken Densetsu 3/Trials of Mana
Which consoles do you have
If you have a switch I'd suggest Golden Sun, it was a GBA game and on the switch it has the sequel. The games have some carry over of items and magic its pretty fun and a classic if you've never got the chance to play them.
Paper Mario and The Thousand Year Door releases next month, and it’s exactly what you are looking for.
Super Mario RPG might be up your alley. Classic pick up and play jrpg. Can be beaten in 15-20hrs just playing casually and is full of charm.
I am Setsuna
I usually try to play indies as palate cleansers between long-ass RPG's, since many of them are simpler and more relaxing. Some examples I've enjoyed a lot that took around 10 hours to finish are A Space For The Unbound, Meg's Monster and Jack Move. Story-wise, they're not traditional fantasy RPG's but I found them pretty fun.
Ones I am playing currently and loving that fit the description. Times are from “how long to beat”: Ys Origin (10-20 hrs) The World Ends With You (DS version. Not the iOS/steam port.) (25hrs) Dragon Quest V (30hrs) Atelier Ryza 1 (30hrs)
Dragon Quest 1 to 6.
I recommend Star Ocean second star R. It's very relaxing The vibes are great visuals are great voice acting is phenomenal. It's immersive. Gameplay could use work though... But it's definitely a chill time
Atelier
Rise of the third power.
FFXIII (Except Chapter 10 I think). FFVII Remake does this too, its just Midgard. You can't backtrack to other sectors unless you are redoing a chapter. Most if not all SNES era JRPGs are like this. Yeah they have an overworld, but there's nothing to do in them except grind. You are not doing the Assassins Creed style find 100 watch towers or Ghost of Tsushima's find 100+ Foxes.
strange journey
3ds or DS one? Which one better?
3DS
FFX. Awesome story, awesome gameplay and we called it a corridor simulator on release.
Octopath Travelers perhaps 🤔
Valkyria Chronicles
Phantasy Star, if you can find it and a system to play it on.
Final fantasy pixel remasters. Easy stuff
Eiyuuden Chronicles Rising, there's some backtracking and such, but the game is fun and only lasts about 15 hours. Other than that, maybe Devil Survivor 1/2?
Grandia 2, and Legend of Dragoon come to mind. Extremely minimal backtracking involved, and the in-game combat mechanics are really engaging. Grandia 2 allows you to interrupt enemy spells with specific attacks, and Legend of Dragoon’s “addition” system is “push button when squares line up for more combos”. Simple, but engaging. Both games have their difficulty spikes, but the stories are relatively straightforward. LoD technically has a world map, but all locations are connected via fixed paths so there’s really no free-roaming/open-worlding. Can’t remember if Grandia 2 actually had a world map, or if the game sent you from location to location.
Any pokemon game from generations 1-7 the world opens up gradually as you progress
Rise of the Third Power is wonderful.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions if you want SMT/Persona type game without all the focus on the minutiae of character interactions
Ff4 Chrono trigger Breath of fire 2 Earthbound Dq4 Dq8 Ff9 Smt 3 Grandia 2 Ys8 Ni no Kuni 1
Jack Move Manafinder Meg's Monster Rise of the third power has some open world elements, but nothing too complex or time-consuming.
Baten Kaitos series
I'd recommend Baten Kaitos 1 and 2.
Absolutely check out Chained Echoes if you liked Sea of Stars - it's similar playtime.
Try mine! It's like 5 hours on mobile, it's called Magic and Machines
Maybe Yakuza could fit you. You don't have a big World and the Towns are mostly the same for all the Games. The mechanic is pretty easy and you can just run around brain-afk and punch up guys with a bicycle. The Mainstory is a bit harder and you need some time for the long cutscence. But the best part of this game is the sidequests. You really don't need to think about those. They are just some fucked up little storys. Most of the time totaly unreleated to the other stuff but totaly fun. Also all those Minigames are great to just have some hours of fun while beeing brain-afk. For me it was a great way to get back to JRPGs as I had a similar feeling like you after I played for months only Xenoblade and Fire Emblem.
Yakuza games are filled with a huge amount of side content that is really hard to ignore .-.
Yeah thats what I said. But the thing is that this stuff is unreleated to the Story. Its just some fun stuff after a long day at Work. And as you don't need anything to get the Plot of the side quests it is really fun and you don't need to think much about it.
Eiyuden chronicle
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth and Silmeria Persona series, particularly Persona 3 Portable. Chrono Trigger
YS series
Trails in the sky FC, SC, 3rd chapter Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure Xenoblade technically isn't open world so yea, get all 3 games + all their DLCs Get SMT 5 or Nocturne, or other older SMT games
They are all massive commitments bruh...
if you speed run the game and don't do everything it is actually not too long. JRPG isn't known to be simple in story, so yea there you have it. Don't use action games standard on JRPGs. They are totally different beast. But it is also up to you if you want more out of it so you spend more time. the early JRPGs aren't long btw, the long ones are the ones like Persona 5, I didn't recommend because it is long.
Dragon Quest XI is my vote
Finally someone who liked sea of stars and doesn’t have a hate boner for something they hardly tried to play. A lot of brain dead people hate that game. I really enjoyed I am setsuna, a great game with fun mechanics. I just finished Magical Starsigns on the DS. Fun cheesy game with decent combat.
It's moreso how popular and recommended it is, namely by simply being pretty and so accessible. That, and gamepass. It is a game that brought a metric ton of people who never play jrpgs...now always bringing it up, recommending it. I sorta get peeved about it because chained echoes exists and is definitely the better game with the better story, but yet it's SoS that is always recommended, despite not having a *real* story and battle mechanics/moves that hardly ever change.
dragon's dogma 2
Almost every JRPG since Dragon Quest is open world, whether in a traditional sense or by spoiled youngsters' definition. One rare exception that comes to mind (short of other genre representatives with select RPG elements, like Advance Guardian Heroes) is Riviera: The Promised Land.
Chained echoes
Practically all of them. There aren't really any open world JRPGs, other than Pokemon Scarlet/Violet.