The retro series is now in full swing, and here's 16 that are on my list for the time being (sure there's gonna be way more over time).

Radiant Historia was absolutely amazing. Great cast of characters, plenty of mystery, great battle system, great story and a great looking game. The 3DS has some of my most beloved JRPGs ever (along with Stella Glow and Lord of Magna). The only negative I can say about the game is, that you really need a guide, or at least I definitely did. You don't always know where to go, sometimes it's somewhat obvious, other times, it's really not. It wasn't a dealbreaker or anything, it's just something fairly minor. The quality of this game is something to behold.

Xenogears is an amazing game, i wish i could go back and experience it again for the first time. Not perfect by any stretch, but a compelling adventure that sticks with you.

The first Mana Khemia title is an ABSOLUTE treat. Highly recommend! Every character in the cast is extremely viable without being too overpowered and it helps everyone find a combat style they like. Music is an absolute banger too

radiant historia was INCREDIBLE. One of the few games that I did not stop playing until i finished it. I did not expect it to hook me so much.

You'll likely find some things in Xenogears/saga that remind you of Trails. Having played those 4 games first and then playing Trails later, I definitely found a number. Given that Takahashi started with Falcom before even Square, they have a particular fondness for him and his works.

Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology is one of the best games I've ever played. The battle system is amazing and the possibility to travel between parallel realities was well done.

I’ve recently started playing Xenogears for the first time and I can say if your a huge fan of the blade trilogy you will absolutely love the story and characters that Takahashi has created in gears. The protagonist Fei has easily become one of my favourite jrpg protagonists in just the first few hours of playing.

Grandia, Wild Arms, and Parasyte Eve if you want to look into more. I actually never heard of Thousand Arms and I had hyper JRPG phase during my younger years that I just fell off during my PS4 years. Now I'm lucky to get through at least two a year, so I wish you luck.

Another Playstation 2 title you would probably enjoy is Radiata Stories. The world of that game felt very alive and "whole" in a way that you didn't really see in a lot of games of the era, which made it very memorable. That game is fun and you can make a dozens of friends!

Lunar SSE and EB are amazing games. Some of the first jrpgs I've ever played, and helped turn me into a JRPG lover. Thanks to your video, I remembered them and I hope to replay them sometime soon though, I'm sure I'll appreciate them even more as an adult.

Very fond memories of artonelico 1&2 as well as the mana khemia games and atelier Iris games. You are in for a well deserved treat my friend. So many of these games embody my first foray into the genre so happy to see you playing them.

Xenogears is one of my favorite games of all time. I really hope they remake it, so we get a flushed out disc two. Baten Kiatos remaster is my most anticipated retro game of this year.

Vagrant Story is a masterpiece. But very complex and difficult in times. it's one game i spend the most time with in the ps1 era and the story is very good too

This list makes me so happy, especially the very last one! You're hitting on a lot of my personal faves, and even if you don't love them as much as I do, I'm just happy to hear you talk about 'em :D

So glad you're checking out some retro stuff! There are so many amazing older JRPGs, you're going to have a ton of fun. And I must say, you picked some great initial games on your list there :)

Such a great list! I have played most of these and they did not disappoint! Can't wait to see which ones you play. Ar tonelico 2, shadow hearts, mana khemia are great! Radiant historia is amazing, nothing else like it for me.. but my favorite is and will always be Lunar silver star story. I played it as a child, but I still play it at least once every few years, its just like a home cooked meal. 😊

Tales of the Abyss and Golden Sun have special places in my heart. Genuinely looking forward to your thoughts on them whenever you get around to them. I also recommend Suikoden 3, Skies of Arcadia Legends, and Radiata Stories

Shadowhearts 1 and 2 are two of my favorite ps2 rpgs of all time.

An amazing list of games! Valkyrie Profile will continue to be one of my favorite games of all time and I implore anyone who can to give it a shot.

Dragon Quest V is one of the most emotional games I have ever played, I was brought to tears multiple times, it's just a perfect story. I recommend the PS2 version tho, the music is orchestral and hits home.

I just love that you included and even made an exception for Radiant Historia, that game is such a gem! I haven't found any other games like it (with the time traveling aspect). You won't regret playing either versions! I personally finished the ds version and loved it so much I also got it for 3ds! Didn't get around to finishing it tho unfortunately I literally clicked on this video the moment I saw the thumbnail including Radiant Historia and watched everything just for the Radiant Historia mention. 😂

The koudelka/shadow hearts series is absolutely fantastic, you're in for a treat when you get round to them

Xenogears/saga, Valkyrie Profile, Shadow Hearts 1&2 and Vagrant Story are fantastic.

Now this was a great nostalgia trip i finished everything on this list when i was younger and prefered grinding and long games. Hoping you will enjoy your trip on probably the best era for jrpg

The radiant historia remake is the best way to play extra content is always a +

I discovered trails after playing gears and all three sagas. You’re gonna love that series. Gears is roughhhhh to play at points but worth it.

I can highly HIGHLY. Reccomend both Xenogears and Xenosaga. These games are some of the most epically ambitious and simultaneously tragically unfinished artworks in the industry. Xeno series is my favourite RPG series and I like many followed the pipeline of Xeno to Kiseki after finishing Xenoblade 3. Lots of similarities between the series so if you like one you'll likely enjoy the other. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Some incredible titles on this list and some I’ve been meaning to play, too. I’ll refrain from posting my bias but curious what you go with.

Geneticist here. When I played Xenogears back when it released on the original playstation, I was amazed at the amount of scientific terms used to flesh out its world and story. I mean, they talk about encoding memories in introns to preserve them across generations, and the potential unlocked in mitochondria. Very interesting sci-fi fare, as genetics and cellular biology are rarely used in the medium. I mean, the game world and setting was so clearly laid out and convincing that it almost rivals reality! The combat and pacing probably haven't aged well, but the story of Xenogears is something that influences me to this day. Also, the soundtrack still gives me chills.

I've played most games on your list and others are also in my backlog, i think it is a very good list, there is almost no one that i could not recomend.

Great list. I’m pretty new to the genre so this movie is a great way to get exposures to retro games

1:00 atelier Ryza npc shop music.

Lunar is very good. Still holds up, especially if you like Trails

Glad to see you thinking about Valkyrie Profile!! The guide comment is correct, but it's a lot of fun. The voice acting is also great because a huge portion of the cast is straight out of the original Pokemon cast.

Star Ocean 2 is in my top list of jrpg's along side grandia 2, skies of arcadia and super mario rpg. It's a banger.

I haven't heard of many of these titles, but highly recommend tales of the abyss and golden sun. both are easily among the best jrpgs of all time

Nice list. Some are in mine, too. Abyss is my favorite tales of. Shadow Hearts is an amazing saga and Covenant is one of my favorites games of all time. Have fun!

Mana Khemia in my timeline, it’s more likely than u think, woah I remember playing it on the psp and it was my introduction to the Atelier franchise. Hope u have a good time with it!

Nice list. Lunar, Tales of the Abyss, Vagrant Story, Radiant Historia, Dragon Quest V, and Breath of Fire III are also backlog items for me as well.

Great list. Abyss is my favorite Tales game and one of my all-time favorite video games. It also had the same scenario writer as Symphonia, so that may be a point in its favor for you as well.

you're 100% right about vagrant story - it truly is a love/hate affair w/ this game. if you can get past how convoluted the battle system is then the game is absolutely one of a kind. that said - the battle system is very ... unique.

fantastic list, I myself have some too after years of research :D

So many great games on this list... The Lunar and Xeno games are some of my favorites. Don't forget Lunar: Eternal Blue Complete as well.

Thousand Arms is in my top 3 JRPGs and has been since the 90s when I played it.

There are some real gems in there, you have some work to do!

Star Ocean Second Story deserves its own video. Not needs, deserves. Top 5 of my personal games of all time.

Xenogears, as a warning that I don't see many people actually talk about, has parts that if you didn't save up money you need to grind to just to get money to get parts for your Gear to just barely survive.

0:15 Ar Tonelico 2 is one of my top 3 all time favorite games along with Breath of Fire V and Final Fantasy X. Ar Tonelico 2 is absolutely amazing with a unique story and game-play and features the greatest video game sound track of all time. If you enjoyed the first one, this game is better in pretty much every way. The music though, I liked it so much that I bought the albums off of CD Japan back in the day. Can't recommend that game enough.

A lot of good games on this list. Radiant Historia especially. Been a long time since I've played Shadow Hearts, but I remember liking that one a lot.

Damn, that's a huge list ot classic jrpg. You are lucky to play these games for the first time/blindly. You're in for a treat. 😁

These are some interesting choices. I look forward to hearing your opinions on them.

Fun list TKN! I think I'm a bit older than you, and have been a JRPG player since the early 90's. I can give a little high-level feedback on some of the titles here that may or may not help you chart a course: 1. Shadow Hearts - I never actually played it, but always wanted to. I have friends and family who have, and they've all sung its praises. 2. Xenogears - One of the greatest RPG's of all time, and its flaws don't hold it back from that. Easily top 3 of all time for me (maybe against Trails in the Sky and Suikoden II). The storyline is unparalled in its depth and quality. And I beat it a few years ago just to see if I was wearing rose-tinted glasses. I wasn't. The game still plays great, and it is gripping through and through. Easily my top recommendation here. 3. Xenosaga - Solid, but also with some flaws - and imo not as good as gears. Still a good game that I think you'll like. 4. Lunar - A wonderful game (pair of games, really, the 1st and 2nd are a LOT alike). It's a fun little adventure that you should do between bigger and weightier jaunts like Xenogears. 5. Star Ocean Second Story - Good, although I think others like it a bit more than I did. 6. Tales of the Abyss - Deserves its praise, it's one of the better Tales games, and the character development is spot-on. 7. Breath of Fire III - My second favorite pick on this whole list (behind Xenogears). It has some dated things that you might not like, but it's a WONDERFUL game - every single breath of fire is. If you haven't played BoF IV either, I'd go to the mat saying that's the best title in the series, and knowing your taste in JRPGs, I think it'd be one for you to put on your radar. Without saying too much, it does something VERY unique in its storytelling that really works and gives the player a sort of bond with the main antagonist (alongside the protagonist). Cheers, you've got some WONDERFUL retro games on this list that you'll be glad to have experienced!

incredible playlist; I think BoF3, Lunar n Thousand Arms are games that every gamer should at least played once in their life

Xenogears and Xenosaga are both great, I see you enjoying both of them. Along with Star Ocean 2 I recommend you try out the remake of star ocean 1 it's on the ps4 and switch

Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology was one of the games that helped me through the tough days of the pandemic. I can't recommend it enough, it's a thoroughly enjoyable game, and story. Have fun friend.

I’ve played so many of these and I recommend all of then as you get to them 😂 Personally Tales of the Abyss is my favorite game, and Radiant Historia is a close second

Wild Arms and Suikoden are good too! Always enjoy your videos!

Nice list! The Lunar games are great and should be tried by anyone interested in the genre. The first one also got a PSP remake that is pretty good as well, so start there if you want more upgraded sprites and a few QoL improvements.

Lots of fond memories from your list. 😊 Star Ocean 2nd Story is one of my favorite JRPGs. Loved playing through with both Claude and Rena. I had a blast cooking/crafting, doing the arena and the secret dungeon was a good challenge. Radiant historia is epic. I love how the time travel is done. It gives you a lot of freedom without feeling too 'what do I do next'. I adored Lunar SSS on Ps1 when I played it back in the day, but I'd bet some of the strong points of the game (story) aren't enough to carry the clunky parts of gameplay. Currently playing through Golden Sun The Lost Age. Never played the 1st 😅. I think I'd put it as decent. Class system seems to have some interesting quirks. Navigation is a little eh on my SP or DS lite screens as the world map is pretty bad. Combat is fairly snazzy for the age of the game but seems to be quite repetitive. I'll definitely finish it, but I think the puzzle dungeons will get old eventually. I think my main problem these days is trying to be too completionist in my playthroughs. Once I get enough freedom to explore...I can get a little bored if it drags on too much. Modern games with some quality of life improvements (ie turbo combat) can really cut down on how this feels.

Radiant Historia is absolutely fantastic, you're in for a real treat with that one. Tales of the Abyss is also very good, personally my favourite Tales game. I need to get around to playing the Shadow Hearts and Xenosaga games at some point myself (particularly the latter, given how much I love Xenoblade Chronicles).

The games I will recommend the most! Of old hidden gems, is the Arc of Lad series, especially 1 and 2. The first one is short and simple but is needed for the second one which is a direct sequel and if you ask me one of the best designed strategy RPG's of all time. The best way to describe the games are what if we took an actual standard JRPG story and gameplay but just gave them fun tactics game battles, instant classics. You could also play the PS2 one, which is probably the second best one of the series, but they are all fun if you ask me. Some people don't like the third game, but it was inoffensive and had its own charms.

Golden Sun and its sequel are still my favorite games of all time and i cannot wait for them to be released on NSO

Xenosaga, gears and mana khemia are the main games I play when I'm feeling nostalgic they've really withstood the test of time for me.

That's a great list, certainly the ps1 has the most memorable jrpg titles for me. I highly recommend valkyrie profile from the ps1. The combo mechanic is so satisfying when you chain specials. Also if you want more jrpgs, i would like to recommend Suikoden series and the Devil Survivor (a DS game spin off from the shin megami tensei series)

I had a hard time on some of the time travel aspect of Radiant Historia but I did enjoy the game.

I loved Vagrant Story when I played it 20 odd years ago, but I can understand why it wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea

And I agree with this list have fun getting to them all 😅

You can't really go wrong with Koudelka, Shadows Hearts 1 and 2, Xenogears, Lunar 1 and 2, Valkyrie Profile, Star Ocean 2, Vagrant Story and Breath of Fire III. I'd recommend the Front Mission series as well

As a Tales fan, im happy you enjoyed Tales of Symphonia and i share your opinion of Vesperia in some ways. I am confident you will enjoy Abyss. Wholeheartedly confident. (Oh and btw your channel helped me finally take the dive into the Trails series and i have been enjoying it!)

Golden Sun and Tales of the Abyss are pretty good in my opinion. I enjoyed them. I also love Mana Khemia but the game is centered around crafting. The only way you can increase your stats or learn new attacks for characters is by crafting items. You have to craft your weapons and armor/accessories too.

Playing through Radiant Historia now, absolutely fantastic game.

Seeing BpF3, Lunar SSSC, and Thousand Arms makes me very happy. Thousand Arms has some of the funniest villains in the Mecha 5 and the dialogue is light hearted. If you enjoy Lunar you should go into Lunar 2 Eternal Blue. The story is just as good though for it being a darker story than the first one.

Thousand arms is extremely rare, and I have never met anyone who has played it but me. Grandia 1 should be on this list its a epic game.

great list 🤙

Ahhhhh ... *Breath of Fire III* ... WHAT A GAME! 👍 This one is a rolercoaster of emotions paired with a rather large playtime. Go play it! You won't regret it!

As some one who played both the kiseki series and shadow hearts, and is a mega shadow hearts fan, i can say with vonfiedence that the chance is high that you enjoy the story of shadow hearts one and two. And yes 2 or convenant has a reall great story and is one of my favorite games of all time for it.

Our tastes never aligned too much but for what it is worth Radiant Historia is a top 3 jRPG for me and I believe everyone should play it.

One game I would love to see you cover is Steamboat Chronicles on the PS2, it was a action combat style mech game made by Irem that also made the Zettai Zetsumei series or Raw Danger as it's known in the west

Radiant Historia is amazing. My favorite handheld jrpg of all time. Amazing atmosphere, fun combat, awesome characters, and a really great soundtrack. I think you should play this one ASAP. Damn, this video made me realize how many of these games I own, have played a bit of, but have never finished. Shadow Hearts rules, DQV is one I beat recently and I loved it. Koudelka is slooooow as hell. I tried multiple times. Nope. Vagrant Story is a love/hate game for me. The game's concept is amazing and I love ALMOST everything about it... Except it's vague as hell, clunky, and impossibly difficult. Good luck on your backlog quest!

Damn u picked some cool and interesting title which i myself also have on the list or partly played. Xenosaga is one i heard a lot about but never got around to try it since ill need an emulator for 90% of the old games D: Golden Sun 1 i can highly recommend since it was also the only game in the trilogy i played so far. The gameplay was fun, story was ok ( i heard 2 and 3 are better in that department) and with the dschjin's u can customize ur character builds and exploration. Also the soundtrack was a banger

I love the Shadow Hearts series. Always made me sad it wasn't as popular than it was, and I'd love modern remasters of these games on modern platforms.

So many games I need to get to myself on this list. Think the only one I have played is Lunar which is one of my favorite games of all time and one that put me on the path to loving Jrpgs along with Shining Force and FF6.

The Shadow Hearts series is pretty good I'd give it a try

Woooow. You have some great RPGs to look forward to. >.>

Ahhh, Valkyrie Profile. Back in the day when we printed the entire GameFAQs text guides because our internet was very slow.

Big, big Vouch for Tales of the Abyss and Radiant Historia. For TotA it's absolutely the character development that makes it shine so bright, although you will have to go through some pretty annoying dialogue before it comes to shine. Radiant Historia's Plot is just ... chef's kiss. In the end I just wanted to know how it ends so badly.

Man. It's weird to see games that came out in the US when I was 19 (Tales of the Abyss), or were released in Japan when I was 20 (Ar Tonelico II), being retro. As for Golden Sun, I think you should enjoy it. I turned 14 in 2001 and associate Golden Sun with 8th grade. The game's main claim to fame back in those days was definitely its incredible-for-the-time graphics, since everyone thought of handhelds prior to 2001 as just portable 8-bit games, but it's a perfectly solid and very traditional Dragon Quest-style JRPG. At worst it can be seen as generic by some, but there's nothing outright bad about it.

Tales of the abyss is probably the second best entry in the series, and really close to Vesperia imho, Field of fonons mechanic makes the game really enjoyable in multiplayer as you can coordinate with your partner to create your desided FoF whenever you want. And the story is awesome

Just to throw our a couple others for ya, try looking into Dark Cloud 1 & 2, Brave Fencer Musashi (not fully a JRPG, but it's super cool and super fun), and the Alliance Alive. Overall, I personally wanna try Tales of the Abyss, Radiant Hystoria and Golden Sun. They all look like fun to me!

Believe me, Shadow Hearts 1 WILL hit home and you will want to play Convenant et probably From the new world for the heck of it.

So many great games - I'm a bit jelly as Xenosaga is one of my favourite games but if you played it you know the story :). Shadow Hearts is a beast too as is Lunar... man, what a journey :). Radiant Historia is on my bucketlist too :)

you have a long Johnny my friend I played all those up into the one with the DS

Quite some gems in the list. You should check out Final Fantasy, too. VI, VII, IX and X are some really great titles.

Lunar is a classic. I definitely feel like Trails in the Sky has some inspiration from it.

Lunar SSSC is a very bog standard game in a lot of ways, but Eternal Blue is very worth experiencing and I highly recommend checking it out even if you find SSSC boring.

Lunar 1 has one of the best cutscenes on the PS1

AT2+patch and Golden Sun are great. I do wonder what you'd think of the PS2 game Radiata Stories though.

Yeah, you 100% need a guide for Star Ocean 2. In particular, most of the characterization of the primary antagonist (and various other antagonists to a lesser extent) is locked behind one of the most obtuse and irritating side quests in the history of video games.

Just make sure to play both GBA Golden Suns. Dark Dawn is a stand-alone title but The Lost Age is most decidedly not and you could pretty much weld it right to the end of the first game without anybody noticing.