10 Great JRPGs that Start Fun and Stay that Way

The JRPG genre is notorious for having some of the biggest slogs to start its titles. So many JRPGs go with characters in a boring, simple town to start the experience before anything of consequence really happens.

But then, there are the JRPGs that throw the conflict at you from the jump, making sure you're invested and you know the stakes immediately. The "Why" is given at the start, and the game basically says, "Get in, loser. We're going JRPGing." You're either in, or you're out.

We're going to check out some JRPGs that don't waste your time, and instead throw you headfirst into their stories immediately.

10 Granblue Fantasy: Relink

An Alternative Fantasy

Granblue Fantasy: Relink spent a long time in development. While its release didn't exactly set the world on fire, the narrative was kind of a mess, and it had one of the worst mascot characters of all time, what it did incredibly well was be really fun, really fast. The combat comes at you at lightning speed in the open, and it's clear the real star of the show is the combat itself. It's fantastic, punchy, and it evolves a ton throughout the game.

You'll start with small skirmishes against goblins and whatnot, but quickly come to fights against gargantuan foes requiring turrets to take them down, and a ton of characters you can switch to and main. There are endless combinations for your party and also an endgame that is packed with a ton of content. You get your bang for your buck here from the opening moments, and the game never slows down from there.

9 The Last Story

The First Chapter is a Banger

The Last Story is an underrated JRPG gem, and it starts off with a mercenary mission that throws you into the fray immediately. It heaps a bunch of combat directions onto you and shows you the type of game it's going to be from the start. It's a gritty, mature, and most of all, fun as heck burst of JRPG greatness – very much the last gasp for Mistwalker before they hung up their boots for good.

It's a unique combat system at play here, implementing real-time and turn-based mechanics, and even some third person shooting thrown into the mix. It makes sure you know just what's in store from this opening, exciting, and action-packed mission. You don't have to worry about fighting rats in a basement here as it's do or die from the jump, and those are moments that define what is one of the best JRPGs stuck on a long-gone console.

8 Dragon's Dogma

Embracing Destiny

Dragon's Dogma is an awesome subversion to the classic RPG genre, and instead of having you start out as a nothing, you start out as an absolute beast. The opening section has you loaded with abilities and fighting some horrifying creatures before you've even got a full grasp on the controls.

Of course, that's just the opening. Then, you're thrown into your classic quiet town. However, that town has a dragon, and it's literally ripping your heart out. So begins an incredibly strange and unique JRPG that throws all the tropes to the side and gives you a narrative experience that you'll never forget.

Thankfully, the action supporting that narrative is incredible in regard to both combat and exploration. You're fighting a cyclops within the opening moments, climbing on its back and gouging its eyes out. It only ramps up from there, with Hydras, Griffons, and some crazier fair along the way. It's one of the most underappreciated series out there, and it set the tone with an amazing start.

7 Tales of Arise

Fighting Back

Tales of Arise gives you a harrowing tale of slavery and a world where one race subjugates another. It's heavy stuff, and you can be certain that there are no innocent little village openings here. This thing is full throttle from start to finish. You get a party to fight with extremely fast, and from there, you get to train and grind to your heart's content, unlocking a ton of artes to use in combat.

It's clear the game wanted to stray from some of the slower starts the series had been known for, and instead made sure the player was thrown full speed into the story and the combat. The combat is without a doubt the pull here, evolving the tried and true formula in a big way. It makes a great first impression, ensuring you're having fun from the start of the game and doesn't let up throughout.

6 Parasite Eve

The Virus is Born

Parasite Eve starts off in an opera house, and before the fat lady sings, everything goes to hell. People are being burnt alive and a virus quickly spreads, mutating everyone into horrific creatures. Luckily, Aya Brea is no novice, and is equipped with a gun from the start and ready to face the absolute terrors that await her in this absolute classic of a JRPG.

The game gives you the vibe in the opening seconds and only ramps up the tension and encounters from there. It's creepy as heck, but for survival horror and JRPG fans, it was a fusion of the genres for the ages that gave birth to yet another hit JRPG series from Square. It's one of the best examples of "show, don't tell" when it comes to JRPGs, and more games should've followed its lead.

5 Vagrant Story

To Hell with Exposition

Vagrant Story is a really interesting, one-of-a-kind type of game that you can only find on the PS1, and it wastes no time with exposition or explanation, throwing you right into the boots of Ashley Riot, who is facing off against someone clearly involved with occult activities. That's all you get before the combat kicks in. It's a brutal introduction, because the game holds no hands, dunks you into the deep end, and expects you to swim.

It'll take some time to figure out all the controls and how the combo attacks work, but once you're in a flow, it's a groove that doesn't let up. There is also fantastic enemy variety, so you're going to have to mix and match not only your attacks, but your equipment to come out on top here.

You quickly get a healthy amount of weapons and magic to play with, so shortly after the opening tutorial, you're going to be a wrecking machine. This is needed, because these fights get really tough, really quickly. The game is a complete gothic action masterpiece though, so if you can stomach a bit of a difficulty curve, you'll come away very happy.

4 Xenoblade Chronicles 3

No Time Like the Present

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a game about a group of young soldiers who only have 10 years to live. Because of that, there is very much an element of no time to waste. Literally, time is running out. It's a sense of urgency that's explained to the player early on, and it carries into the gameplay. From the start, you're thrown into this war. It's confusing and it's messy, but the combat is a blast to start, and it only gets more and more complex and interesting to play around with from there.

You get a healthy amount of abilities at the start of the game, so it's cool that you actually feel like the soldier you're supposed to be. In short order, you get access to transformations that change everything from a gameplay perspective. It makes you consider who you want to control and also how you want to build out your party. It's easily the most fun game of the series, and a big reason is it doesn't waste any time before it gets fun.

3 Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne

The End of Everything

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne has a whirlwind of a start. The world ends out of nowhere, and you're left alone, in a terrifying and dangerous apocalyptic world with little direction or idea on where to go. You're immediately given a strange and disturbing world to explore that feels like a backrooms game before the idea was even invented.

There is no hand-holding here, but the awesome combat system makes itself known early and often, culminating in a challenging boss encounter that demands you have a grasp of the system and some competent demons in your party. It's such a cool and unique game, but it's also chilling and scary at times. It jumps around from horror to JRPG back and forth, and you know exactly what you're getting into from the opening minutes.

2 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

The Ultimate Why

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wastes little time setting the stakes. In the first 15 minutes, you're introduced to a world where a ton of people are about to watch their loved ones die to the Gommage, a terrible event that happens every year and takes people of a descending age. On top of that, you get introduced to the awesome combat system and what the mission is. At that point, man, if you're not in, you don't love good setups.

From there, you see how dire the situation really is and are forced to explore a strange and dangerous world. It's a harrowing experience and one that feels on the more serious side for games of this genre, and dang, if it isn't effective. The combat system grips you immediately, and the storytelling is as cinematic and compelling as it gets. It was the perfect stage setter for the runaway 2025 Game of the Year.

1 Final Fantasy VII

The Bombing Mission

Final Fantasy 7 has one of the most amazing openings of any game ever. From Aerith's innocence in the streets selling flowers to the slow pan to Cloud jumping onto a moving train, we get the whole vibe of the game in one single tracking shot. It carries over into the immediate first bit of gameplay. Cloud jumps off the train, takes out a few soldiers and, boom. Your first combat is right then and there.

It only gets better from here, as you progress through the Mako Reactor to thrilling music in the background, take on the Scorpion robot boss, and escape. It's an epic start to any kind of game, and for the JRPG genre, it was a turning point that changed it from a niche in the gaming world to the most lucrative type of game there was. That bombing mission to start things off is a big reason why.