Best JRPGs Still Stuck on Older Systems

I’m not one to complain when I see tons of remasters and remakes popping up here and there. There are many older JRPGs I never had the chance to play, and when I try to play them nowadays, it’s hard to stomach some of their more old-fashioned mechanics or the slow gameplay pace.

However, when those same games get a contemporary remaster, they usually come packed with several quality-of-life improvements that make the experience far more enjoyable. It might be a simple autosave, the ability to turn off random encounters, faster combat, or sometimes a few additions that ease our way in.

That way, not only do we get to experience what made some of these JRPGs so acclaimed, but we also avoid judging them too harshly as products of their time, since those QoL tweaks modernize the design. Today’s list will go over some of the best JRPGs that are still stuck on older systems and that I’d love to see brought back to modern platforms, whether as remasters or even simple ports. With quality-of-life improvements, please.

10 Skies of Arcadia

Piracy Done Right

Truth be told, I’ve never played much of Skies of Arcadia. I picked up Skies of Arcadia Legends on the GameCube and played it on my Wii, but I never got very far. Still, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it or that I’m unaware of how relevant the Dreamcast JRPG is and how much fans have been clamoring for a remaster or at least a port.

In the game, we play as the air pirate Vyse, who openly opposes the evil Valuan Empire while helping common folk. Air piracy makes perfect sense in the world of Arcadia, where six civilizations inhabit flying continents, each under the influence of its own dedicated moon.

Combat is traditional turn-based fare, but where Skies of Arcadia truly shines is exploration. From the get-go, players can explore uncharted flying continents and are handsomely rewarded for doing so. If you like pirates, flying ships, and turn-based anime-style games, you should definitely be wishing for Skies of Arcadia to return on modern platforms.

9 Breath of Fire III

The Brood Clan Lives

Breath of Fire and Breath of Fire II are available on the NSO service and GOG rescued Breath of Fire IV from obscurity. But what about the best game of my life, Breath of Fire III? It’s still stuck on the PS1 or PSP. Why’s it the only one left behind? I love Dragon Quarter, but let me make my case for the Brood clan first.

Breath of Fire III marked the series’s foray into a fully 3D world. Ryu, Nina, and dragons are back. The story begins when a gorgeous baby Ryu is discovered in a mine and, after escaping his captors and being adopted by Rei and Teepo, starts living life on his own terms. However, a tragic event separates him from his adoptive family and he must wander the world searching for them.

Combat is classic turn-based with a few clever gimmicks. Each character has their own strengths and skills, but there’s also a solid dose of customization through the Master System. Ryu can transform into dragons during battle, and depending on the Genes you combine, a different form is created. It’s the best system in the series by far. Best of all, there’s a timeskip in the game, something I absolutely love in any JRPG. Come on, Capcom, it’s about time you released a Breath of Fire collection.

8 Shadow Hearts

Penny Blood Won’t Happen

Shadow Hearts is often mentioned as one of the PS2’s hidden gems and yeah, I agree, although in my bubble it never truly felt hidden, just less known. The JRPG is a sequel to Koudelka on PS1 and puts us in the shoes of Yuri Hyuga, who’s tasked with protecting Alice because a mysterious voice tells him to.

Shadow Hearts is set in an alternate version of our world, blending historical events with supernatural elements and cosmic horror. That ties neatly into the gameplay since Yuri can transform into various monsters after acquiring their souls.

What still stands out about Shadow Hearts and is referenced to this day is its timed input combat system. Every action is governed by the Judgment Ring, which determines whether a command is executed normally, critically, or even fails. It forces players to stay engaged in every battle rather than mindlessly repeating the same action.

The creator of Shadow Hearts tried to bring a spiritual successor in the form of Penny Blood. However, even after a successful double Kickstarter, both Penny Blood and Armed Fantasia have struggled to secure a publisher, leaving both projects seemingly in limbo.

7 Eternal Sonata

The Best Hidden Gem

Whenever someone asks me what the most hidden gem JRPG I’ve ever played is, my answer is always Eternal Sonata. It’s a beautiful game developed by tri-Crescendo, a studio that had previously focused on sound development for several titles or co-development work. Eternal Sonata was the first title the company fully developed in-house.

It’s only fitting that the game revolves around music. We follow the story inside the dying dream world of Chopin. Each chapter represents a composition or a major event in the life of one of the greatest composers in history. It’s a fascinating and heartfelt plot that’ll move even the most cultured among us. I loved it, even though I’m not exactly a classical music expert.

That’s partly because Eternal Sonata’s combat is incredible. It’s a blend of turn-based and real-time elements. Each character has a tactical time gauge and can move freely while it lasts, whether attacking, using skills, or items. The battlefield features light and dark areas that alter the effects of abilities, adding extra flexibility to combat. Everything flows harmoniously, like a carefully crafted classical melody.

6 Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

Ivalice Chronicles 2

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of my favorite Final Fantasy games, so when I played Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, my expectations were sky-high. I’m not a huge fan of the Judge system, but I get how it can throw a wrench in our plans, forcing us to adapt and sometimes even switch to a different character or Job that isn’t a staple in our party.

The best part of Final Fantasy Tactics Advance for me is how each race has its own specific Jobs, which deepens customization and strategic variety. I tried unlocking every possible Job, which massively increased my playtime but gave me a genuinely fulfilling sense of accomplishment.

The story’s an isekai. Marche Radiuju is transported to Ivalice through a magical book. Many consider, some jokingly and others not, that Marche is the game’s true villain. Inside that magical world, life’s pretty great for some of the kids who were isekai’d. However, Marche’s objective is to return to the real world, threatening that joyful fantasy.

5 Xenogears

Give Takahashi His Game Back

Xenogears is often considered one of the best JRPGs on the PS1, and I couldn’t agree more. It’s got everything: compelling characters, a deeply profound and intimate narrative, engaging combat, mechas, and insane plot twists that have scarred players to this day. Too bad the second disc’s narrative was butchered into what feels like a PowerPoint presentation.

Xenogears was conceived as the fifth episode in a hexalogy that never fully materialized. Tetsuya Takahashi later tried something similar with Xenosaga, but unfortunately, that also fell short. Thankfully, Xenoblade Chronicles managed to stand on its own.

I truly believe that if Xenogears ever returns, or even Xenosaga, Takahashi might attempt to somehow tie all those storylines together. And if that happens, it’ll blow fans’ minds worldwide. Still, to be honest, I’d gladly settle for a simple port or enhanced version. It’s been so long since I played it that I’d love to get traumatized all over again.

4 Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria

Time for Silmeria to Shine Again

At the end of 2022, Square Enix released a port of the first Valkyrie Profile alongside the new Valkyrie Elysium. While many longtime fans and even new players criticized Valkyrie Elysium, plenty were just grateful that Valkyrie Profile had returned to modern systems.

So it stands to reason that it wouldn’t take long for Square to do the same with Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria, the franchise’s second entry. Well, it’s taking way too long, to the point where we don’t even know if it’ll happen. I’m not sure if it’s because tri-Ace hasn’t been doing great or due to strategic shifts at Square, but I’d love to revisit Alicia and Silmeria’s journey as they try to prevent a war between humans and gods.

The second game adapted the original’s combat with some welcome tweaks. It’s still turn-based, but there’s a bit of real-time involved. You’ve gotta move across the battlefield to get within range of enemies before unleashing combos on them. Each recruited Einherjar has their own specialties, and the game features a semi-random system determining which Einherjar appear in your playthrough, encouraging replayability.

3 Tales of the Abyss

Everyone Should Meet Luke

With the Tales Remastered project underway, I understand that a remaster of Tales of the Abyss might eventually arrive. So think of this as my plea to the universe to make it happen sooner rather than later. Tales of the Abyss was released on PS2 and later on Nintendo 3DS, two platforms that aren’t exactly easy to access nowadays.

When the remaster finally drops, I can’t wait for new players to meet Luke fon Fabre, one of the most annoying, frustrating, yet ultimately the best developed protagonists ever. The spoiled noble is forced out of his sheltered life when an encounter with Tear sends them to a faraway land and the plot thickens from there.

Combat follows the Linear Motion Battle System formula with some upgrades. It was the first game to introduce Free Run, allowing players to move freely in 3D space. The main gimmick is the Field of Fonons system. If a character uses an ability while standing inside a FOF, the ability’s effects change.

2 Lost Odyssey

Let’s Find It

Okay, okay, I know you can play Lost Odyssey via backward compatibility. But let’s be real, who’s going to risk buying an Xbox console nowadays? Certainly not me. That’s why I believe that, eventually, Lost Odyssey might end up stuck on a console largely abandoned by its own brand.

And that’s a shame, because Lost Odyssey is a rare gem from Mistwalker, the studio founded by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. The narrative follows Kaim Argonar, an amnesiac immortal sent on a mission by the kingdom of Uhra who soon finds himself entangled in a much larger plot. As he journeys on, he gradually remembers stories from his thousand years of life.

Combat is turn-based and uses a timed input ring system. Each equipped ring grants a different effect to basic attacks. Party members also learn abilities in distinct ways. Immortals learn skills by linking themselves to mortals or through accessories, while mortals gain new abilities by leveling up.

1 Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology

Perfect for a Remaster

I bought my New Nintendo 2DS with the sole purpose of playing more JRPGs. On it, I played Bravely Default, Bravely Second: End Layer, and Ever Oasis, among others. However, the one that truly caught my attention, especially given its somewhat under-the-radar status, was Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology.

While countless JRPGs tackle time travel and openly cite heavy inspiration from Chrono Trigger, Radiant Historia quietly crafted one of the most coherent and believable time travel narratives out there without leaning on the SNES classic. Maybe that’s why I kept my expectations low and ended up getting far more than I ever anticipated.

Perfect Chronology is a 3DS remake of the original DS version, which I’d recommend if you’ve got the means. We play as Stocke, whose life is turned upside down after finding a book called the White Chronicle. This book allows him to travel through time and between two alternate timelines. With that power, Stocke can change the future by gathering information in one timeline and leveraging it in another. It had every reason to collapse under the weight of plot holes, but it never does.

Turn-based combat introduces a clever twist by taking place on a grid. Party members stand on one side and enemies on the other. Various abilities can push or pull enemies across the grid, creating tactical advantages for area-of-effect attacks or to prevent incoming enemy assaults. It’s highly engaging and turns boss battles into genuine challenges. Too bad we can’t play the game the traditional way anymore, since the Nintendo 3DS eShop was shut down.