I feel like I say this every year, but holy shit I can’t believe another year has come and gone. I guess that means I’m getting old or something. Anyway, as per usual my list is fill of RPGs, most of which took up the majority of my gaming time. To be honest, I’d wholeheartedly welcome RPGs that aren’t 100+ hours next year…..knowing full well I’m going to sink hundreds of hours into Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Stole Time.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak
Available on: PS4, PS5, Switch, PC
Ah yes, the Trails series. As I said in my review, I’m a latecomer to Trails which has seen numerous games all of which tie into one another across various trilogies that span literal decades. I played a few of the Cold Steel games but just don’t have the time to play, like, a thousand hours of one series. Especially with a toddler. So when Nihon Falcom announced that Trails Through Daybreak would be a fresh story arc with an all new cast, I knew this was my in! I still adore Rean, Fie, and crew, but this long ass RPG is a lot easier for me to get into than decades worth of long ass RPGs. And so, I received my copy and immediately dove into the world of Calvard and become acquainted to the series new protagonist, Van Arkride. If you’re looking for a turn based JRPG with action RPG elements, a lovable cast of characters, interesting plot, and solid gameplay, I don’t think you can go wrong with Trails Through Daybreak.
Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door
Available on: Switch
I bought a Gamecube later in life, well after college when my then girlfriend and I moved to start our life together. I have some of the classics for it like Mario Sunshine, Twilight Princess, Wind Waker, and Thousand Year Door. Yet, I never finished the latter and only really got into it with the recent remaster on Switch. The overall paper aesthetic holds up well to this day which is a testament to Nintendo’s design team. The writing is still as humorous as ever and the battle system is one of my favorites. I do love the Paper Mario series and even liked games others did not such as Color Splash and Origami King, but there’s no denying Thousand Year Door is widely held by the community as the pinnacle for the series for multiple reasons. Not only are the visuals sharper and now in full HD after a painstaking recreation, but the colors especially pop if you have a Switch OLED or OLED TV set. Another nicely with a game like this on Switch is the ability to both play in handheld (which works great) and being able to put the game to sleep whenever and come back later to pick it up. Whether you never played this gem like me or are looking for a family friendly introduction to turn based RPGs for that little one in your life (to which I also highly recommend the Super Mario RPG remake also on Switch) Paper Mario The Thousand Year Door will not disappoint.
Persona 3 Reload
Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Like the Ys and Trails series, I got into Persona late in the game. You can read more about what prompted me to try the series in our Persona 5 Strikers review. As is the case with a lot of newcomers I’m sure, Persona 5 is what grabbed my attention and I’ve since 100% it twice as well as finishing Persona 4 Golden and now the fantastic Persona 3 thanks to Reload. Even though I had a PS2 I missed the boat on these games because I was more into titles like Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank, and TimeSplitters back then (and still love them). Big and long RPGs was just something I never touched, all of which changed when Switch came out and I played Breath of the Wild and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (more on that here). Being that I was a n00b I picked up the re-release of the portable version of Persona 3 last year and just did not get what all the hype was about. To be blunt, it’s boring as fuck. I initially thought Reload brought the exploration and systems from Persona 5 to a game that had zero exploration before I realized the error of my ways and discovered the PS2 version, in fact, had exploration.
Anyway, I dove deep into Persona 3 and it’s mature story. I appreciate how dark it is in comparison to Persona 5’s more lighthearted romp. Reload deals with some very dark themes throughout, like most Persona games tend to, but it was more persistent here. Comparing the battle animations between PS2 and Reload shows just how careful and exact Atlus was when they crafted the remake. It’s the same game, but better in every way. Persona 5 will always hold a special place in my heart, and while I’m back and forth on it, Persona 3 is now my favorite game in the series. I fell for every character, loved the story, listen to the soundtrack nearly every day, and have been itching to play the expansion, Episode Aigis. If there’s any game on this list you should pick up, it’s this if you’re even slightly interested.
Ys X Nordics
Available on: PS4, PS5, Switch, PC
The Ys series is absolutely fantastic and between Ys and and Trails series, Nihon Falcom is one of my favorite developers out there. To this day I absolutely adore Ys VIII which was the series’ first foray into being fully 3D. Sure, it’s rough around the edges a bit graphically, but the characters, story, and gameplay still hold up to this day and is the foundation of what the sequels have been built on. Ys IX Monstrum Nox, while fun in it’s own right, took the game so far in a new direction by locking you up in the city of Balduq for far too long before finally opening up the exploration. Ys X claps back to so speak by now letting you sail on a boat to other islands large and small in order to free it’s inhabitants who are conquered by beasts and plunder for treasure. You know, the kind of shit you expect from the series.
It’s worth noting that shortly before writing this, Ys X Proud Nordics has been announced and is being pitched as a definitive edition of sorts with new story content, a new location to explore, and other features. The new story and location see Adol and Karja explore Aland Island, a large island to the north of Obelia Bay, where they find a number of ruins and encounter another Mana user. Proud Nordics will also add new Mana Actions, new bosses, new Mana Ride races, and arena battles. It’s currently slated to arrive in Japan in 2025 with other regions and platforms TBA.
I honestly don’t think it’s worth waiting that long as this is easily one of the top games in the series for me and a true return to form for the series in 3D. Nordics offers little for those hoping for a Black Flag level of sailing experience but a hell of a fun adventure for those seeking, well, adventure. I adore Adol and Karja and am sure you will too.
Metaphor ReFantazio
Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Last and certainly not least is my game of the year by a long shot: Metaphor ReFantazio. All the games listed above are absolute RPG bangers and well worth your time, but if you find yourself understandably strapped for cash or with little free time to sink into a RPG, this is the one I’d recommend you get. Especially if you love the Persona style of gameplay or turn based RPGs in general. Booting up Metaphor greets you with a beautiful animated anime cut-scene that sets the stage of things to come. The king is assassinated and the prince put under a deep curse. I don’t want to give much away, and you can play a hefty demo that allows you to carry over your progress to the full game (Steam prologue demo , PlayStatation prologue demo, Xbox prologue demo). Right from the start the attention to detail and world building Atlut has on display shows the team firing on all cylinders and at their very best. It has me immensely excited to see what Persona 6 and ReFantazio’s unannounced but highly expected sequel bring to the table.
The main characters and supporting cast are all absolutely excellent with deep story arcs, grounded motivations, and relatable views on the world around them. There is much corruption and beauty in the world they all inhabit and it’s beautiful to see them all come together to fight for a greater brighter good. I haven’t written my full review yet, but the mechanics borrowed from Persona and dropped into a fantasy world work extraordinarily well. ReFantazio also borrows the calendar system Persona has been known for, although it feels far more loose here and is a general timeline. Lots of the side quests and bounties don’t have a deadline which is great if you want to come back to them at a later time.
I could gush about this game for a long time, and will in our full review, but since it’s the holiday season why not check out the prologue demo for yourself and see what you think? Then grab it while it’s on steep discount for the holidays. I’m sure you’ll agree ReFantazio is ReFANTASTICo……I’ll see myself out.
