Some great JRPGs you may have overlooked on your travels

Everyone is familiar with the heavy hitters when it comes to JRPGs, like Final Fantasy and Persona, but there are plenty of underrated games in the genre. While the J in JRPG stands for Japanese, the term has expanded to include turn-based RPGs that are heavily inspired by those classic Japanese games, or emulate their style, like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. The primary difference between JRPGs and RPGs is usually action versus turn-based combat, although there are other aspects of the style, like the storytelling style and the type of characters and themes used.

For the picks on this list, I went with the wider definition of the genre, and I went with games that are easily playable on modern platforms, so nothing that needs to be emulated.

5 Cassette Beasts

One of the best Pokémon-likes games you can play

Cassette Beasts is a Pokémon-style monster collector and battler game, but this underrated indie goes above and beyond the original. It features a massive explorable world, tons of monsters with solid designs, and an engaging mystery story. The world has some oddities to it, like how monsters can only be captured with cassette tapes, but the combat system rocks. Each individual monster has its own points it accumulates for attacks, letting you build up to massive hits.

There is also a fusion system, where you can temporarily combine the powers of two creatures in combat for massive damage. The central mystery is surreal, and it tips its toes into horror, and there is a collection of NPC companions that can travel with you, all offering small character arcs to discover. If you have any affinity for turn-based JRPGs, Cassette Beasts is a must-play.

4 In Stars and Time

An incredible time loop RPG

In Stars and Time is an indie take on the JRPG formula, one that uses tropes to subvert your expectations. Coming in around 20 hours, In Stars and Time is about a time loop you are stuck in, one where you need to try and break if you want to save your friends and the world. It has a unique black-and-white art style, combined with some cartoon character designs. It has a fun story filled with lovable characters, but the use of the time loop is what makes it unique.

As you restart each loop, the main character, Siffrin, learns more about the world, opening up new puzzle solutions and paths to advance. The turn-based combat uses a rock, paper, scissors format, making for a simple but effective combat system that really ties this excellent indie JRPG together.

3 Lost Odyssey

Not lost to time

Lost Odyssey might not have been underrated when it originally released on the Xbox 360, but almost two decades later, it doesn't have the cultural cache it should. Heavily inspired by Final Fantasy, Lost Odyssey featured traditional turn-based combat at a time when Final Fantasy was beginning to branch out into action combat. It features tons of talented Final Fantasy developers, including writer Hironobu Sakaguchi and composer Nobuo Uematsu.

Lost Odyssey features a magical industrial revolution setting, marking an early intersection of magic and industry in its world. While at the time the game design might have felt too traditional, as modern JRPGs move further and further away from those classic designs, an incredibly well-made JRPG should hit just right. Lost Odyssey is unfortunately only playable via backwards compatibility on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, but it is still available for purchase on those platforms.

2 Blue Dragon

Another Xbox 360 JRPG, this time featuring Toriyama designs

Made by the same developers as Lost Odyssey, Blue Dragon is another Xbox 360 JRPG that is severely underrated, partially due to its Xbox exclusivity. Another traditional-style game, featuring standard turn-based combat and dungeons. What makes this one special is that Akira Toriyama worked as an artist on the game. The Dragon Ball creator, who passed away last year, lent his creative character designs to several video game franchises, including Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger.

It seems a bit unfair that these are some of the most beloved JRPGs of all time, but Blue Dragon, a great game that doesn't quite reach the heights of Chrono Trigger, has been somewhat forgotten to time. Just like Lost Odyssey, it's only available via backwards compatibility on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, but it is available for purchase on those platforms.

1 Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

Digimon games are good, at least sometimes

Digimon has always been pigeonholed as the little brother series to Pokémon, and in terms of popularity, that is true. But that lack of popularity has led some people to believe that Digimon, both the series and the video games, are lesser compared to Pokémon. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth is a recent turn-based JRPG in the franchise, and ahead of Digimon Story: Time Stranger releasing later this year, you should check out the prior game.

It's a monster-collector and battler, just like Pokémon, but Digimon has far more chaotic evolutions and changes to its digital monsters, creating a much wider range of designs and creatures. It also features much more of a focused JRPG-style narrative, something that the Pokémon games shy away from. Even if you don't care about Digimon, this is a JRPG worth your time.

Plenty of incredible JRPGs to check out

There are other incredible JRPGs, or games heavily inspired by them, that haven't received the love they deserve. Unlike the games on this list, some of them have become difficult to enjoy, due to aging hardware and a lack of ports. While emulation has bridged the gap for many of these games, not everyone is interested in putting the effort to emulate games, instead opting to play games available on modern consoles and PC storefronts.