10 Massively Underrated Japanese RPGs You Must Play

Japan represents different things to different groups of people here in the West. To some, it€™s the promised land of anime, ramen and ninjas. To others, whose only knowledge of the place is from the crazy TV shows, it is completely and utterly baffling. For those with even a passing interest in games, however, Japan is first and foremost the home of the JRPG. A lot of (especially early) JRPGs follow a solid, tried-and-tested formula of turn-based combat, random encounters, epic boss fights and XP-based levelling systems. Although not hugely innovative (or innovated on) as a combat system, it nevertheless allowed many JRPG titles to sweep us up in what they were best at; deep, compelling, twisting narratives that hooked their claws in and never let go. Some of the most emotional gaming moments can be found in JRPGs €“ just ask Aeris... oh. The JRPG genre houses some of the titans of gaming. Everybody has heard of Final Fantasy and Pokémon, they€™re some of the most famous and successful series around, but there€™s more out there than just the big names if you know where to look. Here are some of the most underrated JRPGs released onto shelves, all of which are definitely worth playing if you can find them.