Why Relaxing JRPGs Are Important In Any Backlog

many jrpgs have the moniker of grand Gods slaying Adventure side into their fabric beginning from Humble Origins beating the odds and eventually saving the world it's a common Trope of many of these games and though they will present them in varying ways the ultimate goal remains the same with poent twists and turns at every juncture they can provide some of the most challenging obstacles in any genre especially if you're looking to put your skills to the test or aiming for that 100% completion

Accolade or they can question us intellectually through the stories they show whether it be through the thought-provoking themes the complex arcs of the characters themselves or entirely open-ended conclusions that leave the ultimate ending in the hands of the player jrpgs have presented to me some of the most memorable experiences I have had in gaming over the past 15 years I've been playing them and that's in no small parts on a multitude of deep and involved experiences I've had in the same b

reath though jrpgs are not all about the challenge or the complex themes and it's something I've come to admire as as I grow older while I certainly value the more impactful and stressful Adventures of say shim tensei or vagrant story there are also those that choose to go for the lowkey angle to offer something that is more about the journey than the end goal and I find that these games Encompass a feeling of returning to one's Roots a time when there were no responsibilities and no expectation

s it's just me a controller and a game simplicity at its finest it's an element of gaming that I feel comes back to the age of reason of why I play games in the first place and I want to discuss those reasons as to why over the years I have gradually converted to the sensation and draw of the relaxing jrpg and the first one has sort of already been touched on which is the idea of a shift in tone moving from the more serious approach to the Feelgood and lighthearted and I find that this particula

r Point Works in perfect tandem with something I do when whittling down my own jrpg backlog which is playing several games at once I used to be stuck in that mindset of playing one game at a time and seeing it through to completion but that method quickly started to show its flaws when I found games that simply weren't clicking for me and I do think that approach in my earlier years was birthed more from a desire to make the most of my money now that I'm older I don't need to maximize my investm

ent so to speak if a game isn't doing it for me I can simply leave it behind and move to something else however I find that playing several games at once can also reinv at my interest for a game that may not grab my attention initially and that's purely down to appreciating what it offers rather than what it doesn't the best example I have of this was in Dragon Quest 11 which saw me taking an extended Hiatus from the game around the 10hour mark due to its soundtrack but it always remained in my

list of concurrent RPGs I was playing at that time should I ever choose to go back in that same list of concurrent RPGs though there were games like shin Mame T3 knockturn triangle strategy and the first zener Blade Chronicles titles that were for all intense more serious in their makeup whether it be through their Narrative Approach or through their more involved and high stakes gameplay in the case of smt3 there was always that feeling of dread that constant reminder that you were never safe a

nd all it took was one bad encounter to see you lose hours of progress and when I finished it I returned to dq11 straight after and quickly discovered a new Found Love of the Game though there were certainly spikes here and there it wasn't a game that relied on difficulty or a deep story rather it presented a love letter to the games of old a simple by the Numbers Adventure through a vast and diverse land that was never designed to make the player feel stressed whether it be through the standard

turn-based gameplay the character designs the wondrous Vistas dq11 encapsulated that feeling of a lighthearted Adventure a game where you could easily switch off your mind and simply enjoy it for what it was and I've no doubt that's another reason I latched on the DQ 11 in the latter stages was not only due to its light-hearted tone but also in the makeup of its gameplay and how it acted as a sort of therapeutic and meditative Escape From The Daily hustle and bustle I've already mentioned that

sense of adventure but there's that ever great feeling of Simply leveling up and watching the numbers rise over time which dq11 Nails especially in act 3 where you can get involved in the metal hand metal slime grind and make the rest of the game trivial as a result but I find that relax ing jrpgs hit this particular element out of the stratosphere they present gameplay Loops that are so easy to pick up but at the same time make them engaging and enjoyable to partake in and even when you're not

actively thinking too hard about what you're doing you still get that gratification that you are making progress despite that and I can't think of any franchise that encapsulates this facet better than the atellier series these games for the most part are the poster child of the relaxing jrpg games that are are all about the journey with only the simplest of plots keeping them Keen atellier games just have a notable charm about them a design philosophy that is purely there to draw you away from

stress sure it does have some more involved titles like Tori which is fairly punishing due to its time constraints but even that game was notably lowkey compared to other jrpg contemporaries I have no doubt a reason why I was able to attain that status as well is through its characters in a series that is notably more character focused it presents a wide birth of colorful and relatable personalities cast members that can not only draw you into a new world but also ones that can Inspire for the f

uture as well but the main draw of atellier is in its handling of time itself the core experience is composed of three things Gathering materials progressing character stories and doing Alchemy with Alchemy itself becoming not only the Cornerstone of the experience but also the key reason as to why the games are so laidback I'm currently 11 games into the series and I always appreciate the experience they give me it's without question one of my favorite series to date with sessions easily stretc

hing to 3 to 4 hours at a time purely through experimentation and getting involved in the crafting it's just a different method of progression that works well for the mind but also provides tangible benefits too if you say spend a couple of hours crafting and making all the equipment you need you immediately see the payoff of that these are games that were never defined by the level you attain but rather what equipment youing bring to the battle and it becomes an enjoyable experience to Simply s

it back at home base and still get stronger while doing so while many games require you to Brave the wild to see progress aelia effectively throws that out the window and allows you to play at a pace that you feel comfortable with and that there is the third Point never do I feel rushed or agitated when I am playing a relaxing jrpg there are no pressing matters to attend to no sense of danger in my surrounding ings I can simply proceed in the way that I want to it's the freedom that these games

so often give that makes them feel liberating and it once again comes back to that sense of adventure of going on a grand Journey with no holds bar and no hallways to stifle progress and while I feel that games like octopath traveler 2 are a great modern representation of that approach there is a gem from the Dreamcast called Skies of Arcadia that does it better than many I've seen the liberating feel from just seeing that title screen for the first time gliding through the vast expanse of the s

ky to unknown reaches as a sky pirate and unearthing discoveries as you go it really does fit the theme of being a pirate Skies of Arcadia is well regarded as one of the best jrpgs ever made and I'm certain one reason for that is due to its sense of scale and freedom there is a main story to get involved in here but you can do so many other things before you choose to progress it scour the skies to find MoonFish complete the involved side quests find those discoveries there's just so much to do

in Skies of Arcadia but it rarely feels like you're pushed to do something unless you're in one of those more involved story sequences the majority of the time though is spent on your ship exploring the skies and doing so at your own pace with an excellent soundtrack to back it up and that brings us nicely to the final point which is indeed the soundtrack which is a more personal element to myself since I play so much importance on a great collection of music what I find with relaxing jrpgs is t

hat they of have an OST that complements the feel-good nature of these games to a te they elevate games that are already charming and enjoyable in many other ways to new heights purely through the ambience and atmosphere they provide to the overall package and yeah I've mentioned the likes of Skies of Arcadia and atellier which excel in this regard but there are two games that are top tier for me in complimenting the overall feel of their game initially Saka of rice and ruin not exactly a tradit

ional jrpg but still a game that many action Centric fans of the genre can enjoy Joy this is a game that is as laid-back as it gets though Saka herself is a harvest goddess who lays down the hurt on demons across the island the vast majority of the experience is tied to the farming mechanic back at home base the developers Ed Vice spared no expense in ensuring that rice and ruin would excel at its core offering which is the cultivation of rice everything in the game contributes to this element a

nd becomes a deep yet therapeutic process as you grow your crop over each year tilling the fields watching the Ducks remove Pesci sides raising and lowering water levels freshing the harvested grain it's got a great sense of progression and achievement tied purely into the rice cultivation but then you combine that low stake feeling with its wonderful OST a game that incorporates traditional Japanese instruments like the CTO and shamien to elevate The Experience even more it has some of the most

poignant and relaxing Renditions I've heard in any jrpg to date and it still sticks in the mind to this day the other game that stands out to me is blue reflection ction second light once again very low stakes a group of girls in a closed off world with their High School acting as the home base like many gust games it's the journey rather than the end goal here with the characters taking Center Stage as you gradually piece together their back stories and motivations but then there's the Whimsic

al and wondrous worlds bir from their minds called Hearts Scapes which are complemented by its Stellar soundtrack you could be traversing through a Serene forest or exploring a seemingly vacant Seaside town but second light always had the song to match the tone and Ambience of wherever you were and the Highlight for me has to be the heartscape birthed from Raina and Yuki that one is a representation of everything that makes second light such a great game witnessing the gradual truth of their bac

kgrounds the developments of their characters melding seamlessly with the environment itself and culminating in that beautiful Vista with the lighthouse in the distance all the while listening to one of the best songs in the game it's those types of moments that are memor able for completely different reasons but are nonetheless still remembered fondly and that's the thing relaxing jrpgs are not a hidden code for stating that they are low stakes and thereby completely forgettable when the experi

ence ends rather they become another window into the storytelling and Adventures of jrpgs they just choose to go down a different route but they can still have a longlasting effect all the same not every Adventure has to be high stakes and stressful not every story has to challenge our intellect not every character has to be deep and multi-layered while there is certainly a place for those types of games and many have found success and Legacy from going down that road there will also always be a

place for the more laid-back Adventures that allow us to Simply escape and enjoy a game for its Simplicity and charm thank you for watching this video if you liked it please like And subscribe for more jrpg content and consider joining my patreon if you're interested peace he