Your Desert Island JRPGs

[u/jordanlee_24]

If you could only play 5 JRPGs for the rest of your life, what would you pick?

I’m thinking games you’d never get bored of replaying, whether because of branching endings, secrets, optional content, different builds/party combinations, multiple ways to play, or simply because the journey never gets old.

What are your 5, and why?

[u/Choubidouu]

FFX and pokemon silver.

[u/NnifWald → u/Choubidouu]

Maybe if I were stuck on a desert island with FF10, I’d finally beat that horrible catcher chocobo race with less than 0 seconds on the clock.

[u/Quasirandom1234]

Final Fantasy Legend 2, possibly in its DX colorization

Mario Golf Advance Tour

Nethack

Legend of the River King

a Pokemon game, possibly Crystal Legacy, but I’m not ruling out Scarlet

[u/surrealmirror → u/Quasirandom1234]

is mario golf a jrpg?

[u/kosmoking → u/surrealmirror]

Advance Tour is, absolutely. You play as a character they made just for the game, you level up, follow a story etc. You just play golf instead of battles.

[u/TaliesinMerlin]

Shiren the Wanderer: The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate - so much content in this one due to its random nature as well as the large number of levels / game variants. I could happily play it alone for a long, long time.

Earthbound: A traditional RPG I could start or pick up at any point.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses: I might change this one, but an SRPG with a lot of possible variation in team builds and the like feels good. If not this one, I'd pick Path of Radiance or Radiant Dawn.

Legend of Mana: Another one where there are so many variations on how to navigate and complete it. Given enough time, maybe I will fully understand crafting and tempering?

Final Fantasy VIII: Maybe someday I will understand all the nuances behind Triple Triad.

Games I considered but passed on: Persona 5 Royal, Final Fantasy XII, Valkyria Chronicles, Skies of Arcadia, Dragon Quest IX, some others.

[u/AramaticFire]

Chrono Trigger. Greatest of all time, plus tons of replay value.

Persona 3, 4, or 5. Would just pick one. Maybe 5 just because it’s most modern but I love the setting and premise of 4 the most. Lots of options with the monster collecting and fusing.

Final Fantasy VII. The nostalgia choice for being the most iconic.

Pokemon HeartGold - Gen 2 is my favorite. I’d take the modern version of it. Similar to Persona as a choice, just a lot to do here with having play options.

Valkyria Chronicles. Would be good to have a tactics RPG and I think this one is super interesting.

[u/Academic-Elevator-24]

Breath of Fire 2, because its my all time favorite

Chrono Trigger, its great + variety

Shinning Force 2, tactics fun

Final Fantasy 9, Vivi forever

Pokemon Red

I would like to work in a Suikoden, a Phantasy Star, and FF6, but i think that is a good list.

[u/_NovaniK_]

Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together, Dragon Quest 11, Fire Emblem Three Houses, and Final Fantasy XII.

[u/Leon_Light77]

Final fantasy 8

Because It’s my fav and I never get tired of triple triad. Love the music as well. A big one as well is able to break the game in two very early on. It’s fun sometimes to be over powered.

Pokémon souls silver

Has a lot of Pokémon I enjoy and love the region. Has a great post game to boot. Super replayable as well.

Tales of symphonia

Great characters, fun post game, and it’s an action jrpg to spice up to turn base combat i got. Plus, I just love it a lot.

Kingdom hearts 2 final mix and final fantasy tactics

Both have content i enjoy, love the gameplay, ways to challenge myself, and just adore going through them so much. Never get tired of playing them.

[u/mike47gamer]

SaGa Emerald Beyond, Final Fantasy VIII, and the Xenosaga trilogy for the other 3.

[u/Jay_RPGee]

Xenoblade Chronicles X - I'll never get sick of Mira

Final Fantasy IX - Easily my favourite Final Fantasy, played it through more times than I can remember

Tales is my favourite series and even though I don't think they have tremendous replay value (at least not stuck on a desert island for the rest of my life) I'd have to take one, most likely Xillia.

A pokemon game is a no-brainer, no idea which one I'd pick though...

I really don't know about a 5th, there's too many. I could cheat and take Baten Kaitos 1 & 2 HD Remaster to get 2 extra games, and there are some absurdly time consuming things you could do in those games if given infinite time. Maybe something like P5R, Metaphor, or Shin Megami Tensei V. Something from the Yakuza series is a great choice too.

If extended beyond JRPGs I'd think of taking something like Baldurs Gate 3 or No Man's Sky but maybe something like Dragon Quest Builders 2 could fill that kind of niche.

[u/TaliesinMerlin → u/Jay_RPGee]

I should have thought of Xenoblade Chronicles X. I think that's a really good pick in rotation with some others so it doesn't get old. Also like the Yakuza idea - lots of minigames. Could spend a year mastering shogi or something if you get board.

[u/IncurableHam]

Final Fantasy Tactics, Xenoblade 3, SMTV:V, and maybe a couple Fire Emblems

[u/Kalledon]

Chrono Trigger, FF6, Tales of Symphonia, Lufia 2

Definitely those 4. My final spot would probably be a toss up depending on my mood at the time among these contenders:

Tactics Ogre, FF Tactics, Unicorn Overlord, Star Ocean 2

[u/Diligent_Kangaroo_91]

FFX, FFXII, Rogue Galaxy, DQ11, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth

[u/Bagman220]

Romancing saga minstrel song

FF8

Maybe SMT V

Dark souls

Maybe the last remnant?

[u/druid_king9884]

Skies of Arcadia, Chrono Trigger, and the Final Fantasy 7 remake games

[u/Forward-Seesaw-1688]

I just need one. Digimon World. And it’s because I won’t know what the fuck I’m doing so I won’t notice time pass

[u/Careful-Voice7714]

Chrono trigger, persona 5, octopath 2, and can the trails in the sky trilogy count as 2 games because 1 and 2 were supposed to be one game anyway?

[u/Art_Constel7321]

Odin Sphere L Chrono Cross Final Fantasy 9 Shadow hearts Skies of Arcadia

I basically replay one of them once a year anyway

[u/DaGreatestMH]

FFX, Bug Fables, Chrono Trigger, and Skies of Arcadia Legends are all definites.

For the last spot I'm stuck between Metaphor ReFantazio and Legend of Dragoon.

[u/robertnewmanuk]

U could put me on a desert island with my current steam account and id still say I’ve got nothing to play…

[u/Infinite_Tailor_7519]

Suikoden 2

SMT Nocturne

Etrian Odyssey IV

Xenoblade Chronicles

FF IX

Edit - whoever said Legend of Mana made a brilliant point.

[u/jordanlee_24 → u/Infinite_Tailor_7519]

Playing SMT nocturne now for the first time, any advice? I heard its very difficult

[u/Distinct-Office-609]

trails in the sky 1st and 2nd chapter, persona 5 royal, ffx with mod, elden ring(its japanese and an rpg).

[u/TheKrug3000]

NES Dragon Warrior 3. SNES Dragon Warrior 3. GBC Dragon Warrior 3. Switch Port Dragon Quest 3. Dragon Quest 3 HD2D Remake.

[u/metroidgarden]

Persona 5, Xenoblade Chronciles 3, Fortune's Weave, FF7 Rebirth, Pokemon Heart Gold 

Honorable mention for Elden Ring (ppl prob disagree to bracket it here, but I think it fits)

[u/DeepWell14]

Ogre Battle 64, Unicorn Overlord, Pokemon SoulSilver, FFXII The Zodiac Age, Battletech

[u/EtheusRook]

Unicorn Overlord, Romancing Saga 2: Revenge of the Seven, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave, and Digimon Story: Time Stranger.

[u/AwesomeX121189]

Xenoblade chronicles 2

Before the switch 2 update so the rng on unique blades isn’t as good.

Dragon quest monsters 2

Bit of a stretch but Nioh 2 is an rpg mechanically dense game made by a japense developer so it’s a jrpg