It’s kind of funny that we consider JRPG’s role playing games

[Gizmo_Duck]

Playing final fantasy 7, i can’t help but think what exactly about this game makes it an RPG? There’s literally no role playing involved in this at all. You are controlling a predetermined character, with a predetermined skill set, down a linear story path. Also, theres not really any stat building, you level up and it tells you what stats you are given, you don’t choose to level up str, mag, dex, you’re cloud and you got a big sword, and Barrett who shoots and aerith who does magic.

Most JRPGS had this title because you got to name your character and each character had a class but thats not even a thing anymore and neither is the genre defining turn based system.

Ff7 remake and ff15 are action games. So Is Nier automata.

The amount of role playing in any of these games these days are minimal and pretty much a standard gameplay progression mechanic that can even be found in sports games now.

Just a thought.

 

[daze23]

traditionally JRPG's had stat, and turn, based combat

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

traditionally JRPG's had stat, and turn, based combat

I feel like for as long as I’ve been playing JRPG’s (Super Nintendo) stats have mostly been dictated by equipment. Final fantasy, Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, etc never actually let you level individual stats. The progression was solely dictated by levels.

For JRPG’s each character had a class and their stats were represented through that, you typically couldn’t make anyone into the class you wanted. I think final fantasy 12 was one of the first games that let you do that in the series and thats because it was highly influenced by western role playing games.

 

[DaSk8D00D]

I was pondering something similar the other day. The line between open-world action adventure and RPG is a very thin and blurry one.

For example, Assassins creed started off as pure action-adventure, but with origins and even moreso in Odysseyy/Valhalla, they’ve become true RPGs with actual character skill trees, dialogue choices, player influence on the story, etc.

Games like God of War, Horizon Zero Dawn, or Breath of the Wild are action-adventure games with some RPG elements, but there’s not the most influence on the story and minimal depth to the character progression system compared to staples in the genre like Skyrim, Persona, etc


For me what makes a game a “true RPG” is the combination of both player influence on story and a fairly deep character progression/customization system

 

[xXMASHERXx]

Well the original definition of RPG is just a game where players assume the role of characters in a fictional setting. As games have gotten more advance, the definition has seem to have slightly changed. You could argue that God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn are RPGs if we are going by the original definition.

 

[CarltonJunior]

The original final fantasy games and dragon quest games had nameable characters and silent protagonists because they were supposed to be "you" and your friends. The more advanced we got that concept started fading away.

Role playing is not widely marketable especially in the US. A lot of people don't have a creative bone in their body, aren't imaginative, and think role playing is lame. It took cosplaying a long time to become what it is in the US.

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

For me what makes a game a “true RPG” is the combination of both player influence on story and a fairly deep character progression/customization system

This is a good metric to use but then persona 5 wouldn’t be considered an rpg because outside of dating/friendship sim stuff you really don’t have a effect on the story or how it plays out at all, it’s more linear than an arcade game it even dictates when you progress the day.

A lot of gamers and developers think if there’s numbers flying off a enemy when you hit them its an rpg, it’s like a design choice at this point rather than an actual game mechanic

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

Well the original definition of RPG is just a game where players assume the role of characters in a fictional setting. As games have gotten more advance, the definition has seem to have slightly changed. You could argue that God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn are RPGs if we are going by the original definition.

Well, it was birthed from table top role playing pen & paper (stats) games like D&D where you actually have to use your imagination and roll dice (turn based) and assume a character. You told the story using the source books as a guide.

I don’t think JRPGs ever let you do any actual role playing because they’ve always been linear despite having a world map, and they’ve never let you play the character as teh class you wanted or let you make choices.

 

[daze23]

I feel like for as long as I’ve been playing JRPG’s (Super Nintendo) stats have mostly been dictated by equipment. Final fantasy, Breath of Fire, Chrono Trigger, etc never actually let you level individual stats. The progression was solely dictated by levels.

For JRPG’s each character had a class and their stats were represented through that, you typically couldn’t make anyone into the class you wanted. I think final fantasy 12 was one of the first games that let you do that in the series and thats because it was highly influenced by western role playing games.

it's still similar to table top rpg's where everything is determined by dice roles

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

it's still similar to table top rpg's where everything is determined by dice roles

That’s only one part of it though. Chess is also a turn based game, but it’s not a role playing game. The probability and RNG of snes games were also limited. Usually if you hit a enemy you will always do x amount of damage according to your weapon and their defense, there’s not really a true dice roll (probability) mechanic.

Role playing is about player agency.

You really get the “true role playing” experience with games like Divinity Original sin where everything is handpicked and handcrafted. You still ahve to complete x to progress the story, because at the end of the day it is a video game with a narrative but the ways you can go about progressing the story are numerous. It’s a game that gives you the proper illusion that you are role playing.

JRG’s aren’t really even bout giving you the illusion you are you, making decisions that you would make.

FF7 Remake is a straight up linear action game. It’s not an rpg anymore than god of war is

 

[ColdSlither]

I've always considered them beginner rpg's. To me they're like when you're new to D&D, and you join in on a currently running game, and the DM makes up a character and story for you. I think you also have to consider life in Japan, and especially the life of school age kids. They're school days are longer than ours. Even after school they may have cram school. They're in school six days a week. They get like a month off for the summer. Even as an adult, is you're a salaryman, you're working like crazy overtime. So they're probably the way they are because they may have had less disposable time to go through creating a character and everything. Plus the limitations of consoles at one time. It just stuck.

 

[Master Teacher]

you're playing the role of the main character in jrpgs

that's why all the iconic rpg characters come form jrpgs games, making your own character, doesn't work because the character lacks personality and individual characteristics to make them memorable

 

[Kenny West]

Any game with a numbers based battle/progression system is an rpg

 

[Gizmo_Duck]

you're playing the role of the main character in jrpgs

that's why all the iconic rpg characters come form jrpgs games, making your own character, doesn't work because the character lacks personality and individual characteristics to make them memorable

you play the role of a character in every video game.

jrpgs characters are iconic because they are predetermined characters with their own personality and stories, llike most other non-rpg games. A role playing game is not supposed to have an iconic main character.

 

[Master Teacher]

you play the role of a character in every video game.

No you don't, you control every character, you play as Sonic, you don't step into his shoes and play from his perspective

And each party member has a role they play in the game mechanics, classic final fantasy created the job class, etc

but the newer games you can build each characters role yourself instead of them being predetermined as knight, mage, or cleric, where were classic roles each character could play, so like in Final Fantasy remake, with the materia you can make any character a knight, a mage or a cleric

it's not that hard to understand