If Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 winning Game of the Year did anything, it was remind people that JRPGs don’t need to be of any particular flavor to be good. They can be action-oriented or turn-based, they can be ancient or modern, they can be pixelated or photorealistic. They can even be French. If you finished Expedition 33 and immediately went hunting for something that’s anywhere near as good, here are five JRPG picks that scratch similar itches: great combat systems, strong stylistic choices, and narratives that transcend decades.
Mind you, this isn’t a definitive best JRPGs ever list. There’s also one boring, but very limiting rule: you must be able to play these on at least one modern platform without external tools or modifications. Also, no Persona 5, Metaphor: ReFantazio, or Final Fantasy X – Expedition 33 got habitually compared to them by every single reviewer on the planet.
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