Japanese role playing games with 'Western style' combat

[JoesusHCrust 667]

Bit of an odd question but..... Sony has a huge catalogue of Japanese role playing games and they often seem to have a themes that on paper I'd find interesting. 

 

The problem I have is that I hate the combat style in JRPGs. I find the pausing the game and 'set piece' style really irritating and I've never been able to get into any JRPG as a result. 

 

So I'm curious if there are any Japanese RPGs that have 'Western' combat systems rather than the turn-based systems traditionally used in JRPGs? 

 

Not Souls-like would be good too! I'm too lazy to be bothered with souls style hard games!!! 

[DEI2EK 4,537]

What JRPGs with real time combat, is that what you're after?

Tales of Series or Kingdom Hearts would probably be up your alley

Edited March 15, 2021 by DEI2EK

[Abby_TheLastofUs 5,187]

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana, and Ys IX: Monstrum Nox.

[Whitelightnin683 1,195]

I second the Ys VIII and IX recommendation and I'll throw in Ys: Memories of Celceta too. One game to consider is Tokyo Xanadu eX+, another action based game which just so happens to be from the same developer of the Ys titles.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Whitelightnin683

[TehUberCheezCatz 701]

yakuza's basically a jrpg but with 3d brawler combat (excluding 7)

[xZoneHunter 6,884]

Nier automata, FFXV, Monster Hunter World

[RadiantFlamberge 3,678]

While not a PlayStation game, it's another Falcom one. Xanadu Next for PC (not the N-Gage). XN's combat is a middle ground between Diablo and the earlier Ys games. It's best played using both a gamepad and a mouse (to use the item menu).

 

This is one game I'd like to see remastered for PS4.

[colia100 479]

Dragon's Dogma 

One of the best rpgs out there with great lore and gameplay, and feels equally japanese as european 

 

Alot faster than dark souls, and no turn based combat necessary 

 

Great game you should definitely play

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JoesusHCrust 667]

53 minutes ago, DEI2EK said:

What JRPGs with real time combat, is that what you're after?

I'm not sure about the terminology but that sounds right. 

 

Not this:

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/subcultures/dragon-quest

 

More like Fallout or Skyrim. 

[Japanime_Gamer 111]

What 'themes' do you mean?

 

Sword art online

Ghost of Tsushima

[JoesusHCrust 667]

17 minutes ago, Japanime_Gamer said:

What 'themes' do you mean?

 

Sword art online

Ghost of Tsushima

Fantasy and sci-fi

 

I'm not usually a big anime fan but I love the Studio Ghibli titles. 

 

Sword Art Re: Hollow Fragment is £4 at the moment so I could grab that. Ghost of Tsushima is right at the top of my list of must buys but I'm going to wait for it to drop in price because I'm too poor (or mean) to pay full price for games!!

 

Edited March 15, 2021 by JoesusHCrust

[Japanime_Gamer 111]

Although only available from the JP PSN store Phantasy star online 2 sounds like it would be your dream game.

 

Failing that, Final Fantasy XV would be a great starting point.

 

Even the 'free' FF7 remake on PS plus this month

[Abby_TheLastofUs 5,187]

13 minutes ago, JoesusHCrust said:

Fantasy and sci-fi

 

I'm not usually a big anime fan but I love the Studio Ghibli titles. 

 

 

If you like Studio Ghibli, check out the Ni No Kuni games.

 

 

 

The combat is turn based though.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Abby_TheLastofUs

[JoesusHCrust 667]

46 minutes ago, colia100 said:

Dragon's Dogma 

One of the best rpgs out there with great lore and gameplay, and feels equally japanese as european 

I actually have Dragon's Dogma installed on my PS4 so will definitely try that. 

[MyNameIs_Rainman 601]

If its just the turn based aspect you have an issue with..there are plenty of JRPGs that have shed that mantle.

 

Final Fantasy 12, while more of an active turn based where you can still move around, has a very western aesthetic to it. FFXV is similar, and more to the ARPG side of things. mantle. FFVIIR has shed some of the original cartoony charm and is a very satisfying action rpg, although you have the ATB gauge that limits the amount and types of actions you can take, you are still running around hacking things up. And if you haven't seen the trailers, FFXVI is gonna be a great looking arpg. 

 

Dragon's Dogma is an excellent choice here. The western influence is all over the place, and it's such an amazing game. Glad they made the remaster because it made the game so much more accessible. 

 

The Tales franchise has many solid action rpgs, and Ys franchise as well. I played Ys Celceta a while back and recently just finished Ys IX Monstrum Nox and it was pretty good.

 

So now that you know the turn based is something you don't want because you want the "western style combat" as you call it, the real question is what type of game? JRPGs are all over the place as far as aesthetic, style, and themes so you have plenty to choose from.

[JoesusHCrust 667]

7 minutes ago, Abby_TheLastofUs said:

 

If you like Studio Ghibli, check out the Ni No Kuni games.

The art style is right up my street and there's a Welsh.....Thing in there! They've got that God-awful turn based combat that I was looking to avoid but I might be tempted. The second one is on sale at 80% off at the moment I've just noticed! 

3 minutes ago, MyNameIs_Rainman said:

If its just the turn based aspect you have an issue with..there are plenty of JRPGs that have shed that mantle.

Yes, it's literally just that combat system and the fact that the game is 'paused' that I don't like. Beyond that, I'll give anything a try! I feel like I've played through many of the 'Western' RPGs (Bethesda stuff, CDPR stuff etc.) so am looking around for other things to try. 

 

 

[Deadly_Ha_Ha 3,389]

I would avoid Ni No Kuni if it's not jrpg stuff you're after. I got the plat for it and I must say, it was a letdown. I can't comment on 2 since I haven't played it yet.

[JoesusHCrust 667]

4 minutes ago, Deadly_Ha_Ha said:

I would avoid Ni No Kuni if it's not jrpg stuff you're after. I got the plat for it and I must say, it was a letdown. I can't comment on 2 since I haven't played it yet.

Yes, the gameplay doesn't look like it would be my cup of tea but the art style looks good. The little whatsit with the Welsh accent is a big draw. You never hear Welsh accents in video games!!

 

[kindajustin 2,261]

Ni No Kuni 2 isn't turn based combat just to clarify but it's not that amazing in general tbh. I enjoyed it but you mentioned things like the Fallout series. You won't feel that playing NNK2. If you can find a decent sale price it could be worth checking out for you though.

Edited March 15, 2021 by kindajustin

[Japanime_Gamer 111]

 If you pick up a cheap PS1 theres a JRPG called Koudelka that is set entirely in Wales

[JoesusHCrust 667]

10 minutes ago, Japanime_Gamer said:

 If you pick up a cheap PS1 theres a JRPG called Koudelka that is set entirely in Wales

No! Really! I would love to play that. Was it any good? 

[BeanUppercut 14]

13 minutes ago, Japanime_Gamer said:

 If you pick up a cheap PS1 theres a JRPG called Koudelka that is set entirely in Wales

 

I guess it would have to be a super cheap PS1, as Koudelka goes for over $100 on it's own 

 

6 minutes ago, JoesusHCrust said:

No! Really! I would love to play that. Was it any good? 

 

I never played Koudelka, but I played the games that came after it (The Shadow Hearts series), and I really liked them.  They were all turn based combat, though.

[Dreakon13 2,878]

The Souls games would count... right?

 

EDIT: Oh, I missed the not Souls like part of the OP.  Mah bad.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Dreakon13

[cckerberos 447]

Honestly, at this point you'll have an easier time finding a JRPG without turn-based combat than one with it.

[MandA60VISE 793]

1 hour ago, JoesusHCrust said:

No! Really! I would love to play that. Was it any good? 

I liked it and it's a unique grid-based turn-based game. Look up gameplay footage because it's not exactly like a tactical RPG. It's also technically a horror game if you want to set the atmosphere to play it as such.