Bravely Default II
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
If you’re a fan of more classic Final Fantasy adventures with lots of classes/job customization, then Bravely Default II looks as though it’s likely to prove a good fit. You’ll command the chibi-style characters as they defeat progress through the game order to obtain even more new jobs to play around with.
Some of these jobs include classics like White Mage, Black Mage, Thief, Monk, Ranger, and Freelancer. While there are also new jobs like Gambler, Berserker, Pictomaster, and Shieldmaster.
The story starts as Seth, a shipwrecked sailor washes ashore and is found by Gloria, the princess of a destroyed kingdom. These two are then joined by two travelers, Elvis, the roguish scholar, and a mercenary named Adelle.
They journey to help save the elemental crystals that govern their world from being destroyed, just like an old-school Final Fantasy game.
After it was initially announced that Bravely Default II was supposed to release in 2020, it got delayed to February 26, 2021. But it’s only a few short weeks until release.
Bravely Default 2 will be a great way to kick off 2021 for the JRPG genre.
NEO: The World Ends With You
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
Despite being a cult classic back on the Nintendo DS, The World Ends With You has seen a resurgence of popularity in the past few years.
This is thanks to a port of the first game coming to the Nintendo Switch, the announcement of an anime that will release in April of this year, and of course the announcement of a new game, NEO The World Ends With You.
The first The World Ends With You game is about Neku, an anti-social teenager who doesn’t really understand how to interact people. One day Neku wakes up in Shibuya with no memories and is quickly forced into a pact with a complete stranger and it told to defeat enemies called “Noise.”
He soon finds out that he is dead and in some kind of afterlife called the Underground. He learns that he’ll have to prove himself by completing various missions if he wants to return to the world of the living.
It’s not known how connected this new game is to the first, but from the trailer we have gotten, it seems like they share a lot of the same themes.
This sequel is scheduled for the summer of 2021 and will feature 3D graphics instead of 2D like in the first game. Not much else is known besides there being a new cast and that the composer from the first game is returning.
Shin Megami Tensei V
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
2021 is looking to be a big year for the Shin Megami Tensei franchise, as they have two games in the series scheduled to release this year.
Shin Megami Tensei V is the highly anticipated new entry in the franchise that is exclusively coming to the Nintendo Switch. Almost nothing is known about the game other than its release window of 2021. Although from the short trailer, it seems the new game will continue the staples the series is known for.
The game will take place in a post-apocalyptic setting while also being based in modern-day Tokyo. Shin Megami Tensei V will release in 2021, most likely after spring since another game in the Shin Megami Tensei series is releasing during that time.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Remastered
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
A remaster of the third game in the series, Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne is also set to release in the spring of 2021. It follows the same story as the original but with updated graphics and more gameplay thanks to DLC. It will launch on both the Switch and PS4.
The game follows a Japanese high-schooler as he is turned into a demonic demi-fiend as the apocalypse is triggered by an evil cult. You must navigate the end of the world as you encounter all kinds of deities and monsters.
Shin Megami Tensei is where the popular Persona series originated from. The two series share common elements like themes of religion, having their main cast be a group of teenagers, and having their combat revolve around capturing monsters/demons.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Remastered will be the first Shin Megami game released in five years, after Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocolypse released in 2016.
Rune Factory 5
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
If you’re looking for more of a simulation JRPG in 2021, then Rune Factory 5 might be for you. You’ll be able to tame monsters, fish, cultivate crops, build relationships, and even get married.
Rune Factory is a spin-off of the farming simulator, Harvest Moon, and was created to add things like combat and RPG elements. It still shares a lot of gameplay mechanics with Harvest Moon though, like farming, relationship building, and being apart of a community.
There’s nothing like the relaxing nature of farming gameplay mixed with the fun of slaying and taming monsters in this new JRPG. Rune Factory 5 comes out in 2021 on the Nintendo Switch with no specific release date.
Fans of the series were itching for more from the franchise after Rune Factory 4 Special released on the Nintendo Switch last year. The game was a port of the original 3DS title that added things like a new difficulty mode, new DLC, HD graphics, and a newlywed mode.
The plot synopsis reads as such-
“After losing their memory, the hero lands in a small town blessed by nature. There, they are recruited into a band of peacekeeping rangers, and their new life begins.”
Monster Hunter Rise
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
With Monster Hunter’s popularity exploding in the past few years thanks to the success of the mega-hit JRPG Monster Hunter World and a recent feature film, it was only a matter of time before the next game in the franchise came out.
While Monster Hunter Rise may not be as graphically impressive as Monster Hunter World, it does add quite a bit. Additions like the palamutes, rideable dog-like creatures that act as your companions both in traversal and battle.
There’s also the wirebug, a rope-like tool that lets you run along walls, gives you extra midair jumps, and even gives your weapons more ways to attack.
Monster Hunter games aren’t really known for their in-depth plots, as the game tries to give you basic reasons on why you should be hunting certain monsters. Monster Hunter Rise will be set in Kamura Village, a serene hamlet based on feudal Japan that is filled with a cast of colorful characters.
The village will feature areas like the gathering hub, the forge, and the training area; all places Monster Hunter veterans will know inside and out.
Kamura village isn’t always the safest place though, as it subject to The Rampage, an event where countless monsters attack the village all at once. You’ll have to help the villagers defend against the hordes.
For more info, check out the game’s official site. Monster Hunter Rise will release exclusively on the Switch on March 26, 2021.
Disgaea 6
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
After six years, there is a new Disgaea game coming to PS4, PS5, and the Switch. Disgaea 6, as it will be known, will be the first game in the series to be made in 3D.
Like previous games in the series, Disgaea 6 is a tactical role-playing game that has you fighting on a grid-based battlefield. The series is known for its comedic dialogue, complex gameplay, and over the top maximum character stats.
You play as a zombie named Zed who is on a mission to kill a god of destruction. You’ll have to use all the tools at your disposal to obtain your goal.
This whacky JRPG releases January 28, 2021 in Japan, and in the summer of 2021 worldwide.
Tales of Arise
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
Tales of Arise is an action role-playing game developed by Bandai Namco and is the 17th game in the Tales of series.
Tales of Arise takes place in a continent strife with civil war as two countries are divided by their technological advances. The medieval country of Dahna is enslaved by the more futuristic country of Rena. Rena uses its technology to sap Dahna of its resources and turn its people into slaves.
The story follows a man from Dahna and a woman from Rena as they travel together. Other than that, nothing else is known about where the story goes. Tales of Arise is slated to release sometime in 2021 on PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Nier Replicant v1.22
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
For the 10th anniversary of Nier, Toylogic announced that Nier Replicant will get an updated version for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.
Nier Replicant is a spin-off of the Drakengard series and follow the games protagonist, Nier, as he searches for a cure to an illness that his daughter has.
Some of the updated aspects are fully voiced dialogue, an updated soundtrack by Keiichi Okabe along with new music, expanded weapon stories and the game as a whole will have a bigger scope.
The combat will incorporate aspects of Nier Automata but won’t lose the charm of the original game. There has been no word on if the game will have any new endings the player can experience.
Nier Replicant v1.22 releases worldwide on April 23, 2021 for PS4 and Xbox One, and on April 24, 2021 for PC.
Persona 5 Strikers
10 Best JRPGs in 2021 to Keep on Your Radar
If you ever wanted more from Persona 5 but didn’t want to sink 150 hours into the massive enhanced version that is Persona 5 Royal, then Persona 5 Strikers may be for you. Strikers is a sequel to the original game, as it is set six months after the end of Persona 5.
Strikers is a mix of the Persona world with Dynasty Warriors type combat, meaning a lot of hack and slash button mashing. Although the confidant system from Persona 5 isn’t present, Strikers does have side-quests and other ways to improve the stats of your party.
The persona capturing system is still there, as you’re able to go to the iconic velvet room and fuse together personas. And just like in the main game, you can use stealth in dungeons to avoid said personas.
Persona 5 Strikers will release worldwide on Feb. 23, 2021, for the Nintendo Switch, PS4, and PC.
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