50. Final Fantasy V
Final Fantasy V had to keep the torch lit in the series after FFIV, which introduced a deeper plot, characters with personality, and the very famous ATB system, where each character acts when its bar is filled. In the game, crystals are being destroyed. Each one represents a major element and when destroyed, nature begins to suffer the respective consequences.
You play as Bartz, who finds near a meteorite two members of your party. After some pep talk, you decide to help them protect the crystals and you soon encounter the fourth member. The game adopts the system of Jobs similar to Final Fantasy III. With each contact with a crystal, you learn new Jobs. You can change them freely at any moment and after each battle victory, you earn both EXP and BPA, which allows you to learn new Job skills.
49. Diablo III
Diablo III follows the story of his predecessor. After you finally defeat evil, an annoying comet falls to Earth exactly in the place where Diablo was confined and your vacation is canceled because you need to defend humanity against the new enemy. And of course, save Deckard Cain again.
The gameplay sticks to what it does best. Isometric view in a 3D scenario but now you can destroy some of it. The loot system remains the same, surprising us with each gameplay, and despite some name changes, we’ve got only one new class. Customization, however, has gotten a little less flexible. It isn’t possible to choose attributes to increase at each level and they removed the skill tree. Each character learns a skill pre-established by level and also unlocks runes that change skills’ effects.
48. Demon’s Souls
I play a lot and for a long time. When I first got my hands on Demon’s Souls and got squashed like a fly in a buffet, I asked myself: was it a waste of time all my gaming journey?
FromSoftware has developed a game that is not meant for the faint of heart or casuals. You create an adventurer in Boletaria, a demon-infested kingdom surrounded by fog. Your mission is to travel through five regions killing demons and doing your best not to die hundreds of times.
The game is an action-RPG that acquired notoriety due to its difficulty. It doesn’t teach you beyond the basic commands and doesn’t hold your hand. You can choose which attributes to increase and use different weapons and spells to keep killing demons while you are murdered. And remember, try not to die too much, because if you do, the game gets more difficult with each death. Strangely sadistic, if you ask me.
47. Battle Chasers: Nightwar
If you miss classic jRPGs with a character design and artistic 3D world, you should try Battle Chasers – which wasn’t developed by a Japanese company but has its soul. The plot is typical of this kind of fantastic narrative. A group of heroes chasing after a powerful magical being who can put the whole world at risk. There are some interactions between the characters and cutscenes, but most of the story is told in a visual novel format.
The combat is turn-based and each character has their strengths. One of the highpoints of the game is the randomly-generated dungeons. As the game requires a bit of grind to proceed, randomly-generated dungeons loaded with traps, puzzles, secrets, and loot ensure we won’t get bored anytime soon.
46. Final Fantasy X-2
The sequel of Final Fantasy X happens 2 years after its completion. Yuna and Rikku become Sphere Hunters after finding a sphere with a very familiar character. Together with a third member, Paine, they wander through the world of Spira, revisiting old acquaintances and completing missions in exchange for more spheres to find out more about the one-that-should-not-be-named to protect you from spoilers.
The combat changes from Conditional Turn-Based Battle to the notorious Active Time Battle and the Powerpuff Girls use the power of dresspheres, that’s a different name for Jobs, to use new spells, skills, and attacks. You can also capture monsters to aid you in battle, but you can’t choose their commands.
45. Nioh
Nioh was developed by the same team that did Ninja Gaiden and although the difficulty is high, its gameplay style is similar to the Souls series. Despite the comparison, Nioh can support itself on his two overwhelming eastern youkais legs. The fast-paced rhythm, characteristic of Ninja Gaiden, brings another rhythm to the game, one which requires more reaction than just holding the defense button (unless you play with a spear and do a build tank, like me. Demon’s Souls obvious traumas).
Nioh has a great focus on narrative. The game takes place in Japan, you are a gaijin – a foreigner – who plunges straight into a civil war between two powerful clans. Also, demons inhabit the eastern lands and it’s your duty as a samurai aided by guardian spirits, to eliminate them.
44. Brave Fencer Musashi
Old but gold, one of the best aRPG of the PS1 era. In the game, you play as Musashi, reincarnated as the ancient warrior who has freed the kingdom of Allucaneet from a terrible monster, and now was summoned to destroy the evil Thirstquencher Empire. The character was vaguely inspired by the legendary Miyamoto Musashi, one of the most dangerous men with a sword in his hand who had ever set foot on Earth and always fought at midday with his back to the sun. Something about the clarity messing with his opponent’s sight.
With your two swords, Fusion and Lumina, you fight enemies in action-based combat. One of the game’s strongest features was that you could steal abilities from the enemies, thus becoming stronger, faster, or simply having the requirements to progress the main story.
43. Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Breath of Fire is one of my favorite franchises, if not THE favorite. I confess I was a bit shocked when Dragon Quarter was released with major changes to the series. But looking past them, we encounter a charming and daring game.
You play as Ryu, who lives in Shelter, an industrial-housing complex that extends for 1 km underground, the last site and the new world of a civilization that destroyed the surface in a terrible war. There are social castes and you are part of the lowest, doing dangerous services. In one of these services, you meet a girl, Nina, and at the same time, the voice of a dead dragon echoes in your mind and fills you with power and a purpose to reach for the sky.
The game presents turn-based combat, but with several strategic elements, such as using traps before combat to start it with advantage. At a certain moment, a counter appears in the interface and it increases as you play. With each dragon transformation, it increases exponentially and if it reaches 100%, it’s Game Over. However, the game “encourages” the game over, since it provides the New Game+ feature with each defeat and you can restart the game with your previous power. Restarting the game also unlocks new scenes to the main story, enriching the plot.
At first, the game seems quite crude and technically flawed, but if you give it a chance, you will see that it has deepness and a distressing story that makes you want to help the characters at all costs, even after several Game Over.
42. Legend of Mana
Legend of Mana is part of the Mana series and the game again centers on the Mana Tree. But the similarities stop there. Both the gameplay and the story progression are different. You choose a male or female protagonist and progress through the game performing quests, 67 in all. The plot emphasizes secondary characters more than yourself. The world map is different. You win artifacts that you can deploy on quadrants to create new villages and dungeons. When you visit them, you can unlock quests that give you more artifacts and then, more locations and quests.
The battle remains similar to the Secret of Mana, but you only control one character who can change weapons and evolve them within the game. You can choose, whenever you want, two skills for your character. Depending on their combination, your character can learn new skills while gaining experience.
41. Grandia II
Following the success of the first game comes Grandia II, who puts you in the skin of Ryudo, a mercenary. The story begins thousands of years after a battle between Granas, the god of light, and Valmar, the god of darkness, that almost destroyed the planet until Valmar was torn to pieces and spread throughout the earth. In one of Ryudo’s assignments, he discovers that the word of Granas that the church spreads is not so factual with the true historical events and, with one classic jRPG twist, his epic begins.
Combat gameplay works the same way as the first game. Turn-based combat, but your characters need to move in battle to attack and can be stopped while they do so. You learn new spells by equipping Mana eggs, skills by reading books and you can evolve both with special coins.
