History Main / EasternRPG

Eastern RPG, as it is commonly used and understood, is differentiated from Western RPG on an [[UsefulNotes/MechanicsDynamicsAesthetics Aesthetical]] level; Eastern and Western [=RPGs=] elicit very different forms of sensational and emotional responses from their players through their different applications of similar RPG mechanics. The emergence of this different form of aesthetical design comes from a combination of East Asian cultural influences and East Asian game design histories; some information on the history part can be seen below.

* UsefulNotes/{{Dice}} rolls are always hidden and stats are given as arbitrary numbers. Sometimes dice rolls aren't used at all, and fights are based on your stats versus the enemy's stats alone.

* '''ActionRPG''': A genre that mixes JRPG gameplay with Action Adventure elements (emphasis on elements), so that while it keeps the strongly plotted story, occasionally manga/anime-influenced characters, experience and statistics, the turn-based battle system is done away with in favor of a more real-time method of attack resembling {{Action Game}}s. The Action RPG sub-genre has its origins in early 80s Japanese [=RPGs=] like ''VideoGame/DragonSlayer'' and ''VideoGame/{{Hydlide}}'', which combined traditional RPG elements with Japanese UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame action elements. Up until the early 2000s, the majority of {{action RPG}}s were from Japan, but in recent years, it is arguably more common to see {{action RPG}}s from the West.

* ''VideoGame/{{Aedemphia}}'' (French, but mostly fits; made with UsefulNotes/RPGMaker)

* ''VideoGame/ChainedEchoes'' (made in Europe with UsefulNotes/{{Unity}}, heavily influenced by [=JRPGs=] like Videogame/FinalFantasyVI)

** ''Ys III: Wanderers from Ys'' and its remake, ''VideoGame/YsTheOathInFelghana''

Eastern RPG can also be narrowly defined as a Role-Playing Game developed in East Asia; this definition however is less useful as a genre descriptor, as East Asian [=RPGs=] actually covers a wide variety of aesthetics beyond that of the turn-based JRPG, and even includes straight-up [=CRPG=]-styled "Western [=RPGs=]"[[note]] For example, later entries of the CRPG pioneer ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' (e.g. ''VideoGame/WizardryLabyrinthOfLostSouls'') are straight-up ''made in Japan'' [[/note]]. Nevertheless, expect to see some games in this page to be categorized as Eastern [=RPGs=] using this definition. [[note]]This also means that East-Asian-made [=WRPG=]-styled [=RPGs=] can be classified as ''both'' [=WRPGs=] and [=ERPGs=].[[/note]]

Eastern RPG can also be narrowly defined as a Role-Playing Game developed in the Eastern world, specifically East Asia; this definition however is less useful as a genre descriptor, as East Asian [=RPGs=] actually covers a wide variety of aesthetics beyond that of the turn-based JRPG, and even includes straight-up [=CRPG=]-styled "Western [=RPGs=]"[[note]] For example, later entries of the CRPG pioneer ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' (e.g. ''VideoGame/WizardryLabyrinthOfLostSouls'') are straight-up ''made in Japan'' [[/note]]. Nevertheless, expect to see some games in this page to be categorized as Eastern [=RPGs=] using this definition. [[note]]This also means that East-Asian-made [=WRPG=]-styled [=RPGs=] can be classified as ''both'' [=WRPGs=] and [=ERPGs=].[[/note]]

Role-playing game development in East Asian countries (such as China or South Korea) took a lot of their influences from Japanese role-playing games; one of the earliest and most influential Chinese role-playing games, ''VideoGame/SwordAndFairy'' (''Xian Jian Qi Xia Zhuan''), quite clearly exhibited many JRPG influences. As JRPG traits are being exhibited in other East Asian [=RPGs=] outside of Japan, this led some to choose to expand of the term "Japanese RPG" into "Eastern RPG".

*** ''VideoGame/Ronde''

The term '''Eastern RPG''', contrasting with WesternRPG, is a sub-genre of RolePlayingGames. It is an extension of the term '''Japanese RPG''' (a.k.a. "JRPG") to a more general Eastern cultural sphere (with Japanese-inspired game designs) instead of just a single country. The term '''Console RPG''' was historically a synonym for Japanese [=RPGs=], due to their historical preference for console-only or handheld-only releases; the name has largely fallen into disuse as multi-platform releases became the new norm in the 2000s.

* ''VideoGame/WitchSpring''

* ''[[VideoGame/HerosRealm Hero's Realm]]''