The term "Eastern RPG" can be used in two different ways:
A
Role-Playing Game developed in East Asia, especially Japan.
Or a "Light RPG", a Role Playing Game following certain styles popularized by Japanese console developers, which is sometimes differentiated from
Western RPGs by having several or more of the following features:
- Created in Japan (or in China, Taiwan, or South Korea, though each can have differing styles).
- Generally found on consoles (and more recently, handhelds) rather than a PC, though in the past many Japanese RPGs were also released for Japanese PC platforms before the country's PC game industry declined in the mid-90s.
- Aimed to satisfy the player's need for a well-crafted interactive story with interesting characters and complex interactions.
- The art styles can often resemble those of Anime or Manga.
- Many can tend to follow linear plots, with less of a Wide Open Sandbox setting, and many may not feature discrete "quests". However, there are many Eastern RPGs that do offer non-linear narratives.
- The player usually controls a party of pre-designed characters. The player is sometimes offered a choice of what characters to use, but not the option of designing his own protagonists, which allows a more cinematic and tightly-scripted story. But again, there are many Eastern RPGs that deviate from this.
- The party members are usually written into the plot, rather than blank slates.
- Later games tend to have one or more elaborate, minigame-like "systems" (such as the License Grid in Final Fantasy XII) that allow skill and ability customization.
- Random Encounters are a common gameplay element, especially in older games.
- Turn-Based Combat and the various Combatant Cooldown Systems are prevalent, although action-based combat has also been popular at different times.
- A degree of Level Grinding is strongly encouraged, if not outright required, to proceed through many of the games.
- Most encounters are resolved through combat or cutscenes. Most quests and abilities are combat-oriented.
- 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.
- Often contain a few Mini Games.
- Often targeted towards a broader audience, including female audiences (hence the Bishōnen characters often found in this genre).
Console RPGs can encompass several different diverse sub-genres:
The style that was arguably the most popular from the
SNES to
PS2 eras is the turn-based RPG, which has been building on the classic
Dragon Quest and
Final Fantasy formulae for a long time. With later generations, the gameplay has been mixing up with other genres (including
Action Games,
Adventure Games,
Simulation Games, and
Strategy Games) though the general "explore / get into battles / some variation on turn-based combat" is still going strong for many games within this sub-genre. Ironically enough, despite being characterised by their Asian heritage, this Eastern RPG style has partial roots in the West.
Dragon Quest, which in many ways was the
Trope Codifier, if not
Trope Maker, was directly inspired by
Ultima and
Wizardry, some of the earliest
Western RPG series and
hits in Japan (where the NES ports of
Ultima III and
IV were remade in a more
Dragon Quest style). If it wasn't for Richard Garriot (who based his operations out of
Texas) and especially the creators of
Wizardry, Japan might never have developed this unique style of role-playing game. Another major influence on this style were
Visual Novels, Japanese
Adventure Games that emphasized storytelling (though ironically, most Visual Novels revolve around non-linear narratives rather than linear ones).
Another popular subset of console RPGs is the
Action RPG, which mixes this type of gameplay with the
Action Adventure, so that while it keeps the strongly plotted story, occasionally 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 Games. The Action RPG sub-genre has its origins in early 80s Japanese RPGs like
Dragon Slayer and
Hydlide, which combined traditional Western RPG elements with Japanese
Arcade action elements. Up until the early 2000s, the majority of
action RPGs were from Japan, but in recent years, it is arguably more common to see
action RPGs from the West.
Also, many
Turn-Based Strategy games are done in "Console RPG style" and are often referred to as "Strategy RPGs" or "
Tactical RPGs", though more recent examples of the sub-genre have also incorporated
Real-Time Strategy elements. In contrast to the traditional turn-based format above (represented by Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy), tactical RPG allow more freedom of movement in battle, while the narratives are also more likely to be non-linear, with strategic decisions often having an impact on the way the story unfolds. This tactical RPG style has traditionally been dominated by Japan, though there have been some Western RPGs also attempting it.
Another subset is the
Dungeon Crawler, a subgenre that can include both Eastern and Western games. This subgenre was more common among Western RPGs up until the 1990s, but has today become more popular in the East than it is in the West.
In the past, the Eastern Console format was arguably more prolific and hence more popular than the Western Computer format, with even some Computer games mimicking Console ones. Lately, however, the Computer format is becoming more popular in the West, rivaling (and sometimes even trumping) the Console format in popularity, partly due to progresses in technology making arguably more immersive games, which in turn has led to rising budgets. As a result, many Console development teams nowadays focus more on handhelds due to lower budgets.
See also
How to Play a Console RPG.
Games in this genre:
- 3D Dot Game Heroes (an Eastern RPG made as both a throwback and a parody of 80's and 90's RPGs)
- 7th Dragon
- The 7th Saga
- The Adventure of Hourai High School
- Adventures to Go!
- Aetherion (freeware)
- Agarest Senki 2
- A Home Far Away (freeware)
- Anachronox (an American game)
- Albion (German, but mostly fits)
- Alter A.I.L.A.(freeware)
- Ancient Magic
- Arcana
- Arc Rise Fantasia
- Arc The Lad
- Ar tonelico: Melody of Elemia
- Astral Transparency: Cole's Gate
- Astonishia Story
- Atelier
- Athena: Awakening from the Ordinary Life
- Avalon Code
- A Very Long Rope to the Top of the Sky (made in RPG Maker)
- Aveyond (also made in RPG Maker)
- Bahamut Lagoon (mixed with Turn-Based Strategy)
- Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden (freeware)
- Baten Kaitos
- Battle Goddess
- Beyond the Beyond
- Black/Matrix
- Black★Rock Shooter
- Black Sigil (a Canadian-developed game)
- Blue Dragon
- A Blurred Line (made in RPG Maker)
- Boktai
- Boot Hill Heroes
- Brave Frontier
- Brave Soul
- Brave Story: New Traveller note The prequel to it was a novel, but it contained a lot of RPG Elements.
- Bravely Default
- Breath of Death VII
- Breath of Fire
- Captain Tsubasa
- Castle Fantasia 2 Renewal
- Castlevania II: Simon's Quest
- Chantelise ~A Tale of Two Sisters~
- Chaos Rings
- Child of Light (developed by Ubisoft's Canadian division)
- Crimson Gem Saga
- Chronicles of Inotia: Children of Carnia
- Chrono Trigger
- CIMA: The Enemy
- Cobra Mission
- Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars
- Contact
- Cosmic Fantasy
- Costume Quest
- Crimson Shroud
- Cross Edge
- Crystalis
- Cthulhu Saves the World
- Dark Cloud
- The Dark Spire
- Deception
- Demon Gaze
- The Demon Rush (a Canadian-made game)
- Demon's Souls
- The Denpa Men
- Dhux's Scar (freeware)
- Digimon World
- Diver Down (freeware)
- DragonForce
- Dragon Quest (aka Dragon Warrior), the Trope Maker and granddaddy of all console RPGs, including Final Fantasy.
- Dragon Slayer
- Dual Hearts
- Dubloon (freeware)
- Dungeon Maker II: The Hidden War
- Dust: An Elysian Tail
- Eien no Filena
- Embric of Wulfhammer's Castle (freeware)
- Enchanted Arms
- Endless Frontier: SRW OG Saga
- Ephemeral Fantasia
- Eternal Eden (made with RPG Maker)
- Eternal Legacy
- Eternal Sonata
- Etrian Odyssey
- Everlong
- Evolution: The World of Sacred Device
- Evolution Worlds
- Evony
- Exit Fate (freeware)
- Fairy Fencer F
- ''Fantasy Life
- Fate/EXTRA (a spinoff of Fate/stay night)
- Final Fantasy: Brace yourself.
- Fire Emblem (also counts as Turn-Based-Strategy/Tactics):
- Folklore
- Fortune Summoners
- Fossil Fighters
- Forever's End (freeware)
- Gobli's Adventure
- Glory of Heracles
- Golden Axe Warrior
- Golden Sun
- Grandia
- Grand Knights History
- Grinsia
- Guardian Heroes
- Guardian's Crusade
- Gunparade March
- Half-Minute Hero
- Hero's Realm
- Heroes Phantasia
- Hexyz Force
- Hoshi wo Miru Hito
- Hybrid Heaven
- Ill Will (freeware; contains elements of Western RPGs)
- Inazuma Eleven
- Infinite Space
- The Infyn Prism
- Iron Gaia (freeware)
- Jay's Journey (freeware)
- Kartia: The Word of Fate
- Kinder
- Kingdom Hearts
- Knights of Xentar
- Lagoon
- The Last Remnant
- Langrisser
- Last Scenario (freeware)
- The Last Story
- Laxius Power/Laxius Force (produced in Europe, but follow a Dragon Quest-like template)
- The Legend of Dragoon
- The Legend of Heroes: Kiseki Series
- Legend of Legaia
- Lennus II
- Leo & Leah (freeware)
- Legionwood (freeware)
- Li'l Monster
- Linear RPG (a parody; also freeware)
- Live A Live
- The Logomancer (freeware)
- Lost Kingdoms (contains elements of Action Game and Collectible Card Game)
- Lost Odyssey
- Lufia
- Lunar series:
- Machine Knight
- Magical Vacation (and Magical Starsign)
- Magic Knight Rayearth (the SNES game)
- Magi-Nation
- Magna Carta: The Phantom of Avalanche (Korean)
- Maka Maka
- Mana series (Seiken Densetsu)
- Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis
- Manifest
- MARDEK (freeware)
- Master of the Monster Lair
- Master of the Wind
- Megaman Battle Network
- Mega Man X: Command Mission
- Melolune (made by an indie Western developer)
- Metal Saga
- Mimana Iyar Chronicle
- Mind Zero
- Mitsumete Knight R : Daibouken Hen
- Monster Hunter
- Monster Lab
- Monster Rancher
- MOTHER 1
- Mugen Souls
- Mr. Robot (the hacking sequences therein, anyway)
- MS Saga: A New Dawn
- Mystic Ark
- My World, My Way
- Neptunia
- NieR
- Ni no Kuni
- Nostalgia
- Ogre Battle
- Okage
- Omori
- Opoona
- Oracle of Tao
- Orphen: Scion of Sorcery
- Paladin's Quest
- Pandora's Tower
- Panzer Dragoon Saga
- Parameters (Deconstruction Game with no graphics or plot)
- Parasite Eve (also a Survival Horror game)
- Phantasy Star
- Pier Solar and the Great Architects
- Pokémon
- Pokémon fan games
- Po Po Lo Crois
- Project Phoenix
- Radiant Historia
- Radiata Stories
- Recettear ~An Item Shop's Tale~
- The Reconstruction (freeware)
- Resonance of Fate
- Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
- Riviera: The Promised Land
- Rogue Galaxy
- Romancing Walker (freeware; made with RPG Maker 2000, and translated into English by a fan)
- Rune Factory
- SaGa
- Sailor Moon: Another Story
- Sands of Destruction
- Science Girls
- SD Gundam G Generation
- SD Snatcher
- Secret of Evermore (an American-made game for Squaresoft)
- Secret of the Stars
- Septerra Core
- Serious Sam: The Random Encounter
- Shadow Hearts
- Shining Series
- Shin Megami Tensei
- Shiren the Wanderer
- Sigma Harmonics
- Sigma Star Saga
- Skies of Arcadia
- Skyborn
- Skylight (Canadian-made)
- Sol Trigger
- Song Summoner
- Soma Bringer
- Sonic Chronicles
- Soul Blazer
- South Park: The Stick of Truth
- Space Funeral (freeware)
- The Spirit Engine 2 (freeware)
- Star Ocean
- Star Stealing Prince (freeware)
- Steambot Chronicles
- Suikoden
- Summon Night
- Super Chinese
- Super Mario RPG
- Super Press Space to Win Action RPG 2009
- Super Robot Wars
- Surprisia
- Sweet Home
- The Sword and the Fish (freeware)
- The Sword of Hope
- Sword of Vermilion
- Syukusho Gakuen
- Tales of the Drunken Paladin (made in RPG Maker; freeware)
- Tales Series
- Tales of Itzkeria
- Telefang
- Tengai Makyou
- Thousand Arms
- The Tiamat Sacrament (freeware)
- Time and Eternity
- To the Moon
- Touhou Labyrinth
- Touhou Mother
- Touhou Pocket Wars Evolution
- Treasure Hunter G
- Treasure of the Rudra
- Trinity Universe
- Tsukumogami (known as 99 Spirits in the west)
- Twinbee RPG
- Unchained Blades
- Undertale
- Unterwegs in Düsterburg
- Vagrant Story
- Valkyria Chronicles
- Valkyrie Profile
- Vampires Dawn
- Vay
- Wadanohara
- Wandering Hamster (freeware)
- The Way (freeware)
- White Knight Chronicles
- Wild Arms
- Wine & Roses (freeware; also a Metroidvania)
- A Witch's Tale
- The World Ends with You
- Xenogears
- Xuanyuan Jian
- Yakuza series (Ryu Ga Gotoku)
- Ys
- Ys I & II
- Ys III: Wanderers from Ys and its remake, Oath in Felghana
- Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys and its remakes, Mask of the Sun and Memories of Celceta
- Ys V: Kefin, The Lost City of Sand
- Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
- Ys SEVEN
- Ys Origin
- Zelda II The Adventure Of Link
- Zettai Hero Kaizou Keikaku