History Main / EasternRPG

** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesKuroNoKiseki''

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}}'' 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 East Asian [=RPGs=][[note]] For example, later entries of the CRPG pioneer ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}'' 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 ignores the key aesthetical traits of Eastern [=RPGs=] that made the genre distinctive, making it less meaningful as a definition for a video game genre (some early Japanese [=RPGs=] are outright ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}}''-inspired [=CRPGs=] that bear little resemblance to JRPG as we know it, and some may even argue are outright [=WRPGs=]). Nevertheless, expect to see some games in this page to be categorized as Eastern [=RPGs=] using this definition.

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 imprints and East Asian game design histories; some information on the history part can be seen below.

* '''Turn-based RPG''' (a.k.a. '''Light RPG'''): The turn-based RPG is the type of game people think about when the term "JRPG" is mentioned. The turn-based RPG format was codified in the game ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' from 1986, which also codified almost all staple elements of the JRPG genre, making turn-based [=RPGs=] the first true [=JRPGs=]. Turn-based [=RPGs=] are arguably the most popular from the UsefulNotes/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem to UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 eras. With later generations, the gameplay has been mixing up with other genres (including {{Action Game}}s, {{Adventure Game}}s, {{Simulation Game}}s, and {{Strategy Game}}s) though the general "explore / get into battles / some variation on turn-based combat" is still going strong for many games within this sub-genre.

The introduction and proliferation of the UsefulNotes/{{Famicom}} home video game console created an opportunity for such RPG video games to be adapted for a wider audience; ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' in 1986 took the ''Wizardry'' and ''Ultima'' format and simplified it for the limited powers of the console. ''Dragon Quest'' soon became a cultural phenomenon and hugely influential within Japanese video game development, becoming the the TropeCodifier, if not TropeMaker, of the JRPG genre. In the decades after ''Dragon Quest'', console [=RPGs=] made in Japan and Computer [=RPGs=] made in Western countries increasingly diverged in their designs, influenced by cultural differences as well as the different foundations these genres are built on.

* ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' (a.k.a. ''Dragon Warrior''), the TropeMaker and granddaddy of all console [=RPGs=], including ''Franchise/FinalFantasy''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Absinthia}}''

* ''VideoGame/CelestialHearts''

* ''VideoGame/FindingLight''

* ''VideoGame/KnightBewitched''
* ''VideoGame/KnightBewitched2''
* ''VideoGame/KnightEternal''

* ''VideoGame/MariAndTheBlackTower''

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

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

In the 2000s, as the power of consoles grew and platform differences decreased, the differentiation of [=RPGs=] by console or computer became increasingly inapplicable. This in turn led to the creation of the Japanese/Western RPG distinction. This distinction is criticized by many industry veterans as being misleading or otherwise unhelpful, and cross-influences as well as odd cases do indeed exist within this spectrum of games and genres. Regardless, the use of these two terms have persisted at least for now.