Summary
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JRPGs can be epic, but big names often disappoint fans with poor design or narrative missteps.
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Confusing plots, stripped-down RPG mechanics, clumsy controls, and baffling design choices make some otherwise excellent titles miss the mark entirely.
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Even acclaimed franchises can alienate fans when sequels lose their charm or feel rushed and unfinished.
JRPGs, for the most part, are wonderful, epic, and immersive experiences where you and a ragtag group of characters traverse the world, overcoming tyranny and killing god (or whatever), giving us some of the best franchises of all time. But while you can guarantee most will be at least decent or above average, some miss the mark completely, making us wish we never played them.
And it's these games that can set the bar for the entire genre, especially for someone's introduction to it. What's more, if you're a super fan of the JRPG genre, these releases will also cut you pretty deep, as you probably anticipate them more than anything else, only to be blindsided and left severely disappointed!
The Sui Code 4
We certainly did not expect this
Kicking off is a bit of a controversial one, as Suikoden 4 is still a pretty decent game, all things considered, but feels like such a massive downgrade to the previous entries in the series, mainly due to its limiting four-party system. Not only that, but its controls are confusing and challenging to wrap your head around, making the whole experience feel out of place for such a great series.
The Suikoden 4, in a nutshell, is solid. If not above average. But if you've played the others beforehand, or the excellent Suikoden 5, it's hard not to feel let down by it, as it never reaches the heights or ambitions we know it's capable of. It's definitely not the worst JRPG out there, but it's nowhere near what we'd call good either!
Final Fantasy Type-0
A complicated and very edgy story
Speaking of weird missteps, Final Fantasy Type-0 offers our first M-rated Final Fantasy titles, but buries all its potential under a woefully convoluted story with, somehow, even more confusing characters, who never make sense when they speak and constantly make you question what the ever-living hell is even going on anymore?
To top things off, it also expects you to relay its incomprehensible story multiple times for different endings, twists, and plot points, which isn't worth your time or effort. While the HD version looks and plays much better, it's still a pretty awful experience if you're looking for that unique, charming, and immersive experience that the series can offer!
Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Oh, how this series has fallen
After that we have Paper Mario: Sticker Star, which was most players' tipping point for the series after Super Paper Mario left them a little underwhelmed, having showcased the series' potential in the near-perfect Thousand-Year Door a few years earlier. But in Sticker Star's case, there were pretty much no redeeming qualities, which was a bummer to see.
Paper Mario was one of our favorite series ever, and Sticker Star was more or less the beginning of the end, as we wouldn't get another solid release until Origami King, eight years later. It's lack of story, along with the removal of many of its RPG elements, made it difficult to get through, and an experience that felt like the exact opposite of what you come to the series for!
Ephemeral Fantasia
What's even going on anymore?
Time to get a little weird with Ephemeral Fantasia, which follows a man named Mouse with a sentient stringed instrument named Pattimo, who is trapped in a five-day loop, making it only comparable to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, except for one key difference: you can't get the Bomber's Notebook equivalent.
Mmhmm, that's right, as each loop resets, you have to remember everything, navigate its maze-like world, complete frustrating mini-games and recruit party members, all the while shaving time away more and more until you solve the mystery and defeat the big bad boss at the end. It has a lot of cool ideas, but none of them are executed well at all, making it more frustrating than it's worth!
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness
Another swing and a miss for this franchise
Oh, Star Ocean, when are you ever going to catch a break? Well, not with integrity and faithlessness, we can assure you. Its combat is what can only be described as mushy and mindless, with equally idle characters, repetitive gameplay, and a terrible story. Everything about this post feels rushed, unfinished and uninteresting.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness followed The Last Hope, which also has its fair share of problems, but not to this extent. We gave this post so many chances to improve, only to be let down again and again. Star Ocean deserves so much better!
Grandia 3
Missing the mark is an understatement
Another somewhat controversial choice is Grandia 3, which has an excellent combat system that is dragged down by questionable plot twists relatively early in its story, making it go from “this is okay” to “this is laughably bad” in the blink of an eye. This is an example of how you can nail the combat side of things and drop the ball so hard on every other aspect, making it irreversible.
Grandia 3 has so much potential, but when most of its cast is uninteresting, the big twist doesn't land, and the overall plot and story doesn't seem to find its footing from that point on, it's hard to see all the way through, even if you loved the first two entries!
Hyperdimension Neptunia
How did this even get a sequel and a remake?
Where do we even begin with this one? The original Hyperdimension Neptunia is a mess across the board, thanks to bizarre and unnecessary design decisions, such as preventing you from getting many of your party members if you or any of your party members get felled too many times. And if you want to travel, expect to clear a mini-dungeon seemingly every time, which will pit you against enemies from a completely different game.
Hyperdimension Neptunia is a very frustrating rip-off of an experience that somehow got multiple sequels and remakes, which are actually pretty okay. Still, as it stands, the original part of this title is far from what we'd call acceptable, and it's even pretty!
Lunar: Dragon Song
Poster Children of bad JRPGs
Finally, we have Lunar: Dragon Song, which is pretty much the face of the bad JRPG discussion. If you ask a die-hard fan of the genre what the most disappointing and downright terrible JRPG of all time is, they'll probably answer with this game. Want to speed up your progress and sprint through the overworld sections to reach your next destination faster? Be prepared to lose HP while sprinting. Why? Who knows!
Also, if that wasn't baffling enough, its plot is pretty much just a copy and paste of the very first Lunar title, with a few minor tweaks. And combined with its frustrating and bizarre gameplay decisions, you can't play this game for long periods of time without questioning your love for the genre. In fact, you might walk away from just a few hours of playtime and never want to touch another JRPG for months afterward!
