What’s up everyone! Really cool to see how much love this video is getting so far, thank you all for watching! I did want to clear one thing up since I see a little confusion in some comments. This video wasn’t ranked in any order, as with any of our other ‘8 Great’ format type videos. It’s just a random assortment of some games that I feel best represent whatever the list is about. The only time we actually do rankings are the top 10 videos. Tbh I don’t really like doing rankings though because occasionally it can bring out some passionately defensive fans who don’t agree with your order and want that to be known 😅 But if people are actually that curious to see how I would have ranked this list, let me know and maybe I’ll list it here in the comments
Holy crap I just noticed that your squaresoft video exploded in popularity and your subscriptions and patrons have increased by a ton. Congratulations to both of you! You all have made such gwell produced videos and I'm so happy to finally see that you're getting the views that you deserve. Excited to see where you both go from here!
I must have seen a bunch of your videos now but this time I finally went to subscribe. Turns out I already was lol. Idk why man but you have a good voice for YT, I see you being able to grow this channel substantially. Best of luck.
Trails in the Sky was 1rst released on PC but it was localized several years later. This was a released 1rst decade of this millennium and It was likely created on the same engine that was previously made for Ys Ark of Napishtim. The PSP version is the port and it was made years later but It's just that these games where localized very late.
Grandia feels like a true successor to Lunar. Hell, Grandia II feels like it's not terribly removed from a Lunar game with the plot dealing with the dual personality of the heroine, millennia having attacks that heavily feature the moon and the demon god having to be reassembled
Grandia was amazing, too bad the sequences didn't follow the quality, the second star ocean and the wild arms games got a great feeling of discovery and adventure, too!
@@Frionelz Yes, it is. I guess Ni No Kuni 2 offers to you differents gameplays in one game. You have the traditional battles, the skirmish mode where you are a military commander leading troops, tons of weapons, beautiful graphics. Dude, I enjoyed it! Games like Dragon Quest XI are great too, but over time it is getting bored, because is always the same gameplay.
Absolutely! It is my favorite jrpg of all time and the first game in the genre that made me fall in love with jrpgs. When I was like 9 I stumbled upon my older brothers loose Dreamcast discs of it and it just clicked with and ever since I’m fallen deep down the jrpg rabbit hole.
Grandia feels for me like the grand adventure made videogame, when most of the game is finished and you look back and remenber that young lad who decided to take a boat all olone and scape his hometown, a place, and this is key in my opinion, where you won´t be able to return until you beat the whole game, it was really amazing.
That you should include Grandia on this list… Suppose I shouldn’t be surprised even slightly, considering you’re the one who made that blessedly wondrous piece on the joys and merits of the typical jrpg inn. 30 years of jrpg gaming…and to this day I still have yet to encounter another rpg like it. In short…it’s the adventure every kid who ever picked up a wooden stick and garbage can top playing outside dreamed of going on made real. I initially went into it expecting nothing at all (had just finished ff7 and assumed nothing could top it) and for the first hour, it starts off slow. Then I get sucker punched hard from left field (which I still feel) and the journey begins. Those times turning on ps1 where I just have to put down the controller, close my eyes, and drown in that hopelessly winsome opening melancholy tune that seems to offer all the dreams of the world if one’d just take a chance. And while I can’t spoil, I’ll just say I think if you stick it out to the end, you’re left with a satisfying smile worthy of a sunrise that’s just not so commonplace for whatever reason in todays rpgs. Eh..good times. Damn good list too.
Suikoden 1-3 and Star Ocean would fit perfectly on this list. Some of the most memorable journeys I can remember from the jrpg realm. Cool video man. Great job.
Suikoden 1-2 yes, 3 no, the story are half done, like Tales of vesperia, they resort all of the troubles, dilemma to some sort of "demon king", totally waste the nice plot and characters they build so hard before late game, what a shame.
@@sstereomatchingkiss I think you feel that way about 3 because of the presentation. The way it jumped between characters was an original way to have multiple stories going simultaneously but it also made it feel disjointed. It had its positives and negatives. All in all I still think the story was cohesive but because you would spend so much time with each chapter it felt like 3 separate games. Definitely overlooked by many rpg fans.
@@mattgrundy27 Nope, that is not the reason, I pretty like the multiple stories lines of 3, what I don't like is they do not face the dilemma of the stories directly, unlike 1 and 2. Like the hatred between nations, anxious, responsible of those chosen one. They spend so much hours to mention those problems, and when I think the director plan to solve the conflict at the end, the "devil king" jump out and say "I want to destroy this world blah blah blah", then those serious suddenly "vaporize" after this mess, the hatred of nations cease, those chosen "forget" their burdens, all of them become "friends" in order to defeat this last boss, what a lazy plot.
When Grandia came out in the West, we had had several JRPGs with the sullen, reluctant hero. Justin was such a breath of fresh air that it really opened my mind up on what a JRPG is like. With those other heroes, there was always this thought in the back of my head that this character would not be doing all these side-quests and exploring the optional dungeons. With Justin though, you _knew_ he would eagerly and enthusiastically do the optional quests and dungeons.
Y's VIII, Trails, Dragon Quest VIII, Grandia, Chrono Trigger and Tales of Symphonia are all up there for me. Great list. If you were going to add a Final Fantasy game to this list, I'd say FF 9 has the most adventurous feel to it, our of all of them that I've played.
as a JRPG fan, i just wanna say you deserved much more subscribers bro. amazing contents, and thank you a lot for making this, the nostalgia hits me hard and i love it
Wasn't expecting BOF3 to be your top choice, it's one of my favorite JRPGS. I hope one day Capcom revives this series, or at least give us a port to the switch and ps4.
BOF 3 and 4 are the highlights of that series. I prefer 3s dragon gene system. 4s presentation is so good. And the focus it gives the Antagonist might be the most unique story telling method ever.
Lots of picks on this list I would agree with. I would add Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, for a more modern pick. It is the very definition of an EPIC adventure. By the end you've gone through so much you would hardly even recognize your player character or party from the opening hours.
Totally agree on DQXI, I thought about including it here but I’ve talked about it in a lot more videos before and have rarely ever talked about VIII in comparison so decided to pick that as the DQ entry here. XI does capture the spirit of adventure just as well as VIII though, if not even moreso IMO
Recently found your channel due to Twitter and man oh man am I happy I did! What a beautiful way of narrating your experiences with JRPGs. Calm, relaxing and nothing crazy or over the top when there is no need for it. Loved the video!
Great list bro. All great games and totally with you that Grandia was the first game to come to mind when I read the title without realizing it was in your thumbnail. Keep up the good work
@@JoshuaJacobs83 Slight spoiler. In Breath of Fire 3 the dragon transformation system allowed you to match up to three 'gems' called genes. Things like fire, mammoth, reverse, ect. You could then create dozens of combos. Many with unique sprites. I played mostly pre-internet, so finding a working combo was a delight.
Yes! Grandia has one of my favorite battle systems too. The ability to cancel the enemies attacks and the area attacks made it a lot of fun. Though I liked 2 a little better. Oh and still haven’t played a game but plan to get to it… yeah I feel that.
IIRC, Phantasy Star 1 for the Sega Master System had a tiny flying cat be a controllable party member, and it transformed into a giant flying cat that carried the party to the final dungeon. It also lived for at least two thousand years, since you can run into it in Phantasy Star 4 on the Genesis.
If I had to pick just one of them out of the list, it would be Grandia. But I'm not objective. It was the first game I fell in love with as a 5-6 year-old kid and I still can't have enough of it. I had to refrain myself just 2 weeks ago to restart it again completely as I just launched a new game file to reexperience the magic of the first 4hrs of gameplay this game provides.
I’ll mention an unpopular game just for some fun. Though definitely the weakest in the series, I really enjoyed the sense of adventure in third installment of the Shadow Hearts series. Playing through the trippy, weird, JRPG versions of major landmarks throughout the United States was really a great adventure. Sure the game’s story and vibe were maybe a bit too goofy but I feel like that game is underrated.
Most of the games in this video i own and have played all the way thru numerous times. Dq8, Bof3, Lunar, Skies of Arcadia, Grandia. Started my jrpg/rpg adventure with Phantasy Star back in 1987 and have been hooked on those games ever since.
Great list, Lunar really deserves the list. Imo, so many jrpgs from the ps1 era deserves a spot on the list for a grand adventure type vibe on a jrpg game. One game i feel should be on the list is Suikoden 2, while Suikoden 1 was great, it was 2 that had me emotionally attached to the characters, the game i was really feeling every scene, moment and what the characters were experiencing. Also star ocean 2nd story deserves a slot on that jrpg with more adventuruous vibe in it.
Great list! For Dragon Quest, I think of 5 and 7 for adventures. You start both without an overall sense of saving the world and/or being the chosen to fight against evil, you're just exploring or growing up and get caught up in something bigger. Another huge 'sense of adventure game' that came to mind was Infinite Space on the DS. At the start of the game, you're literally only motivated to explore the stars. Eventually you get wrapped up into something MUCH bigger, but even then, you never lose the sense of just wanting to be a 'Zero-G Dog' and wanting freedom to explore space.
Dragon Quest 7 is maybe 1% about the big bad. It’s like all side quests that are indirectly related to each other. I loved it except that it’s REALLY REALLY long.
Older gamer, here. I loved this list. Lots of favorites. But skies of Arcadia is one of my all time favorites. In fact, I remember exactly where I was when I played the jungle/forest level you showed. I played it right after basketball practice in 7th grade on my Dreamcast. Fun bit of nostalgia.
I have always felt a grandiose feel of adventuring in the mana series, especially in seiken densetsu 3 which i think is more streamlined and accessible than secret of mana.
Damn I learned a lot from like the first 4-5. Those I haven't played and here I thought I did good playing a lot of jrpgs. Goes to show I have a long way to go still. Also thanks for reminding me to replay Ni No Kuni. It's been FOREVER. Since the PS3. And I wanna play the second as well. And huuzah for Breath of Fire 3 love! One of my favorite jrpgs of all time. I think one of mine would be FF4. You go all over and visit so many unique towns and hell even blast off in space! It's just a wild dramatic ride! Solid video and thanks for making my backlog a little longer!
Cool to see you here, thanks for watching! And yeah, with JRPGs starting to get more popular again on top of all the classics we already have I feel like there's gonna be a never ending backlog of them from here on out 😅 Mine just keeps getting bigger I haven't played Ni No Kuni in a long ass time since the PS3 version myself so may have to join you on that replay soon...
To me, Dragon Quest 8 still have the best travelling progression in any game. From running around on foot, to using mounts, to having a boat, and finally an Airship. It's incredible.
Wow I agree with everything down to the honorable mentions. This has never happened before. Was going to comment that "I'd add Ys series to the list as well" but of course you included it in the end. Great list!
Great list Grandia is also the first game I thought of when reading the title of the video. I agree with every one of these games but dragon quest 11 IMO is the DragonQuest game with the most adventurous feel. That opening theme alone made me feel nostalgic and in the mood for a great adventure. I will never forget that moment in Grandia where you climb to the top of "The End Of The World" and look over the other side and realize your great adventure is just starting.
The moment at the end of the world was exactly as you described for me. Absolute euphoria when I scaled the wall and discovered that the adventure was only just beginning. What an incredible game and incredible adventure. A feeling I've never had since with any other game.
Another great video, my guy. I really love how you present the games and your commentary, not just in this video but also in the several others I've watched as of late since I discovered your channel. Keep it coming; I have a feeling your channel will blow up. even more
Golden Sun: The Lost Age is one of my favorite games of all time. The story, characters, music, powers and combat made one amazing adventure that I periodically return to. One game that should be mentioned is Xenogears.
The games Ive played on this list are something special, DQ8, Lunar, Golden Sun but the games Ive missed like Grandia and Skies of Arcadia, those really caught my attention! You always bring the best on these vids. My backlog is about to explode thanks to you! lol Loved how you took your cat on a nature walk with you, Ive always wanted to do the same but Im too scared theyll get hurt walking around the city. :(
Thanks for watching and the support Jay. Yeah she loves the outdoors when the weather is nice. She is still getting use to the whole leash thing lol. Baby steps though.
I think I'm nearing the end playing Grandia now. I remember my cousin visiting my home when the game was first released on the PS1. His parents bought it for him and we booted it up on my PS. A couple of weeks later I saw him reach The End of the World. I really loved what I saw and I finally get to complete it on my Switch. I know some people prefer the old graphics especially on the Saturn, but I don't mind the new look and sprites.
You helped me discover a game long forgotten to the scattered neurons of my brain. I could never remember what the game was when I was a dragon, but turned into a kid. For years I couldn't think of it, now.....now I will return and complete that game to it's full capacity.
Grandia is one of the best adventure i had long ago, i very like the soundtrack plays at the top of great wall, and start another great journey from that. I cried at sue scene later.
Thanks! An instrumental version of Pure Again, the song that plays during the credits of BoF3. I had never heard that version until just recently and it’s super dope
You listed most of the rpgs I think of when adventure comes to mind but another big one for me is Baten Kaitos. Just gorgeous and diverse locations in the sky that I had a blast discovering. Also as always, fire ost selection, guys.
You name dropped pretty much every game I thought of with adventure in one way or another. I wish more JRPGs nowadays would give us a journey like these, instead of always a "save the world" plot from the beginning.
Grandia is one of the best tRPG genre I have played and it came to Europe as a port for the PS1. Great game, soundtrack and all round brilliant title!!
Great list, bro! But I wanna add one more game/franchise: Mana/Seiken. The best for me is Seiken Densetsu III, or Trials of Mana. The remake version is pretty good, but the SNES version has all this bright and adventurous vibe from classic 90s jRPGs. It's my favorite jRPG!
Dragon Quest VIII and Grandia are among my favorite games of all time. But when it comes to adventure spirit, Grandia takes that by far! The whole game SCREAMS adventure into your face. And I finally got myself to buy a copy of Ni no Kuni!!!! I’m in the end game of FFIX right now, but after finishing it, I’ll start Ni no Kuni immediately.
Big props to putting Skies of Arcadia legends on this list. I’ll never forget beating the game in junior high and it was the first time in a game where I felt like I went on a grand adventure. One of my favorite games of all time!
This list is my favorite, awsome idea and presentation, thank you for creating great content and keeping these games alive, TH-cam was made for people like you ❤
Great list !...I played and loved each of them. The one that also came to my mind was Rogue Galaxy and some Star Ocean games. Thank you for the video and for the memories.
I remember when i played grandia for the first time. You always think you are close to the ending and then something else pops off. How surprising when you reach a certain point only to discover a whole new massive chunk of gameplay you didnt expect at all (trying not to spoil anything).
I played and completed Grandia as a kid, playing through it again now on emulator and just started disc 2. It's amazing what comes back after a couple of decades. Guido
Great list! I will say that in terms of "adventure", my favorite Dragon Quest would definitely be the remake of VII on 3DS. I feel like the discovering of islands in that game is just fantastic, as it kinda reminds me of One Piece.
Ys 8 Lacrimosa of Dana is my #1. I usually don't like exploration in most games, I tend to play throughly but not cover every single spot of every area. Not with Ys 8, I 100% the map and I actually enjoyed doing it. The soundtrack, combat and that special feeling of adventure just completely hooked me. By the time I got close to the end, I was sad because it was almost over. It's seriously the only game I've played in a long time that truly made me want to discover and do absolutely everything
Breath of Fire 3 is a legendary game. You really do feel like you go through a full lifecycle. The desert crossing section is incredible for such a simple concept of walking in empty space. Searching for all the masters really help the feeling of a giant world. The fairy village is a great little break from your travels. The bosses feel epic and look amazing. The mini ! areas are nice touch to feel out your terrain, and the camping scene for saving feels so comfortable and inviting I would some times just chill next to the fire while taking a break. All in all just a fantastic experience.
*Skies of Arcadia Legends* was one of the first JRPGs I ever played, and to this day I don't think there's any game that has ever made me want to explore and see every secret the world has to offer. I just adore the world of Arcadia to pieces, from it's fascinating lore to its many charming and colorful inhabitants.
Excellent selection, it's like you read my mind. During your honorable mentions I was even thinking to myself I'm gonna give a shootout to bof3, and then bam, bof3! Really though, games like lunar and grandia, dragon quest, skies of arcadia, breath of fire, ... All games I enjoyed so much growing up, and I continue to revisit. Again, a very well thought out and put together video. This one is clearly based on a lot of experience and personal enjoyment!
I was about to throw hands over that Star Ocean First Departure clip until I saw you text box. I am a sucker for media with both scifi and fantasy tags together
dragon quest 8 is my #1 fave game of all time and between the two versions ive sunk at least 1000 hrs into it to the point i know everything about it at this point which im more then okay with
Really awesome video/list!! I've played all the games on this list, and finished most of them! Another game I would think of when people say "adventures feeling" is FFIX!
Before watching this video, my picks would be Grandia, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, and Secret of Mana. I feel that excessive dialogue and hand-holding hurt my sense of immersion and adventure.
I've played 7 hours of Chrono Trigger and I'm not into it at all. World, characters, combat, level design... None of them hooked me. I do like the soundtrack at least. I stopped playing by the time you get magic, after the robot factory. Does it get better afterwards? Or am I just not going to like it
@@Walamonga1313 Well, I think you definitely not going to like it. In my opinion Chrono trigger is good and very great for it's time but it not a masterpiece like everyone else said.
Grandia is the best interactive Anime there is. The story is so captivating, it is one of the very very few games from my childhood, where I can remember almost everything vividly. The drama, the humor, the heroism, the romance, it packs it all and it even sported beatiful voiced lines and great soundtrack. In addition to that, even the gameplay was top tier Jrpg stuff, with the unique magic and technique combo system. All time favourite videogame, for sure.
For Tales games I’d honestly say either Tales of Destiny or Tales of Eternia give the greatest sense of adventure. The reason I say those two is that a lot of Tales games actually start off on some kind of grim note that looms over you as you are trying to stop something catastrophic from happening. In Destiny you stumble on a magic sword and follow where it takes you, in Eternia you find an alien girl and go on a mission to figure out where she’s from. There really isn’t like a “something terrible happened and now we got to save the world” right from the outset.
I messed up starting with the PSP Lunar version before I found out how beautiful and charming the pixel art is in the original version. Now I have a hard time finishing it on the PSP, but at the same time, I don’t want to officially drop it half way through just to switch to the original version, so I have been stuck in decision limbo for a long while now.
thanks bro! I can tell how much time you guys put into your videos and I appreciate it! great list and I can't wait to dive into some of your suggestions. I've been meaning to play Skies of Arcadia ever since it first came out on Dreamcast back in the day. Guess I'll have to dust off the old emulator!
first grandia came in 3 disks!!! just imagine how wide they designed the world inside that game plus the final mission of the first disk before it ends (switching to 2nd disk) always gets me
When I clicked this and started thinking of RPGs with that adventurous feel, Skies of Arcadia was the first one that popped into my mind, so I'm happy that's here. It is kind of a necessity when it comes to this particular theme I think, haha. As long as someone's played it, they'll agree. Grandia was my no.2, lol. I also thought of RED Entertainment's Nostalgia on the DS. It's a shame they're no longer an RPG powerhouse anymore - I know their Far East of Eden series was a big deal for the PC Engine in Japan back in the day -- because this lone game demonstrated to me that they could make some real charming, adventurous stuff. Take one look at it and the mere sight of airships will make any Skies of Arcadia fan just get it immediately. I also thought of other Level 5 games, particularly Rogue Galaxy and ESPECIALLY Dark Cloud 2. Heck, when Max defeats that clown robot and leaves the town, and Scott Menville delivers that line about literally setting out on a great adventure, you _KNOW YOU'RE IN FOR A GREAT ADVENTURE,_ lol.
Sega CD Lunar had loads of spells and abilities that I was disappointed to find were missing in the PS version. They also grew up the characters from the Sega version for the Playstation along with changing some minor story elements. The new animations and music were fantastic, but lacked some of the darker tones of the original.
The worst thing about the playstation versions of Lunar was the difficulty level. Bosses leveled up with you so grinding was pointless to beat it. There also was a ton of missable items (Bromides; if I recall). I Owned the Sega CD version and it was heads and shoulders above. Working Designs always made amazing packaging, booklets and even maps, in-game guides, etc for their playstation games that really made their titles that much better.
5:07 - So, the funny thing about Mister cartoon. The immediate year after the release of Lunar Complete, he would go on to the show making the band and become one of the five members of the show's boy band, O-Town, which he moved on from immediately after leading me to think he really doesn't care what he does.
I almost forgot about Skies of Arcadia! I had a lot of fun playing it on the Dreamcast, but I was too young at the time to really appreciate it. I would love to play it again one day!
That game was definitely an amazing adventure. I was so far into the game and my PS3 broke... It isn't fair... I will definitely buy the Arc the Lad PS1 collection again.
I got DQ8 when it released on ps2 and got stuck as a kid. I bought it again, 15 years later, to play during the initial Covid lockdown. Played it slowly (90 hours over 364 days) and immediately bought the 3ds version when I finished.
Also, gotta say your taste in JRPG protagonists is pretty solid, I totally agree Vyse is among the best in the genre. Still have my First4Figures statue of him placed in my living room, probably the coolest piece of gaming merch I own.
A quick correction for Ni No Kuni, it was not originally released on PS3. Wrath of the White Witch is a remake of the original DS game Ni No Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn which never released outside of Japan. Fun fact: Everything after the final fight against Shadar (Dark Djinn) is exclusive to WotWW as the original DS version of NNK ends with that final fight against Shadar.
What’s up everyone! Really cool to see how much love this video is getting so far, thank you all for watching! I did want to clear one thing up since I see a little confusion in some comments. This video wasn’t ranked in any order, as with any of our other ‘8 Great’ format type videos. It’s just a random assortment of some games that I feel best represent whatever the list is about. The only time we actually do rankings are the top 10 videos. Tbh I don’t really like doing rankings though because occasionally it can bring out some passionately defensive fans who don’t agree with your order and want that to be known 😅 But if people are actually that curious to see how I would have ranked this list, let me know and maybe I’ll list it here in the comments
aww yeah do it and hey, its your list and no one can take that away from you. you do what you thinks best though :)
Holy crap I just noticed that your squaresoft video exploded in popularity and your subscriptions and patrons have increased by a ton. Congratulations to both of you! You all have made such gwell produced videos and I'm so happy to finally see that you're getting the views that you deserve. Excited to see where you both go from here!
AWESOME list. Adventure, you discovered some of the secret sauce! Next list Pomp and circumstance music
I must have seen a bunch of your videos now but this time I finally went to subscribe. Turns out I already was lol. Idk why man but you have a good voice for YT, I see you being able to grow this channel substantially. Best of luck.
Trails in the Sky was 1rst released on PC but it was localized several years later. This was a released 1rst decade of this millennium and It was likely created on the same engine that was previously made for Ys Ark of Napishtim. The PSP version is the port and it was made years later but It's just that these games where localized very late.
Lunar and Grandia are both games that made me feel i was on an epic adventure when i was younger! Great video and great list!
Grandia feels like a true successor to Lunar. Hell, Grandia II feels like it's not terribly removed from a Lunar game with the plot dealing with the dual personality of the heroine, millennia having attacks that heavily feature the moon and the demon god having to be reassembled
I don't know Lunar, but Grandia I totally agree, just like Chrono Cross. The last one that made me feel the same was Ni No Kuni ll.
Grandia was amazing, too bad the sequences didn't follow the quality, the second star ocean and the wild arms games got a great feeling of discovery and adventure, too!
@@ArnaldoJunior Ninokuni 2 is actually a good game ?
@@Frionelz Yes, it is. I guess Ni No Kuni 2 offers to you differents gameplays in one game. You have the traditional battles, the skirmish mode where you are a military commander leading troops, tons of weapons, beautiful graphics. Dude, I enjoyed it! Games like Dragon Quest XI are great too, but over time it is getting bored, because is always the same gameplay.
i just love it when people give Skies of Arcadia the recognition it deserves
I wish they could do a remaster of it or at least make it available on the systems today. I love that epic game.
It’s my favorite jrpg for an adventure straight up. Second favorite GAME overall only coming out behind nier automata.
@@odudi #Facts
Absolutely! It is my favorite jrpg of all time and the first game in the genre that made me fall in love with jrpgs. When I was like 9 I stumbled upon my older brothers loose Dreamcast discs of it and it just clicked with and ever since I’m fallen deep down the jrpg rabbit hole.
Such a great game, pity for the encounter rate .
Grandia feels for me like the grand adventure made videogame, when most of the game is finished and you look back and remenber that young lad who decided to take a boat all olone and scape his hometown, a place, and this is key in my opinion, where you won´t be able to return until you beat the whole game, it was really amazing.
That you should include Grandia on this list… Suppose I shouldn’t be surprised even slightly, considering you’re the one who made that blessedly wondrous piece on the joys and merits of the typical jrpg inn.
30 years of jrpg gaming…and to this day I still have yet to encounter another rpg like it. In short…it’s the adventure every kid who ever picked up a wooden stick and garbage can top playing outside dreamed of going on made real. I initially went into it expecting nothing at all (had just finished ff7 and assumed nothing could top it) and for the first hour, it starts off slow. Then I get sucker punched hard from left field (which I still feel) and the journey begins. Those times turning on ps1 where I just have to put down the controller, close my eyes, and drown in that hopelessly winsome opening melancholy tune that seems to offer all the dreams of the world if one’d just take a chance. And while I can’t spoil, I’ll just say I think if you stick it out to the end, you’re left with a satisfying smile worthy of a sunrise that’s just not so commonplace for whatever reason in todays rpgs. Eh..good times. Damn good list too.
What are you talking about ? Lol I love me a video game but that was a little much even for me
Suikoden 1-3 and Star Ocean would fit perfectly on this list.
Some of the most memorable journeys I can remember from the jrpg realm.
Cool video man. Great job.
Suikoden 1-2 yes, 3 no, the story are half done, like Tales of vesperia, they resort all of the troubles, dilemma to some sort of "demon king", totally waste the nice plot and characters they build so hard before late game, what a shame.
@@sstereomatchingkiss I think you feel that way about 3 because of the presentation. The way it jumped between characters was an original way to have multiple stories going simultaneously but it also made it feel disjointed. It had its positives and negatives.
All in all I still think the story was cohesive but because you would spend so much time with each chapter it felt like 3 separate games.
Definitely overlooked by many rpg fans.
@@mattgrundy27 Nope, that is not the reason, I pretty like the multiple stories lines of 3, what I don't like is they do not face the dilemma of the stories directly, unlike 1 and 2. Like the hatred between nations, anxious, responsible of those chosen one. They spend so much hours to mention those problems, and when I think the director plan to solve the conflict at the end, the "devil king" jump out and say "I want to destroy this world blah blah blah", then those serious suddenly "vaporize" after this mess, the hatred of nations cease, those chosen "forget" their burdens, all of them become "friends" in order to defeat this last boss, what a lazy plot.
Suikoden is more war-centric than an adventurous one. Most of your travels in the game are political visit.
The amount of hate for Suikoden 4 still astonishes me to this day 😂 Never understood why people didn’t like it.
Excellent list. Skies, Trails, Lunar, Grandia and DQ8 are among my all time favorite games.
When Grandia came out in the West, we had had several JRPGs with the sullen, reluctant hero. Justin was such a breath of fresh air that it really opened my mind up on what a JRPG is like. With those other heroes, there was always this thought in the back of my head that this character would not be doing all these side-quests and exploring the optional dungeons. With Justin though, you _knew_ he would eagerly and enthusiastically do the optional quests and dungeons.
Y's VIII, Trails, Dragon Quest VIII, Grandia, Chrono Trigger and Tales of Symphonia are all up there for me. Great list. If you were going to add a Final Fantasy game to this list, I'd say FF 9 has the most adventurous feel to it, our of all of them that I've played.
as a JRPG fan, i just wanna say you deserved much more subscribers bro.
amazing contents, and thank you a lot for making this, the nostalgia hits me hard and i love it
Your choice of games is incredible
Oh wow. Bof3 is one of my fave games. I thought of it bug thought you wont mention it since it wasnt in your intro. Kudos to you man
Wasn't expecting BOF3 to be your top choice, it's one of my favorite JRPGS. I hope one day Capcom revives this series, or at least give us a port to the switch and ps4.
BOF 3 and 4 are the highlights of that series.
I prefer 3s dragon gene system. 4s presentation is so good. And the focus it gives the Antagonist might be the most unique story telling method ever.
@@gohantanaka I totally agree, Fou-Lu is up there with Sephiroth as one of my favorite Antagonist in gaming.
Lots of picks on this list I would agree with. I would add Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, for a more modern pick. It is the very definition of an EPIC adventure. By the end you've gone through so much you would hardly even recognize your player character or party from the opening hours.
Totally agree on DQXI, I thought about including it here but I’ve talked about it in a lot more videos before and have rarely ever talked about VIII in comparison so decided to pick that as the DQ entry here. XI does capture the spirit of adventure just as well as VIII though, if not even moreso IMO
Try DQV
Recently found your channel due to Twitter and man oh man am I happy I did! What a beautiful way of narrating your experiences with JRPGs. Calm, relaxing and nothing crazy or over the top when there is no need for it. Loved the video!
Ah thank you so much! Really appreciate that, making chill content has always been the goal so I’m glad to hear people are enjoying it 😌
Great list bro. All great games and totally with you that Grandia was the first game to come to mind when I read the title without realizing it was in your thumbnail. Keep up the good work
Thank you for showing Golden Sun some love!
OMG Skies of Arcadia is my favorite JRPG of all time.
Thank you for putting it in this video.
Dragon gene system is so iconic, I haven't played the game in nearly 15 years and can still remember most the combos.
Dragon Gene?
@@JoshuaJacobs83 Slight spoiler. In Breath of Fire 3 the dragon transformation system allowed you to match up to three 'gems' called genes. Things like fire, mammoth, reverse, ect. You could then create dozens of combos. Many with unique sprites. I played mostly pre-internet, so finding a working combo was a delight.
Yes! Grandia has one of my favorite battle systems too. The ability to cancel the enemies attacks and the area attacks made it a lot of fun. Though I liked 2 a little better. Oh and still haven’t played a game but plan to get to it… yeah I feel that.
IIRC, Phantasy Star 1 for the Sega Master System had a tiny flying cat be a controllable party member, and it transformed into a giant flying cat that carried the party to the final dungeon. It also lived for at least two thousand years, since you can run into it in Phantasy Star 4 on the Genesis.
Dude,i am just now getting into jrpgs,just played the original ff7,and i loved your channel. Will probably use it as a guide.
If I had to pick just one of them out of the list, it would be Grandia. But I'm not objective. It was the first game I fell in love with as a 5-6 year-old kid and I still can't have enough of it. I had to refrain myself just 2 weeks ago to restart it again completely as I just launched a new game file to reexperience the magic of the first 4hrs of gameplay this game provides.
I’ll mention an unpopular game just for some fun. Though definitely the weakest in the series, I really enjoyed the sense of adventure in third installment of the Shadow Hearts series. Playing through the trippy, weird, JRPG versions of major landmarks throughout the United States was really a great adventure. Sure the game’s story and vibe were maybe a bit too goofy but I feel like that game is underrated.
Highly underrated
I do like that one, too! Although Covenant to me is much better, but the hate for 3 is undeserved in my opinion.
Most of the games in this video i own and have played all the way thru numerous times. Dq8, Bof3, Lunar, Skies of Arcadia, Grandia. Started my jrpg/rpg adventure with Phantasy Star back in 1987 and have been hooked on those games ever since.
Great list, Lunar really deserves the list. Imo, so many jrpgs from the ps1 era deserves a spot on the list for a grand adventure type vibe on a jrpg game. One game i feel should be on the list is Suikoden 2, while Suikoden 1 was great, it was 2 that had me emotionally attached to the characters, the game i was really feeling every scene, moment and what the characters were experiencing. Also star ocean 2nd story deserves a slot on that jrpg with more adventuruous vibe in it.
great channel! quickly becoming one of my faves! much love from S. Korea!
Golden Sun changed my life. It's got me way more into exploring the real world than any other.
That's really awesome to hear!
Me too! Ever since I played Golden Sun as a 12/13 year old kid, my craving for adventure and view of the real world have changed for the better.
It happened with me with Earthbound
I remember going on hikes and feeling like I was adventuring lol. I mean I was but you know 😂
Great list!
For Dragon Quest, I think of 5 and 7 for adventures. You start both without an overall sense of saving the world and/or being the chosen to fight against evil, you're just exploring or growing up and get caught up in something bigger.
Another huge 'sense of adventure game' that came to mind was Infinite Space on the DS. At the start of the game, you're literally only motivated to explore the stars. Eventually you get wrapped up into something MUCH bigger, but even then, you never lose the sense of just wanting to be a 'Zero-G Dog' and wanting freedom to explore space.
Dragon Quest 7 is maybe 1% about the big bad. It’s like all side quests that are indirectly related to each other. I loved it except that it’s REALLY REALLY long.
Older gamer, here. I loved this list. Lots of favorites.
But skies of Arcadia is one of my all time favorites. In fact, I remember exactly where I was when I played the jungle/forest level you showed. I played it right after basketball practice in 7th grade on my Dreamcast.
Fun bit of nostalgia.
I have always felt a grandiose feel of adventuring in the mana series, especially in seiken densetsu 3 which i think is more streamlined and accessible than secret of mana.
Ah yeah, the Mana series definitely could have at least gotten a shoutout here
Damn I learned a lot from like the first 4-5. Those I haven't played and here I thought I did good playing a lot of jrpgs. Goes to show I have a long way to go still. Also thanks for reminding me to replay Ni No Kuni. It's been FOREVER. Since the PS3. And I wanna play the second as well.
And huuzah for Breath of Fire 3 love! One of my favorite jrpgs of all time. I think one of mine would be FF4. You go all over and visit so many unique towns and hell even blast off in space! It's just a wild dramatic ride! Solid video and thanks for making my backlog a little longer!
Cool to see you here, thanks for watching! And yeah, with JRPGs starting to get more popular again on top of all the classics we already have I feel like there's gonna be a never ending backlog of them from here on out 😅 Mine just keeps getting bigger
I haven't played Ni No Kuni in a long ass time since the PS3 version myself so may have to join you on that replay soon...
@@GamingBroductions They are getting popular but at what price.. they excude no feel of adventure. It's rare.
To me, Dragon Quest 8 still have the best travelling progression in any game. From running around on foot, to using mounts, to having a boat, and finally an Airship. It's incredible.
Great video! I’m glad someone is giving BoF3 some love. It was the first RPG I played, so I got some major nostalgia.
Wow I agree with everything down to the honorable mentions. This has never happened before. Was going to comment that "I'd add Ys series to the list as well" but of course you included it in the end. Great list!
Great list Grandia is also the first game I thought of when reading the title of the video. I agree with every one of these games but dragon quest 11 IMO is the DragonQuest game with the most adventurous feel. That opening theme alone made me feel nostalgic and in the mood for a great adventure. I will never forget that moment in Grandia where you climb to the top of "The End Of The World" and look over the other side and realize your great adventure is just starting.
The moment at the end of the world was exactly as you described for me. Absolute euphoria when I scaled the wall and discovered that the adventure was only just beginning. What an incredible game and incredible adventure. A feeling I've never had since with any other game.
I'm so glad you appreciated Trails in the Sky OST, it's just so comfy, and damn, The Whereabouts of the Stars is good, I learned it all by hearts
Another great video, my guy. I really love how you present the games and your commentary, not just in this video but also in the several others I've watched as of late since I discovered your channel. Keep it coming; I have a feeling your channel will blow up. even more
Hey thanks man, really appreciate that. The channel has been seeing some better growth lately so just hoping it continues 🤞
This list came at the right time.
I'm really itching for a good adventure...
Golden Sun: The Lost Age is one of my favorite games of all time. The story, characters, music, powers and combat made one amazing adventure that I periodically return to.
One game that should be mentioned is Xenogears.
I loved it too but there were too many random encounters
The games Ive played on this list are something special, DQ8, Lunar, Golden Sun but the games Ive missed like Grandia and Skies of Arcadia, those really caught my attention! You always bring the best on these vids. My backlog is about to explode thanks to you! lol
Loved how you took your cat on a nature walk with you, Ive always wanted to do the same but Im too scared theyll get hurt walking around the city. :(
Thanks for watching and the support Jay.
Yeah she loves the outdoors when the weather is nice. She is still getting use to the whole leash thing lol. Baby steps though.
I think I'm nearing the end playing Grandia now. I remember my cousin visiting my home when the game was first released on the PS1. His parents bought it for him and we booted it up on my PS. A couple of weeks later I saw him reach The End of the World. I really loved what I saw and I finally get to complete it on my Switch. I know some people prefer the old graphics especially on the Saturn, but I don't mind the new look and sprites.
You helped me discover a game long forgotten to the scattered neurons of my brain.
I could never remember what the game was when I was a dragon, but turned into a kid. For years I couldn't think of it, now.....now I will return and complete that game to it's full capacity.
Grandia is one of the best adventure i had long ago, i very like the soundtrack plays at the top of great wall, and start another great journey from that. I cried at sue scene later.
ahhhh man you've made me go and collect these now for my gaming library. How could you and.. ha thank you man and great video too :) keep it up
Lunar Silver Star Story is my favorite game. I'm so happy to see the time and love you showed it here!
Great list! Grandia and BoF3 are definitely top tier. BTW what was that song that plays at the end of this video?
Thanks! An instrumental version of Pure Again, the song that plays during the credits of BoF3. I had never heard that version until just recently and it’s super dope
You listed most of the rpgs I think of when adventure comes to mind but another big one for me is Baten Kaitos. Just gorgeous and diverse locations in the sky that I had a blast discovering. Also as always, fire ost selection, guys.
You name dropped pretty much every game I thought of with adventure in one way or another. I wish more JRPGs nowadays would give us a journey like these, instead of always a "save the world" plot from the beginning.
Grandia is one of the best tRPG genre I have played and it came to Europe as a port for the PS1. Great game, soundtrack and all round brilliant title!!
i love watching videos about anything RPG. keep it up! you gained a new subscriber
Thanks for watching and the support!
Great list, bro! But I wanna add one more game/franchise: Mana/Seiken. The best for me is Seiken Densetsu III, or Trials of Mana. The remake version is pretty good, but the SNES version has all this bright and adventurous vibe from classic 90s jRPGs. It's my favorite jRPG!
Golden Sun was amazing! So glad you included it!
Dragon Quest VIII and Grandia are among my favorite games of all time. But when it comes to adventure spirit, Grandia takes that by far! The whole game SCREAMS adventure into your face. And I finally got myself to buy a copy of Ni no Kuni!!!! I’m in the end game of FFIX right now, but after finishing it, I’ll start Ni no Kuni immediately.
Big props to putting Skies of Arcadia legends on this list. I’ll never forget beating the game in junior high and it was the first time in a game where I felt like I went on a grand adventure. One of my favorite games of all time!
This list is my favorite, awsome idea and presentation, thank you for creating great content and keeping these games alive, TH-cam was made for people like you ❤
Great video once again. I didn't even think of breath of fire when I clicked lol. It definitely fit here though. Can't wait for the next vid
Just found your channel a few days ago, I'm really enjoying the videos. Thanks for the great content! I hope the channel continues to grow, good luck!
was looking for this type of vieeo like all my life ! thank you man „ the spirit of adventure“ that’s what I miss in alot of games nowadays...
Great list !...I played and loved each of them. The one that also came to my mind was Rogue Galaxy and some Star Ocean games. Thank you for the video and for the memories.
Jade Cocoon on the PS1 has a surprisingly great adventure feel.
Certainly. Jade Cocoon is the overlooked gem of the rpg golden era
Abraço do Brasil, seu canal é maravilhoso, feliz em ter o prazer de ver seu conteúdo
Was hoping to see some Wild Arms love here. The first game’s setting and adventure was amazing. That tease at the end tho..
I remember when i played grandia for the first time. You always think you are close to the ending and then something else pops off.
How surprising when you reach a certain point only to discover a whole new massive chunk of gameplay you didnt expect at all (trying not to spoil anything).
I played and completed Grandia as a kid, playing through it again now on emulator and just started disc 2. It's amazing what comes back after a couple of decades. Guido
Fantastic video as always and a great topic! A video response may be in order one day!!!
Thank you and that would be awesome! Go for it, I would definitely be interested in hearing what games capture it for you!
Great list! I will say that in terms of "adventure", my favorite Dragon Quest would definitely be the remake of VII on 3DS. I feel like the discovering of islands in that game is just fantastic, as it kinda reminds me of One Piece.
Grandia is the greatest RPG when it comes to portraying a sense of adventure.
how bout pokemon?
Ys 8 Lacrimosa of Dana is my #1. I usually don't like exploration in most games, I tend to play throughly but not cover every single spot of every area. Not with Ys 8, I 100% the map and I actually enjoyed doing it. The soundtrack, combat and that special feeling of adventure just completely hooked me. By the time I got close to the end, I was sad because it was almost over. It's seriously the only game I've played in a long time that truly made me want to discover and do absolutely everything
Excellent list, couldn't agree more with the choices. You just got a new fan of your channel :)
BofF3 was the game that started all that RPG fire 🔥 for me!!!
Breath of Fire 3 is a legendary game. You really do feel like you go through a full lifecycle. The desert crossing section is incredible for such a simple concept of walking in empty space. Searching for all the masters really help the feeling of a giant world. The fairy village is a great little break from your travels. The bosses feel epic and look amazing. The mini ! areas are nice touch to feel out your terrain, and the camping scene for saving feels so comfortable and inviting I would some times just chill next to the fire while taking a break. All in all just a fantastic experience.
If I want to jump into bof3 do I need to play the previous one before??
@@koladearasanmi2005 No, there are some references and eastereggs here and there but it is a story standing for itself.
*Skies of Arcadia Legends* was one of the first JRPGs I ever played, and to this day I don't think there's any game that has ever made me want to explore and see every secret the world has to offer. I just adore the world of Arcadia to pieces, from it's fascinating lore to its many charming and colorful inhabitants.
That’s what Golden Sun did to me
The list is pretty solid, but I was a little sad not to see Dark Cloud (PS2) on it.
Grandia totally is the first game to come to mind, lol.
Excellent selection, it's like you read my mind. During your honorable mentions I was even thinking to myself I'm gonna give a shootout to bof3, and then bam, bof3! Really though, games like lunar and grandia, dragon quest, skies of arcadia, breath of fire, ... All games I enjoyed so much growing up, and I continue to revisit. Again, a very well thought out and put together video. This one is clearly based on a lot of experience and personal enjoyment!
AWESOME list. Adventure, you discovered some of the secret sauce! Next list Pomp and circumstance music !
I was about to throw hands over that Star Ocean First Departure clip until I saw you text box. I am a sucker for media with both scifi and fantasy tags together
Same. One of my favorite settings and something I wish we got more of these days
dragon quest 8 is my #1 fave game of all time and between the two versions ive sunk at least 1000 hrs into it to the point i know everything about it at this point which im more then okay with
Really awesome video/list!!
I've played all the games on this list, and finished most of them!
Another game I would think of when people say "adventures feeling" is FFIX!
FFIX is def one of the greats
Before watching this video, my picks would be Grandia, Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, and Secret of Mana.
I feel that excessive dialogue and hand-holding hurt my sense of immersion and adventure.
Ah yeah, Earthbound and Secret of Mana would have been very fitting for this list as well. Great picks
lol no
I've played 7 hours of Chrono Trigger and I'm not into it at all. World, characters, combat, level design... None of them hooked me. I do like the soundtrack at least. I stopped playing by the time you get magic, after the robot factory. Does it get better afterwards? Or am I just not going to like it
@@Walamonga1313
Well, I think you definitely not going to like it. In my opinion Chrono trigger is good and very great for it's time but it not a masterpiece like everyone else said.
I think you might have made me realize my number one criteria for liking a game. I mean, your list might easily be my top 10 best games of all time 😂
Grandia is the best interactive Anime there is. The story is so captivating, it is one of the very very few games from my childhood, where I can remember almost everything vividly.
The drama, the humor, the heroism, the romance, it packs it all and it even sported beatiful voiced lines and great soundtrack. In addition to that, even the gameplay was top tier Jrpg stuff, with the unique magic and technique combo system. All time favourite videogame, for sure.
For Tales games I’d honestly say either Tales of Destiny or Tales of Eternia give the greatest sense of adventure. The reason I say those two is that a lot of Tales games actually start off on some kind of grim note that looms over you as you are trying to stop something catastrophic from happening. In Destiny you stumble on a magic sword and follow where it takes you, in Eternia you find an alien girl and go on a mission to figure out where she’s from. There really isn’t like a “something terrible happened and now we got to save the world” right from the outset.
I messed up starting with the PSP Lunar version before I found out how beautiful and charming the pixel art is in the original version. Now I have a hard time finishing it on the PSP, but at the same time, I don’t want to officially drop it half way through just to switch to the original version, so I have been stuck in decision limbo for a long while now.
thanks bro! I can tell how much time you guys put into your videos and I appreciate it! great list and I can't wait to dive into some of your suggestions. I've been meaning to play Skies of Arcadia ever since it first came out on Dreamcast back in the day. Guess I'll have to dust off the old emulator!
Does anyone know the game at 0:09 with the Van Gogh style prerendered background? I can’t find it from the video but it looks so cool
first grandia came in 3 disks!!! just imagine how wide they designed the world inside that game
plus the final mission of the first disk before it ends (switching to 2nd disk) always gets me
Breath of Fire 3 on PSP actually did get released in NA. It was just much later and was released digital only.
When I clicked this and started thinking of RPGs with that adventurous feel, Skies of Arcadia was the first one that popped into my mind, so I'm happy that's here. It is kind of a necessity when it comes to this particular theme I think, haha. As long as someone's played it, they'll agree. Grandia was my no.2, lol.
I also thought of RED Entertainment's Nostalgia on the DS. It's a shame they're no longer an RPG powerhouse anymore - I know their Far East of Eden series was a big deal for the PC Engine in Japan back in the day -- because this lone game demonstrated to me that they could make some real charming, adventurous stuff. Take one look at it and the mere sight of airships will make any Skies of Arcadia fan just get it immediately. I also thought of other Level 5 games, particularly Rogue Galaxy and ESPECIALLY Dark Cloud 2. Heck, when Max defeats that clown robot and leaves the town, and Scott Menville delivers that line about literally setting out on a great adventure, you _KNOW YOU'RE IN FOR A GREAT ADVENTURE,_ lol.
Sega CD Lunar had loads of spells and abilities that I was disappointed to find were missing in the PS version. They also grew up the characters from the Sega version for the Playstation along with changing some minor story elements. The new animations and music were fantastic, but lacked some of the darker tones of the original.
The worst thing about the playstation versions of Lunar was the difficulty level. Bosses leveled up with you so grinding was pointless to beat it. There also was a ton of missable items (Bromides; if I recall). I Owned the Sega CD version and it was heads and shoulders above.
Working Designs always made amazing packaging, booklets and even maps, in-game guides, etc for their playstation games that really made their titles that much better.
5:07 - So, the funny thing about Mister cartoon. The immediate year after the release of Lunar Complete, he would go on to the show making the band and become one of the five members of the show's boy band, O-Town, which he moved on from immediately after leading me to think he really doesn't care what he does.
I almost forgot about Skies of Arcadia! I had a lot of fun playing it on the Dreamcast, but I was too young at the time to really appreciate it. I would love to play it again one day!
Sir. BoF 3 topping your list just made me subscribe. Clearly a man of great taste
Arc the Lad 2 is pretty much a grand adventure and I loved it!
That game was definitely an amazing adventure. I was so far into the game and my PS3 broke... It isn't fair... I will definitely buy the Arc the Lad PS1 collection again.
I got DQ8 when it released on ps2 and got stuck as a kid. I bought it again, 15 years later, to play during the initial Covid lockdown. Played it slowly (90 hours over 364 days) and immediately bought the 3ds version when I finished.
Also, gotta say your taste in JRPG protagonists is pretty solid, I totally agree Vyse is among the best in the genre. Still have my First4Figures statue of him placed in my living room, probably the coolest piece of gaming merch I own.
Wow, that guy who voiced Alex in Lunar Silver Star Story was super salty about his pay, LOL. You could hear it in his voice.
Hell yea Grandia, loved that series (mostly) it was the first jrpg I played as a kid that solidified my interest in jrpgs.
A quick correction for Ni No Kuni, it was not originally released on PS3. Wrath of the White Witch is a remake of the original DS game Ni No Kuni: Dominion of the Dark Djinn which never released outside of Japan.
Fun fact: Everything after the final fight against Shadar (Dark Djinn) is exclusive to WotWW as the original DS version of NNK ends with that final fight against Shadar.
I just subbed keep up these jrpg vids and I'll keep watching.