Thom's Retro JRPG Recommendations

Thom Recommends:

Grandia

The most grossly underrated JRPG of the 90's and my personal favourite video game - I could talk for hours on why you need to stop what you're doing and go try and find yourself a copy of Grandia. But I only have a few hundred words, so here goes:

Originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1997, Grandia tells the story of aspiring young explorer Justin, who dreams of following in his long-missing father's footsteps to discover uncharted land and learn the secret of his inherited 'Spirit Stone'. In the game's opening, Justin travels to a local archaeological site with his young friend Sue - a trip that coincides with that of the technological, militaristic Garlyle Forces, led by General Baal and Colonel Mullen. Evading the Garlyle soldiers, Justin and Sue make it to the heart of the site, where the Spirit Stone activates a holographic message. The hologram - a woman named Liete - tells them that they must travel across the ocean and beyond the 'End of the World' - an insurmountable stone wall found on a newly discovered continent - to discover the Spirit Stone's true potential.

Grandia's environments are three-dimensional maps, with the characters represented by 2D sprites, followed by a fully rotational camera. Characters learn new moves and abilities through repeated use of weapons and spells. Monsters are visible on the map and wander, docile, until the party gets close enough to attack. In battle there's an IP bar that displays a row of icons, which represent all allies and enemies. Magic attacks can be linked and combined, similar in style to Chrono Trigger.

With a colourful and varied extended cast of characters, Grandia is a memorable journey across a mysterious fantasy setting. With flourishing romance, sacrifice and betrayal, all topped with beautiful art direction and a stirring musical score, I implore you to join Justin's quest to discover the secrets of an ancient civilisation and prevent the antagonistic Baal from harnessing the corrupt natural force known as 'Gaia'. You won't regret it.

Also try:

Final Fantasy VI

Edgar, the womanising king of castle Figaro; Cyan, the loyal knight scarred by the death of his family at the hands of Kefka; Shadow - the veiled ninja mercenary who offers his services wherever the coin is: Final Fantasy VI has perhaps the greatest ensemble cast of characters ever put together for an RPG.

Originally released in 1994 for the SNES, Final Fantasy VI is set in a steampunk world where technology thrives and magic is a rarity, telling the story of the ‘Returners’ - a group of underground rebels who attempt to thwart the plans of the Gestahl Empire and its mad general Kefka by preventing them from capturing espers and manipulating their magic powers.

The gameplay consists of open-world exploration on a map traversable by foot, chocobo or airship, and turn-based combat played through a menu - staple mechanics of the Final Fantasy series.

At the heart and centre of Final Fantasy VI’s brilliance lies Kefka, the story’s main antagonist. From the brutal poisoning of castle Doma’s water supply, to the dishonourable ambush on the last espers, Kefka is a character of such stark and irredeemable madness and evil that his success in bringing about the World of Ruin seems almost inevitable. A nihilistic psychopath who craves for nothing but the destruction of all life, his quest for godlike powers makes him one of the most memorable (and successful) gaming villains of all time.

Also try:

Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger was destined for greatness. For the project, Square assembled what they dubbed the ‘Dream Team’: Yuji Horii, creator of the famed Dragon Quest series; Akira Toriyama, the manga artist responsible forDragon Ball; Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy series; Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda composed what is widely regarded gaming’s greatest soundtrack; Masato Kato wrote and Kazuhiko Aoki produced. All would go on to play huge roles in Square’s largest franchises.

Chrono Trigger hit the SNES in 1995 to wide critical acclaim. It had multiple endings (over a dozen), relevant side-quests that focused on character development, and unique battle mechanics, leading many to cite it as a revolutionary title that has influenced countless RPGs since. One of the most standout aspects of the game is its use of time travel; the characters have access to seven different eras in the game world’s history, and how your past actions may affect future events is a key element of the story. Throughout the different periods, the player can search for important villains, recruit allies, and complete side-quests.

Players control the protagonist, Crono, and his party through the 2D game world. Enemies appear on the field and are engaged using an ‘Active Time Battle’ system akin to that found in the Final Fantasy series. Magic and special techniques function through a system called ‘Techs’. An original feature of Chrono Trigger’sTech system is the number of cooperative techniques that are available. Each character can learn eight personal Techs, which can then be stacked with others to create Double and even Triple Techs for a much more powerful effect.

The world in which Chrono Trigger is set has many similarities with our own world, with eras such as the prehistoric age and the medieval period coming complete with dinosaurs and knights. As they travel ahead in time, however, they come to the post-apocalyptic wasteland that the world will become. Crono and his party investigate, to discover that in 1999 the world will be ravaged by a giant creature known as Lavos that has long been residing within the earth. They vow to find a way to prevent the future decimation of their world and ensue on their twisting journey through time.