10 Must-Play JRPGs on PC! | Backlog Battle

[@VDAband]

Since you mentioned the trails series, I'll mention that, despite its unsupported rating, trails in the sky works great on the steam deck.

[@BacklogBattle]

Thank you for clarifying that! I think the first time I tried Sky 1 on it, it had some weird resolution issues with portions of it getting clipped on the sides.

[@oxtim394]

Good to know. I hadn't tried it put yet, but that would make it super easy for me to try and get into trails! Thank you

[@Xebusc]

I can double that I’m up to cold steel 3 and every game has been fine working perfectly except cold steel 2 recognizing the saved file for 1 which seems to be an issue way before the deck came out

[@oxtim394]

@@Xebusc I'm so happy to hear that!

[@itsmemeg96x]

Absolutely, I’ve replayed maybe 3 times and 2 of which were on my steamdeck & then my rog ally! It’s amazing 🤩 runs beautifully

[@ILoveThisBlank]

I don't game on PC myself, but I still really enjoyed this list for talking about the games you talked about that I haven't played yet. A lot of stuff to look forward to me on consoles!

[@PindleofKujata]

Everyone should play through Final Fantasy IX on PC with the excellent Moguri mod enabled. It's almost always fan driven efforts that take a great game and make it transcendent.

[@BacklogBattle]

Admittedly, I only played FFIX once back in the day - but I've always wanted to replay it with the Moguri mod installed!

[@EhurtAfy]

Good recommendation, but I feel bad for people younger than me who are getting into gaming, I've been working on my backlog for 20 years and I still rely on spreadsheets to keep track of everything. Imagine if someone were told they should play Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Xenoblade, Trails, Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, Tales of Series, Trails in the Sky, etc. it would be overwhelming lol, that's a couple thousand hours right there

[@WickedKillaYT]

Moguri mod works great on steam deck as well! Honestly it really did make it much easier for me to get into it, ps1 games are personally the hardest for me to go back to.

[@TheJustproxy]

The Moguri mod is so essential that squarenix should just make a deal with the creator and make it enabled by default

[@WickedKillaYT]

@@TheJustproxy considering a remake is in progress I don't see any reason they'd do that

[@chrisdillon8376]

Triangle Strategy 2? Don't get my hopes up!

[@MisterMarsona]

Thank you for this list! I've been getting more into PC gaming lately (especially since it's easier to Stream directly from PC rather than use a capture card), and I would love to play some JRPGs this way. Great list!

[@sacredvolt69]

Very recently played Yakuza Like a Dragon (Yakuza 7) on steam deck all the way through and it played really well, highly recommend this JRPG. I've also bought Yakuza 8 but haven't started, heard good things though.

[@BacklogBattle]

Both are fantastic games!

[@johndefrancesco695]

Infinite Wealth plays perfectly on Steam Deck. Just finished it

[@felman87]

I love recommending games from indie devs who spent a ton of blood, sweat and tears into their work. When I heard the heartache that took the translators to bring us Trails From Zero, I just had to buy the game on principle. Years spent tackling the deep lore and dialogue that the game has, depressive episodes where the translators had no idea if the project would even make it out the door. Man, it just deserves your money. As does Chained Echoes. 1 dude doing all that? How can you not just love and appreciate the charm of the game. You can feel it in the characters and story that this game comes from the heart. That's not to say these games don't stand up just on their merits alone. It absolutely does. Even if you don't care about the backstory into how the games made it onto your system, the games are still fun.

[@Chelaxim]

NGL the minimum requirements for Trails in the Sky is hilarious because it came out in the west a decade after the Japanese release and it was already in 2004 a game that could run on a potato. The minimum processor requirements is Pentuim III...that game was playable on PCs that came out before The Legend of Heroes Cagesong of The Ocean.

[@anddo24]

Great video! Impressive list of games. I own/played all of these. Harvestella just hits different. I didn't expect the emphasis on story. The characters are all likable as well. The OST is master class. I enjoyed the entire 200 hours I spent with it.

[@BacklogBattle]

Go Shiina is such an underrated composer! One of the reasons why I absolutely loved Harvestella!

[@RubMyDucky]

Crono Trigger is a must and still holds up today

[@BacklogBattle]

I started replaying it on my Steam Deck the other day! Such a classic!

[@GodOfPlague]

Chrono Cross was also a lot of fun. Though not a direct sequel

[@dyslexicLLM]

Great list. And yes, I'd like to add a game to it; Dragon Quest Builders 2. Much like Harvestella is a farming-rpg, so is Dragon Quest Builders a building-rpg. The wholesome plot and the cute art style of Akira Toriyama make it a classic DQ experience. It's dangerously addictive even long after completing the story.

[@chumbosaurio7099]

Dragon quest 11, live a live or star ocean 2 10/10

[@BacklogBattle]

I wish I had DQ11S on PC! Sounds like the perfect platform for it!

[@keblin86]

@@BacklogBattle Me too but I refuse to buy it after getting the original on PC at launch...S is a downgraded graphics version on PC but with other awesome features but we got no discount offered for original purchases and I'm not a fan of buying the same game again just for a few extras...not at full price anyways lol

[@jasonmatos2896]

Such a classy video, and great pick of RPG's

[@uppernimbus]

Ys VIII is absolute magic. PC only players should definitely give the game a chance!

[@onmywayto974]

I second that!

[@theoaremevano3227]

It's also probably worth noting that the ending sections of Tales of Arise, do have a strong thematic correlation to what was established in the rest of the game, Namco just has a tendency to push themes too much toward the conclusions of their games as they wrap things up, leading to a lot of Tales games having a similar issue toward the end. It is also funny that the games lead composer was likely working on the tracks for Star Ocean 6 around the same time or shortly after.

[@landusrigsby3776]

Great suggestions on this video. From RPGs I've played within the past year, I'd add Persona 3 Reload, Sea of Stars, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Star Ocean The Second Story R as must plays for JRPG fans.

[@oxidonitroso88]

man i loved tales of arise. what a good game. Loved the characters. i'm gonna miss them

[@BacklogBattle]

I installed it on my Steam Deck and loved playing it on the go!

[@antgc8893]

I also really recommend Granblue Fantasy Relink. Despite how short it is, you will find some of the best boss battles in JRPG's in general, the final boss is a must play atleast once for how epic it is, and I say that as someone who has done every single Kiseki game and Final Fantasy. Also recommend SMT III Nocturne, Final Fantasy 14 (You can solo the game nowadays) and Xanadu Next if you can get it to run. For the Trails series I personally recommend to start with Trails in the Sky, but you can start with Zero without much issues.

[@GentlemanGamer94]

Dragon Quest XI S looks and runs incredibly on PC! Moreover, between the fairytail setting, cozy vibes and accessible turn-based battle system - with REALLY well done auto-battle functionality- I find it to be a comfort game; a title I can easily come back to time and again ^_^ I also wanna shout out Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy IX with the Moguri Mod, both of which I played for the first time in 2022, as being phenomonal experiences that lived up to the hype for me.

[@jeremiebinns]

I will follow you until the end of Earth. Those are some top choices right there! I'm about to start ffix with the moguri mod and still playing dqxis. Curious as to what you are playing rn?

[@GentlemanGamer94]

@@jeremiebinns Thanks much for the kind words! 🙂 I just finished Octopath 2 for the first time last week. I picked it up because of how highly it was rated in the Backlog Battle Awards, and was not disappointed Presently, I'm replaying Final Fantasy VII Remake before moving onto Rebirth!

[@jeremiebinns]

​@@GentlemanGamer94bruh!! I love you man. Like, more than you know and my wife might get jealous lol. I just built a pc just to play Octopath 2, ff7R Intergrade and Rebirth once it drops. Also counting the days for FFXVI on PC. You have touched my soul believe me or not. Hope all is well on your end and we will meet again soon friend!

[@GentlemanGamer94]

@@jeremiebinns you have wonderful taste in games yourself! I also haven't played FFXVI yet , but I hope to play through it with my wife sometime this year! Thanks for the kind words and the fun conversation about games; it's brightened up my day 🙂 hope all is well on your end too, and have a fantastic rest of your day!

[@FearFactor-fq7iq]

I just pre-ordered a steam deck oled so I’m super excited. Thanks for the recommendation 🎉

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

These are great! I have all of them on my to play list and mostly owned if I haven’t played them already. Trails in the Sky FC/SC also run quite well on steam, though I hear there’s maybe something weird with cutscenes on the steam deck. Not sure.

[@BacklogBattle]

The cutscenes playback at half the speed of the audio!

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

@@BacklogBattle oh that sucks!

[@senditall152]

I didn't play any JRPG since I was in my 20s. Now near my 40s I have a little itch for this.

[@Matthew7772005]

Love this video Alex. I have mainly been playing JRPGs on my OLED Switch. Several moths ago, I picked up an OLED Steam Deck. I played Trails from Zero and Azure on Switch and totally loved them. I am playing Trails in the Sky on my Steam Deck and loving them. It's the only way I can play them. I have bought Tales of Arise, Harvestella, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and plan to play them as well. Baldurs Gate 3 is one amazing game to play on the Steam Deck. I loved Triangle Strategy so much that I played every ending and collected every character for over 100 hours. Is there anything different on PC version? Thanks for all your hard work.

[@natsuvegavods]

You probably already heard about it but theres a game called bloomtown that just got a demo on steam! Looks like it'll be an amazing game so far!

[@keblin86]

I love the look of Triangle Strategy and it will probably be my first tactics game I finish (when I eventually buy it). I always love the look of strat rpgs but always find them too slow (combat wise!) so I hope this one will change my mind on things. I did play a bit of the demo and it seems awesome.

[@RMarr-uy9hf]

I was so glad to start Tales of Arise lately, but I think I was aiming for a classic "Tales Of" experience so I wasn't able to stick with it. Maybe I will give it a shot again in a few years ?

[@chaos49198]

Still crushing "Tales of" games at forty? Inspiring!

[@itsmemeg96x]

Harvestella really stressed me out on the switch and I’d all but given up on it…then I got my ROG ally and omg it’s a fantastic game🤩💜

[@BacklogBattle]

That's awesome! Who would've thought that just changing the platform made such a huge difference!

[@renanpereira5487]

Great list! Ty

[@jesserivera2043]

I love playing Persona 3 Reload on Steam Deck, myself

[@BacklogBattle]

That's where I played Persona 3 Reload as well! Was a great way to play it!

[@jeremiebinns]

Stuck between Chained Echoes and Sea Of Stars on which to purchase. 😅

[@BacklogBattle]

Chained Echoes!

[@jeremiebinns]

​@@BacklogBattle thanks! I'm subbed!

[@AustinB415]

I think harvestella shines on the switch, it mine not run or look the best but the switch is the perfect console for cozy farming games and jrpgs.

[@PapaDragonMK]

I bought a Steam Deck just to get into the Trials saga. Any suggestions on which one to start with?

[@BacklogBattle]

Zero. Skip to the chapter and find out why

[@obake6290]

The sky games are worth playing. Great characters, good story. Except 3 is definitely skippable in terms of story. I don't know if they are necessary to understand the later games as the rest are sitting in the backlog for me.

[@ebbest9398]

the legend of heroes trails of cold steel (1-4), simple one of the best jrpg ever

[@FhargaZ]

I am playing tactics ogre lets us cling together on the PSP, it is way different to Reborn and many..MANY things are better in the last one 😆 (levels, crafting and so on)

[@themasterdou]

I feel obliged to mention the Atelier franchise, I can't say how well this games would run on the Steam deck (after all some of them are pretty old, and Koei isn't famous for their amazing optimizations for PC), but this franchise made me reconsider my dislike for "cozy games", the sheer duality of the slice of life with the amazing boss fights (Gullveig, Lord of Water, Yggdrasil, God Machinima and others) is enough to make me put this franchise among my favorite of all times.

[@BacklogBattle]

I haven't finished an Atelier game on PC, but I did hear a few people talking about how there are parts of Sophie 2 (my current favorite) that randomly hangs on certain loading screens on Steam Deck

[@ANGELSTARK-jl5rn]

Harvestela? is a good game?

[@BacklogBattle]

Yup! Here’s my full review: Harvestella Review (PC, also on Switch) | Backlog Battle kzbin.info/www/bejne/gnXTfaB9fqt2r9k

[@weertangel7231]

A great list though i'm suprised u did't mention Sea of Stars couse that game is a blast as well right there with Chained Echoes. As for Tales of Arise, i have mixed feeling on that one, its not bad storywise but i just dropped the game once i reached the halfway point of the game(still not sure why) though the combat system irritating me was one of the reasons. Personally i prefer Tales of Berseria more, that truly is a masterpiece even on PC.

[@BacklogBattle]

I didn’t play Sea of Stars on PC

[@obake6290]

Sea of Stars runs great on PC but it is boring.

[@henrychang2267]

Since you’ve talked about Chained Echoes, Sea of Stars should also be mentioned because it is as interesting as Chained Echoes. And since you’ve mentioned Trails of Zero, the whole Trails series of Falcom is also worthy of playing because there’s no point to just play Trails of Zero alone. You wouldn’t understand the full pictures of background story and characters by just playing one of the Trails series games alone.

[@michaelmacorso4479]

The like a dragon n judgement games run beautifully on pc and the asus ally rog.

[@demise0]

Nier Automata should be on this list. It 'was' a bad port in the past, but there was a patch in 2021 that fixed the Steam version, and I played through it (beginning to Ending E) thrice on PC. Nier Replicant works great on PC also. Not just Trails from Zero, but every Trails game is available on Steam. It's effectively the ONLY modern platform that has the entire series available to play right now due to the Sky trilogy not being available elsewhere.

[@BacklogBattle]

@@demise0 was the Automata patch official?

[@demise0]

@@BacklogBattle Yes, officially patched. If you buy it now on Steam, it's just part of the base game. No 3rd party downloads/installs involved.

[@theycallmechou5396]

Who's the thumbnail?

[@BacklogBattle]

Ann from Persona 5!

[@mibbzx1493]

Tales of arise i cannot get into i played the first 15 hours and its pretty dull for me at least. I backlogged it and probably wont be finish it anytime soon since i played berseria and zestedia they feel too similar i guess idk what it is

[@jimmathin1669]

Im surprised you recommend tales arise over dq 11 or star ocean 2nd story r.

[@BacklogBattle]

Watch the intro and you got your reasons why!

[@RwnEsper]

Why even watch a JRPG-focused channel if you can't appreciate pixel art? Some of the best RPGs of all time are pixel-art, and the art itself is timeless. Compare Chrono Trigger to FF7, which art style holds up 25 years+ later?

[@tomoprime217]

i hear sea of stars is decent

[@joshuaflask3091]

Persona 5 Royal was way too long and the cat was annoying however it's good.

[@Rezerection]

"Because I'm in my 40s".......40s.....dude I figured you for late 20s

[@BacklogBattle]

A lot of people tell me that 😉

[@Cerana1182]

Chained Echoes is a hidden gem that everyone should play! The story and gameplay were stellar!

[@andrewdo8192]

Tales of Arise worked pretty much flawlessly on the steam deck, thanks for the rec, Alex

[@BacklogBattle]

I had it installed on my Steam Deck for the longest time! I really need to get a bigger card or upgrade the internal SSD some time!

[@scottcrammond8571]

I am currently playing Live A Live and its awesome! I have also played FF9 and FF8 on the Steam Deck. Those upscaled ports are really great!

[@TheAxebitten]

Great list. One unknown JRPG that blew me away last year was Symphony of War. It's basically Fire Emblem on PC, and I loved it.

[@anthonyhall6676]

I absolutely loved that one all the way until the final boss. What an awful, terrible design for a boss battle.

[@nooootnooooot]

Trails and Ys seem to complicated I don’t even know where to start lol

[@BacklogBattle]

You can play any Ys game since the entire series bounces around in its timeline and has very little continuity. For Trails, as mentioned in the video, I highly recommend starting with Trails from Zero for the reasons I talked about!

[@Adam.C]

It's like this list was made for me, lol. I love JRPG's and PC gaming. Listening to your list of requirements at the start my very first thought was Tales of Arise, so seeing it turn out to be the first on your list made me smile. I've played almost everything on this list and certainly agree they're all fantastic.

[@GamerGarm]

SaGa Frontier Remake on Steam is also a gem!

[@JuliaSin]

Kisara with shades gives me "Rude" vibes... He might crush on her as much as Tifa lol

[@radicalcentrist4990]

JRPG's are generally not my thing, but there are a few of them that I actually consider to be some of my favorite games of all time: Final Fantasy 10 and 12, Persona 5, Nier Automata (I think it's considered an action JRPG), Yakuza Like a Dragon. I also like Persona 4's story and characters, but the gameplay and artsyle ain't nearly as good 5's. And yeah, all of these are on PC, it's the only platform I game on.

[@TheWorstPartyMember]

Just gotta pop in here and salute you for loving on FF12. Not enough people do.

[@radicalcentrist4990]

@@TheWorstPartyMember I liked it because in many ways it reminded me of games like KOTOR and Dragon Age which are also some of my favorite games of all time.

[@Shadowl]

I'd like to recommend Etrian Odyssey as well

[@Kloxterz]

Gran Blue Fantasy Relink is amazing and a must play action rpg

[@huseyinsakalliRIB]

A channel filled with passion and knowledge, thank you!

[@randumbcat5610]

Love the chained echoes love! It needs more recognition!

[@gyrenrockz]

Nice games Kuya..

[@chipi4179]

Is sad to think Octopath II was not a success unlike Octopath I, when the second game is amazing and better on nearly everything

[@BacklogBattle]

It's relative. Octopath Traveler 1 has been around for a long time, so it was eventually able to sell 3 million units over time. Octopath Traveler 2 is still selling, even if it's not charting, with a ton of people commenting on multiple videos featuring it here and telling me how they've picked up the game recently and missed out on something great. I wouldn't worry so much about the series... we'll get a follow-up to it when the time comes!

[@Rayan01012]

Thanks. I have a steam for a few motnhs and this will help

[@BacklogBattle]

You're welcome!

[@tinnos]

Great video. Could you help me in understanding if Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth is considerable a JRPG? Of course its metroidvania character is strong but also its RPG elements, as evidenced by websites like RPGfan.

[@BacklogBattle]

Loosely, it probably is given its developers’ location. Though it’s more of a Metroidvania than anything. Genres are pretty fluid these days.

[@tinnos]

@@BacklogBattle ok thanks, because my problem is that I collect JRPG only so before buying I must be sure that the game is considered a JRPG.

[@obake6290]

So here's a perspective from a Linux and Steam Deck player Can second that Ys 8 recommendation wholeheartedly. The whole series runs great on Linux (and presumably the Deck as well). But Ys 8 to me is the apex of the series. I absolutely love that game. The Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters are another easy recommend, especially for anyone who hasn't experienced these classics. I look forward playing Trails from Zero myself this year. I played the Sky trilogy last year and they ran pretty well, with only some minor issues. This year will be Crossbell. Several others on your list are in my backlog to get to one day, such as Harvestella and Triangle Strategy. The Atelier series is my big recommendation outside your list. Other than some unimportant cutscenes they all run great, and many of them are great games. Heck, I'll just go and recommend all of GUST's output - Atelier, Blue Reflection, Nights of Azure. All good. God Eater 3 also runs great if you're looking for a JRPG / Monster Hunter hybrid. Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana also run great. Unfortunately can't say the same for Legend of Mana. That one crashes every 10 minutes. And so many more. Oh, and honorable(?) mention to Sea of Stars. I thought it was boring as heck, but it runs great and a lot of people like it.

[@TheCmurley131]

Triangle Strategy and Tactics Ogre Reborn are fantastic titles for a Steam Deck, ROG Ally, etc. It's incredibly cozy to play strategy RPGs on a handheld at high resolution and crisp FPS. While I prefer to play everything on Playstation to keep all trophies and save data in 1 ecosystem, some games like Triangle Strategy aren't available there. Can't recommend those 2 games enough, they sit at somewhat opposite ends of the strategy JRPG spectrum but are both amazing!

[@WolfPhoenix0]

I've completed Tales of Arise, Ys 8, Trails from Zero, and Persona 5 Royal. Still want to play Arise's Beyond The Dawn DLC on my Steam Deck but I really enjoyed playing the main game on PC. I also want to check out Octopath Traveler 2 and Chained Echoes someday.

[@ShadowShuriken]

I still haven't played Arise yet, it's a game that I keep going back and forth on purchasing, especially with Bandai Namco delisting Tales games... kinda pondering if I should bite the bullet and finally get it before it goes away for good.

[@kenenix3680]

You're like the gamer version of Mike Chen

[@BacklogBattle]

No idea who that is!

[@kenenix3680]

@@BacklogBattle Mike Chen from Strictly Dumpling because you kinda look like him

[@RMarr-uy9hf]

I discovered the Persona serie recently thanks to the PC game pass and the switch ports and I have to say : "It's as good as advertise!" It's been a long time since I did a new game + in an RPG, and I did for both P4 and P5 just after my first runs !

[@johndefrancesco695]

I purchased Terra Memoria when it was released recently and have been really enjoying it. Not finished yet but confident it will end up in my top RPGs of this year

[@jrpgaddict7726]

Chained Echoes nr1 for sure, amazing jrpg 🤩

[@mnopinion]

FF7 Remake is on PC

[@frankjschiefari.8428]

I think PC is a great place to experience the Kemco RPGs. They're not perfect, but they're charming and simple. Kind of a "JRPG Comfort Food", if you will.

[@obake6290]

Not sure how I feel about that idea. I don't hate Kemco RPGs by any means. I play them on my phone and they are perfectly serviceable. I just feel like if you're at a PC there's always something better you could be playing.

[@shizukasazanami]

I agree that the farming sims tend to be actually really stressfull. However, I'd like to recommend 2 of which I find more reasonable in that matter. Sun haven, in which you can set the day time up to 40 min, which I feel much less stressful. And Graveyard keeper, in which you don't actually need to care about day lenght at all. Might still not be your cup of tea, but if the time limits are the only complaint then I urge you to check those out. Loved the jrpg list by the way! :)

[@GodOfPlague]

Just got graveyard keeper. So far it's a lot of fun.

[@shizukasazanami]

@@GodOfPlague Hope you enjoy it!

[@cocacolasons7402]

I hate pixelart games, if you have graphicard why play those

[@BacklogBattle]

Because realistic graphics can be boring to look at, and the power of new hardware can be utilized for new post-processing effects to render old art styles in new ways that make them look far better than what they’d otherwise look like in the past.

[@haisex3]

The added bonus of playing on pc is mods so that’s why i’m also getting a Steam Deck soon lol