5 JRPGs Worth Buying in 2023 & 5 That Are NOT!

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2023 has been one of the best years for JRPGs and video games on a whole! But not every games was worth buying...In today's video I'll share 5 JRPGs worth buying and 5 that are NOT!
Timestamps
Intro 0:00
Worth It 1 0:31
Not Worth It 1 1:52
Worth It 2 2:46
Not Worth It 2 4:10
Worth It 3 5:21
Not Worth It 3 7:03
Not Worth It 4 8:10
Worth It 4 10:00
Not Worth It 5 11:30
Worth It 5 12:32
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[@TheGamingShelf]

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[@phillipnguyen4629]

Can you make a vid of your dating stories? Can make it rpg related lol

[@TheGamingShelf]

@@phillipnguyen4629Haha that’s an interesting idea! I just don’t know if anyone would watch it.

[@Cayden.1]

why was chained echoes not on the list, have you never played it before?

[@snowenn]

@@Cayden.1 I think the list is limited to games that released in 2023. Chained Echoes is from 2022. It's still in my backlog, but I'm looking forward to playing it!

[@paulofrota3958]

What a joke.

[@deadnalive9166]

CryMachina may not be worth full price, but I really like it and didn't regret 100%ing it

[@optimize0]

Agreed. It's another example of Furyu quality. Great concepts with a few off putting gameplay mechanics.

[@luisarkham6027]

I will definitely pick it up on discount, the art style is eye catching enough so maybe for on a sale it would be worth it

[@stardf29]

The thing is, I feel like a roguelike dating sim could work. Having to work with whatever specs you get a given run, perhaps having to give up on one romantic interest in a given run because of that, and perhaps even having to maintain the relationship instead of just getting into it... I can see some potential for some interesting applications of roguelike elements. That said, looks like Loop8 isn't the way to do it. And I can get that just going through dialogue probably isn't engaging enough to form the core roguelike loop. But hey, I think the idea is worth looking into. Maybe with some pseudo-battle system but with flirting instead of fighting? Anyway, someone with more involvement in game design than a random commenter on the Internet like me would have to flesh it out but I think it's worth looking into.

[@mauricioaguilera3194]

Hades is kinda that ... In a way

[@emblemblade9245]

I adore the fact that you put time stamps in the description to go straight to the game titles for each entry on the list. Really strong video structure, I appreciate it a lot!

[@gejamugamlatsoomanam7716]

Disliking for promoting a pick up artist as sponsor

[@Walamonga1313]

My youtube autoskips sponsored sections 💀

[@lordbobby198]

Bro has gotta make some bread somehow

[@usmansubhani7482]

Someone who falls for that should talk to people more. This guy just wants to eat.

[@Bwdh23]

He has to make money stop being a jerk

[@jamesglenn8236]

Disliking a video with 14 minutes of content that you like for 2 minutes of content you don't like at the end that you don't even have to sit through is disappointing. Are you going to create, edit, and post something for us to watch in its place?

[@errimusberrimus383]

Great list! It's great to hear good things about Eternights. I'm hoping to try it come the beginning of next year. On the topic, I fell in love with both Void Terrarium games this year. Fantastic takes on the mystery dungeon style.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@janusan89]

I bought Monster Menu on sale and it was honestly a good purchase: it's fun on short bursts and I enjoy the experimentations with cooking to give you buffs, but also make items work differently depending on how you cook, so if an item is bad on its own, cooking it in some way can change its stats and also give you buffs. And you can also use the items on enemies, some of which can give some nasty debuffs too. Really enjoyed the experimentation process...just not a fan of how if someone dies you can't ress them until you find an altar. And I still haven't understood how classes get their skills... Also, Crystar is better than Crymachina. Crymachina's got good music though, but that's about it.

[@rooster1610]

Ngl the SAO games are soooo shallow and dull, and that's coming from a die hard SAO fan. The only good one is Fatal Bullet which still holds up today imo

[@ataridc]

I liked the 1 with guns but its also the only one I've played and I bought it cause it was an action rpg w guns nothing to do with sa o

[@DieselJT]

Fatal Bullet was great for sure!

[@jacobanderson8633]

Don’t hate on SAO😢

[@vonweiss7149]

Sao Hollow Realization has some words to say.

[@rooster1610]

@@jacobanderson8633 bro skipped the part where I'm a die hard SAO fan 💀 I love SAO, it's just the games that are not good

[@beansfebreeze]

The name Monster Menu was making me hope for a game with some meta elements where the idea is you upgrade the menus themselves to give you more abilities in combat and things like that

[@DrGamingPlays]

Great video, and I always like how you are to the point. Nayuta: Boundless trails is in my to play pile, and I will likely get into it soon before I pick up the next chapter in the actual Trails series. I'm holding off on Sea of Stars for the physical release, and I've had my eye on Silent Hope. Crymachina look intriguing when I first heard about it, but I think your video reaffirms my decision to pass on it for now (especially at that price).

[@TheGamingShelf]

I know everyone is busy so I try not to waste your time as best as I can ;)

[@blueythedragonknight3949]

Star Ocean Second Story R is definately one of the best RPG's of 2023 and it honestly got me playing the other Star Ocean games i own (Except SO5 cause that game is trash).

[@peterk822]

Here's hoping they port 1 & 3 to PC

[@vault29a]

i mean honkai star rail exists, lol

[@garyking2622]

I dont have a Switch, Playstation of PC

[@aiodensghost8645]

​@@vault29anot as good as Star Ocean. Honkai always screamed "cheap Chinese gotcha knock-off" to me.

[@mellowvalentine9354]

@@vault29anever compare a gacha game to a real rpg ever again.

[@Gerd0]

1:48 - "It's a gorgeous game" Holy heck that water looks amazing. God I love the look of these newfangled HD pixel games.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Right!?

[@zekkenalter6013]

I bought Loop 8 because I love the art style and I also love Visual Novels and Turn based battles. Oh boy, the rogue like mechanica was seriously a bummer to be honest. And btw, I don't regret buying CryMachina.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Everyone got sucked it with Loop8. It’s a shame the game wasn’t better.

[@zekkenalter6013]

@@TheGamingShelf if they could at least patch the game where you can skip all the dialogues that you already read. And since I paid for it, I might as well platinum it and sacrifice some of my hours.

[@abrahamlupis9354]

Is the game censored?

[@TheImmortalKhan]

I was on the fence about boundless trails but thanks to your review I'm definitely going to look for it when it goes on a good sale

[@TheGamingShelf]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@TheLastQuazar]

Eterknights were actually great. The fast paced combat are quite fun. The characters were so endearing as well. I just wish the game a little bit longer. Too short by rpg standard. I recently start playing Tales of Arise with mods for the first time. Man, it was such a game changer

[@Delkes66]

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of mods did you install to enrich your gameplay experience.

[@TheLastQuazar]

@@Delkes66 Shaders, bug fixes like draw distance,art skills canceller, enhanced eyes and nose textures. Mostly gameplay stuff related. All from Nexus Mods site. All these mods what makes Tales of Arise should had been when it came out. Shoutout to the modders for making gods work on these

[@Beny763]

I feel like it´s worth mentioning that Nayuta is part of the Trails series. While it has different gameplay and is, as of right now, only very loosely connected to the rest of Trails (as in, basically not connected at all) It could become relevant, and it might be a good incentive to check out the rest of the series, if you get interested in checking out a 10+ game narrative

[@Walamonga1313]

Idk I love Trails and Ys, as well as Xanadu Next but Boundless was just meh

[@experience_point6233]

Surprised there's no Octopath Traveler 2 on the list anywhere.

[@alexterieur8813]

Yeah it was so fantastic

[@experience_point6233]

@@alexterieur8813 Yes, my 4th favorite game of this year actually.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I did a video like this earlier in the year that had Octopath 2 ;)

[@lotterwinner6474]

Nice to see Silent Hope getting some love. What do you think of Chained Echos? I feel like it released too late to be added to 2022 lists but gets forgotten on 2023 lists.

[@publicenemaplays]

I think you sold me on Silent Hope. I haven’t heard much since the release trailer so it’s good to hear some praise for it

[@TheGamingShelf]

Nice! It’s a really cool game. I hope you enjoy it.

[@gt3racer2187]

My favorite JRPGs of the year are Octopath Traveler 2, Fate/Samurai Remnant, Star Ocean Second Story R, Super Mario RPG and Fire Emblem Engage. I still need to play Sea of Stars and Chained Echoes but I'm sure they'll be up there as well once I do. Awesome year for the genre.

[@zurajanaisephirothda3886]

I finished Silient Hope and tbh, its not a bad game but its a game I would wait for a sale to buy and play. Its this cozy 7/10 game you play to unwind but not rly think too much about

[@TheGamingShelf]

Exactly. It’s a podcast game.

[@lalala9337]

I was wondering, the thing you mentioned in Eterknights that you can slow down time if dodge at the right moment, is it the same dodge mechanism in the Ys series?

[@damaged_good7666]

At 11:01 I paused the video thinking, "MAN, Nayuta looks a lot like Ys.. Who made this game?" At 11:12 after looking up who made the game.. "This is a Falcom game who is famous for the Ys series..." 😂 I'm really glad I've found this channel. I've been binging your videos for the past couple days.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Im so glad! There’s tons of videos to binge so enjoy 😉

[@wereserts]

Astlibra came out last year but got english localization this year and I absolutely loved it. Any rpg fans should check it out

[@basiliskr3946]

Eternights took me by surprise. I usually play horror or horror adjacent games for October. When I saw the Eternights trailer, I decided to give it a shot. It really was enjoyable. The characters were fun, the story just interesting enough and it was fairly easy to play through. I was skeptical about Star Ocean since I wasn't able to finish the first one. Mostly because I had other games I wanted to play, but also because it wasn't really engaging. But, Second Story was just so much fun. I loved the characters, the world, the combat. The specialties were easier to acquire. Also, I didn't mind the fishing mini game, which is rare for me in a JRPG. I bought the Tales of Arise DLC because I loved the world and the characters and... yeah. Pretty disappointing stuff. While it was fun revisiting Arise, the actual DLC was pretty short and bare bones. The only good thing about it was how it accurately portrayed mass immigration of refugees, which isn't something I actively look for in a game. Seeing the world you fought to save basically self-destructing was really a let down. I definitely want to try out Sea of Stars. Have it on GamePass but been swamped with other games. I wanted to play Loop8 but might wait for it to drop in price. The rest, I haven't heard much about. I might look into Cry Machina but it isn't high on my priority list.

[@grandgamer605]

I have a question about the Second Story. Since there are three different voice choices, which one of them warrants the great voice acting praise?

[@starknightlumina8680]

That is up to you. Some people don't like the English voices from the PSP version (Second Evolution), but I find them charming. Some people enjoy the original Japanese VO, but some might like the newly recorded Japanese voice over for this game. One of the great things about this remake is you get a lot of choices to play how you want.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I played with the newest ones and they sounded great!

[@shoked99]

Thanks for sharing, nice lists.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks for watching!

[@TheSkidify]

Great video format! Please do more of these!

[@TheGamingShelf]

I did one earlier in the year if you want to check it out!

[@Lemonade_Stand_]

It would be helpful if you included chapters with the game titles and also mentioned what consoles the games are available on.

[@femtrooper]

Awesome list as always, Taylor!!!

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks Paige! 😁

[@Milanin8]

Loop8 was an interesting spin on Persona-like timed repetition of battles after x says, but the dialogues were really bad, and you could heavily cheese the chances for success in talks with save scumming the nonsense lower chances of ANY dialogue choice if you choose another instead of being interconnected with a max convo limit beyond the chances going into impossible odds

[@glezard212]

Thanks enjoyed your content

[@guaplei1]

okay will listen to you really nice explanation subscribed i cant wait to see more

[@TheGamingShelf]

Awesome, thank you!

[@fatrobin72]

Personally as a switch off and play game i have been enjoying witchspring r. the story knows its not serious and leans in to that, and the gameplay feels juicy enough for what is a straightforward turn based system.

[@jclosed2516]

I can agree with your list here. I also agree that Crymachina could have been more worth it at a lower price level. If the price drops enough I will probably buy it (the same goes for a very similar but older game called Crystar). I fully agree with The Legend of Nayuta, but I think the Tales of Arise expansion is just fine for the price point. Personally I have some JRPG's that where not in this list, but where great for me. These are (in no particular order) The legend of heroes: Trails Into Reverie, Atelier Ryza 3, Atelier Marie Remake: The Alchemist of Salburgand and The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure. All of these where worth the money completely...

[@Bowflex2480]

thanks for the video Taylor. i bought the Tales of arise Dlc so now i have to try it and see if i like it😂😂

[@ataridc]

I cannot believe you don't get that little lolu character as a party member. That was literally the only reason I was considering getting it.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I hope you enjoy it 🙂

[@bobjones4469]

One of these days I'll play Loop8, just don't got much free time. I'm a story buff so all the negatives you listed for Loop8 and CryMachina are positive for me, except the setting of CryMachina doesn't really appeal to me. Anyways, the game here I've played is Eternight. It was a pretty good game, the combat is decent enough to keep you entertained but the real draw is the character personalities and interactions, much like the Persona games.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Agreed! Eternights has great characters.

[@guaplei1]

before you bought loop8 just make sure to read the reviews on steam thats all that i asked

[@IamJerf]

Glad to know about Eterknights, I was waiting for a physical copy to release so im happy there's something good to look forward to. I'm in the middle of playing Star Ocean 2 and im really enjoying the game alot, I just got Precis and Welch so now I think I can get through tougher battles more smoothly with more characters. To be honest I still enjoy Tales of Arise's DLC, I got to return playing the game overall and seeing new contents. I want to get Crymachina but definitely not right now, i'll buy it when its on sale either on Steam or Switch.

[@tombrooke1281]

Eternights does have a physical copy, I have it, bought it from Amazon, just a heads up. Just realised this was posted 4 weeks ago, so sorry if you already know this information.

[@IamJerf]

@tombrooke1281 don't worry about it, yeah I was aware they have a physical copy delayed from its initial release date. I still haven't bought it yet to this day because right now I've been going through other games lately that there was no time to buy it and I have new games coming out soon that might actually prioritize more than Eternights. I will eventually get it and try it out

[@maciejstachowski183]

Okay, but.... roguelike dating sim sounds like a banger idea. Like one of those hard as nails ones where doing anything wrong gets everyone killed and you stabbed by the resident yandere, but with every loop you learn characters' secrets and whatnot that you can use in subsequent playthroughs, but every loop is a bit different to keep you on your toes. Or maybe you need to go all the way into one character's route to learn something that lets you progress with another character. I'd play that.

[@dragoness777]

The only game I have played that tried to pull off a roguelike dating sim playloop is XOXO Blood Droplets, it's a little cringey for my taste (and that's coming from someone who likes edgy things) but it was an interesting game idea despite that. It's free to play and you're actually encouraged to explore all the endings. I stopped playing because it wasn't as character driven as I was hoping and all the love interests are kinda.... boring. Especially since the gimmick is that they're all psychopathic killers. I could honestly see the game loop being more engaging if it was also tied into an amnesia mechanic or some other thing that does a soft reset on your progress, so more a roguelite.

[@Delkes66]

For Nayuta would it scratch an itch like Dark Cloud 2? I've missed that kind of game

[@DanteCrowlley]

I still buy old games since they usually are more accessible to third worl when discounts drop

[@markdiaz8895]

Glad to see ya back! I'm glad to see silent hope, I just picked it up! It's fantastic! P.s. is it sad I have 7 of the 10 on the list lol

[@TheGamingShelf]

Good to be back! Not sad, just means you’re a dedicated Jrpg player 😉

[@TheGilvb]

nice video, next time put whats plataform the games are avalable

[@AnikethBandi]

Quick question for anyone to answer but I've been wanting to get into the star ocean games but idk if I should play the originals or wait for the hd-2d remasters. Because I can't really find one for the first game, so I was wondering do I just play the latest version of the first game or wait for a potential remake.

[@TheGamingShelf]

It depends on how badly you want to try the first game. They did remaster it, but not a full remake like 2. I feel like they'll do a new mainline game before another remake so you might be waiting awhile!

[@AZNsensation2424]

Great video! Guess I'll have to stop sleeping on Eternights lol

[@TheGamingShelf]

It’s so good! And not that long. Give it a try ;)

[@joshcarriker6958]

I heard Dragalia Lost playing in the background near the end for .7 seconds

[@Zeraltz]

I really liked Tales of Arise, so I was wondering if I should buy the expansion, looks like you saved me a couple bucks

[@DiamondSparklz61]

I personally like CRYMACHINA and bought the collector's edition. I am not a hardcore Tales of fan, but I have completed 3 of the newer games, Arise being my favorite. I preordered the dlc as soon as it was announced. It waa definitely lackluster, but I did enjoy it still, completing 100% in just short of 20 hours. I agree it could've been so much more, and at a lower price. But do I regret my purchase? No.

[@bigdrudogg33]

I usually dislike when people tell me what games not to buy, because of contrasting opinions, but you did it in a thoughtful nonjudgmental way. Nice job.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thank you! Unless the game has some undeniable flaw I try not to be judge-y with stuff like that.

[@opticgamer3731]

Im waitimg for the physical versions of chained echoes & seas of stars.

[@tlasjc]

Azure Dreams is a rogue-like dating sim and I still like to play it today.

[@jeremyfusenliu3859]

damn, I had Eterknights in my backlog and forgot all about it because I didnt know how the game was, good know that it would be interesting. Also after mentioning Nayuata and Ys how dare you not mention Trails into Reverie (said in a jokingly angry tone), sure it wasnt officially released this year but it would still count since it locaziled this year. Personal best JRPG series.

[@traytonvanderecken3311]

Star Ocean Second Story R is amazing and I'm glad to be playing it though there are some puzzles i don't like but it doesn't stop me from playing it.

[@melonusk6120]

ive finished all 99 endings, a bit insane feat :D

[@traytonvanderecken3311]

@melonusk6120 Yeah I remember hearing the many endings it had crazy for a game to have so many of them.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Yeah there are 2 that come to Mind that were SUPER annoying.

[@traytonvanderecken3311]

@TheGamingShelf The one puzzle I hated the most was Field of Wisdom having run into so many enemies and finding out where I'm supposed to go so i ended up using a guide on youtube and helped me completed it so not looking forward to it on New Game Plus Mode.

[@matthewbraith0411]

I got the Eternights Plat today :)

[@TheGamingShelf]

Nice! Who was your favorite romanceable character?

[@johnysimps1191]

As someone who loves Tales of Arise you are so right about the TOA DLC. The story itself (the main highlight of the DLC) starts out okay and gets progressively worse. It is a brilliant idea but the execution was borderline stupid. There was a moment were Alphen nearly goes berserk because his people were about to hurt a child. Letting the child get hurt would have given Alphen enough reason to lose his cool. Instead he saves the child (who can single handedly box his entire party lol) and still gets mad. Just a little rant about the story but all in all it didn't give enough to justify buying it. I hoped for new arts and passives but we got more clothes and story. Not bad but also not enough

[@nine_tails137]

Been hesitant to buy SAO: Last Recollection, after seeing a copy at my local Gamestop(formally EB Games). Every other game on this list I don't recognize.

[@nathansparks9814]

Hey hollow fragment was ahead of its time!

[@monkeydluffy5054]

Enternights is one game I hope to play one day

[@Starlight-Anya02]

5:32 Made by a One person studio with such a good quality, nice.

[@Solizeus]

"Rogue like dating sim" Ouch... that gotta hurt, imagine being rejected a bunch until you are accepted

[@TheGamingShelf]

xD

[@lesslighter]

sounds like RF4.... save scum until the confession succeeds

[@xelldincht4251]

Time loop stories can be great like the movie Groundhog Day but it seems like the developers did not even try to make it interesting. They probably get a very tight budget as well

[@fierytigergaming8112]

I'd say that Loop 8 was worth it (But the thing that stops me is that i'm still salty from Beni enraging the boss to the point where it one-shot Ichika)

[@TalesofFanatic012]

Gonna get the Tales of Arise DLC regardless as just as a fan for the series, when it might become cheaper

[@dr.strange1300]

NIS never misses with Disgaea (except for 6) and the Labyrinth series. Check it out!

[@steveluna1627]

Not gonna lie, I actually liked Loop 8, yeah I'd say it's pretty niche because you have to play a ton of dating sim and be prepared for it's rogue like mechanics but at least to me it's entertaining. I wouldn't suggest it to anyone, but I'm sure there are many VN gamers that could give it a chance, I wouldn't say it's bad but rather different.

[@Sinbad83]

Tales of Arise was a good shot for me, I was kind out of the current JRPGs and can't say if it really doesn't bring anything new in the game compared to similar titles of the Tales of series and even similar ones like Atelier Ryza. Even so, it really got me, felt it was a worthy journey with interesting combat, the graphics are astounishing (the best looking anime JRPG for me), cool story (aside the very end where the majority of JRPGs screws up with apocalyptcis events), good pace both in main and side quest, where I did all side quests without feeling pressure by its amount. Moreover, the camp stuff are interesting to become more closer to the characters and the voice acting really caught my attention, since most of the JRPG have bad english acting. With the exception of this one, I totally agree with the list. Nice job! o/

[@DiamondSparklz61]

Currently I have finished basically 100% of both base and expansion of Arise, only missing 2 of the friendship achievements: Law and Rinwell. I won't be doing them unless I decide to play through the main story again for a 3rd time, since that's 12 hours of waiting (both at 0/6 and it's an hour of waiting between conversations) And no there isn't ANYTHING for me to do to pass the time without afking. I've literally done EVERYTHING. (Unless I want to buy the SAO collab which I don't)

[@aoao3340]

>Tales of Arise Endgame content is completely killed the game for me. First arc was great but other ones...

[@Sinbad83]

@@aoao3340 Final arc is where things starts getting wild. Don't know why JRPG writers like stuff going apocalyptical and on a galaxy-wise scale. This feeling also occurred to me on Xenoblade games.

[@Jwg-gj7qs]

I actually got the Tales of Arise DLC and to be honest......I really enjoyed it. Of course I noticed the recycled assets part and the story was kind of a train-wreck that was like "what's the point of this?" But I did personally find Nazamil a relatable character so much to the extent I want to have an interview with the guy who written Nazamil and the final boss fight was a real show-case (a little disturbing and a little too easy, but still an awesome fight). The battle system is still addictive as h*ll.

[@xXcorpitoXx]

A very good jrpg that came out recently is Witchspring R. That game gripped me. Took me around 36 hours to beat.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Stay tuned, I’ll be covering it in an upcoming video.

[@mo_musashi_284]

I Tried the Dragon Quest Treasures demo & immediately bought the physical game , so that tells you a lot.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Nice! I heard that was a fun game.

[@im-_-dubz2707]

Id like to add Fate/Samurai Remnant to the "Do" list! My fav game this year❤😊

[@rooster1610]

Right with ya, such a good game

[@NefariousLoto]

Never thought of this day a Fates game by Koei turns out to be a great game and here we are 🔥

[@TheGamingShelf]

I definitely need to get to that!

[@matheusmarx5994]

This is a very good list, the ones you put in the not worth it looks like good games, but not good enough for their price, the good ones I think they dont worth the price either with the exception of Star Ocean and Sea of Stars, but again there are no bad games, just some better than others, I just wouldnt put Tales of Arise in this list, because its a dlc, not really a game

[@uppernimbus]

Bro, so many RPG's that keep on coming! Knowing myself, I'll be buying any of them that physically come Switch-bound 😅

[@TheGamingShelf]

The backlog never shrinks lol

[@mysetlist2118]

It’s weird how smooth Ys combat in older games are but when falcom makes spin off action games it’s not as smooth kinda like Tokyo Xanadu it was bugging me how the pace and combat was a bit off so I’m guessing with nayuta they used a different team

[@TheGamingShelf]

Yeah I don't understand that either lol. Just copy it over!

[@tiagogestosa6147]

Eternights is fun, i love the choices they offer for answers. I didn't finish the game because i was hooked in another game but i plan to finish it. I played a bit of the expansion of The Tales of Arise and it was really a bummer not having nothing new, but since i like the game i will finish the expansion. The last game that i have in the list is sword art online, i was expecting more but still for me is not bad. This is the fourth game i played but all of them lacked the spark that i had for the anime. I would recommend Trails in Reverie, the game is really good but if you want to get in the story you should play or watch the playtrough of the other Trails. I'm also playing Fate/Sanurai and i'm liking too. I played the game cause i'm a fan of the series Fate. For 2024 i'm planning to buy Granblue Fantasy, Persona 3 and off course FF7 Rebirth.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I REALLY want to try Fate/Samurai! It looks super cool.

[@tiagogestosa6147]

@@TheGamingShelf I liked so far until now, i'm still in chapter 1. I started playing this Monday but i didn't play yesterday cause i was installing Naruto's new game and playing a bit. But i want to continue today.

[@PowderedToastMan3]

I'd probably include Octopath Traveller 2 or FE Engage over Silent Hope for your final "worth it" slot, assuming you weren't trying to use this list to highlight less AAA games,

[@TheGamingShelf]

I did another one of these videos early in the year and included both of those!

[@frederickharveyj.r1992]

I wholeheartedly recommend Eternights. It's pretty good.

[@awastedcow]

Hard disagree with Silent Hope and not because of how you may sound hypocritical. Before I start, here's some context: I bought it Day 1 because of first impressions and that it's from Marvelous. Wasn't expecting anything crazy going in, but I did hope that they pulled inspiration from Rune Factory because it's one of their famous franchises. I also started with the archer and also went fighter just like you did, then I tried out the Sw&Sh then the mage/alchemist, then tried the lancer farmer girl. Didn't touch the greatsword/claymore character because it felt so slow with the wind-ups. There is a feeling of progression, but it's at a snail's pace. The grinding is absurd (yes I know it's a roguelite and grinding will always be involved) and is _barely rewarding_ because the second you finally grind up the gear to beat the boss, whether you are of an average skillset or hardcore no-hit fighter, all your equipment becomes obsolete the second you progress to the next floor. "Isn't that common?" Well yes and no because even the first stage of the next floor has way tankier enemies to the point where you feel weak af again. More than half the game is a walking simulator to grab resources and there's nothing to aid you in that aspect. At least in Rune Factory, every action you did contributed to some growth no matter what (weapon proficiency, gathering skills, etc). With that in mind, $40+ USD for a walking simulator where your gear farming is not rewarding, combat becomes monotonous by spamming skills because of crit multipliers, and then bossing is the only thing to look forward to is a disappointment. "But Rune Factory and other RPGs share these aspects." Yes, but _they expand on them._ *Silent Hope does not.* Rune Factory has a complex crafting and upgrading system built in where you can transform even a beginning weapon to a god-tier item for 1/3 of the game and the effort you put in is rewarded because you can not only be funny, but be satisfied with it. RF also lets you tame even boss monsters which is neat and allow for unique party compositions (RF4 & RF5). Other RPG's don't turn your gear obsolete with every 1-2 hours of progress. Call me a hater, but what I dislike is to see people spend $40 on what ends up being a lackluster game when they could spend that $40 somewhere else like the other worth it games in this video.

[@tonyb1642]

I guess not all DLC can be as good as Future Redeemed for Xenoblade 3, though I thought Namco would add extra areas in that DLC, even if not many.

[@acezero10]

Huh? Namco?

[@tonyb1642]

@@acezero10 About the Tales of Arise DLC

[@LKTTRG]

DLC for jrpg almost never worth it for me, the main issue is if I played the game day 1 I will forget most of the game mechanic and getting back to it is kinda not fun for me.

[@abcdoooabcd]

i bought tale of arise / code vein and scarlet nexsus during autum sale on steam

[@TheGamingShelf]

Nice! Those are all fantastic. Enjoy!

[@nerdzone]

To be honest, I was overhyped for Sea of Stars and got a little burned. It was still very good but I expected it to be one of my favourite games of the decade or something. That being said, I actually liked the story a lot. I think it is my favourite story this year. So I am basically saying that the fact that Taylor did not like it all that much, does not mean you won't. Give it a chance.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I’m right there with you. It got stale as the game went on.

[@lonewolffang]

Not trying to be a jerk, but Star Ocean came out long before Octopath Traveler, but yeah they're both great games worth playing if you hsve the time and patience.

[@sonicfraisheya4028]

ahhh silent hope, i like it but damn i swear it feels like it was a game half completed. half realized. like after the main story, you feel that, YOU COULD DO SO MUCH MORE with the concepts of the game. but it's not, you simply replay on harder difficulties.

[@TheGamingShelf]

True, it is a little simple but I almost like it better because of that. It’s just a turn off your brain game: kill some bad guys, get stronger, rinse and repeat. A bigger budget would have helped but I still had a good time with it.

[@user-hs3pb5lj7v]

the only ads i want to watch

[@aaron6493]

I prefer Crymachina over Eternights.

[@kiraangle2823]

That last rougelike sounds pretty dull, id recomend backpack hero for the aspiring rougelike fan

[@lain11644]

LOOP8 was my most anticipated game of 2023 alongside Granblue Fantasy Relink lol.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I was right there with you lol.

[@nathankeene9236]

I'm a huge RPG nerd, but I feel like I'm the only person alive that was completely disappointed by everything about sea of stars. I was really excited for it too, which is rare for me. Also ps+ subscribers can get it for free. Not sure about xbox live. I was so glad I didn't spend money on it. Being disappointed by a free game though...

[@ataridc]

Not everything for me because its gorgeous, but the combat was soooooo repetitive that it killed it for me. And yea I grew up on jrpgs but the battles were often fast paced and to the point

[@LucasThePhantomThief]

Another reminder of games i need to play like Sea Of Stars and Eternights but have too many other games to play

[@TheGamingShelf]

This year was freaking loaded lol

[@LucasThePhantomThief]

@@TheGamingShelf I was intending to play the Final Fantasy games this year…and that fell through when I got busy with my job.

[@megatennepster3833]

Bro. Fuga 2 is PEAK. I recommend it to anyone

[@KanameYuuki]

Huh, I was ready to see Silent Hope on the not worth it list since it is sitting at 77% on Steam, gonna keep an eye for when it is on sale next time.

[@TheGamingShelf]

The visuals aren’t great but it’s VERY addictive and fun.

[@Deadguy2322forreal]

Thanks for putting the titles of the games in the video and in the description! /s

[@pyro5159]

Only rogue like I've played is Omega labyrinth and that was hilarious

[@jennyf-eg5gl]

I have star ocean on my wishlist. Hope to tackle that next year. Hopefully, 2024 will die down with releases. So, i can make a little dent to my backlog.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Don’t count on it lol. 2024 is only getting more ridiculous by the day.

[@richardcaraballo1185]

With the new Yakuza/Like a Dragon, and Unicorn Overlord both set to release early next year, I wouldn't hold my breath on making a dent in that backlog 😂😂

[@GG-pt6uy]

Sos story kinda underrated

[@JeannieLove]

The only reoguelikes I've liked are Blaze Blue Entropy Effect and Hades. I will play SO2 for the first time eventually and I ended up liking the Sea of Stars Demo when I tried it for a second time. Just too many games, like Dragon's Dogma 2 and Granblue Fantasy Relink early next year

[@JeannieLove]

I'm suspect of anyone calling themself a dating coach. Guys like that are usually toxic af. Also, what about women? They need help sometimes too, especially a trans lesbian like me who grew up in the 80's and 90's.

[@ataridc]

I love roguelikes

[@TheGamingShelf]

Oh man early 2024 is insane 😆

[@IceAssassin25]

Silent Hope and Sea of Stars being in but no Disgaea 7?

[@TheGamingShelf]

I haven’t played Disgaea 7 yet :/

[@markkevorkian]

That nayuta game looks similar to ys origins. If it is then i will definately check it out. That game is great even though the final boss is brutal.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I think it’s slightly better personally, but it’s the same developer so I can see why it would look similar!

[@markkevorkian]

@@TheGamingShelf ys origins is better or the one on your list?

[@TheGamingShelf]

Nayuta is better. Mainly because of the story and exploration.

[@markkevorkian]

@@TheGamingShelf I'm going to check it out. Thanks

[@RaidenKaiser]

Sea of stars is good but sadly I don't see it doing as good as metroidvanias because it doesn't have voice acting and alot of people won't care about story if it's not voice acted so many people will get bored and not enjoy the gameplay and just assume the game isn't fun.

[@johnciano3524]

Eternights is amazing