7 Short JRPGs Worth Your Time!

Do you love RPGs but don't have as much time to play them anymore? Then today's video is just for YOU! I share 7 great, short JRPGs worth your time.
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[@TheGamingShelf]

Watch next : 7 MORE Short JRPGs Worth Your Time! kzbin.info/www/bejne/moG4hXqni8-mgqs

[@lavayuki]

I remember when I was a student, I would finish a 120 hour game in 2 months, and platinumed all the FF games in 1-2 weeks each. Now the same game would take me at least the whole year as a working adult

[@TheGamingShelf]

Exactly! The time is just gone now. But thankfully we have so many great short RPGs 😄

[@Rhythmier]

Relatable

[@austa10]

Facts, now that I'm about to have a child I have no time to play games. Time is a rare commodity for me now...

[@Darkelfable1]

Lol I'm in college and already can't find time, that's how bad I am at time management

[@alexanderackerman3807]

I'm still a student and while it's possible to find time, I just don't have the patience anymore to play these really long games

[@user-ef7gn4jy6v]

My speciality is to make short rpgs long. And long ones even longer.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Perfect!

[@PhoeniksStorm]

Short RPGS: *exist Grinding: "Let me introduce myself"

[@nr2676]

Thats not true, some series of jrpg doesnt required grind to beat game. The main exception is Shin Megami Tensei (Persona doesnt count becouse have time consuming Social links) . The best example is Shin Megami Tensei IV. Experienced players can beat that game in 20-30 hours, but average will stuck in 50-60 hours ... unnecesary grinding. Story bosses in SMT doesnt require grind, just exploit enemy weakness, cover ours, use buffs/debuffs and fuse good demons.

[@belfosama]

My recommendations: - Golden Sun - Legend of the Tetrarchs - Monochrome Order - Monster Viator - Dragon Warrior Monsters (GBC) - Chrono Trigger - Battle of the Millenium (Aldorlea)

[@TheGamingShelf]

Chrono Trigger is literally the first game on this list 😅

[@TheOwwen]

@@TheGamingShelf Another suggestion: Jade Cocoon for PS1, is a short of Pokémon that last about 10-15 h. The MC lives in a village in the middle of a huge and dangerous Woods filled with monsters. His father was the hunter (Cocoon máster) but run away leaving everyone alone. Now the gods have cast a course on the village turning everyone into stone. Your job is to use your father's power to capture monsters in the woods that will help you in battle while you look for a cure. But you can't do this alone, and as you capture more monsters, you'll be sacrificing your lover's body and life (yes, he's married) to turn those monsters to your side. So... How does this sound? This is barely th begining of the game.

[@Daniel-it1dp]

As a dad with little gaming time that always resorts to competitive multiplayer that sometimes leaves me unsatisfied and longs for the ability to play a JRPG, this video is for me. Only problem is finding some of these unless I figure out they’re in my backlog 🙃.

[@TheGamingShelf]

So glad to hear this is helpful for you! A lot of these are available digitally for pretty cheap so I think you should be just fine in terms of tracking them down.

[@michaelcoffey1991]

Came back to sub, Shadow Elite was right about you and the channel. Easy to see you love the genre of jrpg's as we fans do. Kudos. Was a fun video to watch too.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks Michael! I appreciate you checking out the channel and subscribing 👍

[@tintedglass]

As an atelier fan (happy to see it on this list!) I would recommend Ryza or Ryza 2 to start as it's more friendly to new players to the series.

[@femtrooper]

Love this! Such a great topic! I’m so excited to start Cosmic Star Heroine!!!

[@TheGamingShelf]

I thought you would enjoy it 😄

[@jakobscoll2432]

Nice list! I’d add crisis core ff7 if u could play it it’s a prequel to ff7 made for the psp. Good story, soundtrack, and I thought the gameplay was decent also. Story is only 10-15 hours long if you don’t do all the side missions.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Good one!

[@unleashed2724]

I've been managing how much time I spend on a particular JRPG. I just started doing it recently though, as before I just played the same game for over 10 hours a day (recently I've been going through Persona 5 Royal, and decided I need to step away from it for a couple of days, as I've already clocked in 55 hours, and started like 11 days ago, I've been fluctuating time-wise on this game, as some days I played 6 - 9 hours). And because I didn't want to feel burnt out (fyi it has happened to me in 2017), I've started picking and choosing good stopping points in-game. I'm not just doing this with Persona, but every game I play now, which admittedly I should have done from the start. Say like there are some quests I want to take care of, I would just dedicate that playtime to completing them, and once done, I switch over to something else, usually now, I just end up playing for an hour or 2, maybe 3 depending on how much is happening.

[@truuue3749]

The rpgs I enjoy the most are the shorter ones but you can make them longer with side quests grinding weapon lvl ups class changes etc

[@TheGamingShelf]

Absolutely! Especially the ones on this list. They can easily go longer if you want to do everything.

[@grubbyhubster]

Also Cosmic Star Heroine is often on sale. Right now on the eShop for Switch it's like $1.99

[@TheGamingShelf]

Worth every penny at that price.

[@RoseGoldenPetal]

Well if you did some research you'd know that Trials of Mana is a remake of the 3rd mana title exclusive to Japan, it was never released here and this was the first actual release of the game in the west when Trials of Mana dropped, this is why it's short in terms of RPG length, each story ranging from about 10-12 hours.

[@Fearwolf2013]

I've just started cosmic star heroine today. Awesome game.

[@ChaosChronicle]

I played it on the switch about two years ago and yeah, totally agreed. Really cool game, worth checking out.

[@leestrz4153]

good list! Love the atelier games! I was hoping to see Valkyria Chronicles but I believe that is closer to the 30-40 hour mark.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Yeah not exactly shorts games, but I LOVE the series! If you watch some of my other videos you'll definitely see it pop up.

[@leestrz4153]

@@TheGamingShelf yeah truthfully a great series. It's sorta interesting not many of the games listed are very new. Seems like jrpgs are more scarce than they used to be. Ps2 era there were more than one could possibly have time for. I'm loving 13 sentinels right now and once I complete it I may have to check off a game or two from your list here that I haven't completed already 😄

[@RoninXDarknight]

Anyone else notice how the area in Cosmic Star Heroine @6:11 is literally the fair grounds from Chrono Trigger?

[@TheGamingShelf]

Haha yeah very clearly an homage!

[@GivozLegacy]

I'd love to see a review for every main Persona game :)

[@TheGamingShelf]

That’s a good idea 🤔

[@jessepeterson6694]

I know this video came out 2 yrs ago but let me say as an honorable mention anyway cause I still feel like including the original from the snes/Famicom: Live A Live: it clocked me in at a little under 20 hours. (At least for the remake)

[@samkinney1787]

Dang I was hurt by u saying u didn’t wanna play the Witcher but good vid lol

[@stevecosmolove1045]

He lost credibility and a sub at that point. I can understand Skyrim or something grossly outdated but The Witcher 3? LOL, what a peasant

[@dman_v2]

Steve Cosmolove LOL

[@GenAqua]

I like Kingdom Hearts, Parasite Eve, Project X Zone, Eternal Sonata, Inuyasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask, The Yakuza series, and the ps1 Saiyuki game. Please review Inuyasha: Secret Of The Cursed Mask, and Fushigi Yuugi: Suzaku Ibun.

[@guanyu210379]

Both in Xenoblade Chronicles Definitve Edition and Xenoblade Chronicles 2, I like the added chapters like Torna more than the core games. I dunno why.

[@dennis2busy]

Hold on WHAT? You like Future connected more then the fucking most epic story in a videogame, which has philosophical views of reallife in it ? Wow

[@auglicious]

Parasite Eve is a game I actually want a remake for. In an age where remasters and remakes are all too common, I would love to see a proper remake with the fresh visuals and gameplay tweaks I would love to see!

[@TheGamingShelf]

Agreed! I think that would be amazing.

[@aoijeka]

"In combat, [Parasite Eve] has this sphere grid--" wait, what? What the hell are you talking about? *actually remembers the game OHH riight, THAT sphere grid!

[@Not-Batman]

This is such an awesome video! Hopefully you make one for Western RPGs as well😊

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks Jawa! I’ll probably slip in some games made by Western studios here and there but the focus of the channel is Japanese-centric / Japanese style games.

[@AraiiarA]

Ah Chrono Trigger and Parasite Eve... My favourites. I adore how short and focused they are; which always leaves me wanting more, in a good way.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Always better to be left wanting more than asking for it to be over 😆

[@cooltrainerjay8880]

I still somehow found a way to be overpowered by the end of cosmic star heroine lol

[@udaaz]

Chrono trigger took me 60 hours but I didn’t use a guide and grinder a lot

[@rogersnick17]

Thanks for this video.

[@TheGamingShelf]

You’re welcome!

[@pondypoo]

There's no rules that dictate you must finish an RPG within a time limit. Take all the time in the world. It took me weeks to finish FFX, and that game's not even long compared to other JRPG

[@TheGamingShelf]

True, you’re totally right! Enjoy and savor every minute. Also, not everyone has a lot of time to play games so this list was mainly made for them.

[@abowlofharmlessricecrispie6524]

They need to remake Parasite Eve on PS4, Diablo style!

[@TheGamingShelf]

There’s been some talk around remaking it. I wouldn’t be opposed to that!

[@reefatbakht]

Great video man!

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks Reefat!

[@retroboyone3577]

If you don't have time to play rpgs or like long games you should either switch what you play or play parts at a time because rpgs are made to be long and a time consuming experience 😉. I would expect nothing less.

[@TheGamingShelf]

I hear what you're saying, but look at the pinned comment. Clearly short RPGs have their place 😀

[@dancepartyinmyhead]

What is that Mech game in the intro/outro?

[@TheGamingShelf]

Sakura Wars!

[@pkw8er]

i like your style and taste subbed

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks for the sub!

[@SeaSerpentLevi]

Rly wish sakura would come to pc 😩 i love the classic one so much

[@leo87877]

alot of jrpg's weather they are short or not minus parasite eve you could easily put into 100 hours or more these games included

[@Kingronthegreat]

20 hours or less.. I guess Trails of cold steel series won't be on this lol

[@TheGamingShelf]

Haha nope!

[@nadeshiko10100]

Hello CS fans☺

[@trollingisasport]

Yeah. That would be 200 hours or less.

[@Isual]

hell yeah son. atelier is mein crack.

[@RPG_Bliss]

Great list

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks!

[@termitesc.aardwolf3644]

Two Words: Light Crusader. If you know the game by heart, you can finish it within a couple of hours.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Never heard of it! What system(s) is it on?

[@termitesc.aardwolf3644]

@@TheGamingShelf Sega Genesis/Megadrive.

[@Surikoazimaet]

What he doesn't mentioned are: Don't bother with vanilla Rorona, and abuse the bingo board to beat the game since it's easier than your usual Atelier-get-that-notepad-going.

[@artoub8143]

i would include "golden sun" on gba (the first one) its only 20 hours and i beat it 5 times

[@tinotesu]

I really wanted to play trials of mana since so many good reviews about it. I played the demo on the switch but I could not stand the main character’s long hair and his 6-packs. I really tried......

[@TheGamingShelf]

You can pick any of the 6 characters as the main character. If you don’t like him try someone else 😄

[@tinotesu]

The Gaming Shelf this is great to know. Obviously I didn’t play enough to know about this. Thanks

[@TheGamingShelf]

Happy to help ✌️😄

[@lee541982]

If time is really an issue, you guys can plan Resident Evil 3 like an "RPG", it works for me! Talking about the Cosmic Star Heroine, I don't know why, but the battle seems pretty hard. I kept dying and it was really frustrating.

[@civilwarfare101]

Sakura Wars seems interesting. I may check that out, but on a sale. I have played some of these games. And beated 2 of them. Cosmic Star Heroine and Parasite Eve and both are my favorites. I played Chrono Trigger years back but I couldn't get into it due to how confusing it was to go next. I got lost so much and I got really annoyed. Another short JRPG that I enjoyed and also made a Western Dev I liked was Child of Light. This was before Ubisoft became the company that I don't like much now. I also never ran out of bullets in Parasite Eve, I always had them in supply, but there was one stumping point where I had to fight Eve and the dinosaur boss gave you an OP pistol and I didn't know about it, and I'll be honest and say, if it weren't for that pistol, I would've dropped the game. Trials of Mana seems interesting but I already own Secret of Mana and that seems to be the same length. I'll play the latter first. Ys Origin seems interesting but I heard it was super hard, I don't have hard games, but it's hard to fit them in my time.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Ys Origin isn’t hard, but at times it can be difficult to figure out where to go next. Use a guide for sure. And Sakura Wars just went on sale for $40 if you want to check it out!

[@civilwarfare101]

@@TheGamingShelf I might be confusing it with another Ys game, it's weird, I heard the game was hard but from you only knowing where to go is, strange. I'll think about getting it, apparently it's also like a visual novel too.

[@TheGamingShelf]

It is yes. Think of the social link events from persona vastly expanded.

[@civilwarfare101]

@@TheGamingShelf Interesting. All though I mainly want to play Sakura Wars for the gameplay.

[@aamrakamran7275]

Thanks mate.

[@TheGamingShelf]

You’re welcome Aamra 😄

[@jamessnedeker4799]

Cosmic Star Heroine is amazing and just wrapped up another playthrough. Just found out during it that Finn somehow ended up being a joke character because they never could bother balancing him. He's one of the worst JRPG characters I've ever seen and this fact amuses me.

[@mranthony_dop]

addictive > addicting

[@samuelrizzuto2628]

Trials of Mana is a Seiken Densetsu 3 remake

[@TheGamingShelf]

Yep!

[@mattasaurs]

Atelier games are short? Maybe I'm just super slow at them then lol. Took me many hours to beat Ryza.

[@sideeffects78]

Am I the only weirdo that likes grinding.

[@ASBCommunication]

Chrono Trigger took me about 40 hours

[@SubindoDeLevel]

00:16 Game name ?

[@TheGamingShelf]

Sakura Wars (PS4)! It's amazing!

[@PinkDaddyDrummer]

Atelier Rorona bored me to death. To be expected I guess playing it AFTER Ryza and Iris

[@TheGamingShelf]

It's a MUCH simpler game than Ryza for sure.

[@henriqueleal1909]

There's at least 3 games from that list that would be a long stretch to complete in less than 20 hours for 1st timers. Im very doubtfull of calling them short...

[@TheGamingShelf]

Chrono Trigger is a little bit of a stretch for sure. What other ones?

[@henriqueleal1909]

@@TheGamingShelf Xenoblade 2 - Torna and Atelier Rorona. Like CT both of them can be completed in less than 20 hours but for a 1st timer it would be difficult to acomplish that without prior knowledge of the games.

[@daosx7639]

I've played most of these games...and I've never even gotten close to any of those times. Are you speedrunning these games or something?

[@TheGamingShelf]

I’m going off how long to beat .com and my own personal experience.

[@Fascistbeast]

Lol apparently A Link to the Past can be beaten In 1hr-half by speed running. Anyway cool channel Subd 😎

[@TheGamingShelf]

Haha thank you!

[@jhon1406]

I don't have kids or the other commitments you mentioned but I love shorts jrpgs like these as palette cleansers between the big ones, lol

[@TheGamingShelf]

Same! Theres something fulfilling about just finishing a game.

[@soulscyther666]

Same. I also play other genres as my palette cleanser, but JRPG will always be the first love i'll be coming back to again and again. Short, long, easy, complex, niche, turn-based/action/strategy, bring them on!

[@reenachauriya4931]

the thing about turn based combat that i love is that its like playing those card games like heartsone or gwent or vanguard but you actually have a story to back it up along with a motive to win not to mention the attachment you feel towards the characters since they arent just cards you got from a pack they actually have stories and character arcs but unfortunately now most people prefer point and shoot and rpgs are made less and less . another one i really like is 13 sentinels . really good game from vanillaware that not enough people are playing.

[@TheBatmanMan1]

I’m married with kids and a full time job, and even though I still manage to slowly work my way through my favorite +80hr JRPGs, you’re point of using these as palette cleansers is very sound advice for anyone. I just finished playing through DQXI on the switch since it’s been so long since I played through the PS4 version. While I’m enjoying a lot of the endgame content I’m getting a little burnt out and wanted something new, but I just couldn’t bring myself to jump headlong into another huge game, so I literally just this morning started Cosmic Star Heroine and I’m really enjoying it so far. Perfect way to refresh before moving into the next big game.

[@joshmerrel8846]

Check out Persona 5Royal & Nino Kuni 2. a Wonderful Game as well as Ghost of Tushima. They Aren't Short Look at the video for the Og Kingdom of Amular

[@agungm1855]

To speedruners, every game is a short game.

[@simonbelmont4635]

This is a great idea for a video series. As much as I love the fact that Fire Emblem: Three Houses is more than 300 hours long (including DLC), I prefer games that aren't going to colonize half my life.

[@soulscyther666]

Child of Light. It's a simple take on a JRPG (even though it's western-made). With combat system similar to active-time battle of early Final Fantasies, and told in a poem and painting-like graphics, kinda like a children's book. The OST is good too.

[@ValKoralie]

Yes! The combat system is a lot like Grandia 2 (Which is my also first and fav Jrpg game)

[@armyofninjas9055]

Wish they made the ultimate edition physical for ps4. I'd snag that so fast.

[@josiahwagner3646]

Nice list. I knew you were gonna list cosmic star heroine, but you explained why you added it so it’s all good. Only thing I never understood was Chrono trigger. Everyone beats it in record times and I’m well over 30 hours. One day I will beat it.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Yeah 20 seemed a little fast to me too but so many people kept saying it I felt like I had to include it. Also, this video is about time and so is CT so it felt too fitting 😆

[@astevens1919]

Yeah first time playing Chrono Trigger took me like 30 hours.

[@Walamonga1313]

I never understood why people like CT. I just don't see it. I haven't been engaged or interested in anything the game has to offer (played 7 hours so far, after you get magic). I like the soundtrack ofc but that's about it

[@janbiela8596]

I’m married, becoming a dad soon and my favourite genre is JRPGs - a very dangerous combination ;) so I’m very grateful for this video! I just finished Trails of Cold Steel 1, but it took me several months to do so because I only got to play it like an hour a day. Definitely need something shorter next.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thank you for sharing this Jan! You’re the exact person I made this video for :D I’m glad you found it helpful and congrats on becoming a dad soon!

[@PsienceWins]

I feel this too hard. Married for 2 years and take care of the majority of the house work/gardening while working a 40 hour week with a baby on the way. Currently replaying FFXV and I’m just past chapter 3 after almost 2 months of play for 1-2 hours a night. I’m just looking forward to my kid getting older and enjoying games, and especially RPGs. I remember playing the original FF in the NES and kept playing those kind of games as I got older. I’m sure it helped with my reading comprehension without feeling like I was learning. I’m excited for the future.

[@FidensLibertas]

for short JRPGs i would recommend Summon Night Swordcraft Story 1 and 2 for the GBA. both of these are fantastic though the sequel is clearly the better game. i will admit the first game does have slightly better characters but the second game isn't far behind the first when it comes to characters and with how it improves everything else it's undeniably the better game. for game length the first game took me about 11 hours while the second took me about 16.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Never heard of those! Thanks for sharing.

[@randybradley4151]

Cosmic Star Heroine is also a cross buy game so when you purchase the game for the PlayStation 4 you get the PlayStation Vita version for free. I recently picked the game up for $3 from $20 on the Canadian PSN it was 85% off.

[@d-man8294]

Just like Resident Evil 2 - Parasite Eve neeeeeds a Remake!!! The original has not aged very well. But it was indeed a great experience back in the days.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Would be amazing!

[@marciopinho6100]

Worse than that, we europeans never got the first one for some odd reason and I really would like to play it.

[@d-man8294]

@@marciopinho6100 That's no excuse! *lol* I'm from germany and it was never a big problem to import games from the US. Still own games like Parasite Eve, Xenogears, Chrono Cross, Lunar 1 and 2, Legend of Mana, Final Fantasy Tactics and so on. Think Sony have to make a special edition PS One Mini for never released in Europe jrpg's! ;-)

[@marciopinho6100]

@@d-man8294 Here in Portugal you have to pay extra for every single product that comes outside of europe. China, Japan, America, it doesn't matter, you may pay double of what the product actually costs. I thought it was the same for the rest of europe. You may have the time and money, I don't. I even gave up on colecting imports for the Sega Saturn despite having the famous Action Replay Plus cartgide (which was a pain to get). And how in the hell are you going to play imports on an european console without mods? I'm sorry if I sound angry but not everybody can get into imports so easily. Stay well :)

[@d-man8294]

@@marciopinho6100 Yes, you are right, I modded my ps1 and ps2. Later I had an extra US PS2 Slim, because my other PS2 was broken. And to be honest, the first time I played PE, it was a pirate copy of the game! ;-) But later on I replaced the pirate copies with originals. So, not having money for video games is something I know well.

[@RetroVillager]

Spot on. Being a husband and a dad of two, working from morning to evening, believe it or not it took me 3 years to finish Y's on PSP.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Oh wow! Crazy 😆

[@mrpedrobraga]

Being a husband of two sounds tiring

[@marciopinho6100]

I'm gonna throw another short one there: Panzer Dragoon Saga. About 20 to 30 hours, probably even less. I know, its an old one and very, very expensive but it's a great experience and one of the best RPG's of all time.

[@ddrrdd1010]

A tip to play longer games: imagine that 1 60 hour game is 3 20 hour games. If you get bored after 20 hours, leave and come back a bit later.

[@jarnobot]

Intresting list, Thanks! I think Star Ocean First Departure would be a great addition to the list. It's one of the best games I've ever played so far and it's not too long. I've played it on the PSP, but there is also a remastered edition for the Switch and PS4. Either version is great. Star Ocean Second Evolution was even better, blew me away. However, it's way longer than the first game, so I wouldn't call it a short game. Also, for whatever reason they haven't remastered it (yet), even though it's more popular that FD and uses the same engine/technology. I hope that will change in the future.

[@TheGamingShelf]

What are some other great, short JRPGS? Also yes I probably said Atelier wrong. Thank you.

[@thebigchungus4515]

The World Ends With You is like 20-30 hours long and is an absolutely fantastic game.

[@Setzer81]

Suikoden I for PS1, PS3, PSP, Vita, Windows and Sega Saturn (20~24 hrs)The Alliance Alive (20~27 hrs.) for 3DS, Switch, PS4 and Windows. Both are relatively shor and great games.

[@almightycinder]

No worries. They also pronounce it wrong in some of the games too. I heard "at leer" in one of them.

[@adamadamson4329]

Child of Light. Child of Light!

[@Chernobog2]

Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter. It gets a bad rep for being a huge departure from previous games but it's actually a really well made game that encourages you to optimize your run by learning from failure

[@Schale.kivotos]

7:28 wait... Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Torna? Why i never heard about this?? Is this failed or people just don't care? But she's look good though kinda hope can see her later (btw I'm not played the game yet so i don't know if she died or not,but comparing to rex i like this woman... design wise and if she still alive I'm sure i want to see her more)

[@PRrrr_neutral]

And here i am with 1000h + of skyrim 400h+ of fe3h 170h+ of botw 180h+ xbc1 And many more Lol

[@stevecosmolove1045]

That’s my goal too bro trying to make it happen, hopefully the stimulus checks go through 🙏🏼

[@benwendel108]

Great list. HOWEVER Suikoden 1 should be #1 on this list!

[@JJG1666]

Despite being a fairly short game, Ys Origin is highly replayable and yes the grind is pretty fun. Hope I could get the platinum trophy for the game in the future once I play it again.

[@thepaper888]

So all the times you listed ×2, that's how much time I'll take minimum.

[@TheGamingShelf]

lol perfect 😆

[@AginoEvolutionHD]

here another one you can finish in 9h Destiny Connect Tick-Tock Travelers

[@elkoyomudo4836]

To be honest, i think the playtime of Cosmic Star Heroine depends mostly on the difficulty you choose, i started playing immediately at highest dif and after 25+ hours i still havent finished it....awesome game by the way, definitely a must play if you like turn based rpgs

[@DerTendou]

I think with Atelier Rorona it depends on your playstyle and what you want to achieve. If you want to do the super bosses and finish overtime successfully you definitely need more than 20 hours. I would say around 30 hours but if you just want to get any normal story ending straight to the credits then yes, 20 hours should be enough.

[@kathrena1213]

koudelka is the one u should be playing since theres no jrpg like it plus it just a 20 hour game

[@dbstop9194]

The Last Story is a must when looking for a short JRPG.

[@point-bl4nk]

In Parasite Eve 1 you need to grind and beat a 70F tall building full of enemies to get the true ending.

[@SpoonyBard88]

Yeah but the main game requires basically no grinding and the original ending is way better anyway. Completionist nonsense in JRPGs is for Japanese school children.

[@MaskedBishop]

I appreciate this list, but wouldn't recommend Torna unless you've played XC2 already, as it contains major spoilers to the main title.

[@MaskedBishop]

@Anonymous That's right, Torna is a prequel, but storytelling in XC2 works via revelations. The past begins as a mystery and the more some characters trust you over the course of the game, the more you learn about lies, lost friendships, hidden personalities and so on. The storytelling just doesn't work anymore as intended if you knew all those things from the very start, and the way it is told is definitely a big strength of the game. So as a big fan of the game I wouldn't recommend playing Torna first. (IMO it's similar with KH BBS, although not the same. Though it is a prequel, it reveals hidden truths and just doesn't work as intensely as it could if you didn't play KH1 and KH2 first.)

[@PazuChill]

I would also recommend The Last Story. You can easily beat it in under 25 hours, and it's one of my favorite games. The characters and the soundtrack are really amazing, and the combat system, while a little on the simple side, feels really unique and is super easy to get into. The only problem is that it's still a Wii exclusive to this day.

[@hextrum8091]

I'm happy your shouting out Sakura Wars because that's one of my favorite games from this year because of its unique and wacky world and story, glad your spreading the love cuz that game deserves it

[@TheGamingShelf]

Happy to! One of my favorite games of the year too.

[@lastchance3272]

Another short RPG is Shadows of Adam. I've yet to play it, but according to some people who've played and beaten it, it can be beaten in 10-15 hours. Even the developers themselves have said it can be beaten in that time span.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Cool I’ll look into that!

[@suryamarchia]

Wow, just discovered your channel and JRPG.. Subscribe man..

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks Daniel 😄

[@nameinvalid69]

halfway into the video I am thinking... hmm, how about Atelier...? then BAM, Atelier Rorona got mentioned. 🤣❤❤

[@TheGamingShelf]

😉

[@curtisdecoste9345]

Wow great list, with some super great retro titles. I have been playing JRPG’s for years, but there were a few titles on here I haven’t played...yet ^^

[@TheGamingShelf]

Glad I could introduce you to some new ones 😄

[@gabrielike1370]

Don’t play torna the golden country u will get hooked to play xenoblade chronicles 2 it got me into the game as a whole and it took me 70hrs

[@xaicast55]

We seem to have very similar tastes to the point where I was guessing games on your lists and I was right over 90% of the time. JRPGs are awesome, but RPGs in general can be great too. Do you have any lists or suggestions for RPGs in general? I've been playing Dragon's Dogma Dark Arisen lately and really enjoying it. Gotta love Anime and JRPGs though. Those are my favorites. Love the videos. I subscribed. Keep up the great content.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thank you! I appreciated you subbing. Here are some other RPGs I’ve really loved this generation: - Dragon Age: Inquisition - Horizon: Zero Dawn - Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

[@kurtisharen]

You mentioned "Cosmic Star Heroine", but didn't mention any of the previous games by the same developers? These guys did: "Breath of Death VII", "Cthulhu Saves the World", "Cthulhu Saves Christmas", "Penny Arcade Adventures - Parts 3 and 4" (Parts 1 and 2 are still amazingly good, but were done by a different company). All of these are JRPGs, and they have a few of the same traits as "Cosmic Star Heroine". They have hilarious writing, as well as being very anti-grind focused. They have a neat gimmick where enemies grow stronger by 10% every turn, so you need to be quick and efficient before you get overwhelmed, especially on boss battles. The two Penny Arcade games combined this with a Grandia-esque battle system where turns are determined through a gauge and striking an enemy at the right moments knocks them back and cancels their turn. The last game even further combined this with a Pokemon-esque mechanic where you find monsters to build your party with, and each monster has a particular specialty. (For instance, Vendorr the living Vending Machine can spend MP to create items during his turns) Funny enough, the Penny Arcade series, while still really funny, is also probably the darkest story they've done.

[@jakub4305]

Great video, my guy! You've earned yourself a sub. Also, something about Cosmic Star Heroine gives me huge Chrono Trigger vibes and I love it

[@TheGamingShelf]

Thanks Jakub!

[@thren914]

Parasite Eve is a great game. I miss that series and wish Square Enix would remake all of them.

[@auroraparadox5235]

I recommend Dust an Elysian Tale. Its an indie side scroller with a good story.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Such a great game! I need to finish it.

[@BerserkerNosaj]

I hate Torna and I love xenoblade two, I see all of the pros and cons as opposite from how you described them, I liked the combat, the length and the huge roster of 2. I will admit I did go into Torna with a bad attitude because I dislike the idea of prequels in general, I got all the story I needed from the flashbacks I didn’t read that depressing story fleshed out.

[@maxhutchinson6425]

Eyy was going to say chrono trigger and it was bangon the first entry haha, only playing it for the first time now, at the final chapter and I’ve absolutely loved it, feel bad for having deprived myself of it all these long years!

[@TheGamingShelf]

It definitely holds up and is well worth playing even all these years later.

[@buddhabinaural]

Ys Origin is one of my favourite games ever. Trials of Mana I despised. It is a boring game with unbelievable loading screens. I couldn't even finish the Mana demo. I own Ys Origin on Switch and PS4 I like it so much. I very nearly bought the special physical too. Ys Origin is way better than Ys 8, so if you went off over inflated reviews of Ys 8 and didn't like it, still try Ys Origin. It is on the previous Ys engine, which was better. Much more fast and fun. Ys Origin stops for story and that's it. Ys 8 stops all the time and has the most horrible mapping system ever. Had 8 since not long after its release I'm about 1/3 through. Yes, 5 years on and still not half way. Ys Origin I completed twice in that time. If you like menu turn based RPG's then Ara Fell is just over 20 hours. Ara Fell looks stunning, has great music, loads of character due to well written dialogue. The lead character's are very believable. I enjoyed the story. A couple of predictable cheesy moment's and controls could be a tad tighter but I can over look those for how great it all works as a game overall. Loved how they did the ending too. I don't have time to replay games but I sometimes just like to go back and play the last bit of Ara Fell again. It was a somewhat satisfying finish.

[@casekocsk]

LOL, same here... Bought Witcher 3, but never even played it since I'm afraid of its complex gameplay and superlong play time... Hek, I haven't even download it yet since I have crappy internet connection and it will takes days to download it.