Top 10 MODERN Hidden Gem RPGs

[@davidvinc]

Get these games and support the channel at the same time! Alliance Alive: amzn.to/48UXLV9 Harvestella: amzn.to/3wVtgkJ Lost Sphear: amzn.to/3TDqYj9 Star Ocean The Divine Force: amzn.to/3PmIEgo Atelier Ryza 1: amzn.to/3Tkzv93 Atelier Ryza 2: amzn.to/3x59cw7 Atelier Ryza 3: amzn.to/49Yx6In Rhapsody Marl Kingdom Chronicles: amzn.to/43lwZnz Trails Into Reverie: amzn.to/43fw1JP DQM: The Dark Prince: amzn.to/3IJ16fa

[@CaptainJack67]

Buddy, how do you have time to play so many RPGs, create KZbin content, AND be that freaking ripped!? What is your secret?

[@arkeshn729]

Not enough hours in the day for my rpg backlog. I still have ps2 games I haven't finished.

[@WhiteFangofWar]

Really wish I had the time and money to give all of these the attention they deserve. Hoping to see another Star Ocean eventually too.

[@JamieR]

Starting Star Ocean on Switch in a few days 😁Looks so good!

[@Shinky]

Some super fire choices here! I especially adore Harvestella, one of those games thats just incredibly fun and cozy. But with a really really good story!

[@LorenzoF7]

can't believe Atelier Ryza went under the radar to be honest, had so much fun with the triology!

[@davidvinc]

Yeah, it's fantastic!

[@saeefa]

Chained Echoes is my favourite rpg I played last year and its crazy how so many people still haven't heard of it

[@bandrew1442]

After trying the PS3 Atelier games, I had kind of written off the series, but hearing how much you enjoy the Ryza games makes me want to check them out.

[@aaronpischke5019]

Here's an unpopular hot (cold?) take: Ryza is kind of actually the only truly playable Atelier series. I know Atelier has its fans, but GOOD LORD are the time limits in the older games horribly obnoxious. Whatever though! To each their own! 💜

[@veghesther3204]

Their NOT for me the 3 Iris games + Mana Khemia 1 and 2 were really the ONLY good ones and despite that Ar Tonelico has you make recipes those games SYNTH NOT alchemize them that's why Mana Khemia 1 and 2 still count as part of the Atelier games in Japan but the 3 Ar Tonelico games are not.

[@r.a.fgattaiguy845]

if you can, check out the Mana Khemia games on the ps2, they´re fantastic

[@jclosed2516]

@@aaronpischke5019I agree the time limits in the Arland trilogy are annoying, with Atelier Totori as the worst contender. But at the Dusk trilogy, starting with Atelier Escha & Logy, those time limits are reduced dramatically, to completely disappear at Atelier Shallie. The games after that (the Mysterious series) starting with Atelier Sophie, Firis (read my remark), Lydie & Suelle and Sophie 2 have no time limits at all (remark: Firis has a time limit for the first part of the game, but you really, really, really have to do everything drastically wrong on purpose to miss that one). Even the most recent game in the Arland series, Atelier Lulua, has no time limits at all... So - If those time limits hold you back, there are still 7 games (the Ryza trilogy not counted) you can fully enjoy without any time limits at all. Keep in mind that all these 7 games have turn-based combat. If you are not a fan of that, then yeah....

[@Pimpjira87]

For anyone interested, Crystal Project is also on Switch now. It was ported late last year.

[@ninetaildemon2000]

I got my wife the Ryza trilogy. She is a BIG fan of Lent as well. She just started the second one and was shocked when she saw Tao again.

[@CrashPad56]

David this is exactly why you have a fan for life. i've played half this list and completely agree with every game here 100%, and then being an RPG lunatic, i can't believe you dropped Alterium Shift on me! HD-2D 's have been my go to's lately so thanks for this, it looks like a gem. Thanks for the great vids!

[@davidvinc]

Much appreciated my friend!!

[@PapaDragonMK]

Starting the Alliance Alive HD!. Loving it so far!. Thanks!

[@davidvinc]

You're gonna love it!! :)

[@rikux27]

Not even gonna lie. Half naked Shulk, Reyn and Dunban is about 45 percent of what I like about Xenoblade Chronicles 😂😂😂

[@jamessnedeker4799]

Too many of these are in my backlog and I should fix this. I dont know what the cutoff for a modern game is but I've been replaying Battle Chasers Nightwar this past week and remembering how great this game was.

[@JamieR]

Does it take long before it truly expands? I tried to get into it when it first came out, but never stuck with it. Art style is really beautiful!

[@snowenn]

Yep. Most of these are either in my backlog or on my wishlist. I didn't know the Rhapsody games came out on playstation. I'll have to add those to my wishlist as well :)

[@slurms777]

Me going into this video: "I might pick up a cool game off of this" Me half way through: "...I need a pen and paper"

[@mmocracy]

Those biceps aren’t flying under the radar

[@timmer919hep]

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is actually on sale on the nintendo eshop right now for like 40 bucks. I know it's not a physical version, but you should definitely not miss this deal if you are interested in the game.

[@arikari3672]

I'm really interested, so I'm gonna use my gold points right now

[@TotallyTubularJonathan]

I absolutely love this idea for a video! There are so many games I’ve played that aren’t the best of the best and they aren’t hidden gems. They just kind of sit in the middle. A creative and original idea for a video!

[@NockLegacy]

Harvestella and Chained echoes were my rpgs of 2022. Two amazing gems.

[@KrsJin]

I’m not gonna lie, Harvestella wasn’t ever on my radar. But I had no idea there was that much combat, exploration or even other characters for party play.

[@davidvinc]

Don't even think of it as a farming sim, because it's 90% combat and exploration. Farming is like nothing.

[@arikari3672]

The farming is there just to get food and stuff to sell and get money. The combat isn't that complex but you'll spent most of the time in the dungeons with two party members.

[@Kayelle315]

This! I have ignored the allures of Harvestella because I thought I knew what 'kind of game' it was. Thanks, David, for opening my eyes; it may just get added to the backlog after all!

[@whiteiswong]

Count on David to shine a spotlight on great games you may have missed!

[@rei-miyazaki]

I love i am Setsuna (2016) and Lost Sphear (2017). Too bad the studio was no more. At that time i thought i will get new JRPG from the studio every year.

[@YoshMaster]

Alterium Shift is only on Steam for now. It’s still in early release too. I’ll wait for it to fully release and to be on Switch

[@Dynastybladeb]

Harvestella anytime it’s mentioned I’m buzzing was amazing. I really enjoyed Legrand Legacy I know not many did but it just felt so old school I still think about it years later

[@slashermaster28]

Always nice to see more appreciation for Lost Sphere. That game does not get the respect it deserves.

[@coreyphillips6153]

I Am Setsuna & Lost Sphere are excellent and people complain way too much. Beautiful Trad RPGs.

[@Kayelle315]

Which do you prefer? It seems like an endless debate of comparison with Setsuna, from my recollection, grabbing the edge "51-49..."

[@4jandsons]

Ya Cristales #1.. :p Alterium Shift is fantastic. I met the crew at a gaming convention and had an hour long convo with them. They are hard core classic RPG fans and knew their stuff. I'm waiting until it's out of Early access or closer to final release to dive in. But everything I've played/seen it looks awesome. My favorite thing is in my conversation with the devs I noted the lack of hand holding (there's no giant arrow telling you to go somewhere just "hey X was looking for you he went to the woods) and you have to explore to find him. He laughed and said that was actually a big discussion point in the office but they opted for the more old school approach. Let the player explore and figure things out they'll get more out of the game if you don't hold their hands.

[@betterthanbrooklyn5806]

Thanks for mentioning Rhapsody it really needs recognition it's so charming!

[@davidvinc]

It really is!

[@fd5934]

Epic video, literally what I needed, these are all on my wish list now, never heard of half of them but they look amazing.

[@TheMijito25]

I have to say I have played The Divine Force and loved it. I also own the Atelier Ryza Trilogy, but still working on # 2. Harvestella is on my backlog and it's moving up my list. I definitely have to check the others mentioned. The Trails series have always been intimidating to start, But I've enjoyed the game play of some of the demos.

[@toolman4745]

I just bought Harvestella based off you, just the gems, and chicken fillets all highly recommending it. Can't wait to play. All the Tokyo RPG factory games look great to me. Have you played all three? This may shock you but I've never played a star ocean game except once. I bought I think 2 back on the PlayStation but for some reason I was in a "turn based only" state of mind and sold it back... Not my best decision ever. That dude in Ryza does have a really cool design. I've always loved the one armored arm and one unarmored. Mana Khemia DOES look really fun. Alterium Shift looks rad. I didn't realize it already came out! How did I miss its release??? I remember you talking about it back in the day. I'm in Sky third chapter so a ways to go to get to reverie. Great video dude! I always love your top 10s.

[@kurtisbunker7724]

I mostly come to TubeYou to study AI topics and impact on Humanity for my studio graphic novel series... but I balance that dystopian info stream with retro gaming. This channel is in my top 5 for RPG news and upbeat content. Big thanks to David.

[@TheInverseable]

Loved how the characters for ryza they just told the artist to go crazy. So we got those gems from her.

[@fargoretro]

One time you recommend Alliance Alive as the best 'follow-up' to Final Fantasy Legends 2. I got the Switch version and it is totally a blast. If this is your lead-off title, the whole video has to be incredible!

[@klocks2543]

I learned about the Rhapsody bundle when I was looking for ways to play La Pucelle. Guess I oughta up the priority on my want list.

[@sdragon21]

I have Alliance Alive HD on Switch that I bought digitally during the Pandemic, and haven’t touched it since. I’ll have to dive in by the end of the week, if it’s that good. Also, I played Star Ocean: Divine Force a few months back, but stopped after getting stuck on the Mother Worm boss. One more thing: David, you’re absolutely shredded!! Good god man, you must have muscles upon muscles!!

[@AndreaMusso99]

Wait wait wait ALTERIUM SHIFT GOT RELEASED!? I HAD NO IDEA

[@bobseesall]

Legrand Legacy I recommend checking out. It was a fun RPG I found when trying to scratch that Legend of Dragoon itch and it didn't disappoint. It is on the cheap end at $20, but it does go on sale often and has a free demo on steam to play around with.

[@swilliams21231]

I skipped Alliance Alive on the 3DS because I assumed it was the same as Legend of Legacy. But I picked it up for the switch and was pleasantly surprised.

[@mazinrobox2546]

The Alliance Alive is amazing, played it on my Switch a few years ago and loved it!

[@christopherthomas9218]

Harvestella had a good story and the life sim elements were done well enough. I think the daily timer does hurt the story a bit though. "Big boss coming soon! But I need to sleep first before my character passes out before reaching it."

[@kaylam2556]

I am gonna check out most of these, thanks David!

[@calvinmatthews1527]

Agree with most of this list (except for Star Ocean 6 & Rhapsody). Also, Rise of the Third Power, cause that game greatly balanced story, characters, gameplay, and content but no one seems to bring it up that much.

[@JamieR]

Wow! I had no clue Harvestella had that much variation in content. I literally thought it was Stardew Valley / My Time In Portia-only in 3D. Looks like I have to pick that up soon!

[@hariumonoke5071]

Video started up and all I noticed was how good you look with that pump

[@davidvinc]

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t pump before videos. Most of my recording is done first thing in the morning- but thanks so much for saying so!

[@SLAV326]

Just finished Sea of Stars the other day. Breezed right through it, but still very fun and a good enough story to stay interested all the way through. Thanks for recommending, David.

[@cloudstrife8]

Alterium shift looks good. I have played Alliance Alive and that is pretty good and easy to new game plus should you want.

[@johnjackson2349]

I bought lost sphere for my brothers birthday a few years back, not only did he platinum it and say whow good it was i borrowed it afterwards and also got the platinum really is fantastic

[@FlyingFocs]

Harvestella was a game I played the demo out of curiosity, and found myself REALLY wanting to play, it, buuut probably after I've cleared some of my backlog. Also, that nurse was a cutie. Also, why was the music so good? I mean, I know it's expected the music would be good, but WHY was it actually soothing?

[@NockLegacy]

The music only gets better lol, you should play it!

[@DHamblen]

These are all wonderful games, and yes they may not be everyone’s 10/10 game, having played a majority of the games you have listed here, I can honestly say these games are a blast, and if you need a quick “pallet cleanser” when in between AAA games, these games can do the trick

[@femtrooper]

Oooo! I would add Blue Reflection: Second Light, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, and maybe even Omori!

[@davidvinc]

All good choices!! Maybe in a part 2!

[@mauvecloud0]

I played Harvestella and the first two games of the Atelier Ryza series (not sure whether I actually finished the second entry, I'll have to check sometime). I bought Crystal Project, but only played for 8 minutes back in 2022 - I've been distracted by other games I guess. Dragon Quest Monsters The Dark Prince and Trails into Reverie were already on my Amazon Wishlist.

[@johnathanrhoades7751]

I am giving trails to reverie attention by starting Trails in the Sky. Only 9 games to go 😅 Also picked up Atelier Ryza to see what Atelier is all about.

[@StarDragonJP]

Star Ocean 2 R had to have been in production before 6 came out. There's no way it only took a year to make.

[@PaleVoyager]

It came out in Japan almost two years ago.

[@cliffturbo2146]

*No way!* Why didn't you tell me😤​@@PaleVoyager

[@jaretco6423]

Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope is another RPG game that was left under the radar. Mainly because it came out around between Bayonetta 3 and Pokemon: Scarlet & Violet showed up and sold alot more than SoH. Also there was the head from Ubisoft about trying to sexual harass or other bad things to the people that work on the game that causes most people to not buy the game. And that sucks cause Sparks of Hope is an great sequel coming from an already great game; Kingdom Battle. It's sad really.

[@MetalMonkey1453]

I really enjoyed I Am Setsuna, but was a little let down by Lost Sphere. I feel like the combat was a step up, but the characters, story and music weren't quite as good. Maybe I'm just a sucker for a sad story, but I Am Setsuna will always have a place in my memory. And the OST on my iPod ^.^

[@HybridAngelZero]

*starts with Alliance Alive* oh this is list is gonna be fire. It certainly was, too! I've seen so many of these at great prices, too. Pick em up while you can, folks, cause once everyone else finds out how good they are, they certainly won't get cheaper

[@ZackAurelius]

I’ve always kinda looked at I am Setsuna and Lost Sphear skeptically since most reviews are not glowering with praise but maybe I should give them a shot

[@arikari3672]

Anyway, great video as always, i definitely will pick some i didn't know about, like Crystal project DQ Dark princ. And i agree completely with Harvestella and Lost Sphear, Tokyo RPG's works were really trashed unfairly.

[@35infinite]

Crystal Project is so awesome, I love that game. Thanks for the vid, David.

[@danhalo1405]

David i am almost shocked that you didn't mentioned Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten in this list since you talked about that game in some other videos a few times and how much you thought it was a great JRPG that got not a lot of attention

[@geloo.7686]

i love your dq11 lets play, i hope you do a lets play of dq12 one day

[@awesomemccool7285]

Thank you for yet another great video, David :)

[@agnusnam]

I cannot find Alterium Shift on the Nintendo eshop

[@Genethagenius]

I’m going to say “Soul Hackers 2” is a game that flew under many people’s radar, probably because it wasn’t released on Switch! Has amazing graphics & soundtrack, and while it is not as good as its predecessor, it’s still a solid “SMT” title. Haven’t play “SO: The Divine Force” yet, but I will next time it goes on sale! But I need to check out “Alterium Shift”! Looks gorgeous!

[@elliotfrost8412]

Did alterium shift get finished? I thought it was still in early access and basically just a demo

[@braddye4983]

I want to go through all the trails games but it’s such a tall ask.

[@Defaultprotagonistname]

I am playing harvestella and im hooked I also loved DQM played that to credits

[@AngelofAmbrosia]

I knew you would put the Star Ocean game on here. It annoys me just how under the radar it went. At least the series does look to be here to stay.

[@Cage532]

I'll have to take a look at Alterium Shift. I do like a good HD 2D JRPG.

[@ken878]

#8 hasn't been release on the console yet. Trying to find it on the PSN store and it not there. So i went to there site and the 3 consoles are grayed out while the steam one is lit. Thanks for having this game on your list because i wouldn't have know about it.

[@PaleVoyager]

Alterium Shift doesn't appear to be on any home consoles. It's only on Steam.

[@thehoff3189]

Excited to try Lost Sphear!

[@kennkenn6126]

Damn son you're more shredded than a Julian salad

[@Roger3eme]

Rhapsody on the PS1 is the first game to ever make me shed manly tears.

[@wilfridekoue1405]

All of these are very fun and great list David!

[@nerdzone]

My top 5 modern RPGs (from the last 5-10 years) that did not get their deserved recognition, in no particular order: 1. Cosmic Star Heroine 2. Bravely Default II 3. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology 4. Disgaea 5 and 7 (5 is the best but 7 is more recent and still great) 5. Dungeon Encounters

[@nerdzone]

Can we say something like Octopath Traveler II or Triangle Stategy flew under the radar? I don't think so, since they were very well regarded and talked about, but they just came to mind. If so, then absolutely both would be part of my list.

[@jeffereykizior1605]

Lost Sphere is so good! If you haven’t played, you are missing out!

[@louvella-sama]

Another one for me is Witch Spring 3 Refine.

[@Xebusc]

Alliance Alive proved to me that I love the saga battle system just not the story telling, cause I thought I hated the saga series battle system

[@fd5934]

Not sure if Reverie actually flew under or more like a lot of people dropped cold steel. Again, that’s just my hypothesis, lots of times when I talk to people about cold steel they either didn’t finish it, which tbf four long games is a lot, or weren’t happy with how it ended.

[@dextersbeard3472]

Dang you got me excited, Alterium Shift isnt on any consoles, atleast not yet.

[@MrTimelord77]

We need more of theses lists. What's the other game you mentioned with Lost Sphere?

[@davidvinc]

I am setsuna

[@MrTimelord77]

@@davidvinc Thank you. Have you played the other games related to Monochrome Mobius? That would be a good topic for a video about games in a series that need to be collected.

[@islandboy7271]

Thx for putting 1 and 4 on my radar💪🏽

[@DieselJT]

All great games David!!!!

[@Petersmith57921]

That trails game is gonna last me years

[@Mighty10917]

Alliance Alive HD is actually the game I always wanted to try because it's directed by the creator of Suikoden :] (Plz don't answer I already know his passing...)

[@Petersmith57921]

I still haven't completed atelier ryza 3 it's so huge

[@MrTimelord77]

Just started playing Monochrome Mobius and it's awesome. Do you recommend the other games in the series?

[@hyperplayrpg]

Crystal Project is out on Switch now and there's a demo (in the UK) 😄 Alterium Shift nowhere to be seen on Switch eShop over here though sadly 😢

[@BulletBillBowser]

Yeah I can't find it on the PlayStation store either.

[@YoshMaster]

It’s only out in early access on steam. The consoles will come later when it fully releases

[@Eagleknight815]

I was trying to find Alterium Shift on the Nintendo eShop but I couldn't find it 😢

[@arikari3672]

I went and looked in the eShop for Alterium shift, and it seems it hasn't been released yet? I'm confused, but I'm also very interested

[@Petersmith57921]

I love your arms david

[@eliechaya9690]

Love from Belgium 🇧🇪 ❤

[@nerdzone]

When you say that "The Alliance Alive" is SaGa-esque, do you mean only the combat or the exploration too? When I say SaGa, I first think of extremely open-end non-guided progression (maybe mostly because of the Romancing SaGa series). I don't think I've seen that in "The Alliance Alive" from a surface level examination.

[@lucascaribe9935]

Is alterium shift really released in ps4/5? Did not find it in PSNstore

[@corey2232]

Does anyone else ever inexplicably disregard/have a bad impression of a game that prevents them from playing it, even though you can't figure out why? I feel that way about Harvestella. I keep hearing David mention it in videos, but ever since it was first revealed at that Nintendo Direct - Farming Edition, I've mentally passed on it 😅 Any time I go back on Steam with the intention to buy it, I change my mind after seeing again. Like some part of me can't believe that this low budget looking, barely advertised game that Square dumped on to Switch with "Various Daylife" actually ended up being good!

[@alkristopher]

Does Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark count? Also, Crystal Project is available for Switch.

[@mjdf122]

Mr JRPG back in action

[@frumiousgaming]

How long does harvestella take to play through?