Ranking EVERY 3Ds JRPG Ever (Tier List)

My tier list of every single 3Ds JRPG released in North America, including digital games.
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[@redstratus97]

Now do a regular DS one! Love to see that.

[@inspiringlyCrazy]

I second this!

[@Vulpas]

And GBA!

[@bladeofmird]

Man i love these types of videos. They are great as a quick reference for collectors.

[@unlucky_thir13en]

SMT4 was my second-most played game on the 3DS (beat it five times) so I was always surprised that it had such a lukewarm reception after it came out. Glad the overall consensus has improved with time.

[@nr2676]

Kaneko worshipers bombarded SMT IV and SMT Strange Journey Redux.

[@shakaj1525]

​@@nr2676 Kaneko? Who is that?

[@nr2676]

@@shakaj1525 Original artist and demon designer from older SMT games (SMT 1, SMT 2, SMT If, SMT III Nocturne, original SMT Strange Journey, Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2, SMT Devil Summoner, SMT Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha 1 & 2) + Maken X. Doi is new artist from modern SMT games (SMT IV, SMT IV Apocalypse, SMT Strange Journey Redux, SMT V) and his artsyle is more ,,anime'' than Kaneko.

[@RicardoCCursach]

@@nr2676 if that doesnt explain why we dont have game characters with the droopy eyes anymore, nothing will..

[@abc4781]

​@n r lol Keneko's Artsyle is Anime as well 😅

[@Siendra]

The characters in Crimson Shroud are tabletop game mini's. It's meant to emulate a tabletop RPG.

[@masterquake7]

Love all of your insight on my favorite genre as it has helped me branch out and try some games I would not have normally tried.

[@thomario8638]

Right in time just before the appcalypsis falls down.

[@hiro6164]

What do you mean?

[@thomario8638]

@@hiro6164 the closure of the eShop

[@hiro6164]

@@thomario8638 oh

[@matthewwolf5528]

Thank you for the comprehensive list! So many games 😵‍💫 Where do you get all the gameplay footage you show for each game? Is it all your own captured footage?

[@JoJo-ze3en]

List is all over the place

[@hwex_9461]

IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS. THANK YOU!!!!

[@mjdf122]

Enjoy your videos for many years thanks JRPG King

[@markusvhane5087]

One of the KZbin channels I thumbs up before even watching the video. I just love it!

[@Luuw]

Etrian odyssey are S tiers in my mind. I love these games.

[@sharklee5469]

Etrian odyssey are G tiers in my mind Cause i dont know how to play

[@nicodalusong149]

​@@sharklee5469 Ah, self-admitted skill issue. Fair.

[@AstraProc]

I have only played a bit of 3 on the DS so far but it was really, really fun and I look forward to playing more of it and the other games in the series in the future.

[@dukenukem2214]

it's really interesting how different tastes are. Not only did I love and had a lot of fun with FE: Fates, I would have rated, Fates, Awakaning and Echoes in exactly opposite order as in this video :D

[@vjbd2757]

I would say they're A tiers. One of the best first person dungeon crawlers on the market but not masterpieces however.

[@ryokuhasu9699]

Kinda wish you'd give rune factory 4 a proper chance. It's got one of the deepest crafting systems in any game despite seeming simple on the surface.

[@m4dh4dd3r]

This is superb timing. Just wish we'd get some sales

[@thewindofsuicune]

If you weren’t into the first Yo-Kai Watch then you might want to try the third one. It’s better in every single way with the most notable improvement being the battle system. Also, Super Mystery Dungeon story gets insanely good if you can stick through it long enough to reach the second half, but I can understand why that’s too much of an ask.

[@Fermin-hw5pd]

A friend got it recently and he told me most of the qr codes for special items don't work anymore, a shame

[@WardofSquid]

​@@Leny1777 lol same. I regret not getting in on it during its hype days but better late than never

[@BroadcastsFromPoorFarm]

Great breakdown, saving for future reference-thanks!

[@eliotwildermann]

Damn dis must've took awhile to do damn good vid really enjoyed it thanks this was a lot

[@darklordyianni4463]

Awesome list, keep it up.

[@kiraangle2823]

Etrian is a series for people who love specifically rpg combat. For a self motivated kind of person willing to optimize a team of very complex classes while going through grueling dungeons where a tough enemy formating is tougher than a boss in ff and a boss is tougher than that.

[@armandostockvideos8386]

Oh cool! a ranking of 3DS jrpgs where the top 5 is dominated by Atlus instead of Pokemon and fire emblem..

[@nr2676]

Radiant Historia is best Atlus game ever made, sadly sold like shit.

[@reggiedunlop2222]

So many reviews…NICE 👍🏼 Liked and subscribed! 🤘🏼

[@mac9365]

Stella Glow has a generic story??? Did we play the same game? This game goes completely insane in the second half, just a complete tonal shift and legitimately shocking plot twists.

[@modder15]

I'd say the game is very underrated

[@mac9365]

@@modder15 I don't wanna be an ass but I think Eric Landon will only start games or get like a third through then drop them, cuz lots of these just felt like surface level impressions of the games.

[@phoenixxxashez]

​@@mac9365 Just like when he said Kaine's reveal was subtle in Nier Replicant or never mentioned when in the second playthrough she outright says it. (I should know, I platinumed that game). So I believe you that he doesn't always finish the games he says he played.

[@Virenss4]

If you liked Stella glow, do try Luminous arc 1 and 2. They’re the predecessors to Stella glow. Similar combat and great story. Luminous arc 1 one of my all time favorite JRPG’s on the DS

[@monikaguerra]

if you play 5 min yes maybe i think xD

[@poptheweasel100]

I definitely agree on DQ8. I haven't played much on 3DS or PS2, but it always felt much more grand and epic on a console, and I guess it also applies to the US version vs the JP version.. From the orchestral music, the stylized menus, even the HP ticking down when you take damage, it just made it feel so much more special to me. Yeah, it's missing a lot of QoL and refinements, but it has a certain magic on PS2 that it doesn't on 3DS.

[@muslimmetalman]

the 3ds is a port of the iOS version so not nearly as good as possible

[@EhurtAfy]

What's sad is the 3DS version should be the definitive version because it has additional content and playable characters, but has censored outfits and lacks the orchestral soundtrack because the composer Koichi Sugiyama was being a very difficult person. There is a DQ8 for 3DS rom floating around called DQ8 Restored which adds the orchestrated soundtrack, reverses the censored outfits, but unfortunately also removes the English dub. If it had the English voice acting it'd be perfect imo. I wish we could get a true Dragon Quest 8 release for PC with all of the options available and quality of life features. Dragon Quest 11 had a very active modding community

[@felipe.b.felicio]

SMT Strange Journey REDUX is clearly S tier to me. And etrian untold 1 and 2 are A. Etrian 4 5 and nexus should be B. Put Etrian series in C is clearly the choice of someone that never really played any of these games.

[@mrswifties4662]

Good video, but you forgot to rank Xenoblade Chronicles 3D and Brave Dungeon.

[@DSG0805]

Been waiting for this. Need DS too!

[@rafaelverolla7276]

Hey man I really like your videos, but it would be nice if you wrote guides or make it possible to access the info of the video in a written format. I watch yoru videos looking for new things to play, it kinda sucks to have to pause and go back and look for a name. Just an idea. Great vid!

[@itsallenwow]

Hey Erick I’m stoked to see your list! I’ll probably reply to this comment in nerd rage based on the list though haha. Have a great weekend dude

[@itsallenwow]

Wow smt 4 in B tier is probably my only strong feeling. But I massively respect putting Apocolypse S tier, I think both should just be on there

[@alexsullivan2677]

SMT 4 in B, but Apocalypse in S…… Erick love ya bud don’t change, because that statement woke me up

[@nr2676]

It is like putting Soul Hackers 2 in S tier, and Soul Hackers 1 in B tier :)

[@ZSleepingDragonZ]

@@nr2676 If Nemissa was the protagonist instead of your partner, he would've put Soul Hackers 1 in S tier.

[@dnoyrnoptere3499]

Etrian Odyssey IV is my favorite one and Untold II and V are awesome too

[@kill_repeat8491]

I was screaming when I saw Etrian series go into C tier.

[@familyslakhavlu7929]

Persona q is just etrian odyssey without the most fun part of the series: character customization. Its funny persona q is in b and eo series is in c

[@tomdarbyshire1703]

This video saved me so much time and money thank you!!!

[@Ravenamps]

This sure is Erick’s list 😂 Project X Zone in S, Lord of Magna in A, and SMT IV in B because of a side quest.

[@familyslakhavlu7929]

Smt 4 is in b tier because of that stupid map

[@ataridc]

Yea he's not the brightest bulb and s smidgen of difficulty turns him away

[@raulrojas9253]

The guy is kind of stupid and pretentious, there is no way that besides the amazing animations and fanservice, anyone would put Project Zone above D tier. But hey his list but doesn't mean I have to respect his awful takes.

[@nr2676]

And Strange Journey Redux lower than SMT IV Apocalypse ... ;)

[@Ravenamps]

@@nr2676 some SMT purists, not me, hate Redux and think Apocalypse has the best gameplay in the series. I haven’t played either one yet but they’re on the shelf. I’m playing through Nocturne for the first time atm. I think it is pretty funny that Erick mentions Matador in other videos like this impossible roadblock in the mid-game. Ran into him around the 8 hour mark and beat him 2nd try and I’m playing on hard 🤷‍♂️. I think he probably plays so much for the channel if a game is too demanding he puts it down. I’m not mad about it. I’d rather listen to him than some SMT aficionado complaining about Redux for 20 minutes 😒

[@joshbessey9647]

My favourite JRPG system of all time!

[@yogirajmore63]

I do not care for other games. But i am happy that you gave echoes and devil survivor's A and S- tier.

[@AstraProc]

What is the name of the song playing in the background when he is talking about Ever Oasis?

[@nicodalusong149]

Good there is a full(?) list of 3ds jrpg games now. I can go back and purchase the ones that are digital only before the e-shop closes for good. I already saw he placed 7th Dragon in C so I already expected he'd place the Etrian Odyssey titles lower because it's more involved. I personally like them and would rate them higher.

[@chrisschuck249]

Hi Erick, Always loved these videos. Alot of work goes into it im sure. Looking forward to the Switch and PS4 someday. take care!!!

[@jrpggamer93]

Been waiting for this one !! I can't wait for a PS4 one

[@Roy-fl9hn]

7th dragoon is so underrated. So is dbz fusions. And ffex plus a shit ton others. This list was definitely a must play.

[@FusionIkusu]

Erick what did you think of Swords & Darkness, action rpg by Arc Systems?

[@AnyGamesNecessary]

You should really give Bravely Default another go. The story gets really dark (which I know you’re a fan of) in the second half.

[@chadbaileyisawesome]

Artwork and music are enough to push Stella Glow to A tier for me. Awesome video.

[@Trancymind]

I enjoyed playing Stella Glow more than Lord of Magna Maiden in heaven. Stella Glow is definitely an 'A' tier category.

[@TheLoreSeeker]

The Denpamen games are also kinda "monster catching" games in a sense. The "Denpamen" are weird alien dudes who are floating around in areas in the REAL WORLD that have wifi or radio signals....and you look around with the 3DS AR camera to find them and catch them with a net. You can collect different ones that have various skills and then form teams to go on adventures with.

[@yoshyhimo]

nice timing. I just bought the top 3ds games of yours. Lets see if something important left out

[@Official_RetroMania]

I didn't played SMT IV Apocalypse yet, but I did play the OG SMT IV and I think it at least deserves a A tier rank. Didn't played all RPG's from the 3DS so I can't really comment on all the rankings. Now playing Fire Emblem Awakening and I really like it, If Echoes is better than I'm in for a treat!

[@arturboy777]

Hmmmmmm... you're probably not going to think what he thinks. Erick likes more traditional FEs like Shadows of Valentia rather than the vastly more popular new ones. You'll probably like Fates though.

[@Fermin-hw5pd]

@@arturboy777 Are you sure SoV is more "traditional"? The gameplay differs so much from most entries, Awakening is more similar in that regard

[@dkhepra2842]

Ever Oasis is my last rpg 3ds game I'd play not too long ago, looking at these list I'm itching to start playing another 3ds rpg again.

[@angelofernandez9387]

Hi Erick, can you the DS next?

[@user-bf1hd7yb6m]

Though much I enjoyed when playing project X zone titles, I don't think they're on par with the bravely series nor the SMT series

[@darkpufferfish]

Pretty much agree with the list. I'd just move Lord of Magna to B, Dragon Quest VII+VIII to A and Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire to B

[@stuartcid6992]

There is a xenoblade for 3ds

[@midgetsparkle]

Bravely second is MUCH better than the first... The first had such a long grinding end game... Second fixed that

[@matteosala1622]

Finally someone that gives SMT Apocalypse the praise it deserves

[@nr2676]

The best gameplay and balance in series for sure, but rest is meh compared to SMT IV.

[@NyantaNayan]

@@nr2676 seriously, SMT4 is better than apocalypse in many ways except for the gameplay, the combat sistem and other mecanis improve in the sequel compared to the first title, but... the characters are reaaally bad and annoying and the story is good but it doesn't seem better to me than in SMT4, so, just having to do side quets to get the true ending in SMT4 means that apocalypse is better? no way, but hey, it's eric's tier list

[@zorkgreywind509]

Just watched your tier lists for psp, vita, ps3 jrpgs. "Now for 3DS list... *typing search*... What? A few hours ago? How convinient" :) Thanks

[@iliasstavrou1666]

Pls Erick, Make Ranking every DS Jrpg!

[@abe6281]

The 3ds was a portable rpg powerhouse. Rip 3ds (i still have mine tho 😭)

[@jonnirosa4536]

Hey can you do one of these for the game cube?

[@johnboilols571]

What character is in the thumbnail from which game?

[@cyberangel9967]

Great video! I have most of these physically before the prices became high. I still need alot of those digitally thou ao i might just hack a 3ds soon.

[@DarkWorldQ8]

Just to clarify, Code of Princess is available on both Steam and Switch. I believe that the Steam version can be played even lower-spec PCs, assuming there are no bugs or anything like that

[@yumyumrazon]

FINALLY! just woke up and found this!

[@caseyp5861]

From people that actually enjoy Dungeon Crawlers what are your thoughts on Unchained Blades?

[@PolyphonicSpr33]

*fast forwards to see where you put Radiant Historia*

[@Ruzland]

Fossil Fighters Frontier both from the box art and the fact you have dinosaurs is clearly based on Digimon instead of Pokemon.

[@DrFishopolisIII]

I can't say whether it is any good or not as I only played it for about an hour, but Miitopia for the 3DS could be added to this list. The entire world (playable characters and NPCs) is populated by the Miis on your 3DS. It has a class based system, and dungeons follow branching lines (no going backwards). Like I said, didn't play it much. I'd assume Erik would give it a C.

[@LosMonstruos]

I didn't know Pedro Pascal was into video games....;D

[@yumyumrazon]

I am now interested on what is your TOP 10 3DS RPGs of all time! Hehehe!

[@vegamonado7562]

Thanks man, I’m just waiting if Atlus decide to give us discount for some games

[@arturboy777]

I heard they were going to but backed out last minute. I'm hoping they still reconsider, especially after seeing how low the prices were for the Capcom sale.

[@vegamonado7562]

@@arturboy777 I hope man, I just bought Street Fighter 4, I never knew that the 3DS port was so good, I even play some match’s with my buddy.

[@guccidonbuzzflightyear4440]

Bangerr of a video

[@phonghai87]

I think you missed Xenoblade 3D for New 3DS too

[@Etridamu]

Anyone know the name of the game in the thumbnail?

[@franciscobutte]

Rushed tier list

[@rebeccarussell2565]

Shame you can’t do a Switch or PS4 tier list yet, seeing as how games are still being developed for them

[@cocobos]

I need to start playing my 3DS again

[@riccccccardo]

Let’s do this.

[@Inwers]

porn games same tier with honest masterpieces? rly?

[@ryruko16]

Devil Survivor boss music kicks in. Full neuron activation.

[@mohamedaminekhadhraoui6417]

NOOOOOO ERICK NOT ON MY EXAM NIGHT 😭😭😭😭😭

[@chrisschuck249]

Wii and Wii U you have to make also for us fans of the series :)

[@guccidonbuzzflightyear4440]

Picked up Devil Survivor 3ds 6 months ago been meaning to start it

[@arturboy777]

Not gonna lie, It's hard to wrap my head around Conception being higher than Etrian Odyssey, but ok. I do think it's cool that Erick is liking Ever Oasis because that means that perhaps The Zelda series does have a small chance that he'll like them. I just didn't like the town building stuff. Perhaps he should have had a separate tier for all the games he wasn't interested in and had no strong opinions about.

[@Payohloh]

Etrian odyssey can be pretty off putting to people who expect a story in their games, since they have so little story. Also he did say he isn’t a fan of first person dungeon crawlers, conception gets around this but just making the dungeons super short so you don’t get tired of them.

[@arturboy777]

@@Payohloh He mentions that he didn't play Conception for the story, so then fanservice? I haven't played the Fafnir Knight, but they say it has a good story.

[@turismofoegaming8806]

I’m definitely down loading project X zone!!! I was a fan of games like Tekken from the very beginning and when the Sega Dreamcast came out, I absolutely loved Shenmue!! To see that the second one has characters from both those games, I’m gonna be right at home snuggled up playing that game all night!!

[@MTG69]

Were you able to download them? I'm guessing you are emulating them, since I'm pretty sure they were delisted awhile ago.

[@turismofoegaming8806]

@@MTG69 Hshop

[@turismofoegaming8806]

@@MTG69 I have Modded 3DS LL & with that you can still download all the games that were on the Store!! I already had Project X Zone and didn’t know it ?!?! So I just downloaded the sequel and then I grabbed resident evil revelation while I was at it being as I’ve played every version of that game except for the 3DS version which was the original?!

[@familyslakhavlu7929]

What are your thoughts about senran kagura

[@nr2676]

Senran Kagura is not even jrpg. It's Visual Novel / hack'n slash hybrid.

[@leafstormblaze9449]

What about inazuma games?

[@aerrislag]

I have stop the video when he put Etrian Odyssey at C-tier...

[@u12blue]

Bravely default at b? This guy is definitely cracked

[@SEiMEi_EXiSTS]

3:19 2B says "Hi"

[@JaredScott]

i've not played all of these, but Fire Emblem Awakening will be one my favorite JRPGs in general.

[@juliencorceiro1994]

and Radiant Historia ?

[@alexmorpheus6762]

SMT Devil Survivor 1 & 2 are my favorite SRPGs on NDS & 3DS combined.

[@goodrobotdesign]

Could you leave the tier list put in a blog?

[@bustergundo516]

Nice.

[@civoreb]

Mercenaries Saga are like Tactics Ogre, but actually fun 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@redscience2117]

Soulhackers a remaster: sure because the sega saturn had graphics like that right? SMH

[@RolandAlexCole]

What about Xenoblade Chronicles 3D?

[@omegaman182]

I feel he missed some games? Didn't xenoblade start on the 3ds?

[@shido00000]

I’m going to buy a 3DS! Thank you! 🤩

[@twosoulfox]

Great video. You give your unique opinion and despite knowing so much myself, I always see something new. MHU4 is one of the best from the selection shown. Many great things are not on the list. Because you konw... genres.

[@tomthespaceknerd5396]

Gonna float my unpopular opinion now.... LBX is better than Custom Robo, and true hidden gem on the 3ds. They also made Gundam AGE for the PSP using the same engine (only in Japan!), which is also very good.

[@shuny11r23]

Shiiiddd!! I’m fortunate enough to own all the S Tier Games on this list lol. Also I didn’t see CODE NAME STEAM on the list. I believe it’s a Hidden Gem.

[@Roxasofmalice]

17:49 Regarding Fossil Fighters Frontier, it's literally the Banjo Kazooie, Nuts and Bolts of the Franchise. The first two games are absolute bangers and I recommend trying them out. They take the Pokemon Formula, but have completely different gameplay and battle systems to make them unique, plus are more story driven then what Pokemon was doing in Gen 4, I would argue with people saying how Gen 5 is very story drive, it learned from games like Fossil Fighters. The First Fossil Fighters game had a more cohesive story from beginning to end, while the second game had a slower burn to the story, but nicer payoffs. The big thing that made Fossil Fighters Frontier a bad game, was that it overhauled the gameplay in every aspect for the worse. Actually a bit off topic, but when I youtube searched "Fossil Fighters Frontier", I got like 3 videos in a row saying it's a terrible game. Most likely since the third game was under different developers then the first two. Do not use Frontiers as a look into the franchise. It barely plays like the last two games, The Vivosaurs, the Characters, everything is too radically different and unfun. Fun Fact, did you know the developers of the original 5 Sakura Wars worked on the first two Fossil Fighters. Puts things into perspective.