These 10 JRPGs SURPRISED Me With Their Unique Battle Mechanics!

[@Realmidboss]

It took until 2024 and Vanillaware's Unicorn Overlord to bring the Gambit system back and even evolve it. Let that sink in.

[@Shinky]

I should really play that soon, I keep hearing really good things about it

[@ProfessorWhocario]

The World Ends With You (DS) would be my immediate first choice when it comes to a unique battle system,having you control 2 characters simultaneously for a different style of action combat. But since I'm not the first commenter to bring that one up,I won't go on too much about that and mention another unique entry that was also published by Square: Vagrant Story for the PS1. Vagrant Story has a real time battle system with lots of little mechanics the player needs to learn in order to succeed, like a wound system that triggers different debuffs if certain body parts take too much damage, a weapon and armor system that makes gear highly customizable and encourages carrying a vast arsenal at all times due to each having their own sort of "EXP" that makes them better suited to dealing with whatever they're being used against (while making them less suited for other enemy types), as well as a Risk mechanic that makes your attacks less likely to hit as you perform more actions in a row but makes subsequent actions more likely to crit if they do land. It's a pretty obtuse set of mechanics since the game doesn't explain things very well, but it's very rewarding once you figure out how it works.

[@milesseawind]

The World Ends With You comes to mind. You control two characters at the same time, one on each screen of the ds. Neku's attacks and movements are controlled with the touchscreen, and your partner uses the d-pad (or face buttons for left-handed players) to attack. Each partner has a unique mini game with their attacks that do more damage when successfully completed. There is also an orb that passes between the two screens that you can knock back and forth between the two screens if you time your attacks well. This orb will build up energy to create a full screen attack on both screens. This is all in real time, btw. It sounds difficult, but the game is very good at getting you in a flow state, and it is very satisfying to pull off. All of this only applies to the original ds version. All of the ports compromise the combat and make it a lot simpler with only one screen available. Which defeats the point of the story tying the themes of social isolation and cooperation to the gameplay itself.

[@milesseawind]

Also, Fuga:Melodies of Steel having party members with different skills manning different positions in a large tank, that you can swap on the fly is pretty unique. You all share one health bar, if the tank goes down, you all go down. You can also choose to permanently sacrifice a party member to instantly win a fight when your health is low. However, it will change the story if you choose to do so.

[@BlueCrimson10]

Radiant Historia is a very satisfying combat system. Both sides have a 3x3 grid like in Battle Network, but the battle is all about moving character turns and enemy tuens around so your characters line up together. Then you select moves that shift enemy positions so as many as possible are on one grid space, meaning attacks on that space damage everyone on that space. It also has a combo level that builds within one side or another's combo, and builds faster if you alternate between physical and magical skills. The higher the combo pevel, the more damage the next attack will do. It only builds if you attack the same enemy, though, so thats why you want to shift them around. Some enemies cant be moved, some take up more than one space, and moving w character's turn does leave them in Baroque status which increases damage taken until their next turn. Its very satisfying to master and see in action.

[@MJ-oi6ul]

Eternal sonata is INCREDIBLE deserves a remake or follow up!

[@mrp1234]

the brave/default gameplay is so simple but so so good. also never even heard of Knights in the Nightmare but it sounds fascinating!

[@Shinky]

It’s complicated. Good luck if you try it out

[@Morraak]

LEGEND OF DRAGOON! I love the addition system haha. And the calling out of the attack name on successful completion is just icing on the cake. And similar system that I liked was Shadowhearts Judgement Ring system.

[@Arunya-d7u]

I think trails through daybreak was interesting because it has the option to play the original turn based gameplay or switch to Action oriented which was different that they would include these new editions in modern rpgs.

[@Shinky]

Daybreak is really interesting, they seem to be following that with the new Sky remake

[@Arunya-d7u]

@ I wish they would just make a Trails in the sky 4 so they could just go full action and I want no turned based at all.

[@BlueCrimson10]

Then play Ys ​@@Arunya-d7u

[@femtrooper]

Awesome video and really neat topic! :D

[@Shinky]

I love myself some unique battle systems!

[@madkaiser4887]

Amazing list and oooh Eternal Sonata

[@Shinky]

I love Eternal Sonata so it had to be mentioned

[@pyrosixtey2]

A great modern game is chained echos. It punishes you for button mashing your strongest abilities. And the world was just amazing

[@Shinky]

I’ve been putting off playing that game for a while. I keep hearing positive things about it so I should really play it

[@pyrosixtey2]

@ the more you use abilities and take damage you move a bar towards the red and when it’s red you take more and deal less damage. So you have to use certain abilities it randomly selects for the turn(like heal, support, attack) and if you use any of those it’ll move the bar back. Plus so many quality of life things, like if you fail a fight you can just retry the fight from the start

[@nahte123456]

Shout out to Project X Zone combat. Each 'unit' gets a few attacks that send the enemy bouncing around, if you can keep hitting them without letting them land you get an extra attack, and if you hit an attack JUST before they land it's a crit. Plus as you land hits you build up a super attack to use over multiple combats. It really rewards paying attention, timing, and learning how different attacks make the enemies move.

[@Shinky]

Ah yeah, those are some great games. I remember playing that combat system in Namco x Capcom. I’d like a new project X Zone game

[@AdamTheGameBoy]

I like the idea of Bravely Default's system more than it in practice. It only really comes into play during boss battles and even then, you can usually resort to pretty cheap spam. Basic enemies, you are usually safe braving everybody and spamming whatever 4 times. Aside from the odd quick enemy, it really trivializes random battles, but you need most of the exp and jp I've tried to concept ways to improve on the idea they went for with that system.

[@Shinky]

Oh absolutely, I still thought it was a unique concept.

[@MrAweeze]

3:37 That is not the only way to play it 😎

[@kafuumaki]

Interesting about Eternal Sonata. I played a few hours into that game but I never actually did finish it. And Legend of Dragoon remains one of my favorite games and combat systems to this day! I really want it to come back.

[@Shinky]

Look into Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. It uses a combat system that’s similar

[@shadowsquid1351]

- Shadow Hearts 2 - Radiant Historia - Xenoblade 3 - Octopath Traveler 2 - Trails to Daybreak These are the RPGs battle systems that stand out to me. There were pretty good choices in your video as well.

[@Shinky]

I hate to say that I haven’t played most of those games :(

[@shadowsquid1351]

@Shinky I haven't played many of the games on your list, hopefully one day 😁

[@Stickman0660]

​@@shadowsquid1351 octopaths system is an evolution of the system from bravely default.

[@AstralBraixen]

Yooo another Trails player! :D Yeah Daybreak did some really cool stuff with it's battle system

[@shadowsquid1351]

@@AstralBraixen I loved Trails to Daybreak, the battle system was awesome & I heard the 2nd game's battle system is better.

[@HybridAngelZero]

LEGAIA AND WILD ARMS MENTIONED LET'S GOOOOOO! Wild ARMs 5 in particular is one of those games where I'll run around just to do more fights. As for my picks, the Grandia games are wonderfully satisfying turn based/real-time hybrids, NEO The World Ends With You has a fun take on action combat where each attack button is a controllable character

[@uppernimbus]

Oh yes, Bravely Default is a good one, I had a lot of fun with that game's battle mechanics back in the 3DS days. Pretty solid list overall, Shinky!

[@Shinky]

I love the whole bravely series so much! It’s simplistic but really unique

[@kukukachu]

Panzer Dragoon Saga. One of the best JRPGs ever created. If it was remade in this day and age, it would be GOTY. I'm not gonna tell you anything about it, because I don't want to spoil anything. I will say the the difficulty is not hard as the JRPG genre was used to tell a more expanded story instead of being a grind fest. Panzer Dragoon is usually a rail shooter, but Panzer Dragoon Saga is a JRPG. I'd also say that some of the game layout could use an overhaul if it ever gets remade, but other than that, man, it is such an amazing JRPG>

[@Shinky]

I’ve only heard stories about this game, hopefully I can try it soon

[@jgg86rpgs]

I loved the battle system in Dragon Quarter for the PS2.

[@Shinky]

Another super unique one!

[@ivancosta4623]

Final Fantasy XII is an amazing game. Its certainly one of my favorite battle systems on the series and I wish they continued improving on it, it represented a great interpretation of a modernized turn based/passive combat system., but it was not very well received if I can remember right. Doing a great job, Cactus dude!

[@Shinky]

I’m glad you enjoyed it =) and yes FFXII is really amazing.

[@preposteroussvideos]

Excellent taste as always

[@Shinky]

Why thank you!

[@aldoushuxleysghost]

I remember playing Wild Arms 5 as an introduction to the series. Talk about doing it the hard way. I loved the game, but man...that kind of learning curve

[@Shinky]

Have you gone back and played the others?

[@aldoushuxleysghost]

@@Shinky yes. Eventually, I did. Really wish I had followed the series at the beginning

[@veghesther3204]

YET wild arms 4 5 and ACF NEVER left the PS2 era in fact their hasn't been a new wild arms Console game SINCE Wild arms 5 got its PS2 release.

[@RawrItsJuul]

Played several of the games on this list, love all of those. I still have a ps3, so I immediately looked up a listing for eternal sonata.

[@Shinky]

Eternal Sonata is so good! I hope you enjoy it

[@felman87]

Eternal Sonata's battle song is fantastic! No joke, I was listening to it today on my way home from work, so you talking about it here is just perfect. We're both on the same wave length. Or similar, because I definitely would have put Shadow Hearts on here. 2 and 3's Judgement Ring system makes it unique. It's similar to Legend of Dragoon but more forgiving, since there's a basic hit area and a smaller critical area at the end, so you can play it safe and do normal damage or try and hit that red area for extra dmg. Also, you can increase the number of hits you do but each area gets smaller and if you screw up, you lose those extra attacks. So, if you have 5 hits but screw up and miss on the 3rd, you only get 2 hits.

[@Shinky]

Yeah I was gonna mention shadow hearts but it was too similar to dragoon I feel.

[@Kyrika]

While from what I can remember of it, I couldn't say if the battle system in Omega Quintet was "good", but I know if I ever plan to play it again, I'd need to learn all over again how to kill things effectively. I remember spending far more time inputting commands, making sure they were in the right order, and making sure the enemy was on the right distance line for the attacks to work best, than I did actually attacking things, though a fully input combo with all characters with the most actions possible was always pretty satisfying watching it play out for a good several minutes straight, sometimes defeating and overkilling bosses in a single combo if you did it right.

[@Shinky]

Omega quintet is definitely a game I completely forgot about lol

[@Samgideon5]

I wish we would get more Wild Arms games.

[@Shinky]

The closest thing would be armed Fantasia, hopefully it’s out this year

[@Sheeps856]

I need a new battle network game. I know there's One Step from Eden, but that's a run-based roguelike deckbuilder where you're building a character over the course of an hour, not a JRPG where you're building a character over the course of twenty to forty, and there's not a full RPG story to go with it.

[@Shinky]

I 100% agree, battle network is a lot of fun

[@brotbrotsen1100]

I haven't looked into it at all but i think inti creates released something with the MMBN combat a few months ago, think its called card en ciel or something. No clue what Kind of game it is though.

[@AdamTheGameBoy]

@@brotbrotsen1100 It's not anything like Battle Network. It just steals the look. It is very turn based with no action elements. It has more in common with Fire Emblem.

[@Shinky]

You’re thinking of card en ciel. It’s a rogue like and actually half decent

[@pigleticus]

Great list! I hope that Eternal Sonata can get out of PS3 jail.

[@Shinky]

Hopefully one day! I played it last year (and reviewed it for the channel) and loved it just as much as when I first played it

[@BlueCrimson10]

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a fairly unique battle system, if somewhet complex. Too conplex to leave in w comment, but once you master it, it feels sooo good

[@Shinky]

XC2 had a fun system, it is complex though. I recently went back to it after a few years and I was very lost

[@imcubanb2870]

How about the combat system in Fear and Hunger?

[@Shinky]

I’ll be honest, I’ve never even heard of that but you have my interest

[@imcubanb2870]

@Shinky It is a very difficult game. You might want to do some research before trying it. It's not for the faint of heart, and it is NSFW for all the wrong reasons.

[@fenniken5381]

Additions i find kind of tricky to pull off, at least when I played on ps3.

[@Shinky]

The delay makes it difficult for sure

[@thelastofitskind3034]

Legend of legaia and xenogears had great mechanics

[@Shinky]

Not incorrect

[@mechaotakugamer]

Oh man I love Wild arms 5 and it's upgraded Hex battle system. They made it a but better than WA4 while nerfing some abilities which kind made me a bit disappointed as I was able to make one character in WA4 super busted

[@Shinky]

Was that character Raquel? Because if so I did the same thing

[@mechaotakugamer]

@Shinky yep she was a boss killer with the intrude ability but sadly in WA5 that ability got nerfed

[@marioaugusto5408]

What is the name of the first game in the intro?

[@Shinky]

Resonance of fate

[@irwinvillanueva1308]

an unpopular opinion, but, i enjoyed the battle system of resonance of fate. it has a steep learning curve but i vastly enjoyed the battles once i learned how battles are supposed to be fought.

[@Shinky]

I wish I understood the combat haha

[@irwinvillanueva1308]

@Shinky it was never taught properly but when i went to the arena (if i remember correctly) that is where the game teaches the mechanics of the battle system. once you get how the tri attack is done and what the blue and red damage does i bet you will get the most of how showtime the game is.

[@fenniken5381]

I miss wild arms.

[@Shinky]

Me too, which is why I’m playing the strategy RPG Wild Arms XF right now

[@MaryTownsendRyokansDomain]

I love the Wild Arms Series too umm as far as Wild Arms 4 and 5 well I like the music and characters designs but the gameplay I'm skeptical on that😊😉

[@Shinky]

Fair enough. I especially loved 5 because it was made for fans of the series with all the NPC references

[@MaryTownsendRyokansDomain]

@@Shinky Ohh okay thank you for telling me my friend ☺

[@Redoxxx21]

Kingdom hearts: Chain of memories.

[@Shinky]

That was honestly a consideration for the video

[@UltimateGattai]

This is the one that uses cards right? are there any other JRPGs that have a card battle system?

[@nisbahmumtaz909]

emulation isn't as big of a boogeyman as you'd like to think. anyone can play eternal sonata, provided they have an even semi-decent PC.

[@Shinky]

That’s true, but it’s not something everyone is into.

[@AlastorShadow0]

The Megaman Battle Network series are action/card battle games not rpgs. Why do people think the series are rpgs lol?

[@Shinky]

Leveling system, story focused game design, etc. they’re very RPG coded if anything. They’re like action JRPGs at the very least

[@mune_mune]

Harvest Moon is still considered a jrpg, lol

[@Thenadathor]

Wrong spelling, no apostrophe!