Top 10 Hardest JRPGs I've Ever Played

[@slam-zany]

This was a fun list to put together. Difficulty in games is purely subjective so I do understand that what I find difficult, others may find easy. That's why I'd love to know what games all of you think are challenging. Let me know in the comments below!!

[@vicvinegar4467]

I would add Fire Emblem Radiant Dawn. That game kicked my teeth in.

[@RoachyRoachandthefunkybunch]

@@vicvinegar4467 right off the bat the first level i was like damn this is going to be a rough one lol

[@vicvinegar4467]

The Last Remnant was crazy difficult. I love a lot of the game on this list man. I didn’t even realize I liked hard JRPGs until now haha. Great video man.

[@Suikojunkie]

Dope list. Digital Devil Saga and Strange Journey are harder than SMT 5 imo.

[@Vulpetinha]

Just discovered this channel and it's amazing. Keep the good work. You're doing well

[@slam-zany]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoy the channel.

[@elrufi]

Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song is very difficult for beginners. Grinding just makes the game more harder because enemies scale and doesn't drop money

[@RoseGoldenPetal]

#1's combat is absolutely ball busting, as some encounters are entirely up to RNG if you survive, because the enemy can take like 4=5 turns nuking your entire party and you're left with absolutely nothing but the MC, also like most games of the series the MC dies it's game over period if any at any point they fall in battle, this is only half the reason the game is so ball bustingly difficult the Bosses goddamn are brutal even on the casual setting. Did I mention the cameo encounters are something you have to know about in advance to prepare for hours on hours in advance

[@vicvinegar4467]

I definitely agree. Nocturne is wildly difficult!

[@Gamesrcool]

SMT games are all hard in my book. That’s why I love them, and also sometimes hate them 😂

[@agroah7236]

Yeah i have played and beaten it on Hard and i can totally agree with it permadeath simulator 😂

[@MoTheGuy]

I would have to say the Devil survivor 1 & 2 series. In the first play through the games pull no punches and are time restricted to keep key characters alive.

[@slam-zany]

I definitely agree, those are incredibly tough. I need to actually go back and finish them.

[@AttilaGenghis]

Fantasian was probably the hardest (but fair) challenge I’ve come across. Lots of well executed encounters that aren’t just a wall of stats. Some others are probably harder on “insane” difficulty modes, but in terms of balanced and fun, this one takes the cake

[@Bobwilliams5567]

I think Scarlet Nexus doesn’t get credit for the clever ways it implements difficulty. Super underrated game imo. Nocturne might be the hardest game I’ve ever played, I like it but man it’s a tough one for sure.

[@rjproduction486]

I recently played scarlet nexus, I dont remember it that hard of game even in very hard difficulty! The only real challenge in scarlet nexus is the super boss shadow of recording, that's the only time I lowered the difficulty from very hard to hard.

[@nr2676]

Shadow Hearts 1, SMT Strange Journey, SMT Devil Survivor 2, Tactic Ogre Reborn, Soul Nomad, Etrian Odyssey, The 7th Dragoon, Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song, Resonance of Fate, Valkyria Revolution (late game), Valkyria Chronicles 3.

[@Gamesrcool]

I think Resonance of Fate is obnoxiously difficult. It’s a cool game but man I almost threw my console out the window.

[@slam-zany]

I feel that for sure. Resonance of fate is a game I quit 4 or 5 times before finishing it. I kept coming back though lol.

[@cartoonclips_if]

@@Gamesrcool one thing, on my third time coming back, I FINALLY got that vreaking shields stopped enemies upcoming attacks, and changed turn speeds. Really helped a lot to soeed through back to where I was.

[@JRPGMillennial]

Valkyria Chronicles is a game I want to return to, but for some reason it's so hard to get back into especially after a long time 😢

[@claudiegarnier4560]

Awesome video ! I did not find Code vein that hard compared to others souls like. Yeah I agree resonant of fate was hard though !

[@Terron29]

Love this upload. I LOVE a good challenge in my games and I feel people tend to breeze over the question of challenge when it comes to jrpgs and its a pity. I wish more had difficulty options. So many of my fave jrpgs (breath of fire 3, grandia, OG ff7) I love but find them so easy now. Would love an optional difficulty. To be fair breath of fire 3 actually has some bite to it. Enemies and bosses can take a decent chunk of hp from you. Regardless. You listed some of my more recent favorites here. Great to hear Tactics Ogre Reborn get a shout out. (I loved the level cap system) Cool upload man

[@slam-zany]

Tactics Ogre Reborn is one of my favorite Tactics games period. It’s so good!

[@BiggusYuichi]

The Last Remnant was stupidly hard. I bought it day one on the 360. I notice box said like 24 companions but it was cut down. Now I soft lock myself in the game because I did a bunch of side stuff and got to a boss that would go fist and kill everyone. I said f this.

[@uppernimbus]

Amazing list dude! I haven't actively played the SMT games myself, but I'm definitely in for one spicy treat when the time finally comes! 😅

[@slam-zany]

Thank you!! And yes indeed. They’re tough but totally worth it in the end.

[@zekdom]

On that note, you should make a Valkyria Chronicles 1 vs VC 4 video: give your opinion on which is the better game. It’s a close call, in my estimation, but I lean towards VC4.

[@bdhuffman42]

I really wish that SMT3 had a difficulty between easy and normal. Easy isn't even fun. Everything dies in one to two hits. You are vastly overleveled and drowning in money. Normal is like Extra Hard in any other game. Not balanced at all for "normal".

[@ronthedon8730]

Trails in the sky: second chapter on hard mode was ridiculous, and that isn't even the hardest difficulty option

[@24hr-Gaming]

Valkyria Chronicles is both the game where Alicia can solo the entire game and a game where you can get sniped by an anime lady with a laser all the way across the map.

[@DaakkuuYRS]

Unrelated to difficuly, but story. It is so wierd that techincally the game could end in the middle if only Welkin would have let Alicia use her Valkyria. Yes, I get it that she was losing herself, but it is really dumb that Welkin risked his army and country's lives for that, while he could have let Alicia beat the army, and then settle it with her. But no "Winning with Valkyria is not a true victory"...

[@nr2676]

​@@DaakkuuYRS Because he right. Winning by give-up own life, it's not a true victory, it's cowardice.

[@Sepvulchral]

i feel like smt if akira route is harder than smt 3

[@nr2676]

Bushyiasta paralize spam go brrrr ...

[@femtrooper]

Awesome list! Now I'm scared for Octopath 2 LOL but I will still give it a chance.

[@slam-zany]

I think it’s totally worth it!

[@TheHeartThatRunsCold]

@@femtrooper I've only heard that Path 2 is significantly easier than 1 due to how busted your characters are. It was actually one of the first criticisms I've heard levied at it.

[@johnyjohny7472]

Smt isn't that hard if you understand it. You basically need to beat 1 or 2 smt games and most the others will be not so hard. Nocturne was easy for me.

[@MartinGonzalez-lj7ev]

I'm still stuck in octopath traveler optional boss

[@mrp1234]

disclaimer I have not played any SMT games! Bravely Default II strikes me as the hardest turn-based game I've ever played. that shit was TOUGH lol. I agree with Tactics Ogre and Baten Kaitos was INFURIATING. I actually think OTII was pretty easy... the original OT was quite obnoxiously hard at times, but usually in a grindy way. I'll also put FE Fates Conquest on the list, it really is quite tough. DQ11 is easy, but the like super ultimate final challenge of the game is probably the single hardest turn-based fight I've ever experienced. I completely cheesed it and I have no idea how else I would have won. Xenoblade 2 is not actually hard but it's super intimidating. my reflexes suck so I always play action games on easy so I have very little comment there lol. Oath in Felghana was HARD!

[@slam-zany]

Bravely Default 2 was pretty hard for sure, and XC 2 has a crazy complex combat system so I'm with you there.

[@TheGamingShelf]

Man f*ck SMT 3 😂 That game was ridiculous. Definitely deserves its spot!

[@slam-zany]

Haha yea I knew it was gonna be hard when I started it. I had no idea it would be that hard though.

[@robertoquintero5200]

@@TheGamingShelf SMT 4 Apocalypsis is more edgy, especially the ending...

[@nr2676]

And this is not hardest SMT game

[@tiagocosmos]

For me SMT Strange Journey was definetely the hardest, along with Devil Survivor 1 on the DS, when I was into SMT (which I no longer am). And of course, my favorite series, SaGa, is very hard.

[@LeepoyIfurung]

SaGa has the hardest JRPG ever for its obnoxiously difficult curves.

[@steveperry2321]

Record of agarest war zero took me like 300? Hours mostly grinding just to get through it on easy. The battle system didn't click for me. The battles almost ALWAYS felt like you were underpowered..

[@slam-zany]

Wow that’s some dedication right there!

[@MamawSukona]

Vagrant story should be on the list

[@nr2676]

The hardest element of Nocturne it's Puzzle Boy. F... this minigame :D

[@zekdom]

Seeing Valkyria Chronicles 4 and Baten Kaitos in the thumbnail is top-tier gaming.

[@hugbuzzard]

Oh man, I loved valkyria chronicles. I never got to finish it because my ps3 shit the bed. I have it on the switch now, buuuut backlog haha. I definitely think Octopath Traveler was harder than Octopath Traveler II. I do think the sequel is the superior game though. Either way, they both are incredible. I literally bought a switch for Octopath Traveler.

[@DaakkuuYRS]

Really wierd for me that people count Scarlet Nexus as a difficult game. I suck at video games, and most of the time play on easy mode. With Scarlet Nexus I was able to beat it on normal (one of the very few games I've done it). I'm not saying it is not complex; it is, but nowhere near as some other Hack and Slash games (for example, DMC3 which I wasn't even able to beat the first boss...). It is just wierd to see it at the same list with Valkyria Chronicles and SMT which are very unforgiving.

[@BrutalDread]

I didn't play to SMT III but I'm not afraid since i've finished Megami Tensei I and II, SMT III should be easy for me (I hope so...)

[@marcrics]

I found Octopath 2 a lot easier than the first but I feel that could just be due to exposure on the battle system and general game flow. Still not a walk in the park by any means though.

[@nr2676]

Valkyria Chronicles 1 hard ? I guess you were filtered by infamous desert mission. The only one hard game in series it's VC3, because of those f...ng Armored Hunters with high evasion rate + anti-tank miniguns, maps with status ailments, and deadly interception fire.

[@notaheretic6675]

i dont know if im being weird about this but i dont think smt 3 and 5 are hard maybe im just desensitized.

[@danihelfen]

Would have appreciated not to see spoilers for SMT V Vengeance's story 😕 That clip with Nuwa was unnecessary

[@stevenbard8919]

Agreed. That sucked some of the wind out of my sails to keep playing.

[@cameronutt6383]

XCOM and XCOM 2

[@agroah7236]

F i slept away watching it at 3:45 in the Morning but it seems like i finished the video now i have to figure out where i have been before i slept away 😂 pls do more of them Hard Jrpgs i love it 🎉

[@johnray527]

I was pretty shocked to see Octopath 2 here. Listening to your comments, I suppose you're saying that it's complex, which I can agree with. But for gamers who have experience with that and who want to dive in head first, it's an absurdly easy game. That's kind of the whole appeal - gather together this crazy bundle of advantages and dunk on everything endlessly.

[@joevincent5408]

I dont see any difficult game here.

[@pol610]

Yeah idk about Nocturne. It was easy for me and I was just doing a blind playthrough just fusing when to a higher level when all skills were learned. They said Matador was hard then Daisoujou, Mot, Beelzebub, Metatron but yeah cheesed them. I admit I used a walkthrough because I was wasting time going in circles for the story to progress And I hate Puzzle Boy

[@vanishingdragon7]

Personally I loved Code Vein. It was definitely one of the more challenging games that I have played. But I did really feel a sense of accomplishment when I finished it. The hardest boss for me was when you fight the big dude with the canon arm and the woman that was so fast at the same time. At that point in the game, I feel like either one of them would have been easy on their own, but together they made a combo that I had a hard time with.

[@slam-zany]

Code Vein is one of my favorite Souls Like games. It’s a ton of fun.