Summary
We don’t often think of science fiction and fantasy going together all that often. Then someone mentions thatStar Warsis basically about space wizards, and suddenly the two go together like peanut butter and jelly. That’s as true in the world of gaming as it is in TV and film. For example, there are lots ofgreat RPGs that blend science and fantasy.
JRPGs are usually associated with the fantasy genre, but a fair few are heavily inspired by science fiction. While some lean more heavily to one side than the other, this list aims for examples that strike a balance. This list also avoids listing repeat entries from the same franchise, except forFinal Fantasy,because each game in that franchise tends to be so different from the rest.
There are a ton of reasons why so many JRPG fans hold a special place in their hearts forFinal Fantasy 7. It’s one ofthe best PS1 turn-based JRPGsand was nothing short of revolutionary when it was released way back in 1997. One of the main things that makes it so special is its setting: a cyberpunk-flavored world where advanced technology and mystical forces coexist. The evil Shinra Corporation is stealing the planet’s mystical life force by producing Mako energy, producing “materia”, basically magical orbs, as a byproduct.
Featuring futuristic locals like Midgar,Final Fantasy 7might seem to lean more heavily toward science fiction, but its story incorporates ancient mysteries like the Cetra civilization. Even Sephiroth, a genetic experiment, and his rise are tied to an ancient prophecy. Part dystopian cyberpunk, part fantasy, and part cautionary tale about environmentalism and corporate greed,Final Fantasy 7’s story juggles a lot of balls. For the most part, it manages to keep them all in the air.
Chrono Triggerstarts with the most generic JRPG setup. A boy living in a medieval fantasy village sets off to rescue the local princess. Then a time portal opens up, and, before they know it, the player is swapping between the prehistoric era, a post-apocalyptic future, and a magical kingdom trying to defeat a parasitic alien villain called Lavos.
The game blends the different genres brilliantly, with different eras leaning in different directions. One moment we’re using magic to kill goblins and dragons, and the next the player is racing speeder bikes and recruiting robots into their party. There’s even a talking frog who’s also a master swordsman. When it was released, this time-hopping structure and the ability to use a time machine to shape the game’s settings madeChrono Triggerone ofthe most innovative RPGs ever.It arguably still is.
Turn-based JRPGs have seen somewhat of a resurgence in recent years, thanks to indie studios run by old-school JRPG fans.Chained Echoesis a great example of this. It’s an indie JRPGs that blends the hallmarks of traditional fantasy with strong sci-fi elements. Set in the war-torn continent of Alandis, the game features a world where magic and mechs coexist.
The world has been torn apart by a generations-long conflict, a war that the game’s heroes are trying to end. Doing so means visiting medieval-inspired towns and monster-infested dungeons one second and battling robots in high-tech facilities the next. The player can even use Mechs called “Sky Armors” to battle enemies both on the ground and in the sky. The game’s lore does an excellent job of explaining this blend of magic and technology - ancient advanced civilizations once wielded powerful technology, now lost and misunderstood thanks to decades of war.
TheStar Oceanfranchise is kind of like what would happen if the crew ofStar Trek’sEnterprise kept ignoring the Prime Directive (don’t interfere with pre-warp civilizations). Each game has a similar setup - members of an advanced, space-faring civilization get stranded on a backwater planet still stuck in the Middle Ages. That’s just howStar Ocean: The Second Story Rstarts, with space travelers from the futuristic Pangalactic Federation crash landing on Expel, a world full of magic and medieval technology.
The game’s sci-fi & fantasy blend is well represented by the fact that the player can choose between one of two protagonists: Claude the Federation officer, or Rena the Expel native with mysterious powers. The game has sci-fi staples like spaceships, teleportation, and lasers, but also includes magic spells, monsters, and ancient ruins to explore. The main quest, which includes hunting down the “Ten Wise Men” and reaching the “Sorcery Globe”, is about as fantasy as it gets. Later games in the stories tend to edge more towards the sci-fi side of things, but this remake, one ofthe best HD-2D JRPGsin recent years, strikes a fun balance.
Star Phantasy 4’s title kind of gives away which genres the developers were aiming at. The game takes the tropes one would expect from some ofthe best dark fantasy JRPGSand transplants them into a sci-fi universe set in the “Algol Star System”. The game follows a young hunter named Chaz Ashley and his friends as they battle against an ancient evil simply known as the Dark Force. This creature, the antagonist of previous games, has been summoned by Zio, The Black Magician, in an attempt to destroy the whole system.
The game’s setting, Motavia, is made up of diverse environments, and players will visit high-tech cities like Piata, magical locales like the Air Castle, and rustic, old-fashioned JRPG villages. Characters will use laser swords and magical spells called techniques to fight classic fantasy beats like dragons as well as sci-fi-inspired bioengineered monsters, and robots. Towards the game’s end, the plot increasingly becomes tied to earlier games in the series, referring to events like the “Great Collapse” and ancient prophecies that make the game feel even more like a traditional fantasy JRPG.
Even by JRPG standards,Final Fantasy 15has a weird setting. Some parts of it, like its towns, vehicles, and pit stops, feel contemporary, but other aspects, like the Niflheim military, are straight-up sci-fi. Then there are strong fantasy elements like mountains that are actually tortoises, giant serpent monsters, and titans holding up massive magical rock crystal things. Its story is similarly odd and starts with four bros setting out on a road trip to their best friend’s wedding before things go really downhill.
In the world of Eos, magic use is largely confined to the royal family of Lucis, of which protagonist Noctis happens to be a prince. Everyone else has to use guns and even mechs to fight. While civilians use modern-day cars and beat-up old vans to drive around above them fly super-advanced military airships straight out of a sci-fi movie. As the player approachesone of Final Fantasy’s best endings, the game veers increasingly towards fantasy tropes, focusing on ancient bloodlines and prophecies and an ancient reincarnated evil looking to envelop the world in darkness.
All theXenobladegames blend science fiction and fantasy to some extent or another, but the original arguably has the most fantasy elements. The entire game is set on the massive bodies of two ancient deceased titans, Bionis and Mechonis, who died eons ago fighting each other. Bionis is home to organic beings, including various fantasy-like races and creatures. Mechonis is populated by machine beings, a bit like inHorizon.
The game follows Shulk, a fairly standard fantasy JRPG hero who wields the Monado, a mysterious word capable of manipulating the world and even predicting the future. As Shulk explores lush, fantastical environments full of giant monsters and towering mechanical structures, he uncovers more about how his world was created and the ancient civilization behind it. While much of the story feels more based on science fiction, it’s full of fantasy clichés like magic swords, dead gods, and “chosen ones”.
Final Fantasy 6is the franchise entry that needs no introduction. There are a lot ofpolarizingFinal Fantasygames,but it’s rare that you’ll meet someone who hates this one. The game is set in a world where magic once ruled but steampunk-style technology has taken over. The game’s story (at least until things really escalate) follows a group of rebels fighting against the evil Gestahlian Empire. This empire is using the power of “magitek”, an unholy fusion of magic and machinery, to try and take over the world.
For the most part, the game’s setting feels very fantasy JRPG, just with some steampunk science fiction thrown in. There are Magitek-powered Mech suits that shoot lasers and advanced airships, but also mythical creatures to fight and god-like beings called Espers that can be summoned. Towards the end,Final Fantasy 6increasingly embraces its fantasy side as the villain, Kefka, essentially becomes a god and destroys much of the world. The game uses its blend of sci-fi and fantasy to tell a story that feels like a cautionary tale of technological advancement at the cost of damaging the natural world and destroying ancient traditions.
