What console has the best JRPG library let alone the best RPG library? It’s a simple question but a hard one to answer as there are a lot of stipulations that can be had. For example, a hacked console that can run emulators like the NES and the SNES would be great or just saying the PC is the best gaming system.
The PC or emulation route would be too simple of an answer, so let’s go through every system of the past and try to think critically. What JRPGs are must-plays for their native consoles without taking into account ports or HD conversions? The results may be a bit shocking.
SNES
The SNES is kind of where video games leveled up. The graphics were better and technology helped developers put more into their games which was great for theRPG genre on the SNES. Square absolutely dominated the console with sequels such asFinal Fantasy 6defining the franchise. They had a good number of original titles as well such asChrono TriggerandSuper Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars.
Enix made good contributions to the platform as well with moreDragon Questgames, likeDragon Quest 5: Hand of the Heavenly Bridewhich helped define the monster-catching genre, and weirder games likeE.V.O.: The Search for Eden. Other great non-Enix and non-Square RPGs includeBreath of Fire,EarthBound,Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals,Star Ocean, andTales of Phantasia. Not all of these games left Japan but future ports and fan translations helped keep the SNES RPG dream alive decades later.
5PS1
Following the SNES, Square jumped ship from Nintendo to aid Sony with their first console, which truly helped thePS1 thrive with RPGsafter the first few years.Final Fantasy 7helped break barriers in the genre, getting non-RPG fans onboard thanks to the flashy cutscenes and more mature themes. OtherFinal Fantasyentries were popular too like the first tactical entry,Final Fantasy Tactics. BeyondFinal Fantasy, Square took more chances with original titles likeParasite Eve,Vagrant Story, andBrave Fencer Musashi.
Beyond Square, Konami had a good hold on the RPG genre.Suikoden 2,Vandal Hearts, andCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightall turned into RPG classics.Sony helped publishsome bangers too likeWild Arms 2andThe Legend of Dragoon.
PS2
ThePS2 continued to kill it for Sony not only in the RPGmarket but all genres. Once again, Square had some great titles and this would be the era when they finally merged with Square Enix.Final Fantasy 10andDragon Quest 8: Journey of the Cursed Kingwere the first two mainline entries in their respective series to offer voice acting.Kingdom Heartswas seen as a miracle, bringing Disney characters into a veryFinal Fantasy-infused universe.
The PS2 was also the console that started to turn Atlus into a more known quantity fromPersona 3toOdin Sphere. Namco and Bandai, before they merged, had hits likeTales of the Abyssand.hack//Infection. Sony got some attention with the twoDark Cloudgames along with its spiritual sequelRogue Galaxyjust to name a few heavy hitters overall on the PS2.
Nintendo DS
RPGs felt naturally at home on the DSas many titles felt like a throwback without having to worry about groundbreaking graphics. The DS was also great because players could grind on the go in short bursts, putting their games on pause by closing the clamshell.Final Fantasydidn’t have a huge home on the portable although the remakes of the third and fourth games were good. The two games that Square Enix truly excelled at wereDragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry SkiesandThe World Ends With You.
Atlus once again had a big DS RPG library includingRadiant Historia,Etrian Odyssey 3: The Drowned City, and variousShin Megami Tenseispinoffs. Nintendo had some great exclusives too from the many Pokemon mainline and spinoff titles likePokemon Conquestto moreMarioRPGs includingMario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story.
3DS
The 3DS wasa natural progression from the DS, allowing for 3D gameplay without glasses while keeping the graphics relatively on the same court as its predecessor. Once again,Final Fantasydidn’t explode on the handheld but its spiritual successor to the franchise,Bravely Default, did.Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distancewas a good interquel andDragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Agehad an interesting release in Japan that was somewhat emulated with the Switch port.
ThePokemonseries once again ruled the portable although it had a rival viaYo-Kai Watchwhich exploded in Japan but not so much in the West.Shin Megami Tensei 4marked the franchise’s first mainline game to debut on a handheld andFire Emblem Awakeningchanged the series from niche to white hot. A final shoutout goes toProject X Zone, one of the most audacious crossover projects since the originalKingdom Hearts.
PS4
Finally,the PS4’s RPG outputis almost tied with its contemporaries, the Switch and Xbox One, because this was the true beginning of the digital and remastered age. Many games that were great in the past from the PS1 to the DS were getting transformed via ports and remasters or just digital downloads. RPG fans could not be happier and thanks to backward compatibility, the PS5, and Xbox Series X/S are also great with these titles.
The PS4 stands out besides retro games thanks to titles likeBloodborne,Ni no Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom,NieR: Automata,Valkyria Chronicles 4,Yakuza: Like a Dragon, andFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. Some titles were PS4 exclusives before moving onto other consoles while others were always global releases.Bloodborneis still an exclusive though 100% much to the chagrin of fans. Either way, the PS4 was a course correction for Sony following the PS3 which helped make it a redemption tale to emulate the heights of the PS1 and the PS2.
