5 Upcoming JRPGs That Could Rival Final Fantasy

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Japanese role-playing games, or JRPGs, have become incredibly popular again in the last ten years, thanks to both fresh ideas and a fondness for older games. While Final Fantasy is still the most well-known series, the genre has changed a lot. Today’s JRPGs aren’t just about traditional turn-based battles and anime-style art. They’re now known for taking risks, mixing up combat styles, and telling stories in exciting new ways. Players want immersive worlds, compelling characters, and innovative narratives that build on the legacy of classic JRPGs while also forging a new direction.

With so many new games being released, the long-held dominance of Final Fantasy in the JRPG world is starting to feel less secure. The series has moved away from its traditional turn-based combat, with recent titles like Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth focusing more on action. At the same time, several exciting new JRPGsā€”from both well-known developers and smaller independent teamsā€”are gaining a lot of attention thanks to their impressive graphics, innovative gameplay, and richly detailed worlds. These five games arenā€™t just offering another option; they have the potential to reshape the JRPG genre for years to come.

5) DecaPolice

It’s been a while since Level-5 released a major title, and DecaPolice could be the game that puts them back on top in the JRPG world. This game offers something new by combining detective work, classic turn-based combat, and a futuristic, noir-style setting ā€“ a welcome change from the typical fantasy JRPG. Players take on the role of a rookie investigator in DECASIM, a virtual city used to train police officers. However, the story quickly becomes complex as virtual crimes start to have real-world consequences, promising a thrilling and unpredictable experience.

What makes DecaPolice special is its blend of different gameplay styles. You’ll explore an open world to find clues, have conversations with suspects, and then engage in turn-based battles that feel like classic Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs). It’s a mix of detective work and RPG elements, bringing to mind games like Persona and Final Fantasy, but with its own fresh ideas and personality.

DecaPolice boasts a vibrant, anime-inspired art style with eye-catching colors and lively character animations. Itā€™s full of Level-5ā€™s signature touches ā€“ memorable characters, a sleek user interface, and a feeling of excitement that will appeal to players of all ages and RPG veterans alike. If the story is as well-crafted as the visuals, DecaPolice could re-establish Level-5 as a leading RPG developer and become a major player in the genre.

4) Lost Hellden

Artisan Studios, the team behind Astria Ascending, is creating Lost Hellden, a stunning JRPG. The game features beautiful animation from artists who previously worked on classics like Final Fantasy IX and Bravely Default. With its hand-painted backgrounds, detailed characters, and bright colors, Lost Hellden stands out from other games in development. It has a unique art style that builds on the HD-2D look, making it feel like a vibrant, animated painting.

This game centers around twin characters whose shared fate is complicated by the worldā€™s troubles. The story mixes the emotional intensity of traditional Japanese role-playing games with more mature and thought-provoking themes, focusing on questions of identity, what people are willing to sacrifice, and the connections between them. This ambitious approach has already generated a lot of excitement and suggests the game could be a major success.

The battle system in Lost Hellden combines fast-paced action with strategic thinking. It focuses on skills, combos, and elemental strengths, similar to recent action-JRPGs like Tales of Arise, but feels more methodical than Final Fantasy XVI. This creates a good balance between exciting combat and careful planning. Combined with strong art, a well-developed story, and a unique visual style, Lost Hellden has the potential to be a standout JRPG.

3) Forge of the Fae

Forge of the Fae is an upcoming pixel-art JRPG that looks incredibly promising. It combines a fantasy world inspired by Celtic myths with modern gameplay and a story where your choices really matter. Many players are comparing it to classic games like Chrono Trigger and Sea of Stars. The game’s world is steeped in the magic and mystery of Celtic folklore, and you play as Fiora, a clever inventor investigating a series of strange disappearances.

Fioraā€™s initial investigation soon grows into a much bigger problem. A minersā€™ strike escalates into violence, and shadowy mercenaries are brought in to suppress it, all while a hidden, magical world begins to awaken beneath the surface. Her search quickly becomes a dangerous journey filled with myth, political intrigue, and challenges she never anticipated. Each area holds hidden secrets, and every person she encounters adds another layer to a story that becomes increasingly complex with every choice she makes.

What really makes Forge of the Fae special is its fresh approach to turn-based battles. It takes inspiration from classic Japanese role-playing games but is built for modern gamers, offering a battle system thatā€™s quick, engaging, and surprisingly complex. The game is designed around the idea that everything works together ā€“ skills, spells, and abilities all connect, letting players experiment with different combinations and develop their own unique playstyle. This creates a combat experience thatā€™s easy to pick up but offers a lot of depth for those who want to master it.

2) SacriFire

SacriFire is a beautiful and engaging RPG with a strong story, inspired by classic 90s games like Final Fantasy and Breath of Fire. It doesn’t just recreate the feel of those beloved JRPGs ā€“ it builds upon their legacy with a unique blend of moral choices, exciting combat, and a world that mixes fantasy and science fiction. SacriFire strives to recapture the magic of the genre while still offering fresh and unexpected experiences.

The core of SacriFire is its unique battle system, which blends the strategy of turn-based combat with the fast-paced action of real-time fighting. Youā€™ll control a team of characters and switch between different weapons and skills during battles. Instead of just selecting commands, youā€™ll create smooth attack sequences, strategically pause to plan, and find opportunities to launch powerful combos. Itā€™s a responsive and complex system that gives you the thoughtful gameplay of turn-based RPGs combined with the excitement of action games.

What really makes SacriFire special is its unique art style. It beautifully combines classic hand-drawn pixel art with 3D environments, creating a look that feels both familiar and modern as you explore its two distinct worlds. Like all great Japanese role-playing games, it also boasts an incredible soundtrack. SacriFire‘s music features original compositions by G4F and renowned composer Motoi Sakuraba, known for his work on beloved series like Star Ocean, Tales of, Golden Sun, Dark Souls, and Valkyrie Profile. Combined with professional voice acting from Sound Cadence Studios, the gameā€™s worlds of Antioch and Erebus feel truly alive, immersive, and epic.

1) Threads of Time

Threads of Time is a new JRPG that clearly takes inspiration from the beloved classic Chrono Trigger, but also establishes its own unique style. It’s a large-scale adventure with a heartfelt story and modern graphics, built around traditional turn-based battles. Unlike games focused on a single time or place, Threads of Time sends you traveling through history, uncovering a vast conspiracy that could destroy everything ā€“ similar to the epic scope of the original Chrono Trigger.

The game’s story revolves around time travel, and it’s much more than just a setting. It directly impacts how characters grow, the world is built, and how the game moves forward. Players will explore a huge range of eras, from lands dominated by dinosaurs to futuristic cities, with magical kingdoms and ruined worlds in between. Each time period feels unique, with its own hidden lore, cultures, and events that have lasting effects on the overall story, letting players piece together how everything is connected.

Battles are a core part of the game. Threads of Time offers classic turn-based combat with a faster pace, impressive graphics, and innovative ways to control time. A journey through different eras needs a diverse cast of characters, and this game delivers with a memorable group of heroes from throughout history. As you rebuild the Order of the Time Knights, youā€™ll collect a team of warriors, mages, inventors, and adventurers ā€“ each with their own special skills, personalities, and backgrounds.

Traditional turn-based Japanese RPGs (JRPGs) are becoming rare as the gaming world shifts towards faster-paced, action-oriented combat ā€“ even the iconic Final Fantasy series has changed. Luckily, many independent developers are dedicated to keeping the classic turn-based style alive, which is why youā€™ll find so many of them on this list. Games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have demonstrated that thereā€™s still a strong audience for this type of gameplay, joining popular series like Atlusā€™ Persona and Metaphor: Refantazio. If these indie titles continue to gain traction, they could revitalize the JRPG genre as a whole, potentially leading to a new era of great games, both turn-based and action-packed.

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2025-11-19 23:16