Octopath 2 was amazing, and the things they improved made the game even better than octo 1. I hope they will continue the series.

@gotinogaden

7 ай бұрын

There's a Steam sale for both right now, but I plan to get the first one and leave the second for later. Is the first Octo worth playing?

@jgreysquirrel

7 ай бұрын

@@gotinogaden the first is worth playing yes. I didn’t finish it but put 60 hours into and was ok with that. 2 has so many quality of life upgrades and honestly is a better game. With the stories not connected I’d grab that one on sale over octo 1. Also the demo carries over your progress. Whatever you do I hope you enjoy your time gaming.

@gotinogaden

7 ай бұрын

@@jgreysquirrel Thank you, I appreciate the response! I am playing through "Live A Live", as sort of a preparation for Octo :) I'd recommend this one as well since you clearly love HD-2D.

@jgreysquirrel

7 ай бұрын

@@gotinogaden it’s on my list to get! It looks like a fun game are you digging it?

@gotinogaden

7 ай бұрын

I guess it's a mixed bag, since you have 7 main campaigns, each of which rely on different elements - some are more humorous than others, for example - and a final campaign that becomes available once you beat all of the others. I started with The First (Prehistory) and it's all a bit goofy, because the characters in it do not use spoken language, so deciphering what to do next becomes a puzzle of its own. I've only ever played the demo before that, with the Edo period shinobi in it, and that was a cool campaign as you can either choose a more stealthy or head on approach. Originally it was a Famicom only game, so despite the visual improvements, the game still retain those anachronistic gameplay elements that you encounter in older console jRPGs. I'd say, give the demo version a try and see if it's your thing (the game has general tutorials that apply to all chapters, but some require that you learn mechanics which are usable only for a particular chapter).

Man, this year was so packed. I’ve just barely made it a quarter of the way through the Megaman Battle Network Legacy collection. These were my favorite games while growing up and they still hold up fairly well, even if the first two had some pacing issues. Just so much fun and not enough time.

Awesome list Taylor! Man this has been probably the most stacked year for JRPGS and damn near every single one of them were amazing in their own right! 🔥

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

When a mainline, numbered Final Fantasy misses the list you know it was a banger year 😂

@TheBigBruvv

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGamingShelf 😂 Right!

@azsolus7845

6 ай бұрын

A like for putting Octopath 2 first

Man am I excited to play your number 1 pick because the one you picked for number 2 was my game of the year!

I feel like Chained Echoes, despite being released on Dec 8, 2022 needs more love. It released too late last year that it got no love, and then nobody even cares about it this year. It is hands down the best "this year" in my opinion.

@mo_musashi_284

7 ай бұрын

So damn good , I loved it but I was sad it didn’t have a new game +

@xenghuong

7 ай бұрын

Its SUCH a good indie jrpg. I'm excited for the future games

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

It topped my best JRPGs of 2022 list video for whatever it’s worth!

@Cessate

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGamingShelf Shit, I know I watched that last year, but definitely don't remember Chained Echoes haha. You're the exception then!

@robertogomez2932

Ай бұрын

Chained echos is in my top 5 as well as octopath. Some of the best rpgs I have ever played.

Finally someone else who actually enjoyed FE Engage, the combat was fun and fantastic, sure the story was just ok, but still what a great game overall. Great list.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Couldn't agree more

@AzureRoxe

7 ай бұрын

The combat being slightly better than Three Houses doesn't justify everything else being worse, even down to the DLC being FAR worse.

@riyuphoenix4533

7 ай бұрын

@@AzureRoxe I see your point, but in generally play FE for it's gameplay, especially on Maddening Mode and I'd have to say FE Engage Maddening mode had a better challenge personally. 3 houses is great dont get me wrong, but the new game plus eventually makes the game too easy, to the point where the is zero challenge.

Octopath 2 is also my jrpg of the year! What an amazing game built on the strong foundation of the first one! Engage story might be weak, but the gameplay and replay value is stellar which explains why i just started my 4th playthrough of the year! Games i want to play in the future are Star Ocean second story R and Eternights! Thanks for your high quality videos: super well structured, narrated and written !

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

I appreciate the love as always, Alex 💜

@larsstavenuiter424

7 ай бұрын

story might be weak? .... that has to been 1 of the worst stories i have ever played in a jrpg ever. It felt like i was playing with statues no thank you.

I’ve been blessed to see all from 1980-Now so many great JRPGs throughout the decades 2023 was a great year for gaming

Octopath feels like someone looked at the SaGa series and said "What if we made this, but with a SANE progression system?"

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Haha exactly!

@YouDonkeyfu

7 ай бұрын

and you hit the nail on the head on why i have never been able to beat the Saga series and by extension why the last remnant is eternally on my to be completed list.

Octopath Traveler 2 is my favorite game of this year, hands down. All sixteen of em. I already adored the first (drawn in by the artstyle and music, kept engaged with fun characters, great turn based combat that somehow struck that balance of being satisfying and not making bosses feel like health sponges.) The stories, while not perfect, definitely had their moments as well. Octopath Traveler 2 took all that was great about the first and cranked it up to eleven. Even BETTER hd-2d artstyle, even better music, evolved combat in really nice ways, had overall improvements in flow, structure and writing, I could go on and on. Any fan of turn based rpgs, play this game. It is genuinely incredible.

Azure, Nayuta, and Reverie all the way! '23 was a fantastic year for me. My favorite JRPG this year was Trails into Reverie for sure. Lots of hype moments, characters interactions I thought would be happen or even considered. Awesome pacing and Lapis is such an impactful character.

Star Ocean 2 was already my brother's favorite video game, and having a remake that is just a straight improvement on everything it touched while keeping a lot of the classic so2 weirdness... it almost made his old bitter heart cry with joy.

Love to see FE Engage in your list. I haven't played it yet, but it's nice to see positivity about the game. Really helps with not beating my future enjoyment/experience with the game when I finally play it.

I came from another of your videos cos you mentioned a game I love that no one else ever mentions - Sakura Wars. You have just done it again here with Nayuta. You have good taste. Subbed.

@TheGamingShelf

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for the kind words! And thanks for the sub 😄

Sea of Stars Octopath Traveler 2 Trinity Trigger and honorable mention Chained Echoes (released December 2022) are some of the best JRPGs for 2023

I really should get on Fuga 2, for I too bought Tears of the Kingdom instead that day, unique as I am... but I did wrap up Octopath Traveler 2 before TOTK, and man. That final boss and how the game treated it, that felt POWERFUL and I loved it dearly. Currently making my way through Super Mario RPG and feeling how my increased skills have made the game damn near trivial but like, at the very least it's still quickpaced and charming, I can't be too mad.

I'm at my fourth playthrough of Octopath Traveler 2. Still NOT bored and the final boss is always a blast to play through and its music is a BANGER.

I almost lost hope when I didn't see Octopath Traveler 2! Then you put it in number 1! I really love you. I cannot express how this game made my whole year.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Glad to hear from a fellow enjoyer 🤝

@Og74223

2 ай бұрын

im absolutely shocked how good is the game, i just need to tell every rpgist to buy it to support square, we need a 3

Idk how Octopath Travelers 2 didn't win an award this year.

I agree with you Taylor, I love Octopath Traveler 2. Best-looking HD-2D game imo. Sure, it still has a few problems, but overall, it's great!

Great videos as always. I have a few of these on the to play pile. I wonder how I missed out on Eternights since it seems like something I would like and $30 is not a bad price. I'll make a point to pick it up after x-mas. I have to be honest about the first Octopath traveler... I got about 25 hrs in gave up on it. I was disappointed about that as I wanted to like it. How much better is Octopath Traveler 2?

Octopath Traveler II was definitely my favorite game of the year. Great list!

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

It's so good!

I can whole heartedly commend the atmosphere and vibes of octopath traveler 2. the music alone is warm and comfy.

Subscribed. You got all the games that I have. Very good taste.

Yesss so glad Eternights was included. Not my top but definitely was one of my favorites of 2023.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

I’m a sucker for Persona-likes lol. Is that a thing now? 🤔

@WimzorTheGreat

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGamingShelfEternights is not a Jrpg though. It’s made by a Korean guy.

I’m waiting to receive Star Ocean & SMRPG but I’m currently playing DQ: Treasures which is very fun and Hack G.U. which released a while back but I highly recommend it.

Awesome list!!! This was great! I can't wait to get a bunch of these for Christmas!!!

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Nice! What’s been your favorite JRPG this year so far?

@femtrooper

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGamingShelf Honestly, for 2023, Fire Emblem Engage BUT I have a bunch that just came out that I need to play still so I know it will change!!!

Octopath traveler 2 is probably among the top 15 JRPGs of all time, what an amazing game

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

100%!

@Og74223

2 ай бұрын

its a crime that he has been overshadow that bloody 2023 year, hope it will get the rating it deserve with the years, i blame a lot of loosy review from youtubers that dont have the time to really play the game too

Love the videos! Have you covered Earthlock? It's a retro style rpg from 2018 that me (a non rpg guy) really enjoyed. I hear its kinda like FF10. And there's a sequel on the horizon!

Its still so funny that it’s called Octopath traveler. This was just the name for the project and they wanted recommendations from the fans, but everyone just liked Octopath traveler so it ended up being unchanged haha

If Eternights gets a squel, the only thing I hope gets improved is the combat and lightening. Combat did feel like it dragged a bit because it had a requirement for a perfect dodge, when at late stage I wish it used whoever you ended romancing. Have it affect the story and gameplay to really add that replay need and force a different play style.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Yeah the game was really dark in parts. Pretty hard to see at times

Thank you for mentioning Eternights because nobody is talking about this game and i think it's fabulous. Combat is awesome and i love the feel of the interactions with the characters.

Octopath Traveler 2 is my top 4 favorite game of all time!!! For me, just Nier Auromata, FF7R and FF9 are better than OT2 ❤❤

Star Ocean was my FAV game as kid. So happy with this, I've been trying to play it on emulators for years on and off. Octopath it's just amazing It's my favorite game of the nowadays. I'll have to say, plus many others on this list this was an amazing year for RPGs. It's just not enough time in the day

A game that came out quite late in the year that you might've missed was Small Saga. Those graphics, story, and music are truly 10/10. The game also oozes uniqueness in its theme of being small rodents. I will say, two slight criticisms I had of the game were that 1. It was too easy if you're used to turn-based RPGs, and 2. It was a bit short at roughly 7~ hours of gameplay (not criminal though for a $20 game). Overall, I would put it up with some of these games though. It's a great pickup if you're looking for a short RPG with 0 fat on it.

Octopath 2 is a true masterpiece. I full enjoyed it. I wish they would be more similar games.

I’m getting Super Mario RPG for christmas! I’m in the same boat as you! I’ve never played the original, but I’m hyped to play it! Also do I need to play any of the other Star Ocean games to play R? Because I think it looks really cool!

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Not at all. It’s like Final Fantasy in that it’s its own self contained thing.

Listen, I clicked so fast, I think I broke my mouse 😅

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Time for a new one then! 👀

@ryanoneill9333

7 ай бұрын

😂

My 1 and 2 are the same!! OCTOPATH 2 is brilliant ❤

Sea of Stars has a great stories!

So many good JRPG's this year, and I'm really looking forward to the JRPG line-up in 2024!

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Same! Next year is gonnn be wild.

I have the same top 2. I’ve never checked out a Fire Emblem game but am super tempted to try Engage. Was a real good year for JRPGs. There’s a couple I didn’t even get to like Fate/Samurai Remnant and Monochrome Mobius that I’m curious about.

I've been waiting for this ❤🎉

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Let’s go! 🥳

It’s a damn shame Trails to Azure wasn’t top 3. It easily deserved that, it’s a masterpiece 😤

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

It’s a solid game, it just didn’t stick out amongst the sea of other great games.

@BlackHazama

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGamingShelf I have to disagree, I think the payoff was huge especially coming from Zero and all the plot lines that were resolved. It’s pacing was much better, it was much more challenging, the quartz system got an upgrade, fast travel and those boss battles were incredible. Those plot twists were crazy too. Again, the only contenders to it was Second Story R and Octopath Traveler 2. But I get this is subjective, still love all your content Taylor. Keep up the good work 🫶🏻

Aside of Y7, Yakuza Ishin is my favorite game in the franchise. The combat is that good, and while the story is not the best (You know the villain's "secret" idendty on his first scene) it is still good. I also love the edo peroid as well.

I think we can all concur that this was a PHENOMENAL year for jRPG fans!

Great list

Sea of stars may have started weak, but it picks up on the third island and just gets better and better with insane twist of twist

Sea Of Stars won the indie GOTY on the TGA and Golden Joystick awards so I'd say it did live up to the hype

@jawadalikhan2077

7 ай бұрын

its incredibly underwhelming and the combat is insanely simple and boring. Goes to show what those "game journo's" like. Just make a nostalgia bait game with pixel art and hopefully it'll pull and walllllah it did. Ah well, some people like boring stuff like that 😅

@Akirapoet

7 ай бұрын

@@jawadalikhan2077 To each their own, man. For me, it's a really nice game.

Persona 5 tactica is definitely the game I look forward playing this month

Great year for JRPGs and early next year is already stacked. Still yet to buy P5T and Nayuta

@MPHswayze

5 ай бұрын

Nayuta looks incredible

Glad I'm not alone thinking Sea of Stars could've benefited from voice acting. Loved playing it, but it felt like voice acting would've made it the perfect blend of modern & retro/throwback JRPG

YESSS, some love for OT2. I love that game.

With both the Mario RPG remake and Wonder, Mario's getting really good treatment in terms of visuals.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Absolutely! Both games look fantastic.

Fuga is my second favorite work of fiction next to Made in Abyss. I played through Fuga Melodies of Steel 6 times alrady. I recently started my 7th playthrough. The first game I have played 16 times so far.

it only came out a week before this video released, but Dragon Quest Monsters 3: The Dark Prince is absolutely FANTASTIC.

Man, I was gonna name Chained Echoes, until I googled it and learned it released at the end of 2022. Such a good game

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

It did come out really late in the year!

I haven't checked out OT2 because I strongly disliked the OG and in the demo it felt way too similar. BUT SOSS2R is definitely my GOTY outside of TOTK and yes Engage is way underrated! I think being out early in the year and having bad DLC didn't help it.

If they do a physical double pack for FUGA on Switch, I'd be all over that

@sofaris576

7 ай бұрын

Its just wishful thinking from me but I would love it if they do a physical 3 games in one package when the third game comes out.

Subbed

Jokes on you, I nearly have all of these games, Jokes on me, most of then are stuck in backlog purgatory

@TheGamingShelf

6 ай бұрын

Haha well you clearly have good taste too ;)

Totally agree with you with OT2. The only game that I 100%

Octopath Traveler 2 is my RPG of the year too & 1 of the best ever in the genre.

@Og74223

2 ай бұрын

Top 5 best jrpg of all time for sure

I loved Octopath. 80+ hours with pleasure!!

Need to get back into Octopath 2. So many games man an not enough time 😫

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

For real! 2023 was insane no matter which genre you played.

@alterego5550

7 ай бұрын

@TheGamingShelf Most Definitely. Won't be any better for the first quarter of Next Yr.

Still need play SO2 Remaster been to busy on tactica

Awesome list dude. One of my Favorites from this year is definitely Star Ocean 2R but my number is gonna be revealed in my next video

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

It’s a fantastic game!

@mechaotakugamer

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGamingShelf I'm gonna play it while I watch the game awards

I just finished the first kingdom in P5 tactica and while the combat is great, I'm really struggling to get into the story. There is so much boring (non voiced) dialogue between the short bursts fights, that I feel like I spend far more time waiting to fight, than actually fighting. Unlike the base P5 game, which had a great story, this one is proving to be a struggle.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

I’ve found myself skipping a lot of the story too. The gameplay really carries the game. There’s only so many times we can go into the metaverse with these characters to take down bad guys lol.

hahaha, and i thought this would be an excuse for you to tell the world born of bread has been released :D Of all the game on the list, i only played sea of stars but the lack of skills meant that the lock style that they had is such a pain in the ass to deal with, at the same time with how low your mp are, i did end up using items more than i would have but also i wish that we had more slots for potions and our consumables are not just food.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

This is the first time hearing of it! Perfect fodder for a hidden gems video though 👀

I think I'll check out Eternights.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Do it 😎

Crazy that that FF16 doesnt even make the top 10 jrpg list the yr it comes out, what a yr for games!

Sea of Stars!

Octopath Traveler 2 is amazing in every way, they did better than its predecessor, said that, octopath traveler 2 have arguably one of the best final boss themes ever in history of gaming and believe me I have been gaming since NES aeons 😂, while octopath traveler 1 have one of the best True Final Boss themes, at the end, both games are masterpieces, still if you wanna try OT start with the first one, if you start the other way around OT 1 will just be not good enough compared with is sucesor .

P5T id give a 6-7. Game was fun and i love game style but enemy types arent varied much and combat starts to become stale quick. Story was solid. Erina is extremely likable and i found myself really enjoying her arc. Would still recommend but i wish the game was a bit more flushed out.

Good list

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Glad you think so!

I never finished the first Fuga, not going to buy the sequel. I really loved Ishin (I won't argue about the genre, it gets a pass) Nayuta is still on my backlog. Sea of Stars is one of my favourite games this year. Playing Persona 5 Tactica right now, about halfway through

Octopath 2 is so good. It is a masterpiece and will be remember in the future.

@Og74223

2 ай бұрын

tell them again we have to tell them again !

How is the ost in star ocean second story R?

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Really good! One of the best in the series.

@valk5041

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGamingShelf say less

My problem with Octopath Traveller 2 is that it got suuper easy after the first 10 hours or so

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Really? Interesting! If anything I felt like it got harder, especially once you hit the final bosses of each story.

@tilldill763

7 ай бұрын

@@TheGamingShelfIm 30 hours in and at chapter 3 for some characters (recommended level about 34), and what i find super boring is that i have multiple story lines with recommended levels ranging from level 7, 11, 14 etc. But yeah maybe i push trough to see some of the ends if you say the battles get harder :D Because in general i love the mix of exploring the world, story and engaging battle system

@Louis_Cyphriel

7 ай бұрын

Exactly my problem. I got to around 3rd chapters and just couldn't keep it going. It was way too boring with how easy everything is. And having an option to just x2 both shows that they knew this issue and makes all the encounters even more boring!

Sorry, but how was Hikari's story a story of redemption? He had absolutely nothing to redeem himself for. Also Throne's also wasn't a story of revenge, but more of emancypation. Still I was surprised you liked Agnea's the most(btw I like her story as well, but honestly I love all of them)

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

I’m a softie, what can I say 😅

It's the first time I've heard that Sea of Stars story is not that great and I LOVE IT! Characters are nice, but the story was both underwritten and overwritten and lost focus quite quickly!

I want to play octopath 2 and I know you dont need to play the first one, BUT I still havent beaten it and wont start the 2nd one until so 😭

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Don’t limit yourself if you really want to play 2! 1 will always be there 😉

Wow this is actually a good list

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Haha thanks? 😆

Nayuta looks pretry cool.

#10 Fuga melodies of steel 2. I couldn't finish that game. I thought it was pretty bad. The battle system forces you to use the best skill for the right enemy. It doesn't give room for trial an error which I think is better than USE BEST SKILL TO BEAT THE ENEMY IN THE LEAST AMOUNT OF TIME!. Just me tho

@fukaze2021

7 ай бұрын

So it's the same thing that happen in the first game then

@sofaris576

7 ай бұрын

I never had the feeling Fuga forces me to use my best skills all the time. I actully like to use normal attacks a lot to save SP.

Better start saving for Octopath Traveler and P5 Tactica...

No Trails to Azure?

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

It was good, but when I reflected on the year it just didn't stick out like these other games did.

I really want to try Octopath 2 but I could not bring myself to finish the first one.

@Soooooooooooonicable

7 ай бұрын

Same. The first one was so bland.

@DaakkuuYRS

7 ай бұрын

As someone who played both: Octopath 2 is much much better. I didn't beat both of them, but I've played around 15-20 hours more in 2 compared to 1, and that's just because of backlog. I'm not going to return to 1 but I will for 2.

@YouDonkeyfu

7 ай бұрын

@@DaakkuuYRS Ya, i had the same experience with the bravely default series, i never beat any of them but i did enjoy the 2nd one a tad more

Also throne was not a story of revenge wtf thats Oswald. Throne is about gaining freedom alot like Therion but without the character growth he went through.

i love FE: Engage too

14:07 I honey thought it came out last year.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Haha right? It was that long ago!

R I P FF16 lmao SO2 by a landslide for me

So glad to see Octopath Traveler II is your number 1!! Definitely my favorite game this year and is on the list of my favorite games of all time! Agnea’s story resonated with me so much that I picked up my instrument solely based on wanting to learn her theme. It’s a truly special game 🔥

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Wow what a cool story! Thanks for sharing 🙂

Octopath traveler2 is in my top 5 of all time.

Great list but I would rather pick Like a Dragon Gaiden over Ishin here

taking a small break from octopath 2 (before grinding my second party) to play super mario rpg since experience is shorter. been a good year for jrpgs.

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

Yeah it has! Absolutely incredible.

I really hated Garl personality in SoS but unfortunately he is also the character with the most personality :/

You gotta play Fate/Samurai Remnant!❤

@TheGamingShelf

7 ай бұрын

I know! 😭 That’s my big regret this year. I’m hoping to try it out over the holiday break.

These are Amazing Role Playing Game... yes they may came form one country BUT there AMAZING ROLE PLAYING GAMES..

I want a game similar to Xenoblade Chronicles 😢😢😢

@TheGamingShelf

6 ай бұрын

Let me tell you about Xenoblade Chronicles 2 😜 I kid. When you say a game like XC what do you mean? The combat? Exploration? Story?