#JRPG
8 article(s)
Breath of Fire: The Capcom-Square Deal That Reshaped the JRPG
In 1994, Capcom signed a commercial agreement with Square to distribute Breath of Fire on Super Nintendo in North America. An alliance between two direct rivals, at a time when Final Fantasy VI dominated the Western JRPG landscape. This quiet pact reveals much about the power dynamics of the era and how a franchise could emerge in the shadow of a juggernaut — and still survive.
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Switch 2 Edition: More Than a Graphics Update
On July 30, Xenoblade Chronicles 2 arrives on Switch 2 with an overdue graphics overhaul — but Monolith Soft didn't stop at polishing textures. The Switch 2 Edition packs several substantial new features, including an upgrade path for original owners. The real question isn't whether the game looks good: it's whether these additions justify the cost for veterans with 80 hours already logged.
Digital Devil Saga Deserves a Remaster as Much as Raidou
Released in two parts on PS2 between 2004 and 2005, Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga stands as one of Atlus's creative peaks—a futuristic dystopia, Hindu architecture, dense narrative. With Raidou Remastered proving Atlus can resurrect its spin-offs with care, whether Avatar Turner merits the same treatment is no longer trivial. It's an editorial angle on a studio's catalog policy, one that carefully selects what it revives and why that choice demands reevaluation.
Final Fantasy Resonance: HD-2D Camera Is the Producer's Real Challenge
At Japan Expo 2026, producer Kiseki Nakashima revealed the technical constraints of Final Fantasy Resonance, an HD-2D adaptation of the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. Managing the camera proved far more complex than anticipated. An admission that sheds light on a genuine tension: adapting the HD-2D aesthetic to a game designed for cinematic experience isn't just a cosmetic makeover.
HD-2D: How Octopath Traveler Launched an Aesthetic That Endures
Announced in January 2017 as Project Octopath during the Nintendo Switch conference, Team Asano and Acquire's game released in July 2018 with an unprecedented visual style: 2D sprites on three-dimensional backgrounds, dubbed HD-2D. Eight years later, this graphic language has spread far beyond its founding title. A look back at what this aesthetic gamble truly changed—and what it reveals about Square Enix's ambitions and limitations in the nostalgia RPG segment.
Endless Ragnarok: Granblue Fantasy Relink Makes Its Comeback
Two years after launch, Granblue Fantasy: Relink emerges from the shadows with Endless Ragnarok, a massive expansion available on PC, PS5, PS4, and Nintendo Switch 2. Over a million units of additional content for an action-RPG that already turned heads—the question is no longer whether Cygames knows how to make a good game, but whether this XXL version has the staying power. First impressions.
Final Fantasy IX at 26: The Remake We're Still Waiting For
Released in 2000 on PlayStation, Final Fantasy IX turns 26 today in relative editorial silence. Square Enix remade VII, has begun tackling VIII, but the ninth installment remains without an official remake project. Yet it's one of the most beloved titles in the franchise. A paradox that says volumes about a publisher caught between commercial nostalgia and artistic integrity.
Koudelka at 26: The Gothic JRPG Sabotaged by Its Own Combat
Released in 1999 on PlayStation, Koudelka remains one of the most singular JRPGs of its generation: dense gothic atmosphere, mature storytelling, and a combat system that sank the game before it could find its audience. Twenty-six years later, Sacnoth's title has never been properly rehabilitated—and that's no accident. It's not a simple injustice either.