Summary
The32-bit erawas a bit of a strange one for many video game genres, particularly those industry staples that established themselves in the16-bit era, likeJRPGs. As the industry was quickly turning towards 3D graphics, the march of progress would ensure it would soon become absorbed into an encroaching 64-bit era, creating a muddled yet enduring legacy.
With the overlap occurring in a single console generation and many developers overselling their products, the boundaries were a lot less clearly delineated. In truth, although a lot of nostalgia persists for the period that cemented the market for home console gaming, most early 3D titles hold up much worse than those rose-tinted specs would have fans believe. Many of these games were still very influential on the genres they contributed to, however, like theseexcellent JRPGs of the 32-bit era.
Still considered by many fans to be the best in the series,Breath of Fire 3is a novel JRPG about a protagonist with the ability to transform into different dragon species. The central mechanic is rewardingly deep in this third entry, with a plethora of dragon genes scattered throughout the world that can be equipped in battle with an impressive variety of combinations.
On the downside, party members can only be switched out at camps, and there are several moments in the story when a particular party member is mission-critical, so fans revisiting may want to have a guide handy to avoida lot of needless backtrackingto and from camps.
Parasite Eveis a short experience by the traditionally bloated JRPG standards, clocking in at around 10 hours. However, developer Square took full advantage of the savings in processing power with one of the most engaging narratives and some of the best FMV sequences of any game on the market at the time.
It’s here whereParasite Evereally shines,beginning with a theater audience being mysteriously set alightby the Primadonna of the show and devolving into a dark mystery of monsters and supernatural entities, like a JRPG version ofResident Evil.
Suikodenis a series much more concerned with reality than most of its contemporaries. The supernatural and fantastical elements typical of JRPGs are pared back in Konami’s prestigious series, which takes a much more grounded view of war between nations and the consequences for the people who reside in the conflict.
That makes its narrative altogether more poignant and relatable, which is where the series excels, promoting unity and defense.Suikoden 2improves across the board on its equally beloved predecessor, making it the better entry, although it does help to have played the first game to better understand the events in the sequel.
It’s one of the most impactful entries on this list,spawning theXenofranchise, which is still going strong today with the most recent entry,Xenoblade Chronicles 3,launching to huge acclaim in 2022.Xenogearsis the origin of that complex world and was praised by fans and critics for its engaging and unique narrative.
It falls foul of a few tropes, like the amnesiac protagonist, and it doesn’t quite escape the classic JRPG trapping of falling into convolution, but once the giant mech fists start flying, fans are sure to be hooked to the end of the adventure.
Vagrant Storywas one of the last 32-bit JRPGs produced by Square, who feature several times on this list as a mark of their pedigree in the era. As a result, this game benefits from the wealth of experience gained from developing other genre staples and was intended as a true showcase of the developer’s prowess in full 3D.
The graphics engine was considered revolutionary for the PlayStation, but sadly, like so many other ambitious late-console titles, the game was largely consumed by the emerging sixth generation the same year, drastically limiting its appeal. However, for fans looking to relive some of the best JRPGs of the era, it’s still one well worth revisiting.
3Panzer Dragoon Saga
A Triumph Against All Odds
Speaking of being overshadowed,Panzer Dragoon Sagawas a game that had everything working against it and somehow managed to be an excellent JRPG adventure nonetheless. As a first-party Sega title, it was exclusive to the comparatively underpowered and significantly less popular Sega Saturn.
It was an ambitious attempt by Sega to grab a foothold in the lucrative world of 3D JRPGs and was intended to stand tall among its competitors. The developers outdid themselves, craftinga rich cinematic taleand a unique combat system that combined the series' dragon rail shooter mechanics with the time-based mechanics popular in the JRPG genre at the time.
The most contentious entry, as the only one native to a 64-bit console, but most N64 games were actually 32-bit as it allowed for a smoother performance on the cartridge. Releasing in the same year in Japan as other games on this list,Paper Mariojust about makes the cut as a 32-bit era game.
Paper Mario significantly elevated the groundbreaking first entry,Super Mario RPG,to the point that thePaper Marioseries spawneda whole parallel franchise. The paper aesthetic not only enables the reality-warping mechanics that defined the series, but it also helped the game stand alone as the only JRPG of the era to still hold up visually to this day.
Could the top spot on this list be anything other than themost recognized JRPG in the history of the genre? Most gamers have at some point in their lives played a version ofFinal Fantasy 7, which still endures as arguably the pinnacle of the series across 16 critically acclaimed mainline entries.
Sandwiched between one of the most acclaimed JRPGs of the 16-bit generation inFinal Fantasy 6and the graphically revolutionaryFinal Fantasy 8, it successfully serves as the amalgamation of the best parts of each. Today,Final Fantasy 7essentially serves as a blueprint for designers on how to make a traditional JRPG, although it does not entirely escape some dated mechanics that result in the game being more drawn out than it needs to be. Then again, the remake ofFinal Fantasy 7had to be split into three full-length games, suggesting that if the game is good, drawing it out isn’t such a bad thing.
