The Best Modern JRPGs For Fans Who Miss The Old Final Fantasy Games

Final Fantasy is a series that has been through its fair share of ups and downs, but there’s no denying that the inception of this series paved the way for some of the best JRPGs of all time during the retro age of gaming. After the failure of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within forced the company to seek out a merger with Square Enix, the series has tried to reinvent the wheel with varying degrees of success. While these attempts to modernize the series’ gameplay have come with its fair share of challenges, fans appreciate how the franchise has tried to keep up with the times instead of resting on its laurels.

Still, there’s something about the classic goodness of Final Fantasy that fans can’t get enough of to this day. Everything from the fun turn-based combat to the memorable stories and characters that have stuck with players long after they’ve finished these games has proven why the golden age of Final Fantasy deserves all its plaudits. People who want to channel the brilliance that made these titles so iconic in the first place will love numerous modern JRPGs that are inspired by old-school games in the genre, and Final Fantasy‘s heyday is no exception here.

5 Octopath Traveler 2

Most Similar To: Final Fantasy 5

Octopath Traveler 2 is a near-perfect sequel that improves upon almost everything in the predecessor, but one aspect of the first game that was executed to perfection was the classic job system. Players could help the main characters master numerous jobs to become a tour-de-force in combat, covering up their weaknesses and ensuring that their strengths were further augmented by mastering both active and passive abilities.

It’s easy to see why fans of Final Fantasy 5 will love what Octopath Traveler and its sequel bring to the table. The job system is a joy to mess around with, letting players change their party makeup and tackle battles in a different manner every single time. Given how much of an improvement Octopath Traveler 2 was, fans of Final Fantasy‘s golden age can’t wait to see what a new game in the series will have on offer.

4 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel

Most Similar To: Final Fantasy 7

The materia system of Final Fantasy 7 has aged like a fine wine, to the point where the remakes have emulated this system faithfully to great effect. Using concentrated magic stones to let players access a wide array of offensive and defensive spells is a simple yet exciting way to make combat more personalized than ever. One modern JRPG with its own take on such a concept is The Legend of Heroes series, with Trails of Cold Steel being a modern entry point into the series that people should check out for themselves.

Much like materia, The Legend of Heroes series lets players purchase or acquire Quartz, which serves as magical orbments made of purified sepith that let players use a wide array of orbal arts. These range from active techniques to passive benefits that can augment a character’s strengths or make up for their weaknesses. It’s a concept that Final Fantasy 7 players will be intimately familiar with, letting them customize their ideal party and take on the toughest foes with their powerful abilities.

3 I Am Setsuna

Most Similar To: Final Fantasy 10

Fans of Chrono Trigger will find a lot to love about I am Setsuna. It may not be the most fleshed-out or memorable JRPG around, but players who want to check out a modern JRPG that harkens back to the classic era where this genre flourished will have a great time with I am Setsuna. To make things even better, the story feels quite similar to Final Fantasy 10 in more ways than one.

Just like Tidus’ grand journey, I am Setsuna focuses on a maiden and her protector who must be sacrificed to satiate the world’s aggressive monsters. Anyone familiar with Final Fantasy 10‘s story knows what happens next — the heroes reject this fate and decide to take on the puppetmaster forcing the world to endure this vicious cycle, leading them on a collision course that can decide the fate of the entire world.

2 Bravely Default 2

Most Similar To: Final Fantasy 3

Modern games that try to elicit the feel of classic JRPGs will love Bravely Default 2 for its refined yet familiar gameplay. The crowning achievement of this title is its job system, which allows players to switch up their party and battle strategies in one fell swoop. This, coupled with the Brave and Default system, ensures that combat feels great regardless of whether players are engaging in a random encounter or beating down one of several bosses.

Fans of Final Fantasy games that feature a heavy focus on a job system like Final Fantasy 3 and 5 will find Bravely Default 2 to be a great game to fill the void left behind by these games. Experimenting with every job in the game and dynamically altering the party’s skills every step of the way is a huge reason why fans love the classic goodness of Bravely Default 2‘s gameplay.

1 Triangle Strategy

Most Similar To: Final Fantasy Tactics

Final Fantasy Tactics is one of the greatest spin-offs in the series’ history, letting players engage with a unique Final Fantasy game where every encounter is meticulously crafted and is difficult without being fair. While the slow-paced fights of this game can take a while to get used to for fans of the mainline series, excellent presentation, a memorable story, and well-written characters ensure that Final Fantasy Tactics will go down in history as one of the greatest strategy JRPGs of all time.

It’s a shame that Square Enix hasn’t tried to revive this series with a new entry, but fans who want to play a modern JRPG that feels a lot like Final Fantasy Tactics will love what Triangle Strategy has to offer. The gameplay is very much inspired by Final Fantasy Tactics, with players enjoying in-depth tactical combat that rewards smart positioning and environmental manipulation, among other such strategies.

Final Fantasy

Creation Year

1987

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix