Quick! Name the best Japanese RPG you’ve ever played! No, no, don’t think about it, just say the first thing that comes into your mind. “Final Fantasy VII”? “Persona 4”? “Secret of Mana”? Ha, you know nothing, Jon Snow! Everybody knows that “Final Fantasy VI”, “Persona 3” and “Adventures of Mana” are the superior games! Seriously though, when it comes to JRPGs in particular, there’s usually a couple of titles or series that seem to pop up on everyone’s radars, whether it’s because they grew up with them (like “Chrono Trigger”), because they discovered them and realized they’re consistently good (like the “Tales” series) or because, well, they’re just really, really great (like “Xenoblade Chronicles”). However, there’s just as many awesome JRPGs that you may not have heard of, yet still deserve your attention! Today we’re gonna do something a little bit different and, rather than talk about anime, we’re going to be talking about games inspired by anime! Sound good? Alright, let’s get cracking!

1. Conception II

Let’s start off with something unbelievably weird, shall we? “Conception II” is definitely very Japanese, so if you’re looking for something a bit more conventional, you might want to look elsewhere. The basic plot is simple – monsters are coming out of dungeons and terrorizing the peasant in a fantasy/sci-fi land, and it’s your job as a student at a warriors’ academy to enter those dungeons and shut them down for good! One of the ways you can fight those monsters is through the use of Star Children – magical creatures of various levels of ability that can assist you in combat and can belong to various different classes. Only problem is, the only way you can create these Star Children is, um… Well… You see, when a male JRPG protagonist and a female party member love each other very much… Don’t worry, the process is entirely PG-13, but that doesn’t make it any less awkward . The closer you are to your party member, the stronger your Star Children are, which adds an element of dating sim to the game, with each of the girls having her own storyline that you can follow, in addition to taking her out on dates and such. Add to that some actually pretty solid fighting mechanics and you’ve got one of the best Vita JRPGs out there… If you can handle all the weirdness!

2. Fate/Extra

If you’re a fan of anime, then you’ve most likely seen something related to the “Fate/Stay Night”, be it the mediocre original anime, the EXCELLENT “Fate/Zero” or the “not quite as good as Zero but still pretty good” “Unlimited Blade Works”. For the five of you who haven’t seen it, the “Fate” franchise basically revolves around the Holy Grail War – a competition between seven Mages, each of which has summoned a heroic Servant (a legend from history) to serve as their proxy in combat. In “Fate/Extra”, which is set in an alternate universe to the anime, the war has escalated and now there are 128 Mages competing for the Holy Grail in a single elimination tournament. The winner gets to move on in the bracket, the loser dies. That dynamic creates one of the most emotional games I’ve ever played, since you basically spend each in-game week collecting every possible piece of information about your opponent and interacting with them, only to end up having to kill them at the end. It really says a lot about how emotional the game is when it made me shed tears for Shinji Matou, of all people. On top of that, the game has a very unique rock/paper/scissors battle system which rewards you for knowing your opponents well while keeping combat fast-paced, and I can’t praise it enough for it! I just wish that the sequel/alternate story, “Fate/Extra CCC”, would get released in the West already.

3. Radiant Historia

Now, I’m going to keep this entry short because “Radiant Historia” is truly one of those games that are better experienced going blind into them, but suffice to say, it’s by far the best JRPG on the DS, and that’s a system with “Final Fantasy”, “Dragon Quest” and the absolutely amazing “The World Ends With You”! Basically, if you liked “Chrono Trigger”, but were hoping for something a bit more tactical without going into a straight-up tactics game, “Radiant Historia” is absolutely going to be your jam. Seriously, I didn’t think I’d enjoy it, and 35 hours later I was like “Huh? I’m at the credits already? What happened? Wait, why is it Wednesday?!”