The JRPG genre is full of some of my favorite stories of all time, game, movie, book, or otherwise. The reason is that they embody the feeling of being on a journey unlike any other brand out there. They can start modestly, then end in a conflict beyond our wildest dreams.
It’s become commonplace at this point where a bunch of kids kill a god with the power of friendship, but it doesn’t go away completely most of the time. That’s just where these stories tend to go.
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As much as these JRPGs were highly regarded in their time, not all classics are golden.
We’re going to look at some games that start out great, but in the final act, become incredibly chaotic and dark.
10
Drakengard
A Broken World
Drakengard it starts out as what seems like a simple type of fantasy story, with an evil empire and war, and you’re drawn into it. We’ve seen it before, but as the story progresses, it becomes clear: there are no heroes here. Not just countless characters, but enemy and partner alike who commit unforgivable crimes. By the time you get to the final parts of the game here, all the darkness will descend into one distinct phase.
For one, you’re forced to be okay with things like killing yourself, forcing children to commit horrific acts of violence, and generally just being a monster yourself. The last sequence of you just needs to accept that you’ve gone too far, and that Caim’s only care in this world was about violence. It’s a sobering and sad final sequence, but one that makes perfect sense within the story itself.
9
Resonance of Fate
Mercs of Destiny
Resonance of Fate it begins as an aimless journey. You know a little about the world you are in, the people who live in it, and what your place in it means. In the opening hours, you’re a few people trying to get by, doing jobs for various people and defeating low-level enemies along the way.
Everything sounds cookie-cutter, but little by little, the conspiracy develops, and the plot goes completely off the rails at the end of the game, which finds you to have found a plan that controls the fate of all living things and has dark and disturbing revelations within that framework as well. It’s one of the more mature JRPGs out there, and still manages to take a simple adventure and turn it into something terrifying by the end of the game.
8
The Eternal Sonata
The Dream Dies
Eternal Sonata appears to be a fun, bright, and colorful adventure at the beginning of the game, at least from the looks of it. The background, of course, is that all this is in the mind of the dying composer. This idea is hidden in everything you do in the game. There may be an outward thought that somehow the dream may end up here in the real world, but the doubt is hard and it eventually hits home in the end.
The last part of the game is very dark and sad, as the characters will learn the fate of their world just as Chopin accepts his. Their world will be destroyed, and they have done nothing. They convince themselves otherwise, of course, but the truth is the truth, and it all comes to an end in one of the most melancholic sequences I remember. Darkness, depression, despair – all D. Each takes their turn to punch you in the face in the final moments.
7
NieR: Automata
Not just Another War vs Aliens
NieR: Automata it starts in a normal, simple way; war against aliens. We’ve seen that countless times, right? It’s as classic a sci-fi trope as there is. But not if that sci-fi is written by none other than Yoko Taro. What begins to feel like a military mission quickly turns into something else, as you learn more about the conflict and begin to realize that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
In the final act of the game, you will face former colleagues who have been thrown into a state of mental breakdown due to grief and the fulfillment of their existence turns out to be false. It’s a dark, sad, and incredibly disturbing sequence that makes you think about what it means to be human and what’s important in life when your given purpose is thrown by the wayside. It is one of the most moving pieces of fiction ever made and a must play for any fan of the genre.
6
Legend of the Dragoon
Eternal War
Legend of the Dragoon it begins simply, when Dart runs away from home after his hometown is destroyed. It escalates quickly though, with an evil empire and all the traditional trappings of the genre, right up to the mysterious, antagonistic, silver-haired swordsman. Despite that, at the end of the game, we go to strange and dark places.
The final act has some truly shocking moments, like the return of Lavitz, except he’s completely demonized. Despite its defeat, Lavitz dies again, which, if he didn’t absorb enough the first time, the game makes sure he feels it this time. The ending with Dart’s father being revealed is a disturbing moment as well, he’s basically been a shell of Melbu Frahma since Dart was born. There are ominous overtones everywhere you look.
5
Xenoblade Chronicles
Shattering the Veil
Xenoblade Chronicles begins innocently enough, with Shulk, Reyn, and Fiora living a quiet life in a colony on a mysterious and seemingly peaceful world. In typical fashion, that silence is interrupted by the appearance of the Mekons, who quickly destroy that innocence in a dirty show.
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From there, it gets darker until we reach a thrilling finale where we discover the very nature of our reality and who is behind it, putting the end of all existence in reality at risk and culminating in one of the wildest and strangest endings in the JRPG universe. From humble colonists to those who decide the fate of life itself against all odds, it goes from 0 to 100 very quickly.
4
Star Ocean: Until Time Ends
Just a Beach Vacation
Star Ocean: Until Time Ends has a unique beginning to the JRPG world. You’re on a beach vacation of some sort and you’re usually just checking out a fancy resort with your friend. It feels innocent, almost dull at points, and you wonder if anything is going to happen. Then comes the invasion, and soon, you’re thrown into a space travel adventure that escalates into one of the most shocking moments in the JRPG genre.
You go from an innocent child on vacation with your parents to the final act, where you discover that this has all been part of the show, and that somehow, nothing you’ve done in your life is real or important. It’s a sobering moment in a story that gets progressively darker as it goes on.
3
Kingdom Hearts
Youthful Innocence Washed Away
Kingdom Hearts is one of the longest running franchises out there, and while it went to some weird places, it all started on a small island with a little boy named Sora, hanging out with his friends discussing the future. Your first few minutes in the game seem like there’s no attention in the world to be had. Sora is just a kid, and while the place seems strange, nothing bad is happening. That changes when a storm hits and Sora is swept across the world.
In this world, he is forced to fight for his life and is brought into a whirlwind of strange developments and darker themes. In the final act, Sora literally sacrifices himself to save Kairi, losing his heart in the process and becoming a heartless loner, which is a disturbing image to say the least. Even though he finally discovers his true nature, he still deals with his friend Riku actually turning to the dark side, and that innocent beginning feels like a long time ago when he faces the world of Ansem who ends up in that final battle.
2
Final dream 10
A Sports Star in Trouble
Final dream 10 it’s one of the most impactful journeys in all of sports, but it begins very modestly. However, politely the context. You see, he’s in the songs of Titus, a Blitzball sports star, and life is good. You have fans, you have fame, you live in a beautiful, technologically advanced city, and you don’t have a care in the world. Then comes Sini, and everything changes. What started out as a very interesting, yet modest story, quickly turns dark and mysterious.
You go from a sports star to an important part of a pilgrimage that partially determines the fate of the world. By the time you find yourself in the final act, you’re dealing with an imaginary version of yourself as your dead father, fighting Sin, who threatens to devour all of creation. And oh yeah, you also find out that you were never real in the first place. It’s incredibly dark and sad, and has one of the most emotional endings in gaming history.
1
Xenogears
The Burden of the Future
Xenogears is one of the best JRPGs ever made, and it starts out as typical as JRPGs get. A young man living in a quaint village until, of course, everything goes to hell. But the change is that here, you are the one who is facing the massacres. It’s a big time to change that which leads to how dark the game will be. There’s also a big shift in tone after the opening hour or so, which feels about as typical a JRPG as it gets.
At the end of the game? You have seen the majority of people have become monsters, you have seen an industry that feeds people meat as food, you have committed war crimes, you have found human lies, and a cure for pain in the world. It’s deep, psychologically challenging, and incredibly dark. When you face Deus in the final battle for the end of the planet, you know how far you are from that little place in Lahan.
