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Editor’s note: Aaron shares with us his ideas for making Japanese role-playing games more palatable for Western audiences. Let’s add another item to his list: adult storylines. I’m getting tired of JRPGs filled with kids. -Jason
I haven’t played many Japanese role-playing games, but from those that I did play (or saw or read about), I’ve come to a set of conclusions (based purely on my opinions) of what changes must happen in order for a Japanese-made RPG to have any hope of relative success outside Japan in the coming years.
Some of these ideas may sound reasonable, some may not.
I wrote this mostly because I’m a huge fan of anime and of Giant Bomb’s Persona 4 Endurance Run, but despite this I’d never consider buying any current JRPG because so many, if not all, still have such irritating gameplay. This is a shame because if it wasn’t for these flaws, I’m sure many other Western gamers would be much more interested in games like Persona 4.
Here’s the list of changes I would like to see happen in the genre, some more so than others. Before you get anger from my generalized point of view, please remember that this list is based on my own experiences and that I’m well aware that some JRPGs have addressed these issues.
Change No. 1: Art Style
Ditch the popular anime art style, but don’t replace it with a half-assed Western look, either. Anime was arguably a lot cooler in the early 1990s when there were more shows and movies (Ghost in the Shell, Akira, Ninja Scroll) that featured adult characters who looked and acted like adult characters. They still had that anime stylization, but it wasn’t taken to the extreme that it is now. More specifically, stop making characters who look like damn 8-year-olds.
Change No. 2: Animation
Learn animation. There’s something to be said for really well-animated, expressive characters. This is one of the most significant aspects in the creation of any good anime series. Why not apply the same principle to a game genre that’s essentially the gaming equivalent. You don’t have to be at Final Fantasy’s level — just give us more than PlayStation-style bobbing heads with 2D portraits.
Change No. 3: Ditch Text and Menus
This may be directly related to the need for better animation, but getting away from the old text- and menu-design aesthetic really would increase any RPG’s quality. I’m referring to this more so in regard to character interaction within the story. But I suppose if you can’t afford full voice work, you’re pretty much stuck doing things this way.
Basically, I want the Japanese equivalent of Mass Effect’s character interaction, but that’s probably asking too much.
Change No. 4: Gameplay
Keep turn-based gameplay, but make it fun. Instead scrolling through a menu and selecting a spell, allow gamers to perform actions with a simple button press by assigning an action to each button on the controller. If my character has a melee, a single-hit spell, and a area-of-effect spell, there’s no reason why these couldn’t be assigned their own buttons.
Make the combat short, simple, and easy so that the developer can focus more time and development on the story. It’s clear by now that very few, if any, Japanese developers know how to make a JRPG that doesn’t require an FAQ. Since combat’s often the least enjoyable aspect of this genre, make it as easy and fast to complete as possible. The only other option is to completely redesign your gameplay.
Which brings to mind the idea of a JRPG with God of War-style combat — now that would be awesome.
Change No. 5: Environment Navigation
Give the player the ability to navigate a 3D environment to the same degree as a game like Gears of War. You wouldn’t need to create a cover mechanic or worry about dynamic A.I. or direct environment interaction. Just give players the ability to move through the space with ease. And for the love of god, give us a run button or some means of moving faster.
Change 6: Localize or Use Subtitle
Attempt to localize, and if your budget doesn’t allow for this, then simply translate menus and buttons and use subtitles for the story. Fans do this regularly with anime and manga, so it shouldn’t be an issue for a game (unless you have 80 hours of spoken dialogue). But if you planned on a Western release from the beginning, it’s only common sense to have an efficient translation system from the start.
Change 7: No More “Fantasy”
This trend needs to stop, I know fantasy’s all a lot of Japanese developers know and understand, but it’s been done to death. Sci-fi, steam punk, horror — any of those settings would be better than more fantasy games. As long as it’s not “reluctant swordsman fights evil empire while traveling with magic-casting love interest and friends,” it’ll be better for that reason alone.
Change 8: Modern Save System
I’m still surprised every time I hear about this aspect of JRPGs. Dying in a dungeon is one thing, but dying in a dungeon and having to kill hundreds of enemies all over again because the game didn’t autosave what you already accomplished doesn’t equal a fun time. I’d even go as far to say this is the most significant type of change the genre needs. When the difficulty is as absurd as it’s something with these sorts of JRPGs, it can make playing an annoying game just to experience its great story a nearly intolerable experience.
I’m in no way stating that I find all JRPGs, old or new, to be unplayable; I find most to have particular design elements that I tend to dislike while playing any kind of game, not just JRPGs.
I’ve played a number of JRPGs, but the only ones that I’ve finished are Grandia 2 and Front Mission 3 (although that was more of a grid-based tactical-RPG).
Final Fantasy 13 looks pretty bad ass. If all JRPGs evolve like that game has, my list might not be so unrealistic after all (but then, they’re Square, and they have a lot of money).