Japanese RPG
A role-playing game in the Japanese tradition where you lead a party of predefined characters through a long, dramatic story, with combat that is often turn-based and an anime-like look. The challenge is growing the party and combining its abilities to beat ever-tougher enemies.
Also known as: JRPG, Japanese role-playing game
This is a basic entry: it has the definition and the classification. Full entries add history, games and a demo.
History
- 1982Origin
The first Japanese role-playing games appeared in 1982; the earliest is Koei's Underground Exploration. They are considered "proto-JRPGs".
History of Eastern role-playing video games (Wikipedia) - 1986
Dragon Quest, published by Enix, becomes the template for console role-playing games.
History of Eastern role-playing video games (Wikipedia)
Reference games
1986
Dragon Quest
A lone hero travels an overhead world and fights turn-based battles, choosing to fight, cast a spell, use an item or flee. Winning gives experience and gold, and levelling up opens more dangerous areas. It set the template for Japanese RPGs.
1987
Final Fantasy
You pick four characters from six classes (fighter, thief, white mage, black mage…) and keep them together for the whole game. Its turn-based battles show the party side-on, facing the enemies, a format the genre adopted for years.
1997
Final Fantasy VII
A Japanese RPG with 3D characters over pre-rendered backgrounds and battles with time bars that fill up on their own. You combine materia to customise the party's abilities. It made Japanese RPGs popular outside Japan.