Summary
Some players love hunting for collectibles,whether it’s scouring massive open-world maps for minor crumbs likeGTA 4’s pigeons, or digging in every nook and cranny for treasure inUncharted. However, Western games don’t have a monopoly on collect-a-thons.JRPGs are no strangers to filling their worlds with secrets, side quests, and collectible items.
Some games fill their worlds with cosmetic collectibles, decorations, or different outfits. Other games choose more practical collectibles, things that help the player for gameplay reasons beyond just looking good on their shelf. Either way,these JRPGs all know how to fill their worlds with collectible trinkets for their players to hunt down.
Namco’sTalesgames have all leaned into collectibles to varying degrees, butTales of Symphoniahas one of the biggest collectibles lists in the series. That’s thanks, in part, to the297 collectible figurinesthat the player has to hunt down for 100% completion.
On top of that, completing the Collector’s Book requires players to find every tool, weapon, armor, accessory, food item, and key item in the game, a list that totals over 500 items. Completionists will be hunting collectibles for a long time inTales of Symphonia.
Though opinions vary onFinal Fantasy 16as amainlineFinal Fantasyentry, one thing is for certain: The game is full of side quests and collectibles. Clive’s room in the main hub has an entire wall dedicated to the trophies and memories that players collect throughout the game.
What’s nice about the cosmetic collectibles here is the detail in the models that are added to Clive’s room. The collectibles are all viewable and include descriptive text that can offer further insight or reminiscences on important side characters. Along with the letters that Clive receives, these items help build depth and backstory that works to connect players with the game’s NPCs.
Ni No Kuni 2takes a very different approach from the series' first game in many ways. While it certainly has standard collectibles like the Higgledy Stones and Songbooks, maybe the most interesting collectible in the game are the citizens that players recruit for their kingdom.
There are100 possible citizensto recruit in the game, mostly obtained via side quests, and they can all help the player expand their kingdom. This, in turn, offers meaningfulgameplay benefitsthanks to the useful structures players can construct and staff.
While the gameplay depth itself suffered from being split between the RPG and strategy battle systems, the number of collectibles in the game makes it a fun time for those who like to seek out every scrap of side content.
Dragon Quest 11is a deceptively large JRPG, only expanding more the further players get into the game’s story. As the game world opens up, the amount of collectibles the player can find skyrockets.The Mini-Medals, of which there are more than a hundred, are only the start.
There areRecipe Booksto obtain, costumes to find and craft, and Puff-Puff Girls to seek out. There’s even a trophy for speaking to every cow in the game. On top of that,there are 233 Accoladesthe player can earn, which make up an exhaustive list of the game’s many side activities for 100% completionists to hunt down.
Xenoblade Chroniclesputs so much focus on the collectible aspects of the game that the developers felt the need to create a new word to keep track of it all.The Collectopaediais a termXenobladefans will be familiar with, as it reappears throughout the series. This book keeps track of players' discoveries from region to region, rewarding players when categories are completed.
There are several collectible categories, covering everything from animals and plants to bugs and mechanical parts. There are a lot of different regions, too, each with a varying number of collectible entries to find and a separate reward for finding 100% of them in each region. That’s a lot ofcollectible hunting for completionist players.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealthgoes hard on side content. From mini-games, to side quests, to drinking with party members, there’s a lot to see and do. There’s more than one collect-a-thon style system in the game as well, so it’s likely that players will find themselves sucked in by at least one of these systems.
Whether it’s collecting the Sujimon, the gleefully Pokemon-parodying side adventure, finding fortunes to exchange for rewards, or collecting buddies around Hawaii, players never have to go too far out of their way to find these collectors' items.
That’s without even mentioningDondoko Island, a completely separate part of the game where players can build their own resort island. Dondoko itself is pretty large in scope, with a huge number of cosmetic collectibles to find just to decorate the island with. Players who truly want to collect everything can easily spend over 100 hours in this game.
Pokemonmight be the ultimate series for players who like to collect things. It’s arguably the entire point of the games. Many players will have their opinions on which generation of the Pokedex is the best, but the re-releases ofPokemon GoldandSilver, known asHeartGoldandSoulSilver, offer very satisfying expansions to the original games.
The games expanded the Pokedex not only by adding a couple of new entries but also by allowing players to import monsters from other regions via a process only long-time Nintendo DSPokemonplayers could begin to describe. It also added an expanded story, offering a more complete version of the original games.
Not only doesPersona 5have a lot to collect in the game, but due to its structure, getting everything will require more than one new game cycle.Persona 5 Royaladds even more for completioniststo dig into, with new confidant links and new Personas to collect.
Finding and fusing Personas is one of the main draws of the series, andPersona 5has a deep and rewarding fusion system to come to grips with if players want every last Persona on the list. There are also confidants to rank up, room decorations to earn, and collectible items in dungeons to exchange at the weapon shop to think about.
Persona 5 Royalis an excellent JRPG in every other regard, too, which helps if players want to spend their time 100% completing the game over multiple runs.
