Summary
JRPGs are some of the most engaging titles available to players today, ofteninvolving immersive stories and great, well-constructed gameplay mechanics. These games are ones that players can lose themselves in for hours, and it’s no surprise to see just how popular this genre is today for its combination of high-quality narrative and gameplay elements.
Many of these games, however, can be quite difficult. Some haveruthless boss battlesor many moving elements at once to keep track of in battle. Some set players off from the word go, with no downtime. These JRPGs are by no means bad, but it’s easy to sometimes long for something with a bit of a slower pace. Luckily, there are some JRPGs out there that are far more relaxing, breaking up gameplay with moments of downtime or else being an entirely slower experience than what players might be used to.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Fire Emblem: Three Housesis a title that knows how to effectively break up combat. Combat itself can be very mentally taxing. The enemies do not hold back, and every move needs to be carefully planned each turn to maximize how much damage is dealt and minimize the amount taken.
Outside of combat, however, Byleth can spend a good deal of leisure time at the Officer’s Academy getting resources, building up their own strength, orbuilding a rapportwith the other students and faculty on site. This is one of the best parts of the game - taking it slow at the academy.
Persona 5 Royallets players engage in a multitude of activities beyond combat. More than optional leisure opportunities, it’s vital that Joker is spending his time not part of the Phantom Thieves studying or socializing.
This is the avenue to increasing bonds,building up romance, and discovering new, helpful abilities when the time does come to don the mask once more. It’s an incredibly addicting balance of gameplay mechanics that Atlus fans continue to love.
Square Enix is known for their highly compelling JRPGs, and whileHarvestellahas not received the recognition of other farming sim titles, it’s still an amazing game today with an excellent fusion ofsci-fi and fantasy elements.
The idyllic, enthralling settings of this game make even the dungeons beautiful for the most part, but nothing is stopping the player from taking a break from combat to spend a day or two (or seven) farming away at their own pace on their farm and interacting with the villagers in peace.
Rune Factory 5makes its main focus the growth of the character’s farm, giving the player many opportunities to till the land and raise their animals to their heart’s content. It’s a fascinating title if one that slightly rehashes the previous entry.
Relaxation is what this game is about, there is a main quest to get to, and dungeons to explore, but players can take the story at whatever pace suits them and continue living the life of a tranquil farmer.
The more open-ended nature ofPokemon Scarlet and Violetlends itself well to a slower-paced style of gameplay (even if that open-ended nature is rendered moot because none of the enemies scale in this game).
Sometimes, instead of taking on one of the three central questlines in this game, players will want to relax, changing up their picnic table to their liking and ambling around the region with their favorite Pokemon.
3Legend Of Legacy
A Storybook JRPG Focused On Exploration
This title, in retrospect, was really more of a proof of concept for the more fleshed-outAlliance Alivetitle that wouldchallenge players with its difficulty.Legend of Legacyis by no means a bad game, however, and letting the story take a backseat is rare enough in a non-Pokemon JRPG to warrant discussion in its own right.
This game instead wishes to focus on exploring idly and at one’s own pace. There is still a focus on combat, yes, but that combat is fun and engaging enough to be a relaxing pastime of its own when it’s connected to exploring and not a high-stakes story.
A unique JRPG with an emphasis on spell craft and potion brewing,WitchSpring Ris a refreshing change to many tropes of the JRPG formula, but beyond its subversions, stands as a great game on its own.
Searching for ingredients to use in potions or spells, and the process of crafting them in the cutesy little witch cottage the player owns is a tranquil experience perfect to round out a long day.
A sprawling, whimsical JRPG—few games have the pure charm that this title does. It’s a combination of something likeWitch Spring Rwith the exploration and storybook setting ofLegend of Legacy.
Fusing these two games but bringing more than a heaping of its own merit to the table, this gameand its sequelare some of the best and most polished small-scale JRPGs one can find - especially if they’re after a slower, more relaxing video game.
