Angst Member Oct 27, 2017 4,268 Personally I strongly believe it means the style of the game. So things like Clair Obscur, Sea of Stars, etc are all JRPG's despite not originating from Japan. In so many other communities on the internet, I see this as a contentious opinion. What say you Era?  reksveks Member May 17, 2022 7,365 like anime, style   DNAbro Member Oct 25, 2017 29,957 It means whatever I feel like at the time   super-famicom Avenger Oct 26, 2017 30,324 For me, JPRG is a RPG made in Japan/by Japanese developers (a studio based in Japan). I don't consider Expedition 33 a JRPG, just a RPG heavily inspired by them.   VoidShaman Member Jul 11, 2023 1,352 It means what you want it to mean. Apparently.   PlanetSmasher The Abominable Showman Member Oct 25, 2017 132,391 super-famicom said: For me, JPRG is a RPG made in Japan/by Japanese developers Click to expand... Click to shrink... Same. If people try to claim it's something specific to turn-based party-driven RPGs, that means Kingdom Hearts isn't a JRPG and that's ridiculous.  geehepea Member Aug 5, 2024 348 super-famicom said: For me, JPRG is a RPG made in Japan/by Japanese developers (a studio based in Japan). I don't consider Expedition 33 a JRPG, just an RPG heavily inspired by them. Click to expand... Click to shrink... This. I would much prefer the term JRPGlike to catch on for titles which take inspiration from the real thing in the same way we do for Souls titles. We need to be able to differentiate them or the term loses all meaning.  Tagyhag Member Oct 27, 2017 15,084 I always thought it was country of origin but if most people say it's the style then I'll have to try to relearn it.   Sadnarav Member Nov 6, 2019 993 Undertale is an JRPG   Clive Member Oct 25, 2017 5,444 It means it looks anime. It's more or less 100% graphical style. Something needs to look JRPG.   Last edited: Yesterday at 2:50 PM Nappuccino The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 14,861 I think it, unfortunately, means a style. Which means we should develop a new term that doesn't equate an entire nation with a singular game design. That said, I love the style of game.  nsilvias Member Oct 25, 2017 29,915 certain design philosophy. not necesarily turn based or anime or wacky japan like some ppl think lol   EddyLovesTunaRolls Member Oct 27, 2017 6,358 whoever came up with the name roguelike was on the right track. We can start calling all of these games Dragon Quest Likes. That's sure to catch on.   skillzilla81 "This guy are sick" The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 11,277 It's a style of game. Especially when JRPG is something that is prejudicial and you've got Japanese devs that have said they don't like the term.  OP OP Angst Member Oct 27, 2017 4,268 Nappuccino said: I think it, unfortunately, means a style. Which means we should develop a new term that doesn't equate an entire nation with a singular game design. That said, I love the style of game. Click to expand... Click to shrink... I always just thought of it as "Western Style RPG" or "Japanese Style RPG"  jroc74 Member Oct 27, 2017 33,918 I always thought it meant style. Cool to see I'm not alone, lol.  RPGsandFGCs Member Jun 30, 2024 919 California Thinking any RPG that comes out of Japan is a JRPG is on-it's-face ridiculous, likewise thinking that JRPGs can only be made in Japan. It's a genre, it's a style, it's vibes, and those have little to do with the geographic location where a thing is made. Now it's called JRPG because historically they come from Japan, but I think it's very limiting to think that's the only place they can.  delete12345 One Winged Slayer Member Nov 17, 2017 21,857 Boston, MA I would definitely say it's a "style of RPG", the ones where the focus isn't on the player's main character(s) but how the characters interact and all that jazz. It enriches the backgrounds of the characters, kind of like adding more layers on top of a player character that brings more life to it than just reading the bio descriptions.   PlanetSmasher The Abominable Showman Member Oct 25, 2017 132,391 skillzilla81 said: It's a style of game. Especially when JRPG is something that is prejudicial and you've got Japanese devs that have said they don't like the term. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Other Japanese devs have also said they like or are proud of the term. We shouldn't treat Japanese people as a monolith who are only capable of feeling one way about a given topic.  JSRF FFMPEG Master Member Aug 23, 2023 3,339 I think people have trouble with it because modern Japanese JRPGs aren't necessarily turn based and don't resemble something like Final Fantasy IV or whatever all that much. To me a JPRG is a game that has a gameplay design that you can trace the heritage of back to those 90's era Japanese RPGs. It doesn't have to be turn based or a modern take on those 90s RPGs, and it doesn't have to be from Japan.  Pyro God help us the mods are making weekend threads Member Jul 30, 2018 18,768 United States It's all about the style or, to put it another way; I know it when I see it.   ClearMetal Hey, it's that sheep! Member Oct 25, 2017 18,852 the Netherlands Style of game, just like every other video game genre that I can think of. This claim that games like Dark Souls are JRPGs is so exhausting to me.  DarkChronic Member Oct 27, 2017 5,652 Yeah I've always associated it with style of game. I keep calling Expedition 33 a JRPG, lol. As in, "A French studio made a JRPG".   J_ToSaveTheDay "This guy are sick" and Corrupted by Vengeance Avenger Oct 25, 2017 22,485 USA I've dropped needing to exclusively originate from Japan to my perceptions of the definitions of both JRPG and anime. A long time back, in fact. I still think both categories owe their origins to Japan, but I think they're both more of a design style that was influenced by or making homage to design that originated in Japan.   super-famicom Avenger Oct 26, 2017 30,324 EddyLovesTunaRolls said: whoever came up with the name roguelike was on the right track. We can start calling all of these games Dragon Quest Likes. That's sure to catch on. Click to expand... Click to shrink... The thing is, everyone uses roguelike wrong. Roguelike is a game like Rogue. Roguelike - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org The exact definition of a roguelike game remains a point of debate in the video game community. A "Berlin Interpretation" drafted in 2008 defined a number of high- and low-value factors of "canon" roguelike games Rogue, NetHack and Angband, which have since been used to distinguish these roguelike games from edge cases like Diablo. Since then, with more powerful home computers and gaming systems and the rapid growth of indie video game development, several new "roguelikes" have appeared, with some but not all of these high-value factors, nominally the use of procedural generation and permadeath, while often incorporating other gameplay genres, thematic elements, and graphical styles; common examples of these include Spelunky, FTL: Faster Than Light, The Binding of Isaac, Slay the Spire, Crypt of the NecroDancer, and Hades. To distinguish these from traditional roguelikes, such games may be referred to as "rogue-lite" or "roguelike-like". Despite this alternative naming suggestion, these games are often referred to as roguelike and use the roguelike tag on various market places such as Steam. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yes, I am being pedantic and I will stand by this.  OP OP Angst Member Oct 27, 2017 4,268 JSRF said: I think people have trouble with it because modern Japanese JRPGs aren't necessarily turn based and don't resemble something like Final Fantasy IV or whatever all that much. To me a JPRG is a game that has a gameplay design that you can trace the heritage of back to those 90's era Japanese RPGs. It doesn't have to be turn based or a modern take on those 90s RPGs, and it doesn't have to be from Japan. Click to expand... Click to shrink... For me I think of it in DnD terms kinda. A Western RPG feels like a traditional DnD campaign. Make your own adventure A JRPG feels more like you're experiencing a very specific pre-defined adventure.  skeezx Member Oct 27, 2017 23,666 like 20 or so years ago it meant "from Japan" now it's definitely a genre style   Sabin Member Oct 25, 2017 6,077 First it were RPGs from japan but over the last 2 decades it evolved into a style gaming and went past the borders of Japan. See recent western example like Clair Obscure, Chained Echoes, Sea of Stars, CrossCode etc that use such a style.  jaymzi Member Jul 22, 2019 7,183 What does Jdrama mean? Style of drama or drama made in Japan.  Smooth1e Member Jun 5, 2021 478 Style of game. It's kind of hard to describe what exactly it'd be though, kind of a "know it when you see it" deal. Like it's easy to narrow it down to turn based party-based RPGs but that would exclude stuff like Kingdom Hearts and Ys which would be absurd   Dinjoralo Member Oct 25, 2017 11,664 I say it means the style of game. That's fundamentally what genre names are for, there are numerous other names that aren't taken literally. The Persona games aren't CRPGs because some of them have versions made to be played on computers.   ghibli99 Member Oct 27, 2017 20,456 super-famicom said: For me, JPRG is a RPG made in Japan/by Japanese developers (a studio based in Japan). I don't consider Expedition 33 a JRPG, just a RPG heavily inspired by them. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Yep, same. I tend to refer to them all these days as RPGs though, unless I need to make a more specific reference/example. In a day and age where games like Elden Ring and Zelda are called RPGs though, who knows anymore. And is it really important?  Last edited: Yesterday at 2:48 PM PlanetSmasher The Abominable Showman Member Oct 25, 2017 132,391 Angst said: For me I think of it in DnD terms kinda. A Western RPG feels like a traditional DnD campaign. Make your own adventure A JRPG feels more like you're experiencing a very specific pre-defined adventure. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Why would we need to use "JRPG" to denote "not make your own adventure" though? Why is the J relevant for that?  Kuga The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 2,560 A JRPG is a style of RPG with historical roots in Japan and Japanese-made games. By no means is it a requirement that a JPRG is made by a Japanese developer, exactly how a WRPG doesn't need to be produced by a Western developer in order to be called a WRPG.   SludgeFarmer Member Feb 17, 2025 133 it's obviously squishy, but for my money it's a style of game with a specific history and established, recognizable conventions. clair obscur and chained echoes fall into that category. the name is a bit confusing on its face, but I know what people are talking about when it's brought up   Kalentan Member Oct 25, 2017 50,558 It started out meaning an RPG from Japan, but Japan established a specific style and so now the term refers to a specific type of RPG.   LinkSlayer64 One Winged Slayer Member Jun 6, 2018 2,860 super-famicom said: For me, JPRG is a RPG made in Japan/by Japanese developers (a studio based in Japan). I don't consider Expedition 33 a JRPG, just a RPG heavily inspired by them. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Oh cool, we now have The Last Airbender dilemma but for video games.   Tathanen One Winged Slayer Member Oct 25, 2017 7,147 In 2025 it is our responsibility to find a new word that the J stands for, and canonize it as a non-geographic genre.   super-famicom Avenger Oct 26, 2017 30,324 LinkSlayer64 said: Oh cool, we now have The Last Airbender dilemma but for video games. Click to expand... Click to shrink... Avatar The Last Airbender is a cartoon :)  Reflecting Sky Member Mar 17, 2024 2,602 It means Made in Japan to me.   Nameless Hero Member Oct 25, 2017 23,312 What if the studio is in Warsaw but it's a team of Japanese developers? JRPG? What if 51% of the team are Japanese? JRPG? What if only 10% are but it's the game directors? JRPG? If Larian moves to Japan and makes Baldur's Gate 4 there, is that a jrpg now?  bloodgate Member Dec 18, 2019 599 Iowa I've always thought it was referring to a style and I'm feeling really dumb if that's not the case.   OP OP Angst Member Oct 27, 2017 4,268 PlanetSmasher said: Why would we need to use "JRPG" to denote "not make your own adventure" though? Why is the J relevant for that? Click to expand... Click to shrink... So if I was trying to explain the way that the game plays to someone else. Like I don't typically enjoy WRPGs. I don't enjoy the blank slate characters, or the choose your own adventure. I do really enjoy JRPGs though, because they have defined stories, defined outcomes, and defined characters. If you were telling me I should play an RPG. I would ask which one it plays like. If it plays more like a JRPG, I'm more interested. If it plays more like a WRPG (Skyrim, fallout, etc) I'm significantly less interested. The "J" is shorthand to know what kinda experience its going to be. In other words, saying something is an "RPG" isn't very helpful to me.  Naha- Member Feb 6, 2019 1,508 "Anime" style type of game for me. Like, Souls games are obviously made by Japanese devs but I would never consider them a JRPG.   psynergyadept Shinra Employee Member Oct 26, 2017 18,972 super-famicom said: For me, JPRG is a RPG made in Japan/by Japanese developers (a studio based in Japan). I don't consider Expedition 33 a JRPG, just a RPG heavily inspired by them. Click to expand... Click to shrink... this is my take as well.  Faiyaz Member Nov 30, 2017 6,580 Bangladesh Clair Obscur is a jRPG-like.   PBalfredo One Winged Slayer Member Oct 26, 2017 4,884 It's a style of game that was popularized in Japan, but the country of origin does not matter. If someone says "I'm in the mood for a JRPG" and you present them with E33 or Dark Souls, they're going to pick E33.  Camrot Member Oct 27, 2017 33 Knowing which country the game is made in is ultimateley pointless in terms of the gameplay experience. Why should it matter where a game is made? JRPG is a genre that originated and got very popular in Japan, just like the metroidvania genre tells you the genre originated (and got popular) with the metroid and castlevania games.   super-famicom Avenger Oct 26, 2017 30,324 Nameless Hero said: What if the studio is in Warsaw but it's a team of Japanese developers? JRPG? What if 51% of the team are Japanese? JRPG? What if only 10% are but it's the game directors? JRPG? If Larian moves to Japan and makes Baldur's Gate 4 there, is that a jrpg now? Click to expand... Click to shrink... If Larian moves to Japan and registers as a Japanese company and pays taxes there, then if they make a RPG I would call it a JRPG.  Musubi Unshakable Resolve - Prophet of Truth Member Oct 25, 2017 27,393 I believe the term should just be retired. I just find it incredibly weird. We don't designate any other genres of game by the country of origin.