#JRPGJuly 2024 – Final Wrap Up
It’s time to wrap up another year of everyone’s favorite monthly gameathon. #JRPGJuly was created as a community game-along by Anne Lee @ Chic Pixel, and hosted by MDi. Once again, the RPGamer staff is showing their support for the event by playing some JRPGs. If you’re participating make sure to use #JRPGJuly or share your feelings over on the RPGamer Discord server.
How many staffers managed to complete their goals for the month? Read on to find out!
Joshua Carpenter
The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak
As #JRPGJuly comes to a close, I’m becoming absolutely smitten with The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak. Calvard is proving to be such an interesting and diverse place to explore and quite a contrast to earlier Trails environs. Given the morally gray nature of Van’s profession as a Spriggan (something of a cross between detective, negotiator, and bounty hunter), the game has a more mature tone that is even trickling down to the NPCs. I was legitimately shocked to hear a character casually swearing. It’s like Trails is all grown up.
The combat has also been a revelation for me. I have a bad habit of being a hoarder in RPGs; keeping all kinds of items and conserving MP and other consumables for big battles. This becomes a detriment to my enjoyment as I end up not using the battle system to its fullest extent. However, the way that the S-boost meter in Daybreak increases its maximum amount with use has provided that little push to freely use the tools that the developers have given to play the game and it has gotten me to break out of that hoarding rut.
Ezra Kinnell
Trails Through Daybreak has been a lot of fun! I deeply appreciate that the game takes its time with every area and fully fleshes them out, with Van often getting to see the underbelly of each area. It’s good to see this series return to acknowledging the darker elements of its world, and I can’t wait to see what Daybreak has in store for its finale!
Overall this has been a great first #JRPGJuly for me! Starting out with Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance and ending with Trails Through Daybreak feels like a great way to spend it, and I can’t wait to find out what I’ll be playing for next year!
Jervon Perkins
Wrapping up #JRPGJuly saw me diving back into Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail after my week-long trip. It was refreshing to return, but I was quickly reminded of how much endgame content I had missed. The expansion’s first eight-man raid series, newly released by director Yoshi P, was particularly challenging. My armor level was just at the minimum requirement, and I struggled with the mechanics. I was in voice chat with a friend and had to bite my tongue several times to avoid dampening the mood. There were four different fights, and it took me a couple of days to complete them. Although it made me feel inadequate at times, I knew this was just part of the learning curve for new content.
To ease the pressure, I leveled up my Summoner to level 100, providing a less stressful alternative for tackling the content. Being both a White Mage and Summoner in the game felt like a beautiful tribute to Yuna, my all-time favorite video game character. This duality brought back fond memories and added a layer of enjoyment to the experience. It was also a nice place to finish this year’s #JRPGJuly.
Robert Albright
Another #JRPGJuly has come to a close and although I didn’t complete any games that I was playing, I had a blast enjoying some JRPGs. While filling in for SpareOmbres on our Twitch channel, I enjoyed some of Mary Skelter 2. I like the series immensely, and that’s coming from someone that does not tend to play unnerving games. Even though the creepy vibe is prevelant, the cute anime girls act to balance things out.
I also made it further in Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail. I am now over halfway through this expansion and things have finally begun hit the fan. I’m limited in my descriptions due to spoilers, but I love how the first part of the expansion is fun and lighthearted while second part has things going sideways and getting deep. I wonder where it goes from here.
Robert Sinclair
I’m once again influenced by my brother in game selection this week. This time, he has pulled me back into Final Fantasy XIV. He convinced his wife to play, so I made a new character with the intention of leveling up ninja and healers, the latter of which I have never done in all my years playing the game. In just under a week I’ve gotten to level 55 with ninja, level 32 with white mage, and level 30s for all my crafting classes. The road to level 90 experience buffs is no joke. I figured I could level up healers faster with a new character buff and holy cow am I ever! I also changed the colour of my Chocobo to soot black to match her name of Shadowfeather. She’s the best.
Sarah Ferries
I didn’t get into the main story quests for Dawntrail this week and instead I concentrated on some other storylines and unlocking the Viper class. The Viper class is definitely harder than the Pictomancer class when starting out. I am not a person who likes to play close-range and Viper is definitely more of a tank-like class. I’d prefer to be further from the action and cast from afar. However, Viper is fun to play with a couple of swords and awesome combos.
I continued with the sidequest with Gaius and his foster children, which is becoming unsettling. His children are piloting these Gundam-like machines for the Empire and Gaius wants to save his kids from dying. It looks like the oldest brother seems to be under a spell from a higher-up in the Empire. I also finished the Soroban storyline, which had a happy, yet sad ending. Other than that, I didn’t do much else as it was a busy week.
Andi Privitere
I finished up Unicorn Overlord last week and chose Auch to receive the Maiden’s Ring. Not only did I think his relationship with Alain was pretty fricking adorable, he was also a clutch member of my primary team from the moment I recruited him. Being able to fire off a maximum power magical attack that hits the entire enemy party, repeat it with a follow up attack, have two allies follow up with their own pursuit attacks that strike almost every enemy, and then the other half of the party dumps action points back to Auch so he can repeat the process a second time was majestic to watch. Any enemy unit I came across was absolutely cooked in a highly satisfying fashion, usually before they had any chance to deploy their own attacks.
I’m wrapping up #JRPGJuly with Tokyo Xanadu eX+, which arrived just in time for the weekend. I’ve had something of a love/hate relationship with the title since I played it back on the Vita many years ago. The combat system is a lot of fun, engaging in all the ways I love about Ys combat, but it largely keeps enemies constrained to smaller dungeon levels, which allows for a greater mix of combat and non-combat story beats, with a focus on building relationships similar to a Persona game. However, I found it very difficult to recommend to friends because the translation was inconsistent, and got downright sucky by the end of the game. With this new Switch release, the game is receiving a brand new, fully realised localization that hits the ground running and hasn’t stopped so far. I can’t wait to dig deeper into the mid-to-late game story, where things fell apart in the original release, though I’m trying hard not to rush too much!
Sam Wachter
I am in the final kingdom in Persona 5 Tactica! The story has really hit its stride and we are starting to have all of the connections between Toshiro and Erina come to light, and the ending of the third kingdom has me wanting to know more. The combat continues to be a ton of fun, and I love the idea that I can fuse persona into weapons for my party. There are so many neat ideas in Tactica and I hope Atlus gives us another one because I am hooked!
We are nearing the end of #JRPGJuly, and honestly, it’s been a good one for me. I finished Sand Land, and I’m nearing the end of Persona 5 Tactica, which I am planning to finish before the month is up. I love our community coming together during this time and it’s been great to read everyone’s thoughts throughout the month, but I still have some hearts to steal!
Michael Baker
I’m several months into the plot of Fire Emblem: Three Houses, and at this point I am convinced that there is not a single point of this game’s deep lore that I can trust at face value, nor a single faculty member that’s not hiding something potentially incriminating. All I can do is take notes and place bets with myself as to who, where, and how the next major twist is going to happen.
At least I finally figured out the fast travel option. Running all over that abbey is interesting but so time-consuming.
Phil Willis
Alas, between work and another new shiny game, I didn’t take have as much time as I would have liked for Persona 5 Royal. I just know when I do, I have a lot of downtime activities to complete, and it just drags a bit for me at that point. With that said, I am finishing up some of the stories, and unlocking some final fusions. The power of friendship conquers all! I’ll continue to plug away at this even past the end of July so I can work my way to Scramble and Tactica.
Jahwon Corbett
As #JRPGJuly comes to a close, I thought I’d give a mini review of where I ended up Octopath Traveler 2 and my thoughts on the future of me playing post this month. I enjoyed the game overall, and I think there are some things that I like and others that I don’t. For example, I mentioned in a previous week that I’m not the biggest fan of how characters don’t seem to interact much during the main campaign and that has remained true throughout my time. I think the games that I’ve played that have a party full of friends and adventurers would have them engaging and becoming closer over the course of the game, but that can’t happen when the player characters are all living and doing separate things.
Imagine playing a Final Fantasy game and the cast just doesn’t engage with each other. I didn’t think this would bother me so much but surprisingly it really did. Now, does that mean the game is bad or unplayable in my eyes? Not by any means. Despite that aspect throwing me off, this game is tons of fun. The combat is simple yet engaging; the side quests are cute and build up the world; I love the graphics; and the game’s soundtrack and voice acting is outstanding. I love the fact the game runs smoothly on the Steam Deck, and I can play it on the go between finishing stuff for work and moving.
I love that the game’s chapter system lets me set natural “stop” points for my play sessions. I also just genuinely like the game having characters that don’t fit into the “goody-goody” characterization that games like Dragon Quest and Chrono Trigger can fall into. I like having the cast, in their own individual narratives, being a nuanced group of people who have desires, wants, and ideals that are somewhat separate than the world just ending — albeit some storylines notwithstanding. I think Octopath 2 is probably going to be the JRPG that pulls me back into the JRPG space, and I look forward to the next sale so I can pick up the original Octopath and play through other games like this in the very near future.
Ryan McCarthy
I’m currently on Chapter 3 in Final Fantasy X-2. Right now, fiends are attacking the temples around Spira for unknown reasons, but Yuna, Rikku, and Paine are helping to take care of the situation. There are of course optional missions to take in, such as trying to stop a group of Ronso from taking needless revenge on the Guado and finding ten Cactuars that are hiding around Spira. The one I’m working on now involves saving a group of people who trapped themselves in a fiend-infested gorge in the Calm Lands but my attempts having been thwarted multiple times by a boss fight with Yojimbo.
I’ve also been trying out a couple new Dresspheres, with Rikku using the gambling-themed Lady Luck Dressphere and Paine using the Dark Knight Dressphere that allows for learning offensive spells like Drain and Demi. So far, I’m finding the combat and the accompanying Dressphere system to be the major highlight of the game and the mission structure allows for flexibility in the game’s progression.
That said, I’m finding the minigames to be a mixed bag. I’m very thankful that the minigame where the player has to give a message to Leblanc is something I only have to do once and I thought finding the Gunner’s Gauntlet to be a bit of a chore. On a more positive note, I find the Sphere Break minigame to be quite enjoyable as a nice little distraction.
While I obviously didn’t end up finishing either of the games I played for #JRPGJuly this year, I’m still glad I used the month to make decent headway in both of them.
Paul Shkreli
I thought I was going to get back to Final Fantasy XVI — and I will, probably right after #JRPGJuly concludes! This week, though I have been all about Persona 3 Reload. The original game was not my entry point to the series, but it was a game I really enjoyed back in college. I’ve dipped my toes back into it here and there over the years, but I always duck out after the mid-way point. Reload has been a great way to revisit the game without chafing at the PS2 version’s grit or balking at the swapped content in the PSP version.
It is so sleek: have you seen these menus? The panache is real, with some simply gorgeous art direction. The remixed — I’m sorry, reloaded — soundtrack is simply delightful, with some fresh spins on classic Persona 3 tracks and a few new bangers. Likewise, some of the quality of life tweaks, new Theurgy attack gimmick, and additional content really make this the definitive version of the game — especially with the DLC coming just around the corner.
Mohamed Lamine Coulibaly
The fourth game I chose for #JRPGJuly is R-Type Command (known as R-Type Tactics in Japan), which is a spin-off of the side-scrolling shooter series R-Type. Unlike the mainline titles, R-Type Command is a tactical RPG with turn-based gameplay. Its story follows an officer of Earth’s defense force that is tasked with fighting an extraterrestrial threat known as the Bydo Empire. The game’s narrative is merely the protagonist sharing his thoughts in his journal about the missions assigned to him and the mysteries surrounding the existence of the Bydo. In spite of this minimalistic approach, the story and the numerous flavor texts in the game greatly flesh out the series’ lore, which is rather neglected in many R-Type titles.
R-Type Command brilliantly adapts many elements of a renowned shooter series in its tactical RPG formula while retaining the side-scrolling perspective, setting, and many other elements from the main series. For example, the units move like they do in the mainline games, which implies a unit can’t change the direction it initially faces at the start of a mission. As a result, certain type of attacks, like the charged Wave Cannon, can only be performed in a given direction. In another instance, the Force, an auxiliary device in the main series, can be paired with other ships to form a single unit with different abilities. Needless to say, the similarities with the traditional R-Type titles are strong while being well implemented in a gameplay that relies more on thinking than reflexes.
Those intrigued by my admiration for R-Type Command and wishing to try it will be unfortunately met with a great hurdle: the game and its sequel are available exclusively on PlayStation Portable. Fortunately, a remake of these games, titled R-Type Tactics I • II Cosmos, are in development.
Cassandra Ramos
I actually managed to finish Final Fantasy Legend II for #JRPGJuly! After collecting 77 Magi, a seemingly nice god named Apollo threatened the party’s friends, making them hand over all of the ones they gathered. A character once thought dead returns, there is a surprise 78th Magi hidden in the aptly named Final Dungeon, and after one last battle for the ages my time with Final Fantasy Legend II was complete!
I like how the game ends with the main character going on another adventure, this time with Dad and Mom. Cute ending aside, I thought the last few parts of the game were still a challenge despite the grinding I did. It started with the Nasty Dungeon, which indeed lived up to its name. I couldn’t even run away from random encounters in the Central Shrine, or at least I failed whenever I tried. Fortunately, the difficulty of the final area was mitigated by being able to purchase tents, which completely heal the party. Overall, I think Final Fantasy Legend II, is a neat game. It certainly is a robust title for the original Game Boy. The mechanics take some getting used to, but I find them fascinating. I do wish the encounter rate wasn’t so high, especially in certain dungeons. I enjoyed my second foray into the SaGa series and look forward to Final Fantasy Legend III, which I will probably play through next year.
I wasn’t able to start up a new game in time as I write this, but I will finish #JRPGJuly by starting another game. I’ve had Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam sitting on my shelf for years now so it’s time to give that game a whirl.
That’s all for #JRPGJuly this year. We hope you enjoyed reading about our quests through JRPGs this month and please share your experiences and thoughts in the comments.
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