The JRPG genre has witnessed a resurgence after languishing for a long time. Modern developers do a great job of letting players enjoy stylish combat and engrossing stories with ramped-up stakes. These games have also mitigated any micromanagement, letting players focus on core systems.
However, that’s not to say thatJRPGs with micromanagementaren’t fun to play. It may seem like a tedious loop, but changing jobs, switching weapons, and a wealth of other menial actions can play a greater role in combat than most people would expect.
Games will be ranked on the basis of how much micromanagement is involved.
The switch to turn-based combat for theYakuzaseries was a breath of fresh air that enticed new fans to get into this long-running franchise. Theweirdness ofYakuzashone inLike a Dragon’s turn-based combat, which was a joy to experience.
However, players who wanted to switch as many jobs as possible instead of sticking to just one or two roles had to deal with a fair bit of micromanaging. Players had to grind up levels, roam around the map to find powerful weapons, complete as much optional content as possible, and repeat the same process over and over again whenever they switched jobs, especially in the late game.
Octopath Traveler 2is a massive improvement over its predecessor, enhancing the systems of the first game to make gameplay more dynamic than ever. While this naturally increases the level of micromanagement from the previous game, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Switching jobsfeels more tactical than ever when players can unlock multiple licenses, and this system becomes more engaging when the secret jobs are unlocked to turn certain characters into powerhouses. If players want to tackle Galdera, then micromanaging everything from each character’s job to the equipment they’re using plays a huge role in dictating their chances of succeeding in this nail-biting encounter.
Most JRPG veterans are well aware of the sheer amount of micromanagement involved intheShin Megami Tenseiseries. The title is extremely difficult, and exploiting boss weaknesses is integral for players who don’t want to get stuck on a particularly challenging battle.
Nowhere is this more true thaninShin Megami Tensei 3, where players must optimize their party in each dungeon to stand a chance against certain bosses. This may seem tedious, but the game’s combat is so rewarding that players would mind this constant level of micromanagement to conquer a boss who has been giving them a tough time.
The fact thatResonance of Fatebombards players with tutorials twenty hours into the experience shows just how many things players must keep track of throughoutthis unique JRPG. The title’s first impression is quite poor, but players looking for a weird and challenging JRPG will feel right at home here.
Despite only boasting three playable characters, players must keep track of numerous things in combat as they inflict scratch damage before cashing it in to deplete an enemy’s HP. The choice of weapon, a character’s positioning in battle, and keeping track of Hero Crystals is a must to ensure victory in every battle.
Final Fantasy 12was a massive tonal shift for the series in terms of gameplay, taking a lot of cues from the previous game in the series that went full MMORPG. Combat takes place in real-time as players give instructions to each party member, letting certain Gambits take over for a character who’s not in direct control of the player.
The act of managing every character’s Gambit involves a fair bit of micromanaging, especially if players want to optimize the party for each encounter. WithThe Zodiac Ageenhancing the number of jobs each character can use andmaking each License Board unique, a party member’s progression must also be managed immaculately to make each role feel unique.
TheEtrian Odysseyseries is known for boasting some of the toughest dungeon-crawling ever featured in a JRPG. The stories in each game are never the main focus, with gameplay being a huge priority more often than not.
Etrian Odyssey 5is considered by many to be the most accessible and polished game in the series, but players must still engage in quite a bit of micromanagement to ensure that their party is optimally set up to take on enemies and bosses without breaking a sweat. Managing equipment and optimizing parties are a must if players don’t want to be frustrated.
One of the greatestFinal Fantasyspin-offs of all time, the tough gameplay ofFinal Fantasy Tacticscan be made more manageable if every character’s job is optimally assigned for every encounter. This is easier said than done and can lead to a ton of micromanagement.
However, the quality of the narrative coupled with the immersive world of Ivalice means that players won’t mind keeping track of every metric for their characters. It may be time-consuming, but the hundreds of hours players spend inFinal Fantasy Tacticswill be made worthwhile after overcoming the game’s toughest encounters.
TheDisgaeaseries is the poster child of how excessive micromanagement can get in an SRPG as players grind to the nines and make their characters as powerful as possible. However, the engrossing stories and fun characters in each game more than make up for this constant tinkering of each playable character.
Disgaea 5is considered by many to be the best game in the series, boasting impressive gameplay and an engrossing story for players to get into. If players don’t mind delving into this complex JRPG series, then the fifth mainline entry will be perfect for them.
