Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of the author and not PlayStation LifeStyle as a whole.
I love JRPGs (Japanese Role-Playing Games). I sunk hundreds of hours into Pokémon and Final Fantasy series as a kid, and I loved everything about the genre. I got to experience interesting new worlds filled with interesting characters. I built a party of warriors and watched as their skills in combat improved over time as they also grew as individuals outside of fighting. Deep storylines, top notch graphics and gameplay that was ever evolving. How could I not love the genre"
Sadly, as a fan of the genre I have to recognize that it hasn’t exactly been firing on all cylinders as of late. While RPGs like The Witcher and Divinity have shown me that these interesting worlds still exist, it’s been quite some time since a Japanese one has. I love JRPGs, but the genre as a whole has grown stagnant and in some cases games are regressing. It’s time for change. Identifying The Problem

Before the genre can change for the better, some core issues need to be identified. One of the biggest issues that plague JRPGs is that they are basically the only modern games that rely on save points anymore. That needs to go. Save points aren’t included because they enhance the gameplay experience, they’re only there because that’s the way it has always been. That is terrible reasoning and it encapsulates the problem with so many JRPGs: they are living ...