MS Saga: A New Dawn is a rather obscure Gundam JRPG back on the PS2 days. It was a great turn based JRPG that told an original story that brought in characters from all over the Gundam universe. Of all my friends that love gaming and Gundam, I'm the only one who has ever played it.
@@HallowedBeThyGame it was great. You had a team of 3 or 4 pilots, and they were the original characters for the game, and as the pilots leveled up their stats increased and unlocked abilities. Plus as you went through the game you found new Gundams and weapons and such all completely customizable. The Gundams had this inventory grid that was reminiscent of old Resident Evil games and you had to Tetris the weapons and mods into the inventory for the Gundams. And of course different suits have different combat preferences, like the Burning Gundam had a HUGE inventory for melee weapons but almost no inventory for ranged, but another suit might have a massive ranged inventory. I can't talk enough about how much I loved this game.
Have you heard of a game called avalon code? It's a bit of an odd one. And as it happens, for nintendo ds. The whole premise is to smack things in game wihe the book, the avalon code, to record things for the world's rebirth. It gets interesting when you can the look in the book and change attributes of things. For example, the first enemy you fight is a stone goblin. You smack it, go into the book, it has 200 health. 100 is base, but the stone code on its page gives it the extra 100. Take off the stone code and put a sickness code on there, and now it has 50 health. There are some problems with the game bur it was fun I thought.
I never played Magna Carta at the time but I drew a lot, and remember being obsessed over the artwork. It’s really unique and heavily detailed and intricate.
Ahh yes, Kim Hyung Tae. He certainly draws some nice waifus. He did the artwork for Blade & Soul which is one of the big reasons I was interested in that MMO. Too bad it turned out to be more pay-to-win crap. He founded his own game company which released Nikke recently and is also planning to release Stellar Blade, an action game I'm definitely interested in.
@@Sitri444 his company also did Destiny Child, and he did the art for it and I think one or more of the Magna characters are in it as obtainable characters too
Weird and obscure JRPGs are one of my greatest obsessions - even if I won't play every single one, I just love hearing about them. It's hard to say which games even count as weird and obscure in a community that focuses on niche games, but Live a Live, Avalon Code and The World Ends With You are other ones I enjoyed and they're rarely talked about.
Love to see Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier!! Been a favorite of mine since I found out about it through CGR a year or two after it came out. No idea how this is still stuck in the DS, easily one of the best DS games and JRPGs. Wish I had more than a cart-only copy but still treasure that cartridge
Dunno if they are weird/obscure. But games I like while I never hear people talking about them: > Resonance of Fate - Square enix weird steampunky postapocalyptic JRPG with guns. Very unique battle system. > Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits - Dunno why, I used to be hooked on this demo when I got my PS2 and when I got my PS5 I finally bought it. > Dark Cloud - Again, came with the PS2 demo disc and played it to death, got it with my PS4 and I absolutely love the village building aspect. > The Last Remnant - Is the game good, not really. Do you have a weird attraction to it. Yups.
Haha Super Robot is one I actually snatched up a while back! No idea even where I found it, but it has some of the best sprite work I have ever seen anywhere! Glad it's getting some much deserved love!
Here's a little treat for the retro bros out there: Jyutei Senki for the Super Famicom. If you're a fan of classic 80s-90s mecha anime like me, you'd recognize names like Dunbine, Galient, Escaflowne and Rayearth. These are all stories set in fantasy kingdoms that add giant fighting robots to their sword and sorcery. Jyutei Senki is just like that. This is a good example of the SRPG trends at the time, but its presentation is just amazing with enormous sprites for each unit during the combat animations. Is it as in depth as Front Mission? No. But this one has magical robots. It's JP only, but it recently got a fan translation so you should check it out if you're into mecha and fantasy. Physical copies go for cheap if you want one for your collection and know where to get your imports.
I was going to mention Ar Nosurge and its precursors, the Ar Tonelico series, if you didn't... but you did, so we're all good here. Speaking of obscure JRPGs on the DS, I never played it, but Lost Magic for the Nintendo DS was supposed to be stupid good and unique. You had to draw spell sigils on the bottom screen to attack, with accurate drawing giving better potency. Sounds like something that would be up your alley.
I don’t know if this counts but here. “Custom Robo Arena” “Golden Sun Dark Dawn” “Infinite Undiscovery” “Eternal Sonata” “The Last Story” “Akiba’s Beat” “Mind 0” “Ray Gigant” “Odin Sphere: Leifthraiser” “Muramasa: Rebirth” “Adventures of Mana remake”
I do like seeing games I may have not heard before in my reccomendation and I knew this was a good video when I see games like Lord of Magna in it. Both it and Stella Glow were some of my favorite hidden gems of games. I also own a 200 games in 1 DS cartridge and in it does have a lot of other games in it including the Super Robot game which I wanted to play thanks to Project X Zone.
I think the weirdest and most obscure JRPGs I own are all on 3DS. 7th Dragon III: Code VFD, Stella Glow, Ever Oasis, and Project X Zone 2. I also have Hero Must Die Again, but I didn't really count it since you can buy digital copies on both PS4 and Switch. Edit: You know, somehow I recognize some of the character designs from Magna Carta Tears of Blood that I saw here, even though I know with absolute certainty that I've never played the game. Like, I must have seen an ad for it in a magazine or something years ago, and the design stood out so much that my brain still has the recognition of it over a decade later. That's wild.
Idk if you already talked about this games but listen: *Nendoroid Generation* It was a game for the PSP created by GoodSmile Company and it was really big collaboration of many animes and games 3 characters of each series Black★Rock Shooter Haruhie Suzumiya Fate Nanoha TouHou and a few others that i can't remeber Sadly it was a Japan exclusive game meaning it doesn't have a translation, not even by fans but i played entirely and i really loved the mechanics and skills, there was even combined skills with all 4 characters of your team, for example B★RS, Saber, Reimu and Nanoha. Another game series i really loved was 7th Dragon for the NDS, 7th Dragon 2020 and 2020 II for the PSP, and 7th Dragon Code: VFD for the 3DS
finally some magna carta love its such a pain to find that game now also idk if its mentioned in another video bu Cross Edge of the ps3 was pretty sick
GRANSTREAM SAGA - I'm not sure if this game is obscure enough - the most views for a RUclips video covering it is almost a decade old - but if you haven't given this game a go, please do. It's not the greatest, but I have fond childhood memories of renting this game from Blockbuster three weekends in a row just to beat it.
when it comes to weird jrpg's the first thing that comes to my mind is the last remnant, a game by square enix that has a similar vibe as final fantasy, i got like one or two more weird ones for my psp, but i cant find them right now, if i do ima edit an update tho. also i dont know why but akiba strip looks really interesting to me, ima have to check that one out myself soon, thanks :D
I won't lie I saved like 3 Magna Carta games from the bargain bin just for the art, although the gameplay was incredible since I loved Legends of Dragoon since its combat system was interesting.
Those are good. Only one unacceptable action is to throw away old gems into Pachinko cycle , instead of develop the better system, designs and storyline in sequels.
It has to be Half Minute Hero on PSP, and it's fantastic follow up Half Minute Hero Second Coming (only on Steam?!) for my favorite obscure JRPG. You get 30 seconds to save the world! But with the help of the Goddess of Time you can pay her to rewind time, so you can level up and destroy the caster of the spell of destruction. the sequel is better in almost every way, but has fewer game modes... Why didn't it go Steam only 😭 I want a physical re-release combo pack on Switch! I got some other odd ones: ✓"Rhapsody a musical adventure" (PS1/Switch) it's an oversimplified RPG with Tactical puppet combat for random encounters. The very first game in the Disgaea universe, as Disgaea was a spin off from La Pucell, which was a spin off from the Rhapsody trilogy. Yes, it's also a musical! (Rhapsody 2 and 3 ports were announced this year, releasing this summer for the first time in English. They are more standard RPG's) ✓ "Project × (cross) Zone" 1&2 (3DS) Fantastically silly cross over SRPG. As a Sakura Wars fan, and not too much else, I loved these games. They are flawed but fun. ✓ Hoshigami (?) Ruining blue Earth (DS version) this game has a very strange plot, some significant glitches, and was originally a PS1 game. It's better in every way on DS and even has a proper ended that was added after the game breaking bug on the PS1 version skipped the ending in the English release. If you save up your money and buy enough magic, you can break the game with OP spell casters.
I love endless frontier. Aside from the excellent combat, the banter between the characters was my favorite part. Wish we had more games that played on sexual innuendo jokes like that.
Its simple really. I see a new Hallowed video I immediately click. Magna Carta was definitely obscure, but when it came to my game store (at the time) I had to check it out. Another obscure one from the same developer of Knights in the Nightmare was Riviera: The Promised Land. Odd story and a bit linear but I remember the combat being fun. Originally on the DS but got ported to the PSP and I think it is still on the Vita store. Id grab it while still available if you haven't played it already.
Eiyuu Senki floored me. I know it was a censored hentai game but it really was a memorable experience and I wonder if I will ever find anything like it.
@@HallowedBeThyGame Honestly I am so addicted to it. NIS games just click with me . Final Fantasy Tactics is in my top 5 and Phantom Brave and Monster Hunter 4U are all I play anymore. Seriously give PB a go and thank me later lol . Keep up the good work
Don't know how obscure it is, but one of my favorite unique games is Way of the Samurai on the PS2. I know they made a few sequels, but they're just not as good as the original.
I always liked the Etrian Odyssey games, especially IV was really great even though it was "easier"...oh and Half Minute Hero for the PSP, that one's great too: a high speed jrpg 😂 PSP had some of the best weird & obscure titles, I really liked that handheld.
I played that Ar Nosurge on PSVita (or PSP? Can't remember) and I don't remember a damn thing about it, but I do remember enjoying playing it. Cutting through enemy waves was fun
I had wanted to play Magna Carta, but couldn't. I would love to see a remaster. Love the art for it. I have been trying to get Super Robot Taisen and Project X Zone. Too expensive…
@@HallowedBeThyGame Oh, another issue with Super Robot Taisen and Project X Zone is the increased amount of "reproduction" cartridges being sold out there.
tears of blood game is somewhat diff but love it have it and have poster that came with it. did not like the sec game for x box . nice to know you like the music as well.
I played tears of blood but never finished it. The reason i never finished was due to the random battle encounters they happeded so often that it was pissing me off when i was trying to get to my destination id just finish a battle and take 1 fucking step and bam! Another battle
Ar Nosurge. What a gem. What an experience. This game highly follows the same formula as another gem of a series "Ar Tonelico" (at least the 1st and 2nd game) . -the music -the battle system -the graphic novel-like mind-diving into the heroine's unconscious to unlock more powerful nuke spells -nuking everything with your glass cannon in the same fight -preventing enemies to 1-hit kill your glass cannon while she's charging her magic to disgaea-levels of absurd damage. -the crafting/cooking system (minus the random awkward dance) -the sometimes fun sometimes awkward fanservice/innuendos comes from there. . Even Shurelia comes from the first game. . It's from the PS2 era but the story, if you can avoid spoilers is **chef kiss**
Ar NoSurge betrayed everything that was good in ArTonelico games and I loathed it. I know it's the internet so I have to say I don't resent you for loving it, no scratch of my nose, but even considering being different from ArTonelico is not necessarily a bad thing, the game had nothing to offer. Gameplay wise I truly loathed it. I think Iv'e parted with it years ago. But maybe I still have it. I don't remember. Ar Tonelico 3 was already very different from the other two, but I didn't hated it. But Ar NoSurge felt like a deep betrayal. Tho I don't really remember why. Been a while.
@@Haeresiarchonte Haven't played ArTonelico (yet), but I loved Ar NoSurge. It was something quite unique, and art is good, music is amazing and the story is pretty good with some nice character developments. I don't think anything coming from the other games in the franchise could make me hate it or something like that. Then again, I guess I'll find out after playing them. BTW, the game is also on PS3, and (in Japanese) on PC
I actually played Ar Nosurge, during my ps3 gaming days, heck I platinumed it. That was mostly due to the fact I played every jRPG I could during those days. Man, what a weird title that was. I spent half the time creating items and watching conversations with characters. Unfortunately, story is rather ridiculous, and the fact that this is actually a sequel to Ciel Nosurge, which never came out in english, I was stuck with these characters I know nothing about. Story has some absurdly weird moments, like Delta and Cass spendintg like 2 years hung upside down in the water, but then they come back and I had to check if I didn't miss anything, because of how ridiculous that was. Nothing changed, like their friends didnt know what happened to them for 2 years, then they return and nobody bats an eye? I still have no idea what happens at the very end. Gameplay was fun, but ultimately very shallow. Still, I wish I could afford physical edition instead of digital, since it would enrich my collection. Very weird, I don't feel like ever returning to the series, but it was a good experience.
This is prime content in my opinion. I love hearing about games that aren't the standard 10 or so series. I don't know about weird, but quite possibly the most obscure RPG I own is The Dark Spire on the DS. It is a very traditional dungeon crawler in the vein of Wizardry, complete with an option to play in an old-school mode where both the graphics and music are changed to an 8-bit style. The soundtrack for this game still gets me going, it almost has Bloodborne levels of mood and intensity sometimes. Knights in the Nighmare...freaking beautiful game, but I sold it a long time ago. The concept was cool, but not what I really wanted. I still have the soundtrack though, great stuff. My favorite thing about the DS era was that a lot of smaller RPGs came out. They had original ideas, or obvious influences from 16-bit games, and generally high production values. The bad thing was, they were a bit ahead of their time in some ways, and a lot of those smaller IPs or even companies did not survive. The late 00's were a bit rough on the turn-based RPGs, as the mainstream games media was kind of drinking that Phil Fish kool-aid. RIP Nostalgia, Black Sigil, and the Golden Sun series, among many others.
Nice list (take my like) ... with one exception, "Magna Carta" is not obscure, it is not a title like Final Fantasy, but certainly at its launch (2004 in Korea, 2005 in Japan, 2006 in USA). Maybe for those born after 2008 it's obscure, but then almost any game released before 2006 could be called "obscure" :P
Okay I HAVE to talk about Shadow Hearts here!! Those games are basically horror-themed turn-based JRPGs that have a unique twist to the combat in the form of the Judgement Ring which basically determines if you hit or miss on an attack AND it can also lead to more damage if you time it correctly. I cannot recommend those games enough, they're PHENOMENAL!!! Also Koudelka, which is the game that Shadow Hearts is a spin off of, is another phenomenal horror-based JRPG that was on the PS1
Magna Carta 2 is a fire game with a fire battle system that nobody ever talks about. I guess because 360 isn't the system you buy for JRPGs. There were a handful early before it didn't really sell in Japan and they dried up. First time I played it I had to put it down for a while since I kinda skipped the battle tutorial and got owned. Big mistake. Gave it another whirl later and just fell in love with everything about it. And it was just absolutely gorgeous as well.
When I got my hands on an Xbox one x by pure chance, one of the first things I looked for in the backwards compatibility stuff was Magna Carta 2 but to no avail
@@geoffreychauvin1474 Yeah😒 The handful of games I was talking about included Magna Carta 2, Eternal Sonata, Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Star Ocean The Last Hope, Tales of Vesperia, and Resonance of Fate mostly. You can get your hands on pretty much all of these except this and it's sad.
This might have been mentioned already, but there is a Magna Carta 2 on the xbox 360. It is definitely a different battle system than tears of blood, but the characters are great and one of my favorite games from the era.
Ar nosurge was also on PS3-I have the disc. I got it when it came out because of its relation to the Ar Tonelico series (the first two of which I absolutely loved). I really enjoyed the premise of being able to wipe out every random encounter in an area and being free to explore it at your own pace afterwards-I wish more games would do something like this.
magna carta isn't a jrpg, it's a krpg. produced in south korea by softmax. agreed on the art though, the character designer/artist is called kim hyung-tae and he's one of my favourite artists. he's actually the president of the company who made stellar blade (new ps5 rpg), and also did the character designs for that game :)
I love Knights in the Nightmare. The story and atmosphere have always stuck with me, and it's heavily informed a good bit of the writing I've done in the intervening years. Can't recommend it enough!
Weirdest and most obscure game in my collection that consists mainly of weird and obscure JRPGs would probably be Guardian's Crusade. A late PS1 Activision published kids JRPG made by the company that went on to make Senran Kagura where you gain abilities through unique items called "Living Toys" and have a virtual pet helping you in battle. Really neat, no one ever talks about it, great soundtrack, really worth checking out.
I’m going to mention one i rarely EVER hear about, the sequel to Legend of Legaia, Legaia 2: Duel Saga. It was so obscure and wasn’t even sure if it was going to come to the west but it did and I have some fond memories of it. The whole Legaia series itself is underrated as hell really.
Great vid and list, once again! Have you ever tried Sigma Star Saga on GBA? Strange hybrid of overworld rpg and sidescrolling almost shoot em up/run n gun action. Weird and cool. Okage for PS2 is pretty odd... Gameplay is pretty standard but the animation and story are just weird. Awesome game. And of course, my favorite games to piss everybody off about because I won't shut up about them on my channel: Shadowrun on Genesis and SNES. Both completely different, but both are oddball, and amazing RPG trips into an dystopian cyberpunk future. Absolutely the best stuff. I actually have a Shadowrun tattoo hahahaha. Shadowrun Returns trilogy is amazing too, but I wouldn't call them weird. Keep up the great work!
Yo dude that's amazing! I legit almost put Sigma Star Saga on here. (Spoilers if everyone seems to receive this video well I'm gonna put it on the next entry haha) But man I gotta checkout Shadowrun! Thanks so much for letting me know about it! I gotta checkout your vids on it!
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier is a mouthful to say. Also one of my favorite DS games period. The whole juggling foes without letting them hit the ground combat was stupid fun. As far as obscure games goes, my vote goes to Half Minute Hero for the psp. An evil overlord has cast a spell that will end the world and only you can stop him! You have 30 seconds.
@@HallowedBeThyGame to add to the "psp" and "hero" games, What did i do to deserve this my lord series is awesome. You are villain supreme and must hide from the never ending assault of heroes. So you dig deep and create mazes underground for the heroes to wander and hopefully die to the creatures that spawn in the maze. Created by people who made akibas trip !
My personal rarest game that I own is Solatorobo. It’s the very definition of hidden DS gem. The combat isn’t really too deep, but the narrative is very enjoyable, with some top tier music and atmosphere. Exploring and learning more about the world is an absolute treat.
Holy crap. I'm not the only one who knows about Tears of Blood. That game is *weird* man. I enjoyed the combat well enough, but the world travel was absolute pain.
I'm assuming you finished Ar Nosurge, but one of my absolute favorite elements is how they use meta elements for the story and done it so creatively and differently then other games. Particularly what they did with the main antagonist, so creative and brilliant!
I played Ar no surge after playing the Ar tonelico franchise. It instantly became my absolute favorite game ever. I still replay it regularly on the PS3 and PSVita
Unfortunately Hallowed Be Thy Game there isn't any weird rpgs I have in my collection however there is a weird game I have on the DS and it's Lunar Knights! It's also a vampire game(little bit vampire) and I believe from the Boktai series I had a lot of fun with. If you like a game with some alternting gameplay mechanics you could give it a whirl.
The DS had some excellent and very weird JRPGs. I really enjoyed the Wizard of Oz. It was great fun to play with a very good battle system and only weird for the trackball. A few other DS JRPGs with unusual/weird features are: Nostalgia, which I loved, It's a steampunk kind of game set in Victorian times where you were in an alternative reality real earth and explore the whole world in an airship. My World My Way is a comical game where you play a princess who becomes an adventurer to lure a man she fancies. She pouts to alter things she doesn't like - make enemies weaker or stronger for example. Master of the Monster Lair is by the same developers and is also quite comical but in this game you use a talking shovel to dig dungeons and set rooms inside which will host various monsters. Rhapsody is another comical game based on the PS1 game, of the same name but with a different battle system. Music themed with a female cast. and puppets to collect. (All these have guides - found on GameFAQs if you want more info. - I know cos I wrote them!) AND, if you can cope with Japanese there are the Metal Max games on the DS (MM2 and MM3) featuring tanks and turn-based combat in a post apocalyptic world. Fantastic games that sadly never made it to the west. However there is Metal Saga on the PS2 if you want an English MM game and the more recent Metal Max Xeno on the PS4 though I wouldn't recommend this unless you really really love turn-based tank combat and don't mind a negligible story.
Have you played The Lost Chid from NIS/A? It was originally on Vita, now on Switch. For starters, it's an SMT-alike, which is a rare thing. And its a semi-sequel to the also very weird El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron on PS3. Plus it has a batshit crazy plot about a war between YHVH, Ra, and Cthulhu. In terms of gameplay, it's fine. Not as good as an Atlus DRPG, but diverting enough for 30-40 hours.
From The Abyss - NDS I don't know if you'll find it strange, but the first time I played I thought "I don't like it", but a few tries later I really liked this game. Another game, though it's not a JRPG, but it's weird as hell: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective NDS
NDS are indeed has a lot of obscure games, and not limited to JRPG. I still wait for the remake of Ghost Trick (I love Ace Attorney series, so I will love this game as well, since Shu Takumi is the creator). Besides that, NDS had 999 series, Time Hollow, Lux-Pain (I really want this game to be remake, and the translator team must be good... It's really sad that Lux-Pain been translated poorly), and Theresia ~ Dear Emile.
Have you played Okage The shadow king on ps2? If I recall well, it's one of the only CD ps2 games. And it is a turn based RPG. Feels pretty indie, haha... A demon king possesses your shadow. It's a kinda funny game.
Weirdest most obscure game I own is probably Tears to Tiara 2: Heir of the Overlord. Never heard anyone talk about it but it's a super duper solid S-JRPG.
Have you tried Baten Kaitos Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, and Baten Kaitos Origins? RPG using cards to select attacks. Somewhat reminiscent to Kingdom Hearts Chain of memories. Gamecube games.
Great list! Hero must die is such a gem and is worth checking out. Also it's unlikely the Nosurge remasters will be localised for the West given how long ago the remasters released. But here's hoping for fan patches ^^
I love weird games games no one talks about. This is a fantastic video. I was driving just listening to you talk and I couldn’t see the games now I’m Re watching to see the games BUT the wizard of oz I would love to pick it up. I heard Magna Carta is coming to the new systems but I do want to pick up Xbox 360 Magna Carta 2 I’m debating if I should grab Magna Carta tears of blood fro the ps2 or should I wait for the new systems. Wizard of us I seen local the guy paid 16 Canadian for it and now he’s selling it at over 100 idk why he can’t lower the price lol would love it. Thank u for this amazing video ❤ I do have Akiba trip both of them have yet to play it 😅 my ps vita is one of my favourite handhelds but I love collecting for the ds 😊
Loved your list, played some of em and yes it was memorable for me too. I remember 2 games i played in childhood that i failed to lure friends to play too, so i kinda consider this obscure. Radiata Stories from Tri-Ace/Enix & Grim Grimoire from Vanillaware. Man, i love vanillaware artstyle.
The PS2 has Ar Tonelico games probably from the same devs (or whoever ows the IP now). Same idea, Knights go around with this singing girls who can buff the party and use special powers (and half dating sim). It had a pretty 2D Atelier games look and feel. Will definitely try Ar no surge now, thanks (well, if I can get it, haha...).
interesting video idea, not sure what my most obscure would be, may time and eternity. would probably say jade cocoon if I still owned it. would love to see magna carta compilation pack also only got to play the first one myself
Probably my most obscure JRPG that I'd love to see get a modern remake is Legend of Legaia. Quite a few people have heard of it, but it definitely got overshadowed by the Legend of Dragoon which came out around the same time. The hybridization of a turn-based JRPG and a 3d fighter is a mix that really has potential even today. I'd love to see a studio like Arc System Works get a crack at it as I'm sure they could do something clever.
Have a couple PS1 games I'd like to mention... Jade Cocoon (odd pokemon-like but you turn the monsters you catch into silk or merge them together) and Thousand Arms (RPG with a dating sim minigame that affects how powerfully you can reforge your weapons).
Not sure how weird and obscure it is, but Folklore would probably fall under this umbrella. Bought in on a whim shortly after getting my ps3 and it’s an underrated gem.
I still have my copy of Magna Carta, and even for a PS2 game cover, it was a very bold of them to have two different covers you could have, your basic and your lewd version.
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier looks like the prequel to the Project X Zone games. I only say that cuz the combat looks similar and there are characters (original characters mind you) that appear in both.
The entire Growlanser franchise. What do you get when you put a JRPG with lite RTS mechanics, an early version of Persona relationship mechanics, and an ATB system? One of the most unique JRPGs I've had the pleasure of being introduced to on the PS2. I don't know how accessible they are on PC outside certain "methods," but the remake of the fourth game was released on PSP so it might've gotten a Steam release, and the fourth game is a standalone entry in the franchise. Highly recommended. :) EDIT: We never got the first or sixth entries, but the second through fifth are available somewhere. I know Growlanser V: Heritage of War was released on PS3 under their PS2 selection. Wayfarer of Time is the subtitle of the fourth game I mentioned above.
Namco x capcom for ps2 is pinnacle of obscured lol. Not only it is jp exclusive with fan en patch. It is the precursor of project x zone with reiji and xiaomu being its original chara.
Okay, Hero Must Die. Again keeps coming up in advertisements for me, and I thought the cover design looked cool, but I never dug any deeper. This might have convinced me to check it out. Great list, man!
Sting has a bunch of other games under a series known as Dpt. Heaven, featuring titles such as Riviera: the Promised Land (DS), Yggdra Union (GBA, PSP) and Gungnir: Inferno of the Demon Lance and the War of Heroes (PSP). They're all RPG's, of several different genres and all share a universe of sorts, connected through Asgard. Knights in the Nightmare is also part of this Dpt. Heaven Series, being episode IV. There's also a few spin offs but i dont know much about those.
I've had the PS3 version of Ar NoSurge for a long time in my backlog. The time I bought it, the woman that had to look for the disc had a "wtf is this" expression on her face, lol, called it Ar Nosomething.
Wow, I haven't heard of Manga Carta in decades. It's pretty interesting. I got to admit I had it "burned" when I had a ps2. Honestly I don't think I could have found that game any other way, haha (I'm from Central America so rare titles are even rarer here)... But I really like RPGs so I was always on the look out for something new, haha...
Ah~ Magna carta... After this series, SOFTMAX(game maker) just got worse. The character designer(Kim Hyung Tae) leaved, the next game continued to fail. The company was acquired and the game development department closed. Now the company has changed its name. They are also in a completely different business.
I'm not sure how obscure it is anymore but Azure dreams will always fit this for me. I picked it up at car boot sale (UK thing) when I was a kid, knew nothing about it, but it turned out to be amazing. Still one of my favs.
Cries softly in Ar no Surge being in the obscure list. Cries harder in Ciel no Surge never having gotten a western release even though it was remade in Japan to remove the wonky barcode scanning gimmick. I fucking LOVE the Ar Tonelico series (yes even 3 with it's god awful wonky battle system) and my disappointment was immeasurable way back when Ciel no Surge (the spiritual successor) released and it quickly because clear it wouldn't come to the west On that note, if you haven't I 1000% recommend playing Ar Tonelico (it's predecessor) as well. All 3 games made it to the west
I really enjoyed Magna Carta, so much so that I picked up the sequel as soon as I got my 360. The odd thing is I never actually got around to playing the sequel. I always put it off as I was afraid I'd go into it with super high expectations and be disappointed, which could ruin the series as a whole for me.
Strange if i don´t remember tears of blood having much fanservice? I guess the story is kind of forgettable though, since i don´t remember much of it until a character´s sister died close to the end there(died because of some political intrigue, i guess?)
Shout out to Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier !!! That game was just so addictive ! I loved it. I'm so sad the sequel wasn't localized, still bought it on ebay but haven't had the courage to jump into it being in Japanese 😅. I'd say that Arc Rise Fantasia is a game that fell quite quickly into obscurity due in part to its awful voiceover. But it was a surprisingly solid game with hard turn-by-turn battle and an interesting story. Personally I just loved it despite its flaws.
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MS Saga: A New Dawn is a rather obscure Gundam JRPG back on the PS2 days. It was a great turn based JRPG that told an original story that brought in characters from all over the Gundam universe. Of all my friends that love gaming and Gundam, I'm the only one who has ever played it.
@@NightFire2100 I have got to play this!
@@HallowedBeThyGame it was great. You had a team of 3 or 4 pilots, and they were the original characters for the game, and as the pilots leveled up their stats increased and unlocked abilities. Plus as you went through the game you found new Gundams and weapons and such all completely customizable. The Gundams had this inventory grid that was reminiscent of old Resident Evil games and you had to Tetris the weapons and mods into the inventory for the Gundams. And of course different suits have different combat preferences, like the Burning Gundam had a HUGE inventory for melee weapons but almost no inventory for ranged, but another suit might have a massive ranged inventory. I can't talk enough about how much I loved this game.
There are only nine titles in your timecode list in the description. Where is the tenth one?
Have you heard of a game called avalon code? It's a bit of an odd one. And as it happens, for nintendo ds. The whole premise is to smack things in game wihe the book, the avalon code, to record things for the world's rebirth. It gets interesting when you can the look in the book and change attributes of things. For example, the first enemy you fight is a stone goblin. You smack it, go into the book, it has 200 health. 100 is base, but the stone code on its page gives it the extra 100. Take off the stone code and put a sickness code on there, and now it has 50 health. There are some problems with the game bur it was fun I thought.
I never played Magna Carta at the time but I drew a lot, and remember being obsessed over the artwork. It’s really unique and heavily detailed and intricate.
Ahh yes, Kim Hyung Tae. He certainly draws some nice waifus. He did the artwork for Blade & Soul which is one of the big reasons I was interested in that MMO. Too bad it turned out to be more pay-to-win crap. He founded his own game company which released Nikke recently and is also planning to release Stellar Blade, an action game I'm definitely interested in.
@@Sitri444 Huh, glad to see he's still doing stuff. I didn't really care for Blade & Soul or Nikke though.
@@xdevantx5870 I tried playing Blade & Soul and it had amazing art, great combat system, awful P2W practices.
I think theres a gacha he did art for called Destiny Child.
@@Sitri444 his company also did Destiny Child, and he did the art for it and I think one or more of the Magna characters are in it as obtainable characters too
Weird and obscure JRPGs are one of my greatest obsessions - even if I won't play every single one, I just love hearing about them. It's hard to say which games even count as weird and obscure in a community that focuses on niche games, but Live a Live, Avalon Code and The World Ends With You are other ones I enjoyed and they're rarely talked about.
Avalon Code was pretty good! Shame I didn't get to finish it, but check out Radiant Historia too!
Lmfao TWEWY is not obscure
I really enjoy these types of videos since I find out about so many RPGS I missed.
I'm so glad to hear! More to come!
Love to see Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier!! Been a favorite of mine since I found out about it through CGR a year or two after it came out. No idea how this is still stuck in the DS, easily one of the best DS games and JRPGs. Wish I had more than a cart-only copy but still treasure that cartridge
Dunno if they are weird/obscure. But games I like while I never hear people talking about them:
> Resonance of Fate - Square enix weird steampunky postapocalyptic JRPG with guns. Very unique battle system.
> Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits - Dunno why, I used to be hooked on this demo when I got my PS2 and when I got my PS5 I finally bought it.
> Dark Cloud - Again, came with the PS2 demo disc and played it to death, got it with my PS4 and I absolutely love the village building aspect.
> The Last Remnant - Is the game good, not really. Do you have a weird attraction to it. Yups.
Haha Super Robot is one I actually snatched up a while back! No idea even where I found it, but it has some of the best sprite work I have ever seen anywhere! Glad it's getting some much deserved love!
Heck ya! Stoked another fan of it is watching! It deserves a ton of love and spotlight!
The intro gets me pumped every time.
Haha rock on!
Dummm du du dummm du du dummm
Here's a little treat for the retro bros out there: Jyutei Senki for the Super Famicom.
If you're a fan of classic 80s-90s mecha anime like me, you'd recognize names like Dunbine, Galient, Escaflowne and Rayearth. These are all stories set in fantasy kingdoms that add giant fighting robots to their sword and sorcery. Jyutei Senki is just like that. This is a good example of the SRPG trends at the time, but its presentation is just amazing with enormous sprites for each unit during the combat animations. Is it as in depth as Front Mission? No. But this one has magical robots.
It's JP only, but it recently got a fan translation so you should check it out if you're into mecha and fantasy. Physical copies go for cheap if you want one for your collection and know where to get your imports.
Yup I've never heard of a single one of these. Well done sir, well done
Happy to show these to ya!
I was going to mention Ar Nosurge and its precursors, the Ar Tonelico series, if you didn't...
but you did, so we're all good here.
Speaking of obscure JRPGs on the DS, I never played it, but Lost Magic for the Nintendo DS was supposed to be stupid good and unique. You had to draw spell sigils on the bottom screen to attack, with accurate drawing giving better potency. Sounds like something that would be up your alley.
That Wizard of Oz game looks great! I got Lord of Magna Carta almost complete it has the OST but missing the soundtrack. Nice video brother. ❤️
Thanks for watching!
@@HallowedBeThyGame my pleasure buddy ❤️
I don’t know if this counts but here.
“Custom Robo Arena”
“Golden Sun Dark Dawn”
“Infinite Undiscovery”
“Eternal Sonata”
“The Last Story”
“Akiba’s Beat”
“Mind 0”
“Ray Gigant”
“Odin Sphere: Leifthraiser”
“Muramasa: Rebirth”
“Adventures of Mana remake”
Oh some in here I've never heard of, thank you!
I do like seeing games I may have not heard before in my reccomendation and I knew this was a good video when I see games like Lord of Magna in it. Both it and Stella Glow were some of my favorite hidden gems of games.
I also own a 200 games in 1 DS cartridge and in it does have a lot of other games in it including the Super Robot game which I wanted to play thanks to Project X Zone.
Stella Glow is amazing!
Am I crazy, or is there only 9 games? Still, a great video. Thanks for the info!
I think the weirdest and most obscure JRPGs I own are all on 3DS. 7th Dragon III: Code VFD, Stella Glow, Ever Oasis, and Project X Zone 2. I also have Hero Must Die Again, but I didn't really count it since you can buy digital copies on both PS4 and Switch.
Edit: You know, somehow I recognize some of the character designs from Magna Carta Tears of Blood that I saw here, even though I know with absolute certainty that I've never played the game. Like, I must have seen an ad for it in a magazine or something years ago, and the design stood out so much that my brain still has the recognition of it over a decade later. That's wild.
Idk if you already talked about this games but listen:
*Nendoroid Generation*
It was a game for the PSP created by GoodSmile Company and it was really big collaboration of many animes and games
3 characters of each series
Black★Rock Shooter
Haruhie Suzumiya
Fate
Nanoha
TouHou and a few others that i can't remeber
Sadly it was a Japan exclusive game meaning it doesn't have a translation, not even by fans but i played entirely and i really loved the mechanics and skills, there was even combined skills with all 4 characters of your team, for example B★RS, Saber, Reimu and Nanoha.
Another game series i really loved was 7th Dragon for the NDS, 7th Dragon 2020 and 2020 II for the PSP, and 7th Dragon Code: VFD for the 3DS
From what I found on the internet, the first Magna Carta never sold outside its home country, South Korea.
Oh man, Lord of Magna and Knights in the Nightmare....good times.
finally some magna carta love its such a pain to find that game now also idk if its mentioned in another video bu Cross Edge of the ps3 was pretty sick
GRANSTREAM SAGA - I'm not sure if this game is obscure enough - the most views for a RUclips video covering it is almost a decade old - but if you haven't given this game a go, please do. It's not the greatest, but I have fond childhood memories of renting this game from Blockbuster three weekends in a row just to beat it.
when it comes to weird jrpg's the first thing that comes to my mind is the last remnant, a game by square enix that has a similar vibe as final fantasy, i got like one or two more weird ones for my psp, but i cant find them right now, if i do ima edit an update tho.
also i dont know why but akiba strip looks really interesting to me, ima have to check that one out myself soon, thanks :D
Thanks for the recommendation and hope you enjoy Akiba’s Trip!
I won't lie I saved like 3 Magna Carta games from the bargain bin just for the art, although the gameplay was incredible since I loved Legends of Dragoon since its combat system was interesting.
Those are good.
Only one unacceptable action is to throw away old gems into Pachinko cycle
, instead of develop the better system, designs and storyline in sequels.
It has to be Half Minute Hero on PSP, and it's fantastic follow up Half Minute Hero Second Coming (only on Steam?!) for my favorite obscure JRPG.
You get 30 seconds to save the world! But with the help of the Goddess of Time you can pay her to rewind time, so you can level up and destroy the caster of the spell of destruction. the sequel is better in almost every way, but has fewer game modes... Why didn't it go Steam only 😭 I want a physical re-release combo pack on Switch!
I got some other odd ones:
✓"Rhapsody a musical adventure" (PS1/Switch) it's an oversimplified RPG with Tactical puppet combat for random encounters. The very first game in the Disgaea universe, as Disgaea was a spin off from La Pucell, which was a spin off from the Rhapsody trilogy. Yes, it's also a musical! (Rhapsody 2 and 3 ports were announced this year, releasing this summer for the first time in English. They are more standard RPG's)
✓ "Project × (cross) Zone" 1&2 (3DS)
Fantastically silly cross over SRPG. As a Sakura Wars fan, and not too much else, I loved these games. They are flawed but fun.
✓ Hoshigami (?) Ruining blue Earth (DS version) this game has a very strange plot, some significant glitches, and was originally a PS1 game. It's better in every way on DS and even has a proper ended that was added after the game breaking bug on the PS1 version skipped the ending in the English release. If you save up your money and buy enough magic, you can break the game with OP spell casters.
I love endless frontier. Aside from the excellent combat, the banter between the characters was my favorite part. Wish we had more games that played on sexual innuendo jokes like that.
Its simple really. I see a new Hallowed video I immediately click. Magna Carta was definitely obscure, but when it came to my game store (at the time) I had to check it out. Another obscure one from the same developer of Knights in the Nightmare was Riviera: The Promised Land. Odd story and a bit linear but I remember the combat being fun. Originally on the DS but got ported to the PSP and I think it is still on the Vita store. Id grab it while still available if you haven't played it already.
Heck yeah! Thanks so much for the support and the recommendation! I gotta dive into Sting's back catalogue!
Eiyuu Senki floored me. I know it was a censored hentai game but it really was a memorable experience and I wonder if I will ever find anything like it.
I’ll have to check this one out
A weird but not too obscure jrpg is Phantom Brave and I love it!!!!
I have this on the backlog, thank you for letting me know!
@@HallowedBeThyGame Honestly I am so addicted to it. NIS games just click with me . Final Fantasy Tactics is in my top 5 and Phantom Brave and Monster Hunter 4U are all I play anymore. Seriously give PB a go and thank me later lol . Keep up the good work
Thanks so much, will do!
Don't know how obscure it is, but one of my favorite unique games is Way of the Samurai on the PS2. I know they made a few sequels, but they're just not as good as the original.
HALF-MINUTE HERO... I don't know if this is included as a JRPG but it's a role-playing game.
I remember Magna Carta, I had the whole delux box set.
Ar nosurge and Ciel nosurge were actually remastered for Switch as Ar Nosurge DX and Ciel Nosurge DX in 2021... Only in Japan. Play-Asia it is. ;P
I always liked the Etrian Odyssey games, especially IV was really great even though it was "easier"...oh and Half Minute Hero for the PSP, that one's great too: a high speed jrpg 😂 PSP had some of the best weird & obscure titles, I really liked that handheld.
I played that Ar Nosurge on PSVita (or PSP? Can't remember) and I don't remember a damn thing about it, but I do remember enjoying playing it. Cutting through enemy waves was fun
I had wanted to play Magna Carta, but couldn't. I would love to see a remaster. Love the art for it.
I have been trying to get Super Robot Taisen and Project X Zone. Too expensive…
I'm seriously so hopeful they can all get a remaster and port. They all deserve it!
@@HallowedBeThyGame Oh, another issue with Super Robot Taisen and Project X Zone is the increased amount of "reproduction" cartridges being sold out there.
@@MissNeonNyx oh crap I had no idea….
a really special game that i would concider a hidden gem its Project X Zone for the 3DS
One of the reasons I bought Magna Carta 2 was because Ichigo and Rukia's voice actors played the main characters. 😂
Oh snap I didn't know that, so cool!
I own magna carta. And it was really well.. drawn?!?
tears of blood game is somewhat diff but love it have it and have poster that came with it. did not like the sec game for x box . nice to know you like the music as well.
the guy who did the art for magnacarta is doing the art for the upcoming Steller blade game Hyung tae kim is his name
I’m so hyped for stellar blade. Gonna be sick 🤘🔥
I played tears of blood but never finished it. The reason i never finished was due to the random battle encounters they happeded so often that it was pissing me off when i was trying to get to my destination id just finish a battle and take 1 fucking step and bam! Another battle
Ar Nosurge.
What a gem.
What an experience.
This game highly follows the same formula as another gem of a series "Ar Tonelico" (at least the 1st and 2nd game)
.
-the music
-the battle system
-the graphic novel-like mind-diving into the heroine's unconscious to unlock more powerful nuke spells
-nuking everything with your glass cannon in the same fight
-preventing enemies to 1-hit kill your glass cannon while she's charging her magic to disgaea-levels of absurd damage.
-the crafting/cooking system (minus the random awkward dance)
-the sometimes fun sometimes awkward fanservice/innuendos comes from there.
.
Even Shurelia comes from the first game.
.
It's from the PS2 era but the story, if you can avoid spoilers is **chef kiss**
bcs it's a prequel
Ar NoSurge betrayed everything that was good in ArTonelico games and I loathed it. I know it's the internet so I have to say I don't resent you for loving it, no scratch of my nose, but even considering being different from ArTonelico is not necessarily a bad thing, the game had nothing to offer. Gameplay wise I truly loathed it. I think Iv'e parted with it years ago. But maybe I still have it. I don't remember. Ar Tonelico 3 was already very different from the other two, but I didn't hated it. But Ar NoSurge felt like a deep betrayal. Tho I don't really remember why. Been a while.
@@Haeresiarchonte Haven't played ArTonelico (yet), but I loved Ar NoSurge. It was something quite unique, and art is good, music is amazing and the story is pretty good with some nice character developments. I don't think anything coming from the other games in the franchise could make me hate it or something like that. Then again, I guess I'll find out after playing them.
BTW, the game is also on PS3, and (in Japanese) on PC
I actually played Ar Nosurge, during my ps3 gaming days, heck I platinumed it. That was mostly due to the fact I played every jRPG I could during those days.
Man, what a weird title that was. I spent half the time creating items and watching conversations with characters. Unfortunately, story is rather ridiculous, and the fact that this is actually a sequel to Ciel Nosurge, which never came out in english, I was stuck with these characters I know nothing about.
Story has some absurdly weird moments, like Delta and Cass spendintg like 2 years hung upside down in the water, but then they come back and I had to check if I didn't miss anything, because of how ridiculous that was. Nothing changed, like their friends didnt know what happened to them for 2 years, then they return and nobody bats an eye?
I still have no idea what happens at the very end. Gameplay was fun, but ultimately very shallow.
Still, I wish I could afford physical edition instead of digital, since it would enrich my collection. Very weird, I don't feel like ever returning to the series, but it was a good experience.
This is prime content in my opinion. I love hearing about games that aren't the standard 10 or so series.
I don't know about weird, but quite possibly the most obscure RPG I own is The Dark Spire on the DS. It is a very traditional dungeon crawler in the vein of Wizardry, complete with an option to play in an old-school mode where both the graphics and music are changed to an 8-bit style. The soundtrack for this game still gets me going, it almost has Bloodborne levels of mood and intensity sometimes.
Knights in the Nighmare...freaking beautiful game, but I sold it a long time ago. The concept was cool, but not what I really wanted. I still have the soundtrack though, great stuff.
My favorite thing about the DS era was that a lot of smaller RPGs came out. They had original ideas, or obvious influences from 16-bit games, and generally high production values.
The bad thing was, they were a bit ahead of their time in some ways, and a lot of those smaller IPs or even companies did not survive. The late 00's were a bit rough on the turn-based RPGs, as the mainstream games media was kind of drinking that Phil Fish kool-aid. RIP Nostalgia, Black Sigil, and the Golden Sun series, among many others.
I'm so glad you enjoy this type of video! You have a whole slew of games I have GOT TO checkout. Thanks a million for recommending them!
Nice list (take my like) ... with one exception, "Magna Carta" is not obscure, it is not a title like Final Fantasy, but certainly at its launch (2004 in Korea, 2005 in Japan, 2006 in USA). Maybe for those born after 2008 it's obscure, but then almost any game released before 2006 could be called "obscure" :P
Okay I HAVE to talk about Shadow Hearts here!! Those games are basically horror-themed turn-based JRPGs that have a unique twist to the combat in the form of the Judgement Ring which basically determines if you hit or miss on an attack AND it can also lead to more damage if you time it correctly.
I cannot recommend those games enough, they're PHENOMENAL!!! Also Koudelka, which is the game that Shadow Hearts is a spin off of, is another phenomenal horror-based JRPG that was on the PS1
That would have been my pick as well. Probably my favorite lesser known JRPG.
@@tzyoggah2898 Mine too, it's a shame that people don't talk about it more.
A while back there was talks of a spiritual successor, but that project may have been canceled
Magna Carta 2 is a fire game with a fire battle system that nobody ever talks about. I guess because 360 isn't the system you buy for JRPGs. There were a handful early before it didn't really sell in Japan and they dried up. First time I played it I had to put it down for a while since I kinda skipped the battle tutorial and got owned. Big mistake. Gave it another whirl later and just fell in love with everything about it. And it was just absolutely gorgeous as well.
When I got my hands on an Xbox one x by pure chance, one of the first things I looked for in the backwards compatibility stuff was Magna Carta 2 but to no avail
@@geoffreychauvin1474 Yeah😒 The handful of games I was talking about included Magna Carta 2, Eternal Sonata, Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Star Ocean The Last Hope, Tales of Vesperia, and Resonance of Fate mostly. You can get your hands on pretty much all of these except this and it's sad.
I wouldn't say the game and battle system were hot, but they were definitely awesome.
This might have been mentioned already, but there is a Magna Carta 2 on the xbox 360. It is definitely a different battle system than tears of blood, but the characters are great and one of my favorite games from the era.
I own magna Carta 2. And I love it. Voice acting is great and some of the back and forth gets me rolling in laughter.
I enjoyed it quite a bit
Ar nosurge was also on PS3-I have the disc.
I got it when it came out because of its relation to the Ar Tonelico series (the first two of which I absolutely loved). I really enjoyed the premise of being able to wipe out every random encounter in an area and being free to explore it at your own pace afterwards-I wish more games would do something like this.
magna carta isn't a jrpg, it's a krpg. produced in south korea by softmax. agreed on the art though, the character designer/artist is called kim hyung-tae and he's one of my favourite artists. he's actually the president of the company who made stellar blade (new ps5 rpg), and also did the character designs for that game :)
He's done it again.
Done what
Done what
Die again
I love Knights in the Nightmare. The story and atmosphere have always stuck with me, and it's heavily informed a good bit of the writing I've done in the intervening years. Can't recommend it enough!
Weirdest and most obscure game in my collection that consists mainly of weird and obscure JRPGs would probably be Guardian's Crusade. A late PS1 Activision published kids JRPG made by the company that went on to make Senran Kagura where you gain abilities through unique items called "Living Toys" and have a virtual pet helping you in battle. Really neat, no one ever talks about it, great soundtrack, really worth checking out.
I’m going to mention one i rarely EVER hear about, the sequel to Legend of Legaia, Legaia 2: Duel Saga. It was so obscure and wasn’t even sure if it was going to come to the west but it did and I have some fond memories of it. The whole Legaia series itself is underrated as hell really.
Great vid and list, once again! Have you ever tried Sigma Star Saga on GBA? Strange hybrid of overworld rpg and sidescrolling almost shoot em up/run n gun action. Weird and cool. Okage for PS2 is pretty odd... Gameplay is pretty standard but the animation and story are just weird. Awesome game. And of course, my favorite games to piss everybody off about because I won't shut up about them on my channel: Shadowrun on Genesis and SNES. Both completely different, but both are oddball, and amazing RPG trips into an dystopian cyberpunk future. Absolutely the best stuff. I actually have a Shadowrun tattoo hahahaha. Shadowrun Returns trilogy is amazing too, but I wouldn't call them weird. Keep up the great work!
Yo dude that's amazing! I legit almost put Sigma Star Saga on here. (Spoilers if everyone seems to receive this video well I'm gonna put it on the next entry haha) But man I gotta checkout Shadowrun! Thanks so much for letting me know about it! I gotta checkout your vids on it!
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier is a mouthful to say. Also one of my favorite DS games period. The whole juggling foes without letting them hit the ground combat was stupid fun. As far as obscure games goes, my vote goes to Half Minute Hero for the psp. An evil overlord has cast a spell that will end the world and only you can stop him! You have 30 seconds.
Oh snap I gotta checkout Half Minute Hero, my bud Danik mentioned that one too me years ago and I forgot to play it.
@@HallowedBeThyGame to add to the "psp" and "hero" games, What did i do to deserve this my lord series is awesome. You are villain supreme and must hide from the never ending assault of heroes. So you dig deep and create mazes underground for the heroes to wander and hopefully die to the creatures that spawn in the maze. Created by people who made akibas trip !
You'd love the Project X Zones then
It's a real shame that Endless Frontier's sequel - Endless Frontier Exceed" did not release in the West, it was a great upgrade.
My personal rarest game that I own is Solatorobo. It’s the very definition of hidden DS gem. The combat isn’t really too deep, but the narrative is very enjoyable, with some top tier music and atmosphere. Exploring and learning more about the world is an absolute treat.
I remember playing this game. Thumbs up
Would love that game it’s expensive but would love it
Holy crap. I'm not the only one who knows about Tears of Blood. That game is *weird* man. I enjoyed the combat well enough, but the world travel was absolute pain.
Ar nosurge and Ar tonelico were released on PS3 in North America as well, just FYI.
I'm assuming you finished Ar Nosurge, but one of my absolute favorite elements is how they use meta elements for the story and done it so creatively and differently then other games. Particularly what they did with the main antagonist, so creative and brilliant!
I played Ar no surge after playing the Ar tonelico franchise. It instantly became my absolute favorite game ever. I still replay it regularly on the PS3 and PSVita
Unfortunately Hallowed Be Thy Game there isn't any weird rpgs I have in my collection however there is a weird game I have on the DS and it's Lunar Knights! It's also a vampire game(little bit vampire) and I believe from the Boktai series I had a lot of fun with. If you like a game with some alternting gameplay mechanics you could give it a whirl.
I have got to check Lunar Knights out! Thanks for the reminder, it looks really doggone fun.
Dungeon Travelers 2 for the Vita is a fun dungeon crawler filled with fan service. I'm sure other people have played it, but I don't know any of them.
I have to pick this up.
Excellent game!
I have a physical copy, it's an excellent dungeon crawler.
The DS had some excellent and very weird JRPGs. I really enjoyed the Wizard of Oz. It was great fun to play with a very good battle system and only weird for the trackball.
A few other DS JRPGs with unusual/weird features are:
Nostalgia, which I loved, It's a steampunk kind of game set in Victorian times where you were in an alternative reality real earth and explore the whole world in an airship.
My World My Way is a comical game where you play a princess who becomes an adventurer to lure a man she fancies. She pouts to alter things she doesn't like - make enemies weaker or stronger for example.
Master of the Monster Lair is by the same developers and is also quite comical but in this game you use a talking shovel to dig dungeons and set rooms inside which will host various monsters.
Rhapsody is another comical game based on the PS1 game, of the same name but with a different battle system. Music themed with a female cast. and puppets to collect.
(All these have guides - found on GameFAQs if you want more info. - I know cos I wrote them!)
AND, if you can cope with Japanese there are the Metal Max games on the DS (MM2 and MM3) featuring tanks and turn-based combat in a post apocalyptic world. Fantastic games that sadly never made it to the west. However there is Metal Saga on the PS2 if you want an English MM game and the more recent Metal Max Xeno on the PS4 though I wouldn't recommend this unless you really really love turn-based tank combat and don't mind a negligible story.
Have you played The Lost Chid from NIS/A? It was originally on Vita, now on Switch. For starters, it's an SMT-alike, which is a rare thing. And its a semi-sequel to the also very weird El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron on PS3. Plus it has a batshit crazy plot about a war between YHVH, Ra, and Cthulhu.
In terms of gameplay, it's fine. Not as good as an Atlus DRPG, but diverting enough for 30-40 hours.
I’m hoping to check all of revise out, thanks!
From The Abyss - NDS
I don't know if you'll find it strange, but the first time I played I thought "I don't like it", but a few tries later I really liked this game.
Another game, though it's not a JRPG, but it's weird as hell: Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective NDS
NDS are indeed has a lot of obscure games, and not limited to JRPG. I still wait for the remake of Ghost Trick (I love Ace Attorney series, so I will love this game as well, since Shu Takumi is the creator). Besides that, NDS had 999 series, Time Hollow, Lux-Pain (I really want this game to be remake, and the translator team must be good... It's really sad that Lux-Pain been translated poorly), and Theresia ~ Dear Emile.
Have you played Okage The shadow king on ps2? If I recall well, it's one of the only CD ps2 games. And it is a turn based RPG. Feels pretty indie, haha... A demon king possesses your shadow. It's a kinda funny game.
Sounds really cool and unique, thanks!
Weirdest most obscure game I own is probably Tears to Tiara 2: Heir of the Overlord. Never heard anyone talk about it but it's a super duper solid S-JRPG.
Have you tried Baten Kaitos Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, and Baten Kaitos Origins? RPG using cards to select attacks. Somewhat reminiscent to Kingdom Hearts Chain of memories. Gamecube games.
I have played Baten Kaitos, really cool and unique game!
Great list! Hero must die is such a gem and is worth checking out.
Also it's unlikely the Nosurge remasters will be localised for the West given how long ago the remasters released. But here's hoping for fan patches ^^
I'm so happy another Hero must die fan is watching!
I love weird games games no one talks about. This is a fantastic video. I was driving just listening to you talk and I couldn’t see the games now I’m Re watching to see the games BUT the wizard of oz I would love to pick it up. I heard Magna Carta is coming to the new systems but I do want to pick up Xbox 360 Magna Carta 2 I’m debating if I should grab Magna Carta tears of blood fro the ps2 or should I wait for the new systems. Wizard of us I seen local the guy paid 16 Canadian for it and now he’s selling it at over 100 idk why he can’t lower the price lol would love it. Thank u for this amazing video ❤ I do have Akiba trip both of them have yet to play it 😅 my ps vita is one of my favourite handhelds but I love collecting for the ds 😊
Loved your list, played some of em and yes it was memorable for me too. I remember 2 games i played in childhood that i failed to lure friends to play too, so i kinda consider this obscure. Radiata Stories from Tri-Ace/Enix & Grim Grimoire from Vanillaware. Man, i love vanillaware artstyle.
Glad you enjoyed! Vanillaware is top shelf!
The PS2 has Ar Tonelico games probably from the same devs (or whoever ows the IP now). Same idea, Knights go around with this singing girls who can buff the party and use special powers (and half dating sim). It had a pretty 2D Atelier games look and feel. Will definitely try Ar no surge now, thanks (well, if I can get it, haha...).
interesting video idea, not sure what my most obscure would be, may time and eternity. would probably say jade cocoon if I still owned it. would love to see magna carta compilation pack also only got to play the first one myself
A compilation release would be excellent 🤘
Probably my most obscure JRPG that I'd love to see get a modern remake is Legend of Legaia. Quite a few people have heard of it, but it definitely got overshadowed by the Legend of Dragoon which came out around the same time. The hybridization of a turn-based JRPG and a 3d fighter is a mix that really has potential even today. I'd love to see a studio like Arc System Works get a crack at it as I'm sure they could do something clever.
I played it back in the day, still have my copy. Also I have Legaia 2 in the PS2 but never beat it
Fantastic video! Knights in the Nightmare is a legit game and Magna Carta was a good one too. Loved the unique combat in both of those games.
Couldn't agree more, those games rock! And thanks so much for watching!
Have a couple PS1 games I'd like to mention... Jade Cocoon (odd pokemon-like but you turn the monsters you catch into silk or merge them together) and Thousand Arms (RPG with a dating sim minigame that affects how powerfully you can reforge your weapons).
Not sure how weird and obscure it is, but Folklore would probably fall under this umbrella. Bought in on a whim shortly after getting my ps3 and it’s an underrated gem.
Thanks so much for reminding me about that one! I gotta pick it up
I don't know if it's obcure enough to qualify here, but I'll mention it anyway just in case. PS2's Odin Sphere
I still have my copy of Magna Carta, and even for a PS2 game cover, it was a very bold of them to have two different covers you could have, your basic and your lewd version.
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier looks like the prequel to the Project X Zone games. I only say that cuz the combat looks similar and there are characters (original characters mind you) that appear in both.
The entire Growlanser franchise. What do you get when you put a JRPG with lite RTS mechanics, an early version of Persona relationship mechanics, and an ATB system? One of the most unique JRPGs I've had the pleasure of being introduced to on the PS2. I don't know how accessible they are on PC outside certain "methods," but the remake of the fourth game was released on PSP so it might've gotten a Steam release, and the fourth game is a standalone entry in the franchise. Highly recommended. :)
EDIT: We never got the first or sixth entries, but the second through fifth are available somewhere. I know Growlanser V: Heritage of War was released on PS3 under their PS2 selection. Wayfarer of Time is the subtitle of the fourth game I mentioned above.
My weirdest game is probably Thousand Arms. Because it's a JRPG with a Dating Sim backed into its progression.
Namco x capcom for ps2 is pinnacle of obscured lol. Not only it is jp exclusive with fan en patch. It is the precursor of project x zone with reiji and xiaomu being its original chara.
If you guys liked the Magna Carta character design when you should check out the phone game "Destiny Child" and "Nikke" Same guy
Aw man, I saw that wizard of oz game one time, thought it was gonna be an adventure and didn't get it, young me really didn't like reading stuff XD
I love getting PlayStation games for 1 and 2. They're usually super cheap.
Okay, Hero Must Die. Again keeps coming up in advertisements for me, and I thought the cover design looked cool, but I never dug any deeper. This might have convinced me to check it out. Great list, man!
Haha how wild is that timing?! Glad you enjoyed the list and thanks for watching!
Bro!! I preordered Magna Carta!! Pretty sweet!!!
Sting has a bunch of other games under a series known as Dpt. Heaven, featuring titles such as Riviera: the Promised Land (DS), Yggdra Union (GBA, PSP) and Gungnir: Inferno of the Demon Lance and the War of Heroes (PSP). They're all RPG's, of several different genres and all share a universe of sorts, connected through Asgard. Knights in the Nightmare is also part of this Dpt. Heaven Series, being episode IV. There's also a few spin offs but i dont know much about those.
magna carta for ps2 and psp is amazing gem !!!
I've had the PS3 version of Ar NoSurge for a long time in my backlog.
The time I bought it, the woman that had to look for the disc had a "wtf is this" expression on her face, lol, called it Ar Nosomething.
lol her loss, your gain!
Wow, I haven't heard of Manga Carta in decades. It's pretty interesting. I got to admit I had it "burned" when I had a ps2. Honestly I don't think I could have found that game any other way, haha (I'm from Central America so rare titles are even rarer here)... But I really like RPGs so I was always on the look out for something new, haha...
Nice to see some Super Robot Wars love. OG Saga Endless Frontier has a sequel on the DS that got a translation patch for those that want more.
I gotta play this translation patch, thanks for letting me know!
While Alice tackles more mature themes, Oz is a wide world with 7 novels.
Ah~ Magna carta... After this series, SOFTMAX(game maker) just got worse. The character designer(Kim Hyung Tae) leaved, the next game continued to fail. The company was acquired and the game development department closed. Now the company has changed its name. They are also in a completely different business.
That’s depressing
I'm not sure how obscure it is anymore but Azure dreams will always fit this for me. I picked it up at car boot sale (UK thing) when I was a kid, knew nothing about it, but it turned out to be amazing. Still one of my favs.
Cries softly in Ar no Surge being in the obscure list. Cries harder in Ciel no Surge never having gotten a western release even though it was remade in Japan to remove the wonky barcode scanning gimmick.
I fucking LOVE the Ar Tonelico series (yes even 3 with it's god awful wonky battle system) and my disappointment was immeasurable way back when Ciel no Surge (the spiritual successor) released and it quickly because clear it wouldn't come to the west
On that note, if you haven't I 1000% recommend playing Ar Tonelico (it's predecessor) as well. All 3 games made it to the west
I gotta get on this series, thanks!
I really enjoyed Magna Carta, so much so that I picked up the sequel as soon as I got my 360. The odd thing is I never actually got around to playing the sequel. I always put it off as I was afraid I'd go into it with super high expectations and be disappointed, which could ruin the series as a whole for me.
Strange if i don´t remember tears of blood having much fanservice? I guess the story is kind of forgettable though, since i don´t remember much of it until a character´s sister died close to the end there(died because of some political intrigue, i guess?)
Shout out to Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Endless Frontier !!! That game was just so addictive ! I loved it. I'm so sad the sequel wasn't localized, still bought it on ebay but haven't had the courage to jump into it being in Japanese 😅.
I'd say that Arc Rise Fantasia is a game that fell quite quickly into obscurity due in part to its awful voiceover. But it was a surprisingly solid game with hard turn-by-turn battle and an interesting story. Personally I just loved it despite its flaws.
Couldn't agree more! And I gotta play Arc Rise Fantasia. I’ve been hearing really good things! Thanks for shouting it out!