Grandia, best RPG battle system ever. By the way (cause I'm replaying it now) I have to recommend in this especific video Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga. It has a unique, interesting an funny battle system too
There is an old video of multiple parts about unique battle systems with no filter... good, bad, etc. And in that video the game is mentioned. This new video is just a single, refined and filtered version.
@@kandren I personally couldn't comment on the game, but i've heard many say, if you can get to grips with its controls it's a good game. I will give it a go at some point.
The original The World Ends With You on the DS had a very unique battle system as well, being entirely dependent on what pins you had equipped, in addition to bouncing a combo between a top and bottom screen character.
I'm surprised The World Ends With You wasn't on this list. In my opinion, it is the best game the DS has to offer. It has a unique combat system that takes advantage of every function of the DS. It's a game that holds a special place in my heart.
See also: Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant for the Judgement Ring Final Fantasy X-2 for the Dress Spheres… which in retrospect tickles my magical girl loving heart. Speaking of magical girls… Shining Resonance Blue Reflection… look, they just transform, okay? Mary Skelter Uh, so if you’re grossed out by blood, you’re gonna have a bad time. Unique concept though
Grandia would be my pick for best additions to the basic JRPG turn based system. Full control of the turn order if you play your cards right, as you have the ability to not only just HIT as a basic attack, but also do a weaker attack that sets the enemy's turn back more. I think that was perfected in its parent series in Grandia Xtreme, thanks to the battle system itself being the sole focus. Meanwhile, outside of it, I think interestingly, the control of turn order system, with the gauge, was almost perfected in Atlier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny. There, you had all the things grandia has, PLUS the Atlier series signature of item and equipment modding, giving you almost total power over who gets a turn. It could be really easy if you went all into the modding systems, or really hard if you wanted to challenge yourself, all without a difficulty slider.
Ogre Battle was such a unique game. I'm sad Quest vanished before doing more games in their series. And I'm still waiting for a proper successor to Ogre Battle.
Tactics Ogre was too good, and Final Fantasy Tactics even more afterwards, that it ruined the series' future. Reminds me a little of the Megami Tensei vs Persona situation, but here one hasnt killed the other (yet?). Real time strategy in general became rare in jrpg history, and turn based systems became basically the norm. So even if the Ogre series was very successful and continued, i strongly believe there would be little space for the original Ogre Battle. It would be monopolized by the Tactics side.
@fnors2 you should check out Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga. While it’s turn based rather then real time it’s got a similar unit building system that was really enjoyable
I loved the way how formation was essential, or how you could end up with a nigh invincible undead unit... that would instantly fold when it met a unit with a healer.
FFXII still is my favorite final fantasy, very misunderstood game, what about the gambits system? And the special moves? The combos? The battle system has a lot more than whats pointed out in the video. If you love Xenoblade, you will have a blast with FFXII.
I agree, the gambit system is what makes FF12 stand out - having party members with an AI script that could be modified or deactivated at will and still have the ability to issue individual overriding commands? THAT was what made FF12 unique for its time. Admittedly, vanilla tried to turn gambits into an in-game collectible which defeated the purpose, but this was fixed in IZJS/ZA where all gambits could be purchased at the start of the game.
I haven't beaten Astral Chain, but I think about the game every so often. I love how unique the combat felt, the music slaps, and the story was interesting as I was playing. I pray that it one day comes to Steam. Playing it on the Switch feels unplayable. I can't stand joycon drift.
I think Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a more unique and deeper combat than Xenoblade Chronicles 3 for sure. It just doesn’t have a tutorial that explains it well. It’s so incredibly fun when you understand everything that’s going on. Best feeling is to stack all the orbs, then chain attack to crush them all dealing a billion damage lol.
Maybe because are descended from FF (Super Mario RPG is Mario's Final Fantasy with a sistem similar to Xenogears), Paper Mario is more of a Plataformers / Puzzle / Hybrid. At least the Mario and Luigi series should have an honorable mention.
The moment Erick said "Valkyria Chronicles" and Valkyria's Awakening started playing in the background i got some serious goosebumps! 😄Come on Sega announce Valkyria Chronicles 5 already!
Unfortunately after dissapointing sales of Valkyria Chronciles 4, developers (Sega GE2) do not made any games since that, which probably means they were disbaned (in 2018 was another restructurization in Sega). Fucking capitalism. The only one thing i know some of devs were hired in Team Sonic.
If I had to pick two combat systems that are flat out bad or the concept just turns me off from trying I'd say Baten Kaitos cause it reminds me of Chain of Memories and Xenoblade Chronicles series.
33:33 No is not infuenced by XCOM, because this dev team developed BLITZ (Battle of Live Tactical Zones) based on Sakura Wars 3-5 battle system (ARMS - Automatic Realtime Machine System). They just upgraded ,,own'' battle system from Sakura Wars 3-5 (from 2001-2005) into Valkyria Chronicles series. Both series were also developed by same dev team (Sega Global Entertainment 2 R&D).
Ever heard of "Last Ranker" for the PSP? Well it's ONLY IN JAPAN (although it did had a fan translation which only completes the main story) however I think it has a unique battle system it's like a blend of action turn based it a way. Also the game was published by Capcom and the art style reminds me of Breath of Fire (same character designer)
Which was developed by Imageepoch, the same company that develop Black Rock Shooter, Time and Eternity, and Fate/Extra which were included in this list.
I'm currently playing Caligula Effect Overdose, which i know Erick didn't like but the combat system where you queue upto 3 actions per character and also determine when their actions take place, i think is pretty unique.
The Caligula Effect 2 was apparently an improvement over the first one. I never played the first one but I loved and platinum-ed the sequel. Battle system was a lot of fun and made grinding less of a chore.
Great list here! Grant Kingdom is amazing. Arnosurge is a amazing hidden gem in terms of combat. I loooove Soul Nomad, Gig is a madman. Eternal Sonata!!!!! Project X Zone is so cool and I would love another game with a similar combat system.
Ew…Growlanser. I own all of the US releases and I’ve played them all. The problem I have is that they don’t really encourage you to come up with strategies to win. Instead, it feels more like you’re trying to figure out what narrow victory path the developers had in mind when designing the game. I had a decent amount of fun with 4, but ultimately they all suffer from poor design. It’s sad, because I LOVED certain parts of the games, but the rigid strategies feel restrictive enough to make me say F this…If another ever comes out, I’ll still try it because I loved the battle system overall, but I won’t be revisiting previous entries any time soon.
Punch Club is almost like an autobattler fighting game. Before each round you look at your opponent's moveset and select a set of punches and blocks while being mindful of your fighter's stamina gauge. Once you are ready the boxing match will play itself out for ~20 seconds after which you have a chance to change your moveset
10:28 imagine forgetting about the gambit system to basically control your allies actions, you clearly don’t know the greatness which was FFXII but the original version where you could be every class was the best which I believe to be the Western version cuz Japan was harder cuz you couldn’t be every class in the game cuz there were class roles in XII
I miss genuine unique battle systems. I’ve played some games recently that just do way too much with system. Or just multiple systems that I feel shouldn’t be mixed together or mechanics that bore
What the battle system from Legend of Legaia and Legaia 2, where you input directions which determine attacks like right or left arm, head and low attacks and by inputting certain combinations of the directions you can do special moves known as Arts and also unique moves known as Hyper Arts which you learn through books and then there's Super Arts which combine several arts and the ultimate move know as a Miracle Art which usually does a big combination of arts finishing with a Hyper art, also you have a meter which determines how many directions you can input along with an "A.P." meter which determines how many arts you can use (since each art/Hyper/Super Art) uses a different amount of a.p. to use with Miracle Arts using 100 a.p. You also got to absorb certain monsters known as Ra-seru which use could use for magic spells. As far I know, this system has never been done again in any other game besides hese two. ❤
Eternal Sonata is still my favorite battle system in ANY JRPG... It's solid at it's base, but as you go through the game and your party level increases, the game restricts your preparation and action time for each turn, but in return let's you use more and more powerful attacks! At level 1, it's very basic. You have unlimited time to plan your moves, and the action timer only goes down when you use an action. The tradeoff is that you can only do basic normal and special attacks. At party level 6 however, you have no tactical time, and next to no action time, but you build up Harmony Chains extremely fast, letting you use all 6 of your party's special attacks (two each) every time you get a harmony chain to at least 24, meaning you do insane damage and heal to pretty much full if you have a healer. And the game even throws a curveball at you at level 6, as during Harmony Chains, you not only have to get the timing right on button presses, but the game actually swaps your buttons around during a chain! So your Special, Guard and Attack buttons get randomly swapped with every special in a Harmony Chain...
Panzer Dragoon Saga, hands down. Quadrant movement system that uses an ATB-style combat but with 3 meters instead of 1. You control only one character instead of three or more at a time, but it's so well-put together
Undertale, despite not being a JRPG, have one of the most creative battle system I've ever seen. Using minigames to dodge attacks keeps the game less boring and more challenging
@@fnors2 It's still Xenoblade in its core but more dynamic and with several features that don't present in next games. Destroying enemy parts is one of them. This mechanic can have a serious impact on the gameplay since it changes the enemy’s behavior and appearance. It was fun to see how some enemies changes during the battle.
23:35 Still hoping to see Devil Survivor 3 some day. I suppose Hybrid Heaven wasn't good enough for the list but it did allow you to target different body parts a la Vagrant Story and develop various throw moves, focusing on unarmed combat. Wish there had been a better game using this system.
really surprised to not see the Tales series in here , like Tales of Eternia , and VP2 instead of the original Valkyrie Profile which is arguably the better game ; and Xenogears instead of saga/blade ; i mean its a great list regardless, these omissions just seem glaring imho
Recently I played Persona 3 for the first time. It was annoying at first but I eventually got used to the idea of not having control over my other party members. You might not have direct control but you can sort of influence them to do certain things. That's a pretty unique system.
imo, Persona 3 did that concept correctly. mostly because you can have your support character get a full scan of the enemy, which told you the weaknesses/resistances in full display. P4 and P5 ruined this setup by making your allies dumber than a sack of bricks, and you have to figure out the stats manually. having your allies set to AI, they want to prioritize filling up the info chart more than the fact they have the weakness on hand
I think Caligula Effect 2 is a pretty competent game with a system that is similar to Project X Zone, but without the forced crossover story. I think the game is worth it for the combat system alone.
I never really played past the first area because I grew pretty disillusioned with the IP and its fanbase at the time, but the combat in Fate/Extra is one of my personal favorites from a conceptual perspective. It was actually so satisfying to note down the sequences for each enemy type and then always input the correct thing. It sucks that the remake seems to use a completely diffrent system that...seems a lot less involved tbh?
the semi-realtime battle system in Blue Reflection, with knockback attacks, choosing between attacking and charging, and support actions between turns, felt fresh even replaying it
I know this guy is the type to love low budget critically-panned JRPGs simply because they are unknown and it makes him seem more "hardcore" but this list is ridiculous. No Grandia, Legend of Dragoon, no FFVII Remake with one of the best and most unique battle systems ever, FFXIII (a game I dislike) with a system that influenced almost every JRPG that came after etc. Astral Chain is NOT a JRPG, and Suikoden at 1??? With the most basic turn based combat system ever? Awful list lmao
@@DOGEELLL so you've never played it, got it. It is definitely not a button masher. It is literally the first succesful hybrid of turn-based (ATB) and action battle systems, it is incredibly unique. And good, it is literally praised everywhere for a good reason. But you're obviously 12 years old, if you go around saying stuff like games are for casuals.
FF12's Gambit system is the most unique and interesting battle system I've ever seen. And he didn't even mention it, calling FF12's battle system a "MMO combat". What?? MMO combat is very different. It's not only about "you fight enemies in real time in an open world", it's HOW you fight them. "You can control only one party member and all you can do is move" is a lie, you can manually execute any command at any time and control any character you want (except guest characters), it's just that you don't have to, thanks to the fully customizable Gambit system, where you program the behavior of your party members to respond appropriately to any combat scenario, from the simplest to the most complex, on their own. That is what makes this combat system so unique. I don't even know if there are other games with this level of customization of party behavior, maybe Dragon Age to some extent? "It's not so different from the old SNES or PSOne Final Fantasy games which were turn-based, this is the same except everything happens in real-time and you're able to move around. And that's it!" "And that's it"? Bruh, have you even played the game?
i enjoyed the Grandia battle system. worked pretty much like the FF ATB system, but paired with your characters and enemies moving around on a field to attack each other, and the ability to cancel the enemies' actions. which creates a potential no damage encounter. only other game i can think of that adopted this system was Child of Light, which did its own twist
Glad to see Fuga, great game. I'd say Ryza series, it didn't reinvented anything, but how they added combos while being"turn based", and the implementation of yhe usage of items it's fresh i think.
The ones not mentioned that come the fastest to mind would be Riviera The promised Land, Infinite Space, The World Ends With You DS version and Super Robot Taisen OG Saga. So glad that Sting actually made a port of Yggdra Union on Steam and hope we see their other games coming there too especially Riviera.
I would have added last remnant and resonance of fate, but I know Eric hate these games. last remnant get a lot of hate as the battle system is like ogre battle, you do not have any control over the attacks apart from yelling an order like attack physically, or use mystic arts, then the different unions decide themselves what to do. Most complaints are i cannot tell what ny characters will do nor can I control them. Also, It has my favorite component in a JRPG, the final boss scales so it is always the hardest boss, regardless of what optional supperbosses you do. resonance of fate is disliked because of the difficulty to start, and the tutorials being outside of the main town in the arena and is not mandatory, but once you figure out how to play its good and unique. so Happy about Eternal Sonata, it may be my favourite all time game, the music the story, the History of the music and Chopan , the music mini game, is fantastic.
Honestly could probably throw Classic Tales battle system (Phantaisa to Vesperia (granted...Phantasia and Destiny OG didn't really get as far into the fighting game system as Eternia onwards and it was more normal attacks with specials like SO games...the ability to do off the ground combos and juggling was very limited in the first 2 games original versions, Destiny DC brogught all of that though and Phantasia X is roughly like Eternia), the Xillias, Innocence R, and Hearts R for this list as the fighting game view/style specifically of the series isn't really one you see outside of Tales...at most Star Ocean attempted something similar thought the closest would be Akiba's Beat imo as it is almost exactly the same as Tales system with some minor differences (can't jump over enemies, canceling skills/spells required swapping characters, a few other small differences). Granted may not feel 'unique' mainly cause there's so many Tales games that use the system but if you consider how many series use something similar there aren't nearly that many so in that sense classic Tales could be considered fairly unique as it's mostly only them that go with the LMBS system/something like it. The arte tree games (at least Tales's take) is also fairly unique, the only game system so far that's not really unique/generic may be Arise's as it moves more in line with most other jrpgs/rpgs in general out there with the combat system (especially inputs). I do hope they go back to the Classic system as, imo, it was the best system in the series...event he idea that it's 'not beginner friendly' isn't really that good of an argument against it (I see some people attempt that argument) as the inputs and most rules of the system follow Smash Bros logic and that game's probably the easiest and most simple fighting game of all time, especially if new players actually pay attention to the tutorial info (which is generally not skippable)...ya you can do a lot more complicated stuff with the system too but the core system is very simple that most 10 years old should be able to comprehend the classic Tales system enough to beat the game on normal difficulty or even Intermediate (whether or not they should play may come down to subject matter of the story though if it covers things that may be too complicated for them to understand or, probably will never happen, Tales attempted to throw sexualization in to the degree FFXVI did at its start (the whole Titan an Garuda (forget the characters names) scene at the starte was more cringe than anything tbh)).
In Horizon's Gate you can cover a battlefield in water and follow up with a lightning spell, or cross a swamp with ice magic, or shield bash an enemy to push them off of a ship, craft a bow that fires healing arrows and use it to kill undead, strike three enemies at once with a greatsword, create a tornado of fire that burns anything foolish enough to end their turn near it, or with the right passives jump across a five-tile chasm or cleanse debuffs by setting the afflicted ally on fire
im so happy someone finally credits brs for its gameplay its such a great game and one of my favourites on the platform, wish there was a remake, but its surely not going to ever happen. also great that you mentioned fate extra, another psp banger, still can't wait for the record version (even tho there's no new info whatsoever from type-moon bb for like, two or three years since it was announced)
I just clicked and I am just saying that if there is no Vagrant Story on this list I will be very mad and offended Because that Battle System was straight fire and way ahead of its time...
Grand kingdom is kinda ruined now that the online conquest mode is shut down. The story used to work do well in conjunction either factions multiplayer. Great game back in the day.
![Cody Johnson - I'm Gonna Love You (with Carrie Underwood) [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yy9PuYMU29g/mqdefault.jpg)
Grandia, best RPG battle system ever. By the way (cause I'm replaying it now) I have to recommend in this especific video Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga. It has a unique, interesting an funny battle system too
no mention of grandia battle system is a shame for me that's the best and most fun one . Skies of arcadia was also a fun time.
Hey man I'll take any chance I can get to let people know how cool Legend of Legaia's combat system is
Gotta give credit to Erick for mentioning by name Time and Eternity even though he hates it.
I keep saying South Park the fractured but whole and it’s battle system
A "unique battle systems" list is incomplete if Panzer Dragoon Saga is not present. If you haven't played it, you really should!
YES
I think you missed "Resonance of Fate" with the unique gun style battle system.
He's not a fan of Resonance of Fate, that's why it wouldn't be included.He mentioned games that are great in his opinion.
Resonance of Fate was great, once it clicks
There is an old video of multiple parts about unique battle systems with no filter... good, bad, etc. And in that video the game is mentioned. This new video is just a single, refined and filtered version.
@@kandren I personally couldn't comment on the game, but i've heard many say, if you can get to grips with its controls it's a good game. I will give it a go at some point.
He doesn't like it which is a shame because RoF is the definition of a unique battle system.
The original The World Ends With You on the DS had a very unique battle system as well, being entirely dependent on what pins you had equipped, in addition to bouncing a combo between a top and bottom screen character.
25. Baten Kaitos 0:25
24. Ogre Battle 1:45
23. Mega Man Battle Network 2:52
22. Ar Nosurge 3:55
21. Grand Kingdom 5:18
20. Parasite Eve 6:49
19. Generation of Chaos: Pandora's Reflection 8:14
18. Final Fantasy XII 9:28
17. Astral Chain 10:44
16. Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven 12:23
15. Black Rock Shooter 13:44
14. Soul Nomad & the World Eaters 15:08
13. Zanki Zero 16:32
12. Eternal Sonata 17:56
11. Fuga: Melodies of Steel 19:10
10. Yggdra Union 20:32
09. Growlanser: Heritage of War 21:55
08. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 23:30
07. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 24:53
06. Project X Zone 26:53
05. Chrono Cross 28:43
04. Fate/Extra 30:21
03. Valkyria Chronicles 31:54
02. Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria 33:48
01. Suikoden 35:52
I'm surprised The World Ends With You wasn't on this list. In my opinion, it is the best game the DS has to offer. It has a unique combat system that takes advantage of every function of the DS. It's a game that holds a special place in my heart.
star ocean on snes
Namco X Capcom, the potential crushed by fanservice.
See also:
Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant for the Judgement Ring
Final Fantasy X-2 for the Dress Spheres… which in retrospect tickles my magical girl loving heart. Speaking of magical girls…
Shining Resonance Blue Reflection… look, they just transform, okay?
Mary Skelter Uh, so if you’re grossed out by blood, you’re gonna have a bad time. Unique concept though
Grandia would be my pick for best additions to the basic JRPG turn based system. Full control of the turn order if you play your cards right, as you have the ability to not only just HIT as a basic attack, but also do a weaker attack that sets the enemy's turn back more. I think that was perfected in its parent series in Grandia Xtreme, thanks to the battle system itself being the sole focus.
Meanwhile, outside of it, I think interestingly, the control of turn order system, with the gauge, was almost perfected in Atlier Iris 2: Azoth of Destiny. There, you had all the things grandia has, PLUS the Atlier series signature of item and equipment modding, giving you almost total power over who gets a turn. It could be really easy if you went all into the modding systems, or really hard if you wanted to challenge yourself, all without a difficulty slider.
A bit surprised to not see knights in the nightmare on here, it arguably has the most unique battle system of any srpg
he said good games xd KiN is one of most hated games by Erick
@@MrValgard Man, I remember enjoying that game a lot. Not sure if I would today, but I really liked it back then.
How do you talk about FF12 and not mention the gambit system?
wether Knights in the Nightmare is a great game or not is up to you but you can't deny how unique and wired it is
Loved that game. Definitely my number 1
Ogre Battle was such a unique game.
I'm sad Quest vanished before doing more games in their series. And I'm still waiting for a proper successor to Ogre Battle.
Tactics Ogre was too good, and Final Fantasy Tactics even more afterwards, that it ruined the series' future. Reminds me a little of the Megami Tensei vs Persona situation, but here one hasnt killed the other (yet?). Real time strategy in general became rare in jrpg history, and turn based systems became basically the norm.
So even if the Ogre series was very successful and continued, i strongly believe there would be little space for the original Ogre Battle. It would be monopolized by the Tactics side.
@fnors2 you should check out Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga. While it’s turn based rather then real time it’s got a similar unit building system that was really enjoyable
@@carlosaugusto9821Hopefuly Unicorn Overlord can bring that kind of strategy RPG back.
I loved the way how formation was essential, or how you could end up with a nigh invincible undead unit... that would instantly fold when it met a unit with a healer.
Shadow Hearts has a pretty cool battle system as well
FFXII still is my favorite final fantasy, very misunderstood game, what about the gambits system? And the special moves? The combos? The battle system has a lot more than whats pointed out in the video.
If you love Xenoblade, you will have a blast with FFXII.
I agree, the gambit system is what makes FF12 stand out - having party members with an AI script that could be modified or deactivated at will and still have the ability to issue individual overriding commands? THAT was what made FF12 unique for its time. Admittedly, vanilla tried to turn gambits into an in-game collectible which defeated the purpose, but this was fixed in IZJS/ZA where all gambits could be purchased at the start of the game.
I haven't beaten Astral Chain, but I think about the game every so often. I love how unique the combat felt, the music slaps, and the story was interesting as I was playing. I pray that it one day comes to Steam. Playing it on the Switch feels unplayable. I can't stand joycon drift.
I think Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a more unique and deeper combat than Xenoblade Chronicles 3 for sure. It just doesn’t have a tutorial that explains it well. It’s so incredibly fun when you understand everything that’s going on.
Best feeling is to stack all the orbs, then chain attack to crush them all dealing a billion damage lol.
Great Video!
My only regret is that he didn't put in any of the Mario RPGs (Super Mario RPG, Paper Mario, and Mario & Luigi) in the list.
Maybe because are descended from FF (Super Mario RPG is Mario's Final Fantasy with a sistem similar to Xenogears), Paper Mario is more of a Plataformers / Puzzle / Hybrid.
At least the Mario and Luigi series should have an honorable mention.
If you ask you are talking with a guy whose favorite Video-game series and Character is MARIO!
The moment Erick said "Valkyria Chronicles" and Valkyria's Awakening started playing in the background i got some serious goosebumps! 😄Come on Sega announce Valkyria Chronicles 5 already!
Unfortunately after dissapointing sales of Valkyria Chronciles 4, developers (Sega GE2) do not made any games since that, which probably means they were disbaned (in 2018 was another restructurization in Sega). Fucking capitalism. The only one thing i know some of devs were hired in Team Sonic.
If I had to pick two combat systems that are flat out bad or the concept just turns me off from trying I'd say Baten Kaitos cause it reminds me of Chain of Memories and Xenoblade Chronicles series.
Falto Grandia, para mi es de los mejores sistemas de combate que hay en los RPG
33:33 No is not infuenced by XCOM, because this dev team developed BLITZ (Battle of Live Tactical Zones) based on Sakura Wars 3-5 battle system (ARMS - Automatic Realtime Machine System). They just upgraded ,,own'' battle system from Sakura Wars 3-5 (from 2001-2005) into Valkyria Chronicles series. Both series were also developed by same dev team (Sega Global Entertainment 2 R&D).
No Legend of Legaia? The Last Remnant? No Caligula Effect? eh....
Ever heard of "Last Ranker" for the PSP?
Well it's ONLY IN JAPAN (although it did had a fan translation which only completes the main story) however I think it has a unique battle system it's like a blend of action turn based it a way. Also the game was published by Capcom and the art style reminds me of Breath of Fire (same character designer)
Which was developed by Imageepoch, the same company that develop Black Rock Shooter, Time and Eternity, and Fate/Extra which were included in this list.
I'm currently playing Caligula Effect Overdose, which i know Erick didn't like but the combat system where you queue upto 3 actions per character and also determine when their actions take place, i think is pretty unique.
The Caligula Effect 2 was apparently an improvement over the first one. I never played the first one but I loved and platinum-ed the sequel. Battle system was a lot of fun and made grinding less of a chore.
@Bullman422 I thought i'd try the first one, to see what it was like. I know Erick didn't enjoy it because he hated the music.
Where is Rondo of Swords, Legend of Legaia and Legend of Dragoon?
Great list here! Grant Kingdom is amazing. Arnosurge is a amazing hidden gem in terms of combat. I loooove Soul Nomad, Gig is a madman. Eternal Sonata!!!!! Project X Zone is so cool and I would love another game with a similar combat system.
Ew…Growlanser. I own all of the US releases and I’ve played them all. The problem I have is that they don’t really encourage you to come up with strategies to win. Instead, it feels more like you’re trying to figure out what narrow victory path the developers had in mind when designing the game. I had a decent amount of fun with 4, but ultimately they all suffer from poor design. It’s sad, because I LOVED certain parts of the games, but the rigid strategies feel restrictive enough to make me say F this…If another ever comes out, I’ll still try it because I loved the battle system overall, but I won’t be revisiting previous entries any time soon.
Punch Club is almost like an autobattler fighting game. Before each round you look at your opponent's moveset and select a set of punches and blocks while being mindful of your fighter's stamina gauge. Once you are ready the boxing match will play itself out for ~20 seconds after which you have a chance to change your moveset
Yeah the duels in Suikoden were awesome! Suikoden was a great series very excited for the release of Eiyuden Chronicles!
10:28 imagine forgetting about the gambit system to basically control your allies actions, you clearly don’t know the greatness which was FFXII but the original version where you could be every class was the best which I believe to be the Western version cuz Japan was harder cuz you couldn’t be every class in the game cuz there were class roles in XII
13:20 Mugen souls already had this
Chained Echoes feels pretty unique to me, or at least the battles where you have to change strats every once in a while.
I miss genuine unique battle systems. I’ve played some games recently that just do way too much with system. Or just multiple systems that I feel shouldn’t be mixed together or mechanics that bore
That black rocker shooter game was really fun, i remember play that on psp with no expectations, but was very good
What the battle system from Legend of Legaia and Legaia 2, where you input directions which determine attacks like right or left arm, head and low attacks and by inputting certain combinations of the directions you can do special moves known as Arts and also unique moves known as Hyper Arts which you learn through books and then there's Super Arts which combine several arts and the ultimate move know as a Miracle Art which usually does a big combination of arts finishing with a Hyper art, also you have a meter which determines how many directions you can input along with an "A.P." meter which determines how many arts you can use (since each art/Hyper/Super Art) uses a different amount of a.p. to use with Miracle Arts using 100 a.p. You also got to absorb certain monsters known as Ra-seru which use could use for magic spells. As far I know, this system has never been done again in any other game besides hese two. ❤
Eternal Sonata is still my favorite battle system in ANY JRPG...
It's solid at it's base, but as you go through the game and your party level increases, the game restricts your preparation and action time for each turn, but in return let's you use more and more powerful attacks! At level 1, it's very basic. You have unlimited time to plan your moves, and the action timer only goes down when you use an action. The tradeoff is that you can only do basic normal and special attacks.
At party level 6 however, you have no tactical time, and next to no action time, but you build up Harmony Chains extremely fast, letting you use all 6 of your party's special attacks (two each) every time you get a harmony chain to at least 24, meaning you do insane damage and heal to pretty much full if you have a healer. And the game even throws a curveball at you at level 6, as during Harmony Chains, you not only have to get the timing right on button presses, but the game actually swaps your buttons around during a chain! So your Special, Guard and Attack buttons get randomly swapped with every special in a Harmony Chain...
16:34 ehh, Etrian Odyssey?
Panzer Dragoon Saga, hands down.
Quadrant movement system that uses an ATB-style combat but with 3 meters instead of 1. You control only one character instead of three or more at a time, but it's so well-put together
Undertale, despite not being a JRPG, have one of the most creative battle system I've ever seen. Using minigames to dodge attacks keeps the game less boring and more challenging
you showed Vashyron, Rinbell and Zephyr's gameplay from Project X Zone but didn't put Resonance of Fate on the list lmao
My take would be Xenoblade X which allows you to destroy different parts of enemies.
So, the Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria system?
@@fnors2 It's still Xenoblade in its core but more dynamic and with several features that don't present in next games. Destroying enemy parts is one of them. This mechanic can have a serious impact on the gameplay since it changes the enemy’s behavior and appearance. It was fun to see how some enemies changes during the battle.
Getting rid of healers and replacing them with the Soul Voice system was pretty cool too
@@AzraelDC-k5z Like Valkyrie Profile 2 😆
You should include grand knights history from PSP
I don't know if it's considered unique or not to others, but as a kid I loved the addition system in Legend of Dragoon a lot.
23:35 Still hoping to see Devil Survivor 3 some day.
I suppose Hybrid Heaven wasn't good enough for the list but it did allow you to target different body parts a la Vagrant Story and develop various throw moves, focusing on unarmed combat. Wish there had been a better game using this system.
I WAS SUBSCRIBED to this channel but somehow today i was unsubscribed.
Among all these games, none has more unique systems than: The World Ends With You.
really surprised to not see the Tales series in here , like Tales of Eternia , and VP2 instead of the original Valkyrie Profile which is arguably the better game ; and Xenogears instead of saga/blade ; i mean its a great list regardless, these omissions just seem glaring imho
Recently I played Persona 3 for the first time. It was annoying at first but I eventually got used to the idea of not having control over my other party members. You might not have direct control but you can sort of influence them to do certain things. That's a pretty unique system.
playing Persona 3 actually made me understand the appeal of FFXII, I love both games
I couldn’t get into just controlling my character, felt very strange to me. At least there’s a remake releasing soon.
imo, Persona 3 did that concept correctly. mostly because you can have your support character get a full scan of the enemy, which told you the weaknesses/resistances in full display. P4 and P5 ruined this setup by making your allies dumber than a sack of bricks, and you have to figure out the stats manually. having your allies set to AI, they want to prioritize filling up the info chart more than the fact they have the weakness on hand
I think Caligula Effect 2 is a pretty competent game with a system that is similar to Project X Zone, but without the forced crossover story.
I think the game is worth it for the combat system alone.
You missed Dragon force, on Saturn, with unique battle system
Just how many jrpg's have you played? did you ever count all of them?
I never really played past the first area because I grew pretty disillusioned with the IP and its fanbase at the time, but the combat in Fate/Extra is one of my personal favorites from a conceptual perspective. It was actually so satisfying to note down the sequences for each enemy type and then always input the correct thing. It sucks that the remake seems to use a completely diffrent system that...seems a lot less involved tbh?
Most of the games on your list are tactics games. You’ll find a lot more of these kinds of games if you search for tactics games
hey can you make a top 10 of jrpgs where you can create your own character?
want to point out for SaGa: Scarlet Grace.
XD
yeah ar nosurge ... i still don't know why i keep getting D rank and B at best
Xenogears, makai kingdom, secret of Mana, Star Ocean second story
Ogre battle reminds me of yugioh false bound kingdom
the semi-realtime battle system in Blue Reflection, with knockback attacks, choosing between attacking and charging, and support actions between turns, felt fresh even replaying it
its just a shame BR2 used a more generic system, close to Ryza
should have put Last Rebellion even though the game is complete ass
someone remember brs the game wow
No Resonance of Fate I see. Still can't understand it?
10:49 is it like playing as kankuro in the Naruto storm game?
lighting looks bad/off here.
I know this guy is the type to love low budget critically-panned JRPGs simply because they are unknown and it makes him seem more "hardcore" but this list is ridiculous. No Grandia, Legend of Dragoon, no FFVII Remake with one of the best and most unique battle systems ever, FFXIII (a game I dislike) with a system that influenced almost every JRPG that came after etc. Astral Chain is NOT a JRPG, and Suikoden at 1??? With the most basic turn based combat system ever? Awful list lmao
Wasnt FF 7 remake exposed for being a generic button masher ? What are you talking about
There is nothing unique about 7 remake its for casuals
@@DOGEELLL so you've never played it, got it. It is definitely not a button masher. It is literally the first succesful hybrid of turn-based (ATB) and action battle systems, it is incredibly unique. And good, it is literally praised everywhere for a good reason. But you're obviously 12 years old, if you go around saying stuff like games are for casuals.
FF12's Gambit system is the most unique and interesting battle system I've ever seen.
And he didn't even mention it, calling FF12's battle system a "MMO combat". What??
MMO combat is very different. It's not only about "you fight enemies in real time in an open world", it's HOW you fight them.
"You can control only one party member and all you can do is move" is a lie, you can manually execute any command at any time and control any character you want (except guest characters), it's just that you don't have to, thanks to the fully customizable Gambit system, where you program the behavior of your party members to respond appropriately to any combat scenario, from the simplest to the most complex, on their own.
That is what makes this combat system so unique. I don't even know if there are other games with this level of customization of party behavior, maybe Dragon Age to some extent?
"It's not so different from the old SNES or PSOne Final Fantasy games which were turn-based, this is the same except everything happens in real-time and you're able to move around. And that's it!"
"And that's it"? Bruh, have you even played the game?
No ar tonelico
But at least there's ar nosurge
Suikoden!!! Nice t-shirt.
I think your camera lens has some grease on it
Ff12 is absolutely goated
Where do you get the Suikoden shirt? :)
Where's Xenogears battle system???
Actual #1: Resonance of Fate.
i really hope they make desu3
i enjoyed the Grandia battle system. worked pretty much like the FF ATB system, but paired with your characters and enemies moving around on a field to attack each other, and the ability to cancel the enemies' actions. which creates a potential no damage encounter. only other game i can think of that adopted this system was Child of Light, which did its own twist
Glad to see Fuga, great game.
I'd say Ryza series, it didn't reinvented anything, but how they added combos while being"turn based", and the implementation of yhe usage of items it's fresh i think.
I'm really surprised that The World Ends With You didn't make the cut.
The ones not mentioned that come the fastest to mind would be Riviera The promised Land, Infinite Space, The World Ends With You DS version and Super Robot Taisen OG Saga. So glad that Sting actually made a port of Yggdra Union on Steam and hope we see their other games coming there too especially Riviera.
I would have added last remnant and resonance of fate, but I know Eric hate these games.
last remnant get a lot of hate as the battle system is like ogre battle, you do not have any control over the attacks apart from yelling an order like attack physically, or use mystic arts, then the different unions decide themselves what to do. Most complaints are i cannot tell what ny characters will do nor can I control them. Also, It has my favorite component in a JRPG, the final boss scales so it is always the hardest boss, regardless of what optional supperbosses you do.
resonance of fate is disliked because of the difficulty to start, and the tutorials being outside of the main town in the arena and is not mandatory, but once you figure out how to play its good and unique.
so Happy about Eternal Sonata, it may be my favourite all time game, the music the story, the History of the music and Chopan , the music mini game, is fantastic.
Still need Valkyrie profile 2 on ps4/5 with 1 being able to be played and Elysium on the system. Give me Silmeria!!
Honestly could probably throw Classic Tales battle system (Phantaisa to Vesperia (granted...Phantasia and Destiny OG didn't really get as far into the fighting game system as Eternia onwards and it was more normal attacks with specials like SO games...the ability to do off the ground combos and juggling was very limited in the first 2 games original versions, Destiny DC brogught all of that though and Phantasia X is roughly like Eternia), the Xillias, Innocence R, and Hearts R for this list as the fighting game view/style specifically of the series isn't really one you see outside of Tales...at most Star Ocean attempted something similar thought the closest would be Akiba's Beat imo as it is almost exactly the same as Tales system with some minor differences (can't jump over enemies, canceling skills/spells required swapping characters, a few other small differences).
Granted may not feel 'unique' mainly cause there's so many Tales games that use the system but if you consider how many series use something similar there aren't nearly that many so in that sense classic Tales could be considered fairly unique as it's mostly only them that go with the LMBS system/something like it. The arte tree games (at least Tales's take) is also fairly unique, the only game system so far that's not really unique/generic may be Arise's as it moves more in line with most other jrpgs/rpgs in general out there with the combat system (especially inputs).
I do hope they go back to the Classic system as, imo, it was the best system in the series...event he idea that it's 'not beginner friendly' isn't really that good of an argument against it (I see some people attempt that argument) as the inputs and most rules of the system follow Smash Bros logic and that game's probably the easiest and most simple fighting game of all time, especially if new players actually pay attention to the tutorial info (which is generally not skippable)...ya you can do a lot more complicated stuff with the system too but the core system is very simple that most 10 years old should be able to comprehend the classic Tales system enough to beat the game on normal difficulty or even Intermediate (whether or not they should play may come down to subject matter of the story though if it covers things that may be too complicated for them to understand or, probably will never happen, Tales attempted to throw sexualization in to the degree FFXVI did at its start (the whole Titan an Garuda (forget the characters names) scene at the starte was more cringe than anything tbh)).
Ah, yeah, I love Zanki Zero's movement as well. It feels like they took inspiration from Legend of Grimrock & boosted it tremendously
Eternal Sonata is amazing.
Where is Mario&Luigi?)
In Horizon's Gate you can cover a battlefield in water and follow up with a lightning spell, or cross a swamp with ice magic, or shield bash an enemy to push them off of a ship, craft a bow that fires healing arrows and use it to kill undead, strike three enemies at once with a greatsword, create a tornado of fire that burns anything foolish enough to end their turn near it, or with the right passives jump across a five-tile chasm or cleanse debuffs by setting the afflicted ally on fire
im so happy someone finally credits brs for its gameplay its such a great game and one of my favourites on the platform, wish there was a remake, but its surely not going to ever happen. also great that you mentioned fate extra, another psp banger, still can't wait for the record version (even tho there's no new info whatsoever from type-moon bb for like, two or three years since it was announced)
I just clicked and I am just saying that if there is no Vagrant Story on this list I will be very mad and offended
Because that Battle System was straight fire and way ahead of its time...
Grand kingdom is kinda ruined now that the online conquest mode is shut down. The story used to work do well in conjunction either factions multiplayer. Great game back in the day.
Great List Man! So many games far off my radar here. Excellent vid
Battenkitos ? xDDD
Both the legia series
last remnant
No shadow hearts?
No .hack, no Legend of Dragoon, was glad to see Baten Kaitos though