Summary
One of the biggest Western turn-based RPGs of the past few years wasBaldur’s Gate 3. It exploded not like no other Western RPG had sinceMass EffectorFallout 3. Those were both action RPGs though.Baldur’s Gate 3is a game that fans are still playing and maybe that’s because it includes multiplayer.
Multiplayer modes in RPGs can range from co-op campaigns to leaving little messages of warning.Baldur’s Gate 3was all about that co-op action but what about these Japanese RPGs? What kind of multiplayer did they include in and were they worthwhile endeavors that players engaged with? Let’s dive in and find out and rank them based on how good the games are and how well they implemented multiplayer.
Chrono Triggeris an SNES classicthat has a middling port on the PS1. This was made up when it was re-released on the DS next which fixed things like load times and added content too. One of the new additions was The Arena of the Ages which was an optional dungeon. Players could raise monsters and then fight them in this new arena to get rare items. Players could take their monster parties online too to battle other players. It wasn’t the best part of the port but the mode certainly was there.
6Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions
Let’s Rendezvous Online
Final Fantasy Tacticsis a belovedtactical RPG that originated on the PS1.Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lionsis a PSP port of the game with a few tweaks and additions. Extra characters were added, cutscenes were redone in a new art style, and there were co-op and versus multiplayer modes.
Players could go into multiplayer at a tavern in town to fight against others on a map via Melee missions. Rendezvous missions were co-op-based, rewarding players for completing a select few together.
Disgaea: Hour of Darknesswas a niche hit on thePS2 as it turned tactical RPGson their head. It had traditional grid-based maps but then there were oddities like changing map layouts with geodes and going into randomized dungeons via weapons.Disgaea: Afternoon of Darknessis the PSP port of the game which looks almost as good as the PS2 version plus it had some perks like multiplayer. Players could choose to fight others in versus matches from various maps using tons of classes. They could also sell items to each other via a makeshift shop.
Xenoblade Chronicles Xis the only game in theXenoblade Chroniclesseriesto include multiplayer at launch. The game is notable in other ways too like allowing players to customize their character who is mostly silent. The story and multiplayer modes are separate from each other, so players could not unfortunately go through the story with friends. Instead, they could jump online in massive 32-player sessions to explore the world and fight monsters which was close to MMO territory and there was also trading. The combat was also MMO-like in that players automatically attacked monsters but they could input abilities too, so it was a weird system in-between turn-based and action.
Fire Emblem Awakeningdid a lot for theseries that the otherFire Emblemgamescouldn’t. The addition of casual gameplay was one thing but it had an innovative multiplayer setup too. Thanks to the 3DS’ SpotPass/StreetPass feature, players could set up parties to be sent to others when they were passed in real life. These friendly parties would be controlled by AI in battle, so there weren’t any direct versus matches involved. However, the addition of random battle parties cropping up on the world map often led to great rewards if players were successful in their matches.
Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skywas the first mainline game in the seriesto include multiplayer. Players could create their character and then eventually change their class via the Vocation system. They could also create and recruit three other party members to assist in the adventure or they could invite three friends over the wireless connection on the DS.
In battle, each player could issue their own commands. The co-op was a nice addition but the best part about grouping with friends was the map-sharing mechanic. Treasure maps could be exchanged and take players to rare dungeons to get amazing loot.
ThePokemonfranchisebegan with multiplayer in mind which makes it one of the oldest turn-based examples.Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, which were part of the sixth generation, created new ways to hook up with friends. It was easier than ever to trade with friends or strangers online via direct trades or randomized ones via Wonder Trade. Players could SpotPass with friends to get rewards and of course, friendly versus battles could be engaged. This was the first generation that got to use the Pokemon Bank too which allowed players to store their Pokemon and transport them between different games.
