It’s somewhat hard to believe that the 2010s have finally drawn to a close. 10 years is no small number, with a number of developments happening across multiple verticals. The gaming industry is no exception to this, with the entire landscape changing to such an extent that it’s hard to figure out exactly how so many developments happened in such a short span of time.
Take the RPG genre, which has witnessed such a rapid evolution that it almost feels like every second game released nowadays is pretty much an RPG in some way or the other. With the proliferation of games in this genre escalating to such a massive extent, it goes without saying that there are a few hidden gems that get overlooked for some reason or the other. So, while we’ve already talked about some of the best RPGs of the past decade, it’s time to talk about other such titles that deserve way more recognition — and success — than they initially received.
10 Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
One of the most ambitious western RPGs of all time, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning was meant to usher in the onset of a new gaming franchise, with a universe that was fleshed out with the sole intention of kickstarting a series that was ideally supposed to witness breakaway success.
Instead, what happened was the complete opposite. Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning buckled upon the weight of its own ambitions and didn’t manage to sell nearly as copies as required, managing around 1 million sales over the course of its lifetime — a number that’s certainly impressive, but pales in comparison to the 3 million copies that were required to break even.
9 Alpha Protocol
If you’ve ever wanted to play an RPG where you take over the role of James Bond, then look no further than Alpha Protocol. Obsidian Entertainment is known for creating RPGs with actual consequences, and nothing personifies this statement more than Alpha Protocol.
Due to the massive number of technical bugs at launch — a staple of most Obsidian games, unfortunately enough — Alpha Protocol received the short of the end from most critics. However, the RPG mechanics of the game received unanimous praise and still hold up to this day.
8 Resonance Of Fate
When it comes to underrated JRPG gems, it goes without saying that Resonance Of Fate definitely ranks up there with some of the greats. Its hard-as-nails yet addictive gameplay is perhaps one of the biggest selling points.
While you do have to bear a drab art style and a confusing story, the payoff is more than worth it.
7 LISA: The Painful
If you wish to play a game that will disturb you to your very core and force you to make choices that will haunt you for the days to come, then LISA: The Painful is right up your alley! Part of a series that is infamous for its dark atmosphere, the second game of the series is considered by many to be the perfect entry point.
Do keep in mind that this RPG is not for the faint of heart, so be sure that you know what you’re getting into before getting this game for yourself.
6 The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Of Cold Steel
When it comes to underrated JPRGs that deserve all the love, then it goes without saying that pretty much any game from The Legend Of Heroes series can be recommended. However, keeping the limitation of choosing a game from the past decade into account, our vote definitely goes to Trails Of Cold Steel.
The sheer amount of love that’s been put into this game is palpable from the get-go, and we urge anybody who considers themselves a JRPG aficionado to give this game a chance.
5 Dragon’s Dogma
If you wish to play an RPG with excellent combat mechanics, then look no further than Dragon’s Dogma. While Capcom might have somewhat of a rocky track record when it comes to their releases, their recent releases have been stellar and Dragon’s Dogma shares a few of the same excellent qualities.
While the story of the game might be one of its weakest points, the energetic gameplay and combat more than make up for this solitary drawback.
4 Tokyo Xanadu
If you love the Persona series, then Tokyo Xanadu will be right up your alley. While the game might have its fair share of issues, there’s no denying the fact that Tokyo Xanadu is an excellent game if you love yourself a nice little JRPG to pass the time with.
The game has just the right amount of content to ensure that you won’t be bored in the slightest. Unfortunately, the game does conform to certain cliches, which is perhaps why it never really took off in the West.
3 NieR
With the breakaway success of NieR: Automata, one might’ve assumed that its predecessor would finally receive the recognition it deserves. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the case… which is a shame, because NieR is an excellent game through and through.
Similar to its sequel, NieR tried to integrate several gameplay types. However, the execution of said elements left something to be desired, which is perhaps why NieR never really took off.
2 The Last Story
You’d think a JRPG made by the creator of the Final Fantasy series would witness runaway success from the get-go. Unfortunately, the real world rarely has a fairytale ending — after leaving Square Enix, Hironobu Sakaguchi formed his own studio called Mistwalker Corporation.
Several games were released by this studio, with The Last Story definitely being a highlight of last decade. It’s a game that can definitely hang in the upper echelon of excellent action RPGs. However, none of these games — excellent enough as they were —performed particularly well, and the current projects of Mistwalker Corporation are mostly mobile games. What a shame.
1 Radiant Historia
Certain games we’ve mentioned on this list follow the traditional JRPG tropes and don’t really have anything that separates themselves from being anything but a cliche. Radiant Historia completely turns this concept over its head, with a story that’s told in such a compelling manner that you’ll definitely be hooked from the get-go.
The graphics are pretty much the only aspect of the game that one can criticize, but in the grand scheme of things, it must be said that Radiant Historia’s overall presentation make it one of the highlights of the past decade. It’s a shame that the game didn’t receive the recognition that it rightfully deserved, but hey — sometimes the gaming industry can be a fickle mistress indeed.
NEXT: 5 RPGs We’re Looking Forward To In 2020 (& 5 We’re Not)
