Many JRPG games were released in 2020 like Final Fantasy VII Remake, Nioh 2, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and so on. Entering 2021, a number of JRPG games are being prepared so gamers can enjoy the games soon.

Before getting to the list, some of you may be confused with the meaning of JRPG. JRPG is short for Japanese Role Playing Games, a sub-genre of the RPG genre that adopts Japanese elements.

Without further ado, let’s get to the list of the best JRPG games released in 2021.

1. Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki

Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki or Trails of the Begining is a JRPG game from Nihon Falcom. This game is said to point the main story toward the end of the Trails franchise. The game will also present a more complex storyline from the perspective of the three main characters Rean Schwarzer, Lloyd Bannings, and a mysterious masked individual.

The story in the game is split into three campaigns according to the three main characters, where you can select to switch to the other story freely thanks to the “Cross Story” system.

Legend of Heroes: Hajimari no Kiseki was released in Japan first in August 2020. The global version is rumored to be coming in 2021.

2. Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny

In September 2020, NIS America announced Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny that will be released for Nintendo Switch in summer 2021. Like the Japanese version, this game is available in English and will tell us the story of Zed and Bieko, two zombies adventuring the Netherworld.

3. Rune Factory 5

After the success of the previous series, Marvelous will release Rune Factory 5 in 2021. The game retains the gameplay to play one of the two available characters. The two characters are Ares and Alice, that lose their memory and ends up heading to the city of Rigberth.

In the city, you can do activities such as farming, fighting monsters, and find a potential husband or wife. Rune Factory will be released on 20 May 2021 in Japan. The global version will be announced later.

4. Edge of Eternity

Edge of Eternity is a JRPG game anticipated by gamers. Since its announcement in 2014, gamers were encaptured by the amazing graphics quality. Especially knowing that the game is not developed by a big studio but from a Kickstarter project started by Midgar Studio.

The latest information stated that Edge of Eternity will be released in spring 2021 for  PS4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam.

5. Atelier Ryza 2 Lost Legends & The Secret Fairy

We can argue that Atelier Ryza is the Atelier game that saved the franchise. The popularity of Ryza surpasses other Atelier games. Publisher Koei Tecmo and developer Gust recognized the opportunity. They are preparing the sequel to Atelier Ryza titled Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy.

Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy will be released to PS4, Switch, and PC via Steam. Besides the features introduced in the trailer, the release date remains unconfirmed.

6. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is a new RPG game from Nihon Falcom released in 2021 for PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. The game will be centered on the adventure of Adol Christin in the prison city Balduq. Adol is also the protagonist of the previous Ys’ games. In this game, Adol can transform into Monstrum that grants him unique power.

7. Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers

In December 2020, Atlus announced Persona 5 Scramble: The Phantom Strikers, a spinoff game to the popular JRPG game Persona 5 that was released in September 2016. The game will be released in the western region on 23 February 2021 for PlayStation4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam.

Unlike the main game that is centered on the turn-based battle style, Person 5 Strikers focuses on the hack and slash gameplay. Besides P5S, Atlus also released another Persona 5 spin-off such as Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight, a rhythm game, and Persona 5 Royal that presents a different story from the main game.

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8. Shin Megami Tensei V

Atlus also announced the release date of Shin Megami Tensei V, a game slated to be released in 2021 and exclusive to Nintendo Switch. The fifth game was already announced during the Nintendo Wii U era, but for some reason, Atlus postponed the release.

9. Monster Hunter Stories 2 

In September 2020, Capcom announced Monster Hunter Stories 2 will be released to Nintendo Switch in summer 2021. The game is the sequel to the spin-off game released to 3DS and mobile platform in 2017. Monster Hunter Stories 2 will focus on the narrative aspect and turn-based aspects like most JRPG.

10. Tales of Arise

Tales of Arise is a JRPG developed by Bandai Namco. Initially, the game was supposed to be released in 2020, but because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the release is postponed to 2021.

The game is expected to be released this year but Bandai Namco is yet to share more information about Tales of Arise.

11. Scarlet Nexus

Scarlet Nexus is a JRPG game that first premiered in June 202. The game released by Bandai Namco tells us about a soldier named Yuito Sumeragi that fights monsters with his psychic power. Scarlet Nexus will be released to Playstation 4, Playstation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC in 2021.

12. Digimon Survive

Digimon Survive is a new Digimon game slated to be released in October 2020 for Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Unfortunately, Bandai Namco postponed the release until 2021 for an unspecified reason.

13. Shin Megami Tensei III: Noctorne Remastered

After announcing Shin Megami Tensei V, Atlus also announced Shin Megami Tensei III: Noctorne Remastered. The game will be released for the western region in 2021.

Like most remaster game, the game will present improved graphics and gameplay. The player can enjoy the voiced event scene feature that can be turned on and off. There’s also a “Merciful” difficulty which is the easiest difficulty in the game.

14. NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…

Square Enix alongside Toylogic shared the first trailer for NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…. The game will be released to PS4 and Xbox One on 22 April 2021 for Asia and Japan and South America and Europe and the PC version will be released on 23 April 2021.

15. Bravely Default II

Bravely Default II is a JRPG game exclusive to Nintendo Switch released in 2021. The game will continue the Default world and not Second that was released to Nintendo 3DS. Excitingly, Claytechworks added several features such as difficulty, speed setting, and friendlier user interface and control.

That’s the list of awesome JRPG games released in 2021. Stay tuned for more information about games and don’t forget to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram.

Also Read >>  10 Most Anticipated Games Released in 2021

Picture source: Dunia Games