So, there's this interesting phenomenon going on at the minute. Whenever mainstream gaming journalists feel the need to talk about JRPGs, they always seem to frame the discussion as if JRPGs have been in a slow, inevitable decline, and there's not a huge amount going on in the genre right now. Which is odd, because from where I'm sitting, the JRPG has over the last few years had a massive resurgence in creative, original titles. Which got me to thinking why is this?
To me, I can only think of one answer- Final Fantasy. Ever since the end days of the SNES and the glory days of the PS1, Final Fantasy has pretty much been the poster boy of the genre, and the two have been pretty much inextricably linked. And sadly, ever since this generation, there has been a rather notable downward trend in the way Final Fantasy has been perceived post-XIII. That's not to say that XIII was a bad game, mind you, but I think even the most charitable gamer would have to admit that the game didn't achieve anything close to what it could have done. Beyond that, with XIII-2 and the disastrous release of XIV, the non-appearance of Versus, the Japan only release of Type-0 (formerly Agito XIII), it seems like Final Fantasy is no longer the golden franchise it once was. And, this being where my speculation comes in, to many people for whom Final Fantasy was the JRPG genre, a decline in the FF games shows a decline in JRPGs in general.
I don't think this is the case. I think what we're seeing at long last is the slow emergence of the genre from under the shadow FF cast. To me, it seems like the JRPG genre is no longer allowing itself to be defined by Final Fantasy, and other series are coming along to claim the mantle.
The clearest and most recent example I can think of is Fire Emblem: Awakening. This is a series which, up until recently, only had very niche success outside of Japan. The games were nearly always very good, but they never really took off. With Awakening, however, the series seems to have gone into overdrive. It's the most critically acclaimed game in the series (and this is a series going back to the early 90s), is being haled by many as the best game on the 3DS bar none, and has set new sales records for the series. Sure, it's not at FF levels of popularity yet, but it's getting there.
Or perhaps the other notable example: the Shin Megami Tensei universe. This is a series which, outside of Japan, always lived under the shadow of FF. And yet, with the failure of the XIII+ games to set the world alight, it seems like SMT has stepped up to the plate, and could well end up becoming the new poster boy for the genre. The likes of Persona 3 and 4, which were cult hits back in the PS2 days, are now regularly brought up as genre high-points on RPG discussion threads. Persona 4 Golden is seen by many as the Vita's best current game. Catherine, a Persona spin-off, was able to achieve a huge amount of coverage, hype and sales, despite being a spin-off of a supposedly niche series focusing on themes of relationships, sex, and commitment. Shin Megami Tensei IV is one of the most eagerly awaited games this year for the 3DS, and the SMT/Fire Emblem crossover has gotten people frothy all over the internet. SMT seems to have officially landed in the West.
And of course, there are other examples, which I'll put in spoiler tags for the sake of avoiding a wall of text:
Are any of these games pulling in Skyrim-like sales figures yet? No, but then again, no other WRPG is pulling in Skyrim's sales figures either.
What about you, my fellow Escapists? Any JRPGs that really stood out to you this gen? Has the loss in popularity of the Final Fantasy series allowed other JRPG games to finally get some of the spotlight? Where do you sit on this debate? Are JRPGs in decline or are they in a renaissance?
