Happy New Year! Every year brings tons of exciting JRPGs, and 2024 is no different. It’s impossible to cover all of the big releases, but here are 10 JRPGs that will likely dominate the year.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
The Yakuza/Like A Dragon series is better than ever following the series revitalization with Yakuza 0. Most didn’t expect Yakuza: Like A Dragon to be one of the best JRPGs of the decade so far. The second game that follows Ichiban and his crew has nothing but high expectations now that the development team has every opportunity to build on what worked in the previous entry. Anyone wanting more middle-aged men in their JRPGs must look no further when Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth drops in January 2024.
Persona 3: Reload
The Persona series has soared in popularity since Persona 5 stole our hearts. However, outside of ports of Persona 3 and 4, most of the content has been Persona 5 spinoffs (Not that I’m complaining, as they have all been excellent). While we wait for the inevitable Persona 6 announcement, we are being treated to a remake of one of the darkest entries in the series when Persona 3: Reload comes out in February 2024. With modern visuals and the promise of gameplay improvements, Persona 3 has the chance to be a new series favorite, and deservedly so.
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
So far, a lot of this list covers series that have had a resurgence in quality and popularity this decade. We are going to keep that theme going with the next JRPG to look out for, Final Fantasy 7 Rebrth. This one likely needs no introduction as the sequel to one of the best JRPGs of 2020. As the trilogy moves into familiar yet reimagined territory, players will continue to get to know the excellent characters that were fleshed out in the first entry, while getting to meet other favorites like Cid and Vincent. Players can finally find out if Sephiroth will do the thing again when Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth releases in February 2024.
SaGa Emerald Beyond
The SaGa series hasn’t exactly been revitalized recently, but there have been a few solid ports and mobile games over the last few years. That may change this year when SaGa Emerald Beyond launches sometime in 2024. The excellent series has always done some interesting things with the genre in both narrative and gameplay, and it would be great to see the latest standalone entry bring that creativity to a new generation of RPG players. Not much is known about this entry yet, but we do know that multiple protagonists travel throughout timelines, and can sometimes intersect each other to aid each other in combat. Since there isn’t a narrow release window yet, players have plenty of time to get into the series, and I recommend starting with either Romancing SaGa 2 or Romancing SaGa 3 on the Nintendo Switch.
Visions of Mana
I’m sure I’m not the only one who was surprised to see the announcement of Visions of Mana, the first new mainline Mana game in well over a decade. Anyone who isn’t familiar with the series should grab Legends of Mana or Collection of Mana for that sweet retro JRPG goodness. This colorful series holds a special place in the hearts of those who grew up with it, and while the Trials of Mana remake left a little to be desired, it’s easy to be excited at the idea of brand-new Mana content. Visions of Mana is expected to be released sometime in 2024.
The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered
The Legend of Legacy is a nice little niche game that, until now, was doomed to be stuck on the 3DS. The HD remaster brings back the game with new visuals and a few gameplay tweaks for modern players. I’m sure it won’t change that much since the game feels a lot like a love letter to a lost era of JRPGs, and I wouldn’t expect it to suddenly hold any hands, but hardcore enthusiasts will want to dive into The Legend of Legacy HD Remastered to see what all of the fuss is about.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Not much is known about Metaphor: ReFantazio as of now, but Atlus rarely misses with JRPGs. Metaphor: ReFantazio appears to blend action and turn-based combat while sporting the visuals that fans of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona love. Fans of both series don’t need much more reason to be excited, especially because the game has names like Katsura Hashino, Shigenori Soejima, and the legendary Shoji Meguro tied to it. Metaphor: ReFantazio will launch in 2024.
Unicorn Overlord
Unicorn Overlord should not be slept on, as developer Vanillaware makes everything but vanilla games (Sorry). The team behind favorites like Odin’s Sphere, Dragon’s Crown, and most recently, 13 Sentinels will give players a tactics-based RPG in March 2024. The gameplay is a mix of grid-based tactics gameplay with battles that take place in real-time, making this a unique take on the genre that all eyes should be on.
Granblue Fantasy: Relink
While doing my research for this article, I was surprised to see that Granblue Fantasy: Relink isn’t out yet. It’s especially funny because a comment in my article spotlighting upcoming 2020 JRPGs requested that I add Granblue Fantasy: Relink as a game to anticipate in 2020. That didn’t work out, but the action JRPG based on one of the most popular gacha games of all time will supposedly come out in 2024, so fans of the series should look forward to seeing all of their favorite characters come to life. Meanwhile, I’ll sit here in the corner lamenting that other Cygames properties like Princess Connect and Dragalia Lost are dead.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak
If you know, you know. The Legend of Heroes is simply one of the best turn-based JRPG series out there, but it isn’t as accessible as the other popular franchises, so it feels much more niche than it should be. Every entry is incredibly long, and you can’t skip around between games like you can in Final Fantasy or Persona, leading to only the hardcore followers keeping up. If you are still here though, you don’t need me to tell you that Trails Through Daybreak is coming out this year and you should be excited. If you don’t know what all the fuss is about, go ahead and jump into the series. Trails of the Sky isn’t available on modern consoles so I’d only recommend that one to hardcore players. Most can start with Trails from Zero and happily move through the series from there. Good luck!
There you have it! Let us know what JRPGs you are most excited for in the comments below!
