Life is just a 'Final Fantasy': 5 Japanese RPG series every gamer should try

Japan — the birthplace of Mario, Donkey Kong, Pokemon and more — has a deep-rooted subculture of video games. Whether it be the loud, electric streets of Akihabara, the teens loitering around the local game center or the advertising in convenience store windows; video games are visibly present virtually everywhere in the country. To the mainstream masses, games like Super Mario or Pokemon are the embodiment of the Japanese gaming industry.

However, Japanese developers have routinely created a unique type of role-playing game, so much so that the video game industry gave Japan its very own classification: the Japanese role-playing game, also known as the JRPG.

Today, JRPGs are one of the biggest and most popular categories in the industry. The JRPG genre attracts both a mainstream and cult following for bigger series like "Final Fantasy" and lesser-known titles like "Legend of Heroes." If you’re a gamer, it’s likely that you’ve heard the names of numerous JRPGs before, but if for some reason you’ve never had the chance to pick one up — in the spirit of this year’s Tokyo Game show — here are five of the best Japanese role-playing game series that every gamer should try.

Important Note

If purchasing these games in physical format keep an eye out for the ratings block at the bottom left corner of the game. North America uses the ESRB rating system. If you see these ratings at the bottom corner of the game, it will be an English release. Japan uses the CERO system, so if you see those ratings, it will be a Japanese release of the game.

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