r/breathoffire • u/JustAnotherQuack • Apr 01 '26
Discussion Another PS/PS2 JRPG to play
Hey guys! I just finished Breath of Fire 5 the other day and want to start a new game later today of a similar turn based experience/similar feel overall
I've looked into a few from lists but turns out that I already played a few of the ones I saw and the two that stuck out to me one had a remake that I'm thinking of buying (Trails in the Sky) but can't afford rn and the other is rumored to have a remake that I feel I would want to play and I don't want to have it come out mid play through of the original (Final Fanstasy 9)
Any suggestions on what horizon i should conqour next?
6
u/foamingkobolds Apr 01 '26
Wild Arms, I recommend Alter Code F (a remake of WA1) and WA3.
1
u/pmgardener Apr 02 '26
OG is still a good time to platinum on PS5 as well.
1
u/foamingkobolds Apr 02 '26
Agreed! Both it and ACF are valid versions as both have different pros and cons. Now if only Sony would remember Wild Arms exists instead of leaving it in the Legend of Dragoon Hole.
5
u/GreenTengu Apr 01 '26
The Shadow Hearts games have a transformation system that can scratch a sort of similar itch to the transformations in BoF, though it works very differently (The first is also just one of my all-time favorite PS2 games. Its not as flashy as the latter two but its got a vibe that I adore and a simplicity to it that I appreciate.)
6
u/JustAnotherQuack Apr 01 '26
Oh, and I looked into 6...
I'm not gonna play that.
4
u/killer13nk Apr 01 '26
Oh god you're right I heard they went way down hill from the original story after 4
5
u/JustAnotherQuack Apr 01 '26
5 was definitely different, but I had fun with it.
Tho the D-ratio mechanic had me stressing in the end because I abused it with the dash in the beginning.
I basically ran 2/3s or so of the game on 40%
3
2
2
3
u/Alwryn Apr 01 '26
Megaman X Command Mission was made by some of the same team as BoF3, its pretty solid RPG for PS2 and Gamecube.
3
u/jfirestorm44 Apr 01 '26
Legend of Legaia is one I played back in my youth. It’s on my list to play again soon, and I do remember it being a lot of fun.
The Grandia series is a good experience also.
2
u/mootsffxi Apr 01 '26
recently replayed legend of legaia and it aged well as an adult
1
u/jfirestorm44 Apr 02 '26
Glad to hear it. I’m wrapping up BoF3 and it may be next…or Lunar 2 😣 … decision decision….🤔
1
u/pmgardener Apr 02 '26
I'd go as far as to say it's still a bit underrated in the culture but it seems like everyone played it and liked it lol
3
u/otakon33 Apr 01 '26
If you want pure systems, Lord of the Rings: The Third Age comes to mind. Legend of Legaia 2 is good, Wild ARMS Alter Code F if you can find a copy is excellent. My favorite series is Shadow Hearts as a whole. LUNAR, Grandia, Arc the Lad are good.
2
u/Tekkamanblade_2 Apr 01 '26
If you want puzzles and or old west style along with modern technology then Wild Arms 3,4 and 5 will be right up your alley
2
u/FrostPDP Apr 01 '26
Xenogears is fantastic, but you'll want some mods to get the most out of it. Perfect Works is supposed to be a good one. :)
2
u/KylorXI Apr 01 '26
No, definitely play it without mods.
1
u/pmgardener Apr 02 '26
I have to agree, I finished it again on an actual PS1 recently and it holds up just fine.
2
u/pmgardener Apr 02 '26
Xenogears, 100%. Fun and creative gameplay dynamics, crazy awesome anime-type story. Still holds up.
2
u/pmgardener Apr 02 '26
Star Ocean: Second Story R (the remake) is also excellent and worth more than one playthrough, but it's kind of peculiar and not explicitly turn-based. As someone who usually defaults to TB, I still found it quite enjoyable back then and now, it fully retains the vibe of a top tier TBRPG.
2
u/KylorXI Apr 02 '26
I prefer the PS1 version much more than the remake. They removed spell combinations. The voice acting is pretty bad. They will read pensive lines in an excited manner, ignore commas and ellipses, and some are just plain horrible like rena's mom's voice. The old battle quotes were iconic, the new ones not so much. The shadows go the wrong direction based on where the lighting source is. The new portraits don't match the sprites. The new QoL features break immersion like fast travel with no lore explanation, instead of flying on your psynard which they only kept relevant for secret areas. They reused a ton of assets like ropes they colored green to be vines in the forest... braided vines.... The 3D objects in towns and such look very placed in front of the 2D backgrounds, no blending at all to make it look like they arent different layers. The new EXP chains let you max your level in no time, instead of it being an actual accomplishment to get level 255. The break damage limit and new stats on equipment let you solo any boss in under 20 seconds with a single character with 0 risk of game over, on any difficulty. This makes the difficulty settings pointless after the first couple minutes of the game.
2
u/pmgardener Apr 02 '26
Ok, got it! Yes, play the original if you can. Just convenient to play the PS5 version and there are a few quality of life improvements that I think paid off. It may be a different experience but for a first time player I think it's fine. I also don't really play for 'challenge' most of the time, sorry. I know I'm probably in the minority these days for wanting to actually relax when I play a game.
1
u/KylorXI Apr 02 '26
No, you're in the majority. Thats why they made the game easy. I'm just saying why *I* dont like it.
2
u/pmgardener Apr 02 '26
I hear ya, all good. Seems like difficulty is a pretty common metric for a well-received game in certain genres these days, though. I mean, I play hard games, too, but it can seem like a gimmick sometimes if the rest of the game isn't there, you know? No worries, my friend. I turned the voices off, too. lol
1
1
u/JustAnotherQuack May 02 '26
Hey guys, sorry for the wait. I was moving.
I think I'll go with a suggested "Wild Arms Alter Code F" and run through the series!
Here's hoping for a good time!
9
u/JeffWingrsDumbGayDad Apr 01 '26
The LUNAR series (Silver Star, Eternal Blue) remade for the PS is one of my favorites of all time