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[Paracelsus]

Serious lack of POC in these JRPGs. It just further perpetuates my need to own my own studio. I'll get black people and others in JRPGs.

Really? I would love that because I want to see people that are like me in games.

I think this is exactly why I have this precise moment in the video bookmarked.

Main reason why I don't like most games grounded in looks, setting and with melodramatic storytelling. Not talking about poc, I mean the hipster look he's referencing.

 

[Sanctuary]

Looks a bit like Phobos from Darkstalkers.

 

[TriAceJP]

When this one drops I'm making it a point to drop whatever else I'm doing and downloading it immediately before the C&D hits. I wasn't fast enough for Crimson Echoes, and I regret that to this day.

Not very good with Google, eh?

 

[Orayn]

As someone who hasn't been into many of the roguelikes and metroidvania indies out there lately, it's cool to see JRPG indies releasing this year. I'll keep an eye on them.

Which platforms are they all coming for, though?

100% of them have a PC version of some kind. (Most also on Mac.)

Cosmic Star Heroine: PS4, Vita
Yiik: PS4, PSVita, Wii U (Though we all know what's been happening to Wii U ports)
Omori: 3DS (Had a Vita stretch goal but didn't reach it)
Knuckle Sandwich: Just PC as far as I can tell
Glitched: PS3, PS4, Vita, XB1 (Had a 3DS stretch goal but didn't reach it)
Indivisible: PS4, XB1

This was all based on Googling crowdfunding campaigns, anyone feel free to correct me if some of these are off.

 

[DNAbro]

As someone who hasn't been into many of the roguelikes and metroidvania indies out there lately, it's cool to see JRPG indies releasing this year. I'll keep an eye on them.

Which platforms are they all coming for, though?

Cosmic Star Heroine- PS4/Vita/Steam
YIIK- Steam/PS4/Wii U
Omori - PC/3DS(I doubt it will anymore though)
Knuckle Sandwich - PC
Glitched - PC
Indivisible- PS4/PC /XB1

I may be missing some.

EDIT: or just look above. I didn't know gltiched was coming elsewhere other than PC.

 

[eyeball_kid]

Serious lack of POC in these JRPGs. It just further perpetuates my need to own my own studio. I'll get black people and others in JRPGs.

Please do. There are so many indie games these days, and yet the vast majority of them still feature white characters.

Games are such a great medium for putting yourself in the shoes of a character with different life experience and cultural background, and yet games tell the same stories about the same sorts of people over and over. The industry needs to do a much better job of not only putting POC in games, but supporting (often international) developers who are telling stories outside the norm. I'd love to play an RPG (or anything) set in Libya, Tanzania, India, the São Paulo Tropicália movement in the 1960's, or a Native American tribe in the 1800's, etc.

 

[goober]

BattleChasers looks dope. Should have backed it, but missed the kickstarter.

 

[bumleforce]

I don't know it just seems to me like Jrpg's are not very good anymore. I much prefer rpg's like witcher over those flashy boring ones. I say this as someone who grew up playing chrono Trigger and all the final fantasies. They just cant do it anymore. I recently played Lost Odyssey and it was ok but the best days I feel are behind them

 

[Orayn]

I don't know it just seems to me like Jrpg's are not very good anymore. I much prefer rpg's like witcher over those flashy boring ones. I say this as someone who grew up playing chrono Trigger and all the final fantasies. They just cant do it anymore. I recently played Lost Odyssey and it was ok but the best days I feel are behind them

Don't see what this has to do with a bunch of non-Japanese games that mostly take after SNES era games, but if you want to stop feeling jaded about modern ones I recommend Xenoblade and Persona 4 Golden.

 

[StereoVsn]

Please do. There are so many indie games these days, and yet the vast majority of them still feature white characters.

Games are such a great medium for putting yourself in the shoes of a character with different life experience and cultural background, and yet games tell the same stories about the same sorts of people over and over. The industry needs to do a much better job of not only putting POC in games, but supporting (often international) developers who are telling stories outside the norm. I'd love to play an RPG (or anything) set in Egypt, Tanzania, India, the São Paulo Tropicália movement in the 1960's, or a Native American tribe in the 1800's, etc.

For all of this talk, did anyone support the only African created indie game with JRPG elements based on the actual culture out of Cameron? Talking about Aurion?

The game had some translation issues but it's pretty good and features black characters based upon African culture.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/368080

Nobody bought this.

 

[Apathy]

You forgot the best looking one (imho, of course): Battle Chasers. It's a new project from Joe Madueira (who also worked at Vigil on Darksiders) that combines his 90s comic series Battle Chasers with his love for old console jrpgs. And as you can see, style-wise it looks stunning...

http://www.battlechasers.com/game

ooo nice, this is my radar now, thanks

 

[eyeball_kid]

For all of this talk, did anyone support the only African created indie game with JRPG elements based on the actual culture out of Cameron? Talking about Aurion?

The game had some translation issues but it's pretty good and features black characters based upon African culture.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/368080

Nobody bought this.

I didn't even know it existed until you mentioned it, so no. Looks cool, though I'm not into action RPGs. I'd buy it on principle alone if it had a Mac version available.

 

[DNAbro]

For all of this talk, did anyone support the only African created indie game with JRPG elements based on the actual culture out of Cameron? Talking about Aurion?

The game had some translation issues but it's pretty good and features black characters based upon African culture.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/368080

Nobody bought this.

Interesting. Never heard of this game till now.

 

[Luminaire]

Some of these look really great. Some of these have atrocious names.

 

[1upsuper]

I'm looking forward to pretty much all these titles, especially Omori. I've been following that one since I learned about it weeks after its KS ended, and it's been a bumpy road. Lots of setbacks, but the new trailer makes me feel good about the game again. I love crazy surrealist RPG Maker games like Yume Nikki, Middens, and Space Funeral, and I can't wait for Omori to finally come out.

 

[PBalfredo]

That's why they have plans in place to change the name instantly if Nintendo serves them with a C&D. All the assests are original.

They should just change the name now, honestly.

This should be something that's right in my wheelhouse, but calling it Mother 4 sets it up for impossible expectations, and I can' help but be pessimistic about it because of that. Especially since there is such an elusive X factor to the Mother games that just makes them work that I can't quite quantify. But I know if one where to just go down a checklist of "Things that are in Mother games", you'd miss that X factor, and I worry that Mother 4 would be that game.

I know I'm being unfair, but the astronomical expectations associated with something called Mother 4 brings out a shitty pessimism in me.

 

[aravuus]

Omori just got a new a trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nV0BST2nifk&feature=youtu.be

Looking pretty damn good.

This looks pretty damn great. I'm ready for a game to fuck me up emotionally again.

 

[etrain911]

Do any of these games have solid release dates yet? They all look really damn good!

 

[humansarehorses]

I love Valkyrie Profile so I'm really looking forward to Indivisible. I'm hoping they have an equivalent to Spiritual Concentration. One of my favorite parts was just finding the Einherjar.

 

[daffy]

They should just change the name now, honestly.

This should be something that's right in my wheelhouse, but calling it Mother 4 sets it up for impossible expectations, and I can' help but be pessimistic about it because of that. Especially since there is such an elusive X factor to the Mother games that just makes them work that I can't quite quantify. But I know if one where to just go down a checklist of "Things that are in Mother games", you'd miss that X factor, and I worry that Mother 4 would be that game.

I know I'm being unfair, but the astronomical expectations associated with something called Mother 4 brings out a shitty pessimism in me.

... yeah but its the only Mother 4 we're ever getting sooooo

 

[War Machine]

For all of this talk, did anyone support the only African created indie game with JRPG elements based on the actual culture out of Cameron? Talking about Aurion?

The game had some translation issues but it's pretty good and features black characters based upon African culture.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/368080

Nobody bought this.

I bought Aurion. It's a good game.

The problem with the game was that it got press coverage while it was being developed, but hardly any after it released. The press was more interested in the story of a game made by Black Africans rather than the game itself.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

I'll buy them all!

 

[Dark_castle]

I felt like Mother 4 will never have a chance to see daylight.

 

[watershed]

I hope some indie dev takes the aesthetic and humor of Earthbound and marries it with a really solid, modern rpg system. I want to play an essentially new Earthbound game after finding the original a little too archaic in design.

 

[DNAbro]

Do any of these games have solid release dates yet? They all look really damn good!

Sadly no. I think Cosmic Star Heroine and YIIK should be close to releasing though.

 

[killatopak]

These games on portable would be great I hope they come to 3ds,vita and switch.

 

[J_ToSaveTheDay]

OP and following contributors, thank you so much for highlighting these. All of them look amazing.

Really excited about Battlechasers, gotta soft spot for Joe-Mad art -- big part of the reason I like Darksiders so much.

 

[NipplesAndToes23]

Please do. There are so many indie games these days, and yet the vast majority of them still feature white characters.

Games are such a great medium for putting yourself in the shoes of a character with different life experience and cultural background, and yet games tell the same stories about the same sorts of people over and over. The industry needs to do a much better job of not only putting POC in games, but supporting (often international) developers who are telling stories outside the norm. I'd love to play an RPG (or anything) set in Libya, Tanzania, India, the São Paulo Tropicália movement in the 1960's, or a Native American tribe in the 1800's, etc.

Yeah, at least out of these Indivisible has multiple characters of color.

 

[Reineldinho]

100% of them have a PC version of some kind. (Most also on Mac.)

Cosmic Star Heroine: PS4, Vita
Yiik: PS4, PSVita, Wii U (Though we all know what's been happening to Wii U ports)
Omori: 3DS (Had a Vita stretch goal but didn't reach it)
Knuckle Sandwich: Just PC as far as I can tell
Glitched: PS3, PS4, Vita, XB1 (Had a 3DS stretch goal but didn't reach it)
Indivisible: PS4, XB1

This was all based on Googling crowdfunding campaigns, anyone feel free to correct me if some of these are off.

Cosmic Star Heroine- PS4/Vita/Steam
YIIK- Steam/PS4/Wii U
Omori - PC/3DS(I doubt it will anymore though)
Knuckle Sandwich - PC
Glitched - PC
Indivisible- PS4/PC /XB1

I may be missing some.

EDIT: or just look above. I didn't know gltiched was coming elsewhere other than PC.

Has been the Xbox One version of Cosmic Star Heroine being cancelled? I've been waiting for it since it was confirmed:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=205396665&postcount=84

Looking forward to Indivisible, Battlechasers and Cosmic Star Heroine!

Fantastic thread, OP

 

[DNAbro]

Has been the Xbox One version of Cosmic Star Heroine being cancelled? I've been waiting for it since it was confirmed:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=205396665&postcount=84

Looking forward to Indivisible, Battlechasers and Cosmic Star Heroine!

Fantastic thread, OP

Maybe message the devs? I hadn't heard of a Xbox One version.

 

[taco543]

I backed glitched and indivisible for like $500 each, I guess you can say I'm hyped for jrpg likes... Lol but I am honestly really excited for this trend.

 

[Reineldinho]

Maybe message the devs? I hadn't heard of a Xbox One version.

I live in the hope of them reading my comment and aswering it. If the devs didn't read my comment, I'll try to contact them

 

[Glitter and Gold]

Cosmic Star Heroine and Crosscode look incredible

 

[Chainsawkitten]

I think this is exactly why I have this precise moment in the video bookmarked.

Main reason why I don't like most games grounded in looks, setting and with melodramatic storytelling. Not talking about poc, I mean the hipster look he's referencing.

Games can be a lot more than just power fantasies. I'd say power fantasies are the least interesting thing you can do with video games.

 

[Philippo]

I love how these games are now being made by people who spent their childhoods and teenage years playing JRPGs, it's so heartwarming!

Call me crazy but they should be the new generation of the makers of FF and the likes, instead of the actual developers who have been sticking with these franchises since more than a decade.

 

[Glitter and Gold]

Games can be a lot more than just power fantasies. I'd say power fantasies are the least interesting thing you can do with video games.

I don't think those are the only two options.

but given the choice between power fantasy and the self-insertion of the author/developer as my primary player characters, I'm choosing power fantasy every single time.

 

[Chainsawkitten]

I don't think those are the only two options.

but given the choice between power fantasy and the self-insertion of the author/developer as my primary player characters, I'm choosing power fantasy every single time.

Angry video nerd was specifically saying feeling powerful was the reason to play video games.

I'd choose self-insertion, every time. I loathe power fantasy. I love personal, intimate stories.

 

[Robert at Zeboyd Games]

Maybe message the devs? I hadn't heard of a Xbox One version.

We're still planning an XBO version of Cosmic Star Heroine but it won't be at initial launch.

 

[Scrooge McDuck]

Yeah, at least out of these Indivisible has multiple characters of color.

It seems like YIIK also has some:

 

[PBalfredo]

... yeah but its the only Mother 4 we're ever getting sooooo

I've long made my peace with the fact that Itoi likely isn't making any more games. And I don't have any need for an Itoi-less Mother 4, official or otherwise. I'm much more interested in the games that take their inspiration from EarthBound, but are also doing their own thing.

Undertale is a great example of this because it is clearly influenced by EarthBound, but it isn't trying to be EarthBound. Instead of trying to replicate what EarthBound is all about, Undertale knows what it's all about and zeroes in on that like a laser. In its own way Undertale has an X factor that is different, but just as potent as EarthBound's. Because of that, Undertale holds a spot in my heart as an honorary Mother 4, despite the game itself not framing itself as a spiritual sequel.

 

[Tiktaalik]

Earthbound is the Velvet Underground of video games.

It didn't sell well, but everyone that played it wanted to become a game dev and make their own version.

 

[Reineldinho]

Maybe message the devs? I hadn't heard of a Xbox One version.

I live in the hope of them reading my comment and aswering it. If the devs didn't read my comment, I'll try to contact them

We're still planning an XBO version of Cosmic Star Heroine but it won't be at initial launch.

Thank you very much! Best of luck upon release to the team! I'll buy day one

 

[Omega Kirby]

I don't go to panda express and call it Chinese food though, it's "inspired"... but it's not Chinese food lol.

Panda Express is a crappy attempt at chinese food

 

[ElectricThunder]

Serious lack of POC in these JRPGs. It just further perpetuates my need to own my own studio. I'll get black people and others in JRPGs.

Honestly, if you actually try to go this route, seriously reach out to get a license for Spears of the Dawn and/or the few other choice pieces to come of crowdfunding in the P&P Tabletop sphere in the last few years that deal with this sort of niche that shouldn't be a niche---adapt them up for a Lodoss War situation anew.

 

[Glass Rebel]

Serious lack of POC in these JRPGs. It just further perpetuates my need to own my own studio. I'll get black people and others in JRPGs.

I'm supporting Indivisible off the strength of the diverse cast alone tbh.

 

[The Emperor]

Thanks for making this thread!!! All those games especially CSH are goin riiiiiight on my wish list.

Wish we had firm release dates for em!

 

[DJIzana]

"FINALLY, A RETRO RPG WORTH PLAYING!"


That doesn't seem like a very good pitch for a game that apes dozens of older RPGs and wants to appeal to the people who like them.

I'm not a fan of the art style. I also agree about the pitch too hahaha.

Edit: Then again... looks can be deceiving. I'll wait for reviews before I jump the gun. I'm just glad indie is looking as strong (if not stronger) than a lot of AAA titles, for me. It's crazy!

 

[StereoVsn]

Cosmic Star Heroine- PS4/Vita/Steam
YIIK- Steam/PS4/Wii U
Omori - PC/3DS(I doubt it will anymore though)
Knuckle Sandwich - PC
Glitched - PC
Indivisible- PS4/PC /XB1

I may be missing some.

EDIT: or just look above. I didn't know gltiched was coming elsewhere other than PC.

You are missing CrossCode which has excellent 16-bit animated backgrounds and sprites, great ARPG combat and cool sci-do vibe.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/368340/

It's certainly one of the more interesting and best looking 2D 16-bit type Indies that are coming out or already out (along with Cosmic Star Heroine).

 

[Nozomi]

You are missing CrossCode which has excellent 16-bit animated backgrounds and sprites, great ARPG combat and cool sci-do vibe.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/368340/

It's certainly one of the more interesting and best looking 2D 16-bit type Indies that are coming out or already out (along with Cosmic Star Heroine).

The gameplay so far is also looking really great.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

Serious lack of POC in these JRPGs. It just further perpetuates my need to own my own studio. I'll get black people and others in JRPGs.

Duuuude are you not familiar with Indivisible? Look at that cast. LOOK AT IT

You are missing CrossCode which has excellent 16-bit animated backgrounds and sprites, great ARPG combat and cool sci-do vibe.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/368340/

It's certainly one of the more interesting and best looking 2D 16-bit type Indies that are coming out or already out (along with Cosmic Star Heroine).

Aye, played the demo which made me a backer. The kick-ass Ys-like combat and Zelda/Alundra puzzles made me an instant fan.