Ever since I rented Final Fantasy and spent hours fighting imps to level up before taking on Garland, I've loved the JRPG format. FF6 and Chrono Trigger really marked the high point for me, having that great story and gameplay balance. In a time where game stories were comic-book morality tales where the hero beats the bad guy, JRPGs were (comparatively) complex character stories.
It came to my attention about a year ago that I haven't actually finished a JRPG for quite some time, and I've started to realize why. I've outgrown the JRPG.
Let me explain this a bit... I still love the format, and I'm poised to tackle a huge JRPG backlog. Even if I feel like I've outgrown the story elements, the gameplay is more appealing to me now than ever. What bothers me is that these stories seem so adamantly targeted to the younger teenage mindset. Chrono Trigger isn't the literary masterpiece I thought it was when I was eight. I just finished Final Fantasy X, and I haven't thought any of the characters were "cool" since I was fourteen. I was REALLY looking forward to Blue Dragon, but honestly, I put it down after about an hour.
That said, I have two questions to ask:
- Do you feel like you've "outgrown" a genre? What was it, and what have you "moved on" to?
- What are some recommendations for more "mature" JRPGs? (not necessarily violent or inappropriate, just more age-relevant)