Nowadays, turn-based battles have grown somewhat out of fashion, but for a long time, this mechanic was the definitive gameplay style for JRPGs. Turn-based combat is so synonymous with the genre, it tends to simply be referred to as "traditional" gameplay. Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy popularized turn-based combat, while the likes of Persona 5 and Trails of Cold Steel proved it can be modernized successfully.

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Naturally, not all JRPGs are worth playing. Some are downright terrible, and Metacritic serves as a reliable tool to discern the hits from the misses. Here are the worst JRPGs with turn-based combat to ever be released, according to Metacritic. As the site was created in 1999, most of the genre's earliest offerings cannot be included.

10 Inuyasha: Secret of the Divine Jewel (46)

If an anime is popular enough, a game (or many) will eventually follow. InuYasha certainly fits the bill, but 2007's Secret of the Divine Jewel is not among the license's best efforts. Available on the Nintendo DS, this disappointing JRPG introduces a new character who, like Kagome Higurashi, ends up being sent back to the Sengoku Era.

The combat offers about as basic of a turn-based system as possible, but there are worst things to be than uninspired. For instance, Secret of the Divine Jewel also happens to be painfully slow and consequently boring, causing every action to feel like a drawn-out chore.

9 Unlimited Saga (45)

If nothing else, Unlimited Saga cannot be excused for playing it safe. Square's 2002 JRPG is a highly ambitious game, both in terms of storytelling and mechanics; unfortunately, the latter components are mostly to the detriment of the player's enjoyment.

Exploration is presented as a board game with limited turns to complete dungeons, which grows tiresome and frustrating very quickly. Meanwhile, the combat system is needlessly complicated through dual HP and LP (Life Points) counters and a luck-based mechanic that impacts an action's performance.

8 Hyperdimension Neptunia (45)

Hyperdimension Neptunia has never been a critical darling but the franchise has surprisingly enjoyable turn-based combat, even if the license has an annoying habit of recycling many assets and ideas. 2010's Hyperdimension Neptunia introduced the franchise in a rather negative light and is comfortably the worst mainline entry in the series.

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The combat system is more restrictive and blander than the ones employed by its sequels, while the story does a terrible job of highlighting the generally likable personalities of the characters.

7 Last Rebellion (44)

A game poor enough to warrant an apology from NIS America's presidentLast Rebellion has elements that sound interesting on paper but are unfortunately let down by poor execution. A revenge story set in a generic Kingdom that has somewhat interesting lore behind it, the combat features two playable characters who share the same HP and Mana counters.

A potentially neat concept is that individual body parts of monsters can be targetted, but this ends up just making battles repetitive and tedious.

6 Digimon World Data Squad (43)

Digimon has an uneven track record when it comes to JRPGs. For every Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, there is a Digimon World Data Squad. Based on the anime with the same name, Data Squad challenges the DigiDestined with defeating the Seven Great Demon Lords and players to withstanding the neverending load times that turn a mediocre experience into a slog.

Putting aside the pretty cel-shaded art style, Data Squad is a mess that drops the ball in nearly every department. The story does not fit the anime and the derivative combat system tries to mask its blandness by overstuffing the screen with the same information, as Digimons can drop not so subtle hints on which moves they would like to use.

5 One Piece: Romance Dawn (42)

Adding free movement and focusing on combos, One Piece: Romance Dawn has an interesting turn-based combat system. It is just a shame it is wasted on such a disappointing JRPG. An adaptation of (some of) the pre-timeskip sagas of the manga, Romance Dawn is perhaps the worst way to experience Eiichiro Oda's iconic pirate story.

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Even compared to other PSP and Nintendo 3DS JRPGs, Romance Dawn is painful on the eyes. The ugly textures and character models are not helped by the monotonous environments and gameplay.

4 Digimon World 2 (42)

As illustrated by its "7.8" User Score on Metacritic, Digimon World 2 is not without its fans. As an alternative to PokémonDigimon's games have always struggled to reach the same heights, although not for a lack of trying. Digimon World 2 is the closest to a traditional JRPG out of the original trilogy on the PlayStation 1, and it does offer a respectable collection of Digimon to catch and evolve.

The game falls apart in its dungeons, which all look the same and are wearisome to maneuver. The 3v3 combat system is serviceable but also very slow, making encounters with even the most basic of enemies last way too long.

3 Mana Khemia: Student Alliance (41)

The PlayStation 2's Mana Khemia: Alchemists of Al-Revis is a decent JRPG with a deep crafting system by Gust. While the studio's Atelier franchise has produced better games, Mana Khemia is fine; conversely, the studio has seldom released a project more underwhelming than the PSP port called Student Alliance.

Student Alliance is just a much worse version of Alchemists off Al-Revis, one that requires a few seconds to do anything. The framerate is also predictability uneven, further adding to Student Alliance's technical deficiencies.

2 Chronus Arc (40)

Grinding is a staple of JRPGs, but it should be used to complement the main story rather than to stretch out a short campaign. Chronus Arc harbors back to classic SNES-era JRPGs, including a turn-based system that is happy to just be familiar.

Despite its derivative nature, Chronus Arc does earn points thanks to its decent progression systems for the characters and equipment. It might have even been deserving of a recommendation if it did not require so much grinding to overcome its many difficulty spikes.

1 Final Fantasy All The Bravest (25)

Final Fantasy has produced its share of duds over the years, none worse than 2013's All the Bravest. On the surface, this seems like it should be a love letter to the franchise's legacy; in practice, it is a soulless product with a pay-to-win mentality and nonsensical gameplay that practically plays itself.

Final Fantasy All the Bravest shows not even a sliver of the beauty that made the franchise so influential and beloved. This is the type of game that diminishes a license's value by simply existing.

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