There are many varieties of video game genres that can grab the audience’s attention, but the different interpretations of RPGs can lead to some of the more fulfilling gaming experiences. The sprawling nature of RPGs usually means that they can tell deeper stories and dig into characters in a way that other games can’t.
It’s satisfying to see the genre morph as it takes elements from strategy or action games to develop new types of experiences. There are lots of good strategy RPGs, but so many are decades old that they’re in serious need of a reboot. There are some real hidden SRPG gems that modern audiences deserve to play.
Updated 18th of April, 2022 by Michael Llewellyn: Thanks to the Fire Emblem series catching on in recent years and Triangle Strategy proving to be a popular title with gamers, the SRPG is mounting something of a comeback. Tactical RPGs offer gamers the perfect balance of narrative and strategic gameplay. However, outside some of the biggest publisher's most popular games, there are several SRPGs that have been overlooked or left dormant over the years. With this in mind, this list has been updated to include more SRPGs that not only deserve a second look but where a reboot and a remaster would help gives these titles the audience they deserve.
13 Soul Nomad & The World Eaters
- Released: 2007
- Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
- Platform: PC, PS2, and Switch
As a title from the same studio that created the Disgaea series, Soul Nomad is a deep SRPG with a ton of customization options for strategy fans. It isn't quite as complex as Disgaea but makes up for this in the game's narrative. It's less tongue-in-cheek than other NIS titles but there is still lots of humor for fans, but the darker and more complex tone is a welcome change.
Unlike the Disgaea franchise, however, Soul Nomad didn't get the sequel treatment. However, with it being bundled as part of the Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1 collection there is hope that NIS will revisit this game.
12 Stella Deus: Gate Of Eternity
- Released: 2005
- Developer: Atlus
- Platform: PS2
Released in 2005, Stella Deus: Gate of Eternity is a criminally overlooked tactical RPG from Atlus. It features a stunning art style that still looks great by today's standards, excellent gameplay, and an excellent narrative.
Its dark and serious tone is only slightly down by some of the weak voice performances, but this is easily overlooked by the sheer amount of customization and depth on offer. As a game developed by Atlus, Stella Deus deserves more attention as it shines in almost every department. A remaster with a reworked voice cast would be perfect on modern consoles.
11 Eternal Poison
- Released: 2008
- Developer: Flight-Plan
- Platform: PS2
As a game released toward the end of the PS2's life cycle, Eternal Poison is a criminally overlooked SRPG from the makers of the Summon Night series. It borrows heavily from the Fire Emblem series by incorporating its perma-death mechanic and challenging gameplay.
Eternal Poison adopts a heavy gothic fantasy element into its looks and narrative. It features a great cast of characters that offer their personal perspectives on the same events. It has a few quirks that can be ironed out with a remaster and thanks to its dark story and deep gameplay it deserves another look on modern machines.
10 Arc The Lad
- Released: 2002
- Developer: G-Craft
- Platform: Android, iOS, PS1, PS2, and PS Network.
Arc the Lad is an interesting SRPG series that launched in Japan in 1995. While it doesn't necessarily reinvent the wheel for the genre, it tells an engrossing story about underdogs who fight corruption and each game progressively adds to the scope of things. The series was a mainstay on the PlayStation and had much greater appeal in Japan.
The Arc the Lad Collection features the first (and the best) three games in the series released in the West in 2002. This was followed by the well-received Twilight of Spirits and End of Darkness on the PS2. A remaster of these five games in the franchise would be the perfect way to reboot this overlooked series in the West.
9 Langrisser
- Released: 1991
- Developer: Masaya Games and Career Soft
- Platform: 3DS, PC, PS4, Switch, Sega Megadrive/Genesis, and Sega Saturn.
The Langrisser games are quite deep and the SRPG series meshes fantasy with a Germanic environment while incorporating headier concepts like religion, Gods, and mysticism. The games offer up a ton of options when it comes to both characters & story avenues, and it finds a combat system that’s somewhat original for the genre.
The series was effectively dormant since 1999 and although 2015 marked a strange new release for the Nintendo 3DS in Japan only, it's still a property that isn't on enough people's radars and deserves a comeback. Atlus’ Growlanser is considered a spiritual successor as it follows the same non-linear gameplay mechanics and maintains the visual aesthetic. The first two games in the franchise were bundled together in 2020 and released on the PS4 and Switch in Japan and the West.
8 Final Fantasy Tactics
- Released: 1997 and 2007
- Developer: Square Enix
- Platform: PS1 and PSP
The Final Fantasy series has found such levels of success that it's been able to experiment, not just within its mainline series, but also with various spin-offs that pursue different genres. Final Fantasy Tactics takes many of the franchise's defining themes and incorporates them into tactical RPG gameplay.
The Tactics series has received various ports, updates, and spin-offs, but the games have struggled to reach the same level of success as Final Fantasy proper. It deserves another shot in a big way because the formula is just as good.
7 Vanguard Bandits
- Released: 2000
- Developer: Human Entertainment
- Platform: PS1
The major appeal of Vanguard Bandits is that it takes knights and meshes them together with extreme mecha action. Characters battle in mech suits that makes combat deeply enjoyable and wildly anachronistic. It feels like it should be an anime.
Vanguard Bandits is an exceptionally cool SRPG for the PlayStation that never managed to catch on and didn’t receive any sequels. This is unfortunate because it features some genuinely good ideas, which makes Vanguard Bandits more appropriate for a reboot that figures out how to make these ideas work. Unfortunately for fans, the developers of Human Entertainment disbanded after the studio filed for bankruptcy. So the likelihood of a Vanguard Bandits remake or a sequel seems unlikely at this point unless the property gets picked up by another studio.
6 Tactics Ogre
- Released: 1995
- Developer: Quest Corporation
- Platform: PS1, Super Nintendo, N46, and Sega Saturn.
The Tactics Ogre series is one of the more distinctly Japanese SRPG takes on the genre. It begins with powerful Gods and demons, but then embraces more of a dark fantasy angle that grounds itself in the policy and power struggles of different kingdoms.
There's an epic story that spans hundreds of years and while many sequels & updates have happened over the years, a new reboot that takes the gameplay elements of Let Us Cling Together, but combines them with March of the Black Queen's story, could work as a great reintroduction to the series.
5 Crystal Warriors
- Released: 1992
- Developer: Sega
- Platform: Sega Game Gear
Back when the video game market was largely occupied by just Nintendo and Sega, Sega’s Game Gear didn’t cause much of a stir– which means the handful of quality titles for it are in dire need of a revival. Crystal Warriors is an SRPG with heavy elemental use that strays away from exploration.
What’s so interesting about it is that there are neutral monsters that can be defeated and recruited for battle. It also has a punishing permanent death factor, too. Royal Stone is another SRPG for the Game Gear that features the same mechanics.
4 Bahamut Lagoon
- Released: 1996 Japan Only
- Developer: Square
- Platform: Super Famicom
Bahamut Lagoon is considered by some to be a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series but focused on Bahamut and other dragons from the canon. Bahamut Lagoon had a lot of the Final Fantasy Tactics team involved so the pedigree of storytelling and refined gameplay mechanics are there for fans of SRPGs.
The title incorporates a Pokemon-like aspect where battle involves raising & leveling up dragons before dividing them between different squads. Bahamut Lagoon was only released in Japan for the Super Famicom in 1995. With only a fan translation available for English-speaking players it's long overdue a Western release let alone a reboot.
3 Jeanne D'Arc
- Released: 2007
- Developer: Level-5
- Platform: PSP
The PSP is a piece of gaming hardware and while it never found widespread acclaim. Despite this, it's a handheld with several fantastic games in the RPG genre. Jeanne d'Arc is one of the best titles on the PSP, but it's a stunning title from the makers of Ni No Kuni that was criminally overlooked.
The game combines elements of high fantasy with historical events surrounding the real-life Joan of Arc. The story offers several surprising twists and turns with gameplay that's both accessible and challenging. Jeanne d'Arc needs a reboot not just because it's an older title, but because barely anyone got to experience the original.
2 Vandal Hearts
- Released: 1997
- Developer: Konami
- Platform: PS1 and PS3
Vandal Hearts is a very strong SRPG from Konami for the PlayStation that was popular during the '90s and received both a sequel and prequel for the console. The game falls back on a lot of the tenets of the SRPG genre like political unrest and nations at war. Despite its simplistic visual aesthetic, the first two Vandal Hearts games narratively step into some very dark places.
However, Vandal Hearts also skews toward fantasy, there are dragons and lots of magic present in the combat. Thanks to its accessibility and great story Vandal Hearts serves as the perfect introduction to the SRPG genre. Recent hit Triangle Strategy appears to borrow several elements from the Vandal Hearts series, so in the unlikely event that it will get a reboot, Triangle Strategy is the next best thing.
1 Shining Force
- Released: 1992
- Developer: Sega
- Platform: PC, PS3, PS4, Sega Megadrive/Genesis, Switch, Xbox 360, and Xbox One
Shining Force was a major SRPG for Sega during the '90s. The games feature standard kingdoms at war storyline, but they expertly explore this topic with each new game. The series was considered Sega's answer to Nintendo's Fire Emblem franchise. The final entries for the Sega Saturn hinted at what the series would look like in a new 3D era of gaming, but it never came to be.
It’d be fantastic to see that dream get fully realized, letting this universe flourish with modern gaming capabilities. The Shining franchise, however, continues to this day with the most recent being the action RPG Shining Resonance, but the game was considered below average when compared to the tactical Shining Force series.