JRPGs have been a staple in the gaming industry for decades, with their lighthearted tone being quite recognizable. Many classic JRPGs follow a tale as old as time itself, with players taking on the role of a plucky hero who sets out on a grand adventure to save the world from some great evil. These games are upbeat and optimistic, instilling a sense of joy and wonder as players go through these titles and beat the dastardly villains to aim to achieve their own nefarious goals in many ways.
However, some JRPGs choose to take a different approach and fare all the better for it. These games are darker and grittier, often dealing with mature themes that don't really appear in most JRPGs. Suffice it to say, these games often subvert the traditional tropes of the genre, presenting a more complex world that is not simply black and white as most people would assume from a JRPG.
10 Shadow Hearts
Shadow Hearts is a tantalizing combination of Lovecraftian horror and real-life history — specifically, the throes of World War 1. Suffice it to say, players can expect a game that is pretty dark and mature, with unique gameplay mechanics that further hammer in just how brutal the world really is.
Shadow Hearts features a unique Judgment Ring battle system, where players must hit timed button prompts to deal damage. The fact that this game's bad ending is canon is proof enough of just how depressing this experience can really be!
9 Final Fantasy Type-0
Final Fantasy Type-0 takes place in a world ravaged by war, where a group of students from a magical academy must fight to protect their nation. The fact that the introductory cutscene of this game shows soldiers being finished off in a brutal manner explains why this Final Fantasy title was rated M, which was rare for the series.
The story may have its faults, but Type-0 is an interesting spinoff that fans should definitely check out. Fans should be ready to deal with the ending, which is bound to be a tearjerker for reasons that are better left unspoiled.
8 Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne
The very fact that Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne starts with the onset of the apocalypse should be proof enough of just how dark the game can really get. Players take on the role of a high school student who transformed during this apocalyptic event, becoming a powerful figure known as the Demi-Fiend.
The game's demon negotiation system allows players to recruit and fuse allies, with this mechanic being critical for players to survive in this difficult post-apocalyptic title. Fans who want their JRPG to be darker and more challenging should definitely give this title a shot.
7 Tales Of Berseria
Tales of Berseria is a game full of death and loss, serving as one of the more mature games in the Tales series. The story follows Velvet, a girl who experiences a series of tragic losses, with the influence of dark powers turning her into a Daemon with unique powers.
After witnessing the death of her brother, Velvet swears vengeance against the man who sacrificed him. The story starts off on a pretty riveting note and doesn't stop until players reach the climactic ending.
6 Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Persona 2: Innocent Sin is the first half of the second game's tale. After their work on the first Persona game was deemed a success, Atlus decided to expand these concepts in the sequel, making for a highly enjoyable RPG that is criminally overlooked.
It doesn't take too long for players to wonder if Persona 2: Innocent Sin is a dark game or not. After all, not many JRPGs had the gall to use Hitler himself as an antagonist!
5 Parasite Eve
Most people wouldn't dare believe that modern-day New York City is a fine setting for a JRPG. These people clearly need to play Parasite Eve, a game that combines the gameplay of this genre with elements of survival horror, which made for a great time indeed.
The game follows NYPD officer Aya Brea as she investigates a series of bizarre incidents related to a mysterious woman named Eve. The game really goes down to the cellular level when it comes to depicting its horrifying monstrosities... quite literally!
4 LISA: The Painful
While it may not be a JRPG per see, LISA: The Painful shares many things with the genre and is clearly inspired by it. This post-apocalyptic game takes place in a world where females have completely disappeared... which makes it quite odd when a broken man named Brad finds a young girl and decides to raise her as his own daughter.
Things take a turn for the worse when Brad attempts to shelter Buddy from the outside world, only for her to want to explore it even more. It sets the stage for a riveting and emotional RPG that is oppressively dark despite having truly humorous moments sprinkled in between.
3 Final Fantasy 6
Many players consider Final Fantasy 6 to be the greatest game in the series, and it's easy to see why this is the case. The game features a huge ensemble cast, excellent combat, and a sequence that completely changes the world map too!
The World of Ruin is a concept that was unheard of before Final Fantasy 6 pulled it off, being one of the most unique and memorable landscape shifts in gaming history. It showed just how huge the ramifications were when the heroes failed to prevent Kefka from ruining the balance of the world.
2 Omori
Omori is a psychological horror JRPG, so dark themes are to be expected from the get-go. The game actually does a great job early on of making itself seem like a run-of-the-mill game in the genre with a cheery and happy vibe throughout.
However, it's when players start peeking back at the curtain that things start unfolding. The game deals with Sunny and the loss of his sister, with a chilling mystery surrounding this event that is slowly revealed as players delve further into this deeply disturbing title.
1 Xenogears
Xenogears is one of the best JRPGs on the PS1, and it's a shame that this game ran out of money midway through its development. If the second half of this game maintained the same quality standards that were present early on, then Xenogears could've arguably fought for the title of being one of the greatest video games ever made.
As things stand, the game is still a blast, even if later sections become more linear and uninteresting with an ungodly amount of exposition dumps. The game asks many questions about the very nature of life itself, making its many cutscenes quite riveting indeed.