Are there any dark/ mature Jrpgs?

[krazykidd]

So i'm a jrpg fan . Iv'e played most of the known jrpg franchises ( Final fantasy , suikoden , wilds arms , star ocean ,secret/legend of mana , dragon quest , Shin megami tensei , disgaea , grandia ,xenosaga , etc...) . Some of the unknown franchises ( legend of legaia , parasite eve , atelier iris , mana khemia , magna carta ,growlansers , drakengard/Nier , etc...) . Now i don't consider myself an expert on jrpgs , but i do notice that very few are "mature " and even less are dark .

Sure there are games like SMT: Nocturne , Demons/dark souls Lost odessey and Nier , that are reletively mature , with dark undertones , but in all honesty , those are the only four/five i can think of . So i am asking you knowledgable escapees , do you know of any Dark and/or mature Jrpgs ? And i'm talkin of only Jrpgs , Wrpgs need not apply .

Basically i'm looking for a jrpg that doesn't focus on friendship rainbows and sunshine , games that are filled with dread and heavy atmosphere . Games with some blood goddamit ! Seriously i litterally can't remember the last Jrpg where i saw someone BLEED . Maybe it's just me , but i would like to see a jrpg that isn't all cutesy-wootsy , and a little more mature . Is there anything like this?

Now i know a lot of escapists hate Jrpgs , so for added discussion value , if there was more dark/mature jrpgs , would you be more inclined to play them ? I'm sure there is a market for this . Please tell me i'm not alone in thinking this .

Capcha: propane accessories . Well someone has been watching too much king of the hill.

 

[Norrdicus]

Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant

Horrific monsters with detailed gory backstories, World War 1 setting, depressing endings

 

[Jason Rayes]

I was going to suggest Shadow Hearts as well, though even they aren't entirely serious. The wrestler guy who hits things with park benches, mailboxes and a whole lot of other random stuff you find comes to mind. I highly recommend the series though, I don't think you will find any Japanese game that is entirely free of quirky humour. There is a third game also, From the New World.

 

[hazabaza1]

Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant

Horrific monsters with detailed gory backstories, World War 1 setting, depressing endings

This seems to fit the bill. Got the first game up on the shelf, it's pretty good.
From what I hear, Xenoblade chronicles gets kind of dark later on, and there's Resonance of Fate as well, but that only gets morbid once you slog through 15 hours of unmotivated, repetitive (yet mostly fun and original) gameplay.

 

[Tallim]

Vagrant Story.....
Eternal Ring
Panzer Dragoon Saga

Shadow Hearts and Shadow Hearts: Covenant as has been suggested, plus the earlier game in the same universe Koudelka.

I'd also suggest Wild Arms and its sequels

A lot of those you list are actually seriously dark in tone but just presented in a traditional colourful jrpg way. Suikoden games are extremely dark a lot of the time, death, slavery, genocide, revenge, war etc

EDIT: I know you specifically said no wrpgs but Inquisitor, seriously.

 

[Angie7F]

drag on dragoon, KOWLOON'S GATE?

 

[The Wykydtron]

So have you played Persona 4? Yes? No? Whatever just play it!

I can describe it as absolutely perfect and sublime in every single way the happiest game about murder ever made!

Seriously it's dark enough while still being amazingly friendship based. Not the annoying type of friendship based as well, it's actually super well characterised and shit... It's awesome!

Other dark things.... Was Lost Odesscy (fuck spelling I can't be fucking bothered today) that dark? It looked like it from the little I played of it.

 

[Tallim]

So have you played Persona 4? Yes? No? Whatever just play it!

I can describe it as absolutely perfect and sublime in every single way the happiest game about murder ever made!

Seriously it's dark enough while still being amazingly friendship based. Not the annoying type of friendship based as well, it's actually super well characterised and shit... It's awesome!

Other dark things.... Was Lost Odesscy (fuck spelling I can't be fucking bothered today) that dark? It looked like it from the little I played of it.

Lost Odyssey is possibly the most maturely presented JRPG ever. It was also one of the better jrpgs I've played and I've played a LOT of them.

EDIT: And yes it is rather dark in many different ways.

 

[Jason Rayes]

Lost Odyssey is possibly the most maturely presented JRPG ever. It was also one of the better jrpgs I've played and I've played a LOT of them.

EDIT: And yes it is rather dark in many different ways.

This, though be prepared to do quite a bit of reading as some of the best and most moving parts of the game are text only.Just be warned that if aren't partial to reading and skip this stuff your are missing a lot of the games soul and will likely wonder what all the fuss is about.

 

[Slycne]

Xenogears is right in the vein you're looking for. It was literally thrown out as an idea for Final Fantasy since it was too dark.

 

[OrpheusTelos]

The Persona and other Megaten games, easily (Digital Devil Saga and P3: FES would be my recommendations)... Shadow hearts and SH: Covenant... Vagrant Story, if you dont mind PS1 titles... Chrono Cross is surprisingly dark, taking what chrono Trigger did and turning it on its head (You changed the future? Great! Now, what happened to the future you got rid of? You monster.).

 

[ScrabbitRabbit]

Vagrant Story.....

This game disturbed the hell out of me as a kid. It's not even the horrible things that happen (of which there are many) but the way everything is presented. There are points where it feels like a survival horror and the setting is downright depressing.

There's also a fair bit of blood in the cutscenes.

You may have played it, but Final Fantasy Tactics doesn't feel like a Final Fantasy. It's by far the darkest and bloodiest game in the series so far. It seems to soften up a tad when it starts focusing more on it's high fantasy elements instead of it's political and war themes but it's never really "happy."

Drakengard is extremely dark, too, but it's not very good. The gameplay is dull as hell and it's so dark that you end up not caring what happens. Everybody is a depraved monster and the world is always doomed. The atmosphere of the later sections can be strangely compelling but, overall, I'm not sure I'd recommend it as anything but a curiosity.

SMT: Strange Journey for the DS has a very dark, mature tone. It's a fantastic game, too, highly recommended.

 

[saintdane05]

Persona, Xenobalde, FFXII, Last Sory, FFIV, FFVII, FFVIII. Should I continue?

 

[LordLundar]

There's plenty of Mature JRPGs. It's just your definition of mature is inaccurate. You're painting "mature" as a label for grim, moody, limited colour palette, blood, gore, etc. as the defining traits. A far more accurate term for that is "emo".

 

[AwesomeDave]

the ps2 Atelier Iris games were some of the best RPGs I've ever played... how I miss my ps2 sometimes...

 

[RaikuFA]

Shadow Hearts, Earthbound's undertones are extremely dark(dat final boss), Strange Journey is extremly dark IMO.

 

[4RM3D]

Resonance of Fate

It's not *that* dark, but it is mature. Not the MLP:FIM kinda thing. Incidentally, RoF also has one of the better combat systems out there.

 

[RobfromtheGulag]

We'd have to qualify 'Dark/Mature', which you sort of have. FF6 has a pretty dystopic setting. FF7 is about some guy who wanted to impress others so bad he convinced himself he was his dead friend.

The premises for most of the older square JRPGs are dark, but in a way that appeals generally to a teen audience. The same way Twilight is dark, I'd imagine. When you're playing it you're like 'Woah sh!t, that's heavy!' then after a year you look back at the crazy outfits and the 2 headed dragons you were fighting and think 'what did I ever see in this?'

Anyway. Someone mentioned Xenogears, which you've probably played based on your list, but if you haven't, it's good. It's as dark as all the rest, perhaps darker than some, but the graphics would have you believe it's for E for everybody.

 

[orangeapples]

don't most jrpgs dabble in dark and mature subject matter? The whole game won't be there, but there will be parts of the game that make you think, "That was messed up."

 

[michaelarby]

gotta throw my hat in and also recommend the shadow hearts games. the first one is darker and more 'horror' inspired. To be fair its not actually that great a game- playing like a sub par final fantasy, but i was happy to play it, complete it, and its always stuck with me more than most other games- its like the plucky underdog of videogames that you cant help but love (see also: Earth Defence force 2017, Deadly Promonition). The sequel, shadow hearts covenant is a much better game although it did seem a lot more mainstreamy, with some of the blood and horror removed. fantastic story and characters though so definitely check them out if you can. think the first one is a bit rarer than the second though...