There’s no doubt that in recent years, JRPGs have made an epic comeback. The genre (and Japanese games as a whole) suffered a slump in recent years, with prominent industry critics sharing their distaste for a perceived lack of originality in the space, and Japanese developers taking a more western approach to game design.

But with recent hits like Final Fantasy XV, Persona 5, and Octopath Traveler to name a few, there’s no doubt that traditional JRPGs are back in a big way. The genre is popular once again, and these games are more popular than ever. You can clearly see the rise and fall of the genre on Metacritic, the review aggregate site that does not paint a pretty picture for developers of JRPGs. Avert your eyes JRPG fans, these are some pretty low scores.

10 Compile Heart – 65

A relatively unknown name outside of Japan and hardcore western JRPG fans, Compile Hearts is a the development arm of publisher Idea Factory. Founded in 2006, they’ve developed and co-developed nearly 100 games already. Compile Heart was one of the few developers still making games for the PlayStation Vita as recently as 2017, earning them an endearing audience.

They’re best known for their two staple series: Hyperdimension Neptunia and Record of Agarest War, but they’ve also Dragon Star Varnir, Death End, and Mary Skelter: Nightmares. Their games don’t typically review well, but they have a loyal following of fans regardless.

9 Bandai Namco – 70

Bandai Namco has always been a bit of a wildcard, a broad publisher and developer who’ll work in any genre. They’re not exactly known for their JRPGs, but they’ve put out some big entries over the years. Tales of, Code Vein, Sword Art Online, Gundam, and Digimon are all gaming franchises handled by them.

However, Bandai Namco’s reputation in JRPG circles doesn’t match those of other companies on this list. Their output has been minimal in recent years, and aside from the Tales of series, many of their JRPGs haven’t reviewed well.

8 Atlus – 71

Arguably the most well-known and respected studio in JRPG gaming, Atlus scores a surprisingly low Metacritic score of just 71 points overall. The creators of Shin Megami Tensei and Persona are prolific developers and publishers, but many of their non-staple franchise games fly under the radar. Atlus takes pride in localizing obscure Japanese games, ones with little mainstream appeal, which explains their low score.

Aside from the two heavy hitters, Atlus also owns the Etrian Odyssey franchise, Catherine, Odin Sphere, and Growlanser. These are cult-favorite games that, for one reason or another, typically don’t review well.

7 Sega – 72

When you hear “Sega,” you probably think of Sonic or perhaps Genesis/Mega Drive. What many don’t think of when they hear that name are JRPGs, but the house that the blue hedgehog built is home to several JRPG franchises over the years.

Their first JRPG came in 1987 with Phantasy Star, a series that’s still ongoing to this day. They also develop the Japan-exclusive Shining series (whose latest entry received mixed reviews), Sakura Wars, Valkyria Chronicles, and of course, Yakuza. They also developed the original Shenmue and its sequel

6 Game Arts – 73

Another little-known developer to the west, Game Arts is a small studio in Chiyoda, Tokyo who created the Grandia series. First released in 1997, the Grandia series has seen four main games, an online MMO, and several remakes and HD re-releases. The first two games in the series were beloved by JPRG fans, but recent entries have been lackluster.

More recently, Game Arts released JRPGs Ragnarok Odyssey, which was reviewed poorly, and Lunar: Silver Star Harmony, which had better reviews but was only ever released on the PSP. For the last five years, the studio has only worked on HD remakes of the first three Grandia games.

5 From Software – 73

Another legend in JRPG spaces, From Software is without a doubt best known for their Souls games. Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Sekiro are the life-blood of the company these days. But back in the day, From was instead known as the makers of Ace Combat.

From’s lineage is tied to JPRGS, however. The company started out as a traditional JRPG studio, with games like Forever Kingdom, Evergrace, Eternal Ring, and Enchanted Arms. These games failed to find much of an audience, and From never acknowledged them again after the success of Ace Combat and now the Souls games.

4 Square Enix – 74

The most famous JRPG factory in gaming, Square Enix has a plethora of JRPG franchises. Leading the pack is, obviously, Final Fantasy, whose crazy haired protagonists and melodramatic antics have become a staple in gaming.

Besides the big one, Square Enix has also developed countless JRPGs over the decades. Kingdom Hearts, Dragon Quest, Bravely Default, Octopath Traveler, and Chrono Trigger are but a small slice of their offerings. Square has a long and celebrated history of great JRPGs, yet they’re only the fourth highest-rated JRPG developer on Metacritic.

3 Level 5 – 75

The makers of Dark Cloud, Rogue Legacy, and White Knight Chronicles received a 75 overall grade, according to Metacritic. The Fukuoka-based JRPG studio has long been a cult-hit studio, known for mixing traditional JRPG elements with western settings and storytelling. But most recently, Level 5 has become known as the makers of Yo-kai Watch.

Released in 2013 for the Nintendo DS, Yo-kai Watch has quickly become one of the most popular media franchises in Japan. Already, over a dozen games dominate the handheld gaming scene. That’s where Level 5 puts most of their efforts these days, but in 2021 they’ll also released Inazuma Eleven.

2 Nihon Falcom – 78

Nihon Falcom is one of the oldest game development studios in the world, founded in 1981. Despite this, they never attained the level of fame or success as other JRPG developers like Square Enix, From Software, or Atlus. Still, their long running YS franchise has always gotten high marks from critics.

In addition to this, they also develop the Xanadu and Trials series, and one-off games like the Japan-exclusive Nayuta no Kiseki, Zwei, and Vantage Master.

1 AlphaDream – 83

While every other developer on this list managed to find an audience, big or small, AlphaDream never managed to capture a fan base. This despite them being the highest rated JRPG developer on Metacritic, and having backing from Nintendo.

AlphaStar as they were originally called, first developed JRPGs like Koto Battle, Tomato Adventure, and Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue. As AlphaDream, they created the Mario & Luigi series, all well-reviewed games that unfortunately never sold well. Because of this, AlphaDream shut their doors in 2019.

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