Summary
JRPGsare defined by their narratives. If there’s one thing that groups together all the most important titles in the genre, it’s that they have a strong core story and a cast of characters that immerse the player in their world, whether that world is an idyllic fantasy realm or a contemporary reflection of our own. The best JRPGs that follow this adherence to story, regardless of when they were originally made, all have excellent stories that player input can shape in some way.
Many games have branching paths—the demand for RPGs is higher than ever, and developers are always including ways to showcase player agency through a shifting story that branches based on player choice. What is rarer, especially among JRPGs, aretitles that let players be evil.These JRPGs do away with moral quandaries and let the player be gloriously, unabashedly, and shamelessly evil in a way that could even make themost fearsome of bossesblush.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
The eternal struggle between gods begins now! It’s time to choose a side. Peace or anarchy?
The story of Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse focuses on a Hunter cadet protagonist who is defeated by one of the demons treating post-apocalyptic Tokyo as their personal playground. However, the mysterious god Dagda resurrects the protagonist in exchange for his fealty, and sets him on a perilous path that treads a fine line between peace and anarchy. Is Dagda simply an opportunistic lesser god, or is he part of something much bigger?
The incredibly difficultShin Megami Tensei 4: Apocalypseis easily one of the best games in a series that spans entire decades, and multiple high-quality spin-offs.Apocalypseleans a little bit more into the balance between good and evil, as opposed to law and chaos.
Early on, players get choices that have more to do with morality than ideology, like helping Isabeau with a sick person struggling to stand (she comments on this choice later on, to enforce the point). Moving beyond the binary of Law and Chaos is a large part of this game, and the ending after siding with Dagda is certainly sinister, even by Chaos standards.
This utterly engaging JRPG will stick with players for a very long time. Mastering the mechanics ofThe Caligula Effecttakes a lot of work, but it’s an inherently rewarding experience. TheOverdoseremake for PC changes many things in this title, including adding a female player option and some drastic story changes.
There is now a new route in this game that lets players side with the forces of evil in the story, rather than good. Not to sway anyone towards either option, but the evil player theme is on an entirely different level.
One of the best things aboutFire Emblem: Three Housesis all thedirections that the story can take. These directions are dictated by several decisions, not just the key one at the story’s beginning, which dictates what house the player will be teaching for the majority of the game.
One of the three houses, in particular, has a very lax attitude towards morality and has no problem getting assassins and bandits involved in their schemes. A similarly evil option is to side with the religious institution that has been mostly oppressive and tyrannical for the majority of the game.
Triangle Strategyis an amazing,convention-breaking wonderfrom Square Enix, one that lets players engage in a beautifully rendered world to their heart’s content, all the while getting embroiled in an epic political narrative with no equal.
Of the major choices available at the game’s end, most of them are in some way bittersweet. However, one ending in particular—confirmed as being based on falsehoods in the other endings—sees players not just continue, but actively benefit from the prolonged enslavement of the Roselle in the salt flats—a heinous way to end the game.
Players Can Unlock A Special Villain Campaign
Suikoden III
The Battle for the True Runes is just beginning…An unknown force is searching for the True Runes and plans to destroy the world.Three lives from opposing forces in the Grassland War hold the fate of all living things.Can these three discover the secrets of the Flame Champion, find the True Runes and live up to their destiny to forever change history?Unleash the power of three in the stunning new RPG, Suikoden III.
TheSuikodenseries is not as well known as some of the other titles on this list, but it is by far one of the most compelling series of games available today, and the upcoming remake of the first two titles will hopefully inject some awareness back into this series.
Players who collect every single character before the game’s end will be rewarded with a special mini-campaign where they get to play as the evil antagonist of the title, seeing their schemes unfold from their own villainous perspective.
TheDisgaeagames, predominately set in the underworld and populated with devils, are not exactly known for their benevolent and virtuous characters. They’re mostly known for howridiculously overpoweredplayers can become, but there’s some great character work here too.
The protagonist ofDisgaea 1is not as evil as some of the other protagonists on this list, who enforce slavery or side with villains, but the firstDisgaearevels in its identity as a game led by a demon, and lets players do many devilish things to suit this narrative.
PlayStation 2
Genre
Action-Adventure, JRPG
Forgotten among all but its most devout cult following,Steambot Chroniclesis a PS2 JRPG with an excellent twist on established formulas. The game’s steampunk setting is like nothing else available on the shelves today, with a similarly unique story to match.
The game branches at one point, and one of the fully fleshed-out routes the player can take involves the protagonist deciding to side with the evil organization that has been the main obstacle in the game so far. The rest of the game plays out accordingly, with the player officially embarking on an evil playthrough.
Dragon’s Dogma 2affords players a level offreedom and wanderlustthat few other games can match, combining satisfying and impactful combat with exploration over a wide, lovingly detailed world filled with places to explore and loot to discover.
When the time comes for players to fulfill their destiny and slay the dragon, the Arisen can make a particular choice out of fear to stand down from the fight and remain Sovran. This leaves the world doomed because of the Arisen’s cowardice in a uniquely evil choice.
