Best exploration-based open-world feeling JRPGs

[AerialAir]

Remember when you were a kid and played an RPG, which wasn't really open world, but it sure felt like it!? To me, this happened a lot with games like Pokémon. You'd get out of a town, and suddenly, you're faced with a new biome with creatures that could only exist there. It starts raining, or you must go through a mountain to arrive at the next town a few hours later. It felt moody, lived in, and open. Trying to scratch that itch, I've been looking at the games on my backlog and watching some reviews to find some games to play next that offer that feeling, even if they're technically relatively linear. I've compiled a list of some of the games I found, and I'll provide it below, along with the reviews that really sold me on trying them out to see if they get me having that sensation again. The term JRPG is a bit silly, but it makes it easier to quickly communicate what kind of game I'm talking about. With that said, I've included some games that feel like JRPGs, even though they strictly are not, like TotK, Yakuza, and Cassette Beasts.

I look forward to your thoughts on these games and sharing your takes on the best exploration-based/big-world Japanese-style RPGs.

Dragon Quest Treasures
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed
Metal Max Xeno Reborn
Dragon Quest VIII
Yakuza Kiwami
Dragon's Dogma
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
Skies of Arcadia
Cassette Beasts
Crystal Project
Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode
Metal Max Returns (Super Nintendo)
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

 

[hydrophilic attack]

elden ring

(not sure if actual open world games should be included or not in this thread after reading the opening post, but the inclusion of zelda totk makes me think yes)

 

[demi]

Wild ARMs has the "spam search" feature to find towns, random treasures etc. That might count? Wild ARMs is tight

 

[julia crawford]

xenoblade was always great at suddenly reaching a new area and exploring the whole place, xenoblade 1 is probably my favorite but 3 was also great because of the context of the world you're exploring

i would say from that list Xeno3 would be my pick for that wanderlust feeling, especially since you roll around with your whole crew which is always a great feeling

 

[AerialAir]

elden ring

(not sure if actual open world games should be included or not in this thread after reading the opening post, but the inclusion of zelda totk makes me think yes)

Click to shrink...

Yeah, what I meant is that they don't HAVE to open world, but they absolutely can be. That's why TotK and XCX are there. Elden Ring is a great choice though!

 

[HolyJonte]

The games that does exploration best:
1. Elden Ring
2. Botw/Totk

Of the games you listed my favorite is Ni No Kuni. The world map is really spectacular and it is an amazing game.

With that said the game which is most fun to explore and play is Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and it is by a huge margin.

 

[Blue_Toad507]

Golden Sun: The Lost Age I think deserves credit for nailing the open world vibes on a GBA no less. Heck, it probably relies on the player exploring a little TOO much if anything to piece together what to do once you get the ship, but it becomes highly rewarding to discover every nook and cranny there is.

 

[CO_Andy]

 

[robot]

One nice feature of some SNES/PS1/PS2 JRPGs was the ability to explore the world map. It's mostly an outdated design trend now, and pretty different from current open-world design, but many games let you explore and find secret/optional locations. Some games would almost implement a metroidvania design and open up new areas gradually with mobility upgrades. The classic example of this is "getting the airship" (or something similar) near the end of FF games, which would usually let you visit any prior location easily. Games that did this that come to my mind:

• Chrono Trigger
• FF6
• FF7
• FF8
• FF9
• Wild Arms 2

I think FF9 might be my favorite of these. The Chocobo hot and cold games would eventually unlock different chocobo types that could navigate different world map terrain (and thus reach all sorts of cool treasures). It made this otherwise pretty simple minigame feel grand and rewarding.

 

[Celestial Descend]

Allow me to introduce you to the niche and wonderful JRPG series Metal Max, which has been doing post nuclear apoclypse open world RPG long before Fallout came into existence. You play as an adventurer with the entire explorable world at your feet while fighting dangerous emenies in classic turn-based combat. You can collect all kinds of weapons from guns to tanks, and you can upgrade them with the loot you find. There is a main story to follow, but you can choose to put it aside and just explore at your own pace.

 

[Dogui]

CrossCode has my favorite exploration in any game. You just have tons of stuff happening every m².

Chained Echoes is really good with that as well.

 

[Verelios]

Grandia.

It's not the most graphically stunning but it gave me the best feeling of adventure I've ever experienced. Imagine feeling like you're actually traversing a unique, diverse world with distinct culture. Grandia is that distilled.

 

[Orayn]

I see that it's already in the OP but I wanted to put a little detail to it and link the Steam page: Crystal Project is a nonlinear take on Final Fantasy V with some Metroidvania stuff in the mix re: how you navigate the world.

Crystal Project on Steam

Crystal Project is a non-linear JRPG where you are the maker of your own adventure. Explore the world while you find Crystals, unlock classes, learn abilities, and create a strategy capable of taking down the world's toughest bosses. Or just stick to exploring; it's up to you.

store.steampowered.com

 

[Lobster Roll]

One nice feature of some SNES/PS1/PS2 JRPGs was the ability to explore the world map. It's mostly an outdated design trend now, and pretty different from current open-world design, but many games let you explore and find secret/optional locations. Some games would almost implement a metroidvania design and open up new areas gradually with mobility upgrades. The classic example of this is "getting the airship" (or something similar) near the end of FF games, which would usually let you visit any prior location easily. Games that did this that come to my mind:

• Chrono Trigger
• FF6
• FF7
• FF8
• FF9
• Wild Arms 2

I think FF9 might be my favorite of these. The Chocobo hot and cold games would eventually unlock different chocobo types that could navigate different world map terrain (and thus reach all sorts of cool treasures). It made this otherwise pretty simple minigame feel grand and rewarding.

Click to shrink...

Life was good when Final Fantasy was like this. There was just something special about getting various modes of transportation, leaving towns, traversing the world, discovering hidden locations, and feeling like you had access to the entire planet. Then FFX came and our airship got reduced to a Windows start menu lol. Anyways, I'm glad you highlighted FFIX as that's one of my favorite overworlds to explore both by vehicle and by Chocobo. You really a get an enormous sense of scale when you're searching for those hidden treasures on your Chocobo.

 

[Ashes of Dreams]

It's funny because what you're describing is mostly a vibe, usually supported by the writing and art direction. I feel like "feeling like I'm going on an adventure" and "actual open world exploration" are completely different things to me. Like I think I recognize the feeling OP is looking for but games like Elden Ring and Tears of the Kingdom don't actually capture it imo.

Hard to recommend something without knowing what you've played though. But there's been a lot of great retro-style JRPGs recently.

 

[exodus]

Final Fantasy VI World of Ruin is still is one of the best JRPG open worlds out there, if not the best.

 

[Soul Lab]

Xenoblade X is peak

 

[Amirnol]

Out of the list you provided, Tears of the Kingdom and Xenoblades have the exploration feeling to a master level. But the real answer is you gotta play FF7 Rebirth if you haven't already because it blew my mind in this regard especially.

 

[Rosa Salvaje]

Skies of Arcadia and Xenoblade Chronicles X

 

[Yam's]

Kinda hard to find better than Xenoblade X and Elden Ring in that regard.

FFXII also had cool exploration with areas you're not supposed to venture into right away and hidden secrets. Obviously both BotW and TotK too.

But going for the specific mood you're describing, I'd recommend most Y's games, as well as the Trails serie. With so many interconnected games, Trails opens up its world bit by bit and you're always wondering what you're gonna find next.

Dragon Quest Builder 2 was great for that too.

And if you're ok to look outside the jrpg genre, Subnautica offers the perfect biomes exploration experience.

 

[nelsonroyale]

FFXII has an amazing sense of adventure / exploration

 

[Derbel McDillet]

Pokemon Gold.

 

[Neverx]

The Xenoblade series and Elden Ring both have incredible exploration based open worlds.

 

[SirKai]

Final Fantasy Fucking XII.

 

[asd202]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

 

[Atom]

Loved the older Pokemon games for this feeling.

Also I would recommend Ao no Tengai. Secretly one of the best JRPGs on the GBA and perhaps ever. Very nonlinear, very open, encourages exploration and messing around. Great game.

Ao no Tengai: Played all the classic JRPGs? You missed this one. Non-linear, exploration-driven, consequence-filled, turn-based excellence (GBA) LTTP

!!!MARK STORY SPOILERS!!! Been playing this and its awesome. It's easily as good as the Golden Sun games, honestly I'd put it up there with Mother 3 on the system. Compared to other stuff, probably similar ballpark to Chrono Trigger or FF6, the other 16-bit classics. If this was published by...

www.resetera.com

Should post an update in that LTTP of mine at some point. Game continues being amazing.

 

[mrmickfran]

Xenoblade Xenoblade Xenoblade

 

[antitrop]

Exploring the world and doing all the side content in FFXII was way more enjoyable than the main quest.

 

[jblanco]

Retro: Romancing SaGa 3 is not open world in the modern sense, but it sure is open AF in the sense that it is not a linear JRPG. In fact, many times you'll be wondering where the fuck to go next. But yeah you can explore caves and other areas without being prompted to do so.

Semi-Retro: Final Fantasy XII
Not strictly open, but there's a lot of side content, and the areas to explore are huge and each with a very distinct atmosphere.

Modern: The Xenoblade series and even more recently Final Fantasy VII Rebirth which is one of my favorite takes on open world in general.

Actual answer: Elden Ring.

 

[Baloota]

Despite loving Dragon's Dogma, I would say it's more of a game about "different ways to engage monsters" as opposed to "a rewarding exploration game." Sure, you can explore but locations and rewards aren't where the game shines imo. I love that game though and you should def play it either way.

For Jrpg recommendations, Trails in the Sky and Ys are great and condensed games with connected areas that feel open world-ish.

As for Souls games, I would suggest going with earlier ones. Avoid Elden Ring as it's way too bloated and I think DS1 fits your description more.

For indies, those are not jrpgs but they're focused on exploration: Islands of the Caliph, Sable (maybe?) and Hyper Light Drifter are some of the recent stuff i played.

Personally, I would just recommend Stellaris :P

 

[Heinrich Hancky]

Golden Sun: The Lost Age I think deserves credit for nailing the open world vibes on a GBA no less. Heck, it probably relies on the player exploring a little TOO much if anything to piece together what to do once you get the ship, but it becomes highly rewarding to discover every nook and cranny there is.

Click to shrink...

Is the story worth it? Because I only finished the first one when it came out. I liked it but the story felt pretty formulaic and I finished the game thinking it was only a prologue. I know the second one is very open ans rewards exploration. It's really something I'm interested in and I'm considering playing both games on the switch. But storywise, I need something more exotic than just "let's go find the 4 elemental crystals and save the world through the power of friendship". So, what did you think about it?

 

[ragolliangatan]

The Xenoblade series (any of them) and if we are stretching JRPG to include recent Zelda's I'd say BOTW/TOTK

 

[DarthKamen]

Final Fantasy XII is the king of this IMO.

 

[Buttons]

For JRPGs, definitely Xenoblade 1-3, just an awesome world to explore in each of them.

If we want to include action games like Zelda Breath of the Wild, then I need to add Genshin Impact to the list. Such an amazing world to explore, I often just sit down in front of my tv and PS5 during the weekend to just explore the world. It has now become my 2nd favourite game ever after FFXIV, which I had never expected.

 

[jungius]

Remember when you were a kid and played an RPG, which wasn't really open world, but it sure felt like it!? To me, this happened a lot with games like Pokémon. You'd get out of a town, and suddenly, you're faced with a new biome with creatures that could only exist there. It starts raining, or you must go through a mountain to arrive at the next town a few hours later. It felt moody, lived in, and open. Trying to scratch that itch, I've been looking at the games on my backlog and watching some reviews to find some games to play next that offer that feeling, even if they're technically relatively linear. I've compiled a list of some of the games I found, and I'll provide it below, along with the reviews that really sold me on trying them out to see if they get me having that sensation again. The term JRPG is a bit silly, but it makes it easier to quickly communicate what kind of game I'm talking about. With that said, I've included some games that feel like JRPGs, even though they strictly are not, like TotK, Yakuza, and Cassette Beasts.

I look forward to your thoughts on these games and sharing your takes on the best exploration-based/big-world Japanese-style RPGs.

Dragon Quest Treasures
Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed
Metal Max Xeno Reborn
Dragon Quest VIII
Yakuza Kiwami
Dragon's Dogma
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
Skies of Arcadia
Cassette Beasts
Crystal Project
Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode
Metal Max Returns (Super Nintendo)
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Click to shrink...

ff xv missing on the list has one of the best open world ever
also the cities are so huuge

 

[NabiscoFelt]

It's the Xenoblades for me and not particularly close, at least in terms of invoking that feeling of going on a grand adventure. The sense of scale in those games is basically unmatched

In terms of games that do a lot with a little, I'd second Crystal Project and CrossCode. Really excellent exploration in both games though I'm not sure it's the exact itch this thread is about

 

[Divvy]

Genshin Impact probably is in the top tier of this at this point

Xenoblade 3 and Botw/Totk are fantastic as well.

 

[EchizenKurage]

Xenoblade X is peak

Click to shrink...

^^^^

 

[Saito Hikari]

Crystal Project managed to pull it off with a turn based combat system AND it managed to have some of the best turn based combat in existence.

It's an insane game for something that was only created by one guy with a bunch of public assets (and also coded his own engine for the game).

 

[Orso]

I remember being at a friends and seeing the map that came with the first Legend of Zelda game blew my mind at the time. The idea that a game could be so vast that it needed a printed map was a huge deal to me.

Thinking about it the packaging of that game probably had more impact on me than the actual game, especially with that gold cartridge

 

[Jakenbakin]

More people need to play Crystal Project. It's incredible in how you feel like you might be breaking the game with the depth of the exploration but as you continue you realize no the developer intended for all this shit to be doable. Wild achievement.

 

[Daddy JeanPi]

I'm playing FFXI rn and i find the exploration to be cool. I'm enjoying it quite a lot. I think it qualifies as open world.

 

[Bard]

It's Xenoblade Chronicles X and nothing comes close. JRPG or not.

 

[Ghost Rider]

Always been my fav genre and one that truly made me feel a crazy sense of scale was ultima on NES (was it ultima 3?)

just felt huge and imposing. the fact that I lost progress several times due to my cat pushing the NES of the stand and cause me to lose all my orogress

 

[dom]

The Witcher 3

 

[psynergyadept]

Definitely Xenoblade games especially ; I'm always am taken aback how cool the world is built on two colossal Titans. Followed by 3 then 2(haven't played X 😅)

Golden Sun of course!😏 especially 2 aka The lost age

Pokémon; Gold/Silver/Crystal(and their remakes) are top tier for me

Kingdom hearts 2

Tales of the Abyss

Star Ocean 2 & 3

Ni No Kuni 1…2 was okay

Nearly all the mainline Final Fantasy's except for X XIII, and XVI(just start Rebirth and oh man this games looks like it going to be special in this department)

 

[EntelechyFuff]

Not enough Final Fantasy XV in this thread.

It doesn't quite capture the "world" feeling, but it does frequently feel like a biodiverse and interesting "region"…in some ways similar to pokemon, as described in the OP.

For many of the most memorable enemy encounters, where I encountered them feels as significant as what these creatures were.

They accomplished some interesting things in that game.

 

[AerialAir]

CrossCode has my favorite exploration in any game. You just have tons of stuff happening every m².

Chained Echoes is really good with that as well.

Click to shrink...

I have both of these in my backlog. CrossCode does seem to fit right into the kind of game I was describing. Chained Echoes however, seems to be more limited. I might be wrong, but it seems you can get a mech that hovers very early on. Doesn't that kill that feeling of being a small and fragile being in a vast natural - and dangerous - world?

 

[Saito Hikari]

I have both of these in my backlog. CrossCode does seem to fit right into the kind of game I was describing. Chained Echoes however, seems to be more limited. I might be wrong, but it seems you can get a mech that hovers very early on. Doesn't that kill that feeling of being a small and fragile being in a vast natural - and dangerous - world?

Click to shrink...

Chained Echoes is definitely far closer to standard JRPG exploration than being open at all. It's a very linear experience throughout, only barely opening up once you get the mecha halfway through the game. And the mech combat is really, really bad compared to the foot combat.

The exploration it has is nothing compared to the likes of Crystal Project and Crosscode overall.

 

[Tyaren]

I know exactly what you mean, OP.
That's how I felt playing a game like Tales of Symphonia when I was a kid. Feeling like I'm sucked into not just one but two vast and beautiful anime fantasy worlds, itching to explore every nook and cranny and wanting it to never end.
And back then before I was aware of fully open world games it seemed like one to me.
When Xenoblade Chronicles released I first had that nostalgic feeling and excitement again after a long time.
A game that in recent years topped even the Xenoblade games in that regard (and since you include games that are not technically JRPGs, I'll name it here): Genshin Impact
It's the most open, biggest, most fleshed out and gorgeous fantasy world in a JRPG-like game. It feels like Tales of Symphonia was made today and had an insane budget.
I've spend over a 1000 hours just exploring and listening (it has gorgeous music too) and taking in the atmosphere of the world around me.

If we want to include action games like Zelda Breath of the Wild, then I need to add Genshin Impact to the list. Such an amazing world to explore, I often just sit down in front of my tv and PS5 during the weekend to just explore the world. It has now become my 2nd favourite game ever after FFXIV, which I had never expected.

Click to shrink...

Genshin Impact probably is in the top tier of this at this point

Click to shrink...

Oh, guess I'm not the first suggesting Genshin.