ways to make JRPGs harder?

[Vic]

what are some ways to make JRPGs harder? so far I know of:

low level runs
solo runs

anything else?

 

[Ash]

what are some ways to make JRPGs harder? so far I know of:

low level runs
solo runs

anything else?

gay, and gay.

Rom hacks are the answer of course. Low level runs remove the joys of character progression, build choices and build strategy. Among other things, like outright removing combat from the game because you have to always run away like a pussy. Sure it results in a different kind of game, but an objectively lame one. Solo runs have similar problems. Rom hacks provide an increase in difficulty while retaining that good stuff; retaining the actual intended game. And the good ones are of course intelligently and meticulously designed, just as a game designer would, not some arbitrary rule the player comes up with because they have fuck all options.

FF9 Unleashed or Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Hardtype would be two examples of decent JRPG difficulty romhacks. Self-imposed faggot player rules can never substitute genuine game design.

 

[Jaedar]

Play Jrpgs designed with difficulty, or difficulty settings in mind.

 

[Falksi]

Most great JRPGs are designed so that if you play them naturally, with no focus on grinding, then they offer a challenge.

For example, Phantasy Star 4 isn't a hard game, but you've got to be on your toes every round for fights like the one against Lashiec. It's designed so that you have to make the right choices, or you get killed.

Ones which don't do this are rarely worth the playtime. They're essentially kids story-games.

 

[Falksi]

I'd also suggest that if you're after a JRPG with a challenge to enjoy, then you try Warsong on the SEGA Megadrive. The AI is exploitable, but the game balance still means you have to be on your toes. It walks that nice line of challenging but very beatable too and is not annoying/skanky either.

 

[Vic]

I'd also suggest that if you're after a JRPG with a challenge to enjoy, then you try Warsong on the SEGA Megadrive. The AI is exploitable, but the game balance still means you have to be on your toes. It walks that nice line of challenging but very beatable too and is not annoying/skanky either.

I'd just like to say that I don't have issues with tactical games (fire emblem) or dungeon crawlers (etrian odyssey) as they do have difficulty settings or provide an inherent challenge. I was more talking about traditional, turn-based JRPGs like FF6... should I just run from all encounters in games like FF6? Or should I cut out my exploration and just do the main quest, fighting encounters along the way?

 

[Hobo Elf]

In the case of FF6 you are pretty much out of luck. It just wasn't made to be a challenging game.

 

[flyingjohn]

should I just run from all encounters in games like FF6?

You should run away from FF6 if you want challenge.

 

[Falksi]

I'd also suggest that if you're after a JRPG with a challenge to enjoy, then you try Warsong on the SEGA Megadrive. The AI is exploitable, but the game balance still means you have to be on your toes. It walks that nice line of challenging but very beatable too and is not annoying/skanky either.

I'd just like to say that I don't have issues with tactical games (fire emblem) or dungeon crawlers (etrian odyssey) as they do have difficulty settings or provide an inherent challenge. I was more talking about traditional, turn-based JRPGs like FF6... should I just run from all encounters in games like FF6? Or should I cut out my exploration and just do the main quest, fighting encounters along the way?

Yeah, as others of said, FF6 is just way too easy with its combat. It's one of the reason's I only see it as an average game, because things like Edgars tools just break the game when it comes to the challenge.

If you want traditional turn-based games in that ilk with more of a challenge, play Phantasy Star instead. 2 in its original form has a very nice challenge to get your teeth into in particular (although it is a bit grind heavy). 3 & 4 aren't remotely hard, but they give you far more to worry about than FF6.

 

[Tweed]

Trying playing them with your feet instead of your hands.

 

[perfectslumbers]

Challenge yourself to program a simple ai that can beat the JRPG. Should be doable with all the turn based Final Fantasies at the very least.

 

[samuraigaiden]

Minimalist run. Keep your inventory as empty as possible. Never equip anything, just sell all the items you get.

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

If a game has a CTB-esque turn based combat like Final Fantasy X, the Trails series, or Monochrome Mobius, then the enemies having a high amount of speed certainly gives a challenge, though it's boring if you're just facing a single boss enemy who is going really fast rather than multiple enemies.

 

[FriendlyMerchant]

Jrpgs are supposed to be easy. They're made for children.

 

[d1r]

Use unconvential skills/weapons and don't grind.

I for example finishd SMT4 with the main character just using a melee weapon and investing all points into the almost completely useless STR attribute. Was a great experience tbh.

 

[Ash]

In the case of FF6 you are pretty much out of luck. It just wasn't made to be a challenging game.\

Nah. First of all, FF6 EvilType

Second I take issue with the statement that it is or was not made to be challenging. Absolutely, it's not hardcore at all, but as I've said before, it requires more thought than the average JRPG (e.g compare to its cousin, Chrono Trigger).

It has:

-Optional challenging encounters, like the 14 or whatever dragons, ultima weapon, kefka's tower, doom gaze, attempting to save shadow at the mid-way point racing against the clock while fighting off random battles w/ relatively tough enemies and so on.
-There are no objective markers, combined with an open world and semi-frequent non-linear dungeon design. Navigation challenge is undervalued in gaming, but note here in combination with random encounters it actually makes the game harder if you suck w/ navigation (more steps = more battles).
-Continuing from that: there can be an even greater level of difficulty with dumb play; if you suck. It's easy if you pay attention e.g a party consisting of Umaro, Relm, Setzer and Mog is going to suck more than others. If you build your characters like an idiot/don't pay attention to equip and level up stat bonuses, the game can be harder. If you don't grind at all, it's gonna be harder. There is room for failure.
-There are frequent puzzles elements. Again, this is not hardcore, but they are designed to provide challenge, there isn't an absence of challenge in FF6. Not at all.

As always, pick a 90s Final Fantasy game and it's unfortunately not hardcore quite like it could or arguably should be, yet it offers notably more interesting gameplay and quantity of challenges than the average JRPG regardless. Romhacks, specific ones not just any, complete them.

 

[Arthandas]

Play Jrpgs designed with difficulty

There's no such thing, all jrpgs are piss easy. There are very few exceptions.

 

[quixotic]

Speaking of Shin Megami Tensei, no fusion runs can be really fun.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Trying playing them with your feet instead of your hands.

I was gonna say play them one-handed. Wink wink!

Spoiler

 

[POOPERSCOOPER]

JRPGs are hard to play in general because they are so fucking gay. Except like Earthbound.

 

[Hobo Elf]

In the case of FF6 you are pretty much out of luck. It just wasn't made to be a challenging game.\

Nah. First of all, FF6 EvilType

Second I take issue with the statement that it is or was not made to be challenging. Absolutely, it's not hardcore at all, but as I've said before, it requires more thought than the average JRPG (e.g compare to its cousin, Chrono Trigger).

It has:

-Optional challenging encounters, like the 14 or whatever dragons, ultima weapon, kefka's tower, doom gaze, attempting to save shadow at the mid-way point racing against the clock while fighting off random battles w/ relatively tough enemies and so on.
-There are no objective markers, combined with an open world and semi-frequent non-linear dungeon design. Navigation challenge is undervalued in gaming, but note here in combination with random encounters it actually makes the game harder if you suck w/ navigation (more steps = more battles).
-Continuing from that: there can be an even greater level of difficulty with dumb play; if you suck. It's easy if you pay attention e.g a party consisting of Umaro, Relm, Setzer and Mog is going to suck more than others. If you build your characters like an idiot/don't pay attention to equip and level up stat bonuses, the game can be harder. If you don't grind at all, it's gonna be harder. There is room for failure.
-There are frequent puzzles elements. Again, this is not hardcore, but they are designed to provide challenge, there isn't an absence of challenge in FF6. Not at all.

As always, pick a 90s Final Fantasy game and it's unfortunately not hardcore quite like it could or arguably should be, yet it offers notably more interesting gameplay and quantity of challenges than the average JRPG regardless. Romhacks, specific ones not just any, complete them.

FF6 in its true vanilla form is easy. You're really over playing how much min-maxing the game needs (which is none) in order to succeed. Just equip the best stuff that you can buy/find and use your most damaging spells since the game rarely even takes any resistances into account. Status effects are also pointless in a FF game since making a combat system that requires their use would mean making it too mechanically demanding for its intended target audience. It's true that some characters are worse than others but since the difficulty ceiling for the game is already extremely low it ends up not mattering too much. The optional boss fights that you mention in FF6 are basically almost as challenging as some of the harder story related boss fights in a Shin Megami Tensei or even FOEs in an Etrian Odyssey game.

 

[Konjad]

what are some ways to make JRPGs harder?

More HP

 

[FriendlyMerchant]

Challenge yourself to program a simple ai that can beat the JRPG. Should be doable with all the turn based Final Fantasies at the very least.

That's easy! Hold forward button outside of combat. Then hold down the select action button in combat.

 

[Falksi]

Second I take issue with the statement that it is or was not made to be challenging. Absolutely, it's not hardcore at all, but as I've said before, it requires more thought than the average JRPG (e.g compare to its cousin, Chrono Trigger).

Tbf mate, breathing requires more thought than Chrono Trigger.

 

[mushaden]

walk up behind a horse and tie your shoe

 

[e-mailio estevez]

Not equipping new armor, sometimes weapons has worked for me in the past. Shadow Hearts 2 was actually challenging for a change last time I started it- I ran from most random encounters and made sure all of my equipment was 2-3 'tiers' behind where the game expected me to be.

In other cases, if the game's itemization is decent sometimes 'throwing away' the first turn in random encounters works, too. Had a lot of fun doing this in DQV on the PS2- on the first turn I would have every party member use an item in their inventory that didn't do anything, giving the enemy party the initial turn. Made each combat encounter feel pretty lethal. I would also limit my out of combat actions between random encounters- no healing myself to full in-between fights, I would limit healing to 1 or 2 spells or actions, etc.