JRPGs, also known as Japanese role-playing games, are one of the most influential types of video games. They tend to have a strong narrative and playstyle which has greatly influenced many video games not just in Japan, but overseas as well.
One of the biggest examples of this is “Pokémon,” which is one of the most popular video game franchises in modern history. The original games that had revolved around collecting and battling with the titular creatures saw a great amount of success and had inspired a wide array of games and franchises such as “Yokai-Watch which was another highly popular game from Japan which is highly like “Pokémon,” as it revolves around creatures from Japanese folklore.
“Undertale,” created by Toby Fox is one of the most popular and successful indie games from the modern gaming scene, and it too is deeply rooted in and heavily inspired by JRPGs. “Earthbound,” also known as “Mother,” “Touhou Project,” and “Shin Megami Tensei,” are all heavily influential JRPGs that inspired Toby Fox on a lot of the game’s mechanics, such as the bullet hell gameplay that “Undertale,” shares with “Touhou Project,” for example. Even more niche and unique games such as “Yume Nikki,” are heavy inspirations that could be seen within “Undertale.” “Stardew Valley,” another heavily popular video game about farming can also find its roots within JRPGs, as much of its graphics and gameplay is deeply rooted within various aspects of the genre itself, with the main inspiration being a game series called “Harvest Moon.”
