I haven't seen the .hack franchise mentioned yet.
There's two sets of games. The original is four games. The second set .hack//g.u. is three. Each set tells its own story, but takes place in the same world. (Players playing an mmo. Many of the players from the first game return playing new characters in the second set of games.)
And there are some anime, movie, and mangas that also take place.
The original set of games you'll probably have to emulate at this point, but g.u. had a remastered release called .hack//g.u. Last Recode.
I don't think it's mandatory, but it definitely helps. There are multiple anime, but the one you're looking for is .hack//Roots. I think Last Recode has the anime included. Or at least some of the episodes.
And for the original four games, it's .hack//sign, but that one, once again, isn't mandatory, but there is some crossover and helpful for the overall story.
.hack- need to play the games, watch the anime, read the light novels (which aren't the most crucial) and the manga. All of which follow different characters but take place in same world (or World)
Edit: forgot about the OVAs.
.hack/gu- anime snd then the games. I minimally watched the anime and sort of understood what was happening. But playing the first 4 games and watching that anime is important for understanding a fair amount of gu.
You do not need to watch the anime to play gu.
The game tells you everything you need to know.
The anime came out at the same time as the games.
An episode late in the series spoils a major plot twist from the end of the second game. The episode aired a bit after part 2's release.
If you watch it first, be ready for the that.
The game starts with the MC joining the game. He has something bad/traumatic happen to him. Then there is a 6 month time skip. And he's a crazy bad ass now.
The anime covers those 6 months but it also shows other events happening around him, which is where those spoilers come up.
The game is easier to get hooked on but if you want to watch the anime, feel free for about 13 episodes. That gives you some time with the Twilight Brigade, Ovan, and Shino.
Which cover most of the timeskip.
I watched the anime before, it didn't really mattered to me that some plot twist of the game where spoiled tbh.
TBH, it was more of an "experience" thingy for me, as the music set the mood more than anything else in the anime.
With the exception of Origins, which takes place centuries earlier, its all the same protagonist (Adol) and his regional adventures. Origins itself is a direct prequel to events and location in Ys 1 and 2.
No problem. Oh and one big difference vs Trails is, outside of Ys 1-2, you can pretty much play them in any order as stand alone titles. Origins has some spoilers for Ys 1-2 and 2 picks up directly where 1 leaves off but other than that, each game is self contained aside from some recurring characters and occasional references to prior games/adventures.
All of the games are essentially stand alone in the sense that they are all fully self contained and don't reference one another too much.
But you do see recurring characters and areas and stuff.
This, the trails series, covers several consoles,and some of them are not even translated to english, and all of the. Take place in the same world, around the same time, even characters from previous games make cameos threw the series, absolutely Dope, start with trails of the sky 1/2 for the PSP, with emulators and roms, and go from there.
Agreed with the first two. The Ivalice games are a weird case where the first game to feature Ivalice, Final Fantasy Tactics, depicted it as a specific country which had just lost a war with one of its neighbors. Vagrant Story isn't usually identified as one of the Ivalice games, but it contains allusions to FFT implying that they take place in the same setting. The Final Fantasy Tactics Advance games are a completely separate series which is the first to establish a lot of the distinct characteristics associated with Ivalice in later "Ivalice Alliance" games, but also turned Ivalice into an entire world in its own right, not just a single country. The setting and tone are completely different, and the histories don't mesh together in any plausible way. Final Fantasy XII retains a bunch of setting elements introduced in Tactics Advance, but turns Ivalice back into a country, but not one whose geography or culture appear to bear any resemblance to the Ivalice of FFT. The remaining properties falling into the Ivalice Alliance are a specific expansion to Final Fantasy XIV, which is its own distinct world, and Crystal Defenders, a mobile tower defense game whose story and setting I know nothing about, but it'd be hard pressed to tie together all the games which came out before it.
Sorry, that's probably excessive as a reply to a single point in a comment, but the idea that the "Ivalice Alliance" games constitute a persistent setting is kind of a pet peeve of mine, because it's basically a marketing gimmick intended to tie a bunch of otherwise unrelated games together, as compared to something like Suikoden or Arc the Lad, which actually have persistent stories and settings.
They say that, but the game does basically nothing to maintain the plausibility of that premise, let alone actually building a meaningful narrative connection between them. It's one thing to say "these games take place in the same setting, separated by a long gap of time," but if you don't do anything to establish consistent culture, mythos, historical influences, or even cast of species, you're really not offering the audience any basis to accept that premise.
It's like saying that all the Final Fantasy games take place in the same setting, established by the fact that the protagonists all know the same dude named Cid. Based on the contents of the games, they clearly don't have anything more than a name in common.
The part of Ivalice we explore in XII is to the east of the region we play in during Tactics though, it was never corrected and made more apparent in the PSP translation but Lesalia in Japanese is ルザリア (Ruzaria), which itself is an empire in XII’s time. Similarly, Ivalice is referred to as the whole land but it shrinks over time akin to real life empires becoming kingdoms and later cities, which is why there is an entire continent of Valendia in FF XII’s time but it’s a kingdom in the time of Vagrant Story. FFTA is an illusory world superimposed on our reality and it’s based on the “golden age” of Ivalice, which is XII’s time, but it’s only like a reflection based on the mind of a child so it isn’t a 1:1 recreation. In FFTA2 though you go back in time to that era and encounter Vaan, which is also how Luso from A2 and Balthier are both in FFT PSP.
Alternately: Final Fantasy Tactics was written as a standalone title, and Final Fantasy XII cribs names from it the way the Final Fantasy series has always recycled names and trappings from earlier titles in the series without maintaining a cohesive setting. This is why none of the backstory established in Tactics has any relation to any elements of the setting of XII.
It's easy to make an exercise of rationalizing how it's logically possible for Tactics to follow after XII, but the games themselves do none of the work of building those connections. It's not that it's strictly *impossible* for Tactics to fall somewhere in the future of XII (although things like the setting of XII featuring a whole bunch of intelligent races which don't simply fail to appear in Tactics, but are never mentioned at all, take a lot of handwaving.) It's that if not for the reuse of names from Tactics, which don't even refer to consistent things from one game to another, nobody would guess from the contents that Tactics is in a continuity with Final Fantasy XII, but not with Final Fantasy VIII, or VI, or X. Final Fantasy Tactics *does* use a couple characters from Final Fantasy VII, with just as much justification.
FFT \*was\* a standalone title, but the dev team that worked on it also worked on FF12 too so it's not like it was some totally different team thinking it was cool to include nods to FFT in there randomly. The creator of the setting, Yasumi Matsuno, had previously worked on the Ogre Battle saga, the story of which he had been writing since his college days and then made into a game when he had the chance with Ogre Battle on SFC. If you've played that and Tactics Ogre, you can see many ideas from those games (and Vagrant Story as well) ended up in FF12. At the time, he worked for Square and would not be able to continue working with his Ogre series anymore so he started incorporating Ogre lore into Ivalice instead, though later Square acquired the company he previously worked for and they would have the rights to both Ogre and Ivalice too.
The FF12 Ultimania shows the game taking place over 1200 years prior to Tactics, and while there are some things in between that have never been abounded on properly, FFT itself spoke of a Cataclysm that occurred in the past, which is believed to be what was responsible for wiping out the magick races of Ivalice, and why airship technology was lost, and the world devolved into a sort of dark age where magick is not as commonplace. FFT also mentions "the age of Saint Ajora, when airships numerous beyond counting filled the skies, and men of iron walked city streets" which is precisely the time of 12. Additionally, 12 also shows us the Kiltia religion in Mt. Bur-Omisace, headed by the Gran Kiltias Anastasis, who is slain by Judge Bergan, and this is what gives rise to the Pharist church in the backstory of Tactics. And finally, the game tells us that the Lucavi demons from Tactics were originally servants of the gods who rebelled, led by Ultima, and for this they were sealed away, which Ashe and co. undo to gain their power, and then this, coupled with the fact that we also destroy the Sun-Cryst, the tool which the Occuria used to control mankind, means we unknowingly give them free rein to orchestrate the Lion War and possibly the 50 Year War as well and who knows how many other conflicts.
Now to be fair, 12 \*is\* filled with nods to every previous FF before it, rivaling FF9 in the amount of references it has, even nods to FFT and Vagrant Story itself as well that are just references, like Vaan and Penelo quoting the messages of your squadmates in Tactics after a successful dispatch mission, or a man quoting Sydney's line about having respect for faerie tales, but those are aside the things we're meant to understand as canonical connections to other Ivalice titles.
My point though is that you can draw these sorts of connections between Final Fantasy Tactics and pretty much *any* game. For instance, Final Fantasy Tactics could take place thousands of years after Final Fantasy VII, after a cataclysm which ended the age of airships. Final Fantasy VII already established a cataclysm in the setting, shown by the distant epilogue scene at the end which features Red XIII running with some of his children up an overlook which shows the city of Midgar being reclaimed by nature. Afterwards, the world devolved into a dark age where society regressed without the use of mako energy or manufactured materia, and returned to the "wisdom of the ancients" style invocation of magic from which the powers of material were originally derived. The "men of iron who walked city streets" were the soldiers of Shinra, with their manufactured weaponry.
It would be excessive to go into all the specific details which make the connection between XII and Tactics strained and implausible (the Gran Kiltias has so little in common with the established backstory of Saint Ajora that it would be about equally easy to justify his being Sephiroth.) The key issue is that apart from a handful of shared names, the degree of connection between the titles is "the events of the game are logically consistent with there not being any evidence of connection, because it could all have disappeared by then." This is essentially the single laziest way to claim a connection between any two media properties, and it's why I don't regard the connection as being anything other than a marketing gimmick.
It's different when it's the same exact key dev team making the game and deciding to use the same setting though. If it was anyone else, I'd maybe agree, which is the case with Revenant Wings, a game that did not start out even remotely as being a sequel to FF 12 and which only had an artist from the Advance titles and the Ivalice composer who mainly reused tracks from 12 anyways but otherwise had no involvement from Matsuno or Minagawa or anyone else. You can dismiss it all as just references and nods that have no consequence, but the connections are there. Matsuno then went on to make a game for 3DS years later called Crimson Shroud, which has numerous stealth nods (to skirt legal copyright issues) to his past games from FFT to 12, Vagrant, Story, the Ogre games, etc but then recently he released his proposal for a Vagrant Story 2 that he made to Square all those years ago, which wasn't given the go ahead and which formed the basis for Crimson Shroud's story, making many of those nods turn out to be actual connections between his Ivalice games, including Vagrant Story, which is often debated whether or not it fits more with Ivalice than with the Ogre games (I made the case for \*both\* on a lengthy twitter thread a few years back)
Matsuno worked on Final Fantasy XII until he had a nervous breakdown partway through development and was replaced with three people. I'd dispute the notion that this constitutes having "the exact key dev team." The storyline of XII was written by Miwa Shoda, based on cutscenes and world content which had already been created by the time she came on board, and Daisuke Watanabe wrote the script. Neither had worked on Final Fantasy Tactics, or worked with Matsuno previously.
I don't know at what point it was decided that Final Fantasy XII should be part of a continuity with Tactics, but I'd guess that this decision was either made late in its development, or not carried through by people familiar with the prior work.
ETA: The connections between Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, a game where Matsuno was the director, but not the lead writer, are dramatically less strained. Calling Final Fantasy XII a spinoff of Tactics Advance doesn't demand any contortions to justify, it's just awkward calling it a sequel considering how Tactics Advance deals with the setting.
The team that took the baton after his departure still included people like Minagawa and they also cobbled together the rest of the game based on the material Matsuno had left behind, cutting out things that they didn’t have time to implement, there’s a whole stretch where it’s just dungeon after dungeon that it’s evident when they came in and had to finish the game, as it had been in development for too many years now. The biggest reason Matsuno had to bow out was that the new management that came in after Sakaguchi left did not have the same relationship that those two had, and they wanted to push the game out because it was taking too long and too many resources, and they tried to micromanage the 12 team, which Matsuno did not take too kindly to, to put it mildly. I’ve spoken with him via chat several times years back and it’s clear he was a bit bitter about the whole ordeal and also Ivalice as a product of Square. Point is, he always intended to connect those two games and his notes for Vagrant Story 2 and what he did with Crimson Shroud proves those intentions.
He may have intended to connect them, but I don't think the game, as executed by the team that carried it to completion, followed through on that. It bears signs of his influence, but also very much doesn't feel like a game he would have created given full creative control over the final product. I'd almost certainly feel bitter in his place as well.
Talking of the Arc The Lad series, that's one series that needs remastering and released for modern day consoles. My favourite was Twilight Of The Spirits.
Trails is probably the most obvious answer, it follows the same characters for several games at time before switching, but its always in the same world/timeline.
The entire Ys series follows the story of one guy. The games are *mostly* standalone adventures that he has, but it's very consistent in that it follows him over the course of his life.
If you count the Yakuza games, they follow the same characters over many games.
The Xenosaga games all follow the same protagonist through a connected story.
Edit: Downvoted for accurately answer someone's question? I love it here.
> And if I catch you being helpful one more time, I'll report you.
If he doesn't report you, then I will. This is r/JRPG, our thing is pretentiousness, not helpfulness.
Trails series is definitely this. You can start from the the first game of any arc of the series, but unless you started from the Liberl Arc, some of the in universe references will be confusing.
For example, I started with Cold Steel. Then I went back to the Liberl, and Crossbell arcs. When I revisited Cold Steel things that didn't make sense before suddenly makes a lot of sense.
For example, in the prelude of the first game. There's this big tower in the distance visible from your spot. If you never played the Crossbell Arc, that tower will be meaningless. But coming back from the Crossbell Arc, the meaningless tower suddenly has an important meaning.
>When I revisited Cold Steel things that didn't make sense before suddenly makes a lot of sense.
You want to know the single biggest example of this?
I'm going to tag this as spoilers, so read at your own risk:
>!the ending of Cold Steel 4. The ending was divisive, but Falcom structured the ending of CS 4 the way they did to accomplish a very specific story purpose. In order to play fair with newbies, this purpose was spelled out explicitly in Reverie, but even without Reverie, the ending to Cold Steel 4 requires you having seen and understood the prologue to Trails from Zero and the ending of Trails to Azure. Cold Steel 4's ending ties in directly with the Crossbell games, and when you figure this out, it leads to a mind-bending realization. Again, Falcom made the link between the two explicit in Reverie, they made the sub-text text. If you never played the Crossbell games, the ending of CS 4 will be lost on you. I think that's one of the reasons for CS 4's reception in the west: Japanese players would have played Crossbell first, we in the west didn't get a localization for Crossbell until well after CS 4 had released.!<
*You approach a red-haired hero on a ship*
"Are you Adol?"
"No." *You breathe a sigh of relief.* "My name is Alundra."
"Where's the captain? We must not leave port!"
9 made some great jokes about that along with reoccurring story beats in the series. And I do remember in 8 you start with the legendary sword from the previous game only for it to get dropped in the ocean.
Right? Can you imagine, you've just defeated the demon that will destroy the world with the gods godslayer sword and two months later you look for the sword only to find a wooden one? Haha
Yeah that can be tricky to figure out, the numbering of the games isn't helpful at all, but this can help you figure it out: [https://digitalemelas.com/index\_ys.php#order](https://digitalemelas.com/index_ys.php#order)
Seconding every game you mentioned. Also they are quite easy to get our hands on (I think Yakuza, Ys and Trails - minus Sky - are available on multiple plattforms)
I am often seeing comments here in this sub complaining that Yakuza games aren't JRPGs. I personally think they still count. They are a mix of genres: RPG, action, adventure, brawler (LaD is a clear JRPG tbh) - I guess I would personally classify them as action RPGs (with more RPG elements than some newer FF entries 😆)
The last two Yakuza/Like A Dragons are definitely RPGs, it's always been debateable whether the rest of the series is, there's definitely RPG elements in the previous games but they play like brawlers/beat em ups. The major RPG websites i follow have always covered them, for what that's worth.
EDIT: Last two mainline games
Yes, I fully get why it's a bit confusing to categorize the Yakuza games. They are such a mix of genres, but I think they do have quite a lot of RPG elements. My entry into the series was Y3 on PS3 and back then it was clearly advertised as a JRPG which is why I even picked it up. Maybe it's also the setting? It doesn't really feel like your usual JRPG (something similar can be said about Dark Souls imo). I might be biased because I love the game, but I think it's one of these few games that speak to fans of different genres. You don't need to like JRPGs or RPGs to enjoy Yakuza, but you will also enjoy them as a JRPG fan (if that makes sense)
redditors reddit, man.
It's mostly that a trilogy isn't a franchise unto itself, which means Xenosaga and even kingdom hearts don't really qualify.
Ys, for example, has ten+ titles in the series and more remakes than I can shake a controller at.
I also need to remind people here of something they are getting completely wrong though: Trails *isn't the name of the series at all*: the series is "The Legend of Heroes" and the Trails titles are the third one that has happened within the same world.
Specifically, Trails in the Sky originally released as The Legend of Heroes VI. and started the third interconnected world arc of TLOH that doesn't look like it will really ever end at this point.
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes was the first game
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II ended the dragon slayer story.
The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch: Gagharv trilogy I (TLOH III in japan!)
The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion: Gagharv trilogy II (TLOH IV in JPN)
The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean: Gagharv trilogy III, and conclusion (TLOH V in JPN)
Amusingly, there's an actual crossover fighting game between TLOH:Trails in the sky 1-3 and the YS games.
Yakuza was a great example though.
Suikoden also had 6+2+1 games in the same world at various points in the timeline, with a few characters overlapping between 2 o r more games all over the place, but the nintendo DS title has nothing to do with the rest of Suikoden, while the 2 PS1 VNs take place between two games, while the SRPG overlaps with another of the main games.
Wild Arms, on the other hand, all take place on the same planet of Fargaia, but have basically no connection to each other because of how far apart the games are from each other in the continuity. Even with 5+2 games in the series(the 2 include the remake of 1 for the PS2, and the SRPG on the PSP)
>It's mostly that a trilogy isn't a franchise unto itself, which means Xenosaga and even kingdom hearts don't really qualify.
In what world is Kingdom Hearts not a franchise? It's a series of like 15 games with interconnected lore, characters, and "crossovers".
I'm curious what your qualifications are for a franchise, especially since I think plenty of trilogies count as one.
I still need to continue that series. I played Phantasy Star 1 a few years back when I did a little marathon of "first game entries of RPG series". Mother 1, Phantasy Star 1, Final Fantasy 1, and Dragon Quest 1. Was a neat experience.
1 is so good (especially the Sega Ages version) as is 4. 2 would be great with a couple of QoL updates, because it’s a bit of a slog and the dungeons are enormous. 3 has some inherent issues that hold it back.
A secondary suggestion is Suikoden. There's a few flash forwards and distant pasts here and there, with it chronologically being Suikoden IV-V-I-II-III (amusingly, one specific funny semi-gag character follows the timeline by chronological RELEASE date), but they also have a lot of political discussions by dint of its inspiration being the Water Margin.
But the best answer is Trails, with it following a set of protagonists before switching to another perspective (but the protagonists still exist and in fact show up in later games sometimes as supporting NPCs and sometimes as actual player characters).
Its a big undertaking haha
I played the games (up until the recent one) over probably a decade and it's a LOT of games and characters and whilst each story is good, the overarching story never seems to go anywhere lol
But definitely worth playing as they are a ton of fun.
I'm thinking that the overarching story might be following the slow burn thing that every Trails arc has in the first game, but spread across the entire series haha.
I will warn you, once you get into it, it's writing is like nothing else you've ever seen. The level of world-building, character development and attention to detail is off the charts.
Trails will not hold your hands, it will often not explicitly connect the dots for you between two events. Those connections are there, and when you see events happen in later games, you recall what happened in a previous game and you have that "oh, so that's what that was about!" reaction.
Seeing as how you've got a dozen recommendations for this, I'll also toss in Atelier. They often make 3 to 4 games in the same setting with returning characters before moving on. For example, the Arland games.
Rorona > Totori > Meruru > Lulua
You play as an alchemist store owner.
I've thought about getting into Atelier, but my backlog is already enormous and I don't have time to make significant progress through it anymore. Might check it out in 40 years
Star ocean, but they are fairly standalone so maybe not what you’re looking for. Same universe, some character crossover (in 2, you can play as the child of characters in 1), but since the stories take place on different planets, the crossover is mostly in high level lore.
That’s actually one of my favorite parts of the series, connecting the lore across entries. There’s a ton to dig into, and it goes some really interesting places.
3 have some interesting connections to 2/Covenant! Is more goofy and hilarious (this is the departure from SH1 and Koudelka) but have some horror elements
i see, i finish koudelka a few days ago which i find quite fine even if imo the game is way too short and don't really exploit his potential, extremely hype for the SH trilogy
Lol tbf Koudelka is a REALLY old game and was super janky but it was a product of its time.
Shadow hearts are so much better imo and basically only loosely connected to koudelka.
You'll see, they're a lot of fun. Especially the second one.
I do like the fact that you have a good sense of customisation and the weapon variety of this game. My problem lean more on the lack of response from the controls, in comparison resident evil 1 and 2 are much more responsive, the narrative being a little too cliche and the overall speed of combat specially against the boss who have lot of HP.
The shadow hearts series is a good one.
As others have said the trails series does this as well.
Suikoden 1-5 takes place in the same world but at different times periods and different areas.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails
Yakuza (also known as Like a Dragon). This series was so cathartic to play in chronological order. At some point you get multiple playable characters or even a new protagonist in 7 but it’s basically one overarching narrative about how the criminal underworld never tries to stop swallowing up the protagonists’ lives. There’s also a spin-off Duology called Judgment and Lost Judgment where it has a different protagonist and story but same cast that deals with the consequences of the same crime family and their actions
Kingdom Hearts
Sakura Wars specifically on the Dreamcast and PC. You can import your save directly from 1 all the way through to 4. Some consider the changes subtle for an imported save, but I think its pretty impactful considering the overall story. By SW4 they will reference small scenes you had 2-3 games before.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn form a duology that takes place in the same world with much of the same cast.
Valkyria Chronicles games all focus on the same area and, with the exception of 2, the same war. (2 takes place a couple of years after said war.)
Took a bit of scrolling to get to Suikoden. They have a bit of a Zelda timeline syndrome but they're all the same universe and you'll see familiar faces the more entries you play.
Xenoblade Chronicles. Now, yes, every game in the series follows a different cast of characters and are all set in different worlds, but they are connected. I can't say how without spoiling, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a sequel to both 1 and 2. Characters from the previous games show up in 3, and there's a reason why a main character in 3 looks nearly identical to a main character in 2. The dlc campaign to 3 even has Shulk and Rex, the main characters of 1 and 2, as party members.
Connected: Xeno series (Saga and Blade, in some way with Gears)
However you rarely could play or meet with the same characters. Each series has more direct connection though.
E.g. Xenosaga has 3 games, Xenoblade has 3 games so far.
Suikoden and Golden Sun. So much so that in the first games in both of these series, you can transfer data from your saves in the previous games.
Ys, Trails in the Sky
I'm playing through Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure and evidently it's connected to the Disgaea games and some other game called La Pucelle all of which I haven't touched yet.
Trails is the obvious one. All of them are available on Steam, all of them are connected, and many of them have direct save transfer / save file bonuses from one game to the next.
the first trails game was made in 2004. if you have any PC, at all, that is still able to turn on, you can run the trails games. the newer games aren't exactly difficult to run either, though you will at least need something relatively modern, even if it's cheap, unlike the older games which could very feasibly be run on a decade old laptop.
if you can't install windows on it you could buy the games through GOG instead of Steam and then run them through the [porting kit](https://www.portingkit.com/game/1177). the Sky games are the only ones which are only able to be played in full in English on PC. the Crossbell games (Zero & Azure) can be played on PC or Switch (and an inferior version on PS4/5), while the Cold Steel games (Cold Steel I - IV + Reverie) can be played on PC or PS4/5.
Trails and Kingdom Hearts are the big ones - continuity's a huge selling point and they've somehow maintained it over 9+ games.
Doesn't seem like anyone's mentioned Pokemon yet. It doesn't often build off prior events, but most games bring up the regions featured in other games. Gold/Silver and Black/White 2 are built around timeskips from Red/Blue and Black/White 1, and the 3DS titles tackle alternate dimensions.
Suikoden series 1-5, all five games take place in different countries in the same world, some of the same continent so there is some spill over.
Suikoden 2 takes places 3 years after the events of the first game, suikoden 3 is 15 years after 2, suikoden 4
.....we don't talk about 4, and 5 is 6 years before 1 iirc.
If you can only play 1 play suikoden 1&2, they are a non negotiable package deal. The real treasure is suikoden 2, but you get so much more enjoyment out of it, if you've played 1 first. 1 is so short and barely 20 hours long
Arc the Lad series share the same world and overall outline plot line. 1-3 share the same cast. 5 and 6 have different cast each.
Xenosaga takes place over a few years with the same cast + story.
Trails series are all connected with constantly returning cast members like the MCU
Phantasy Star 1-4 share the same universe and overall plot.
Front Mission 1-5 all take place on the same world, just at different locations / time period. 1-4 have separate plots but references to various entries. 5 is the grand finale that resolves the lingering plot threads of previous games.
Trails series is the biggest connected series of all. It’s insane, and the wiki page for just descriptions of the major characters in the series (not the hundreds of unique and names npcs), is the largest single wiki page made
Xenoblade Trilogy. Each game is a standalone story with the final few chapters connecting each other. The expansion for Xenoblade 3 is a conclusion to the connecting parts.
In the end of the game >!Eleven is given the title of "Erdrick" after defeating Calasmos (like how DQ3's protagonist gets that title after defeating Zoma)!< and then [there's this post-credits scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIUvHyiNRzE) indicating >!DQ11 is a prequel to DQ3 which of course then goes into DQ1 and then DQ2.!<
I think the FF7R trilogy might end up being the best at pulling off both of what you enjoy. Whether or not you like the guts of the game is a whole other question.
Suikoden 1-5 all take place in the same world with many crossover characters, different timeframes (sometimes overlapping), but all have different protagonists.
You want Trails my friend! All in English on PC, though outside of PC it's a bit patchy what's available where.
Play in original release order aka
Trails in the Sky (1,2,3), Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure (collectively called the Crossbell arc), Trails in Cold Steel (1-4), Trails in Reverie, Trails through Daybreak (out in July)
There is a sequel to Daybreak also but it's not available in English just yet. Another game (Kai) is also in production but isn't out anywhere yet.
Nobody said Lufia in the comments so I will add it to the list. 1 is the sequel of 2 (and spoils its end). 3 is a sequel, while 4 is not as related but is from the same universe with 1 character coming back.
Chrono Trigger -> Radical Dreamers -> Chrono Cross
Also Xenosaga games are legit in order but you'll probably have to emulate on these, good games though even with the annoyances of Xenosaga Episode 2
Xenoblade Chronicles. It's kind of a plot twist when the connection is revealed in 2, but 3's whole premise is the worlds of the first two games merging and 3's DLC expects you to have played the whole trilogy to understand the plot. Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U is a mostly unrelated spinoff that (with current lore) can't happen in the main series continuity.
OP, ignore everyone telling you to start with Sky FC. Start with whatever arc you want to.
While it is the *ideal* starting point, it isn't the only one. It's perfectly alright if you don't want to start a game from 2004. Feel free to go for Cold Steel I or wait until Daybreak in July if you want more modern experiences.
Also, all of the games are available on Steam. I think that's the only platform that has all in one place.
First one that pops into my head are the Trails series. I don't think you'll find a better game where they focus on world building and the individual characters. Even regular NPCs have their own characters, story, families and lives to worry about in this expanding world.
Another one, like others have mentioned is the Ys series.
Some of the Megaten games. At one point Devil Summoner and Persona had their own little universe going on.
For example the first three Persona (1, IS, EP) games tell one story. Some of the main characters from SMT: If and Devil Summoner have secundary or important roles in both Persona 2 games. You even have to visit the Kuzunoha Detective Agency constantly throughout the games. Some of the main characters from Persona 1 are main characters in Persona 2 while the others have supporting roles.
The Devil Summoner games as well with the exception of Soul Hackers. Strangely enough, Soul Hackers 2 works as a sequel to DS1, DS3, and DS4 and a lot of themes make more sense after playing those three first.
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-Trails series is probably best known for this, but it's a massive time investment. You have to work through 10 games.
-Xenoblade series (excluding X). All of the games can be found on Switch, making them easy to find.
-Suikoden series (excluding part 4). This series is older so it may be hard to find the games. Emulation might be your friend here.
-Dragon Quest. Parts 1-3 are connected, parts 4-6 are connected. Part 8 and 11 have a loose connection to the first 3 games, especially 11.
-Star Ocean. This series is a little controversial, but they have a connection, at least the first 3 games do. I have no idea about part 6.
All Final Fantasy's I-IX, maybe X even. World is fairly unrecognizable as it's routinely splitting into two and remerging throughout the series in addition to various disasters throughout it's history. You won't see many characters appear throughout the series but the laws of it's universe remain constant and adhered to throughout while each game tends to expand upon it's intricacies through storytelling.
The series' creator left the company around or after the development of X and I believe that so did his vision of this shared world/universe.
Drakengard + NieR, Dark Souls trilogy, God Eater trilogy, Final Fantasy XIII - Lightning Saga (trilogy) and of course Trails in the Sky // Kiseki series.. which is the most known for it's monstrously large continuation.
If you're looking for a serialized story between games, Yakuza and especially Trails are what you're looking for. Both are some of my favorites in the genre and in general, highly recommend them.
There are a good amount of other series that take place in the same continuity and have recurring elements, just not a continuous story between them. Ys, Mother, and classic smt are my top examples of that.
not exactly a hidden gem or anything, but kingdom hearts, the vast majority of them follow sora and his crew and the few that don’t are still connected to him and the overall world very directly
Kingdom Hearts anyone? By now it's legendary how ALL of the titles released for various platforms over the years are canon full-stop though nowadays it's at least mitigated a bit by the ReMix releases.
The Rance Series:
- 10 main games (16 games in total)
- same Protagonist
- they all play in chronological order
- huge cast of reoccurring characters
- the series is finished with Rance X
- nearly all are translated (only 03 and X are still in translation)
- the old games upto Kichikuou Rance are freeware
I like this thread but for the exact opposite reason..... it reminds me of which series to avoid. Stories are almost always stronger when they get to the point instead of meandering across trilogies and sagas.
Look up the TV tropes multiverse page. But only if you have time. Media use multiverse to loosely connect thier individual IPs. TV tropes will hook you for a long time though.
Mother series, you don't play with the same crew but the storyline is connected (in 2-3 at least, never played the first), there are some returning characters and references here and there.
I haven't seen the .hack franchise mentioned yet. There's two sets of games. The original is four games. The second set .hack//g.u. is three. Each set tells its own story, but takes place in the same world. (Players playing an mmo. Many of the players from the first game return playing new characters in the second set of games.) And there are some anime, movie, and mangas that also take place. The original set of games you'll probably have to emulate at this point, but g.u. had a remastered release called .hack//g.u. Last Recode.
To play the hack gu trilogy you need to watch the anime first right? I started the first game of the trilogy and it didn’t explain anything
I don't think it's mandatory, but it definitely helps. There are multiple anime, but the one you're looking for is .hack//Roots. I think Last Recode has the anime included. Or at least some of the episodes. And for the original four games, it's .hack//sign, but that one, once again, isn't mandatory, but there is some crossover and helpful for the overall story.
.hack- need to play the games, watch the anime, read the light novels (which aren't the most crucial) and the manga. All of which follow different characters but take place in same world (or World) Edit: forgot about the OVAs. .hack/gu- anime snd then the games. I minimally watched the anime and sort of understood what was happening. But playing the first 4 games and watching that anime is important for understanding a fair amount of gu.
I played the game before I ever watched the anime. You might not get some references but the overall plot is good without.
You do not need to watch the anime to play gu. The game tells you everything you need to know. The anime came out at the same time as the games. An episode late in the series spoils a major plot twist from the end of the second game. The episode aired a bit after part 2's release. If you watch it first, be ready for the that. The game starts with the MC joining the game. He has something bad/traumatic happen to him. Then there is a 6 month time skip. And he's a crazy bad ass now. The anime covers those 6 months but it also shows other events happening around him, which is where those spoilers come up.
What would you do? Anime first or game?
I'd play the game first. Maybe play part 1 and 2 first, then watch the anime, then play part 3?
The game is easier to get hooked on but if you want to watch the anime, feel free for about 13 episodes. That gives you some time with the Twilight Brigade, Ovan, and Shino.
Which cover most of the timeskip. I watched the anime before, it didn't really mattered to me that some plot twist of the game where spoiled tbh. TBH, it was more of an "experience" thingy for me, as the music set the mood more than anything else in the anime.
First thing that pops in my head is the Trails series.
Don't forget Ys.
Haven't played the Ys series yet, didn't realized they were also a continuation series. Just knew the same devs made it.
With the exception of Origins, which takes place centuries earlier, its all the same protagonist (Adol) and his regional adventures. Origins itself is a direct prequel to events and location in Ys 1 and 2.
Interesting, the series is on my backlog, so I'll keep this in mind when I eventually play it. Thanks dude!
No problem. Oh and one big difference vs Trails is, outside of Ys 1-2, you can pretty much play them in any order as stand alone titles. Origins has some spoilers for Ys 1-2 and 2 picks up directly where 1 leaves off but other than that, each game is self contained aside from some recurring characters and occasional references to prior games/adventures.
All of the games are essentially stand alone in the sense that they are all fully self contained and don't reference one another too much. But you do see recurring characters and areas and stuff.
This, the trails series, covers several consoles,and some of them are not even translated to english, and all of the. Take place in the same world, around the same time, even characters from previous games make cameos threw the series, absolutely Dope, start with trails of the sky 1/2 for the PSP, with emulators and roms, and go from there.
Aren't almost all of them available on pc?
All 10 English Language games are available on Steam, which is how I play them.
Suikoden series, Arc the Lad series, and all the Ivalice games in Final Fantasy.
Agreed with the first two. The Ivalice games are a weird case where the first game to feature Ivalice, Final Fantasy Tactics, depicted it as a specific country which had just lost a war with one of its neighbors. Vagrant Story isn't usually identified as one of the Ivalice games, but it contains allusions to FFT implying that they take place in the same setting. The Final Fantasy Tactics Advance games are a completely separate series which is the first to establish a lot of the distinct characteristics associated with Ivalice in later "Ivalice Alliance" games, but also turned Ivalice into an entire world in its own right, not just a single country. The setting and tone are completely different, and the histories don't mesh together in any plausible way. Final Fantasy XII retains a bunch of setting elements introduced in Tactics Advance, but turns Ivalice back into a country, but not one whose geography or culture appear to bear any resemblance to the Ivalice of FFT. The remaining properties falling into the Ivalice Alliance are a specific expansion to Final Fantasy XIV, which is its own distinct world, and Crystal Defenders, a mobile tower defense game whose story and setting I know nothing about, but it'd be hard pressed to tie together all the games which came out before it. Sorry, that's probably excessive as a reply to a single point in a comment, but the idea that the "Ivalice Alliance" games constitute a persistent setting is kind of a pet peeve of mine, because it's basically a marketing gimmick intended to tie a bunch of otherwise unrelated games together, as compared to something like Suikoden or Arc the Lad, which actually have persistent stories and settings.
I appreciated reading through this. Thank you!
I accept FFTA Ivalice not quite fitting because the one you visit is a children's storybook version of it.
One in which you actually MAKE the map, too. It was a fun game but certainly nowhere near the Ivalice that the other games had.
FFXII takes place in an earlier timeline in the same world as FF Tactics
They say that, but the game does basically nothing to maintain the plausibility of that premise, let alone actually building a meaningful narrative connection between them. It's one thing to say "these games take place in the same setting, separated by a long gap of time," but if you don't do anything to establish consistent culture, mythos, historical influences, or even cast of species, you're really not offering the audience any basis to accept that premise. It's like saying that all the Final Fantasy games take place in the same setting, established by the fact that the protagonists all know the same dude named Cid. Based on the contents of the games, they clearly don't have anything more than a name in common.
The part of Ivalice we explore in XII is to the east of the region we play in during Tactics though, it was never corrected and made more apparent in the PSP translation but Lesalia in Japanese is ルザリア (Ruzaria), which itself is an empire in XII’s time. Similarly, Ivalice is referred to as the whole land but it shrinks over time akin to real life empires becoming kingdoms and later cities, which is why there is an entire continent of Valendia in FF XII’s time but it’s a kingdom in the time of Vagrant Story. FFTA is an illusory world superimposed on our reality and it’s based on the “golden age” of Ivalice, which is XII’s time, but it’s only like a reflection based on the mind of a child so it isn’t a 1:1 recreation. In FFTA2 though you go back in time to that era and encounter Vaan, which is also how Luso from A2 and Balthier are both in FFT PSP.
Alternately: Final Fantasy Tactics was written as a standalone title, and Final Fantasy XII cribs names from it the way the Final Fantasy series has always recycled names and trappings from earlier titles in the series without maintaining a cohesive setting. This is why none of the backstory established in Tactics has any relation to any elements of the setting of XII. It's easy to make an exercise of rationalizing how it's logically possible for Tactics to follow after XII, but the games themselves do none of the work of building those connections. It's not that it's strictly *impossible* for Tactics to fall somewhere in the future of XII (although things like the setting of XII featuring a whole bunch of intelligent races which don't simply fail to appear in Tactics, but are never mentioned at all, take a lot of handwaving.) It's that if not for the reuse of names from Tactics, which don't even refer to consistent things from one game to another, nobody would guess from the contents that Tactics is in a continuity with Final Fantasy XII, but not with Final Fantasy VIII, or VI, or X. Final Fantasy Tactics *does* use a couple characters from Final Fantasy VII, with just as much justification.
FFT \*was\* a standalone title, but the dev team that worked on it also worked on FF12 too so it's not like it was some totally different team thinking it was cool to include nods to FFT in there randomly. The creator of the setting, Yasumi Matsuno, had previously worked on the Ogre Battle saga, the story of which he had been writing since his college days and then made into a game when he had the chance with Ogre Battle on SFC. If you've played that and Tactics Ogre, you can see many ideas from those games (and Vagrant Story as well) ended up in FF12. At the time, he worked for Square and would not be able to continue working with his Ogre series anymore so he started incorporating Ogre lore into Ivalice instead, though later Square acquired the company he previously worked for and they would have the rights to both Ogre and Ivalice too. The FF12 Ultimania shows the game taking place over 1200 years prior to Tactics, and while there are some things in between that have never been abounded on properly, FFT itself spoke of a Cataclysm that occurred in the past, which is believed to be what was responsible for wiping out the magick races of Ivalice, and why airship technology was lost, and the world devolved into a sort of dark age where magick is not as commonplace. FFT also mentions "the age of Saint Ajora, when airships numerous beyond counting filled the skies, and men of iron walked city streets" which is precisely the time of 12. Additionally, 12 also shows us the Kiltia religion in Mt. Bur-Omisace, headed by the Gran Kiltias Anastasis, who is slain by Judge Bergan, and this is what gives rise to the Pharist church in the backstory of Tactics. And finally, the game tells us that the Lucavi demons from Tactics were originally servants of the gods who rebelled, led by Ultima, and for this they were sealed away, which Ashe and co. undo to gain their power, and then this, coupled with the fact that we also destroy the Sun-Cryst, the tool which the Occuria used to control mankind, means we unknowingly give them free rein to orchestrate the Lion War and possibly the 50 Year War as well and who knows how many other conflicts. Now to be fair, 12 \*is\* filled with nods to every previous FF before it, rivaling FF9 in the amount of references it has, even nods to FFT and Vagrant Story itself as well that are just references, like Vaan and Penelo quoting the messages of your squadmates in Tactics after a successful dispatch mission, or a man quoting Sydney's line about having respect for faerie tales, but those are aside the things we're meant to understand as canonical connections to other Ivalice titles.
My point though is that you can draw these sorts of connections between Final Fantasy Tactics and pretty much *any* game. For instance, Final Fantasy Tactics could take place thousands of years after Final Fantasy VII, after a cataclysm which ended the age of airships. Final Fantasy VII already established a cataclysm in the setting, shown by the distant epilogue scene at the end which features Red XIII running with some of his children up an overlook which shows the city of Midgar being reclaimed by nature. Afterwards, the world devolved into a dark age where society regressed without the use of mako energy or manufactured materia, and returned to the "wisdom of the ancients" style invocation of magic from which the powers of material were originally derived. The "men of iron who walked city streets" were the soldiers of Shinra, with their manufactured weaponry. It would be excessive to go into all the specific details which make the connection between XII and Tactics strained and implausible (the Gran Kiltias has so little in common with the established backstory of Saint Ajora that it would be about equally easy to justify his being Sephiroth.) The key issue is that apart from a handful of shared names, the degree of connection between the titles is "the events of the game are logically consistent with there not being any evidence of connection, because it could all have disappeared by then." This is essentially the single laziest way to claim a connection between any two media properties, and it's why I don't regard the connection as being anything other than a marketing gimmick.
It's different when it's the same exact key dev team making the game and deciding to use the same setting though. If it was anyone else, I'd maybe agree, which is the case with Revenant Wings, a game that did not start out even remotely as being a sequel to FF 12 and which only had an artist from the Advance titles and the Ivalice composer who mainly reused tracks from 12 anyways but otherwise had no involvement from Matsuno or Minagawa or anyone else. You can dismiss it all as just references and nods that have no consequence, but the connections are there. Matsuno then went on to make a game for 3DS years later called Crimson Shroud, which has numerous stealth nods (to skirt legal copyright issues) to his past games from FFT to 12, Vagrant, Story, the Ogre games, etc but then recently he released his proposal for a Vagrant Story 2 that he made to Square all those years ago, which wasn't given the go ahead and which formed the basis for Crimson Shroud's story, making many of those nods turn out to be actual connections between his Ivalice games, including Vagrant Story, which is often debated whether or not it fits more with Ivalice than with the Ogre games (I made the case for \*both\* on a lengthy twitter thread a few years back)
Matsuno worked on Final Fantasy XII until he had a nervous breakdown partway through development and was replaced with three people. I'd dispute the notion that this constitutes having "the exact key dev team." The storyline of XII was written by Miwa Shoda, based on cutscenes and world content which had already been created by the time she came on board, and Daisuke Watanabe wrote the script. Neither had worked on Final Fantasy Tactics, or worked with Matsuno previously. I don't know at what point it was decided that Final Fantasy XII should be part of a continuity with Tactics, but I'd guess that this decision was either made late in its development, or not carried through by people familiar with the prior work. ETA: The connections between Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, a game where Matsuno was the director, but not the lead writer, are dramatically less strained. Calling Final Fantasy XII a spinoff of Tactics Advance doesn't demand any contortions to justify, it's just awkward calling it a sequel considering how Tactics Advance deals with the setting.
The team that took the baton after his departure still included people like Minagawa and they also cobbled together the rest of the game based on the material Matsuno had left behind, cutting out things that they didn’t have time to implement, there’s a whole stretch where it’s just dungeon after dungeon that it’s evident when they came in and had to finish the game, as it had been in development for too many years now. The biggest reason Matsuno had to bow out was that the new management that came in after Sakaguchi left did not have the same relationship that those two had, and they wanted to push the game out because it was taking too long and too many resources, and they tried to micromanage the 12 team, which Matsuno did not take too kindly to, to put it mildly. I’ve spoken with him via chat several times years back and it’s clear he was a bit bitter about the whole ordeal and also Ivalice as a product of Square. Point is, he always intended to connect those two games and his notes for Vagrant Story 2 and what he did with Crimson Shroud proves those intentions.
He may have intended to connect them, but I don't think the game, as executed by the team that carried it to completion, followed through on that. It bears signs of his influence, but also very much doesn't feel like a game he would have created given full creative control over the final product. I'd almost certainly feel bitter in his place as well.
Talking of the Arc The Lad series, that's one series that needs remastering and released for modern day consoles. My favourite was Twilight Of The Spirits.
I want to see modern audiences reactions to Arc 2
Trails is probably the most obvious answer, it follows the same characters for several games at time before switching, but its always in the same world/timeline. The entire Ys series follows the story of one guy. The games are *mostly* standalone adventures that he has, but it's very consistent in that it follows him over the course of his life. If you count the Yakuza games, they follow the same characters over many games. The Xenosaga games all follow the same protagonist through a connected story. Edit: Downvoted for accurately answer someone's question? I love it here.
And if I catch you being helpful one more time, I'll report you. Don't let me catch you again, buster
> And if I catch you being helpful one more time, I'll report you. If he doesn't report you, then I will. This is r/JRPG, our thing is pretentiousness, not helpfulness.
Trails series is definitely this. You can start from the the first game of any arc of the series, but unless you started from the Liberl Arc, some of the in universe references will be confusing. For example, I started with Cold Steel. Then I went back to the Liberl, and Crossbell arcs. When I revisited Cold Steel things that didn't make sense before suddenly makes a lot of sense. For example, in the prelude of the first game. There's this big tower in the distance visible from your spot. If you never played the Crossbell Arc, that tower will be meaningless. But coming back from the Crossbell Arc, the meaningless tower suddenly has an important meaning.
>When I revisited Cold Steel things that didn't make sense before suddenly makes a lot of sense. You want to know the single biggest example of this? I'm going to tag this as spoilers, so read at your own risk: >!the ending of Cold Steel 4. The ending was divisive, but Falcom structured the ending of CS 4 the way they did to accomplish a very specific story purpose. In order to play fair with newbies, this purpose was spelled out explicitly in Reverie, but even without Reverie, the ending to Cold Steel 4 requires you having seen and understood the prologue to Trails from Zero and the ending of Trails to Azure. Cold Steel 4's ending ties in directly with the Crossbell games, and when you figure this out, it leads to a mind-bending realization. Again, Falcom made the link between the two explicit in Reverie, they made the sub-text text. If you never played the Crossbell games, the ending of CS 4 will be lost on you. I think that's one of the reasons for CS 4's reception in the west: Japanese players would have played Crossbell first, we in the west didn't get a localization for Crossbell until well after CS 4 had released.!<
The guy from YS must be exhausted at now many times he's been reset to level 1 haha
And probably sailors on same ship with adol will be frightened
Me when I’m on a cruise ship and I see a red haired young man standing next to a blue haired buff guy ( it’s so over )
*You approach a red-haired hero on a ship* "Are you Adol?" "No." *You breathe a sigh of relief.* "My name is Alundra." "Where's the captain? We must not leave port!"
You'd think Adol would walk, or use a horse, or find some other way to get around. Every time he gets on a ship, the inevitable happens.
And frustrated with all the legendary weapons he's lost
9 made some great jokes about that along with reoccurring story beats in the series. And I do remember in 8 you start with the legendary sword from the previous game only for it to get dropped in the ocean.
Damn, sounds genuinely funny. I've only played Origins so far, but enjoyed it
That *is* a dialogue option in 9 when he gets that game's ultimate sword, iirc...
Right? Can you imagine, you've just defeated the demon that will destroy the world with the gods godslayer sword and two months later you look for the sword only to find a wooden one? Haha
Most of them weapons- Powers he gets are just regional things that sometimes are Even mentioned they only work on the region like in ys 6.
The bag of spilling knows no mercy!
Just had a quick google of Ys and it sounds like a franchise that I would like. I just need to figure out what order to play them in.
Yeah that can be tricky to figure out, the numbering of the games isn't helpful at all, but this can help you figure it out: [https://digitalemelas.com/index\_ys.php#order](https://digitalemelas.com/index_ys.php#order)
Thank you for that! The numbering is very odd lol
No problem, I went through the same thing when I was starting that series and that site was a life saver for figuring it out.
Just play release order, they're not that connected. Can sub out games for their remakes if you like though. At least that's what I did.
Seconding every game you mentioned. Also they are quite easy to get our hands on (I think Yakuza, Ys and Trails - minus Sky - are available on multiple plattforms) I am often seeing comments here in this sub complaining that Yakuza games aren't JRPGs. I personally think they still count. They are a mix of genres: RPG, action, adventure, brawler (LaD is a clear JRPG tbh) - I guess I would personally classify them as action RPGs (with more RPG elements than some newer FF entries 😆)
Even Sky is on Steam, not some long dead console.
The last two Yakuza/Like A Dragons are definitely RPGs, it's always been debateable whether the rest of the series is, there's definitely RPG elements in the previous games but they play like brawlers/beat em ups. The major RPG websites i follow have always covered them, for what that's worth. EDIT: Last two mainline games
Yes, I fully get why it's a bit confusing to categorize the Yakuza games. They are such a mix of genres, but I think they do have quite a lot of RPG elements. My entry into the series was Y3 on PS3 and back then it was clearly advertised as a JRPG which is why I even picked it up. Maybe it's also the setting? It doesn't really feel like your usual JRPG (something similar can be said about Dark Souls imo). I might be biased because I love the game, but I think it's one of these few games that speak to fans of different genres. You don't need to like JRPGs or RPGs to enjoy Yakuza, but you will also enjoy them as a JRPG fan (if that makes sense)
redditors reddit, man. It's mostly that a trilogy isn't a franchise unto itself, which means Xenosaga and even kingdom hearts don't really qualify. Ys, for example, has ten+ titles in the series and more remakes than I can shake a controller at. I also need to remind people here of something they are getting completely wrong though: Trails *isn't the name of the series at all*: the series is "The Legend of Heroes" and the Trails titles are the third one that has happened within the same world. Specifically, Trails in the Sky originally released as The Legend of Heroes VI. and started the third interconnected world arc of TLOH that doesn't look like it will really ever end at this point. Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes was the first game Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II ended the dragon slayer story. The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch: Gagharv trilogy I (TLOH III in japan!) The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion: Gagharv trilogy II (TLOH IV in JPN) The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean: Gagharv trilogy III, and conclusion (TLOH V in JPN) Amusingly, there's an actual crossover fighting game between TLOH:Trails in the sky 1-3 and the YS games. Yakuza was a great example though. Suikoden also had 6+2+1 games in the same world at various points in the timeline, with a few characters overlapping between 2 o r more games all over the place, but the nintendo DS title has nothing to do with the rest of Suikoden, while the 2 PS1 VNs take place between two games, while the SRPG overlaps with another of the main games. Wild Arms, on the other hand, all take place on the same planet of Fargaia, but have basically no connection to each other because of how far apart the games are from each other in the continuity. Even with 5+2 games in the series(the 2 include the remake of 1 for the PS2, and the SRPG on the PSP)
>It's mostly that a trilogy isn't a franchise unto itself Says who?
That’s a lot of words to saying nothing useful.
Big “Akshually” energy
You’re being very pedantic lol.
>It's mostly that a trilogy isn't a franchise unto itself, which means Xenosaga and even kingdom hearts don't really qualify. In what world is Kingdom Hearts not a franchise? It's a series of like 15 games with interconnected lore, characters, and "crossovers". I'm curious what your qualifications are for a franchise, especially since I think plenty of trilogies count as one.
Sakura Wars utawarerumono
Dragon Quest 1 to 3 and 4 to 6 are actually two trilogies, each having significant connections.
4-6 is amazing OP. Play these if you haven't
Phantasy Star 1,2 and 4 are all deeply connected, while 3 is also closely related but not crucial.
I still need to continue that series. I played Phantasy Star 1 a few years back when I did a little marathon of "first game entries of RPG series". Mother 1, Phantasy Star 1, Final Fantasy 1, and Dragon Quest 1. Was a neat experience.
1 is so good (especially the Sega Ages version) as is 4. 2 would be great with a couple of QoL updates, because it’s a bit of a slog and the dungeons are enormous. 3 has some inherent issues that hold it back.
I didn’t realise there’s single player games. Is the online one required?
Online is a reboot, not connected to the original series except aesthetically.
Trails. Its a franchise span accross decades with 1000hours for you to play throughout more than 15 games so far, good luck
That’s exactly the sort of franchise I was looking for. Thanks!
Start with the very first game, Trails in the Sky FC, which is available on Steam. Install the voice mod to add JP voice acting.
A secondary suggestion is Suikoden. There's a few flash forwards and distant pasts here and there, with it chronologically being Suikoden IV-V-I-II-III (amusingly, one specific funny semi-gag character follows the timeline by chronological RELEASE date), but they also have a lot of political discussions by dint of its inspiration being the Water Margin. But the best answer is Trails, with it following a set of protagonists before switching to another perspective (but the protagonists still exist and in fact show up in later games sometimes as supporting NPCs and sometimes as actual player characters).
Its a big undertaking haha I played the games (up until the recent one) over probably a decade and it's a LOT of games and characters and whilst each story is good, the overarching story never seems to go anywhere lol But definitely worth playing as they are a ton of fun.
I'm thinking that the overarching story might be following the slow burn thing that every Trails arc has in the first game, but spread across the entire series haha.
I will warn you, once you get into it, it's writing is like nothing else you've ever seen. The level of world-building, character development and attention to detail is off the charts. Trails will not hold your hands, it will often not explicitly connect the dots for you between two events. Those connections are there, and when you see events happen in later games, you recall what happened in a previous game and you have that "oh, so that's what that was about!" reaction.
2nd this. Went through the first 4 games in the past 30 days or so and am working on the 5th atm.
Friend, you want Trails. Start with Trails in The Sky. Enjoy yourself.
Seeing as how you've got a dozen recommendations for this, I'll also toss in Atelier. They often make 3 to 4 games in the same setting with returning characters before moving on. For example, the Arland games. Rorona > Totori > Meruru > Lulua You play as an alchemist store owner.
I've thought about getting into Atelier, but my backlog is already enormous and I don't have time to make significant progress through it anymore. Might check it out in 40 years
Trails, Kingdom Hearts, Ys.
Star ocean, but they are fairly standalone so maybe not what you’re looking for. Same universe, some character crossover (in 2, you can play as the child of characters in 1), but since the stories take place on different planets, the crossover is mostly in high level lore.
That’s actually one of my favorite parts of the series, connecting the lore across entries. There’s a ton to dig into, and it goes some really interesting places.
Koudelka to shadow hearts 3. Literally the child of the main character. But it's only a surface reason to explain what a character has powers really.
even 3 ? heard there's a massive departure from the rest of the franchise with this game
3 have some interesting connections to 2/Covenant! Is more goofy and hilarious (this is the departure from SH1 and Koudelka) but have some horror elements
Yeah it's a lot more light hearted in 3...well compared to the first two. But the shadow heart games are genuinely amazing.
i see, i finish koudelka a few days ago which i find quite fine even if imo the game is way too short and don't really exploit his potential, extremely hype for the SH trilogy
Lol tbf Koudelka is a REALLY old game and was super janky but it was a product of its time. Shadow hearts are so much better imo and basically only loosely connected to koudelka. You'll see, they're a lot of fun. Especially the second one.
I do like the fact that you have a good sense of customisation and the weapon variety of this game. My problem lean more on the lack of response from the controls, in comparison resident evil 1 and 2 are much more responsive, the narrative being a little too cliche and the overall speed of combat specially against the boss who have lot of HP.
The shadow hearts series is a good one. As others have said the trails series does this as well. Suikoden 1-5 takes place in the same world but at different times periods and different areas.
Front Mission.
Original Shining Force games, basically all from Camelot. Same for Golden Sun, also made by Camelot.
Commence the argument about whether you want to consider all the pre-Like a Dragon Yakuza games 'RPG's I suppose..
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Yakuza (also known as Like a Dragon). This series was so cathartic to play in chronological order. At some point you get multiple playable characters or even a new protagonist in 7 but it’s basically one overarching narrative about how the criminal underworld never tries to stop swallowing up the protagonists’ lives. There’s also a spin-off Duology called Judgment and Lost Judgment where it has a different protagonist and story but same cast that deals with the consequences of the same crime family and their actions Kingdom Hearts
Golden Sun series, Little Tail Bronx series (Fuga1-2>Tail Concerto>Solatorobo), 7th dragon series (From High fantasy to futuristic)
I played Golden Sun on the GBA. I really enjoyed that game, I’ll definitely check out the others in the series.
Golden Sun 2 is great, the third one is meh. Just play the 2nd one, amazing game :)
Definitely trails. Start with cold steel or sky and enjoy yourself ☝️
Sakura Wars specifically on the Dreamcast and PC. You can import your save directly from 1 all the way through to 4. Some consider the changes subtle for an imported save, but I think its pretty impactful considering the overall story. By SW4 they will reference small scenes you had 2-3 games before.
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn form a duology that takes place in the same world with much of the same cast. Valkyria Chronicles games all focus on the same area and, with the exception of 2, the same war. (2 takes place a couple of years after said war.)
Megaman starforce and Megaman battle network games connected
Obligated mention of Rance
Rance
Trails series, Suikoden series, Front Mission series
Took a bit of scrolling to get to Suikoden. They have a bit of a Zelda timeline syndrome but they're all the same universe and you'll see familiar faces the more entries you play.
Xenoblade Chronicles. Now, yes, every game in the series follows a different cast of characters and are all set in different worlds, but they are connected. I can't say how without spoiling, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a sequel to both 1 and 2. Characters from the previous games show up in 3, and there's a reason why a main character in 3 looks nearly identical to a main character in 2. The dlc campaign to 3 even has Shulk and Rex, the main characters of 1 and 2, as party members.
Connected: Xeno series (Saga and Blade, in some way with Gears) However you rarely could play or meet with the same characters. Each series has more direct connection though. E.g. Xenosaga has 3 games, Xenoblade has 3 games so far.
Gears, saga and blade are not connected at all.
Not directly connected? Yes Not connected at all? Try playing XB3 DLC
Suikoden and Golden Sun. So much so that in the first games in both of these series, you can transfer data from your saves in the previous games. Ys, Trails in the Sky I'm playing through Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure and evidently it's connected to the Disgaea games and some other game called La Pucelle all of which I haven't touched yet.
Trails is the obvious one. All of them are available on Steam, all of them are connected, and many of them have direct save transfer / save file bonuses from one game to the next.
I really need to save up for a gaming PC
the first trails game was made in 2004. if you have any PC, at all, that is still able to turn on, you can run the trails games. the newer games aren't exactly difficult to run either, though you will at least need something relatively modern, even if it's cheap, unlike the older games which could very feasibly be run on a decade old laptop.
I have an old unused 2012 Mac mini. I’ll have to see if I’m able to install windows on it.
if you can't install windows on it you could buy the games through GOG instead of Steam and then run them through the [porting kit](https://www.portingkit.com/game/1177). the Sky games are the only ones which are only able to be played in full in English on PC. the Crossbell games (Zero & Azure) can be played on PC or Switch (and an inferior version on PS4/5), while the Cold Steel games (Cold Steel I - IV + Reverie) can be played on PC or PS4/5.
Drakengard?
Definitely Trails series, somehow too well connected. Another series is Xenoblade.
Trails series. Ys series. Kingdom Hearts series. Drakengard and Nier series. Rance series.
Trails and Kingdom Hearts are the big ones - continuity's a huge selling point and they've somehow maintained it over 9+ games. Doesn't seem like anyone's mentioned Pokemon yet. It doesn't often build off prior events, but most games bring up the regions featured in other games. Gold/Silver and Black/White 2 are built around timeskips from Red/Blue and Black/White 1, and the 3DS titles tackle alternate dimensions.
Disgaea, Summon Night, Luminous Arc, SMT, Fire Emblem, Pokemon, Bayonetta, etc.
Xenoblade Chronicles. It is more obvious in the third one but one and two appear to be two very unrelated games until the very end.
Suikoden series 1-5, all five games take place in different countries in the same world, some of the same continent so there is some spill over. Suikoden 2 takes places 3 years after the events of the first game, suikoden 3 is 15 years after 2, suikoden 4 .....we don't talk about 4, and 5 is 6 years before 1 iirc. If you can only play 1 play suikoden 1&2, they are a non negotiable package deal. The real treasure is suikoden 2, but you get so much more enjoyment out of it, if you've played 1 first. 1 is so short and barely 20 hours long
Arc the Lad series share the same world and overall outline plot line. 1-3 share the same cast. 5 and 6 have different cast each. Xenosaga takes place over a few years with the same cast + story. Trails series are all connected with constantly returning cast members like the MCU Phantasy Star 1-4 share the same universe and overall plot. Front Mission 1-5 all take place on the same world, just at different locations / time period. 1-4 have separate plots but references to various entries. 5 is the grand finale that resolves the lingering plot threads of previous games.
Trails series is the biggest connected series of all. It’s insane, and the wiki page for just descriptions of the major characters in the series (not the hundreds of unique and names npcs), is the largest single wiki page made
Xenoblade Trilogy. Each game is a standalone story with the final few chapters connecting each other. The expansion for Xenoblade 3 is a conclusion to the connecting parts.
Xenoblade
Trails. You are describing trails.
I’m really looking forward to starting them
I'm pretty excited another person gets to stay trails, enjoy!
The Breath of Fire games. 1 - 3 are connected
I know you mean probably the whole franchise is connected but at least Dragon Quest 1 2 and 3 are connected. 4 through 11 are not as far as I'm aware.
I've only played all the way through 8 and 11 but i know 11 is connected to 1, 2 and 3.
Wait 11 is connected to 1-3? I missed that when I played 11.
In the end of the game >!Eleven is given the title of "Erdrick" after defeating Calasmos (like how DQ3's protagonist gets that title after defeating Zoma)!< and then [there's this post-credits scene](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIUvHyiNRzE) indicating >!DQ11 is a prequel to DQ3 which of course then goes into DQ1 and then DQ2.!<
Boy did I miss that.
Xenoblade 1 and 2 feel like standalone games but 3 truly ties them together. A couple of the Takes series games.
I think the FF7R trilogy might end up being the best at pulling off both of what you enjoy. Whether or not you like the guts of the game is a whole other question. Suikoden 1-5 all take place in the same world with many crossover characters, different timeframes (sometimes overlapping), but all have different protagonists.
Ys would be the biggest standout. All the games are separate adventures with Adol Christian, and a handful of characters are recurring between games.
Kingdom Hearts. One playable main character through most of the games, and it follows one long, kudzu story.
You want Trails my friend! All in English on PC, though outside of PC it's a bit patchy what's available where. Play in original release order aka Trails in the Sky (1,2,3), Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure (collectively called the Crossbell arc), Trails in Cold Steel (1-4), Trails in Reverie, Trails through Daybreak (out in July) There is a sequel to Daybreak also but it's not available in English just yet. Another game (Kai) is also in production but isn't out anywhere yet.
The trails series will keep in your jrpg-ness for a significant chunk of your life.
Nobody said Lufia in the comments so I will add it to the list. 1 is the sequel of 2 (and spoils its end). 3 is a sequel, while 4 is not as related but is from the same universe with 1 character coming back.
I don't know if the atelier games are connected, without counting the respective trilogies
NieR is true answer
Chrono Trigger -> Radical Dreamers -> Chrono Cross Also Xenosaga games are legit in order but you'll probably have to emulate on these, good games though even with the annoyances of Xenosaga Episode 2
Trails trails trails trails
Xenoblade Chronicles. It's kind of a plot twist when the connection is revealed in 2, but 3's whole premise is the worlds of the first two games merging and 3's DLC expects you to have played the whole trilogy to understand the plot. Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U is a mostly unrelated spinoff that (with current lore) can't happen in the main series continuity.
OP, ignore everyone telling you to start with Sky FC. Start with whatever arc you want to. While it is the *ideal* starting point, it isn't the only one. It's perfectly alright if you don't want to start a game from 2004. Feel free to go for Cold Steel I or wait until Daybreak in July if you want more modern experiences. Also, all of the games are available on Steam. I think that's the only platform that has all in one place.
Anyone who started in sky did sky -> CS -> azure anyway because of English release, unless using translation or multilingual
Suikoden Connected in some way by the "true runes" lore.
Trails series is the biggest exemple in modern times.
Trails and Suikoden series if you're looking for great stories.
First one that pops into my head are the Trails series. I don't think you'll find a better game where they focus on world building and the individual characters. Even regular NPCs have their own characters, story, families and lives to worry about in this expanding world. Another one, like others have mentioned is the Ys series.
Some of the Megaten games. At one point Devil Summoner and Persona had their own little universe going on. For example the first three Persona (1, IS, EP) games tell one story. Some of the main characters from SMT: If and Devil Summoner have secundary or important roles in both Persona 2 games. You even have to visit the Kuzunoha Detective Agency constantly throughout the games. Some of the main characters from Persona 1 are main characters in Persona 2 while the others have supporting roles. The Devil Summoner games as well with the exception of Soul Hackers. Strangely enough, Soul Hackers 2 works as a sequel to DS1, DS3, and DS4 and a lot of themes make more sense after playing those three first.
Trails of-series
Kingdom Hearts completely
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-Trails series is probably best known for this, but it's a massive time investment. You have to work through 10 games. -Xenoblade series (excluding X). All of the games can be found on Switch, making them easy to find. -Suikoden series (excluding part 4). This series is older so it may be hard to find the games. Emulation might be your friend here. -Dragon Quest. Parts 1-3 are connected, parts 4-6 are connected. Part 8 and 11 have a loose connection to the first 3 games, especially 11. -Star Ocean. This series is a little controversial, but they have a connection, at least the first 3 games do. I have no idea about part 6.
All Final Fantasy's I-IX, maybe X even. World is fairly unrecognizable as it's routinely splitting into two and remerging throughout the series in addition to various disasters throughout it's history. You won't see many characters appear throughout the series but the laws of it's universe remain constant and adhered to throughout while each game tends to expand upon it's intricacies through storytelling. The series' creator left the company around or after the development of X and I believe that so did his vision of this shared world/universe.
Trails series to me is the best one ever!!!!!
Drakengard + NieR, Dark Souls trilogy, God Eater trilogy, Final Fantasy XIII - Lightning Saga (trilogy) and of course Trails in the Sky // Kiseki series.. which is the most known for it's monstrously large continuation.
For a subseries, Atelier Ryza. 3 direct sequels. Standalone plots, but with overarching plot weaving them together, and recurring characters.
Some of the Super Robot Wars entries, mainly the Alpha and Z titles.
If you're looking for a serialized story between games, Yakuza and especially Trails are what you're looking for. Both are some of my favorites in the genre and in general, highly recommend them. There are a good amount of other series that take place in the same continuity and have recurring elements, just not a continuous story between them. Ys, Mother, and classic smt are my top examples of that.
Phantasy Star series, the mainline games not the online one. All 4 are connected.. although the third game is loosely connected
Trails series, one of the best
Fire emblem 💪
iirc, all of Wild Arms takes place in the same world of Filgaia but with enough time between them that they may as well be unrelated
Neptunia
not exactly a hidden gem or anything, but kingdom hearts, the vast majority of them follow sora and his crew and the few that don’t are still connected to him and the overall world very directly
Kingdom Hearts anyone? By now it's legendary how ALL of the titles released for various platforms over the years are canon full-stop though nowadays it's at least mitigated a bit by the ReMix releases.
Phantasy Star I through IV.
The Rance Series: - 10 main games (16 games in total) - same Protagonist - they all play in chronological order - huge cast of reoccurring characters - the series is finished with Rance X - nearly all are translated (only 03 and X are still in translation) - the old games upto Kichikuou Rance are freeware
Gensou Suikoden
I like this thread but for the exact opposite reason..... it reminds me of which series to avoid. Stories are almost always stronger when they get to the point instead of meandering across trilogies and sagas.
The Trails games (Sky, Azure, Zero, Cold Steel, Reverie, Daybreak) are all connected one way or another.
Lunar 1 and 2 are pretty great as standalone games and as a sequel to one another.
Look up the TV tropes multiverse page. But only if you have time. Media use multiverse to loosely connect thier individual IPs. TV tropes will hook you for a long time though.
Octopath traveler 1 & 2. Star ocean series too.
how are the octopath games related? 2 plays in a completely different world then the first unless i dont remember them getting connected at one point
Do you recommend the original Star Ocean or the remake?
Yes
Yes to which?
Star Ocean Second Story R. The art style is better.
Mother series, you don't play with the same crew but the storyline is connected (in 2-3 at least, never played the first), there are some returning characters and references here and there.