Ever since the original Final Fantasy, JRPGs have garnered a sterling reputation for customizable party systems that fundamentally change every playthrough. Often made up of a striking and diverse cast of weirdos and badasses, JRPG parties are the life and soul of many of these stories — and can radically change the way the game is played too.
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Whether it be hot-swapping space rocks into pieces of gear to change abilities or party members having wholly unique abilities, JRPGs are masters at figuring out how to fuse characters, narrative, and gameplay into an incredibly satisfying loop.
5 Bravely Second
The Bravely Formula, Perfected
Bravely Second: End Layer
- Released
- April 15, 2016
- Developer(s)
- Silicon Studio
- Platform(s)
- 3DS
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Bravely Second is the perfect example of a sequel that iterates on everything that worked in the original, but improves in almost every other way. That means that the original Bravely Default's gameplay broadly remains the same, including the great party customization system.
Clearly inspired by the old school Final Fantasy games, Bravely Second uses a job system for the characters, which essentially functions as classes that can be leveled up with AP. Interestingly, abilities unlocked in this way can remain even if that character switches jobs, meaning that the party can be highly customized to deliver a variety of cool builds. With rumors of a sequel on the horizon, now is the best time to jump into the franchise's greatest moment.
4 Octopath Traveler 2
The JRPG Throwback For The Fans
Octopath Traveler 2
While the original Octopath Traveler certainly made a splash, some criticized it for not bringing together the eight unique characters until far too late into the game. Octopath Traveler 2 still somewhat suffers from a similar issue, but after playing through a brief prologue for each character, the party grows, and they can be hotswapped into the main fighting party at will.
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That customization is increased with a typical JRPG job system, with a sub-job system beneath that. By mixing and matching the different jobs in the game, a player's party can be radically specific toward the end game in delivering a power punch of a build that's built around a highly customizable upgrade tree. Despite being a great JRPG for beginners, Octopath Traveler 2 still delivers when it comes to complexity.
3 Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels Of The Starry Skies
The OG JRPG Gets Even Better
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies
- Released
- July 15, 2009
- Developer(s)
- Level 5, Square Enix
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo DS
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
Any JRPG fan worth their salt knows that the Final Fantasy games are the most popular, but the Dragon Quest games are the original and continue to deliver stunning experiences to this day. This remains true in Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies where a traditional job system (now called vocations) exists, and they can be assigned to any character in the party, including two more vocations later in the story.
What makes Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies particularly unique is that the player can not only customize their party's classes, but also their entire appearance. With a party tailor-made, the player has ultimate control in this long-running JRPG franchise with a venerable history full of JRPG's greatest stories.
2 Xenoblade Chronicles X
New School Rules
Xenoblade Chronicles X
- Released
- December 4, 2015
- Developer(s)
- Monolith Soft, Nintendo SPD
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Wii U
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Open-World
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
As the relative newcomer to the JRPG scene, the Xenoblade Chronicles franchise has earned a strong foundation of fans who delight in the techno-futuristic world mixed with traditional JRPG fantasy elements. In Xenoblade Chronicles X, not only is the player avatar entirely customizable, but the party can be fully customized too.
What makes this customization unique is how each character can earn "Arts" when they level up. These abilities or stat boosts can actually be used if that character opts into a different class, meaning the possibility for powerful multiclassing opens up as the game progresses. Pair that with the Skell mechs, and Xenoblade Chronicles X has a claim to having one of the best customization systems in JRPGs that decidedly improves upon the main franchise entries.
1 Final Fantasy 7
Arguably The Best Of The Franchise
Final Fantasy 7
- Released
- January 31, 1997
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation (Original), PC, iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PS4
Though it might be the obvious answer, it's hard to deny that Final Fantasy 7 is not just one of the greatest JRPGs ever made, but it also pioneered much of the customization that would define the genre for decades to come through the concept of Materia (while also becoming one of the best rated games ever).
While characters in Final Fantasy 7 are locked to their particular style of weapon (Barrett with his guns, Tifa with her gloves, Cloud with his swords), Materia can be inserted into this gear that grants magical abilities and stat changes. With multiple materia slots in multiple pieces of gear across multiple characters, this cascades into an incredible customization system that allows any character to adopt a suitable role with enough planning, resulting in devestating late-game builds powered by incredible materia synergies.
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