JRPGs without anime?

[Lich]

Title. JRPGs inspired by early Wizardry games, not Souls-likes or newer Final Fantasy.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Your only options are going to be FF12 and The Last Remnant. I would say FF10 is also borderline too, as if you can get past the Nomura aesthetics the characters do not act zany. The original Xenoblade Chronicles 1 for Wii or the new 3DS is also borderline too, though there are a few zany scenes.

If you do not like zaniness then you will not like JRPGs.

If you want a Japanese RPG with very little story and a focus on gameplay, then there is also Romancing Saga 2 (the 2D version, not the new 3D remake). It's pretty much a continuation of FF2's game design made by the same designers.

EDIT: There is also Ring of Red which has zero zaniness and is serious all the way through, but it's not very good and I would not recommend it.

[Finarfin]

Lost Odyssey
Dragon’s Dogma
Shadow Hearts
Valkyrie Profile
Resonance of Fate
Xenogears
Vagrant Story

[Val the Moofia Boss]

Resonance of Fate

Xenogears

I'd post the screenshot of the pink teddy bear crucified on a cross but I'd feel that might be sacrilegious.

Lost Odyssey

The VN side stories written by a real novelist are decent but the main game has JRPG zaniness.

[Tangerine]

Anachronox.

[J1M]

Is Lufia 2 anime? I don't remember.

[Lich]

Your only options are going to be FF12 and The Last Remnant. I would say FF10 is also borderline too, as if you can get past the Nomura aesthetics the characters do not act zany. The original Xenoblade Chronicles 1 for Wii or the new 3DS is also borderline too, though there are a few zany scenes.

If you do not like zaniness then you will not like JRPGs.

If you want a Japanese RPG with very little story and a focus on gameplay, then there is also Romancing Saga 2 (the 2D version, not the new 3D remake). It's pretty much a continuation of FF2's game design made by the same designers.

EDIT: There is also Ring of Red which has zero zaniness and is serious all the way through, but it's not very good and I would not recommend it.

I don't mind zaniness. I don't like the character dynamics, character archetypes, art styles and the traditional Eastern four-part narrative structure. I don't like how Japanese developers tend to be fine with incongruity between narrative and game system despite the importance of narrative in their games. I tend to like the settings (Front Mission) and some of the elaborate mechanics (Shin Megami Tensei's party customization) that are characteristically Japanese.

I'm looking for games with Japanese settings and mechanics that cohere narrative and system, or prefer system to narrative.

[rusty_shackleford]

Your only options are going to be FF12 and The Last Remnant. I would say FF10 is also borderline too, as if you can get past the Nomura aesthetics the characters do not act zany. The original Xenoblade Chronicles 1 for Wii or the new 3DS is also borderline too, though there are a few zany scenes.

If you do not like zaniness then you will not like JRPGs.

If you want a Japanese RPG with very little story and a focus on gameplay, then there is also Romancing Saga 2 (the 2D version, not the new 3D remake). It's pretty much a continuation of FF2's game design made by the same designers.

EDIT: There is also Ring of Red which has zero zaniness and is serious all the way through, but it's not very good and I would not recommend it.

I don't mind zaniness. I don't like the character dynamics, character archetypes, art styles and the traditional Eastern four-part narrative structure. I don't like how Japanese developers tend to be fine with incongruity between narrative and game system despite the importance of narrative in their games. I tend to like the settings (Front Mission) and some of the elaborate mechanics (Shin Megami Tensei's party customization) that are characteristically Japanese.

I'm looking for games with Japanese settings and mechanics that cohere narrative and system, or prefer system to narrative.

lufia 2

[Segata]

Define "anime". Westerners have different conceptions of anime and some get really triggered at the slightest stuff. I've seen people describe Vagrant Story as having anime aesthetics despite looking like this

[rusty_shackleford]

Define "anime". Westerners have different conceptions of anime and some get really triggered at the slightest stuff. I've seen people describe Vagrant Story as having anime aesthetics despite looking like this

are you sure it was described as anime?
are you sure it wasn't being described as homoerotic?

[Kalarion]

Parasite EVE.

[Lich]

Define "anime".

You know it when you see it.

[J1M]

Golden Sun 1 may also meet this narrow criteria.

[Lich]

Japan had 40+ years to copy and improve the Wizardry technology but not a single JRPG comes close to the quality and refinement of early Wizardry games. Curious.

[J1M]

Japan had 40+ years to copy and improve the Wizardry technology but not a single JRPG comes close to the quality and refinement of early Wizardry games. Curious.

As someone who has only played Wizardry VI, I request you elaborate.

[methoxetamine]

Expedition 33
Like a Dragon/Infinite Wealth depending on your definition of anime, it's weeb but has realistic graphics

Just saw the part about being inspired by Wizardry. Disregard my recommendations

[maidenhaver IV]

I love Chrono Cross.

[Kalarion]

Japan had 40+ years to copy and improve the Wizardry technology but not a single JRPG comes close to the quality and refinement of early Wizardry games. Curious.

[rusty_shackleford]

Japan had 40+ years to copy and improve the Wizardry technology but not a single JRPG comes close to the quality and refinement of early Wizardry games. Curious.

Wizardry 8 is the best wizardry anyways

[Tinky Winky]

Uncharted Water, not much of an RPG but it's basically an european sailing simulator.

[Oyster Sauce]

Paper Mario