JRPG fans typically don't play games in the genre on their phones. JRPGs are typically the realm of the console world. Despite this, the Google Play Store already has quite a hefty number of JRPGs available for mobile gaming, with a large majority of them being exclusives or ports of older games published by Square Enix.
Square Enix has a history of making beloved JRPG series and games, such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Chrono Trigger, and has released these games on plenty of different consoles over the years. Now that smartphone technology is able to handle more JRPG's from Square Enix's library, it makes sense that they would be porting more games to mobile devices.
Here are three of the best Square Enix JRPGs currently available on Android mobile devices.
Final Fantasy IX
The story of Final Fantasy IX follows monkey-boy thief Zidane and his friends on their adventures throughout the world of Gaia while learning about themselves as well as a malevolent evil force along the way.
Final Fantasy IX features turn based combat and the Active Time Battle system introduced in Final Fantasy IV, in which there is a time gauge and enemies can attack or be attacked at any time.
The android port of the ninth game in the Final Fantasy franchise comes straight from the PC version of the game and as such, it includes the same additional features such as achievements, seven different game boosters including high speed and no encounter modes, and an autosave function.
Buy it on Google Play.
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King
In Dragon Quest VIII, you play as a young soldier who embarks on a journey to destroy an ancient powerful item which has fallen into the wrong hands, with an interesting cast of characters joining you on the way.
One characteristic which makes Dragon Quest 8 stand out among previous games in the series is that some enemy monsters can be recruited, assist you and your party in battle, and participate in tournaments at the monster arena --similar to the Dragon Quest Monsters spin-off series.
The Android port of Dragon Quest 8 features streamlined controls, which can easily be adjusted for either more simplistic or more complex gameplay.
Buy it on Google Play.
The World Ends With You
This unique touch control JRPG was originally released in 2008 for the Nintendo DS, was developed by Jupiter and Square Enix, and published by the latter.
The World Ends With You -- or TWEWY as it's called by some fans-- is set in modern day Tokyo district of Shibuya, similar to Persona 5.
In The World Ends With You, you play as loner teenager, Neku Sakuraba, as he and other characters he meets unwillingly participate in a game which will determine if they live or die.
The gameplay of The World Ends With You uses the touchscreen to move and attack, with different swiping movements allowing different types of attacks.
The World Ends with You also features a familiar art style by Final Fantasy artist and Kingdom Hearts director Tetsuya Nomura. Some characters from The World Ends With You even make an appearance in the game Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
Buy it on Google Play.
There you have it, three great JRPGs currently available on Android mobile devices.
There are plenty of other JRPGs on Android, both by Square Enix and other developers. The three on this list are just some of the more notable games in the genre. While it's true these games are on other consoles, not all of those versions are as easily accessible as these Android ports.
If you'd like to learn about three great JRPG games coming to Android devices soon, then check out our list here.
Published: Apr 15, 2017 05:28 pm