How JRPGs translate to Western RPGs
I know what you’re probably thinking: I’m going to blather on about the technical differences between Japanese role-playing games and Western ones. Well, you’re wrong; I’m going to blather on about how differently each one would handle a given situation within a game. In a hypothetical sense, of course. So, here’s how some events in JRPGs would translate into WRPGs.
Demonic/Otherworldly Invasion
The game world is being overrun by beings of an extra-dimensional or infernal origin, and it’s up to the characters to stop them. People are dying and/or getting possessed, and shit’s just getting crazier and crazier.
JRPG: The invaders obviously have some members sympathetic to the characters’ quest (especially if they’re demonic, Japanese fiction likes to twist Christian themes around like that). After grinding through wave after wave of bizarre invaders, possibly including taking down some human traitors, the characters take the fight to the bad guys. Which for some inexplicable reason turn out to be former humans, or some twisted version of them. The game likely implies that there is little difference between the humans and monsters. The main character may even wind up turning into one of them.
“Crap, Bob just got possessed.”
“Can he still shoot?”
“Yeah, but–”
“Great, let’s keep moving.”
WRPG: The creatures invading are likely something inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, as western horror owes quite a bit to ol’ Howard anyway. The monsters are not sympathetic to humanity even in the slightest, even if it is revealed later that a human is responsible for their presence. Characters are killed, possibly including the protagonist. Gore, gore, and more gore. Sprinkle in some nerdy references to some other RPGs (D&D, Call of Cthulhu, stuff like that), and the recipe is complete.
“Um, everyone else got eaten by those things with no faces, and I’m kinda tired. Maybe we should—HRGKKK!”
“Great, they got Frank, too.”
Save the Princess!
The princess of some important-to-the-game-but-not-worth-naming-here kingdom has been kidnapped, and the characters have to rescue her. Unfortunately, it’s plot-related, so you kinda have to do it. Even if you hate the princess and the country she’s from.
JRPG: Aforementioned princess joins the party, becomes the love interest of a central male character, and helps the party until the end of the game. Along the way, she is revealed to have massive magical powers, possibly with a transformation of some sort. Or she’s a mech. While the player may wonder why she didn’t just save her damn self, the characters never question it. Her father also may or may not heroically martyr himself to give the princess the illusion of character growth.
“If she could turn into Godzilla the entire time, why did she need us to rescue her?”
WRPG: Your party was the one responsible for the kidnapping. You might even have the option of killing her off, possibly even trying to replace her. It may be revealed later that she was, in fact, an impostor. Another possibility is that she is the love interest of one or more of the antagonists. Or there never was a princess and you have kidnapped a magical approximation of a person posing as a princess. The truth may never come out.
“So you kidnapped, tortured, and then murdered the princess, and you are now wearing her face to try and fool people?”
“Yeah, pretty much.”
The Inappropriately Placed Stealth Mission
Why is there always a stealth mission shoehorned into a role-playing game? Anyway, you and your party have to sneak somewhere and swipe something important for some obscure reason. Which may or may not become important later.
JRPG: Ridiculous items used for cover, wildly imaginative and slightly insane disguises, and tools no normal person would ever use are all important parts of your mission. Detection only means you have to start over as opposed to game over. The thing you’re after is likely part of some larger plot, perhaps weaving into the main story, right up until the end of the game. It may not even be a thing, it might be a person. Or a sentient object that is impossibly cute and slightly annoying.
“How is dressing up in these bright costumes supposed to keep us from being noticed?”
“They’ll never see it coming.”
WRPG: Realistic cover, reasonably attentive guards, and possibly creative use of lighting all factor in here. Combination clues and special keys are all scattered around the mission area, and there may even be something special for one or more of your party members to do. There’s also probably environmental ways to deal with the guards, like explosions, traps, or dropping heavy things from high altitudes. The object is fairly innocuous, as this is likely just a side quest of some sort.
“How did you dropping that pillar on those guards not get the rest of them to come running?”
“Easy, they weren’t looking.”
Kill God(s)
For some inexplicable reason, your party has to take out the creator of the universe, or a group of similar powered beings. Maybe it’s to save the universe, maybe it’s out of vengeance. Or it could be some optional boss thrown in just to mess with you.
JRPG: Any apocalyptic scenario you can think of likely contributes to this one. Mankind wiped out, desolate wastelands, monsters of several flavors wandering about spreading suffering to the survivors, you name it. This is all the work of some higher being, likely released on accident by some unwitting schmuck. The player characters may even be demons, in keeping with Japan’s tendency to use looser interpretations of Christian lore, and the higher being may in fact be God.
“So those demons over there are going to help us kill God, and all they want is world peace?”
“And kittens. Lots and lots of kittens.”
WRPG: Western gods die all the time in mythology (especially Norse and Greek), so this is just another day at the office. Although your party may simply be tasked with taking down one god by another one. The final struggle will likely take place following a string of humiliating defeats, with some other higher power waiting just around the corner. These beings may not even be gods, but simply godlike in power.
“How many gods are we going to kill today? All of them?”
“Yep. Bring on the blasphemy.”
The Absentee Father Figure
The father of either the protagonist or a central character has gone missing, and the party needs to find him. He has vital information needed to continue the plot, because he’s conveniently connected to events in some fashion.
JRPG: Daddy’s been working somewhere far, far away, and multiple hoops need to be jumped through before he is found. He may even need some convincing to help the party once they find him. There may even be a fight between him and his offspring. He may even be killed off before he passes on the plot-related information, forcing the party to gather up his journals or research notes or something like that.
“Dad, you’ve been at the office for twelve years. You missed my graduation, wedding, and mom’s funeral.”
“Sorry son, I was busy hiding these obscure documents all over the world.”
WRPG: Dad’s a busy guy. He may even wind up being the antagonist, or someone working in league with them. It’s also possible he’s something of a deadbeat, but that’s not a given. It’s also possible he’s been dead the whole game and is guiding the party from beyond the grave, literally or figuratively. In the end, it’s likely his child had the information in their possession the whole time, in a very Disney-like manner.
“Dad, stop trying to take over the world, mom has dinner ready.”
Okay, so some of these are less made up than others. But still, there is a definite difference in how Japanese and Western game developers handle things. Those differences are a lot less pronounced than they used to be, but still obvious enough to spot. Still, I don’t consider it a bad thing. Differences mean more variety, and I do enjoy some variety.
***For the most fabulous gaming column on the net, come back every Sunday for Diva Down.***
About the Author
Paul Cross
Paul graduated high school playing video games, got bored with college playing video games, and then was hopelessly sucked into retail, where he’s been trapped ever since, still playing video games. Now he writes about them, and it would best if you got out of his way.
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