HT Games
The PS2 has excellent non-Square JRPGs. To narrow it down, which Final Fantasy elements matter most?
| If You Love... | Play These (Non-SE) |
|---|---|
| Turn-Based Depth & Story | Shadow Hearts: Covenant (Sacnoth) — Judgment Ring, dark WWI+fantasy, best writing in genre. Digital Devil Saga 1 & 2 (Atlus) — Press-turn combat, mature post-apocalyptic story. Persona 3 FES / 4 (Atlus) — Social sim + dungeon crawler, calendar management. |
| Action Combat & Exploration | Rogue Galaxy (Level-5) — Seamless real-time, huge worlds, factory synthesis. Grandia II / III (Game Arts) — IP gauge combat, charming adventure. Star Ocean: Till the End of Time (tri-Ace) — Deep battle system, item creation, private actions. |
| Strategy/Tactics | Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (Nippon Ichi) — Grid SRPG, insane depth, humor. La Pucelle: Tactics (Nippon Ichi) — Purification mechanics, great sprites. Stella Deus (Atlus) — Serious tone, AP-based tactics. |
| Unique Systems & Atmosphere | Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings (Monolith/Namco) — Card-based (Magnus) combat, pre-rendered beauty. Eternal Sonata (Tri-Crescendo/Namco) — Chopin's death dream, music-themed combat. Xenosaga Episode I (Monolith/Namco) — Cinematic, complex sci-fi, mech battles. |
Top Pick: Shadow Hearts: Covenant — widely considered the best non-FF JRPG on PS2.