While reading Mandifesto’s post on Final Fantasy 13 and getting sucked into all the glossy, hi-def, gorgeous graphics hype, I suddenly wondered, “Is this what I really want from a JRPG?” As a gamer who plays JRPGs 90% of the time, I wonder what is it that make me go back to JRPGs again and again. What gives me the most joy in playing JRPGs? Is it the crazy costumes that rivals Dancing with the Stars’s wacky, skimpy leotards? Is it the sheer kawaii-ness? Or is it the graphics?
No. It’s the story, stupid.
Too often, we get wrapped up in all the razzle-dazzle that we ignore the most important element: the story. As we all know, JRPGs more or less follows a traditional formula: Boy goes on a Journey. Boy meets Girl. Boy is The One ala Matrix style. Boy and Girl and a bunch of other misfits save the world. Boy gets Girl (or not). The End. However, just because of its inherently linear structure, a JRPG's success invariably depends on its story. A crappy story makes the game completely unplayable (see Eternal Sonata). A great story invites the gamer to replay it over and over again. Some of the old classics proved this point: FF6, FF7, Chrono Trigger, and Suikoden 2. Even though some of the old Playstation games’ graphics are horribly outdated (FFVI anyone?), but their story still packs a punch and continues to draw raves.
But what is a good story? How do you define greatness? In all cases, a good story always has great writing and quality, dedicated game writers involved from the start to the end of development. Still, in the end, the definition of good/great is pretty much up to the gamer’s personal preference.
For me, playing a JRPG is almost like entering into a serious relationship. Sure, the fancy graphics are the first thing that attract me, but what keeps me glued up till the final battle is the story. That’s the reason why I replayed Final Fantasy VIII four times: It was not because I had a big crush on Squall's pretty CG features, but because I loved (and still do) the story of a young man coming to terms with himself as he journeys to save the world. So please, please Square Enix, in your quests to achieve eye candy perfection, please don’t give us fans a crappy story wrapped in a shiny package. I won’t mind gravity defying dresses and chocobo inspired hair styles just as long as Mr. Daisuke Watanabe is not the main writer.
Fellow gamers, what are your thoughts? Do you have an experience playing a game only to give up halfway thanks to the crappy plot?
