Need An Old-School Style RPG To Play!

[lisalover1]

I just recently finished Persona 3 Portable, then gave up on the FES content about an hour in (felt really a tacked-on and unnecessary addendum to an already good story), so I am looking for what to play next. Preferably, I would want it to be on a handheld, but I am open to other ideas. Just one parameter, though; I am looking for an old-school, turn-based RPG that doesn't mess around with flashy gimmicks. Not that I don't appreciate those; I am just not in the mood for one right now.

Also, just one question about Persona: How long does it approximately take to beat? I am not sure if I want to invest another 100 hours into a single game again so soon.

[Opa Opa]

The Dark Spire (DS)- No Gimmicks here!


I'll edit this later. There's another I gotta look up.

[lisalover1]

The Dark Spire (DS)- No Gimmicks here!


I'll edit this later. There's another I gotta look up.

Damn, that is the hardest of the hardcore. But, the idea of traversing up another single big, dark, foreboding tower over the course of a game is not entirely appealing to me right now.

[brunoafh]

I'd suggest Radiant Historia out of your listed choices, but I'd also suggest Crimson Gem Saga for the PSP for being about as old school as turn-based RPGs get.



The story is enjoyable and the cast is great. The presentation values are excellent too. The battle system is a ton of fun if you're into turn-based JRPGs, it doesn't really innovate though. It more or less takes ideas from all the other battle systems out there (combo attacks, skill trees, equipment customization, Earthbound style sneak attack/encounter battle initiation system) and condenses them into one solid system. Can't really go wrong with this one.

[Opa Opa]

Damn, that is the hardest of the hardcore. But, the idea of traversing up another single big, dark, foreboding tower over the course of a game is not entirely appealing to me right now.

I completely forgot what P3P consists of. Sorry man!

[brunoafh]

Opa Opa, how good is that game? I'm pretty much a dungeon crawler fanatic, but I've yet to try that one.

(Not trying to hijack the thread...)

[Opa Opa]

Opa Opa, how good is that game? I'm pretty much a dungeon crawler fanatic, but I've yet to try that one.

(Not trying to hijack the thread...)

It succeeds in going back to the roots of those old computer rpgs. You create your party, equip weapons, and head off into battle.

The plot is very loose. Something about defeating a dragon (I think? I really don't remember right now) but the plot isn't important. The game is a straight up dungeon crawler. Most of your time will be spent going through dungeons, fighting monsters, leveling up, going back to town to stock up on items/heal. Wash, rinse, repeat.

You have quests given to you by the town guild which advance the plot and you also encounter quests while in the Tower. There's plenty to do in this game.

There are two graphics modes and I posted a pic of the basic graphics. The other mode is more artistic but I prefer the minimalistic view.

All-in-all, it's a time consuming adventure. The game is fun but for the casual rpg player like myself, it's a real challenge. I think it would even be a great challenge to veteran players as well.

Last time I checked it wasn't expensive so you do get a lot of bang for your buck with this game.

[Betamax001]

The only game you listed that I have played is Dragon Quest VIII and that game is pretty fun. I haven't played it in awhile, but I remember really liking it.

[Bradtemple87]

Dragon Quest 8, The game has so much charm

[Breetai]

Pier Solar