Are JRPGs too complicated

[Spirit]

Just like anime, there seems to be a misconception that all Japanese RPGs are complicated...

I myself used to think that but really, of the ones I've played, they're not that hard to get into... (Don't get me wrong, some anime shows and JRPGs are very complicated Rahxephon and Undernight: In-Birth being two examples...)

I don't just mean the story here, I also mean the gameplay, most notably the battle systems... Some of these battle and level systems and stat screens can seem daunting at first (and some of them never stop being daunting)...

But do you think that JRPGs are as difficult to permeate as people view them to be, or are they things that just require a little patience and pacing on the gamer's part?

 

[Mercedes]

Definitely not. If we're talking mechanically, I've always found JRPG's to be much less complex and more intuitive than Western RPG's, particularly CRPG's, so I would disagree about them being too complicated when there's a lot worse out there that I've played, learned, and enjoyed. I enjoy both types, of course, I love my RPG's but I wouldn't call JRPG's in general complicated, let alone "too" complicated.

As for the stories, of course I haven't played every niche JRPG out there, but never have I seen a story that really confused me. I don't really expect complex, deep writing from them.

 

[Musicfan]

It depends on what you are trying to do with the game.

If you are trying to be as efficient as Posible them yes they are complicated if you are playing normally then no.

 

[Djinn]

I'm going to have to say nope. In fact out of all the games I have played I never seen anything else hold someone's hand quite as much as a traditional turn based RPG. The enemies will even give you all the time of day for you to make a move if you plan on doing so. But the story, the mechanics, and usually the combat system is geared towards telling more of a story than forming a compelling game to challenge the player. If something is a challenge then go grind for a while then it definitely won't be. Typically I do play them if I want to see a story unfold a little more than play a challenging game.

I Have played a few that gave me some troubles in a few areas and I had to replay an area a couple times before I got it right in a RPG. But nowhere nearly as much as I have had to replay a spot or a single boss in an action or shooter. Some of those have had be going back a dozen or so times, that has never happened in any RPG I have played.

 

[Hanyou]

The systems are usually pretty easy to understand. Considering even MMOs are somewhat mainstream, and are generally much more complex than JRPGs, I don't think they're difficult to approach.