Best JRPGs With Roguelite Elements, Ranked

Key Takeaways

• JRPGs and roguelikes/roguelites are popular genres, but their fusion remains rare in modern times.
• Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX offers a blend of roguelite and JRPG elements for unique gameplay.
• Mistrogue and ASTLIBRA Gaiden showcase how JRPGs can integrate roguelite mechanics to enhance the player experience.

Video games, as a medium, offer a vast array of genres. From action RPGs to turn-based strategy games, rhythm-based titles to shooters that demand precise timing, each genre brings its own unique flavor. Whether you’re seeking immersive storytelling, competitive gameplay, or even creative puzzle-solving, the diversity in video games ensures there’s something for every kind of player.

As time changes, the trend among these genres also changes, and within recent years, the roguelikes and roguelites have enjoyed this surge in popularity. Known for their replayability, roguelikes and roguelites carry a charm that hooks players to them for many hours.

On the other hand, JRPGs have been famous among video gaming fans for decades, since the release of the original Dragon Quest. However, a fusion of roguelikes/roguelites and JRPGs is pretty rare, and while the early JRPGs did tinker around with roguelike mechanics, in modern times, it is rare to see JRPGs with roguelite or roguelike elements.

Fans of both genres typically have to play them separately to enjoy their favorite styles, but this list highlights a few JRPGs that combine the best of both worlds for players to enjoy.

10 Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX

Explore The Dungeons As Your Favorite Pokemon

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX is the remake of Spike Chunsoft’s 2005 video game, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Blue and Red Rescue team. The game offers a different take on Pokemon’s classic entries in the series, utilizing traditional roguelite gameplay where players take hold of their favorite Pokemon to venture into procedurally generated dungeons where every step holds a surprise.

Full of traps, loot, and unexpected encounters, the game has enough content to keep the players hooked for hours. Being a remake, the game has evolved with time, and the fluid art style looks impressive and feels like a vast improvement over its rudimentary structure.

The combat in the game draws inspiration from the turn-based battles familiar to Pokemon fans. Players level up by defeating enemies in traditional JRPG style and can customize their Pokemon roster. This fusion of roguelite and JRPG elements offers a unique experience, making it a must-play for Pokemon fans eager to step into the role of a Pokemon themselves.

9 Mistrogue: Mist And The Living Dungeon

Dungeon Moving In Real Time

Drawing inspiration from titles like Shiren the Wanderer, which laid the foundation for roguelite elements in JRPGs, Mistrogue: Mist and the Living Dungeon is an action-packed game that is perfect for players seeking a greater challenge in the JRPG genre. It leads players through a dynamic dungeon where the floor constantly shifts, making staying in one spot a poor choice. With only two options (move or fight), the game tests both strategy and adaptability.

The game features a straightforward story, placing players in the role of Mist, an explorer on a quest to find someone. While the plot remains simple, the gameplay more than makes up for it. Some might argue that the focus is solely on action, but in roguelikes and roguelites, that’s precisely the point — it’s all about the thrilling challenge and dynamic gameplay.

8 ASTLIBRA Gaiden: The Cave Of Phantom Mist

DLC Moving The Game In A Different Direction

This entry is a bit special as it isn’t a game, but rather DLC for a very non-roguelite JRPG, ASTLIBRA Revision. ASTLIBRA Gaiden: The Cave of Phantom Mist features a side story to the main game with a new protagonist and roguelite elements.

The base game is known for its unique place among JRPGs and for its aesthetic and gameplay, and the DLC adds on to the game with roguelite elements, enhancing an already great base game.

Combining flashy weapons, explosive magic, and tightly balanced gameplay with a satisfying progression system, ASTLIBRA Gaiden offers an excellent roguelite/JRPG time — and interested players don’t even have to play the base game to enjoy it (though playing the base game is highly recommended).

7 Shiren The Wanderer

Fight Monsters In A Turn Based Manner

Debates about what qualifies as a roguelike or roguelite often spark heated discussions online. However, Spike Chunsoft’s Mystery Dungeon series stands as one of the few that clearly fits the roguelike mold, leaving little room for debate.

Originally a spin-off from the popular JRPG Dragon Quest, the Mystery Dungeon series quickly evolved into its own franchise after the success of Torneko’s Great Adventure, leading into its sequel, Shiren the Wanderer, in 1995. As of now, the series boasts six games, each following the adventures of the titular character, Shiren, and his trusty weasel companion, Koppa. Together, they explore new lands in search of mysterious treasures or lend a hand to locals by defeating the evil threatening their world. The Mystery Dungeon series is known for its difficulty, where dying in the dungeon means losing all progress and being sent back to the beginning.

Newer entries in the series feature different difficulty modes, where the easy options allow players to save in between dungeons or avoid losing progress upon death.

The roguelike aspects of the game ensure no playthrough feels similar to the previous ones. A stroke of luck can be a decisive factor while exploring the dungeon, and some players might not like the repetitive gameplay if prolonged for longer sessions. Shiren the Wanderer is still a masterful combination of uncompromising difficulty to experience in a JRPG where players can sink in dozens of hours honing their understanding of the dungeons.

6 Time Break Chronicles

You Can Be What You Want To Be

Time Break Chronicles is a fusion of JRPG with modern Roguelite elements. The game is pretty simple and straightforward, as it makes players take hold of Claire, a genius who has discovered portal technology that allows her to travel across space and time.

The main goal of the game is, in a very JRPG fashion, is to defeat various enemies and fight bosses trying to control reality. Time Break Chronicles is still in early access as of the time of writing and aims to make 100 playable classes by the end of early access. Players can recruit heroes from the past, present, and future and tag along with them to save the cosmos in a game where no two runs feel the same.

5 Azure Dreams

Explore, Capture, Build

While not as old as the first Mystery Dungeon, Azure Dreams is still one of the older games on this list that feature roguelike elements in a JRPG. Developed by Konami, Azure Dreams has enough challenges for the players to keep the game fun and engaging.

Azure Dreams is a combination of many genres as players can find elements of JRPG, roguelike, monster tamer, and even dating sim in the game. The battle system of Azure Dreams is original, where players have to climb the tower, and restarting the tower every time results in resetting of the player’s stats.

Players can utilize the rewards from the monster-filled tower to upgrade the town from a rural settlement to a modern hub. Upgrading the town also unlocks new girls for dating. Overall, the game has plenty of things to offer, and while the combat might feel a bit lackluster, there are enough things to do in the game to make the experience well worth the time.

4 Time Stalkers

Save The World And Become A Hero

Released by Climax Entertainment for the Sega Dreamcast, Time Stalkers is a traditional JRPG with roguelike elements where players are teleported to another world as a chosen hero. Sticking with the roguelike rules, the game always moves the player back to square one upon leaving the dungeon.

Along with randomly generated maps, limited inventory, and classic turn-based combat, Time Stalkers is one of those old games that might have flaws, but fans of the two genres will find themselves having a great time while exploring the dungeons and catching monsters after defeating them in the battle.

3 ZHP: Unlosing Ranger Vs. Darkdeath Evilman

The Ranger Never Loses

ZHP: Unlosing Ranger Vs. Darkdeath Evilman is an unusual game, and that is evident from the first minute of the game as it throws the player straight to the final boss battle without any introduction or preparation. With the main hero of the story dying in an unfortunate car accident, the responsibility to save the world crashes down on the new main character of the game, the player. But, without enough preparation, doom is inevitable.

With such an interesting start to the game, ZHP throws in the roguelike elements to the game as Darkdeath Evilman, after being disappointed by an easy win over the Unlosing Ranger, throws him into the space where players train themselves to improve their skills in order to truly become an unbeatable ranger.

The game is well written with good humor and fleshed out characters, abundant with plot twists and quality jokes that will keep players entertained throughout. ZHP feels similar to the Disgaea games, as Nippon Ichi follows a similar formula, but the series is more mature than it initially appeared.

2 One Way Heroics

Explore Endless Worlds

One Way Heroics keeps things simple as players begin their journey as a nameless hero tasked with defeating the demon lord before everything is engulfed by darkness. While the story might not be the the game’s best feature, everything else about it stands out as a good JRPG with solid roguelite features.

The game offers an almost infinite number of worlds to explore and save, with multiple classes, each boasting unique skills, making every playthrough feel fresh and exciting. Its retro art style evokes memories of classic JRPGs, and while the turn-based combat is simple, it remains engaging, with positioning playing a crucial role when surrounded by hordes of enemies.

One Way Heroics may not appeal to everyone, as it blends two genres in an unconventional way, but its unique variety makes it worth trying. It’s especially suited for those looking to explore this genre in shorter sessions — rather than committing to lengthy playthroughs.

1 Izuna: Legend Of The Unemployed Ninja

A Quirky Roguelike With Humor And Challenges

As an original intellectual property from Atlus, Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja is an underrated title that remains relatively unknown to many gamers. However, the game, which follows the adventures of a hot-headed ninja, offers a rewarding experience for players seeking a challenging and engaging adventure.

The game is straightforward, featuring eight dungeon-crawling levels, each randomly generated with enemies, items, traps, and talismans. The roguelike element adds challenge, as players lose all their items and must restart the dungeon from scratch upon failure, resetting their progress to zero.

The characters and story in Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja aren’t particularly deep, with the plot remaining light and quirky. It’s not a game for those expecting an action-packed or fan service-y experience based on its cover. Instead, it’s aimed at a niche audience that craves a challenging “kill or be killed” gameplay experience.