As we hurtle towards that last third of 2022 – it’s been a bit of an up-and-down year for games. Sure, we’ve had some monster hits like Elden Ring and Forbidden West on other platforms. However, if you look at it objectively it’s hard to argue that the Switch hasn’t had the best year overall (and I actually wrote about why here).
That being said – I’ve noticed that many people haven’t been that impressed with the Switch this year. And so it got me thinking why this may be the case… and after some thought, I came up with this:
If you think the 2022 hasn’t been that great of a year for games it’s probably because you’re not a fan of RPGs and more specifically JRPGs.
Now, let me say up front – while I’m pretty impressed with the Switch’s lineup this year – I think that has more to do with my exposure to a variety of games as a reviewer. To be honest, I’m not a big JRPG fan. In fact, barring the occasional dabble in Pokémon (which let’s be honest is very much JRPG-lite) I can hardly remember a JRPG I enjoyed and completed. However, if you are a fan of the genre – owning a Switch this year has been pretty epic… And for proof – here are just a few titles from 2022 that may have caught your eye:
- Triangle Strategy
- Pokémon Legends: Arceus
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
- Rune Factory 5
- Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition
- Atlier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream
- .hack//G.U. Last Recode
- The Cruel King and the Great Hero
- Live A Live
- Monster Hunter: Rise
- Harvestella
- Xenoblade Chroncicles 3
- Pokémon Scarlet & Violet
Yes, ok. So, it’s true not every game in the list above could be classified as a classic JRPG; There’s some extra action in this one and way more strategy in those two. But c’mon, it’s clear all the titles above are heavily-influenced by/have a lot of similar elements to the JRPG genre. And if you look at it like that and particularly considering that there are some big hitters in the list that have sold incredibly well and been critically well-received (XE3 anyone!?) and it seems pretty clear to me – 2022 is the year of the JRPG on the Switch!
A version of this article was originally written for NAG.co.za. For more Nintendo news, reviews and opinion check out our homepage.
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