One of my favorite themes for every task is time travel, whether you’re jumping from the past to the future or working with a different timeline.
As a result, I also love this theme, especially games that embrace JRPGs. However, we recognize that properly nailing the theme is unusual, both in narrative and in gameplay.
Usually, you should be quite generous with applying time travel in the game. Because it makes it easy to find loopholes in that run. But if the game masters time hopping, the results are great.
This list highlights the best JRPGs featuring time travel, successfully embedding themes through stories, gameplay mechanics and even both, creating a true time travel masterpiece.
8 Fantasy Stories
Villains everywhere at once
Fantasy Stories It was the first story The game has been released. It was already ambitious and introduced a new action combat system, high-end graphics from SNES, and time travel mechanics.
Time Travel System Fantasy Stories It is fully composed around the storyit’s still very complicated because there’s no point in gameplay.
The main character, Cress, is sent to the past to find a way to defeat the current villain Daos. However, the past Dhaos are still alive and it is up to Cres and his opponents to defeat him.
On more levels than before, the main character can return to the present and defeat the first Dhaos, who are not affected by past events.
When they think everything is going well, a visitor from the future appears and says the villain is still alive. Cress and the gang bashed him again, and now it’s 50 years away.
Despite this confusion and the constant pull of the player’s perseverance, it’s fun to travel time and witness crazy adventures along the way.
JRPGs that can recruit party members through different eras are always amazing, Fantasy Stories He was one of the first people to do that.
7 Mario & Luigi: Partner
Save the world with yourself
There is good and bad news. Mario & Luigi: Partner Fully focused on time travel for gameplay, bringing fun twists like most Nintendo game. If you’re looking for pure fun, this JRPG has plenty.
However, we do this while ignoring the meaning of the time travel story. If you are expecting a well-structured story or airtight plot on this Mario Games, you might give up and look elsewhere too.
That being said, let’s focus on positivity. Mario & Luigi: Partner Allow Mario Bros to travel past through time halls in Princess Peach Castle. In the past, they met Baby Mario and Baby Beer Eage.
That’s where the gimmick begins. Players can control all characters together. Baby separate for puzzle solvers, such as adorable piggyback in the older version, or slipping into small gaps.
In battle, the adult version usually takes action, but if they are knocked out, the baby leads. A whole time travel theme exists to justify Mario and Luigi meeting his younger self and showcase this unique and entertaining gameplay mechanic.
6 Dark Cloud 2 (Dark Chronicle)
Building a base over time
in Dark Cloud 2It is known as The Dark Chronicle Everywhere outside the US, players can move between time using a stone called Atlamilia held by Max and Monica.
The villain Griffon wants to steal stones, control time and be able to control the future. To prevent this, Max and Monica travel through the era through which they plan their village to stop the power of Griffon.
This is where the core gameplay loop is Dark Cloud 2 It will appear.
You will need to rebuild the village using the town building mechanics of JRPGs. To do this, explore the dungeons, collect material, and use Georamas. After restoring the corresponding villages and gathering new allies, we move on.
Time travel is a central theme Dark Cloud 2however, there are no technical applications in the gameplay. Like many other games that feature it, it’s best to put science and theory aside.
Otherwise you will find so many loopholes and possible paradoxes that you can enjoy your fun Dark Cloud 2 The more halt of the struggle of distrust, the smaller it will be. If you can’t do that, enjoy the game and be happy for the base building design.
5 Dragon Quest XI: Echo of an Elusive Age
Post-game content
For me, Dragon Quest XI A masterpiece of JRPG, become my favorite in the franchise and steals the crown Dragon Quest VIII If the game didn’t ticp out in Act 3.
Act 1 and second acts of Dragon Quest XIIt is thought to be a Canon story, and is wonderful. The JRPG franchise has always been colorful and too friendly. But not here, but in the 11th entry. At some point, everything goes wrong and even the party members die.
That is, until the main character, Luminary, decides to go back in time. Go back to the past and destroy everything that’s happened to that point.
All interests, conflicts, losses and moments that overcome difficulties have been erased. God, I was very annoyed by that.
Robust postgames are a franchise tradition, adding plenty of new content, a whole new storyline and endgame bosses. Even if Square Enix is labeled Dragon Quest XIThe third act after the match really feels canon, especially considering the connections with Dragon Quest III.
4 Chris’s Story
Indie JRPG based on time travel
Columbia Studio Dream has already been released Chris’s Story 2021. This is an indie game inspired by JRPGs and revolves around time travel as a tool for the story and its turn-based battle.
On the storyline side, it’s pretty easy. Empress of Time, Christails The main antagonist destroys the village of the main character, Chris Bell.
At that moment, the girl discovers that she has temporary power and sets out on an adventure to defeat the villain.
where Chris’s Story What really shines is the battle. During battle, the screen is split into three sections. The enemy on the left is sent to the past and can be transformed into a younger, weaker, less experienced self.
meanwhile, The enemy on the right can be sent to the future, and the metal armor can be rusted Or, the toxic seeds planted suddenly bloom on the deadly plant.
It’s an incredibly clever mechanic that encourages players to think strategically, rather than spamming available attacks.
Sometimes sending enemies into the past makes them healthier and stronger, but sending them into the future makes them more skilled and dangerous. Chris’s Story A gold mine for fans of JRPG and time travel mechanisms.
3 Final Fantasy XIII-2
Fix the paradox while creating new ones
While the community is laughing Final Fantasy XIII Because of its linearity, often referred to as a corridor simulator, the direct connections are made, Final Fantasy XIII-2took the completely opposite approach.
Play with newcomer Noel as Lightning’s younger sister, Sera. Hop from timeline to timeline, fix paradoxes, and unlock new alternative universesit will grow quite a bit of the game myth.
I know a lot of people hate it Final Fantasy XIII-2but I love this JRPG. It is very satisfying to see the ability to select episodes in a matrix-like structure, how our actions affect different outcomes, and explore the different possibilities.
The story also graces with time travel themes. Caius, one of the most underrated villains of all Final Fantasy The franchise really deserves more love as his character arc is so approachable.
Also, Final Fantasy XIII-2 There is one of the best boss battles tied to the time travel mechanics. It’s not exactly a gameplay mechanic, but JRPGs present a unique take that avoids destruction by resetting itself to a previous version before the boss dies. It’s confused without playing it, but trust me, it’s funny.
2 Chrono Trigger
References on time travel mechanics
Discussing time travel in games is humanly impossible without any immediate thought. Chrono Trigger. The view on the JRPG theme is incredible and still serves as a reference for future games today.
From the beginning, Chrono Trigger It shows exactly how that time travel mechanism works. It’s elegant, embraces simplicity, and most importantly, it works.
Every era we come to in the game feels incredible and reflects the evolution of the world. Better yet, some side quests allow us to directly influence how the world develops without feeling like it’s far apart.
Chrono Trigger Just because a game tackles complex themes doesn’t mean that its execution must be overly complicated.
With careful design and technical finesse, this JRPG masterpiece is often poorly implemented and simplified the mechanics that employ it to enhance the entire game.
1 Shining history
JRPG butterfly effect
I know it sounds strange to put it Chrono Trigger Second place, but if you play Shining historyif possible Perfect chronology The version shows why.
meanwhile Chrono Trigger Let us travel over time and visit different eras. Shining history Take a different approach to the theme. Here are two parallel realities where the stock of the hero constantly leaps between them.
Think of this jrpg for more Butterfly effect Above all. Stocke encounters problems in the original timeline called standard stories, so he jumps to the past and looks for ways to fix it, or his actions affect other timelines and vice versa.
And despite the hero constantly changing between past, present and another reality, it is surprisingly difficult to find a hole in the plot Shining history. The writing is impeccable, the motivation is trustworthy, and the execution is perfect.
Overall, I’m still thinking Chrono Trigger Better Games Shining history. However, if you are strictly talking about traveling with JRPGS, you choose the latter without hitting your eyelashes.
Few games have been able to grasp the nuance of the theme Shining history did.
