Oh, sweet, this should be a fun topic. Second-best Tales.
I've always loved the Berseria opening in Aball because it kinda feels like a setup for a slice of life fantasy short story instead of a long JRPG. An isolated village in a somewhat dark world with a girl whose problems are less "world-ending cataclysm" and more "my brother is sick but I can't spend all my energy on that because I'll be under a lot of pressure to get married soon and I may or may not be in love with my dead sister's husband... who everyone else hates." Sets up Velvet as a likable and compelling character even
before
everything goes completely to hell with the sacrifice.