Board 8 > Really weird realization: Radiata Stories was the pinnacle of Recruitment RPGs

(+) Yeah! (+)

How did we top out so long ago? Why did the genre completely fall out of vogue?

The only good games I can think of to even come out since then are Suikoden Tierkreis (which is due for a rerelease without voices at 150% speed) and Citizens of Earth.
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Whats a recruitment RPGS
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Yeah, Radiata Stories was pretty great. Played the heck out of it back in the day.

Really hated the split storyline though.
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Ah, yes. The game where you can fight anyone, no matter how ill-prepared you are, by kicking them twice.

Nia_Yuri posted...

Whats a recruitment RPGS

I would assume an RPG in which you can recruit tons of characters
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Nia_Yuri posted...

Whats a recruitment RPGS

Basically a game that's core feature is recruiting a large amount of characters in different ways.

Examples:
Suikoden series
Radiata Stories
Skies of Arcadia
Chrono Cross

Fringe examples:
Majora's Mask
Rune Factory 4
Fire Emblem and other similar SRPGs
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metaIslug posted...

Never played this game, but there's a Suikoden II in the way

I mean Suikoden II is a great game but that's even more depressing to think that the pinnacle of a genre came out almost 20 years ago with little to no competitors since then.
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When I think of average JRPG's, Radiata Stories fits the bill

Huh

I only played FE out of all of those
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Oh hey

Does Pokemon and SMT count?
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Nia_Yuri posted...

Oh hey

Does Pokemon and SMT count?

Not really, but it is a similar appeal
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Valkyrie Profile nailed it so much harder than anything else.
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MawiIe posted...

Fringe examples:
Majora's Mask

i'm struggling to find the connection and I can't
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DeepsPraw posted...

MawiIe posted...

Fringe examples:
Majora's Mask

i'm struggling to find the connection and I can't

I mean it has the basic hallmarks of a recruitment RPG, you just recruit masks instead of people.
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Mac Arrowny posted...

Valkyrie Profile nailed it so much harder than anything else.

I have tried valkyrie profile so many times and failed. It feels so convoluted and doesnt leave enough room for error to be fun.
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Does LISA the Painful count in this genre?
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I havent personally played it, so I dont know.
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But chrono cross
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I couldn't be bothered to finish Radiata Stories. There were characters I should have beaten had the developers not given everyone a big Fuck You attack that prevented you from winning. "Enchanting Voice," my ass.

IIRC i %ed radiata stories without much trouble. That was around a decade ago though.
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Had it not been for the Fairy Path, I would've probably 100% it as well.
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Anyway I was hoping someone would come into this topic and prove me wrong and be like "No Santa, there have been a number of 10/10 recruitment RPGs since then you just don't know about them"
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Citizens of Earth is there as a more recent example. There's like 40 party members or so to recruit. It's decent quirky fun, but can be buggy. It's on a bunch of systems, but I think I've read the 3DS is the least buggy.
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SantaRPidgey posted...

I mean it has the basic hallmarks of a recruitment RPG, you just recruit masks instead of people.

That's like saying Halo is a recruitment RPG except you collect guns instead of people
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foolm0r0n posted...

That's like saying Halo is a recruitment RPG except you collect guns instead of people

You could MAYBE make the argument for borderlands if you wanted to stretch the line thin enough

Think about the recruiting in suikoden and the mask hunting in Majora's Mask, it's the same basic principle. You have a selection of people with different characteristics and you have to gain their trust in game for them to show their support (by giving you a mask)
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SantaRPidgey posted...

Anyway I was hoping someone would come into this topic and prove me wrong and be like "No Santa, there have been a number of 10/10 recruitment RPGs since then you just don't know about them"

HaRRicH posted...

Does LISA the Painful count in this genre?

SantaRPidgey posted...

I havent personally played it, so I dont know.

It's not polished enough to be 10/10, but I do consider it amazing and find its roughness around the edges to somehow help the game in unique ways. It will one day influence a better masterpiece.

I don't think I've played any other game in this genre you've announced beside LoZ:MM so I can't help with recruitment-comparisons. It's a status-based RPG with an ability to pick up lots of characters for your team. If Undertale makes you feel one way, LISA makes you feel the other.

And it's $5 on Steam right now.
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Alright well that's a solid endorsement for LISA
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SantaRPidgey posted...

Think about the recruiting in suikoden and the mask hunting in Majora's Mask, it's the same basic principle. You have a selection of people with different characteristics and you have to gain their trust in game for them to show their support (by giving you a mask)

Less than like 1/2 of MM masks are based on a character quest like that, and also the whole point of recruitment is that the character stays with you. It means nothing if it's just an NPC you will never talk to again.
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Hey, I classified it as a "fringe" example I don't know what you want from me! I'm just saying it scratches the same itch and hits the same tropes in a lot of ways.
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It doesn't though. That's all.
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Inazuma Eleven was pretty good. You can recruit like 1000 different players. It's not a traditional RPG but it does have elements of the genre
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Radiata Stories was a really cool game and I'd love a new game like that. Skies of Arcadia too, though the battle systems weren't the same

MM isn't a recruitment rpg in the slightest and man that is such silly stretch to try to make. You're just collecting items . It's not even a fringe example.
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