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Current Events > What's the sweet spot for JRPG party size?

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[deleted]
03/12/24 5:01:23 PM
#15:


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Accolon
03/12/24 7:38:36 PM
#1:


Not the number used in battle, but the entire overall party. Too few can get dull, too many and individuals don't get enough time to shine.

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s0nicfan
03/12/24 7:39:41 PM
#2:


5.

Now, you might be thinking that six is better because it means that you can have two full combat parties, but I absolutely hate when RPGs split the party so I intentionally picked a number that lets you have a few additional options in combat without giving the game the opportunity to do so.

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ellis123
03/12/24 7:40:27 PM
#3:


24.

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a-c-a-b
03/12/24 7:40:44 PM
#4:


8.

4 members in the active party and 4 in reserve.

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Shotgunnova
03/12/24 7:40:59 PM
#5:


108

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Japanties
03/12/24 7:41:04 PM
#6:


Nx2+1
Where N is combat party size.
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SpiritSephiroth
03/12/24 7:41:14 PM
#7:


probably around 9 or 10. Anymore and I don't think the story can flesh out the characters enough unless you're playing an MMO like FF14.

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archizzy
03/12/24 7:41:22 PM
#8:


6 total including the main character. 4 character active party with 2 reserves.

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Ivany2008
03/12/24 7:41:45 PM
#9:


I think Octopath does it properly with 4 party members.
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ArkhamOrigins
03/12/24 7:42:07 PM
#10:


69

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archizzy
03/12/24 7:42:23 PM
#11:


Shotgunnova posted...
108

Suikoden fan?


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ellis123
03/12/24 7:42:27 PM
#12:


Ivany2008 posted...
I think Octopath does it properly with 4 party members.
Reread the OP.

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SirRobX
03/12/24 7:44:49 PM
#13:


You know what they say! The more the merrier!

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MJOLNRVII
03/12/24 7:45:01 PM
#14:


Lower than 6. I feel like 6 is when JRPGs start to lose it in the character development department. Either from them not being developed, being useless to the plot, not getting enough screen time, or sometimes even from a gameplay perspective. Let's say if you can remove a character from the game entirely, and you can't find enough reasons for why the game wouldn't work without their inclusion then the game had too many party members.

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Accolon
03/12/24 7:46:01 PM
#16:


Shotgunnova posted...
108

As much as I love Suikoden, most party members just have a bit of story when they join, then that's it. They just sit in a list for the rest of the game.

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NeonOPPAl
03/12/24 7:46:10 PM
#17:


Probably 8. Enough for 2 full parties of 4. Anymore feels a little too much

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Kamil
03/12/24 7:48:42 PM
#18:


Entire party? Geez I think more about what you can use in battle. I feel like 4-6 is nice at least.

Entire party? I don't know maybe a dozen? Suikoden as we knew had 108 characters granted that means only a few get development but eh face/book cover level development isn't the worst.

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GhostFaceLeaks
03/12/24 7:48:55 PM
#19:


Let's be real. Anything over 8 is objectively too much and is enough to kill a game. Why do you think Chrono Cross is seen as terrible beyond the mess of a story and why Suikoden as a franchise is dead? The only exception is if it is a monster catching game like Pokemon since those aren't characters.

Players can't handle more than 8 characters, story takes a nosedive, characters take a nosedive, and everything goes downhill.

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Xenogears15
03/12/24 7:49:16 PM
#20:


4.

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Kamil
03/12/24 7:51:09 PM
#21:


I actually intentionally didn't read any posts before mine. I figured someone would beat me to Suikoden haha but 108 though not all are usable in battle.

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RetuenOfDevsman
03/12/24 7:53:16 PM
#22:


Depends on the game, but I would say a fair minimum is around 7.
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Prismsblade
03/12/24 7:53:28 PM
#23:


Whatever the usable amount in combat is plus 3-4. This lets you experiment with multiple party configs in gameplay, along with a decent amount of others characters to enjoy story wise without bloating things.

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BlueAnnihilator
03/12/24 7:53:37 PM
#24:


6, with four active is my favorite.

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Tyranthraxus
03/12/24 7:54:57 PM
#25:


More = better as long as you meet the following criteria:
  1. They're all actually fleshed out characters.
  2. You actually get to use most of them because of either scripted party segments or party splitting.
There's only a few games that have large 10+ parties that actually meet that criteria.

  • FF6
  • FF4:TAY
  • Trails in the Sky 3rd
  • Trails of Cold Steel series
  • Trails into Reverie

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ellis123
03/12/24 7:56:10 PM
#26:


Tyranthraxus posted...
FF6
Gogo absolutely drops that from any serious list about "the whole cast."

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RetuenOfDevsman
03/12/24 7:56:17 PM
#27:


Tyranthraxus posted...
More = better as long as you meet the following criteria:
1. They're all actually fleshed out characters.
2. You actually get to use most of them because of either scripted party segments or party splitting.
There's only a few games that have large 10+ parties that actually meet that criteria.

* FF6
* FF4:TAY
* Trails in the Sky 3rd
* Trails of Cold Steel series
* Trails into Reverie
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Makeveli_lives
03/12/24 7:57:01 PM
#28:


5

i dont like the 8 members for 8 classes thing that games do. Give me fewer people with the option to expand into more classes if I feel like it.

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Tyranthraxus
03/12/24 7:57:30 PM
#29:


ellis123 posted...
Gogo absolutely drops that from any serious list about "the whole cast."

You can delete Gogo, Umaro, and Mog and still have 11 detailed characters left.

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Enclave
03/12/24 7:57:51 PM
#30:


6 with 102 in reserve.

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Kamil
03/12/24 7:58:20 PM
#31:


Trails of Cold Steel 4 was the definition of party bloat. Sure many many had fleshed out back stories but omg. I had my core kick ass crew and then a slight experimental crew and that was it.

I brute forced through some sections when a story important character I just plum didn't use much had to be in the party. I played on Hard too so yea lol

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BlueAnnihilator
03/12/24 7:58:27 PM
#32:


Tyranthraxus posted...
They're all actually fleshed out characters.

Tyranthraxus posted...
FF4:TAY
Calca and Brina had such an amazing character arc

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sabin017
03/12/24 7:58:51 PM
#33:


Somewhere between Chrono Trigger and Mass Effect sizes.

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ellis123
03/12/24 7:59:59 PM
#34:


Tyranthraxus posted...
You can delete Gogo, Umaro, and Mog and still have 11 detailed characters left.
Hence my point. You said "everyone is fleshed out" as a requirement yet FFVI clearly does not fit the bill. Similarly, the ability to just drop characters until you end up with 10+ detailed ones jumps up the list dramatically to the point that it makes the list moot (such as every Suikoden game absolutely having 10+ detailed party members despite its trash % of the overall being basically nobodies).

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BernkastelWitch
03/12/24 8:03:49 PM
#35:


I do know years ago when I posted my game concept on this site I had people say the game will automatically fail due to the large cast. Though my mentality is that as long as you can flesh out them mostly well and have the gameplay features to synergize with the large cast, it should be fine to go for a larger party size.

It ultimately depends on the kind of game you are going for.

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Hospy
03/12/24 8:04:24 PM
#36:


Shotgunnova posted...
108

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RetuenOfDevsman
03/12/24 8:09:38 PM
#37:


Shotgunnova posted...
108
This is kinda my point. It works for Suikoden because the game is designed for it. The characters largely have utility beyond battle, making them worth seeking out even if you have a party you like. But you're also encouraged to try them all out in battle even if it's like the cook or whatever, because they level super fast and there are hidden synergies between party members.

But it's way too much for something like Final Fantasy, which would as a result have to be hundreds of hours of glorified side quests because they feel like everyone has to have a development arc and all that jazz.
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pezzicle
03/12/24 8:09:47 PM
#38:


4 in combat
8 total

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R_Jackal
03/12/24 8:11:23 PM
#39:


Shotgunnova posted...
108
This right here.

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HudGard
03/12/24 10:19:58 PM
#40:


This topic made me realize I dont have one.

I enjoyed collecting the 40+ characters of Chrono Cross as much as road tripping with the boys in FF15.

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refmon
03/12/24 10:21:23 PM
#41:


Shotgunnova posted...
108

I remember being so disappointed when I learned other JRPGs only gave you a handful of party members instead

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PraetorXyn
03/12/24 10:21:29 PM
#42:


6 in the active party like Suikoden.

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Kamen_Rider_Blade
03/12/24 10:21:45 PM
#43:


13

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Ricemills
03/12/24 10:26:24 PM
#44:


Twice or thrice of active party members

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YugiNoob
03/12/24 10:27:10 PM
#45:


Somewhere in the mid teens I guess. That gives room for a decent variety, but without the need to spread out their recruitment so its too bad. Like in Super Robot Wars you get a crapton of units, but some of them join really late. Like you only get the Lancelot Albion for two stages IIRC <_<

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Sun_Xiao
03/12/24 10:29:51 PM
#46:


108 for Sukidoen

8-12 for Most rpgs

24 for SRPGs if too many special characters join your party then raise whatever number to make sure enough generic characters to join your party ie Tactics Ogre LUCT
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Alucard188
03/12/24 10:31:11 PM
#47:


Enough so the main character can create 2 full complimentary parties to surround themselves with. Less than 10, more than 6.

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MagnusDJL
03/12/24 10:37:05 PM
#48:


6-8 and have some mechanic where reserve members can potentially participate in battles too. Stuff like character swapping mid-battle or the assault mechanic from the recent Star Ocean 2 remake.
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Ricemills
03/12/24 10:47:56 PM
#49:


YugiNoob posted...
Somewhere in the mid teens I guess. That gives room for a decent variety, but without the need to spread out their recruitment so its too bad. Like in Super Robot Wars you get a crapton of units, but some of them join really late. Like you only get the Lancelot Albion for two stages IIRC <_<

Technically in SRW Alpha 3 you can control up to 96 units* plus 3 mothership, and plus guest/reinforcement units.
*Actually 24 squads, which comprised of up to 4 units of your choice.

But SRW games returned to single unit settings, last time we got multiple units slot was OG series which let you pair two units without restrictions.

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party_animal07
03/12/24 10:49:32 PM
#50:


Depends on how many are used in battle. Ideally, I'd want 2 more than that for variety.

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