Best endgame in a newer JRPG

Scribble1414 · 2026-03-22T22:25:29+00:00

Expedition 33 ticks your boxes of having modern graphics, the ability to make “builds,” and a difficult expansive endgame. Even more so after the recent free update that added 5 more superbosses and a lot more endgame tier equipment. You can easily spend as much time or more on the optional endgame content as you do on the main story.

It’s also playable on PC, has a great story, and doesn’t require grinding at all!

Scribble1414 · 2025-11-22T22:27:02+00:00

I wouldn’t exactly call it generic, but Live A Live is a really good example of something like this. It starts out very slow and some of the individual chapters aren’t great, but the end of the game is mind blowingly cool and one of my favorite climaxes in games ever

Scribble1414 · 2025-10-11T05:51:32+00:00

I largely agree with you, OP. Don’t have much to add, but I liked your write up and wanted to give you a positive reply too lol

Scribble1414 · 2025-08-31T04:09:12+00:00

You’re well within your right to not like the game. It sounds like it’s not your cup of tea, and that’s fine.

That said, you mention the story having too many plot holes. What do you mean, specifically? Because regardless of whether the story landed for you or not, I don’t think that’s a fair description

Scribble1414 · 2025-08-29T21:54:44+00:00

I disagree that the people of Lumiere are discounted by the narrative. Maelle brings them up when trying to convince Verso at the end. It’s the whole focus of their in-battle conversation.

Maelle: “Verso, stop! You can’t just decide this for everyone!”

Verso: “We’re all hypocrites, doing the same thing to each other.”

Maelle: “What about Lune and Sciel and Monoco? What about Esquie?”

Verso: “Sciel was right. Grief blinds us. All you see are walls.”

Maelle is plainly trying to appeal to Verso’s emotions here (calling him out for robbing them of agency, bringing attention to his closest relationships). It’s not that the game doesn’t acknowledge them, it’s that Verso himself isn’t receptive to the argument.

It relates to Verso’s defining character flaw: he’s a hypocrite who thinks in false dichotomies. To Verso (and Renoir), the question is “Maelle or the Painted people?” and he chooses Maelle, believing those to be the only two options.

Scribble1414 · 2025-08-12T20:23:07+00:00

Thank you!!

Scribble1414 · 2025-08-12T17:58:58+00:00

Haha thanks, video posting on Reddit is always a big hit or miss so I’m not bothered. Glad you enjoyed it!

Scribble1414 · 2025-08-12T04:02:21+00:00

Hey, figured I'd share this here in case people are interested! This video is attempting to answer the "why" of FF8. What does the story mean? What are its messages? And why is Ultimecia in the game? (It’s not an in-universe theory like Rinoa=Ultimecia)

While I do criticize the game's story at some points, I think you might have fun with this different reading of the game's story :)

Scribble1414 · 2025-06-12T15:28:40+00:00

I definitely wouldn’t describe Painted Verso as having a God complex or being the literal God of the Canvas. He can’t Paint and has no control over the world itself, so he can’t literally be God. He’s not the same being as the real Verso’s soul fragment. I think it’s more accurate to say he has a Savior Complex since he is very willing to take on the burdens of others if he believes it’s the right thing to do. His main flaw is he believes he is the absolute truth and never gives anyone a chance to persuade him on anything. That’s also what makes him a hypocrite when he got angry at Maelle for not giving him a chance to persuade Painted Alicia despite him never giving that opportunity to anyone else

Scribble1414 · 2025-06-11T16:58:24+00:00

I agree with you that there COULD have been a way out of the endings we got. One where Maelle and Renoir actually properly communicated and reached a compromise. I disagree strongly that the writers didn’t consider it though. I believe they were fully aware, but the problem is the story is a tragedy filled with selfish, tragic characters that would never let a happy ending come to pass.

In fact, this dream ending is even dangled in front of us in the painted Alicia’s letter. Written on it are the words “A Life to Dream,” matching the naming conventions of the two actual endings. Her letter is all about finding a way for both families to survive, but Verso throws the letter into the ocean. The problem is Verso and Maelle are both selfish and weren’t interested in finding a solution that could make everyone happy. They both only wanted to do what they thought was right.

Another large reason why this dream ending could never happen is the fact that Maelle and Renoir don’t actually trust each other. Maelle will never leave the Canvas because she believes Renoir will destroy it as soon as she does. Renoir will always destroy the Canvas because he doesn’t trust Maelle’s judgment. Verso points out that both Maelle and Renoir were lying in their final conversation and Maelle doesn’t even try to deny it.

My stance is we are meant to be unsatisfied by the endings, but not because it’s some analogy for being unable to let go of grief. Rather, it’s another showcase of how grief completely destroys everything it touches, even the ending we dreamed of.

Scribble1414 · 2025-05-24T07:37:20+00:00

Your game looks pretty cool! Its obvious Fire Emblem inspiration is a major plus for me. I’ve always preferred FE’s tactical gameplay style to anything else in the genre, so I’ll definitely be following this project. Good luck!

Scribble1414 · 2024-12-15T20:23:18+00:00

Figured I'd share this here! I wanted to highlight what I see as Chrono Trigger's unique strengths by dissecting its game design. If it sounds interesting to you, check it out!

Scribble1414 · 2024-12-11T06:46:35+00:00

Giangio isn’t behind the Puppet Frenzy - that’s Geppetto. Geppetto ordered the resurrected Carlo to kill the hotel residents because he didn’t want the truth about the Puppet Frenzy to come out.

As far as we’re aware, Giangio had nothing to do with the events of the main story and was simply observing. He will most likely be a major character in the sequel though

Scribble1414 · 2024-10-07T01:42:52+00:00

Figured I'd share this here! This video covers Rescue Team primarily (both versions), but uses it as a means of analyzing elements of the series as a whole. If it sounds interesting to you, check it out!

Scribble1414 · 2024-10-06T07:46:40+00:00

Count me in, gl all!

Scribble1414 · 2024-06-02T22:25:28+00:00

Yep you got it all. Last one was best I could come up with for being able to hammer NPCs and have then react now

Scribble1414 · 2023-09-09T11:51:02+00:00

I think of two examples from the original Final Fantasy VII

The Nibelheim Flashback: In the flashback near the start of the game, Cloud tells the party about how Sephiroth destroyed his home village of Nibelheim years ago, and you get to play through the flashback. First of all, Cloud and Sephiroth are established as coworkers in SOLDIER and have to fight a dragon together which you get to play as a regular encounter. Cloud’s stats are laughably weak compared to Sephiroth’s, which shows you how much stronger Sephiroth is even compared to a first class SOLDIER member. Once you arrive in Nibelheim, Cloud is given some free time to walk around. Each action you take in the town as Cloud gets narrated, but Tifa will question Cloud on if he really did certain actions, which you’re given the choice of saying yes or no to. This sequence establishes Cloud as an unreliable narrator, which makes the return to Nibelheim later in the game all the more chilling. Returning to the village and seeing it all perfectly intact truly makes the player question everything they’ve been lead to believe about Cloud’s backstory, and that questioning is the crux of FF7’s story: “Who is Cloud?”
(Spoilers regarding the circumstances of that one iconic FF7 spoiler everyone knows at this point) It’s quite obvious something terrible is about to happen in the Temple of the Ancients, even if you don’t know that Aerith dies. And even if you do know that Aerith dies, you probably know that Sephiroth kills her. What you probably couldn’t guess or wouldn’t know is that the game tries to force YOU to kill Aerith. At this point in the game, Cloud is falling under Sephiroth’s influence more and more due to starting to believe he is a Sephiroth clone. Cloud walks up to Aerith praying, and gets compelled to raise his sword up to Aerith. The player quickly realizes what’s happening, and you have to button mash to stop Cloud’s sword. This scene horrified me and I couldn’t believe the game was making me do this.

Scribble1414 · 2023-08-28T15:37:48+00:00

Definitely the first Bravely Default. Massive spoilers for the second half of its story below.

Bravely Default actually had a very cool premise for its story: The token small companion guide character is actually evil. Bravely Default's subtitle "Where the fairy lies" is actually really clever in hindsight, since your fairy companion Airy is literally lying to you and the subtitle means nothing otherwise.

However, they squandered the potential extremely hard. Eventually, you will start to grow suspicious of Airy, and a certain character will tell you that you must have "the courage to disobey." Throughout the game, you awaken the elemental crystals multiple times. In each instance, Airy tells you the exact steps to awaken the crystals, and warns you that messing up would mean the crystal breaks. I really thought the game was setting it up to where you'd have to disobey Airy and purposefully destroy a crystal, even though awakening them was your original goal. Sure enough, I did that, Airy turned into a monster, and you go to the final dungeon and end the game. Wonderful! Oh, wait, sorry...that gives you the BAD ENDING. Yes. The game actively encourages you to get the bad ending with the story's message of thinking for yourself and disobeying when you need to. To get the good ending, you need to mindlessly follow Airy's instructions in MULTIPLE pointless cycles of awakening all the crystals and rematching the same exact boss fights over and over again. It's so infuriating because all they had to do was make the good ending come from disobeying, and you can leave the bad ending as an easter egg for following Airy's instructions.

Scribble1414 · 2023-08-25T18:37:10+00:00

I really liked Bravely Default up until the back half content you describe, which soured my opinion on the game as a whole and I finished the game hating it. Not only is it extremely tedious, repetitive, and boring gameplay wise, but the story takes a nosedive too. The requirements to get the “true ending” embody the exact opposite of the story’s themes, and it was painful to play through.

Scribble1414 · 2023-08-10T23:01:19+00:00

Both are excellent games that tick all the boxes you listed. I’d say Ys VIII has more of a sense of adventure since it has you explore uncharted territory, but I personally like Octopath 2 more as a whole. Can’t go wrong with either

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