Steam has become renowned for its sales, and the latest one gives JRPG fans a chance to expand their collections. From now until March 21 at 10 AM PT, a variety of great games will be available at a discount, making it a perfect opportunity to try something new. The sale offers a mix of recent hits, classic titles, and underrated gems.
While there are lots of games available, including some critically-acclaimed titles and fan-favorites, some of them are particularly good bargains. With some prices slashed by up to 80%, the Steam JRPG sale is well worth a look not only for fans of the genre, but for those who just love a good discount.
Yakuza: Like a Dragon ($32.99; 45% Off)
Yakuza: Like a Dragon was a smash hit when it debuted in 2020 for offering a bold, colorful, and utterly ridiculous game designed to appeal to fans of the consistently out-there series while also bringing plenty of new players into the Yakuza clan. Like a Dragon ditches Kazuma Kiryu in favor of a new protagonist, the hot-headed Ichiban Kasuga. Ichiban seeks answers after languishing in prison for the last 18 years, freeing up the game’s narrative to start things afresh and take the story in a unique direction.
Like a Dragon‘s fresh new storyline isn’t the only reason why it should entice potential buyers. The game fully commits to how ludicrous the Yakuza franchise can be, creating a whacky and surreal experience that never becomes too self-aware or overly grating. It’s truly an exercise in how to do silliness without sacrificing on actual gameplay. With a Metacritic score of 83 for PC and almost unanimous acclaim, Like a Dragon isn’t to be missed.
Monster Hunter Rise ($39.59; 34% Off)
Despite a slightly smaller discount, Monster Hunter Rise is no less acclaimed or worthy of purchase. Capcom’s 2021 adventure title is the sixth mainline installment in the Monster Hunter series, and while it was originally released solely for the Nintendo Switch, the game was released for PC in early 2022.
Monster Hunter Rise follows the story of the Kamura village as it battles against the mysterious Rampage, a catastrophic event where multiple monsters attack the settlement at once. Players are tasked with developing their Stronghold to resist against these oversized foes. With critics gushing over the game’s technical ambition, accessibility, aesthetic, and improved mechanics, coupled with a critical score of 86 from Metacritic, Monster Hunter Rise is well worth hunting down while discount lasts.
Scarlet Nexus ($23.99; 60% Off)
Like many JRPGs, Scarlet Nexus opts for a relatively unconventional story and setting, grounding itself in an alternative future where humanity has unlocked the secrets to extrasensory perception and superhuman abilities through accessing certain hormones and substances found in the human brain. Players take control of a protagonist from the Other Suppression Force tasked with defending society from a race of mutated creatures threatening humanity itself. Players can access a skill tree to level up their abilities, as well as psychokinesis which enables them to throw objects and debris at incoming hostiles.
While it may all sound a little strange, Scarlet Nexus has just enough conviction and confidence in its bizarre story to make things work, aided crucially by smooth, intuitive combat, plus a raft of gameplay mechanics that rarely feel confused or cluttered. Critically acclaimed and a commercial success, one doesn’t need extrasensory enhancements to realize that 60% off of Scarlet Nexus‘ original price represents pretty decent value.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 ($9.99; 80% Off)
Any RPG awarded “Best Strategy Game” at The Game Awards 2018 deserves more than passing consideration, especially discounted by a whopping 80%. Valkyria Chronicles 4 may be an elder statement in comparison to many of the other titles available on Steam’s sale, but that’s no reason to pass it over as anything less than essential for lovers of tactical JRPGs.
Valkyria Chronicles 4 was essentially Sega’s attempt to revive a semi-dormant franchise, resulting in an odd but innovative JRPG set in an alternate-reality World War II that gives players control of units in semi-real time despite battles themselves being fixedly turn-based. With the additional and seemingly odd inclusion of some third-person shooter combat, Valkyria Chronicles 4 sounds like a recipe for abject disaster, yet somehow manages to pull its disparate elements together to form a game that is as cohesive as it is technically impressive. At such a discounted rate, there’s little risk in seeing for oneself.
Chrono Trigger ($7.49; 50% Off)
Chrono Trigger might be older than half of the people actually accessing a sale of Steam, having been released way back in 1995, but the game’s age is no justification for skipping over it out of hand. Simply put, Chrono Trigger is one of the most acclaimed, beloved, respected and popular JRPG games ever made, a title that no true gamer can be ignorant of. A quick check of the game’s galaxy of five-star reviews and near-perfect critical scores is a pretty clear indication that this is gaming greatness.
Marked as one of the games that pushed the genre’s technical development, Chrono Trigger was acclaimed for its revolutionary graphics, sound, controls, and focus on player fun above all else. A multi-award winner and stone-cold fan favorite, Chrono Trigger‘s acclaim speaks for itself. With a heavy discount taking the game’s price down to mere pocket change, there really is no excuse for missing out on gaming royalty.
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