One of the many things that role-playing games do well is allowing a player to shape the protagonist's moral leaning and outlook. In some of the best recently released RPGs, it's clear to see this philosophy take hold.
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JRPGs are actually usually an outlier for this particular role-playing trope. Certainly, there are a variety of JRPGs that have branching outcomes, but a tangible and effective measurement of a character's morality, ala the Paragon/Renegade system from Mass Effect, or a game that actively responds to moral alignments, is quite rare. Rare does not mean nonexistent, though, and there are a few JRPGs with ways to gauge morality.
5 Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology
A Branching Timeline Showcases Two Moral Paths
Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology
- Released
- February 13, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Atlus
- Publisher(s)
- Atlus
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 3DS
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The ever shifting timeline in Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is representative of the player's moral choices in a series of increasingly difficult dilemmas. Stocke's use of the White Chronicle, an artifact that allows for the use of time travel, splits the story into two major timelines, each indicative of a particular moral outlook from Stocke.
These two timelines have smaller branches, and as the story continues, a chronology of Stocke's decisions, functionally shaping who he is, starts to form. This is a level of moral dissection not usually seen in JRPGs, and makes this title among one of the various 3DS JRPGs that deserve revitalization on the Switch.
4 Langrisser 1 & 2
Moral Choices Shape A Multitude Of Outcomes
Langrisser I & II
- Released
- February 7, 2019
- Developer(s)
- Extreme, Chara-Ani
- Publisher(s)
- NIS America
Building on an epic accumulation of countless moral choices, Langrisser 1 & 2 continues the legacy of its original title before finishing up in one of 22 endings and a whopping 560 character outcomes. These character outcomes form a sort of collage that defines the protagonist's morality from afar. The two games have a narrative that syncs up well together, but in particular, Langrisser 2 has a twistier and more subversive fantasy story.
For a game where the morality mechanics are balanced on a sovereign ruler who must make difficult choices, there are a few options available to players, but the Langrisser duology stands among them as one of the greats.
3 Tactics Ogre: Reborn
An Alignment That Shifts In A Complex Narrative
Tactics Ogre: Reborn
- Released
- November 11, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Tactical, Strategy
Tactics Ogre is, according to many longtime fans, Square Enix's magnum opus when it comes to the SRPG genre. It's clear to see why, with the tile-based battles and gameplay playing like an incredible game of fantasy chess, over a sprawling, incredibly long campaign to secure a kingdom come under attack. Starting as early as the end of chapter 1, the player is tasked with making some very serious moral choices that skew them more towards either a lawful or chaotic bent.
Utilizing a variety of classes, Tactics Ogre will keep players occupied on the battlefield for an incredibly long time - but it's off the battlefield during some incredibly hard-hitting narrative moments that players make choices that will shape the outcome of the war and the fate of the whole continent. Tactics Ogre: Reborn does take some getting used to, with a rather complex story and some lack of polish with the spritework, but the end result is a uniquely in-depth strategy experience.
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2 Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
The Balance Between Law And Chaos Affects Narrative And Gameplay
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux
- Released
- May 15, 2018
- Developer(s)
- Atlus, Lancarse
- Publisher(s)
- Atlus, Deep Silver
- Platform(s)
- 3DS, Nintendo DS
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
The alignment system in most Megami Tensei games has players riding along an axis with chaos at one end, and law on the other. These alignments are moral, but they're also philosophical and theological, with the specific philosophies and tones underlying each alignment changing within each game. Strange Journey is just one game in a series that has a plethora of morality-based decision-making.
Like many Atlus remakes, Strange Journey Redux manages to bring a plethora of quality of life changes with it that make it the definitive version of this title, not least of all a host of additional content that flesh out the three major alignments of chaos, law and neutrality, providing each with a more satisfying ending. This makes Strange Journey an especially good title for not falling into the trap SMT 4 did of making the neutral ending the only satisfying one.
1 Triangle Strategy
Choices Shift Serenoa's Convictions
Triangle Strategy
- Released
- March 4, 2022
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix, Artdink
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix, Nintendo
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
Triangle Strategy implements several features to make its conviction system more nuanced than a wide breadth of other morality systems. Namely, it is a trinary, not binary system, and while all convictions are opposed from one another, it doesn't feel as black and white as a good/evil system, or even the paragon/renegade system from Mass Effect which does have a bit more intricacy to it.
Triangle Strategy is by no means an easy game, but the fantastic graphics, hugely compelling narrative and nuanced morality system make it a title players are going to want to stick with for a while.
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