Lesser known great rpgs?

[zxdvas]

No to the moon, witch's house, Ib, corpse party, one shot, Lisa, blank dream, angels of death, pocket mirror e.t.c. (and no Alter A.I.L.A. Genesis either, though I agree not enough people recognise it)
essentially anything on steam, gog, itch.io is outside of consideration. I am talking about those really hidden gems that literally no one talked about. That is usually due to language barrier.
I will mention a few I played. (be warned that they may not be translated so if you cannot handle being enticed stop now)

Ruina 廃都の物語
rpg game with a theme on archaeology, exploration and lost civilisation. Words are inadequate to describe it.
Margikarman ItoA
rpg game with a theme on the meaning of life and death.
月夜に響くノクターン
originally published in 2002, enhanced and ported in 2009. Has a theme on vampire and the nature of life.

 

[Kes]

[move]Video Games[/move]

 

[Romanticist]

Whoa, I was just thinking about this yesterday but couldn't find anything that really interested me. I ended up going down a rabbit hole of old 2k/3 games that used lots of rips, and they're... unique to say the least, and they definitely piqued my interest, but... I wouldn't call them "Great"
Excited to see what people recommend.

 

[Joe_Schmoe]

Dungeon Master (SNES) first comes to mind. One of the first first-person RPGs, with an awesome soundtrack!

 

[Mrs_Allykat]

To a degree the question is relative, since a lot of RPG's were famous during their time. Like the "Breath of Fire" series, it's not well known now, but during it's run it was a standard by which other RPG's were compared. The same can be said for a lot of RPG's that has a name that doesn't start with "Tales of," "Dragon Quest," or "Final."

With that out of the way, I'll throw in a suggestion off the beaten path, skipping such classics as Alundra, Skies of Arcadia, or Devil Summoner. Instead, I present for your list Sigma Star Saga!

Wayforward's 2005 GBA game Sigma Star Saga combined a Zelda like RPG game with a side-scrolling shooter. The game had an epic space opera feel to it, as the story really had a lot of intrigue and mystery. From a playing standpoint, it was a really unique experience. Wandering around on a planet with on screen enemies and then having an "alert" in space where we would suddenly find ourselves in a side-shooting defender-like game. It simply stands out.

 

[Patt-Ytto]

I'd say that Arcana on the SNES didn't get enough love back when it came out.
Megaman Legends 1, 2, and Misadventures of Tron Bonne are also great action rpgs that surprisingly have a pretty fun story, and no one gave them a chance back then because everyone thought all megaman games should be action oriented and 2D like the X series.

 

[rue669]

I always thought Shadow Hearts should’ve gotten more love. For those who played 2 know how great that series could be. But then you play 3 and it’s disappointing.

As for rpg maker games...The Way and Dhrux’s scar were my favs.

 

[bgillisp]

Infinite Space on the DS. Good luck finding a copy at reasonable prices though, but it is a fun space game that few have heard of.

Operation Darkness for the XBox360. It's an alternate WW2 game where the German SS soldiers are vampires and control undead, and British special forces are led by Werewolves and consist of magic users. Really silly but fun if you don't mind how ridiculous the premise is. Besides, it's pretty fun to cast Fireball on a Tank for 10,000+ HP damage.

Mana Khemia for the PS2. It plays a lot like the Atelier games but has more of a story to it, and takes place in a school for Alchemy.

And if you like PC RPG's, check out the CRPGAddict's blog here: http://crpgaddict.blogspot.com/

He's playing all RPG's in order from release date. Currently in 1992, but you can check the previous posted games and maybe find a hidden gem or two there.

 

[Seacliff]

Infinite Space on the DS. Good luck finding a copy at reasonable prices though, but it is a fun space game that few have heard of.

One of Platinum game's finest. Shame they never looked back on it in favor of pure-action games. Albeit they are at least the best in that department.


My pick is understandably forgotten due to the niche demographic. A DS game published by Atlus called My World, My Way.

Spoiler: Details

It's quirky because it's branded as a game targeted to girls who don't normally play RPGs, but the gameplay, scenarios, and humor are best enjoyed if you had. It's about a Princess who gets called out for being a worthless waste of space, so she goes on an adventure to do quests to earn fame and to slay monsters for the sake of earning EXP. (And even tells monsters the only reason they exist is to give her EXP). She also reality-warping powers that effects manipulate JRPG elements like gold/exp rate and encounter levels.
It's not the best game ever by any means, it's a bit unpolished and is easy to exploit. But knowing a lot of deeper JRPGs will be mentioned on this thread, I think the charm and simplicity of this title sticks out.

I've been playing a lot of obscure DS games lately, so this was fresh on my mind. Other ones on the console to note would be FF: Four Heroes of Light and some non-Pokemon Mystery Dungeon games.

 

[Windows i7]

Fairy Fencer F: Advent Dark Force. What makes it good IMO is that you can become insanely overpowered if you so choose by taking advantage of the bonuses and such. Well, that and a level cap of 999... (the protagonist is a lazy idiot too which is kind of funny) Feels good to see your work result in 1 hitting a boss in another play-through IMO.

 

[Lonewulf123]

Okage: Shadow King. Gameplay is just okay but great style and quirky story

 

[HeroicGangster]

Marikin Online 4 is a japanese rpg maker game that I really want to recommend. It is underrated but the production value for the game is really impressive. There's lots of illustrations and the combat flows very well!!! I played the game with the google translate camera function and interpret it for the story. And the game so far reaching the third location of a snowy area, it's simply a fun game. The game has a simple yet hilarious art direction. And the attack cut-ins make each battle satisfying.

Looking at this rpg maker game is like looking at margarine, you will say "I can't believe it's not Priced!"