JRPGs You Can’t Play Anymore – Investment Policy

The internet means many games can technically be played forever. However, actually getting them running on a computer isn’t always simple. It requires finding and setting up emulators and game files, which can be tricky for most players. Even if someone owns the original game, the technical setup and legal concerns often discourage them.

Many classic Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) are difficult to find and play today. Physical copies are rare, and some are so expensive they’re practically unavailable. Others can’t be played at all due to problems with online servers. Let’s take a look at a few of these rare and forgotten gems and learn a bit about their history.

.hack//Infection

A Forgotten Quadrilogy

I first got into the .hack series with .hack//Infection back in the early 2000s. It was the first of four games – .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine followed soon after, all on the PS2. What was really cool was that your progress and save data carried over from one game to the next, so the story felt really connected and continued right where you left off. It wasn’t just a reset with each new release!

The games revolved around a fictional online world called ‘The World,’ where players battled monsters in dungeons in real-time. This gameplay was connected to a real-world mystery involving data corruption and people falling into comas. Although physical copies of the games exist, completing the full collection and getting it working on a PlayStation 2 is incredibly challenging. Hopefully, CyberConnect2 will eventually re-release the entire series.

Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine

Going Offline

Developers: Cave and GungHo Online Entertainment
Publisher: Aeria Games (NA)
Released: 12/31/08 (NA)
Platform: PC

Many games in the Shin Megami Tensei series are obscure because so many spin-offs were released on older, less common systems. Plus, a lot of these games never left Japan, so players in Western countries are often unaware of their existence. Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine was one of the few titles that made it to North America in 2008, but even that didn’t make it a well-known game.

This online multiplayer game was originally only available on computers. A unique feature was the ability to team up with demons in battles. While it had a dedicated fanbase, the official servers first closed in North America in 2014, and then in Japan in 2016. Now, the only way to play is through servers created and maintained by fans.

Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7

The Turks JRPG

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of Final Fantasy 7, Square Enix began creating new games that expanded the story, culminating in releases for 2007. Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7 was one of these, a prequel focusing on the adventures of The Turks – Shinra’s covert operatives who handled sensitive missions. Like the original game, it was a turn-based RPG, but players experienced the story through the eyes of different members of The Turks.

The game was first released in Japan in 2004 on a mobile service called FOMA, and later on SoftBank and EZweb in 2007. Because it was originally for older Japanese phones, the only way to play it now is to find those old phones – something some game preservationists are working on. The new mobile game, Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, is currently recreating scenes from all the Final Fantasy 7 games, including Before Crisis: Final Fantasy 7. While it won’t be exactly like playing the original game cover to cover, it’s a good way to experience parts of it.

Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django

Cartridges Needed

Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django continues the story of Django, a young vampire hunter. This sequel leans more into traditional JRPG gameplay, letting you level up your equipment. It’s an action-packed RPG with stealth sections, fitting considering it was created by Hideo Kojima, known for his stealth games.

A unique feature of all three Boktai games for the Game Boy Advance was a solar panel built into the cartridge. Players had to actually take the game outside to collect sunlight, which powered up their weapons. While it’s still technically possible to do this today, it’s not very practical, and using simulated sunlight in an emulator just doesn’t feel the same as being outdoors.

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776

Nintendo Powered Down

Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 was the final Fire Emblem game released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in Japan. It’s worth noting that Japan also had a separate service called Nintendo Power, established in 1997, which wasn’t connected to the American magazine with the same name.

Nintendo Power kiosks were set up in stores, letting players download and purchase games using flash cartridges. Fire Emblem: Thracia 776 was one game made available this way in 1999. An official cartridge version followed in 2000 for the Super Famicom, and the game was also released digitally on the Wii and Wii U. However, finding an original flash cartridge with this tactical RPG on it in Japan today would be very difficult.

Kingdom Hearts X

This Keyhole Is Locked

Kingdom Hearts X began as an online game in Japan in 2013, available through sites like Yahoo! Japan. Players originally battled enemies using cards, but when the game was updated and released on mobile devices as Kingdom Hearts Unchained X in 2015 and 2016 for North American audiences, the card system was replaced with collectible medals.

The game went through several name changes, first to Kingdom Hearts Union X in 2017, and then to Kingdom Hearts Union X Dark Road in 2020. In 2021, developers attempted to create an offline version before removing it from app stores in 2024. This was disappointing for Kingdom Hearts fans who had dedicated years to playing this prequel.

Xenosaga: Pied Piper

An Unknown Interquel

Developers: Monolith Soft, Namco, and Tom Create
Publisher: Namco
Released: 7/14/04
Platform: Mobile (Vodafone Service, Japan)

Xenosaga: Pied Piper was a Japanese mobile game—a turn-based RPG—that many Xeno series fans are unaware of. First released in 2004 for Vodafone Japan, it later came to the i-mode service in 2006. The game acts as a prequel to the original Xenosaga Episode 1: Der Wille zur Macht, showing Ziggy as a human operative before he became a cyborg.

Fans were happy to finally get some clarity on the story, which had been confusing on gaming consoles. Remarkably, a copy was discovered on an old Japanese phone in 2025, and experts are now working to translate and play it. However, for the vast majority of people, Xenosaga: Pied Piper remains unavailable.

Crimson Shroud

Tabletop Goes 3D

Crimson Shroud was created as part of a Level-5 initiative to encourage major game developers to experiment with smaller projects for the 3DS. Released digitally on the 3DS eShop in 2012, the game was a collaboration between Level-5 and Nex Entertainment. It offered a unique tabletop-style experience where players moved three characters like miniatures through a dungeon, and enemies appeared as small statues.

I absolutely loved how battles played out in Crimson Shroud – everything was shown through these cool dice rolls, and the art style was totally one-of-a-kind. It’s such a shame that when the 3DS eShop closed to new buyers in 2023, it became really hard for people in North America to get their hands on it. You could technically still find a physical copy in Japan as part of a 3DS collection called Guild01, but even then, it’s a pretty rare game to find!

2025-12-21 03:05