8 JRPGs About Saving The Environment

JRPGs are known for being thematically heavy-handed: this is not automatically a bad thing. Most of the lessons taught by them are ones that should be reaffirmed time and again: the power of friendship, the appreciation of differing perspectives, and the importance of achieving harmony with nature.

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As industrialization leaves nature behind and damages our own planet, it’s important to appreciate the art that rages against this wanton destruction. These stories are meant to encourage us to look after our own environment, even if it’s as small a step as recycling plastic.

8

Final Fantasy 5

Final Fantasy 5

Released

December 6, 1992

Engine

Unity

ESRB

T For Teen due to Mild Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity

How Long To Beat

32 Hours

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

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By the time Final Fantasy 5 came out, the classic JRPG trope of gathering crystals to save the world had grown tiresome. These crystals represented the planet, yes, but over the course of several JRPGs – Square-developed and otherwise – they had turned into simplistic deus ex machinas.

Final Fantasy 5 freshened up the crystals plot by adding a more nuanced environmental message to it. The crystals are being exploited by humanity for their power, much like resources are in real life. As the crystals get exhausted and shatter, the world draws closer to collapse. Bartz’s party, in being chosen as protectors of the crystals, are serving as protectors of the earth.

7

Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Systems

Platform(s)

Switch

Released

December 1, 2017

Developer(s)

Monolith Soft

Publisher(s)

Nintendo

Engine

Proprietary Engine

ESRB

T For Teen due to Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco, Violence

How Long To Beat

63 Hours

Metascore

83

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

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The world of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is home to the Titans, and the Titans are home to humans. The scarcity of resources drives humanity to war, however, leading to the suffering of the Titans. When a Titan dies, the world suffers: entire ecosystems collapse, threatening the existence of humanity itself.

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This symbiotic relationship is the fulcrum on which the game’s plot balances. While Xenoblade Chronicles 2 carries a lot of other themes, the undercurrent is always about saving the planet. The only hope for humanity to survive is to rejuvenate the world they live in.

6

Wild Arms 3

Wild Arms 3

Systems

Released

October 15, 2002

Developer(s)

Media Vision

Publisher(s)

Sony Computer Entertainment

ESRB

T For Teen Due To Mild Violence

How Long To Beat

32 Hours

Metascore

78

PS Plus Availability

Premium

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Nature has always been a central theme in the desert landscape of Wild Arms. This is most prominent in the third entry: the environment in Filgaia is actively decaying, leading to a scarcity of resources. Even the seas no longer hold water.

The Prophets are a trio of scientists who purport to save the environment, but are quietly chasing their own personal ends. Their callous attitudes clash with those of the Drifters, who work with the planet’s Guardians to protect it. Wild Arms 3 reminds us that we cannot use greater-good objectives as an excuse to cause suffering in the short term.

5

Tales Of Phantasia

Tales of Phantasia

Released

December 15, 1995

Developer

Wolf Team

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

ESRB

e

How Long To Beat

34 Hours

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Tales of Phantasia is a pioneer among JRPGs: it had a vocal theme on the SNES, real-time elements in its combat, and a nuanced villain with an objective other than revenge or world domination. Dhaos’ motivation for fighting against the protagonists is to revive his home planet.

2:22

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The overuse of mana, derived from the World Tree, caused Dhaos’ planet to collapse. When he came to Aselia, he saw the same thing happen. Despite his warnings, the kings of Aselia kept draining the environment, driving Dhaos to extreme measures. Even Cress’ party sympathizes with Dhaos’ drive to save both his planet and theirs.

4

Chrono Cross

Released

August 15, 2000

Developer(s)

Square

Publisher(s)

Square, Square Enix

ESRB

T For Teen due to Animated Violence, Mild Language

Chrono Cross’ tropical landscape isn’t just a fantastical setting for our consciousness surrounded by concrete. It is a world that is slowly, surely, and forever under threat. When Serge and his allies find a small piece of the future nestled in the Dead Sea, they find a swath of mechanical wreckage: a landfill of old robots, car parts and computer components.

This is the future that humanity, with its exponential gorging of nature, has built for itself. It has chased the other sentient species away, hunted Hydras to near-extinction, and left no ground untouched. And all it achieved was extinction. Lavos came back not because Chrono Trigger’s ending was retconned, but because humans never struck a deal with nature.

3

Mother 3

Systems

Released

April 20, 2006

Developer

Brownie Brown, HAL Laboratory

Engine

M4A sound/music engine

ESRB

e

How Long To Beat

25 Hours

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Earthbound is the most popular game in this series, but Mother 3 is the better game. Shigesato Itoi’s masterpiece centres on a small village that is corrupted by capitalism after industry rears its ugly head. Villagers abandon their principles and their neighbours, so long as they can have their happy boxes – Mother’s equivalent of televisions.

The game’s logo acts as a gauge of nature’s health. On the title screen, it shows metal and machinery encroaching on the once-wooden sign. The post-game logo shows the logo with its greenery restored, symbolizing that nature is healing.

2

Tales Of Vesperia

Tales of Vesperia

Released

August 7, 2008

Developer(s)

Namco Bandai

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

ESRB

t

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One of the biggest hurdles environmental conservation faces, and one that few will admit to themselves, is that we love our luxuries too much. We are the only species intelligent enough to destroy our planet, and we justify it because our convenience comes first.

Tales of Vesperia is an unabashed pushback against that mentality. The game features Yuri Lowell and his friends saving the world from a destructive force awakened by humanity’s overuse of blastia – technology that is convenient and nigh magical, but that comes at the expense of the planet’s health.

1

Final Fantasy 7

Released

January 31, 1997

Engine

Unreal Engine 4

ESRB

T for Teen: Blood, Fantasy Violence, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes

How Long To Beat

37 Hours

X|S Optimized

yes

Supported VR Headsets

Oculus Quest 2

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

OpenCritic Rating

Strong

Cross Save

Players who have already started their adventure on iOS or Android can take advantage of cross-save capabilities

Cross-Platform Play

ps, pc

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Final Fantasy 7 saw the series move in a sci-fi direction, while keeping its themes of nature intact. Final Fantasy 7 is the best game about saving the environment, because it presents a nuanced portrayal of the issue. Even if you’ve never played through it, you probably know about the opening level of Final Fantasy 7: of Cloud and co. conducting a bombing mission against the Shinra corporation.

Avalanche, designated eco-terrorists by Shinra, believe that their crusade against capitalism means killing a few civilians is justified. But as Barret learns, the planet dying is no excuse for harming innocents. The Shinra corporation should be the one to pay, going so far in its exploitation that the planet itself fights back.

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