Since a lot of people could probably use a mood booster today I'll be doing a thread of some of my favorite upbeat RPGs. They do have some dark moments to build up the stakes (like any good story) but for the most part are pretty upbeat and jovial. - ThreadSky

spoonshiro.com • 120 days ago

Since a lot of people could probably use a mood booster today I'll be doing a thread of some of my favorite upbeat RPGs. They do have some dark moments to build up the stakes (like any good story) but for the most part are pretty upbeat and jovial.

Comments

mrgaffe.bsky.social•119 days ago

Ngl slightly surprised that you didn’t include The Legend of Dragoon. It’s a nice cult classic

tofudachi.bsky.social•119 days ago

Haven't played it yet but the Rhapsody series feels like pure healing rn

spoonshiro.com•118 days ago

Muting this now

spoonshiro.com•120 days ago

We'll start with Dragon Quest VIII. A journey with a memorable cast of characters, a strong sense of humor (compounded by some high quality voiceover) and some clever character building with no shortage of side content. A long adventure but it's a great one throughout.

spoonshiro.com•120 days ago

The Ys games are a simple premise - guy goes to travel the world and by some weird coincidence keeps stumbling into world-threatening plots - but it's a lot of fun for that reason too. There is a running storyline but for the most part they're all self-contained adventures so you won't be lost.

spoonshiro.com•120 days ago

Final Fantasy is pretty famous for its dark storytelling but V plays more like a campy tokusatsu show - an over-the-top villain, you put on silly costumes to gain new powers and battle all sorts of creative bosses. Building custom classes is a ton of fun too.

spoonshiro.com•120 days ago

Lunar is a great series that was among the first to show off what CD technology could do to improve the medium - great voiceover, a memorable cast of characters with distinct and funny personalities, fantastic soundtracks and even a couple surprisingly decent musical numbers. Great fun.

spoonshiro.com•120 days ago

Speaking of Game Arts, Grandia is a close spiritual successor, having a wonderful cast and an excellent sense of adventure with high stakes. The combat system is ingenious too, letting you delay or even cancel enemy turns entirely with well-placed attacks (but they can do likewise, so be careful!)

spoonshiro.com•120 days ago

Dark Cloud 2 (aka Dark Chronicle) has you rebuilding a world that's slowly being erased from history, but unlike the original game it goes from grim and moody to bright and colorful. Also contains steampunk robots, fishing and golfing with displaced fragments of space time. Good fun!

naditzu.bsky.social•119 days ago

I slept on this series for so long.

ultimaman123.bsky.social•120 days ago

I've always wanted to check out DQ VIII. Do you have a recommended best way to play it between the 3DS and the PS2 versions?

spoonshiro.com•120 days ago

Neither one is really 'definitive' since the PS2 version has higher quality music but the 3DS version has more content (including 2 new playable characters). Either ones a good time but I prefer 3DS personally

ultimaman123.bsky.social•120 days ago

Thanks for letting me know!

sleepisfort.bsky.social•118 days ago

Love starting with DQ VIII, this was an important one for me. Just moved cities, playing in my bedroom on a small TV. Forever connected with a time and place--fun characters and art

cosmosstag.bsky.social•119 days ago

This makes me wish I still had my Nintendo 3DS.

rfstephen8.bsky.social•119 days ago

I went the movie route. I watched one where the serial killer got bested by his female victim. (I don't want to name the movie so as not to spoil the experience by revealing the ending.) Then, I watched The First Wives Club! "You don't own me...."

lunathepanda.bsky.social•119 days ago

Might I recommend dragon quest 11 as while it does get sad for a bit the over all theme is hope in the face of darkness. If I overstepped my bounds please forgive me but I like the idea in order to help people during this time to recommend something to get their minds off of everything or give hope.

spoonshiro.com•119 days ago

I do love DQ11 too, just went with 8 cuz it's a personal fave

lunathepanda.bsky.social•119 days ago

That is fair. I also love the idea of finding games that can make people happy. This is a tough day for a lot of people so I love it thank you for the recommendations.