Summary
Most JRPGs let players mess around with a small cast of party members who can be switched out on the fly as they embark on a grand adventure for the ages. These adventurers take on relatively minor threats before eventually partaking in battles where the world’s fate is at stake. With the power of friendship,the heroes in these JRPGscan overcome massive odds to save the day and bring peace to a land that has been tormented by conflict for the longest time.
While these small parties can be fun to interact with, players who want to switch out a larger cast of playable characters and check out a host of unique abilities will love the idea of a revolving cast of party members that bring many strengths to the table. Every dungeon can feature a different party that’s a joy to control, helping the combat feel diverse in every scenario. However, players should remember that these games can suffer from excessive gear management and a lack of consistency if players change their party members all the time, so there’s nothing wrong with sticking to a tried-and-tested set of characters instead.
Final Fantasy 6boasts the widest cast of playable characters ever seen in the series' mainline games, with a total of fourteen party members.When players reach the World of Ruin, the vast majority of these characters are optional and aren’t required to defeat Kefka. In fact, a maximum of twelve party members can be brought to the final dungeon, meaning that characters like Gogo and Umaro can be skipped without any problems if the player wishes.
However, this massive cast makes the game a blast to play through, especially since players can switch out their party makeup at regular intervals and experience the depth of the combat system firsthand. Every character has a unique trait that sets them apart and ensures that players can have a great time battling against powerful enemies and using unique strategies every time to come out victorious.
TheSuikodenseries is notorious for featuring a ridiculously high number of playable characters in each entry, adding to the epic feel of a storythat revolves around warand making unfair conquerers pay for their brutal actions. Depending on the number of characters that are recruited in a playthrough, certain events of the ending can change.Suikoden 2is usually hailed by many as the best game in the series courtesy of its amazing plot and memorable characters.
Recruiting the 108 Stars of Destiny may seem like an exercise in patience, but the pacing ofSuikoden 2is so brilliant that fans won’t mind the extra effort involved in gathering these party members. With a total of six party members active at any given time, this allows for endless combinations in a game with so many recruitable characters that it’s almost a given that most players won’t exhaust all possible permutations and combinations before reaching the end of a riveting tale.
A sequel toChrono Triggerhad some big shoes to fill, so it was only a given that a section of JRPG fans would be disappointed byChrono Crossif it fell even slightly short of the mark. Given the massive changes made to this game in comparison to its predecessor, some fans were irate at what this game brought to the table. However, players who ignored the context of the first game will findChrono Crossto be a competent JRPG with many ambitious ideas, such as the inclusion of a massive cast of party members.
Some of the recruitable characters in this game are exclusive, andplayers need to clock in multiple playthroughsif they want to control every party member inChrono Cross. With a massive story and numerous dungeons to explore, players will have a great time cycling through a massive cast of party members and figuring out different strategies on the fly as they fight against a litany of powerful bosses and tricky enemies.
The Legend of Heroesseries features numerous story arcs that take place across multiple games, andtheTrails of Cold Steelstory arcis one of the most popular games in this franchise by a country mile. Taking place over the course of four games, the narrative is as ambitious as it comes and lets players interact with a wide array of characters. All of this is taken to the next level in the final game of the series, which features a ridiculous number of party members.
The old and new members of Class VII appear as party members along with a whole host of returning party members, with the duo of Estelle and Joshua fromTrails in the Skymaking an appearance as well. It’s a celebration of the series' history and shows just how far this story arc has come from the first game. Despite the cast of playable characters being massive, players will love switching around the active party members to see the many combinations they can bring into the series' many tough battles.
If the pocket monsters ofPokemoncount as party members, then it’s easy to see why players would love forming a diverse party of Pokemon that can tackle numerous powerful battles without breaking a sweat.Pokemon Emeraldis a fan favorite in the eyes of many, serving as one of the greatest GBA games of all time witha surprisingly riveting storythat was a joy to experience.
Featuring iconic starter Pokemon and a litany of other creatures to capture, it’s easy to see why fans can’t get enough of this legendary title. The series may be going through a hard time right now, but fans can always channel the nostalgia that got them into this IP in the first place and catch as many Pokemon as possible to enhance their party’s strengths and exploit an opposing Pokemon Trainer’s weaknesses.
