While it's still young in comparison to PlayStation Plus, the Xbox Game Pass service has gained huge traction, and is widely believed to be one of the best deals in gaming. The line-up of titles available on Game Pass keeps expanding, and the vast number of genres it houses makes it an appealing offer for so many players. From rogue-like royalty Hades to the painstakingly recreated Mexican landscape of Forza Horizon 5, the service has something that everyone can enjoy, and it's even beginning to fill a hole that has plagued Xbox for years.
With Persona 3, 4, and 5 all set to release on Xbox Game Pass in the near future, it brings three fantastic JRPGs for fans to either return to, or experience for the first time. Microsoft has the opportunity to use the inclusion of these games as a catalyst to feature many more. As titles like Dragon Quest 11, Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and Final Fantasy 13 are currently available, the platform has the opportunity to entice JRPG fans to enter Microsoft's ecosystem, perhaps even convincing them to migrate from PlayStation in the process. To do this, though, more JRPGs have to be considered for inclusion.
Lost Odyssey
The Xbox brand may not be known for its offerings in the JRPG genre, but there are a handful that are exclusive to the console. One of the best is Lost Odyssey, developed by Mistwalker and Feelplus only for the Xbox 360. It was initially pitched to Microsoft by Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and released in Japan in late 2007 as well as audiences around the world in early 2008. Its exclusivity to Microsoft's console was surely the topic of much frustration to PlayStation fans, but it gave the Xbox audience a solid experience in the JRPG genre, which is something that eluded the company for a while.
The game tells the story of Kaim, one of the four playable Immortals who has lost his memory. In a land currently experiencing a magic-industrial revolution, players embark on a lengthy and engaging quest to navigate the dangerous landscape and learn its secrets while uncovering Kaim's lost memories. With so many great RPGs already on Game Pass, Lost Odyssey's absence feels more like a glaring omission rather than an unassuming absence, given its history with the Xbox brand. It holds up beautifully by today's standards with a pretty art style and simple, yet effective turn-based combat. Lost Odyssey is perfect for Microsoft's subscription service, not least because it was exclusive to Xbox when it released, and could benefit greatly from Game Pass' growing user base.
Persona 2: Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment
Though the blueprints of recent Persona games began with Persona 3, the series' beginnings stretch far beyond the third entry's 2006 release. Revelations: Persona was exclusive to the original PlayStation when it arrived in 1996, and while it's a fascinating glimpse at the franchise's origins, it shows its age today. Persona 2 is, confusingly, spread out into two releases, with Eternal Punishment following on from the events of Innocent Sin. Both offer similar mechanics and plenty of engaging characters, and the story is loved by many fans of the Shin Megami Tensei license as a whole.
In many ways, Persona 2 was ahead of its time, and although the visuals and gameplay have aged somewhat poorly, it's a game that deserves to be included on Game Pass, especially as Persona 3, 4, and 5 are making their way to the service. The inclusion of both Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment would be an exciting addition for fans of the series, as it makes the pair of games far more accessible than ever before, and could give players a look at where the franchise's roots lie, and how it has changed to suit modern audiences.
The Tales Franchise
While Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest are represented on Game Pass, another huge JRPG franchise is largely absent from the festivities. Tales is beloved and known for its great characters and action-focused battle system, and while Tales of Arise is the most recent entry, none of them are on Game Pass, regardless of their age. Tales of Vesperia initially launched in 2008 as an Xbox 360 exclusive and had a stint as a Game Pass title, but it's gone now, and it's puzzling that the franchise is no longer featured on the Xbox subscription service.
Tales has so many options that would be welcomed by Game Pass users, from the epic (and sightly too long) quest of Tales of Symphonia to the somewhat underappreciated Tales of Hearts, it's a franchise that has a storied history littered with superb gameplay mechanics and touching storytelling. Tales has a long and storied history that's in line with its contemporaries, and with Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest offering experiences for the platform, Tales' absence simply has to be rectified.
Triangle Strategy
Triangle Strategy may have more in common with the likes of Fire Emblem, but its developer and HD-2D visual style are unmistakably linked to 2018's Octopath Traveler. The latter has been a mainstay of Game Pass since March 2021 despite releasing as a Nintendo Switch exclusive. It took Octopath Traveler three years to arrive on Xbox' subscription service, and it's likely that Triangle Strategy will take a while, too, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated by users of either Xbox consoles or Game Pass' PC app.
As more Square Enix games are expected to release on the platform it wouldn't be a huge stretch for Triangle Strategy to find a place alongside Octopath Traveler. Serenoa Wolffort and Frederica Aesfrost's journey through Norzelia is worth experiencing, not least for the stellar battle mechanics and simply gorgeous art style. Despite the Switch's strong sales, an inclusion on Game Pass would be even better, further strengthening the relationship between both Xbox and Square Enix, as well as between Xbox and JRPG players everywhere.