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00:07Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're looking at JRPG Teas, Japanese Role Playing Game Thieves.
00:12Or more like Japanese Role Playing Game Copiers because they saw a formula that worked and it
00:17made financial sense to emulate them. JRPG, CBT, SAF, T, whatever. These are 10 games that
00:22stole from Final Fantasy. Let's go. Before we continue, we publish content all week long,
00:27so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified of our latest videos.
00:33Shadow Madness
00:41This was one of those games that looked like the coolest thing to ever be created way back in 1999.
00:46Unfortunately, the actual experience felt like somebody looked at Final Fantasy 7 from across
00:50the street and tried to recreate it entirely from memory. The party spends most of the adventure
00:54arguing non-stop, throwing insults around, and generally acting like co-workers trapped on
00:59the world's worst road trip. On top of that, the difficulty is so easy that half the battles
01:04practically play themselves. There are ideas here that could have worked with better execution,
01:08but the overall game just never comes together. Honestly, even with the recent Switch port,
01:12I'd only recommend it to the truly curious. Lord of the Rings The Third Age
01:27Developed by the team that would later create Dead Space, the Lord of the Rings The Third Age
01:31basically looked at Final Fantasy X and said, can I copy your homework? The similarities are honestly
01:36impossible to miss. The turn-based combat, menus, progression, and overall structure feels so
01:41close to Final Fantasy X that long-time RPG fans spotted it immediately back in the day.
01:46The funny part is that the game arrived in 2004, years after Square had already dominated the genre
01:52with its own masterpiece. Even so, there's still some charm to seeing a Lord of the Rings adventure
01:56handled like a classic JRPG. Sure, it borrows ideas with the subtlety of a ball rock kicking down
02:01your front door, but the battle system is still surprisingly fun to mess around with.
02:06Their war drums must be silenced! We must attack them at range!
02:11The Grand Stream Saga
02:22Made by the same studio behind classics like Soul Blazer, Illusions of Gaia, and Terranigma,
02:27the Grand Stream Saga basically feels like the weird forgotten cousin nobody talked about.
02:32The game keeps Quintet's signature depressing energy alive, throwing players into a dying world
02:37where entire continents are literally sinking into the ocean. Naturally, things only get more
02:41emotionally brutal from there. What starts as a normal save-the-world quest slowly turns into a
02:46story packed with difficult choices and one absolutely miserable ending decision that still
02:51sticks with players to this day. Gameplay is also surprisingly unique, ditching turn-based combat for
02:56sword fights that feel closer to one-on-one action. Then there's the art style where characters
03:00famously have no faces because the developers sacrificed eyeballs for frame-rate performance.
03:05Somehow though, the gorgeous anime cutscenes still make the whole thing weirdly memorable, albeit stolen.
03:20Guardians Crusade
03:27Guardians Crusade looks like a cheerful little children's RPG at first glance, but underneath the
03:32colourful storybook style is a surprisingly emotional adventure that quietly sneaks up on you. You play as a
03:37young knight, creatively named Knight, who teams up with a strange pink creature called Baby on a journey to
03:41reunite him with his mother. And it's just as cute as it sounds. What makes the game memorable is how
03:46attached you gradually become to Baby over time. He's not just some extra party member either, because his
03:51behaviour actually changes depending on how you treat him. Early on, he's basically the gaming equivalent of a
03:57baby, constantly sleeping or hiding during battles, but with encouragement he slowly grows stronger and more
04:02dependable. Between the emotional story and the bizarre toy based combat system, the whole experience
04:06ends up feeling weirdly heartfelt and unique. It was one of my favourite games as a kid, and a big
04:11part of
04:11that was because it felt like a Final Fantasy game, which I also love.
04:25Thousand Arms
04:26I know, I know. That's enough. Be quiet already.
04:34Published by Atlas, this game basically asks the important question, what if a JRPG protagonist spent
04:39less time saving the world and more time accidentally building a dating resume?
04:42You play as Mace Triumph, a lazy spirit blacksmith whose greatest skill initially seems to be
04:48disappointing absolutely everyone around him. The clever part is how the romance system
04:51actually ties into gameplay. Instead of finding stronger weapons and treasure chests, you forge
04:55them yourself, and their power depends on how close you are with the women in your party.
04:59That means going on dates, picking dialogue, carefully buying gifts, and surviving awkward
05:03minigames in order to improve your gear. It is shamelessly anime, ridiculously over the top,
05:08and packed with enough voice acting and cutscenes to make it feel like somebody turned a
05:11late-night harem series into a playable RPG.
05:17Sure, Nils should know a good place to eat.
05:20Lufia and the Fortress of Doom
05:28While most people immediately talk about Lufia 2 when discussing the series,
05:32the original Lufia and the Fortress of Doom deserves way more credit for how ambitious it was back in
05:371993. The game opens by tricking players into thinking they're already at the grand finale,
05:42handing you an overpowered team of legendary heroes and letting you storm the final dungeon like absolute
05:47gods. Then everybody dies, the fortress collapses, and the story suddenly jumps decades into the future.
05:52It's an incredibly cool setup for a Super Nintendo RPG. Gameplay-wise, things are pretty traditional,
05:58with random battles and classic top-down dungeon adventuring, but the real focus is the emotional
06:02story. It feels disrespectful to claim they stole elements from Final Fantasy, but the similarities
06:07are pretty impossible to ignore.
06:14Paladin's Quest
06:22This might be the weirdest Final Fantasy clone ever made, kind of like someone described Final Fantasy
06:27to an alien over a broken radio signal. You play as Chen Zi, a student at a magic school who
06:32accidentally
06:33unleashes ancient evil after messing with a mysterious machine called Dahlgren. Standard JRPG mistake,
06:39really. What makes the game unforgettable, though, is the setting itself. Instead of castles or ordinary
06:44fantasy towns, the world looks like a psychedelic science fiction painting, where somebody replaced
06:48normal colours with whatever crayons were left in the box. Just look at the box art, this could
06:52easily be a Final Fantasy spin-off world. The Legend of Dragoon
07:14Back in the PlayStation days, The Legend of Dragoon was hyped up as Sony's answer to Final Fantasy,
07:19and honestly, the game carried itself like it knew it had something to prove. This was the famous
07:24four-disc RPG monster that immediately opened with the hero Dart watching his village get obliterated,
07:29because apparently every RPG protagonist legally needs trauma before leaving home.
07:33Where the game really separates itself, though, is with characters like Rose, who bring a surprisingly dark
07:38edge to the story, thanks to their guilt, immortality, and horrifying past. Combat also stands out,
07:44but it's undeniable how similar to Final Fantasy VIII it looks and plays. Press button to make attack
07:49stronger. Where have I seen that? Gunblade?
08:00Legend of Legai
08:09While a lot of JRPGs in the late 90s were busy throwing players into giant fantasy kingdoms filled
08:14with crystals and destiny speeches, Legend of Legai went in a much darker and stranger direction.
08:20The world feels cramped, miserable, and constantly on the edge of collapse thanks to a deadly mist that
08:25transforms helpful creatures into horrifying monsters. The creepy part is that humans once relied
08:30on these creatures in everyday life, giving the whole game this unsettling body horror vibe,
08:34where the tools people relied on were suddenly fused to them and drove them insane. Combat also stands
08:39out because it mixes turn-based battles with fighting game-style inputs, letting your chain
08:43attacks together like a martial arts combo video. Honestly, the game feels less like Final Fantasy and
08:48more like its moody, sleep-deprived opposite. Bravely Default
09:09Calling Bravely Default a Final Fantasy clone almost feels unfair, because yes, the game is
09:15basically wearing the series like Halloween costume, but it also quietly understands why people
09:19love old-school JRPGs in the first place. From the crystal-focused storyline to the classic job
09:25system and turn-based combat, the inspiration is about as subtle as a chocobo crashing through your
09:29living room wall. In fact, the game originally started life connected to Final Fantasy The Four Heroes of
09:34Light, and you can absolutely feel the DNA all over it. What helps Bravely Default stand out,
09:39is the Brave and Default system, which lets players store turns or unleash multiple attacks at once,
09:45turning battles into chaotic strategy sessions. It feels like a modern love letter to classic Final
09:50Fantasy, right down to the charming world and slightly ridiculous amount of crystals.
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