Souls of Chronosis an indie JRPG sitting firmly in magic and mystery themes that groundbreaking games in the genre have used before. You take on the role of Sid, a young boy who teams up with a girl named Torii. What starts as a story of civil unrest for Astella and a strange crime quickly divulges into the future of Astella being at stake. Sid, Torii, and those they come to meet work together to fight for this town.
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Unlike most JRPGs, which are 30 hours and upwards in length, Souls of Chronos is a light ten-hour experience with tabletop RPG inspiration and a cutesy art style. There are few games visually like Chronos, but there are ones with similar fantasy fuelled stories.
10The Ys Series
Ysis a tough series to summarise because there is so much to see inits longstanding over 30 years run. Each entry follows the same protagonist Adol and his comrades as they stop all sorts of bad guys. Like other popular JRPGs, every new game usually follows a new cast of characters fighting threats to try and save the world.
However, with Ys, it has always followed the same people and an ongoing story that allows the series to keep building on its universe. Tales of Chronos is a standalone game, but it’s one that also features an amalgamation of characters, magic, and similarities in the graphics.
9Disgaea
Disgaeawants you to sink into the campy nature of its story and enjoy the silliness that’s put on display. It wants you to laugh at how absurd the concept sounds, but it also wants you to sympathize with the characters, to tactically think before making your next move in combat, and most of all, it wants you to have a fantastic strategy RPG experience.
Through the story, you play as Laharl, who hopes to become the next Overlord in the Netherworld. Aiding him are allies Etna and Flonne, who help Laharl to reach his dream. Disgaea is similar to Souls of Chronos, as both have adorable character designs and a story about mystical beings.
8I Am Setsuna
I Am Setsuna is set in a land wheresomeone is sacrificed once a decade to appease demons. Where we find the story, it hasn’t been a decade since the last sacrifice. However, the demons are becoming hostile, so the protagonist (Setsuna) is chosen as the next sacrifice. Setsuna then heads off to where this act must be taken out and, in typical JRPG fashion, fights enemies on the way there.
I Am Setsuna has a similar character art style to Souls of Chronos, and a story partly about characters finding themselves and forming new relationships in a fantasy setting.
7Etrian Odyssey Nexus
Any Etrian game could act as a substitute for Etrian Odyssey Nexus, but the reason why this one best befits the list is that it’s the most recent installment in the series and is playable on a handheld device, much like Souls of Chronos. There are also tons of talking to indulge yourself in, which is valid for both Etrian and Chronos, making both games feel like part visual novel at points.
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Etrian Odyssey Nexus takes you to the floating city of Maginia, where you’ll work your way through dungeons seen in previous Etrian games. There are some musical themes that make their return too.
6Bravely Default 2
Despite its title, you don’t need to play previousBravely Defaultgames to follow the story ofBravely Default 2. This sequel follows four characters, a sailor called Seth, Princess Gloria, a scholar called Elvis, and the mercenary Adelle. Once the four meet, they work together to find the missing elemental crystals to prevent a calamity.
Even while not having the same visuals, Bravely Default 2 and Souls of Chronos share similar cute character designs and characters that come together to prevent a tragedy.
5Tales Of Arise
Tales of Ariseand Souls of Chronos share the most similarities of the games on this list, even though neither game looks visually like the other. Tales of Arise is about the longstanding conflict between two races, Dahnans and Renans. Dahnans are being persecuted by the Renans and drained of their astral energy, a cruel and painful process.
Protagonist Alphen and his ally Shionne, who you meet early on, work together with four other individuals to take down the Renan lords putting the Dahnans to work. Like Souls of Chronos, the game centers on a sword-wielding protagonist and a powerful woman who fights by their side.
4Chrono Trigger
Souls of Chronos seems inspired by a few of the JRPG greats, most notablyFinal Fantasy,the Tales of series, andChrono Trigger. But Chrono Trigger has influenced much more than Souls of Chronos, and it’s easy to see why. The story takes you through a land of wonder,with time traveltaking you through various settings and times.
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You’ll team up with a whole host of characters while doing this to help you through each battle. Chrono Trigger is like Souls of Chronos because, again, the two main characters are a swordsman and a healer type.
3Secret Of Mana
Secret of Mana begins when a boy named Randi falls to the bottom of a waterfall while exploring it with his friends. Upon the fall, he discovers a sword in stone and pulls it out. When he does, monsters are unleashed into the village of Potos, so the villagers banish Randi. Randi then sets off to re-energize this sword at different mana temples asinstructed by a knight.
Secret of Mana features real-time combat instead of the usual turn-based combat many JRPGs utilize, just as Souls of Chronos does. Both games also see strangers coming together to help each other.
2Chained Echoes
If you’re after another indie title like Souls of Chronos, you can always try outChained Echoes, a game that follows a party of characters as they attempt to end the war between three kingdoms. Chained Echoes is a love letter to classic JRPGswith turn-based combat, pixel graphics, and a world filled with fantasy and mystery.
Chained Echoes contains a lot of dialogue to help build upon each character and their relationships. Souls of Chronos follows this same approach, and both games also feature a long list of companions.
1Trails From Zero
Starting the series fromTrails of Zerois a gamble since you’ll miss a few characters and subplots, but it’s a terrific place to start if you want something similar visually to Souls of Chronos. In this particular outing, Lloyd is assigned to Crossbell’s Special Support Section, where he and his teammates must fight for the people of his hometown, which is secretly filled with injustice.
Injustice between those in power and those fighting on the ground is a common theme in most JRPGs, and it’s also a part of both Souls of Chronos and Trails from Zero.
