Random encounters have been a staple of theJRPGgenre for decades, but these days most games opt for overworld encounters instead. Random encounters have yet to disappear completely, however, as there are plenty of JRPG or JRPG-inspired titles that still have them.
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Because the change from random encounters to overworld encounters is still relatively recent, many JRPGs from the past have random encounters dating back to the late 1980s. As there are so many from either ongoing series, long-dormant series, or standalone titles, it’s difficult to determine which are best, but a select few can be considered as such.
10Phantasy Star 4
Phantasy Star 4: The End of the Millennium is the fourth game in Sega’s science fantasy Phantasy Star JRPG series, the last to feature the classic style of gameplay introduced in the first game, and the last entry in the series to have random encounters.
Battles in Phantasy Star 4 can have up to five party members total, and macros can be used to issue commands to all party members at once, going in the order specified by the macro. The order in which the party members attack can also lead to the execution of powerful combos, allowing for more successful battles.
9Bravely Default
Mainline titles in theFinal Fantasyseries may not feature random encounters like they once did, but theBravelyseries continues the tradition of the classic games. The first entry in the series, Bravely Default, is unfortunately exclusive to Nintendo 3DS at the time of writing, but it includes encounter rate options like double or none in addition to the standard encounter rate.
Bravely Default also uses a job system inspired by the first three Final Fantasy games andThe 4 Heroes Of Light, where magical gems called asterisks must be acquired to give characters each job, with 23 different jobs in the game total.
8Skies Of Arcadia
Abeloved standalone JRPGwith no sequels, prequels, or spinoffs, Skies of Arcadia originally launched for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000, with the improved GameCube port, Skies of Arcadia Legends, launching only two years later.
The original Dreamcast version was notable for its absurdly high random encounter rate, with the only way to decrease them being to obtain the White Map by finding all discoveries. In the GameCube version, however, it’s obtained right before you gain the ability to avoid random encounters. It has been stated this rate was lowered for the GameCube version, but both versions also have a Black Map Item to increase it further.
7Earthbound
Known as Mother 2: Gīgu no Gyakushū in Japan,Earthboundis an odd and humorous Super Nintendo JRPG that’s legacy can be seen in popular indie games likeUndertaleand Omori. Like its predecessor and many other JRPGs at the time, Earthbound also has random encounters, but some of the enemies in the game are more peculiar than your typical JRPG fare.
Instead of slimes and dragons, you have piles of sentient vomit, aliens, and street punks alongside regular animals like dogs, mice, crows, and snakes. Earthbound is also interesting in that each party character’s hit points are represented by a rolling mechanical counter, helping give an already strange game a more unique style.
6Golden Sun
One of the most cherished JRPG titles for the Game Boy Advance,Golden Sunand its direct sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, launched nearly a year apart, in 2000 and 2001, respectively, and are considered by some as two halves of one whole game.
Golden Sun has an engaging graphical style considering the platform it was originally released on, opting for an almost 3D look showing the characters in the front of the screen facing toward enemies in the back. In addition to conventional weapons, characters also use psyenergy to cast spells in and outside battles to damage enemies and solve puzzles, adding an extra layer to spell casting.
5Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth
The most internationally well-known entry in theDigimon Storyseries, Digimon Story features random encounters with wild Digimon. However, these Digital Monsters aren’t caught like Pokemon, and each time you encounter a specific Digimon, its data percentage increases. Once you’ve 100 percent scanned a Digimon, you can generate it and add it to your team.
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This mechanic helps encourage players to seek more random encounters. Although if you already meet the requirements to digivolve a Digimon into a wild Digimon you’ve encountered, you may be encouraged to do that instead, depending on various factors. Unlike other monster-taming games, many digivolution trees also branch out and cross over, so Digimon generation is more useful early on.
4Shin Megami Tensei 3 Nocturne
Not actually the third game in theShin Megami Tenseiseries despite its title, Shin Megami Tensei 3 features random encounters with all matter of demons. Sometimes, these demons can be conversed with and bribed into either being recruited or leaving you alone.
Shin Megami Tensei 3 was the first in the series to feature cel-shaded graphics and the Press Turn battle system, which is based on the number of party members rather than speed. The HD remaster of the game introduced the Merciful difficulty mode, which lowers the encounter rate, increases player damage and evasion, battle experience, and money earned, and decreases incoming enemy damage.
3Pokemon HeartGold And SoulSilver
Since Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee, the mainlinePokemonseries has been moving away from random encounters to the point where they’re entirely omitted from the eighth-generation games,Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet. However, Pokemon HeartGold and SoulSilver are the best Pokemon titles to still feature random encounters.
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This fourth-generation remake of Pokemon Gold and Silver may no longer havethe largest amountof Pokemon, but it’s still one of the most beloved and positively received entries due to its improvements. Besides adding various gameplay mechanics and Pokemon introduced in the third and fourth-generation games, this remake also added following Pokemon, Pokeathlon mini-games, and communication with the bundled-in PokeWalker, a predecessor toPokemon GO.
2Final Fantasy 9
The Final Fantasy series moved away from random encounters with Final Fantasy 13, although 13-2 weirdly included them, and the more recent mainline entries omit them entirely. However, there are plenty of Final Fantasy mainline games and spinoff titles that still feature random encounters.
One of the most notable mainline entries to feature random encounters is Final Fantasy 9, which had nothing to change the encounter rate of enemies in the original release. The 2016 remaster lets you speed up battles and even turn off random encounters altogether, while riding Choco the Chocobo, a ship, or an airship will allow you to avoid them.
1Dragon Quest 11 S Echoes Of An Elusive Age Definitive Edition
At first glance, it may seem like Dragon Quest 11 S only has overworld encounters, but at any church or priest, which also serve as save points, it can be switched to retro mode, which changes the game from a modern 3D JRPG into a retro sprite-based one reminiscent of olderDragon Questtitles. Most of the game can be played this way as well.
In addition to its retro mode, this updated game also added battle speed options, a photo mode, cosmetic party member outfits, a quick command menu, visual and audio improvements, and more, living up to its name as the definitive edition of the game.
