9 Non-JRPGs That Heavily Influenced the Genre

Many people call Dragon Quest the forefather of JRPGs and a blueprint for many that came after. Gaming scholars have also widely studied how two games in particular, Ultima and Wizardry, influenced Dragon Quest and other early JRPGs. But do the inspirations stop there? Haven't other titles influenced JRPGs, whether classic or modern?

In today's list, I want to talk about some non-JRPGs that heavily influenced the genre, whether through a mechanic, a feature, a style, or anything in between. These are games that developers explicitly mentioned in interviews or whose mechanics were clearly rehashed and iterated on in JRPGs, yet they never received the accolades they deserved.

It is a way of looking at the past to understand the present and perhaps predict the future. So many influences make it beautiful to see how references and inspirations can reverberate and create lasting ripples across the games industry, producing new works that feel both timeless and contemporary while respecting the roots and origins of their predecessors.

9 Pac-Man

The Birth of Action JRPGs

Pac-Man Maze Released July, 1980 ESRB e Developer(s) Namco Publisher(s) Namco, Midway Games Engine Unreal Engine Genre(s) Maze

This may feel a little out of left field, but hear me out. Did you know Namco produced an arcade game back in 1984 that inspired a bunch of JRPGs we know and love today? Titles such as Ys, Dragon Slayer, Hydlide, and even The Legend of Zelda (though not a JRPG itself) all owe it a debt. These games then went on to inspire future titles, creating a chain effect of design, references, and passion.

That game was The Tower of Druaga. By today's standards, calling it a JRPG might seem like a stretch, but it truly was one, especially considering its heavy inspirations from Wizardry and Dungeons & Dragons. The Tower of Druaga plays much like Pac-Man, but incorporates RPG progression elements, such as new equipment to climb the tower and distinct enemy types. It's very light on the RPG side, but The Tower of Druaga walked so many others could run.

8 EverQuest

MMORPGs Invading Japan

Everquest RPG Released March 16, 1999 ESRB t Engine True3D Genre(s) RPG

I have played a lot of MMORPGs in my life, and it took me a while to realize that although the Japanese gaming industry has always been incredibly prolific, it didn't have a massive MMORPG to call its own for a long time. We had Ultima Online, Ragnarok Online, Priston Tale, and a bunch of others from developers worldwide, but never a truly famous Japanese MMORPG. That all changed with Phantasy Star Online and Final Fantasy XI.

I want to talk about Final Fantasy XI specifically, which was directly inspired by EverQuest after Hironobu Sakaguchi played it. The creator of Final Fantasy simply stated he wanted an online Final Fantasy, and just like that, the project was born. Over two decades later, the MMORPG is still kicking and served as the foundation for Final Fantasy XIV, one of the biggest MMORPGs today and easily one of the best entries in the franchise. A truly inspired auteur with strong leadership can move mountains, as Sakaguchi proved.

7 Minecraft

Creation Liberty

Minecraft Sandbox Survival 7.2/10Released November 18, 2011 ESRB E10+ For Everyone 10+ Due To Fantasy Violence Developer(s) Mojang Publisher(s) Mojang Engine LWJGL, PROPRIETARY ENGINE Genre(s) Sandbox, Survival

Minecraft remains a global phenomenon to this day, so it's no surprise it influenced a few JRPGs along the way. While the open-world sandbox creative style wasn't widely adopted in traditional Japanese development, we still got Dragon Quest Builders, which clearly drew heavy inspiration from the indie hit.

Dragon Quest Builders elegantly showcased an alternate timeline exploring what would have happened in the original Dragon Quest had the hero chosen to side with the villain at the end. Naturally, the tone is far lighter and more playful than expected, especially considering you spend a good chunk of your time building your bed and surviving the hazards of the world, but it still delivers an intriguing storyline. Plenty of indie JRPGs are likely inspired by Minecraft, but off the top of my head, Dragon Quest Builders leads the pack.

6 The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind

Open World Finesse

The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind RPG GGMods Mods Released May 1, 2002 ESRB T For Teen due to Blood, Violence Developer(s) Bethesda Game Studios Publisher(s) Bethesda Softworks Engine Gamebryo Genre(s) RPG

Trends in the gaming world are inherently cyclical. While the SNES, PS1, and PS2 eras were dominated by JRPGs, a shift occurred as Western RPGs began gaining massive ground, eventually dominating during the seventh console generation for various reasons, from graphical engine advancements and Western media bias to the rise of the Xbox and its stellar RPG library.

One Western RPG that became a true landmark was The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, whose open-world structure served as a blueprint for future titles, including Skyrim. While few direct statements cite Morrowind as a primary inspiration for specific JRPGs, countless Japanese developers frequently bring up Skyrim. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth director Naoki Hamaguchi and former Tales of series producer Hideo Baba have both cited the title as an influence. The open-world evolution Morrowind initiated trickled down across the industry and still holds sway to this day.

5 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Storytelling and Openness

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt RPG Action Adventure FX Wiki Wiki GGMods Mods 9.5/10Released May 19, 2015 ESRB M for Mature: Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content Developer(s) CD Projekt Red Publisher(s) CD Projekt Red Engine REDengine 3 Genre(s) RPG, Action, Adventure

Mentioning Morrowind and Skyrim naturally leads to other major WRPGs like The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which took The Elder Scrolls' open-world framework and injected it with vibrant life while elevating narrative design as a whole. Just because a player is given complete freedom doesn't mean the overarching story has to feel loose or fragmented. The Witcher 3 built on what came before it and became a direct influence on modern JRPGs, with several directors explicitly pointing to CD Projekt Red's masterpiece as a primary benchmark.

Shuichi Kobayashi, the producer of Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, mentioned The Witcher 3 as a direct influence when designing a more seamless open world for the title. Hamaguchi also cited The Witcher 3 alongside Skyrim as foundational reference points for Rebirth, while Naoki Yoshida referenced both Western titles when shaping Final Fantasy XVI. The deeper you dig, the more connections you find, making it fascinating to see how, despite fans debating WRPGs versus JRPGs, the developers themselves share a deeply respectful relationship.

4 Diablo II

Glorious Skill Trees

Diablo 2 Action RPG FX Wiki Wiki Released June 28, 2000 ESRB M for Mature: Animated Blood and Gore, Animated Violence Developer(s) Blizzard Publisher(s) Blizzard Engine proprietary engine Genre(s) Action RPG

Diablo stands as one of the most influential games in the industry's history, and that is beyond debate. Its dungeon-crawling loops and randomized loot systems still affect games to this day, right down to the color-coded rarity tiers for equipment. However, I want to highlight Diablo II and one specific feature: skill trees. For a long time, players have viewed skill trees as a quintessential RPG element - even though tech trees originally debuted in the tabletop strategy board game Civilization.

That association makes sense, given that skill trees add immense customization and identity to RPGs, and JRPGs are no exception. Although executed in various distinct ways, as seen in Final Fantasy X, Star Ocean: The Divine Force, Tales of Xillia, or Dragon Quest XI, all of these JRPGs feature a skill tree layout where characters level up, earn points, and invest them to learn new abilities. It's hard to overstate how influential Diablo II was to gaming as a whole, especially JRPGs, with each developer adding their own unique spin to the mechanic.

3 Rogue

It's Like a Rogue

Rogue Roguelike Released 1980 ESRB nr Genre(s) Roguelike

Including this almost feels like cheating, because Rogue didn't just influence JRPGs, but the gaming industry as a whole. After all, every title inspired by its structure is labeled a roguelike. However, a whole subgenre of JRPGs called Mystery Dungeon, pioneered by the brilliant team at Chunsoft, deserves a special spotlight.

Many modern roguelikes use run resets or meta-progression loops to drive replayability, whereas Mystery Dungeon games stick much closer to the core design Rogue established back in 1980. You delve into grid-based procedural dungeons, reset your progress, and venture deeper with each fresh attempt, always hoping the current run will lead to victory. Ironically, Mystery Dungeon games remain some of the most faithful modern interpretations of Rogue's foundational design, proving how the ripples of a groundbreaking 1980 title continue to endure.

2 Ultima

One of the First References Ever

Ultima I: The First Age of Darkness RPG Released June 1, 1981 ESRB n/a Developer(s) Origin Systems Publisher(s) Origin Systems, Sierra On-line, Electronic Arts Engine Proprietary Genre(s) RPG

We now arrive at one of the single biggest influences across all video game genres. Ultima was so vital to the birth of JRPGs that it's hard to quantify how many titles Richard Garriott's classic inspired over the decades. You have likely heard that Dragon Quest is considered the forefather of JRPGs, even if a few precursors existed, and that Dragon Quest drew its primary inspiration from both Ultima and Wizardry.

That history remains undisputed. Ultima's RPG framework, overworld navigation, combat design, and progression systems were hugely influential across the RPG genre and, by extension, JRPGs. Looking back at the earliest entries in the Ultima series today, it can be hard to picture how they shaped modern gaming, but the connection is undeniable. While hard documentation is sparse, I have no doubt that the morality system in Ultima IV, released in 1985, paved the way for the choice-and-consequence mechanics seen in narrative-driven JRPGs today.

1 Wizardry

The Other First Inspiration

Developer

Sir-Tech

Publisher

Sir-Tech

Release Date

September 1981

Platform

Apple II

If Ultima represents one side of the coin, Wizardry represents the other. It stands as one of the earliest first-person dungeon-crawling computer RPGs in the world. Wizardry utilized a first-person perspective, tasking players with navigating grid-based dungeons using a turn-based combat system filled with random encounters. This staple persists to this day in series like Etrian Odyssey. However, from its very first entry, Wizardry introduced something Ultima lacked: a full party.

You could assemble a diverse party before venturing into dungeons, with each member possessing their own class, race, and gear setup. If JRPGs truly shine anywhere, it's in their distinct, memorable party members. The original Dragon Quest was more traditional, pairing Ultima's overworld with Wizardry's combat system, but featuring only a solo hero. Final Fantasy, by contrast, broke new ground by incorporating a fully customizable party from the start. Since then, JRPGs have continually evolved and carved out their own distinct identities, but their origins and foundational design can always be traced back to Ultima and Wizardry.