The year is 2025, and video game graphics have evolved into almost photorealism thanks to proprietary engines like Unreal and Capcom’s RE. Visually, games have seen a much better upgrade compared to what we had decades ago. Gameplay-wise, some still feel like they're stuck in the 90s with their dated mechanics and gameplay.
I’m talking about random enemy encounters.
JRPGs are notorious for this kind of gameplay. Normally, I would forgive JRPGs that use random encounters when they pay homage to the classics that came before, like older Final Fantasy games, but as games evolve over time, I feel like we, as a society, need to move beyond this dated system.
Octopath Traveler is a game best known for its sprawling cast of interesting characters; it has an ensemble of cast of JRPG tropes handed to us on a silver platter. It’s up to you to utilize their stats and synergies however you please. But one major issue I dislike about the series is how it doubles down on random encounters, especially with its sequel. It has become increasingly annoying as my party is already drained of its mana and resources, only for a random enemy encounter to appear, ending my run in the process.
Shin Megami Tensei are also known for their aggressive random encounters. While I can excuse them for being classics, I remembered my time playing the first Persona game, where every step I took was met with annoying enemies, ruining my pace. Thankfully, the music in that game was good.
Now, most modern JRPGs have adapted a system where you can finally see the enemies on screen, reducing the annoyance of random enemy encounters. ATLUS has since learned from this annoying mechanic with the latest Shin Megami Tensei title, as well as the modern Persona games. This is the proper evolution I’ve always wanted in a modern JRPG, and seeing a fancy new game in the same genre still rocking "RNG" encounters make me roll my eyes in frustration.
Sandfall Interactive’s Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 also adopted this system. I don’t even need to worry about item and resource management since I can choose which battles I need to take. Expedition 33 is a great example of how an RPG evolves with its audience while still maintaining that old-school turn-based JRPG feel of party management.
Other games have already enhanced this type of experience by also putting a visible “level” for an enemy you see in its overworld. ATLUS’ Metaphor: ReFantazio does this very well by color-coding which enemies are weak and strong, so you can have the agency to skip or risk yourself for great rewards. Red enemy types are something to avoid, whereas Green, White and Yellow-colored ones are perfect candidates for grinding.
So what gives? I don’t despise random encounters entirely, but I feel like it has gone to a point where accessibility and player agency have moved past the need for these kinds of gimmicks. Old-school JRPGs I can forgive, as well as their remakes, but for new titles still doubling down on random enemy encounters? It’s a hard pass for me.
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