I've been playing Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, and the Suikoden vibe is completely there. I loved that game world, its mythos, the soft connections between the games. It contributed to the inspirational vibe, too.
The Trails games. There are about 11 mainline games available in the west now and from start to finish, they all take place in, and develop, a consistent world with its own lore, factions, characters. Even nonchalant, passerby npcs have names and personal story arcs that span across games if you care to read their text boxes. An NPC kid you might completely pass by in one game becomes a significant party member as a young adult in a later game. Newer protagonists talk about and sometimes encounter protagonists from older games… the only problem is that the series is best played from the very beginning (Trails in the Sky FC), and it takes a long ass time to catch up. That said, if you’re okay with a lot of reading, there’s nothing regrettable about it.
Yeah, the age of the series is its biggest problem at the moment. Hopefully they do get around to remaking Sky.
While there might be other worlds I like a little more, I don't think there are any in the genre as fleshed out as Zemuria. Big part of why I enjoy the games so much.
It's for sure best played from the beginning. But i started with trails of cold steel 1-4 and enjoyed it so much that i just want more. Fine to start semewhere else as well.
I keep waiting for them to port Trails in the Sky games. I have played the first one, and loved it, but don't feel like playing on PC anymore, so keep postponing playing SC, waiting for some news on port, since they are pretty much the only games that aren't on modern consoles.
I think they should remaster the Sky trilogy and sell it as a bundle, making all of FC a free “demo” just to get more people hooked. I casually enjoyed FC, but the twist at the end made me jump right into SC without even waiting.
I'll always be a sucker for the xenoblade chronicles worlds, just because the concept of living on unimaginably massive titans is so incredibly cool. I seriously struggled to enjoy the first one but just looking up and seeing the mechonis on the horizon and knowing that giant was practically a whole other world kept me glued to the game regardless.
Such a unique world created from a joke ending of a hacknslash series. Salt disease, floating talking magical books, and androids so life-like they have reproductive functions and gained their own consciousness somehow. Truly incredible.
I liked the world building in XenoSaga Part 1 that I played, but that games boss design is literal garbage. Actual worst boss design I have ever had the displeasure of experiencing in a video game, ever. I'd rather play through Epic Mickey again with its tetrible camera angles, or sit through another 400hr Stellaris game complete with late-game lag than fight the DOMO Carrier or Pegsasus again. Self healing bosses, and not just self healing, but self healing every turn for more than your average party damage capacity.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. The cozy feel of the caravans contrasts with the dire quest they're on, to gather enough Myrrh so their village can survive another year. Failure means death not only for them but their friends and family as well. Despite this the game has a fairly relaxed world where life continues despite all this. I also like that they don't just use the standard dungeons, instead you have mushroom forests, an abandoned mine, a fancy monster house and even a decrepit town whose adventurers never returned.