JRPGshave many staples that originated in the 1990s. Most feature a fixed protagonist with personality, backstory, motivations, and dreams of their own. The player doesn’t create their character, even if they’re a blank canvas.
OtherJRPGs boast a progression systemthat expands upon the default level-up mechanic, adding layers of strategy and customization so the player has some agency with the party.
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But if there’s one feature that is a favorite of mine, it’s base building. I simply adore building, expanding, reconstructing, or aiding a race by building a base and drawing in all the spoils that it offers.
SomeSNES and PS1 JRPGshad this base building mechanic, and luckily, a few present-day games inspired by them are bringing it back. Here is a list of the best JRPGs with base building.
9Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
Expanding Your Empire
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
The originalRomancing SaGa 2already had a base-building feature, but I’ll focus on the remake for its modern interface and improvements.
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Sevenoffers a system to expand your empire. It’s relatively simple compared to others on this list, but still satisfying.
In this JRPG, you play as the Emperor of Avalon. As such, it’s your duty to expand the empire by annexing new regions and constructing facilities, two tightly intertwined aspects.
To unlock new facilities, you must conquer more regions. Conversely, unlocking additional regions often requires weapons and spells born from these constructions. The process is straightforward: sit on your throne, pay the amount needed, wait a bit, and voilà, your empire grows.
Although simple, seeing new buildings or expansions is always a delight. You’ll unlock facilities like a Smithy, a Magic Lab, and even a University that quizzes you on game lore in exchange for rewards.
8Sea of Stars
The Village of Mirth
Sea of Stars
Upon arriving in the town of Mirth,Sea of Starsallows you to find construction plans and recruit residents to expand the town.
It’s not an exceptionally expansive base building system since there are only four construction plans and four residents to recruit to manage these facilities. Still, it’s a lovely addition that pays homage to the classicJRPGsSea of Starsdraws inspirationfrom.
You’ll find all the construction plans by tradingRainbow Conches, the collectibles needed to unlock the game’s true ending. Once the buildings are constructed, you just recruit residents to manage them, and Mirth grows.
Facilities include an Inn, a Shop, a Fisherman’s Hut, and a Spa. The Spa is particularly notable for permanently boosting a character’s stats after a visit. As a bonus, next to Mirth lies an Ancient Crypt honoringSea of StarsKickstarter backers.
7Chained Echoes
Bolstering the Clan Ranks
Chained Echoes
Similar toSea of Stars,Chained Echoesincorporates base building as a homage to ’90s JRPGs. However, in this game, it’s more integral to gameplay and has received extra care.
Eventually, the group forms the Crimson Wings clan and is given a base on Hermit’s Isle. From this point onward, you may recruit NPCs to expand your base, unlock new features, and raise your Clan Rank.
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Recruited members can serve as shopkeepers, boost SP gained in battles, or even provide materials for crafting the best weapons. In short, expand your clan and always be on the lookout for new recruits.
The best part is that after reaching Clan Rank 3, it unlocks the side quest For the Love of Food, letting yourecruit Mikah inChained Echoes, one of the game’s optional playable characters.
6Breath of Fire 3
Helping the Fairies
Breath of Fire III
WhileBreath of Fire 2introduced a base-building feature to the franchise,Breath of Fire 3refined it by adding something familiar yet innovative.
Instead of building your base, you help fairies expand their village. After rescuing a fairy from an Australian dolphin (yes, really), you gain free access to their village. However, the management minigame only becomes available after Ryu grows up.
Expanding the fairy village is a management game in itself. Each fairy has stats indicating their aptitude for activities like hunting, building, selling goods, or scholarly pursuits.
Then, you set a fairy to hunt and gather meat since it’s a necessary resource to keep them alive and working.
As the village grows, you can assign fairies to various buildings, such as shops, inns, exploration posts, or even a fortune-telling booth that reveals game secrets.
It’s a cozy, low-pressure activity that doesn’t interfere with the main campaign and offers plenty of rewards, as long as you’re a good fairy manager.
5Xenoblade Chronicles
Colony 6 Rebuilding
Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition
For storyline reasons, Shulk and his party are tasked with restoring Colony 6 inXenoblade Chronicles. This is achieved by investing gold and materials found in Collectopaedia, encouraging exploration—which, in my humble opinion, is the least compelling part of this otherwise spectacular JRPG.
As you expand and rebuild Colony 6, you can also recruit potential residents. Thanks to the game’s Affinity Chart, you can see the relationships between Colony 6 residents and unlock new side quests, some of which vary based on whom you invite to their new home.
Gameplay-wise, rebuilding Colony 6 rewards you with perks like higher-quality ether crystals and valuable gems and gear.
The colony may even come under attack occasionally, giving a sense that the world ofXenoblade Chroniclesis alive and the threat still looms. It’s an engaging base building mechanic that genuinely impacts the game.
4White Knight Chronicles
Better When GeoNet Was Live
White Knight Chronicles
White Knight Chroniclesintroduced the Georama, a unique town for each player. Unfortunately, it lost some of its charm when the online service was discontinued, as players could previously visit and share towns via GeoNet. Still, the feature holds up reasonably well on its own.
Early on inWhite Knight Chronicles, you unlock Georama. The process is similar to other systems mentioned earlier but has a key difference in that you choose which buildings to construct and where. This simple matter gives each player’s town more personality.
Buildings cost a resource called Polyn, which you earn by developing your Georama and increasing your Guild Rank. After constructing a building, you’re able to recruit residents worldwide, each with specific jobs and specialties.
You can also change your Georama’s landscape, shifting from grassy fields to deserts. Because the base building inWhite Knight Chronicleswas tied to the guild system, it was an optional yet highly engaging activity.
Sadly, expanding your Georama has become a Herculean task without online functionality, asraising your Guild Rank offline is a monumental grind.
3Dark Cloud 2
The Georama Returns
Dark Cloud 2
Dark Cloud 2,akaDark Chronicle,also features a base-building mechanic called Georama.
This isn’t a direct copycat move, since bothWhite Knight ChroniclesandDark Cloudwere developed by Level-5. The first and secondDark Cloudgames embrace Georama as an intrinsic part of gameplay.
This mechanic complementsDark Cloud 2’sdungeon-crawling nature with its procedurally generated rooms. Georama is the most modular and customizable among the base building systems listed here.
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In your Georama land, you construct houses, facilities for residents, and even environmental features like rivers, trees, and rocks. You can paint every element, giving it your unique personality.
Sometimes, you’ll need to meet specific requirements because some picky residents won’t move in unless, for example, there’s a tree near their house. All construction materials are sourced from dungeons, as are Geostones, which unlock new blueprints.
If you’re aiming for 100% completion, prepare for endless dungeon revisits, as item drops are random and may take ages to acquire. But for base building fans, there’s nothing more satisfying than fully customizing your space.
2Dragon Quest Builders 2
Building the New Erdrick’s Legacy
Dragon Quest Builders 2
Speaking of customization, there’s no better example thanDragon Quest Builders 2, aMinecraft-style game set in theDragon Questuniverse. While it shares similarities withMinecraft, it maintains a distinct JRPG flavor.
You know the drill: destroy the environment, defeat monsters, gather materials, and build block-shaped structures in a sandbox world limited only by your creativity.
InDragon Quest Builders 2, however, there are story-driven requirements that often involve constructing specific buildings to progress and unlock new crafting recipes.
Though the main game is more linear than other sandbox titles, it offers a creative mode unlocked after the lengthy campaign.
That doesn’t mean the main mode is bad. In fact, it’s a narrative-driven experience with enough freedom to let players enjoy building to their heart’s content.
Best of all, this all happens in theDragon Questuniverse. Fans will encounter familiar monsters, equipment, items, and other series staples. While the firstDragon Quest Buildersis even more linear,Dragon Quest Builders 2is the way to go if you crave freedom.
108 Units to Recruit
To be fair, other games listed here have more engaging and customizable base building mechanics. However,Suikodenwas likely one of the trailblazers who truly invested in this feature, starting with the very first game.
EverySuikodentitle incorporates base building, including the spiritual successorEiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes. Expanding your base requires recruiting new members, many of whom also join your party and participate in battles.
When I say “many,” I meanmany. you may recruit up to 108 characters, though some are mandatory. While not all contribute to the base, most do. Some open shops, inns, or blacksmiths, while others unlock new gameplay features.
Take Viki, a recurring character in all five mainline games. After recruiting her, she can teleport the player between towns, unlocking a fast travel mechanic.
Or the cook, who opens a restaurant and lets you participate in a cooking minigame. Each recruit has their own functionality, personality, and even a bit of backstory.
While entirely optional, recruiting all members is required to unlock the true ending. The downside is that many characters are missable, so playing with a walkthrough is almost necessary.
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