WRPGs vs. JRPGs: The Art of Story Telling

[Mr Khan]

I think the key difference is that WRPGs give the protagonist control, more control over story outcomes, more control over how they look, more control over what kind of fighting force they become. In JRPGs, the protagonist is an individual with their own lives, their own skills, and they grow into who they are, not who you necessarily want them to be.

 

Like in Tales, the JRPG i'm currently slogging through. Lloyd is a fighter who wields two swords with a degree of technical prowess, aside from choosing whether he learns S type techniques or T type techniques, i have no control over what he's going to grow into, he's going to grow into a stronger swordsman. I can't make him an archer or a mage or whatever.