WRPGs vs. JRPGs: The Art of Story Telling

[Pristine20]

Mr Khan said:

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.

I think Mr Khan here nailed it in his first paragraph IMO. I tend to prefer JRPGs bcause having too many choices can get pretty overwhelming IMO. For instance, if you walked into a store to buy toothpaste and there was only one brand on the shelf, you'd be in and out of the store in a second. However, if you walked in and saw 20 different brands without having any preference prior to your arival, you'll probably spend at least 30 mins just to pick the right toothpaste brand.