my older brother made me watch him play games. when he played tales of destiny for ps1, it was unfathomably boring to be a passive observer. so once i was able to play pokemon red or blue, i... made it 12 minutes before i was over it.
specifically, this is what i don't like:
♥ story-focused: i have a terrible memory and can't keep track of narrative and characters. i forget character's names halfway through a movie lol
♥ turn-based combat: it's just so stupid looking and boring. menus instead of real-time action is something i don't have patience for.
♥ random encounters: frustrating design. it's not up to you when you fight? yucky.
♥ too many numbers and stats: i finished my last math class in 2008 (calculus i, got a c-), i'm done with counting ugh
♥ limited to x/y movment in grids: is reasoable but i just don't like it lol
♥ anime style: i don't really like anime style art. and most grid-based art sucks. sorry
♥ length: they're so dang long! i prefer games only a few hours.
boxy in the cave of feelings by wedgiebee and jiji
it's super cute, the battles are realtime, and you get to play as a box. i'm getting fuzzy thinking about it.
February 2003 by ihavefivehat, everythingstaken, FirecatFG, gus, Sergio Cornaga, Chrissy Teets, Clyde Marshall
warioware is my favourite genre, and this is a warioware-like rpg. heaps of micro-rpg's made by a few different people, with all sorts of ideas being thrown around. some of these are throwaway and others are clever puzzles. some are quick and obvious, others are extremely frustrating and require an incredible amount of patience.
most of the micro-rpg's revolve around themes grouped by calendar days, so this became a daily ritual for me. it was perfect digesting it that way not only to prevent fatigue, but to create a pocket of laughter for 5-15 minutes everyday. creating habits elicit nostalgia in me, and i'm already really sad that i've played all the games and can't experience it fresh anymore.
definitely a masterpiece, no question about that.
Hero's Quest by Terry Cavanagh
this only takes a few minutes to complete, and it's free, but it's brilliant. probably the first jrpg i ever enjoyed (played it in 2015).
Undertale by Toby Fox
pretty obvious. my students made me play it lol. it was perfect for when i had a 'flu' right before covid-19 took place. i love the ability to be pacifist because i always prefer that. other than moving in x/y only, and it was too long only at ~12 hours.
games i'm not sure are jrpg's but close enough
0th Dimension by Resni
It's a top-down XY-movement adventure game with dialogue boxes... not sure if it counts. But it's beautiful and very much X-rated.
地獄・Hell by babylon brooks
i'm pretty sure it's an action-oriented jrpg. kinda? anyways, it's an utterly brilliant game. it's so clever and hilarious. extremely high recommendation.
Paisley Princess by 01010111
more zelda-y than final fantasy. small game with a really nice dry sense of humour.