This partial segment covers ranks 10 through 2 of Polygon’s most underrated RPGs of the past decade: games it argues deserved more attention, even alongside acclaimed releases such as Final Fantasy, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Table of Contents
10 Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter
Available on: Switch, Switch 2, PS5, PC
Falcom’s remake of Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter blends action and turn-based combat while keeping the rich world and epic scale that Polygon praises in the earlier versions.
The original arrived in Japan in 2004 as Eiyuu Densetsu: Sora no Kiseki. Xseed Games brought a localized version to North America in 2011, and a PC port followed in 2014. Falcom recently returned to the series with its ambitious remake, and a remake of the second chapter followed earlier this year.
According to Polygon, both remakes launched to rave reviews and found a passionate audience among players familiar with them, yet still aren’t discussed alongside giants such as Final Fantasy. The publication’s recommendation is straightforward: don’t overlook them.
Image: Nihon Falcom/GungHo Online Entertainment.
9 Harvestella
Available on: Switch, PC
Harvestella puts a farm to manage alongside 12 character classes, including familiar RPG roles such as fighter and mage. Developed by Live Wire, it’s an action-RPG that mixes farming with combat rather than treating village life as its whole focus.
That combination has a farming-game history behind it. Harvest Moon launched on the Super Famicom in 1996, and Stardew Valley has kept interest in virtual farming alive alongside new and remade Story of Seasons entries. Numerous other cozy simulations have followed, while games such as Rune Factory have combined the farming routine with RPG elements. Harvestella takes that latter approach.
Its hero tends a farm and interacts with the residents of Lethe, the village at the center of that daily life. Farming isn’t the only activity outside combat: cooking, crafting, and fishing are also part of the mix. Polygon’s case for the game rests on what accompanies those activities – deep RPG systems and an intriguing plot, giving it more to offer than its farming premise alone might suggest.
Image: Square Enix.
8 Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
Available on: Switch, PS4, Vita, PC
You play a magical book that creates a brigade of puppet soldiers in Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk. Its story concerns finding a way to revive a deceased loved one, but in Polygon’s assessment, the moment-to-moment combat and exploration are what keep players coming back.
The recommendation comes with a clear caveat: this is an old-school, first-person RPG devoted largely to dungeon crawling. That structure won’t suit everyone. If you appreciate Wizardry and Etrian Odyssey, though, Polygon recommends giving it a look.
The game first appeared on PlayStation Vita in Japan in 2016, reaching North America on Switch, PlayStation 4, and PC a couple of years later. A sequel, Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society, followed in 2020.
Image: Nippon Ichi Software/NIS America.
7 The DioField Chronicle
Available on: Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
The DioField Chronicle mixes real-time strategy with tactics in its free-flowing combat, while its rich plot explores the consequences of war. Those are the foundations of Polygon’s recommendation: a story with weight and a combat approach that brings the two strategy styles together.
Having Square Enix as publisher didn’t ensure that it found a wide audience. In Polygon’s assessment, the game seems to have gone largely unnoticed, including by players who might have loved it had they given it a chance. Its place in this ranking reflects that gap between what the publication sees in the game and the attention it received.
Square Enix’s involvement also went beyond publishing. It contributed to development alongside Lancarse, whose credits include Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. The creative credits include Isamu Kamikokuryo, associated with Final Fantasy 12, who produced the character art.
For players looking for another game after finishing Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave, Polygon points to The DioField Chronicle as an option, with its war-focused story and blend of real-time strategy and tactics.
Image: Lancarse/Square Enix.
6 Monark
Available on: Switch, PS4, PS5, PC
A madness-inducing mist powered by demonic forces seals Shin Mikado Academy off from the outside world in Monark. Its students must venture into an Otherworld and defeat monsters to free themselves, so there’s plenty of combat. Lancarse developed the game, a studio Polygon describes as frequently struggling to reach a wide audience.
Monark drew criticism for the amount of grinding needed to progress, and Polygon acknowledges that it isn’t visually impressive. Nevertheless, the publication considers its systems and abilities definite strengths.
The dark scenario, co-written by Fuyuki Hayashi of Crystar and overseen by Kazunari Suzuki of the early Shin Megami Tensei games, recalls genre classics in Polygon’s assessment. The article also notes a somber soundtrack that delighted players who gave it a chance. Its verdict is conditional but positive: there’s enough here to entertain RPG players willing to look past the rough exterior.
Image: Lancarse/NIS America.
5 Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
Available on: Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes was announced on Kickstarter in 2020 as a spiritual successor to Suikoden, at a time when Konami seemed uninterested in doing much with that series. Newly formed Rabbit & Bear Studios developed it under Yoshitaka Murayama, who created Suikoden and directed its first two games.
Murayama died on Feb. 6, 2024, just two months before the game’s release. In Polygon’s assessment, the finished RPG delivered much of what it had promised.
Critics and players responded positively to its engaging plot and familiar gameplay, the article reports. It earned general recommendations as an RPG, with additional enthusiasm from the dedicated Suikoden fans it was made to please.
Image: Rabbit and Bear Studios.
4 CrossCode
Available on: Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X
CrossCode combines 16-bit-style visuals with a far-future setting. It’s an action-RPG with brisk combat and challenging puzzles, tied together by a distinctive science-fiction story. Polygon recommends it to players who appreciate that visual style, but its appeal in the ranking also rests on the action, puzzles, and story accompanying it.
The hero wakes with no memory and is also unable to speak. That amnesia recalls a familiar setup from classic RPGs, and the game’s influences extend beyond its premise. Its design draws on games from the era its visuals evoke, with Chrono Trigger and Terranigma among the named influences. The latter will receive an unexpected remaster in January 2027, according to Polygon.
CrossCode launched in 2018 to enthusiastic reviews. That reception didn’t translate into the same visibility as mainstream releases: Polygon argues that it has largely remained in their shadow. The contrast between those reviews and its lower profile is why the publication includes it here.
Image: Radical Fish Games/Deck 13.
3 The Caligula Effect 2
Available on: Switch, PS4, PS5, PC
The Caligula Effect 2 revisits many of its predecessor’s story beats, but adds more streamlined combat, improved dungeon designs, and enhanced visuals. Polygon judges the result fresh and generally polished.
The game comes from Tadashi Satomi, associated with Persona, and Takuya Yamanaka, associated with Heroland. The series began on Vita in 2016; that original was remade as The Caligula Effect: Overdose and released on additional hardware in 2018.
In the first game, students discover they’re trapped in Mobius, a virtual world that feels like high school. They form a club to try to return home. The sequel returns to similar narrative territory while refining the mechanics, earning Polygon’s recommendation for Persona fans seeking something to play while waiting for Persona 6.
Image: Aquria/NIS America.
2 Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
Image: Don’t Nod/Focus Home Interactive.
Available on: PS5, PC, Xbox Series X
Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden sends Antea Duarte and Red mac Raith into the haunted wilds of North America in 1695. Developed by Dontnod Entertainment, the studio behind Life is Strange, and released in 2024, the action RPG has an unconventional setting and equally unconventional heroes, in Polygon’s assessment.
Antea and Red work as “banishers,” arriving in the New World at a friend’s invitation. That friend dies of a heart attack shortly after they arrive. Events grow increasingly bizarre for the pair and their new acquaintances as the story leads toward five unique endings.
The game reportedly underperformed commercially. Polygon attributes that outcome to an unconventional plot that defies easy categorization, though this is the publication’s interpretation rather than an established cause. Its verdict remains enthusiastic: Banishers is a gem for action-RPG players looking for something different.
