Note - This episode was originally released in June 2025. I've decided to add prior Bonus Round episodes to the main feed, sequentially and on a 1-year-plus delay, so that EVERYONE can enjoy these fun, classic gaming banter sessions.

Patrons will still get NEW Bonus Round episodes every month, so if you'd like to catch up on the last year of Bonus Round, head over to Patreon and support the show at the Fire Flower level or higher.

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Hey Retro Gamers, welcome back to Bonus Round!

These monthly podcast episodes are timed Patreon exclusives and are available at the Fire Flower level of support or higher. Each month, my guest and I will put together some sort of list, ranking, or otherwise fun conversation, usually related to that month's main episode. These will be released on the 28th of each month, and hopefully will be the dessert you've been missing after the main course episode two weeks earlier!

Japanese Role-Playing Games are one of the most beloved mechanical genres by the video games community. The people who love them are often dedicated and loyal fans. I love JRPGs, but I've missed out on so many of them. When coming up with this list, I had a wealth of games to choose from, but this is a topic I'd love to revisit in a few years.

Jason, who chatted with me about Earthbound Beginnings on episode 42, is a JRPG lover, and had plenty to say about some games that I've never played. I think we managed to spotlight quite a few games that don't always get mentioned in Top 5 JRPG lists.

I hope you enjoy it, and maybe you'll be inspired to try one of these 10 games for yourself. Either way, head over to discord.smashingbricks.com and share YOUR top JRPGs in the #bonus-round channel!