The book gets its formalities out of the way early. The first thirty pages are dedicated to some very interesting essays revolving around JRPG culture. Lastly, a handful of other essays discuss the oftentimes troubling process of game localization, the importance of JRPG soundtracks, the influence of anime, and even some common tropes found in the genre. Rather than simply going in chronological or even alphabetical order though there are some attempts of the former within several self-contained sections , the book groups games together based on themes.
Some of the earliest games included here still showed clear inspirations from Wizardry and Ultima before starting to evolve their own unique characteristics that led to the establishment of the genre. Many games here will be unknown to western audiences as they were not released outside of Japan and, as is the case in much of the rest of the book, series of games are often contained within a single entry with some notable exceptions. Those interested in a more comprehensive chronicle of the JRPG can read about the Mugen no Shinzou and Tower of Druaga series, but also more familiar fare like Hydlide and curious oddities like a Seiken Densetsu released in without involvement from Square.
Whereas the rest of the book tends to group franchises together, these titans have been afforded much more valuable real estate, with individual entries and even spin-off titles receiving separate single- or double-page write-ups. Its plus pages take on the task of covering many well-known franchises in depth, occasionally sticking to a particular developer for several entries in a row to preserve at least a little organization.
A nine-page index at the back of the book is really the only way to reliably find a particular game within. A few exceptions even receive lengthier write-ups, like Metal Max and Atelier. Even series like Mario and Mega Man, not primarily known for their RPGs, receive several dedicated entries thanks to their spin-offs into the genre. Overall, A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games is so expansive, and of such high quality, that finding anything to criticize is rather difficult, and is akin to nitpicking.
At the time of this writing, Bitmap Books is gearing up to make a new printing of the book available via its website. It can easily be read cover to cover or by using the game index to jump around. Disclosure: This article is based on a free copy of the book provided by the publisher.
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