For the modern enthusiast, the traditional RPG has increasingly become an exercise in endurance. We exist in an era of "narrative padding," where bloated quest logs and mandatory filler stretch experiences to a wearying 100-hour grind. This industry-wide obsession with scale often suffocates the very stories it tries to tell. However, there is a sophisticated alternative that has quietly preserved the genre’s vitality: the Anthology RPG.
These structures generally manifest in two distinct forms. The first is the series-wide anthology, a concept revolutionized by Final Fantasy. While the early 90s were dominated by continuous sequels, Final Fantasy pivoted toward a model where the events of one entry, like Final Fantasy 5, held no weight over the world of Final Fantasy 8. The second, and perhaps more fascinating, is the single-game anthology—a title that houses multiple, self-contained campaigns within a single experience. This format provides a curated, fragmented approach to storytelling that prioritizes thematic density over sheer length.
The Grid and the Ghost: Live A Live’s Generic Mastery
The "internal anthology" finds its most potent expression in Live A Live. Rather than a singular epic, it offers a "sampling" of genres and eras, allowing for mechanical experimentation that would be impossible in a linear title. The game doesn't just change its coat of paint; it shifts its soul. One hour, you are playing a stealth-focused ninja mission in ancient Japan as the shinobi Oboromaru; the next, you are engaging in a tactical Old West showdown as the Sundown Kid.
From a design perspective, this is a masterclass in variety. The contrast between Pogo’s prehistoric survival and the varied historical scenarios prevents the fatigue inherent in most JRPGs. Crucially, the "connective tissue" of the game is not forced upon the player from the start. Instead, it is a reward; only after completing the initial seven scenarios does an eighth chapter unlock, unifying the disparate eras. As noted in the historical record:
"Some of the best RPG franchises are anthologies, meaning that one sequel does not bleed into the other."
Isolated Journeys: The HD-2D Dissonance of Octopath Traveler
While Live A Live uses its structure for variety, Octopath Traveler uses it to experiment with narrative independence—albeit with significant ludonarrative dissonance. As the progenitor of Square Enix’s now-iconic HD-2D movement, Octopath presents a gorgeous, dioramic world that frames its eight protagonists. However, characters like Ophelia the Cleric and Olberic the Warrior exist in a "party of one" model.
They journey together in combat, yet they remain narratively isolated, acting as little more than background support during each other's pivotal moments. To the critic, this structure is fascinatingly cold; it treats the hero's journey as an individual episode rather than a collective legend. It is a fragmented approach that demands the player engage with eight distinct arcs chapter-by-chapter, proving that even in a group, the anthology hero often walks alone.
Fractured Truths: The Philosophical and Political Payoff of Multiple Perspectives
The anthology format is perhaps at its most powerful when it is used to dissect a singular conflict from multiple angles. This isn't just about variety; it's about synthesis and the subversion of the "hero vs. villain" trope.
- Philosophical Payoff (NieR: Automata): This title weaponizes the format to reach its "true ending." Players must play through the perspectives of 2B, 9S, and A2 in sequence. It is a mandatory descent into the game’s themes of humanity and existentialism, where the repetition of events through 9S's eyes provides the necessary context for the final, harrowing act.
- Lore-Building (Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep): This prequel uses its three paths—Ventus, Terra, and Aqua—to construct a historical foundation for the entire series. By traversing similar Disney worlds through different eyes, the player pieces together a lore-heavy puzzle that a single campaign could never fully articulate.
- Political Subversion (Front Mission): In this tactical series, the anthology format is a tool for military realism. By choosing between the OCU path (Royd Clive) and the USN path (Kevin Greenfield), players explore the same war from opposing ideological fronts. Customizing "Wanzers"—the series' iconic armored mechs—becomes an exercise in viewing the same battlefield through two different scopes.
The Storybook Archive: Mythology as Structural Anchor
In Odin Sphere Leifthrasir, a 2016 retooling of the 2007 PS2 classic, Vanillaware literalizes the anthology concept through its "Storybook" interface. The game is not a timeline; it is an archive. The player selects a literal book off a shelf to enter the lives of Gwendolyn the Valkyrie or Mercedes.
This framing device allows the developer to lean heavily into Norse-inspired mythology. Because the stories are self-contained units, the game can reuse environments and characters to show how these myths intersect without needing to maintain a cumbersome, linear progression. It transforms the RPG into a collection of fables, where the shared world is the only constant.
Curating the Hero’s Journey: Agency and the Modern Remake
The evolution of the anthology RPG is best seen in how modern remakes handle player agency. Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song offers a "play at your own pace" model that feels surprisingly modern. With eight starting characters—from Hawke the pirate to Sif the warrior—it grants the player the freedom to explore the map and engage with story content in any order, creating a curated experience that respects the player's time.
In contrast, Samurai Warriors 5 showcases streamlined agency. It moves away from the traditional Musou bloat of dozens of campaigns to focus on two primary historical figures: Nobunaga Oda and Mitsuhide Akechi. This shift, accompanied by a vibrant, cel-shaded aesthetic, allows for a more focused historical narrative. While other classic heroes like Kenshin Uesugi and Hanzo Hattori are available as combat assets, they lack individual stories—a deliberate design choice to ensure the core narrative remains sharp and impactful.
The Future of Fragmented Storytelling: All Killer, No Filler
As we look toward the future, the anthology structure appears as a necessary rebellion against the "live service" era of infinite, meaningless content. By adopting an "all killer, no filler" philosophy, these games ensure that every hour spent is tethered to a meaningful narrative arc rather than a checklist of errands.
Cult classics like Threads of Fate, with its dual-protagonist paths of Rue and Mint, and the crossover fanservice of Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy prove that this format has always been a sanctuary for creativity. As the industry continues to grapple with the sustainability of massive, linear epics, the fragmented, interconnected stories of the anthology may be the only way to keep the JRPG relevant.
The question remains for the player: Do you prefer the total immersion of a singular, 100-hour odyssey, or the sharp, varied insights of a story told in pieces?
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