JRPGs With The Best Limit Break Systems

Key Takeaways

• Final Fantasy 7 made “Limit Break” popular, but other RPGs have similar mechanics.
• Dragon Quest 9 introduced Coup de Graces tied to Vocations for power boosts.
• Kingdom Hearts 2’s Drive Forms provided stat boosts and special abilities through transformation.

The term “Limit Break” became synonymous with Final Fantasy 7 as that was the first game in the series to use that term. They appeared in games before Final Fantasy 7 and after but the names differ. Final Fantasy 10, for example, has moves called Overdrives while Final Fantasy 12 has Quickenings.

Final Fantasy and Square Enix overall do not have a monopoly on Limit Break mechanics though. Many RPGs have added similar mechanics wherein characters could gain large bursts of power, Super Saiyan-style, for brief minutes or even seconds in battle. These are the games that stand out the most without any spoilers involved.

7 Coup de Graces (Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies)

Every Vocation Has A Special Talent Within

The Dragon Quest series has not incorporated a lot of Limit Break-style attacks into their games. One of the biggest though was Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies which was also the first mainline game on a portable system and the first to introduce co-op.

Players could equip classes in the game called Vocations and each Vocation had a corresponding Coup de Graces. For example, a Mage could trigger 0-Zone which meant spells would cost 0 MP for a short period. Triggering Coup de Graces was random although it helped whenever characters were in grim states like low HP but skills and equipment could help trigger them too.

6 Trances (Final Fantasy 9)

The Most Super Saiyan The Series Ever Got

Of all the Limit Breaks in the Final Fantasy series, Final Fantasy 9 sticks out. In this game, they are called Trances and they first appear within the context story giving them a bit more clout than other entries in the franchise.

It’s sort of like characters going into heightened states of mind which does correspond to a damage meter. Each character had a specific ability that lasted a few turns. For example, Vivi could trigger his Trance and be able to cast two spells at once and they were stronger as well.

5 Engages (Fire Emblem Engage)

Past And Present Heroes Merge

Fire Emblem Engage was an almost literal marriage of the past and present Fire Emblem games. In the game, players could find rings imbued with heroes from past entries. For example, the main character Alear had a ring of Marth, the hero from the first game.

Characters with rings could fuse with these past champions to go into a super state wherein all of their stats increased. They had unique special attacks top that would devastate foes that would end the merger otherwise it would eventually fizzle out on its own.

4 Bracelets (Jeanne d’Arc)

Become Gods Temporarily With The Power Of Jewelry

Jeanne d’Arc had jewelry-based fusions as well and it’s perhaps one of the more obscure examples on the list. This was a PSP exclusive game developed by Level-5 but it thankfully just got an emulated port to the PS4 and PS5 consoles.

It’s an otherworldly take on the war of France vs England with the heroine, Jeanne, gaining the power of gods to transform into an angelic entity to become the fabled Joan of Arc character. Other characters will find transformative bracelets and characters in this state can get boosted stats and new abilities for short periods.

3 Drive Forms (Kingdom Hearts 2)

Sora Changes Clothes And Gets More Keyblades

Kingdom Hearts 2 introduced the concept of Drive Forms which was tied to a gauge players could fill up while battling enemies. Sora could transform into different forms, each having a special ability and specific stat increase. For example, his Valor Form gave Sora more attack power and two Keyblades while his Wisdom Form was more attuned to magic.

When transforming, there was also a chance things could go wrong, entering Sora into the Heartless-like Anti Form. It was a gamble each time players activated the Drive Gauge but it was so worth it for that extra boost in power. Sora would get abilities like this in sequels and prequels, but the literal Drive Forms never returned.

2 Theurgies (Persona 3 Reload)

Going Beyond The Inner Self

Persona 3 Reload was a complete remake of the PS2 original game which added a plethora of changes including the addition of Theurgies. It takes a while to unlock them, but they operate like traditional Limit Every character has one but raising a Theurgy meter is character-specific.

Some Theurgy meters will rise after getting hit or attacking while others increase from healing teammates. Not all Theurgies were created equally as there is a tier list in Persona 3 Reload like Ken’s amazing healing ability. That’s just how the cookie crumbles in an RPG though.

1 Ouroboros Fusions (Xenoblade Chronicles 3)

Bringing Mechs Back To The Series

The Xeno series, dating back to Xenogears on the PS1, was founded on mech-based RPGs. That said, they come in and out of the series with Xenoblade Chronicles 3 being the latest and most notable one in how they use mechs.

Eventually, players will get the ability of Ouroboros wherein two party members can fuse to create giant mech-like entities. Noah and Mio are two examples and there are different forms depending on who is the lead fuser. Like most fusion-based Limit Breaks, players only have a short span to get the most out of their Ouroboros forms in Xenoblade Chronicles 3.