Let's face it: JRPG monsters are pure nightmare fuel. Sure, there's a certain subset who are plain ol' cute, but for the most part they're a horrifying mash up of real world animals and mythical monsters, chimeric creatures amalgamating whatever bits and pieces the artist decided to chuck in the blender that day.
Not that I'm complaining, mind you—it wouldn't be a JRPG for me without them. I took absolute delight in Metaphor: ReFantazio's "humans" when I finally got around to playing it last Christmas, a wonderful take on the idea of what a monster even is, channeling Hieronymus Bosch's 500 year old paintings into some extremely distressing bosses.
But I never thought I'd find a top tier creepy JRPG monster in a Trails game. The series does have its darker moments, but for the most part, it's pretty homely and rustic, following the lives of regular folk. Trails in the Sky in particular is very chill, as you wander around Liberl as Joshua and Estelle, completing requests and odd jobs to earn their Bracer stripes.
English (US)