re: the JRPG thing
JRPG literally has/had meaning, it doesn't mean "RPG made in Japan"
there is a specific feel to JRPGs which is not as present in WRPGs
I would argue it means jettisoning all pretense of "role play," you don't get to make any decisions about what your character would do, you are just getting a linear story told to you, which might be very good
it's also going to be steeped in Japanese cultural storytelling methods, where a lot of important aspects of the world are simply handwaved or not explained, for the sake of pushing teen drama instead, where characters emotionally say each others' names, or repeat what someone just said back to them to reassure them they are listening, and there are lots of yokai or yokai-inspired creatures and concepts
compare to something that tries to be more grounded like Skyrim and the differences are pretty clear
if you are a Japanese developer and you don't want to make a JRPG, you don't actually have to, but the fact is you're probably going to because that's what the people in Japan want to play and your entire culture has prepared you to craft that sort of experience
but you can do whatever you want, if you truly want to
plenty of western devs have made JRPGs over the years, because they love Final Fantasy so much
