RPGs for SNES

[ScarredLungs]

The first RPG I ever beat was Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (years ago). I am looking at playing another retro RPG.

Which do you recommend and why?

Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana II (I heard it has nice improvements and is not a direct sequel)
Chrono Trigger
Earthbound
Breath of Fire
Breath of Fire II (Direct Sequel?)

*These are the ones that I have, but have not played.

[L-Rouge]

The only one I have ever owned is 1st on your list. and it was a terrific adventure, I believe Chrono Trigger has great reverence from fans and is highly regarded. Secret of Mana however, is "cute" and I always preferred Shining Force 2 on mega drive in terms of engaging narrative. I'd go Chrono or Breath of Fire,which is another I read good things about back in the day.

[Greenboom98]

Chrono Trigger. Just an awesome RPG. Everything about the game is really good. Perfect Soundtrack, characters, story, etc. It is really good. I'm biased to the OST a lot :-D Love it.
Also, might want to ad FFIII [AKA FFVI] & FFII [AKA FFIV]. Both are awesome games.

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by Greenboom98

Chrono Trigger. Just an awesome RPG. Everything about the game is really good. Perfect Soundtrack, characters, story, etc. It is really good. I'm biased to the OST a lot :-D Love it.
Also, might want to ad FFIII [AKA FFVI] & FFII [AKA FFIV]. Both are awesome games.

I am leaning towards Chrono Trigger. :-) I have heard good things about it. As far as FFIII goes, that is a great game too. I have already played through that game once.

[Musashi]

Of which there were many.

For top tier, I'd say:

Super Mario RPG
Lufia
Lufia 2
Arcana
Chrono Trigger*
Final Fantasy 6* (Released as Final Fantasy 3 SNES)
Final Fantasy 4-Easy* (Released as Final Fantasy 2)
Ogre Battle*

More Quality RPGs:

Breath of Fire
Breath of Fire 2
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Paladin's Quest

Top tier Adventures with RPG elements:

Secret of Mana
Actraiser
Soul Blazer

Solid Adventure-type RPGs:

Secret of Evermore
Illusion of Gaia
Brainlord
Actraiser 2
Ys 3: Wanderers from Ys*

About the games with *s: these are games that were great when released for the Super, but if you were to play them today, I'd suggest ports to later platforms. Reasons why:

Chrono Trigger: DS version has bonus galleries, extra in-game content (bonus levels plus a new ending), and anime cutscenes.
2nd best version: PS1

Final Fantasy 4: Best version is PSP; Sharper graphics, choice between arranged music or classic original music, uses the true version of Final Fantasy 4 (SNES release in America used the watered down 'Easy' version), bonus dungeons, ability to re-recruit most of your old teammates for the endgame, more robust save file system, and even 2 sequels to Final Fantasy 4.
Other good versions: GBA, PS1 (2-player mode available), DS

Final Fantasy 6: GBA version has extra levels and new espers. PS1 version is pretty much equal to SNES one.

Ogre Battle: PS1 version has sharper graphics, improved soundtrack, less slowdown, and improved save file system.

Ys 3: Remake available for PSP

[celticmoon]

Well, everyone has already mentioned Chrono Trigger, so I'll just merely say that I recommend that one as well. Definitely one of my top 10 games, ever.

The other one I personally would highly recommend is EarthBound. The gameplay is very simplistic and straightforward (it heavily borrows from the Dragon Quest series), and is a little clunky and dated compared to other SNES RPGs at parts in that respect. However, you get used to it pretty quickly, and it doesn't hinder the experience.

But of course, the charm in this game is in the writing--story, characters, and setting. Obviously, it's very unique for an RPG of the NES/SNES era, with its (mostly) modern urban setting. I also think it has a good balance of humour (definitely has a lot more humour than most RPGs), seriousness/darkness, and the more touching moments. I can't say how good the English translation is, as I played it in Japanese, but judging from the highly dedicated cult following it has in the English-speaking community, I'd imagine that much of the charm is retained.

I'd probably place EarthBound above Chrono Trigger on my personal list of favorites. As an RPG, I'd say CT is the better game. However, as an experience, I prefer EB.

Ultimately, both are great and are essential SNES games.

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by Musashi

Of which there were many.

For top tier, I'd say:

Super Mario RPG
Lufia
Lufia 2
Arcana
Chrono Trigger*
Final Fantasy 6* (Released as Final Fantasy 3 SNES)
Final Fantasy 4-Easy* (Released as Final Fantasy 2)
Ogre Battle*

More Quality RPGs:

Breath of Fire
Breath of Fire 2
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Paladin's Quest

Top tier Adventures with RPG elements:

Secret of Mana
Actraiser
Soul Blazer

Solid Adventure-type RPGs:

Secret of Evermore
Illusion of Gaia
Brainlord
Actraiser 2
Ys 3: Wanderers from Ys*

About the games with *s: these are games that were great when released for the Super, but if you were to play them today, I'd suggest ports to later platforms. Reasons why:

Chrono Trigger: DS version has bonus galleries, extra in-game content (bonus levels plus a new ending), anime cutscenes, and bonus galleries.
2nd best version: PS1

Final Fantasy 4: Best version is PSP; Sharper graphics, choice between arranged music or classic original music, uses the true version of Final Fantasy 4 (SNES release in America used the watered down 'Easy' version), bonus dungeons, ability to re-recruit most of your old teammates for the endgame, more robust save file system, and even 2 sequels to Final Fantasy 4.
Other good versions: GBA, PS1 (2-player mode available), DS

Final Fantasy 6: GBA version has extra levels and new espers. PS1 version is pretty much equal to SNES one.

Ogre Battle: PS1 version has sharper graphics, improved soundtrack, less slowdown, and improved save file system.

Ys 3: Remake available for PSP

Ogre Battle? Never heard of this one. What more can you tell me about it? I see it is in your top few games.

[Musashi]

Originally Posted by cvm

Ogre Battle? Never heard of this one. What more can you tell me about it? I see it is in your top few games.

Its an early-era Real-time Strategy game with a story like that of many JRPGs. You control an army of up to 100 characters, some are filler, but some are named characters with powers beyond those of stock fighters.

One of the challenges to the game is to not overlevel your team (especially the leader), and part of that is not using magic cards to deliver kill-shots since that causes all the EXP to go to the leader. If you're overleveled, you lose reputation for using excessive force and the story takes a downturn.

Game has 12 endings; the Best ending is very rewarding. Ogre Battle is very long, and since the Super NES version can't save mid-battle, I recommend the PS1 version.

[ScarredLungs]

Originally Posted by Musashi

Its an early-era Real-time Strategy game with a story like that of many JRPGs. You control an army of up to 100 characters, some are filler, but some are named characters with powers beyond those of stock fighters.

One of the challenges to the game is to not overlevel your team (especially the leader), and part of that is not using magic cards to deliver kill-shots since that causes all the EXP to go to the leader. If you're overleveled, you lose reputation for using excessive force and the story takes a downturn.

Game has 12 endings; the Best ending is very rewarding. Ogre Battle is very long, and since the Super NES version can't save mid-battle, I recommend the PS1 version.

Sounds like an interesting mix - rpg/rts

[L-Rouge]

I have played Secret of Evermore as well, That had awesome boss music, but I found I lost interest in the game fairly quickly, similar style to Secret of Mana.

[Musashi]

Originally Posted by L-Rouge

I have played Secret of Evermore as well, That had awesome boss music, but I found I lost interest in the game fairly quickly, similar style to Secret of Mana.

There was a similarity, but I found Mana to be far better game for these reasons:

Better hit detection
Taking damage doesn't cause you fly as far
Sharper animation and tighter control over the command rings
Less castings needed to improve spell strength
3-players

[L-Rouge]

yea, id agree with that. to add even the over arching theme and story just was not as compelling. a good effort but not as refined as you say.

[Gaius Marius]

Originally Posted by cvm

Ogre Battle? Never heard of this one. What more can you tell me about it? I see it is in your top few games.

It is only one of the best games on the SNES It wasn't as popular, but still a very good game (one of my favorites - not only for the SNES). It is one of those games that once you get going, it is really hard not think about it (When I am playing it, I am always thinking of different ways to build units).

You get an army of units, which can have anywhere from 3-5 characters(optimally - you can have only 1-2 characters in a unit). Characters are either 'small' (you can have up to five in a unit) or 'large' (can only have one or two in a unit). Small characters are stuff like knights, priests, wizards, ninja, etc... while large characters are dragons, griffons, golems, giants, etc... Each unit has it's own strangths and weaknesses, making finding optimal unit builds a really fun aspect of the game!

Plus, each character has alignment (ie: good, neutral, evil), and characters like fighting alongside characters of like-alignment. Some characters are more evil (witches and demons), while some are more good (priests and angels). Having a mix of both in your army is usually preferred.

Anyway, as Musashi said, the game has 12 endings (based upon your leader's alignment and your army's Reputation), so the replay value is there! Plus, the game itself is pretty long. Very good game! It is on the Wii Virtual Console.

Other good SNES RPGs:

Chrono Trigger

Final Fantasy IV (II) - I will echo Musashi here and go for one of the Playstation ports as they are more of a 'true' representation of the game. I have a soft spot for the SNES version (II) as I grew up playing it, though.

Final Fantasy VI (III)

Secret of Mana

If you are looking for games that are more of a 'hybrid' of RPG/action/adventure, then the following are good to check out:

ActRaiser
Soul Blazer
EVO: The Search for Eden

Anyway, have fun! The SNES was a great system for RPGs

[Drew664]

I really enjoyed Secret of Evermore and would recommend it to anyone that has played Secret of Mana. I always thought of them as being similar in a lot of ways including playability and fun. Mana is my favorite though due to having played it more.

[ChadFL]

I played many but Final Fantasy VI (released as III in the U.S.) is still my favorite RPG of all-time.

[ScarredLungs]

I ended up starting Earthbound. That game is amazingly fun and very cleverly written.

[celticmoon]

Originally Posted by cvm

I ended up starting Earthbound. That game is amazingly fun and very cleverly written.

Best game ever!

Another thing that's great about it is the soundtrack. I love it!