 See... that's drunk! Hello, let's take a look at the 13 Best Role Playing Games on the Super Nintendo, and on this list I'm including Super Famicom games that never left Japan since we've got English patches available to play them thanks to hard-working folks like the Aeon Genesis team. Also, I'm not going to include games that are better experienced on other consoles or handhelds. Like, for example, Final Fantasy IV is pretty good on Super Nintendo with the naming-way patch, but I'd argue that you're still better off playing the PSP or DS versions. The same can be said for games like Tactics Ogre as well. And one more thing since apparently this needs to be pointed out, anytime RPGs are discussed, no, Link to the Past is not an RPG. It's in the adventure genre, so it's not on the list. Alright, let's get going. 13. Illusion of Gaia. Yup, that's right. This list is so stacked and so loaded that I have to stick Illusion of Gaia, a game that some of you might have in your Top 5 all the way down at 13. This is an action RPG that has a crazy fever dream for a story where you've got vampires, suicidal pigs, child slavery, a guy setting his own hair on fire. It's really something else, but what makes it such a fun playthrough is the dungeon design combined with the mechanic of being able to flip between two and later three different forms that each have different capabilities. This is a well-designed game that's a solid playthrough, but I don't think it's quite as good as... 12. Soul Blazer. For those unfamiliar, Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and TerraNigma make up what's referred to as the Quintet Trilogy. They're considered a series of sorts, but not because their stories are related, but because their gameplay is very similar and because all three games are made by the same developer. So if you like Illusion of Gaia, you'll love Soul Blazer. You get the same sort of action here with some clever dungeon design and some fun boss fights. And what I really like about it is that you can play for 10 or 15 minutes, kill some monsters, open up a new area and backtrack a bit to save, and everything you've killed stays dead when you pick up and play again. I just appreciate games that respect players' time like that. Also, similar to Illusion of Gaia, the story in Soul Blazer is pretty weird, although this one is a bit more modlin' with some real darkness surrounding the proceedings. But yeah, Soul Blazer has aged really well, featuring a cleverly designed gameplay structure and story. 11. Secret of Mana. This was the toughest game to place on this list, once I had it as high as 7th, and then later I had it off my list completely. Secret of Mana is maybe the most flawed game that I'd consider a quote-unquote classic in all of the Super Nintendo library. It's got a unique development backstory, where this game was originally intended to be a launch title for the ill-fated Super Nintendo CD peripheral, but the dev team was not only able to salvage the game, but they made it one of the best-looking and best-sounding games on the SNES. Yes, it's flawed, the hit detection isn't the greatest, the screen scrolling can be problematic, and the story doesn't really get going until several hours in. But man, the art direction, the design of some of these bosses, all the different environments, and especially all the different weapons you can use. I always thought of the action here as more of a beat-em-up. Plus, it's one of the few games on this list that's multiplayer, and also, the soundtrack is one of the absolute best in the entire Super Nintendo library. So yeah, despite its flaws, I still think the good outweighs the bad in Secret of Mana. Breath of Fire 2. Man, oh man, I'm already starting to feel bad about this list because I really like Breath of Fire 2, but the way this list shook out, it barely landed in my top 10. Hey, that's just the way it ended up. That definitely doesn't mean this is inferior or anything like that. In fact, this is one of the deepest games on this list that features some great gameplay variety. There's just so much here in this game to dive into, whether it's hunting, fishing, or building and managing a village. And of course, it also executes the traditional role-playing game stuff extremely well, like the combat system. A well-told story that has a great twist that I won't spoil here. But unfortunately, the localization here left the translation in shambles. So if you want to play this one, make sure you do it with the relocalization patch. 9. Live Alive, here's a Squaresoft game that never left Japan, and it's one of the most interesting playthroughs in the entire Super Nintendo library because it's structured to be broken up into 7 different chapters that you play through one at a time in any order you'd like. And all 7 chapters are totally different in every way. In one you're a pro wrestler, in another you're in the Wild West, in another you're in some strange future where there isn't even any combat. This game is way out there, and it's one of the most ambitious 16-bit titles ever. And best of all, Live Alive really rewards the player for completing all 7 chapters because there's an 8th and later a 9th chapter where every character from every time period comes together. And oh boy, if you finish this one, it's got an absolute doozy of an ending. So if you play this one, make sure you play it all the way through. It is worth it. 8. Terranigma, Japan got this game, PAL regions got this game, but North America did not. And if you haven't played this one yet, and this is one you have to play any way you can, then you are missing out. It's considered the third game in the Quintet trilogy that I talked about earlier, but it's the most polished game of the three featuring a really satisfying combat system, some really tough boss fights, excellent dungeon design, a high quality soundtrack, and a story that's, well, I'll just say, after you finish Terranigma and you look back at your time playing it, the first thing you'll remember is the story. I describe the story in Illusion of Gaia as having kind of a surreal fever dream quality to it, and Terranigma takes that vibe and pushes it to its limit. It is strange, but it's strange in the best possible way, and that's thanks to the way it's structured and the way the story is told. You're never sure what's around the corner or what's coming next, and there's some shocking moments here. And of course, I have to mention the ending as well. It's one of the most bittersweet endings in any game ever. Seiken Densetsu 3, the sequel to Secret of Mana, is another game that never left Japan back in the day, and only recently got released in North America as Trials of Mana with a remake coming to modern platforms in early 2020. But remake or no, this game offers a lot of things that many others on this list do not. It's a multiplayer action RPG that offers three different story paths you can take depending on which of the six characters you pick. What I like best about this game is how the combat is structured from a strategic standpoint, and it has to do with how you put together your party. Sure, if you play this game blind, you just pick three characters and make do, but once you get a feel for the combat, there's a real incentive there to go back and try a different approach with the other characters, whether it's a melee-powered party with Doran and Kevin, or a magic attack party featuring Angela with Least to power her up, or if you want to just go nuts with Hawk just to make him a total badass ninja. That's cool too. This game also offers some of the best graphics and sound on any 16-bit game ever, so you are really missing out if you haven't played this one. Six. LuffyA2, Rise of the Sinistrals. Quickly, I should mention that no, you do not need to play the first LuffyA game to get into this one, and that's definitely a good thing since it's one less hurdle to get into what is one of the best games on the Super Nintendo, let alone one of the best RPGs. On the surface, this may seem like just another turn-based role-playing game, but the way this one works in some Zelda-like adventure-style elements really makes this game stand out as something great. The puzzle solving here is fantastic, but what really puts LuffyA2 over the top is the Ancient Cave, a 99-floor dungeon where every floor is randomized. It's not required to beat the game or anything, but it's practically its own in-depth game within this game, which is pretty amazing. And the game itself is pretty dang good too, even if it does take a little different approach to the storytelling. Don't expect a giant sweeping epic story here, this one's a little different, and I mean that in a good way. Also, some of the pixel art, especially for the Sinistrals, is top-notch, and that boss theme is one of the all-time greats. Five! Front Mission Gun Hazard. Long-time viewers of this channel have heard me prattle on about this game for years, and yes, I really do think it's a top five role-playing game on the system. This one still has not left Japan to this day on any platform, and that's a damn shame, but thanks to the English patch provided by Aeon Genesis, you can play this one on Super Famicom. Front Mission Gun Hazard takes the usual grid-based strategy of the Front Mission series and turns the combat into side-scrolling action stages, a la Cybernator, or Metal Warriors. You can manage your mechs or wanzers as the game calls them, and give them orders, jobs, as well as outfit them with all sorts of weapons and armor while allocating stats, with lots of variables to account for. But at the same time, the game doesn't overwhelm you with having to micromanage everything, and it does all that while telling an interesting story involving themes of loyalty and betrayal. The real brilliance of this game is being able to balance all of these elements into one cohesive and balanced game. And plus, the music here was composed by Mitsuda and Oematsu. What's not to love here? The game looks and sounds awesome, the gameplay makes you use your brain, but doesn't bog down in details, there's plenty of action, and the story is legitimately interesting. This is an absolute must-play on the Super Nintendo. Super Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars. In this video so far, you've already heard about these grand sweeping adventures with absorbing narratives, but when it comes to Mario RPG, really one word comes to mind, fun. This game is just a lot of frickin' fun. Sure, this game does have a pretty good story with plenty of heart, but the reason to play this one is that it's unique among its peers. There are some laugh-out-loud moments in this one, some really funny set pieces like making fun of the fact that Mario doesn't really talk, so he has to pantomime what happened to the princess. It's just all executed really well. I also appreciate that the combat system here is timing-based, meaning you land a bigger attack if you hit the A button at just the right time. And there are certain weapons and special abilities that take advantage of this mechanic. Plus, you get Bowser in your party at a certain point as old enemies become begrudging allies. Bowser really steals the show in this game. So yeah, on the surface, Mario RPG might seem like a novelty act or a flimsy gimmick, but the way this game plays from beginning to end is just so much fun, and it's something a little different for the genre. Earthbound. Another game that's really hard to place on a list like this, it's a tough game to describe because, again, on the surface, yeah, the combat system isn't much and the inventory management can be a chore, but still, this game is a cult favorite for a good reason. But the thing is, I think what makes Earthbound worth playing isn't just the weird settings or the wacky dialogue or the game's strange sense of humor or the soundtrack, although don't get me wrong, those are all major contributors to what makes this game great. But to me, it's the grand scope of Earthbound's story. You start as a kid with nothing but a cracked bat who gets visited by a talking bee who tells you about becoming a hero to prevent a terrible future. I mean, your first enemies are crows that steal cookies from you. Everything just seems very low stakes, if that makes sense. But from there, the game's world grows and grows until you're using psychic powers to fight robots with your friends. I know that's kind of the whole point of an RPG story, but the way Earthbound goes down that path is so well done because it starts in such a humble, down-to-earth way. And in addition, Earthbound's ending is one of the all-time best of any game ever, and it makes the entire journey worth it. True. Final Fantasy VI. The influence of this one is still being felt today, what with the 14 different playable characters, each with their own backstory. A huge, ambitious story that requires at least a 40-hour playthrough to fully experience, a combat system that features not just special abilities, but full-on attributes unique to each character, whether it's Setzer's slot machine mechanic, Realm's draw feature, or Gao's whatever weird thing Gao does, as well as the Esper system which allows you to customize each character's battle characteristics even further. And there's also a massive soundtrack that itself is over three hours long without a single note wasted. And there's quick-time events that keep the player engaged throughout this huge story, tons of twists and turns, a memorable villain, I could go on and on. I think the best way to describe Final Fantasy VI is that it is the quintessential role-playing game experience. It has everything, from the story to the characters, to the visuals to the sound to the combat system. This is the ultimate role-playing game. Yeah, some of the characters aren't gonna get used much, and yeah, the story maybe could have used a little editing and a little more focus, but in the end, this is a top-10 game on the Super Nintendo, and maybe a top-10 16-bit game, period. Chrono Trigger. Yes, I am risking yet another Final Fantasy VI versus Chrono Trigger debate, but if Final Fantasy VI is the ultimate role-playing game, I think Chrono Trigger is a little something more than that, and I think it's, once again, like many other games on this list, because of how the story is told. Chrono Trigger presents a world that feels lived in and well-established, and interwoven throughout is Frog's quest to redeem his friend and mentor, as well as discovering his own sense of self-worth. There's Magus' madness and obsession, there's the fate of the three wise men, there's Lavos, who is one of the best villains in any medium ever, because it knows no compassion, it can't be reasoned with, and it absolutely will not stop until the Earth is dead. I mean, there's even Luca's small side quest at the end involving her mother, which is surprisingly and shockingly very affecting, and everything is carried out and presented at such a brisk pace, so playing four hours of this game can feel like 30 minutes. The combat isn't gonna touch Final Fantasy 6's level of detail and customization, but it does include a really fun dual and triple tech system that you can utilize between all seven different playable characters. I mean, even if you're not hooked on playing this game, just to see what happens next in the story, you're playing just to unlock the next dual or triple tech, just to see what crazy stuff it will do. Chrono Trigger transcends just being the best Super Nintendo role-playing game, because it's one of the most imaginative, engaging, and flat-out fun stories in any video game ever, and all the other aspects like combat, the boss fights, the incredible pixel art and art direction, and especially the pitch-perfect soundtrack by Mitsuda, make this one of the best video games ever created, period. Alright, that's my list. I want to thank you for watching, and I hope you have a great rest of your day.