One of the reasons I enjoy services like Nintendo Switch Online is that they bring back and give a new chance to many classic JRPGs, like EarthBound and Breath of Fire, which also gives me hope that they will eventually do the same for several other titles.
So far, that hasn’t exactly been the case, since Nintendo has mostly been bringing games from its own catalog to the Switch, but hey, it doesn’t hurt to dream. If we got a remake of Live A Live and even ActRaiser, nothing stops developers from doing the same for other titles, even if it’s just a remaster or a port.
10 Best Square Enix Franchises, Ranked
Square Enix is one of the most prolific Japanese developers, but not all its franchises get the love they deserve.
This list showcases 10 SNES JRPGs I would love to see receive modern ports, whether to revisit them with better quality-of-life features or to experience them for the first time under more favorable conditions. I know it is possible to play them through less-than-legal means, but nothing beats sitting down on the couch and playing them comfortably on a handheld.
10
Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
The Streamlined Final Fantasy
I understand the sentiment that Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is not really a good game, but if you are curious about Benjamin’s quest and what kind of game this entry is, you simply cannot do so on modern platforms since we can’t access the Wii’s Virtual Console anymore. Also, while I agree that the game is more streamlined than other Final Fantasy titles from the SNES era, it is not exactly beginner-coded, because it can get pretty nasty in the endgame.
The game starts with Benjamin being tasked with recovering stolen crystals and saving the world in the process. The story is not exactly the focus here, as it mostly works as a device to push the game forward. Exploration also doesn’t feature an overworld, but rather an icon-based interaction system, much like Final Fantasy Tactics.
One of the highlights of Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest is that the game doesn’t have random encounters. After clashing with an enemy, we enter turn-based combat, which is usually fought by Benjamin and one party member. Commands are limited to attacking, using magic, items, defending, or fleeing. The party member is AI-controlled unless the player chooses to take control manually.
9
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem
Marth’s Story Continues
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem was the first title in the series released for the SNES. As such, it never left Japan, and even when it received ports for the Wii, Wii U, and the Super NES Classic Edition, they were only the Japanese versions. Considering that Nintendo briefly made Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, the first game in the series, officially localized and available for the Switch (albeit momentarily), it doesn’t seem far-fetched that they could do the same with other installments.
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem works as both a remake and a sequel to the first Fire Emblem, because it not only retells the original story but also continues it in the second half, once again with Marth at the helm. Gameplay is largely a tactical affair on grid-based maps, though it still doesn’t feature the weapon triangle mechanic. Characters had classes and could hold up to four weapons, maximizing the player’s strategic input.
Not only is the game still locked on the SNES, but you know the biggest offense? It was remade as Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem for the DS, a game also only available in Japan! Intelligent Systems must be hiding something. Give Mystery of the Emblem to the world.
8
Soul Blazer
Birth of a Trilogy
Quintet was a very prominent Japanese developer during the 16-bit and 32-bit eras. To this day, only one of its games has reappeared on modern platforms, Actraiser Renaissance, a remake of the SNES title ActRaiser. However, a few incredible JRPGs could at least receive a port, known collectively as the Soul Blazer Trilogy.
The first is the eponymous Soul Blazer, an action RPG where we play as the player named servant of the Master, tasked with restoring the souls of the living beings of the Freil Empire. Through dungeon crawling, we gradually free more souls, consequently saving towns and villages, and when we visit them, we are rewarded with gratitude.
Soul Blazer plays like a traditional SNES action game but features RPG elements such as levels and different equipment. The main thrill of the JRPG comes from restoring the world’s inhabitants and watching the game’s scope steadily expand.
7
Ogre Battle: The March Of The Black Queen
The First Ogre
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen was the first game in the Ogre series, which includes Tactics Ogre. Although the game received ports around 2010 for more recent devices, they were released only in Japan, while internationally it was playable only on the SNES or the PS1, consoles that are not exactly easy or practical to get these days.
The main way Ogre Battle set itself apart from other strategy RPGs of the time was through a mechanic more geared toward real-time gameplay. In battle, we controlled our squads, either sending them to capture villages and earn rewards or clashing with enemy forces. Each squad consisted of a set of units ranging from humans to creatures, which engaged the enemy and fought automatically according to the strategy you selected.
We play as the leader of the Liberation Army, a resistance force seeking to topple Empress Endora and liberate the continent of Zetegenia. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen features 13 endings, and the requirements for each of them change depending on recruited characters who are still alive by the end of the game, the player’s reputation, and a few other variables.
10 Best 16-Bit JRPGs
It was during the 16-bit generation that the JRPG word began to spread across the world.
6
Secret of Evermore
More Secrets
Secret of Evermore is a game I’ve started several times but never finished. There was something odd about it that never truly grabbed me, starting with fighting dinosaurs with a bone and eventually wielding a bazooka against robots. Also, I always confused it with Secret of Mana because I was a stupid kid.
It was not entirely my fault, though, because Secret of Evermore is also from Square and is extremely similar to Secret of Mana. It is an action RPG where we control only one character, always accompanied by our faithful shapeshifting dog. There is a percentage bar after each attack that determines how strong the next one will be, quite similar to Secret of Mana.
You might imagine that Secret of Evermore involves time travel, but that is not exactly the case. The protagonist is sucked into the world of Evermore, which is divided into several realms that mimic historical periods from the real world. So while we do have a prehistory and Middle Ages realm, it is all fantasy, especially the futuristic world of Omnitopia.
5
Illusion of Gaia
A Source of Inspiration
Illusion of Gaia is the second RPG from Quintet in the Soul Blazer trilogy and follows the same blueprint as its predecessor. We play from a top-down action RPG perspective as Will, who can transform into two alter egos, Shadow or Freedan, each with their own abilities for both combat and traversal.
The story begins when Will meets Princess Kara in his home, and she asks for his help to avoid a suitor chosen by the king. The protagonist decides to help, and soon the two become entangled in the kind of trouble that only a JRPG can deliver. Just so you don’t think Will is driven purely by young love, he also encounters Gaia, a mysterious being who asks for his help to save the world.
Also, here is a fun piece of trivia. Did you know Illusion of Gaia was one of the main inspirations for Sea of Stars? It goes to show how influential this JRPG still is to this day and how well it could benefit from a port to modern platforms.
4
Bahamut Lagoon
King of the Dragons
Whenever I get the chance, I bring up Bahamut Lagoon because not only is it a hidden gem on the SNES, but it is also a really great game. Too bad it is locked in Japan, so you either need a fan translation to play it or maybe a full-fledged HD-2D remake like Live A Live once received, right, Square? Still, I would gladly settle for a port.
Bahamut Lagoon is a tactical game where we control a squad of characters, similar to Ogre Battle, but we can choose their commands in battle. Each squad is also accompanied by an AI-controlled dragon. The unique mechanic of the JRPG is the ability to nurture the dragons, evolving them into stronger versions and letting them wreak havoc on our enemies.
As the name suggests, we have Bahamut in the game, and the goal of Byuu, the protagonist and captain of the Dragon Squad, is to awaken the legendary dragon to thwart the advance of the evil Granbelos Empire. Also, the game was originally called Final Fantasy Tactics before its name was changed to Bahamut Lagoon, which is a neat bit of trivia.
3
Terranigma
Earth’s Enigma
At this point, it may feel like I am repeating myself, but the three games in the Soul Blazer trilogy from Quintet really deserve a port, and that includes Terranigma. Coincidentally, I replayed the game fairly recently and can safely say it would be a great addition to any subscription service. We play as Ark, whose curiosity caused his entire village to turn into stone, and now he must face several towers to save them.
However, that is just the beginning of the game, because once the towers are cleared and their respective bosses defeated, the adventure opens up, and Ark must save the entire world, which makes his name quite fitting. The most interesting detail is that Terranigma’s world map mimics our real-world map.
As usual, the game is an action RPG, but Ark has more combos than usual, even involving jumping and dashing. There is a magic system, but it is based on items rather than MP, so while powerful, it can be a bit of a nuisance to recharge them. Much like its spiritual predecessors, the real joy in Terranigma comes from watching the world rebuild itself as our actions gradually save it.
2
Robotrek
AKA Slapstick
Just because I already mentioned the entire Soul Blazer trilogy doesn’t mean I’m done with Quintet’s games. We still have Robotrek, known as Slapstick in Japan for reasons I would love to know. It just goes to show how prolific the developer was during the SNES era and how it deserved a second chance. Maybe Square will pull off another renaissance.
Robotrek was a blast to play, especially for those who enjoy customizing their own robots. We could hold up to three robots, though only one participated in battle. Combat featured a turn-based system remarkably similar to ATB. Each robot could equip different parts that changed their attacks and abilities, ranging from sword slashes to bomb blasts.
Robotrek takes place in Quintenix, which, yeah, you get it, those sneaky translators. We play as the son of a prolific inventor, Dr. Akihabara, who wants to stop a hooligan group called the Hackers. Trying to follow in his father’s footsteps, our intrepid young protagonist builds a robot for himself and sets out to discover his father’s whereabouts.
1
Lufia
One of the Best SNES JRPGs
I didn’t include the subtitle because it could refer to either the first or the secondLufia. And it is not too unlikely that these games could receive modern iterations, since they were once published by Taito, which is now owned by Square Enix, and, as we all know, Square has been digging up classic JRPGs lately with full-fledged remakes.
Both SNES Lufia games are fantastic, the kind of JRPGs that are still mentioned in conversations about hidden gems of the past. Both feature turn-based combat, with the second even introducing monster taming into the mix (before Pokémon, mind you). The games also had a strong focus on puzzles during exploration, something uncommon in JRPGs and more associated with adventure games.
The stories of the first and second Lufia are closely connected. The prologue of Lufia & the Fortress of Doom shows us playing as Maxim as he faces the Sinistrals before the narrative jumps to one of Maxim’s descendants. The second game, Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, is a prequel that places us in the role of Maxim before he becomes the hero of legend.
10 PS1 JRPGs Still Trapped on Original Hardware
Some are in dire need of a port, I would say, simply because I want to replay them.
