Lufia II is one of my all time favorite games ever. That ending had me in tears. If anyone here has beaten it and did not have any reaction at the end, you have no soul.
@@Skidoodle18 Lufia II is a prequel; the ending of Lufia II is basically the prologue of Lufia (with some extra stuff at the actual end). Honestly, it works better if you play Lufia II first, though the mechanics are a bit of a downgrade going from II to Lufia.
I would add Energy Breaker to this - made by the sam epeople, set in the same world as Lufia and the Fortress of Doom and even having some music and a cameo by Lufia herself in the end! Solid game.
Lufia games have always been a great inspiration for me as a Game Designer! Just a quick scoop for you... The composer of Lufia is actually making music for my next project that will start in 2022! Look forward to that if you enjoyed his music ;)
Surprise video! I love Lufia. I know that 2 is better, but the first really resonates with me. The ending, the main character is so lost in his despair that he just wanders. Scared of facing his pain. It’s heartbreaking
@@coltkirkpatrick386 I never got too turned off by the encounter rate. I might be oblivious to that though. There’s only a handful of games where that’s an issue for me. There is sweet water item you can use that helps with that
I'm actually so happy that Lufia 3 was ranked second. I feel like it was very overlooked but it was a large part of my childhood and it's legitimately a good game (aside from the uh.. questionable translation, FRUE POWER anyone?). I'd heavily recommend anyone play it if theyre interested in dungeon crawling rpg's. The only issue is how bad magic is in the series.
I absolutely loved Lufia 1! I feel it’s the best of the very old school jrpg (with no auto retargeting etc)! I replay it often, more than 2 even! I find it so relaxing.
I have only played Legend Returns, and I haven't finished it yet but I'm close to the end. Honestly I'm pleased to see TLR so highly ranked because I am absolutely in love with it and it impressed me so much when it came to its story, characters and battle system. And it surprisingly feels like a good first game cause I know nothing of what happens in the other games yet I'm so invested in the world. And also, the game's music has so many bangers!
You know what was the moment that stood out the most to me in Lufia 2, that blew my entire mind and a half? "Oh hey, Maxim and Selan are getting married and had a kid, awww, what a sweet endi-...Wait what. What's happening. What is....WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS GAME IS ONLY AT THE HALFWAY POINT HOLY SHIIIIIII- "
Lufia 2 actually did something with it's story that forever stuck with me as an existential question when it comes to the nature of Hero Vs Villain. I would love to replay this game for my channel one day and do an in depth review on it.
I started with lufia 2. It was in a bag with a bunch of snes games my mom got me from a flea market when i was 10. I didnt play it at first but when i was bored with all of the other ones, i tried it out and it absolutely got me hooked. Since id never heard of the series before, everything in the story was unexpected. I probably played and replayed it all the way through 50 times trying to speedrun it before i knew what speedruns were.
Lufia II remains my favorite RPG of all time to this day. It's just such a joy to play with its IP system, fantastic music, great story and memorable characters. Although, I replayed Lufia I recently and found that I appreciated it a lot more on my second playthrough. The dialogue and banter between the two main leads is well done and that twist towards the end of the game really hits you hard.
I remember all the banter of Lufia 1 and 2 well from when I used to watch my sister play them when we were kids and she would voice act out the character lines. I don't think there was another time where we laughed so hard. It was just that good. Xd
The best part of the entire series is that Sinistral Boss music mixed with the serious music of the last dungeon and the theme. The urgency. Fighting the Sinistrals feel important. Like it has gravity because of that music.
I beat Lufia II a couple years back, and that ending really hit me hard. I'm pretty sure it was the first Super Nintendo game to make me cry since I beat Yoshi's Island when I was six years old and was so happy baby Mario and Luigi were back with their parents haha
God, that ending. Even worse is if you played the first Lufia game before it so you know what's coming. Somehow that knowledge just makes the build up to it hurt so much more.
This is a helpful video because Lufia games tend to be all over the place with scoring from people and it's nice to see them all lined up together. Great idea.
Lufia 2 is my favourite RPG to this day for pretty much all the reasons you have stated. I still sometimes sit down with my cousin (I’m 33, he is 34) and play through gift mode with him on 2 different TVs at the same time and see which of us gets further in the Ancient Cave with the different strategies we have (and we both hate certain monsters, I hate White Dragons, he hates Archdemons). We have done that since we were kids lol. Anyway this is a great video and I agree with everything you said. Especially the puzzles, they are awesome. Also Dekar is hot! :p
I LOVED Lufia 1 as a kid. It's so strange to go back to and see the insane encounter rate. The composition of the music, the audio samples, the anime style art. It was of it's time and I'll always feel very special about Lufia 1.
Lufia: The Legend Returns is one of my favorite games of all time. I've played it through to completion probably 4+ times. I really want to play the 2 SNES games at some point.
lufia 2 is the only game i remember bawling my eyes out to and my mom asking why I was crying. Shes not tech savvy or a gamer so it felt odd to say the lead characters die and it made me sad and they have a baby.......i still 30 years later cry at the ending. its beautiful.
I only ever played the SNES versions, and I couldn’t think of a bad one in the series, so I had to watch this video to see what was on the bottom of the list. Great assessment of the series, so much fun and a great story line through the series.
I do have to disagree about one thing with Curse of the Sinistrals: it’s so interesting as a remake, and half the fun for me was seeing all the tweaks and changes they made to the original. It keeps a lot of what made it unique, while the changes tended to replace elements that felt stock/cliche with something more in line with the unique elements. The original is still the stronger game in most ways, but I really love the compare and contrast between the two.
Speaking of the differences between Lufia 2 and the remake, when I played Lufia 2 for the first time post-Curse and I got the Camu I was like 'who's this punk?' Am I alone in thinking the whole Camu thing should have been Idura's introduction? Yeah he's Amon's underling but he was also working to help revive Gades at one point. It wouldn't have been out of place for him to start off as Gades' underling and then get picked up by Amon as a valuable pawn after he bit it. Especially since prior to Gades' initial death Idura's mission seemed to be destruction. Let us not forget his attempt on Bound Kingdom. The bit with the Ruined Tower and testing the would-be heroes wouldn't be beyond his scope considering the thing in the lighthouse. Plus I think it would be better narratively if Guy originally went with Maxim because the punk who threatened his sister to get to him was still alive.
Putting aside how entertaining these videos are. They have a major side effect in making me want to play the games (even the bad ones) all over again 🙂 thanks for the great video yet again.
It's the underated RPG series I love the most! I don't really remember which one of the SNES games were my first, though. But I remember playing both of them, enjoying myself a lot, not knowing how to save at all(9 years old who just started scratching English, what to expect?) and even without knowing how to save, I still found the energy to go back to it and play it as much as I could. I also remember grinding so much that the Battle Won Jingle stuck inside my head, even long after I had "forgotten" about the series. As for the games themselves, I admit it, I have a soft spot for the first one. But my personal favorites are 2 and 3(gbc). I had the same thoughts about the Remake, fun and addictive gameplay and story in the grand scheme of things but kinda poorly(maybe "way too different" is the right way to put it) concepted. But I was also sad that it was more like a Soft-Reboot rather than a Remake and that It meant(as a younger me put it): That the series isn't comming back at all. 3 had not only amazing everything but also GREAT pixel art.
I love Lufia 2 and I eventually want to play Lufia 1. But I've tried it before and it just hasn't aged that well and there are still so many other great JRPGs I need to play that I can't justify playing it.
Same here lol. Me and my cousin often play gift mode on 2 seperate TVs and see which of us can get further in that particular day, we have done that ever since we were kids. I would love to know how much time I spent on this game.
@@TriangleTrinity haha well I haven’t seen said cousin in a while but I still give Lufia 2 a good play every couple of years. I had a crazy Ancient Cave run the other night where I got like 11 blue chest items. Score!
Great video, David! The rankings were cool for Lufia fans, but the information you provided about each title ensured that the video could be enjoyed by people who do not have a history with the series.
Lufia 2 is possibly my favorite RPG on the SNES. Considering this is the system that had Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, that's saying a lot. I'm convinced I wouldn't love JRPGs as much as I do if not for that one game. As for the DS remake... I thought it was fine? It wasn't what I wanted but it wasn't bad. I'm just more of a turn based RPG fan. I really enjoy your content and if you plan on making more of these, I'd love to see your rankings for the Wild Arms games. It's a franchise I really wish would get revived and is the rare franchise where while some games are not as good (3 and 4 imo) none of them are actually bad.
Lufia on the GBC was my first Game in the series, I knew about the Lufia 2 beforehand but I had no possibility to play it. And what shall I say? I loved Lufia on GBC! It is definitely the Game I played most on the system. As a child I had the feeling it had unlimited possibilities for me. If I remember correctly there is a Daos fight on the first island that you are supposed to lose, but if you are overleveled af you can actually beat him. In my second playthrough I leveled up to level 40 and kicked his ass! The rest of the game was a walk in the park after this. So good to see the game second in this list!
Im 36. I only played Lufia 1 and 2 as a kid 10-12 beat both and they really got me into RPG’s. Lufia 1 is great - I loved Aguro as a tank for some reason (I was a kid). I remember Lufia 2 is better and Dekkar is one of my favorite characters of all time from any game.
Your ranking of this series is good, and I've played most of the lufia series. Lufia and the fortress was my starter into the series. Lufia and the rise of the sinistrels had me going back to it several times and trying to figure out the capsule monster growth skills especially the holy capsule monster.
I've never had the Lufia series on my radar before this video. There are always so many different RPGs that I plan on playing but end up not to, because I know it'll take me a long time to finish them. Most JRPGs really put the most emphasis on the ending and challenge you to stay invested throughout. I'll probably try Lufia II next when I have the time, as it's been a while since I've last played a straightforward classic JRPG, especially one that's on the shorter end.
My parents were gamers so I grew up with Lufia 2 and Chrono Trigger on the SNES. We still play the ancient cave once a year and my dad is currently playing Chrono Trigger. He keeps calling me to ask where to go next in the game haha.
I really hope we get a Ys series ranking video. Great video btw. (Also, I’m sure people recommended before, but if they haven’t, you should check out the final fantasy in a nutshell series from jello on yt, you would love it i think)
I have not played every Lufia game. My personal experiences with this series, up to this point are the SNES games so I could only personally rate the first 2. Lufia 2 is the clear winner. The puzzles in that game kicked my ass, as I refused to use guides or online assistance to get through it except ONCE. Lufia 2 music: Exquisite, amazing in fact, graphics much better than the first, everything was improved. A great list that reminded me to try the handheld Lufias at some point. Thanks David!
I absolutely loved Lufia: The Ruins Of Lore for the GBA. Although I did get stuck later in the game due to the ancient language puzzle, it was the closest thing I got to Shining Soul II in terms of being my own character on the system. I just wished I got to play the multiplayer with someone back then. Hopefully it will come to Nintendo Switch Online someday.
I really need to give Lufia GBC another chance. I've tried a couple of times to get into it, but got bored in the early dungeons. How does the story hold up compared to 1 and 2?
Lufia 2 was one of the few RPGs we got in Europe , in that beautiful Big box edition. I have fond memories of it even though some puzzles were beyond my comprehension at that time. Sadly one of my sister's sold all my Snes games except super Street fighter. Since then I collected all my old games but only cartridges. CiB is just to expensive nowadays.
Lufia the legend returns was my first rpg, I love that game I know pretty much everything about it, I played trough it multiple times before I even knew how to read English. whatever, love your vids, but I gotta replay legends returns now
I actually loved every one of these games, especially RoTL because ironically it was my first lufia game. I wish they would make more, and the composer for all the battle themes is an absolute legend. He deserves the world for his epic tracks from Lufia II
Lufia is a series I was late to the party with. Ruins Of Lore was the first one I played, so it holds a special place in my heart. Rise Of The Sinistrals is definitely the best though.
My sister really enjoyed Lufia: The Legend Returns. She got somewhere into the 3rd continent, and she was lucky enough to get the Alum Blade as a random drop in the first dungeon! I didn't get as far.
The DS one was the only Lufia game I had ever played. That's probably why I liked it so much since I didn't know what Lufia was at the time. It's a fun little action RPG.
So many memories of Lufia 2 I spent so much time in the Ancient Cave, it was crazy. They don't make challenges like that anymore. I even beat it, too bad the reward was complete rubbish.😆 I also beat the World's Most Difficult Puzzle by moving the tiles at random until it somehow worked. And I still get flashbacks thinking about that puzzle with the flaming arrows and the fast-growing grass. 😨 I am really only mildly interested in the remake to find out what pink-haired Dekar is like 😁. Maybe some time I will get around to playing it.
Lufia 3 is just slept on. There's a reason why the recommendation rate and general ratings are just as high as for part 2 even though the game is way less popular. If you haven't played it, I heavily recommend it.
Lufia 2 is a masterpiece! And for me, it made puzzles fun. I really love the fortress of doom also, though. I've never played the others, but since I don't really have a thing for curse's action style and I've done enough research on ruins of lore to make me believe I won't enjoy it, that just leaves the legend returns for me.
I just finished Fortress of Doom recently, & while I liked the story, I must admit that it starts to drag in the 2nd half. The plot turns into side quests on top of side quests, (we need the Dual Blade, which requires a submarine, but it'll sink without 7 pieces of alumina, the last of which is held by a king who wants a delicious meal, which the cook will make if we fetch a purple newt, but the son of the creator of the submarine was kidnapped by pirates while we were getting the alumina, etc.) And these multiple side quests aren't helped by some very long, long dungeons.
There's also the part where you have to stand on some random cliff in a dungeon and look down at the broken bridge in order to progress with the game. I believe "boiling with rage" was the term SNES drunk used to describe that particular side quest.
@@kahemingway88 #10 on David's list of "Worst 16-Bit Dungeons". It's even worse than you made it sound. First you have to go to the castle to trigger the mission, go to the caves to find the carpenter, return to the castle, return to the caves to show the carpenter the broken bridge, then exit the caves so that you can enter from another spot to reach the cliff, then exit the caves again & re-enter to cross the bridge.
not for the sake of arguing but I do think lufia ruins of lore is an amazing games. I've played it a lot of times as child and after repeating it I actually love it even more. to called it uninspired seems a bit mean spirited. its a game that make me love the journey more that ending the game. exploring and leveling feel fun because you can try to level either your class or monster that you catch. the story is straight forward and make you attached to the character. the puzzle make you actually think and not just A to B type of thing, it make use of all the character given at the time to clear the puzzle giving makes it even more engaging. monster system also pretty interative with skill teaching and grow some monster to sacrifice it to give skill for your favourite monster, evolve is also fun part of it where it make you wonder if certain monster have it or not (reminder that the game is old where you couldnt access internet freely to search for answer) making it more engaging. it give a sense of building character make sense rather than just linear gameplay where you go to point A to B. it is not for everyone but to not give it any good point is quite sad tbh. it is a wonderful game if you gave it a bit of gameplay rather than just go through it. what the point of playing if you just play for the ending rather than enjoy the game itself.
Lufia is one of the big classic game series I really want to get caught up on, though the only two I own are Curse of the Sinistrals and Legend Returns, the latter of which is the only Lufia game to get any kind of rerelease at all. Lufia 1&2 need to be on the SNES Online app for Switch, so more people, myself included, can finally play these classics
Well, despite everything mentioned, I am interested in trying the game…. but from all the places I get it, the game crashes just starting the initial video... do you have a place to get a file that works? greetings.
Hey you forgot to include Energy Breaker... Just kidding, btw have you played this game? I'll definitely watch a LP of this. It has some neat Lufia lore that you have to find on a blog explaining some theories. Legend Returns has an amazing battle system and definitely one of it's own kind, a new take on a battle system is what makes you sold on a RPG so they should definitely return to this if there was a new game. Beating the game gave me that void feeling you get when it's all over, I love the story.
No doubt that Lufia 2 was the best game out of 5, but there were moments in Lufia 1 that made me keep playing through the game like when your first encounter with Gades and knowing that he makes you look like an ant by comparison because a lot of us could relate with the descendant of Maxim's (I just call him Max for obvious reasons) desire to fight Gades again. Lufia 2 did rehash that plot about fighting Gades for the first time, but that moment in the first game was special on a personal level.
Oh where to begin. I love Lufia. I remember playing the first one thinking I did something wrong since you were overpowered. Then I actually pushed through and enjoyed the gem it was.
I LOVED Curse of the Sinistrals. I love when remakes are more than just a copy-paste with improved graphics and whatnot. I love when they add new gameplay elements, and shake up the story a little bit. ESPECIALLY when they cut down on the less interesting parts of the original plot. I love Lufia 2, and it absolutely remains one of my favorite games on the SNES, but it's the very definition of "town, dungeon, town, dungeon" in an RPG. The only reason it's okay in Lufia 2 is, the gameplay/puzzles and character interactions are so darn good, you don't mind it too much! Anyway. Props to Curse. Love that game.
I have never played the Lufia 2 DS remake or the GBC game but from what I know of them the list seems spot on. Of the games I played it is Lufia 2 >>>>Lufia >>>>Ruins of Lore. Ruins of Lore was my introduction to the series so I wasn't exactly in a hurry to play and of the others until I heard how good 2 was.
I regret selling my original Lufia II. But changed my life: if you wanna do like me and get a cheap cartridge, buy Estopolis Denki 2. It's the Super Famicom version of Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. Finished it, now gotta complete the Ancient Cave 100floors.
I totally wasn't expecting this I love it also I know you found ruins a lure to be bleh I too also wouldn't really consider it to be a lufia game considering our play the other ones not counting the DS1 which I heard was really bad but that was a honestly better than the second one for me 😅
I've only played three of these(Curse, Rise, Original). The gameboy color one looks pretty interesting with 9 party members thing. I heard in Japanese the game is known as, "Estopolis" which is apparently the name of the world it takes place on. Also I know that you're set in for calling the first Lufia a Dragon Quest clone, but I honestly think that's your Dragon Quest fanboy side talking. The way it starts off with the prologue that shows you late game skills/lets you learn the game basics is something that Dragon Quest never did, not a once. It also let you see your party in battle, which is something Dragon Quest did not do until Dragon Quest VIII(2004). If Lufia is a clone of anything, it's Final Fantasy. You get a ship, sub, and airship, something that occurs in Final Fantasy, more than Dragon Quest. You've always seen your party members in Final Fantasy. The first three Final Fantasies have red haired/colored protagonists leading the party. And it also has significantly less grinding than any Dragon Quest game. Also, in my opinion, Lufia's original installment has characters with far more personality than any of the early Dragon Quests, and really any of the early Final Fantasies, for that matter. It really set it apart from them for me, even as a kid, because it makes everything more memorable. Like, Lou stealing from you in Lenobia. Aguro calling Jerin a slime elf. Artea's apprentice challenging the Descendant to a 1v1. Lufia and her flowers. Lufia not wanting Jerin in the party. Aguro and the Hero unable to sleep after the revelation in the Sunken Fortress... Being the big fan that I am, I've poured over its lore and the original text/more direct translations of it, bereft of censorship. Like the Sinistrals are supposed to be, "The Four Mad Gods." You run into a lot of monsters in Lufia 1, "Mad Knight" "Mad Priest" "Mad Mage" "Mad Wolf" etc. It's all supposed to show that there's an entire segment of the world that is devoted to the beings you are fighting. In that way, I find it to be a lot deeper than the predecessor RPGs that it's compared to, because it has its own unique story that isn't tropey. Its only real flaw is that it was so late to the party, and it was still clunky, so it didn't wow people. Of course, as a result, the second one was also late to the party. It wowed people, but it didn't wow enough people. :( Oh, what could have been!
Maybe because Lufia Curse of the Sinistrals was the only Lufia game I've played, and the weight of the series and of it being a remake didn't influence my enjoyment of it, I ended up enjoying it a lot! The relationship between Maxim and Selan seemed to come out of nowhere, but oh well, just a small issue for me.
Lufia 1's plot twist was pretty spectacular for middle school me - which they kinda repeat twice in subsequent games.
I just finished it today and it was spectacular
Lufia II is one of my all time favorite games ever. That ending had me in tears. If anyone here has beaten it and did not have any reaction at the end, you have no soul.
Agreed
Do I need to play Lufia I before playing Lufia II?
@@Skidoodle18 no, not really
Idem, the same happened to me, even when I replayed it, I always end up in tears with the ending
@@Skidoodle18 Lufia II is a prequel; the ending of Lufia II is basically the prologue of Lufia (with some extra stuff at the actual end). Honestly, it works better if you play Lufia II first, though the mechanics are a bit of a downgrade going from II to Lufia.
I would add Energy Breaker to this - made by the sam epeople, set in the same world as Lufia and the Fortress of Doom and even having some music and a cameo by Lufia herself in the end! Solid game.
Lufia games have always been a great inspiration for me as a Game Designer! Just a quick scoop for you... The composer of Lufia is actually making music for my next project that will start in 2022! Look forward to that if you enjoyed his music ;)
Oh great, what Game is it?
@@sgrantle Mechjestic ^^ we will soon have a demo up! 🙏
Cool. Vids on yt?@@jordilancelMERK
Surprise video! I love Lufia. I know that 2 is better, but the first really resonates with me. The ending, the main character is so lost in his despair that he just wanders. Scared of facing his pain. It’s heartbreaking
I’m with ya.
Lufia2 is my 11th ranked RPG.
But Lufia1 is probably a top 5 favorite of all time.
REALLY? That's messed up for an rpg of that era! :O
@@juanortiz9123 yes. I don’t want to spoil anything. It gets me choked up
1's music is fantastic. Too many random battles makes the game a huge chore, non enjoyable. But the music and atmosphere A+
@@coltkirkpatrick386 I never got too turned off by the encounter rate. I might be oblivious to that though. There’s only a handful of games where that’s an issue for me. There is sweet water item you can use that helps with that
I rly loved the GBC game as a kid, I played it all the time 😊 wherever we went I had it with me, on long car rides, trips. So many fond memories!
I'm actually so happy that Lufia 3 was ranked second. I feel like it was very overlooked but it was a large part of my childhood and it's legitimately a good game (aside from the uh.. questionable translation, FRUE POWER anyone?). I'd heavily recommend anyone play it if theyre interested in dungeon crawling rpg's. The only issue is how bad magic is in the series.
I absolutely loved Lufia 1! I feel it’s the best of the very old school jrpg (with no auto retargeting etc)! I replay it often, more than 2 even! I find it so relaxing.
I have only played Legend Returns, and I haven't finished it yet but I'm close to the end. Honestly I'm pleased to see TLR so highly ranked because I am absolutely in love with it and it impressed me so much when it came to its story, characters and battle system. And it surprisingly feels like a good first game cause I know nothing of what happens in the other games yet I'm so invested in the world.
And also, the game's music has so many bangers!
You know what was the moment that stood out the most to me in Lufia 2, that blew my entire mind and a half?
"Oh hey, Maxim and Selan are getting married and had a kid, awww, what a sweet endi-...Wait what. What's happening. What is....WHAT DO YOU MEAN THIS GAME IS ONLY AT THE HALFWAY POINT HOLY SHIIIIIII- "
I loved the puzzles in Lufia 2 and I like that unlike most RPGs is follows the characters through different stages of their lives.
Lufia 2 actually did something with it's story that forever stuck with me as an existential question when it comes to the nature of Hero Vs Villain. I would love to replay this game for my channel one day and do an in depth review on it.
I love the dungeons and exploration of 2. Wish more games were like that. Secret passages never get old.
TLR also had a really cool roguelike sidegame which gets overlooked too often
I started with lufia 2. It was in a bag with a bunch of snes games my mom got me from a flea market when i was 10. I didnt play it at first but when i was bored with all of the other ones, i tried it out and it absolutely got me hooked. Since id never heard of the series before, everything in the story was unexpected. I probably played and replayed it all the way through 50 times trying to speedrun it before i knew what speedruns were.
Lufia II remains my favorite RPG of all time to this day. It's just such a joy to play with its IP system, fantastic music, great story and memorable characters. Although, I replayed Lufia I recently and found that I appreciated it a lot more on my second playthrough. The dialogue and banter between the two main leads is well done and that twist towards the end of the game really hits you hard.
I remember all the banter of Lufia 1 and 2 well from when I used to watch my sister play them when we were kids and she would voice act out the character lines. I don't think there was another time where we laughed so hard. It was just that good. Xd
The best part of the entire series is that Sinistral Boss music mixed with the serious music of the last dungeon and the theme. The urgency. Fighting the Sinistrals feel important. Like it has gravity because of that music.
I beat Lufia II a couple years back, and that ending really hit me hard. I'm pretty sure it was the first Super Nintendo game to make me cry since I beat Yoshi's Island when I was six years old and was so happy baby Mario and Luigi were back with their parents haha
God, that ending. Even worse is if you played the first Lufia game before it so you know what's coming. Somehow that knowledge just makes the build up to it hurt so much more.
This. Absolutely. The ending hit me so hard and even thinking about it makes me well up. And I'm 44 and not ashamed to admit it
This is a helpful video because Lufia games tend to be all over the place with scoring from people and it's nice to see them all lined up together. Great idea.
Lufia 2 is my favourite RPG to this day for pretty much all the reasons you have stated. I still sometimes sit down with my cousin (I’m 33, he is 34) and play through gift mode with him on 2 different TVs at the same time and see which of us gets further in the Ancient Cave with the different strategies we have (and we both hate certain monsters, I hate White Dragons, he hates Archdemons). We have done that since we were kids lol. Anyway this is a great video and I agree with everything you said. Especially the puzzles, they are awesome.
Also Dekar is hot! :p
Oh man! I clicked on this expecting Lufia DS getting bashed, I quietly really liked this one lol 😂 great content ✌️
I LOVED Lufia 1 as a kid. It's so strange to go back to and see the insane encounter rate. The composition of the music, the audio samples, the anime style art. It was of it's time and I'll always feel very special about Lufia 1.
I freaking love that game too. The music is SO good. The actual Fortress of Doom theme is one of the best tracks of the entire SNES library.
@@StewNWT It's very sad Lufia wasn't marketed like the other big JRPGs. Would love to have the Lufia official piano sheet music.
@@PhillyBoyRoy I have some piano sheet music I've transcribed for Lufia and several other games. Let me know if you would like some
@@PhillyBoyRoy I turned the actual Fortress of Doom theme into a brass band piece
Thank for you this ranking. Lufia is something I see mentioned a fair bit but I never got around to it. Now I have a decent idea where to start.
I also miss when rpg's starred actual adults, I can't get into teeny-bopper protags at all.
Lufia: The Legend Returns is one of my favorite games of all time. I've played it through to completion probably 4+ times.
I really want to play the 2 SNES games at some point.
lufia 2 is the only game i remember bawling my eyes out to and my mom asking why I was crying. Shes not tech savvy or a gamer so it felt odd to say the lead characters die and it made me sad and they have a baby.......i still 30 years later cry at the ending. its beautiful.
Lufia holds a really special place in my heart. I really need to play all the way through 2.
Hell yeah you do. The ending, oh the ending....
I only ever played the SNES versions, and I couldn’t think of a bad one in the series, so I had to watch this video to see what was on the bottom of the list.
Great assessment of the series, so much fun and a great story line through the series.
Commenting for the algorithm. Keep the quality videos coming, David!
I do have to disagree about one thing with Curse of the Sinistrals: it’s so interesting as a remake, and half the fun for me was seeing all the tweaks and changes they made to the original. It keeps a lot of what made it unique, while the changes tended to replace elements that felt stock/cliche with something more in line with the unique elements.
The original is still the stronger game in most ways, but I really love the compare and contrast between the two.
Speaking of the differences between Lufia 2 and the remake, when I played Lufia 2 for the first time post-Curse and I got the Camu I was like 'who's this punk?' Am I alone in thinking the whole Camu thing should have been Idura's introduction? Yeah he's Amon's underling but he was also working to help revive Gades at one point. It wouldn't have been out of place for him to start off as Gades' underling and then get picked up by Amon as a valuable pawn after he bit it. Especially since prior to Gades' initial death Idura's mission seemed to be destruction. Let us not forget his attempt on Bound Kingdom. The bit with the Ruined Tower and testing the would-be heroes wouldn't be beyond his scope considering the thing in the lighthouse. Plus I think it would be better narratively if Guy originally went with Maxim because the punk who threatened his sister to get to him was still alive.
I need to start this series. I bought the first 2 recently and am pretty excited about it!
Lufia 2 is one of the all time greatest RPGs. Great list David!
Putting aside how entertaining these videos are. They have a major side effect in making me want to play the games (even the bad ones) all over again 🙂 thanks for the great video yet again.
It's the underated RPG series I love the most!
I don't really remember which one of the SNES games were my first, though.
But I remember playing both of them, enjoying myself a lot, not knowing how to save at all(9 years old who just started scratching English, what to expect?) and even without knowing how to save, I still found the energy to go back to it and play it as much as I could.
I also remember grinding so much that the Battle Won Jingle stuck inside my head, even long after I had "forgotten" about the series.
As for the games themselves, I admit it, I have a soft spot for the first one. But my personal favorites are 2 and 3(gbc).
I had the same thoughts about the Remake, fun and addictive gameplay and story in the grand scheme of things but kinda poorly(maybe "way too different" is the right way to put it) concepted.
But I was also sad that it was more like a Soft-Reboot rather than a Remake and that It meant(as a younger me put it): That the series isn't comming back at all.
3 had not only amazing everything but also GREAT pixel art.
I love Lufia 2 and I eventually want to play Lufia 1. But I've tried it before and it just hasn't aged that well and there are still so many other great JRPGs I need to play that I can't justify playing it.
So happy to follow someone who appreciates Lufia 2 as much as me! At least 1000 hours put into that game in my lifetime
Same here lol. Me and my cousin often play gift mode on 2 seperate TVs and see which of us can get further in that particular day, we have done that ever since we were kids. I would love to know how much time I spent on this game.
@@Vereid That sounds so fun. I might try that now
@@TriangleTrinity haha well I haven’t seen said cousin in a while but I still give Lufia 2 a good play every couple of years. I had a crazy Ancient Cave run the other night where I got like 11 blue chest items. Score!
Great video, David! The rankings were cool for Lufia fans, but the information you provided about each title ensured that the video could be enjoyed by people who do not have a history with the series.
Lufia 2 is possibly my favorite RPG on the SNES. Considering this is the system that had Final Fantasy VI and Chrono Trigger, that's saying a lot. I'm convinced I wouldn't love JRPGs as much as I do if not for that one game. As for the DS remake... I thought it was fine? It wasn't what I wanted but it wasn't bad. I'm just more of a turn based RPG fan.
I really enjoy your content and if you plan on making more of these, I'd love to see your rankings for the Wild Arms games. It's a franchise I really wish would get revived and is the rare franchise where while some games are not as good (3 and 4 imo) none of them are actually bad.
I’ve been a huge JRPG head for 30 years and I’ve slept on this series. This list helps me figure out where to start!
So happy to see a Lufia video!. I really need to play them again.
I feel the algorithm has taken your videos off my feed. I had to search you out. Makes me sad. Your videos always make me feel better
Welcome back!
Lufia on the GBC was my first Game in the series, I knew about the Lufia 2 beforehand but I had no possibility to play it.
And what shall I say? I loved Lufia on GBC! It is definitely the Game I played most on the system. As a child I had the feeling it had unlimited possibilities for me.
If I remember correctly there is a Daos fight on the first island that you are supposed to lose, but if you are overleveled af you can actually beat him.
In my second playthrough I leveled up to level 40 and kicked his ass! The rest of the game was a walk in the park after this.
So good to see the game second in this list!
Im 36. I only played Lufia 1 and 2 as a kid 10-12 beat both and they really got me into RPG’s. Lufia 1 is great - I loved Aguro as a tank for some reason (I was a kid). I remember Lufia 2 is better and Dekkar is one of my favorite characters of all time from any game.
Your ranking of this series is good, and I've played most of the lufia series. Lufia and the fortress was my starter into the series. Lufia and the rise of the sinistrels had me going back to it several times and trying to figure out the capsule monster growth skills especially the holy capsule monster.
I've never had the Lufia series on my radar before this video. There are always so many different RPGs that I plan on playing but end up not to, because I know it'll take me a long time to finish them. Most JRPGs really put the most emphasis on the ending and challenge you to stay invested throughout.
I'll probably try Lufia II next when I have the time, as it's been a while since I've last played a straightforward classic JRPG, especially one that's on the shorter end.
All I needed to know was Lufia 2 being in the top slot. 😁
My parents were gamers so I grew up with Lufia 2 and Chrono Trigger on the SNES. We still play the ancient cave once a year and my dad is currently playing Chrono Trigger. He keeps calling me to ask where to go next in the game haha.
Hope you can talk about the music in future rankings!
It's crazy that this was such an influential series, and until I discovered your channel, I had never heard of it.
I also didn't start playing video games till the 2000's, so I have a pretty large blind spot in my RPG knowledge lol
Well I'm always here to help let you know what the great games are!
Lufia 2 is definitely the best. I actually found out about the series from HCBailly's LP years ago.
I really hope we get a Ys series ranking video. Great video btw.
(Also, I’m sure people recommended before, but if they haven’t, you should check out the final fantasy in a nutshell series from jello on yt, you would love it i think)
My first lufia game was legend returns. I love that it has a 9 party to assign in battle.
I have not played every Lufia game. My personal experiences with this series, up to this point are the SNES games so I could only personally rate the first 2. Lufia 2 is the clear winner. The puzzles in that game kicked my ass, as I refused to use guides or online assistance to get through it except ONCE. Lufia 2 music: Exquisite, amazing in fact, graphics much better than the first, everything was improved. A great list that reminded me to try the handheld Lufias at some point. Thanks David!
Lufia is such an amazing series. Really stuck with me.
I absolutely loved Lufia: The Ruins Of Lore for the GBA. Although I did get stuck later in the game due to the ancient language puzzle, it was the closest thing I got to Shining Soul II in terms of being my own character on the system. I just wished I got to play the multiplayer with someone back then. Hopefully it will come to Nintendo Switch Online someday.
I really need to give Lufia GBC another chance. I've tried a couple of times to get into it, but got bored in the early dungeons. How does the story hold up compared to 1 and 2?
Lufia 2 was one of the few RPGs we got in Europe , in that beautiful Big box edition. I have fond memories of it even though some puzzles were beyond my comprehension at that time. Sadly one of my sister's sold all my Snes games except super Street fighter.
Since then I collected all my old games but only cartridges. CiB is just to expensive nowadays.
Lufia the legend returns was my first rpg, I love that game I know pretty much everything about it, I played trough it multiple times before I even knew how to read English.
whatever, love your vids, but I gotta replay legends returns now
I actually loved every one of these games, especially RoTL because ironically it was my first lufia game. I wish they would make more, and the composer for all the battle themes is an absolute legend. He deserves the world for his epic tracks from Lufia II
Lufia is a series I was late to the party with. Ruins Of Lore was the first one I played, so it holds a special place in my heart. Rise Of The Sinistrals is definitely the best though.
My sister really enjoyed Lufia: The Legend Returns. She got somewhere into the 3rd continent, and she was lucky enough to get the Alum Blade as a random drop in the first dungeon!
I didn't get as far.
Ive always passed on this series this video finally convinced me to give lufia a shot. Im going to pick up 2 and give it a go.
The first is a pretty good game too
The DS one was the only Lufia game I had ever played. That's probably why I liked it so much since I didn't know what Lufia was at the time. It's a fun little action RPG.
very interesnting video, are you plannig do to also whit wild arms?
So many memories of Lufia 2
I spent so much time in the Ancient Cave, it was crazy. They don't make challenges like that anymore. I even beat it, too bad the reward was complete rubbish.😆 I also beat the World's Most Difficult Puzzle by moving the tiles at random until it somehow worked.
And I still get flashbacks thinking about that puzzle with the flaming arrows and the fast-growing grass. 😨
I am really only mildly interested in the remake to find out what pink-haired Dekar is like 😁. Maybe some time I will get around to playing it.
Lufia 3 is just slept on. There's a reason why the recommendation rate and general ratings are just as high as for part 2 even though the game is way less popular.
If you haven't played it, I heavily recommend it.
I haven't played a single Lufia, yet. Great Video (algorithm comment :P)
Lufia 2 is a masterpiece! And for me, it made puzzles fun. I really love the fortress of doom also, though. I've never played the others, but since I don't really have a thing for curse's action style and I've done enough research on ruins of lore to make me believe I won't enjoy it, that just leaves the legend returns for me.
I just finished Fortress of Doom recently, & while I liked the story, I must admit that it starts to drag in the 2nd half. The plot turns into side quests on top of side quests, (we need the Dual Blade, which requires a submarine, but it'll sink without 7 pieces of alumina, the last of which is held by a king who wants a delicious meal, which the cook will make if we fetch a purple newt, but the son of the creator of the submarine was kidnapped by pirates while we were getting the alumina, etc.) And these multiple side quests aren't helped by some very long, long dungeons.
There's also the part where you have to stand on some random cliff in a dungeon and look down at the broken bridge in order to progress with the game. I believe "boiling with rage" was the term SNES drunk used to describe that particular side quest.
@@kahemingway88 #10 on David's list of "Worst 16-Bit Dungeons". It's even worse than you made it sound. First you have to go to the castle to trigger the mission, go to the caves to find the carpenter, return to the castle, return to the caves to show the carpenter the broken bridge, then exit the caves so that you can enter from another spot to reach the cliff, then exit the caves again & re-enter to cross the bridge.
Very interesting to learn about this, I never played a Lufia game!
not for the sake of arguing but I do think lufia ruins of lore is an amazing games. I've played it a lot of times as child and after repeating it I actually love it even more. to called it uninspired seems a bit mean spirited. its a game that make me love the journey more that ending the game. exploring and leveling feel fun because you can try to level either your class or monster that you catch. the story is straight forward and make you attached to the character. the puzzle make you actually think and not just A to B type of thing, it make use of all the character given at the time to clear the puzzle giving makes it even more engaging. monster system also pretty interative with skill teaching and grow some monster to sacrifice it to give skill for your favourite monster, evolve is also fun part of it where it make you wonder if certain monster have it or not (reminder that the game is old where you couldnt access internet freely to search for answer) making it more engaging. it give a sense of building character make sense rather than just linear gameplay where you go to point A to B. it is not for everyone but to not give it any good point is quite sad tbh. it is a wonderful game if you gave it a bit of gameplay rather than just go through it. what the point of playing if you just play for the ending rather than enjoy the game itself.
Lufia Ruins of Lore for the GBA is GREAT, easy 9/10
Agree lufia 2 was always my favorite in the series
i've always wondered about this series. sounds like i gotta try Lufia 2 at some point!
For me were the same rankings except Lufia DS is 2nd and Lufia Legend Returns is 3rd
Lufia is one of the big classic game series I really want to get caught up on, though the only two I own are Curse of the Sinistrals and Legend Returns, the latter of which is the only Lufia game to get any kind of rerelease at all.
Lufia 1&2 need to be on the SNES Online app for Switch, so more people, myself included, can finally play these classics
The ranking was spot on.
Lufia II end was really good, hardly a game manage to make you feel so connected to the characters.
Well, despite everything mentioned, I am interested in trying the game…. but from all the places I get it, the game crashes just starting the initial video... do you have a place to get a file that works?
greetings.
Hey you forgot to include Energy Breaker... Just kidding, btw have you played this game? I'll definitely watch a LP of this. It has some neat Lufia lore that you have to find on a blog explaining some theories. Legend Returns has an amazing battle system and definitely one of it's own kind, a new take on a battle system is what makes you sold on a RPG so they should definitely return to this if there was a new game. Beating the game gave me that void feeling you get when it's all over, I love the story.
No doubt that Lufia 2 was the best game out of 5, but there were moments in Lufia 1 that made me keep playing through the game like when your first encounter with Gades and knowing that he makes you look like an ant by comparison because a lot of us could relate with the descendant of Maxim's (I just call him Max for obvious reasons) desire to fight Gades again. Lufia 2 did rehash that plot about fighting Gades for the first time, but that moment in the first game was special on a personal level.
Oh where to begin. I love Lufia. I remember playing the first one thinking I did something wrong since you were overpowered. Then I actually pushed through and enjoyed the gem it was.
Love Lufia 2, such a great game. 1 has its charms too!
Rise of the sinestrals is a good game. They still have the ancient cave and you have to replay it several times to get the full completed ending
Ive never had the chance to play any of the lufia games, but one day ill be able to.
I LOVED Curse of the Sinistrals. I love when remakes are more than just a copy-paste with improved graphics and whatnot. I love when they add new gameplay elements, and shake up the story a little bit. ESPECIALLY when they cut down on the less interesting parts of the original plot. I love Lufia 2, and it absolutely remains one of my favorite games on the SNES, but it's the very definition of "town, dungeon, town, dungeon" in an RPG. The only reason it's okay in Lufia 2 is, the gameplay/puzzles and character interactions are so darn good, you don't mind it too much! Anyway. Props to Curse. Love that game.
I do like CotS a lot, but usually I'm not too fond of 'remakes' taking too many liberties. FF7's 'remake' is something I loathe.
I really need to check this series out.
Yeah we pretty much align perfectly on this one.
I usually use a walkthrough to solve the puzzles in Lufia II.
I have never played the Lufia 2 DS remake or the GBC game but from what I know of them the list seems spot on. Of the games I played it is Lufia 2 >>>>Lufia >>>>Ruins of Lore. Ruins of Lore was my introduction to the series so I wasn't exactly in a hurry to play and of the others until I heard how good 2 was.
Gotta play the series one day.
I regret selling my original Lufia II. But changed my life: if you wanna do like me and get a cheap cartridge, buy Estopolis Denki 2. It's the Super Famicom version of Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals.
Finished it, now gotta complete the Ancient Cave 100floors.
i only knew about lufia 1 and lufia II thanks for this
I totally wasn't expecting this I love it also I know you found ruins a lure to be bleh I too also wouldn't really consider it to be a lufia game considering our play the other ones not counting the DS1 which I heard was really bad but that was a honestly better than the second one for me 😅
What series will you do next? Just gotta wait and see!
Loved the first. Only gripe with the second is knowing how it ends. Even then they got me.
I've only played three of these(Curse, Rise, Original). The gameboy color one looks pretty interesting with 9 party members thing. I heard in Japanese the game is known as, "Estopolis" which is apparently the name of the world it takes place on.
Also I know that you're set in for calling the first Lufia a Dragon Quest clone, but I honestly think that's your Dragon Quest fanboy side talking. The way it starts off with the prologue that shows you late game skills/lets you learn the game basics is something that Dragon Quest never did, not a once. It also let you see your party in battle, which is something Dragon Quest did not do until Dragon Quest VIII(2004). If Lufia is a clone of anything, it's Final Fantasy. You get a ship, sub, and airship, something that occurs in Final Fantasy, more than Dragon Quest. You've always seen your party members in Final Fantasy. The first three Final Fantasies have red haired/colored protagonists leading the party. And it also has significantly less grinding than any Dragon Quest game.
Also, in my opinion, Lufia's original installment has characters with far more personality than any of the early Dragon Quests, and really any of the early Final Fantasies, for that matter. It really set it apart from them for me, even as a kid, because it makes everything more memorable. Like, Lou stealing from you in Lenobia. Aguro calling Jerin a slime elf. Artea's apprentice challenging the Descendant to a 1v1. Lufia and her flowers. Lufia not wanting Jerin in the party. Aguro and the Hero unable to sleep after the revelation in the Sunken Fortress...
Being the big fan that I am, I've poured over its lore and the original text/more direct translations of it, bereft of censorship. Like the Sinistrals are supposed to be, "The Four Mad Gods." You run into a lot of monsters in Lufia 1, "Mad Knight" "Mad Priest" "Mad Mage" "Mad Wolf" etc. It's all supposed to show that there's an entire segment of the world that is devoted to the beings you are fighting. In that way, I find it to be a lot deeper than the predecessor RPGs that it's compared to, because it has its own unique story that isn't tropey. Its only real flaw is that it was so late to the party, and it was still clunky, so it didn't wow people.
Of course, as a result, the second one was also late to the party. It wowed people, but it didn't wow enough people. :( Oh, what could have been!
Never played Lufia but now I have to try
Its strange that Superderek still havent played Lufia 2, yet, he played Lufia 1 twice.
Lufia 2 is easily on my top 5 SNES RPGs. I wish they'd make a new Lufia title, on Switch perhaps.
Maybe because Lufia Curse of the Sinistrals was the only Lufia game I've played, and the weight of the series and of it being a remake didn't influence my enjoyment of it, I ended up enjoying it a lot! The relationship between Maxim and Selan seemed to come out of nowhere, but oh well, just a small issue for me.