Breath of Fire 2 re-translated is truly EPIC and brings the game to a whole new level! I first played this game back in 1995, in fact it was one of my first Jrpg experiences... and it was an experience like no other. In fact, I didn't even know back then, as a kid, that videogames could do such a thing. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the game's STORY, which is definitely one of the deepest stories of the 16-bit era! Behind its colorful look, it could get dark and heavy and really emotional at times. Needless to say: Breath of Fire 2 was one of the games that made me love Jrpgs!
100% agree played it through a couple times since the mid 90s and played the retranslatiob patch 2 years ago and I could always tell the game had more going for it then the original translation gave us. Like it isn't a totally different game but I definitely would say it's the only version I could play again. I have never dabbled to much in the re-translation scene because most games at least had half decent translations. I remember multiple times as a kid just being confused as to what I was supposed to do.
I have replayed Chrono trigger, Earthbound, and Breath of fire 1 & 2 more times than I can count. They never lose their magic and will probably always be my favorite games of all time.
Throw in FF6 and you basically have the foundations of my childhood. I was humming along to the music in most of these (thanks to my cousin passing down his SNES to me) before I could even read well enough to understand what was going on and progress the games.
I played Breath of fire 1 for the first time somewhat recently, and I was surprised by how fun it was. The game is super cozy and relaxing, it gets to much flak imo
Ff4/2 is the game that made me fall in love with rpgs. I make it a point to play every version that gets released. Just beat the pixel remaster for the first time last month, and got the super rare drop pink tail for the first time. 3 of them, in fact!
Lufia 2 is a game I'm so thankful to my friend for introducing me to. It's no perfect game by any means, but if you love old Wild Arms or Golden Sun it'll feel great. The ancient cave itself is such a good part of the game that I try to watch the competitions for it every chance I can. Cheering someone on only for them to die around floor 90 and still somehow almost win the race is something that only Lufia 2 can do for me.
@@michaelclifton9498 I'd play Lunar to death if it popped up on the PSN. I'd love to get a physical copy of Lunar again, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
Breath of Fire II Retranslated made me realize why people in Japan loved it. You don't truly realize how bad Capcom USA pooped the bed until you play the retraslation.
Giving Breath of Fire love. Happy to see it. It's one of my favorite in the series... but I played it as a kid and I've beaten it many times. Truly a classic.
Great list, Derek! And to anyone who wants to just watch amazing playthroughs of some of these games before trying for yourselves, I can't reccomend HCBailly enough. His First LP was on Arcana, even!
FF VI doesn't just appear at the top of people's top SNES RPG lists. It appears at the top of people's all time RPG list. And for great reason. Amazing story, top villain, interchangeable party. And as I'm typing this, you are taking about Lufia II, and it doesn't suck lol. I still have my copy from when I was a wee lad.
FFVI is my fave 2D game of all time. It used to be my all time fave game when it came out... but then Mass Effect took the top spot, followed by Witcher 3 after that. I remember staying up for over 12-15 hours every day with a friend from Jr. High taking turns playing FF VI. Actually, same with FF IV also.... and yes. I'm older than dirt.
I have to be one of those people then to say that it is far from my favorite even just in the FF series. I can see why people might consider it the best coming off of Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy V for the SNES. If you look at the RPGs that came out before and at the time of Final Fantasy VI then its clear why Final Fantasy VI would be considered one of the best in terms of visuals and to a certain extent story. Its the first truly ensemble cast (though I didn't really feel like they grew throughout the adventure or that we got much story on the specific characters) and the first decent story that wasn't a medieval fantasy themed story. It has some great moments. But having played it after Final Fantasy VII - X, I wasn't exactly impressed with it and I've never been the biggest fan of a truly steampunk setting. Too many games that I felt were better came out after it like Chrono Trigger for example.
@jus4000kicks you wouldn't be impressed. It's not the first of its kind of you play it backwards. I get it, but if you grew up with these and played them when they released, in order, it was the best.
This is a first, I've played every single game on this list on the SNES when I was a kid and enjoyed every single one of them. I don't remember the combos anymore but there were some seriously broken setups for Robotrek. I spent hours testing every single combo and keeping notes on them. For me the SNES was the best console ever, although Genesis had Phantasy Star 2 and 4 which is possibly still my favorite world setting for a JRPG. That isn't to say later consoles (particularly the Suikoden series on playstation) didn't have some good JRPGs but the combo of nastolgia and quality pretty much cements SNES for me forever. You don't even need to limit yourself to turn based, you can go with the old style ARPG as well with Zelda, Illusion of Gaia, Soul Blazer, and more
It's so funny to me that Lufia 2 was ever "little known" because I rented it from my local rental shop in when it was still fresh from Japan, '96 I guess? I was 11 and it's been one of my favorite games ever since. I really think it gives Chrono Trigger a run for its money (which I also adore). I hope you enjoy it whenever you decide to give it a go.
THANK YOU for mentioning Arcana. One of my fave gems from back in the day that nobody seems to remember anymore. It’s a little engrishy I’ve never played a better translated version but it’s so deep and the dungeons like the Ice Mine could take hours to get through. Plus there’s a lot of strategy with four different elements that enemies and your summoned Spirits have. And the music is top notch Super NES.
I’m proud to say I’ve put multiple hours into every one of these games back in the day. Lufia 2 is drastically better than the 1st one. And once you hit the Ancient Cave, it gets very addicting and you’ll keep going back.
7th Saga has a really good patch that balances out the game to be actually playable. In it's default state it's borderline masochistic. All the power to those that can get through it. It drove me mad. FF2 and SMRPG are what sprung me onto turn based RPGs. Chrono Trigger and Earthbound I managed to play and enjoy 20 some odd years ago also due to early ZSNES. Funny how that works. I've probably beaten FF2/4 a good 7-8 times in the last 10 years between all the different ports and versions and even fan remakes like the mad lads that made an online version on BYOND decades ago.
IMO, the 7th Saga patch makes the game way too darn easy to the point it's utterly effortless. It's not masochistic unless you're just not "getting" what you're supposed to do in the game. I've a playthrough on my channel where I'm almost max level, not too far from the end with only 25 hours played on the clock. It's nowhere near as hard and grindy as people let on, assuming you know what to do.
@@tacticallynx7291 ... she? You mean Valsu? pretty sure Valsu is a guy. But eh, instead of using physical attacks, you're meant to spam his insanely powerful ICE 1 which does do a rather good amount of damage. The thing about Valsu is that he gets the rather overpowered Elixir spell.
It's beem over a decade. so I can't recall the characters. but the only one I couldn't beat the game with was the girl... so she's the mage then? ....Got fed up and googled, Esuna is the one I couldn't beat it with, no phys damage, and often out of mp.@@Dhalin
@@tacticallynx7291 Ahh, yeah, you really need to watch MP usage with her. Usually the best way to go about things was to just brute force it with levels. After awhile, her spells get so insanely powerful that the basic Ice 1 spell does more than enough damage to kill anything in a couple hits but it takes awhile to get to that point.
Ah, I remember Arcana! I kept renting it back to back because I wanted to beat it. I eventually bought my own copy. Don't think I ever beat it, though.
As a big fan of first-person dungeon crawlers, and Arcana/Card Master is a really underrated gem in the genre. It has a surprising amount of QoL for the era (like auto mapping and regeneration while walking). If you you play it in a way that will allow patches, I'd highly recommend the "fastrom" patch that makes dungeon movement animations faster.
Great list mate. I haven’t played Lufia 2, but Arcana was one of my favorites from the era- the nondescript sprites of the battle screen are like a mix between Ys and Drakkhen! Have you ever played Paladin’s Quest? A truly flawed but unique game with a weird alien sci fi art direction
Thanks dude. I plan to make a point of throwing a bone to the retro fans I've brought in over the years. And hope to do more reviews in that vein soon!
Great video! I am also very eager to go through BoF2 again with that Retranslation! Not sure if you knew this or not but a number of RPG’s on this list had improvement patches to make the original games even better. Namely BoF1 and both Lufia games. BoF’s is called Definitive Edition, Lufia and the Fortress of Doom’s is Restored and Lufia 2’s is Frue Trilogizer.
Interesting! Others have also mentioned a patch for 7th Saga, so I'm stoked to try that out too, since I heard the first one can be a chore at times. :)
@@SuperDerek I was just about to come into the comments to mention the BoF1 improvement patch! I just started playing it recently, and the translation is SO MUCH BETTER, not to mention they also fixed a lot of the item and equipment names to make sense. And if that wasn't enough, they also programmed in a dash button like the BoF2 improvement.
I loved BoF2, it is one of my all-time favorites. I just replayed it recently with the updated translation romhack, a popular rebalancing hack and unfusing-less hack. It was just as amazing as the first time I played it.
I'm such a sucker for that game, I'm in the middle of my playthrough with that very same hack-combo. I wouldn't mind a remaster from the original, a compilation/collection would be cool too.
I wouldn't mind if Capcom released a Collection of Fire, then decided to maybe reboot the series with a fresh title. As long as they were done in the style of BoF 3 or 4. :)
@SuperDerek it removes many of the conditions that would normally cause your characters to break fusion with their shamans (status effects, low hp). A KO will still break a fusion however. The rebalance, retranslation, and unfusing hacks are all compatible with each other if installed correctly. I played through from start to finish with no glaring bugs or issues.
seeing Breath of Fire 2 being recognized makes me so happy. I remember playing this game as a kid. the very first RPG i ever played and the game that made me love JRPGs. Btw - that frog gave me so much headache understanding him. lol
I have very similar memories of 7th Saga as you described with Robotrek, lol. Struggled with it over a few rental sessions when no other games in stock on the shelf looked good. The weird and opaque flow of the game was frustrating (you can easily get stuck against certain key bosses if you don't know what you're doing) but it also gave the game a lot of allure, like it was more complex than it was. Wish you luck on that; it should be interesting if nothing else! That being said, Lufia II was one of the few JRPGs we owned outright and I'll join the people gassing it up to you (and second the people assuring you it's better than the first game lol). Make sure check out its version of the Ancient Cave, which is basically a full-fledged rogue-lite within the game!
Final Fantasy II was my first JRPG. It was a rental and it none of it 'clicked' for me until the last hour before it was due to be returned. I remember my dad telling me the car was ready to go while I was trying to learn as much as I could from the Status screen with what little time I had left. I was so hyped for the next weekend when I'd be able to rent it again, but this time, I'd actually know how it was supposed to be played.
Yep, Lufia 2 is one of those games like chrono trigger that was way ahead of its time and still holds up today. It's not quite as good, because its one flaw is it's extremely linear and predictable gameplay wise. Go to new generic town, go to the dungeon next to town, go to new generic town, go to dungeon next to town, and repeat till you beat the game pretty much haha. But the story is actually pretty good, the combat is fun, the music is badass, and the dungeons are amazing! So it's second on my list next to chrono trigger of games on the SNES that still feel just as good to play today. FF 3 is third on that list because, it's a good game but if you ask me going back you realize" oh I got like 12 characters and some of them have not said anything for half the game or longer". This is just an early final fantasy problem in general and why I actually like FF2 more than 3 because it actually has character development as corny as it is haha. Speaking of FF2 if you do replay it I recommend playing the DS 3D port if you never have, people say it's bad and harder, but I highly disagree. Brings the game to life so much more than the original!
Honestly I think Lufia 2's linear "go here. now go here" formula was because of what they did in Lufia 1. In Lufia 1 they sent you all over the place looking for those pieces of alumina metal, it was so vague that if you weren't paying attention you might not know where to find them. In Lufia 2 as soon as you talk to any one or two townsperson you'll get your "GO TO SOUTH TOWER" speech. xD
@@BruceRiggsGamer Very true haha and I mean this is not just a Lufia 2 problem like 90% of old JRPGs were like this. But I think the extremely generic towns and plot set up of go to town, they have a problem that can be solved in the dungeon right near the town. It is the only thing that's keeping it from being Chrono Trigger level of replayability for SNES game. Like, I can only remember the plot of like 2 towns in the entire game, but I remember the majority of the dungeons because they were tons of fun.
BoF2 is an amazing horror RPG, so dark and brutal yet with a K-A rating! The last act of this game (Infinity) is one of the most memorable gaming exleriences of my childhood. Feels so different than the rest of the game, and the true ending is just so cool.
Super interesting take -- never thought of it as a horror RPG but I can see it! You know, Capcom has roots in horror RPGs right? Before Breath of Fire they made Sweet Home, a game that would later spark the Biohazard / Resident Evil series! So I suppose in that context, it makes a lot of sense to play with a lens looking for horror elements. :)
@@SuperDerek thank you for sharing, I've never really looked into Sweet Home before. While BoF2 hides a lot of the darker stuff behind colorful graphics and cute talking animals, these other games certainly go for a classic grim setting. Well, time to add another game to the backlog! 😅
i have the same issue with emulation, hopping between a bunch of games, and i found that just keeping a notebook and taking little notes here and there as i move through the games makes it easier to both leave them for short to long periods of time, and to return to them when i'm ready.
I love Arcana. Its really basic but it gives me a good nostalgic feeling. If you play 7th Saga, do yourself a favor and play it with the rom hack that reverts it back to the easier JP version.
@@SuperDerek off the top of my head, I think they nerfed the stat increases on level ups, made it take longer to level up, and also buffed the enemies.
The problem with the romhack is that they effectively removed 90% of the challenge from the game. I get the original was harder than people are used to, but jeez. They didn't have to make it THAT easy.
A note for playing Lufia 2 which is one of my favourite games. There is a very long cut scene slightly less than half way through the game where a lot of people stop playing because they think it is the end, it is not the end so keep going.
Nice list. What draws me nuts about BOF2 is the uninspired dungeon music. That 10 second loop in almost every f zone in the game made me quit halfway through. What were they thinking? Im inside the tree. Does it get any better?
Thank you for mentioning Breath of Fire II, as it is criminally under-rated. Fun battles, high level of challenge, awesome boss music, creates a strong sense of exploration even in the linear portions, makes you care about every coin and every drop. Every member of the cast is interesting and serves at least some niche uses, making your decision about which characters to bring feel strategic and meaningful throughout the game. The brilliant town building and shaman systems take the game to even higher levels. The story hits really hard, too.
7th Saga is good but, the issue I have with it is the random encounter rate is stupid high. The multiple characters in it blew my mind back in the day though.
@@SuperDerek I highly recommend against using that hack. The hack makes the game way too easy to the point most of the challenge is removed. I tried the hack and it was so easy that I barely had to use any spells or items whatsoever and most stuff I came across would die in 1-2 hits from normal attacks without any grinding whatsoever. I understand that the original was harder than people were accustomed to, but jeez louise they went way too far with the hack. That said, XP is split between group members, so if you wanna level faster, go solo. You get ALL of the XP and if you do recruit a partner, they are automatically your level so why waste XP leveling them?
Final fantasy II was the first rpg I played. It was during summer vacation and my cousin was away for college. I had to spend the summer at my aunts, so I plugged to his snes but he couldn’t stop me and I tried Final Fantasy II. I played that game like a full job, putting in 12 hr plus days because I needed to know what would happen next! Great game!
I remember gazing longingly at screenshots of Breath of Fire II in GameFan as a kid, but it took me several tries over the years on emulator, cartridge, switch online, and finally emulator again w/ retranslation patch to make any progress. It really is such an improvement, but even with the patch I found the game to be a very beautiful slog. It took me three whole years to finish. I don't know why, but less beloved games I've replayed lately like Paladin's Quest, 7th Saga, or Secret of Evermore held my attention so much more somehow.
I don't play any classic game without checking romhacks. I got Arcana from this list and checked and what do you know, there is an overhaul mod which joins together all the improvement patches and does a lot else on it's on. I have overhaul improvement patches for so many games and it's just so cool. Chrono Trigger, FF4, 5, and 6, Lufia 2 the list goes on and on. In fact many games that may have been ported to newer consoles with better graphics are still best played on SNES because of the patches made with the readily accessible modding tools for it.
Great list! It's a lot like my SNES backlog, with Chrono Trigger being replayed over and over, but never actually finishing FF III yet. Sigh... I'll get there "soon'ish" :)
I really relate to this video. I want to play Earthbound again too. I've only played it through once maybe a year ago, but it's so charming and comforting to experience (aside from some frustrating parts lol). I love RPGs on the SNES and I might check out a couple you mentioned here that I didn't play.
@@SuperDerek yes! I prefer short and sweet. Not sure if you'll see this, but would Mother 25th Anniversary Edition for NES give me a similar feeling to Earthbound? I want to escape to Earthbound land but with new content and I like NES games too.
@@1DangerMouse1 YEP! I would definitely recommend that rom hack! I actually talk about that, including 2 other methods of playing Mother 1 in my review of the game, along with footage of the visual differences. It's a solid, solid way to play the game!
@@SuperDerek thanks for the info. I actually read through the comments and ended up going with the rom hack of the Mother 25th Anniversay rom hack lol. The one where they kept most of the quality of life improvements but changed the character sprites back. I'm enjoying it so far and it definitely takes me to that happy Earthbound place! I'm also playing Breath of Fire on switch online and liking it so far! Great for relaxing bed gaming. Thanks again for the suggestions.
I didn't know there was a re-translation for Breath of Fire II, so I might have to check that out. I've also never played Lufia II and would like to someday. I wish I had more time to play classic SNES and PS1 games. If there's ever a bizarrely terrible year for new games, I'll just go full retro for a time.
Lufia 2 is actually pretty fricking good, one of the staple JRPG's of my early teens. ...That sinistral theme man. You'll know when you hear it, but also, the game is just fantastic, lots of content, lots of side content, and is actually fun to play. Speaking of fan translations, you might be interested to know the Tales of Destiny 1 remake on the PS2 has had a fan translation project for a while, and it just hit 100%. ♥
Solid list. Some of these are my favorite JRPGs of all time! 7th Saga is....OK. If you like a lot of pain. The patch to re-balance the game is a must IMO. With the patch it's a decent game, but kind of forgettable for me too. Arcana I remember for the music more than anything else. Maybe from the encounter rate, but I remember the battle music the most. It's a really good track. The rest of the game is pretty average IMO, but I still liked it. It has a unique look with everyone looking like a card so that's neat. Super Mario RPG never really jived with me either. It's a fun RPG, but I just don't hold it in the same high regard as others. Final Fantasy 6 is still my favorite JRPG of all time. Don't know where you left off on it, but it'll be worth it to finish it. :) Chrono Trigger still holds up as a solid standard by which many modern JRPGs are judged IMO and its a close 2nd for my favorite JRPG of all time. :) Lufia II is a safe bet for having a good time. It may be a prequel, but everything was improved so it would be more surprising if you didn't like it. Final Fantasy 4 is a great game. I rarely circle back to the SNES version without patching it to restore things that was taken out though. If you're going to replay it again, using the patches to uncensor and restore things and update the translation is a good way to have a refreshing play through for the SNES version of it. Earthbound is always loads of fun and has one of the most surprising final bosses for a JRPG IMO. Robotrek is the only one on this list I never played. I really should just go do that at some point. Breath of Fire > Breath of Fire 2 (vanilla), but Breath of Fire = Breath of Fire 2 when both have their re-translation and improvement patches. For me the two are a wash once the fixes are in place. Like BoF2 has better visuals, but BoF1 has better dragons and I like some music more in 1 over 2, but 2 also has some music I like over 1. They started the series, and IMO both are great games and always worth playing through again. :)
I'm here to give 7th Saga some well needed love. I got into SNES in the mid 90's at a late age ( 30 ) and got 7th saga for xmas and FELL IN LOVE with this game and JRPS I too have never finished FF3 ( I know ) I'm going to give BOF 2 a play and see what I think
What order would you recommend I play the Mother series? I never played any of them, but have since got all 3 on repro carts. Should I experience Earthbound first or play in order?
Good question! I think I'd start with EarthBound, then Mother 3, and if you really liked everything, try out Mother 1 and see the roots of it all. I reviewed all 3 if you'd like my extended thoughts. :)
What a fun video, I have a lot of comments that don't have anything to do with being a fake fan! First off, Lufia/Estpolis II and Final Fantasy III/VI are both great games, you will probably enjoy them just fine, the original Lufia is indeed inferior. In particular I think anyone who likes Zelda style games or Golden Sun will like Lufia II. It's funny that you would feel strange or whatever about not having finished FFVI just because it's considered a classic, since I feel the same way about all the games you and others cover that I haven't finished, particularly sizeable series like Wild Arms, Breath of Fire, or Ys. Knowing you haven't finished FFVI makes me feel a bit better about that, just a little. Also, it's nice to hear someone acknowledge that EarthBound isn't for everyone. There are a lot of people who just assume that if they love a game it means that it's objectively good and everyone else must like it too, but I can guarantee there's at least one person who hates every game ever made (not at the same time), and probably a huge majority of people can't stand at least one ultra-popular game out there.
I would like to nominate this comment for comment of the year! This, honestly, is one of the reasons I just don't give scores in my reviews, but instead try to offer reasons people might or might not enjoy a given game, to help them decide whether or not something is for them or not. :)
First 7th Saga is pain and torture. Arcana I did play because I did like like the cover it was a fun game. You should give Arcana a try. You should also try Final Fantasy 5 if you haven't played that one.
Breath of Fire 2 is a 10/10 game. If you can live with it's difficulty and slow walk speed (fixed on the retranslation), you'll be rewarded with a gorgeous looking game, splendid soundtrack and one of the most heart breaking stories you'll ever find on a 16-bit RPG. This game gave me some of the best experiences playing a game on my life. Same goes for Phantasy Star 4 on the Mega Drive/Genesis.
In Europe we have way less JRPGs on the SNES... the only ones from this List we had were Lufia 2 and Breath of Fire 2. But i was lucky, i had 2 of these from flea markets back then, Chrono Trigger and Arcana. Nowdays we also have a few more like Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy VI, Mario RPG and Earthbound one way or another.
My first super Nintendo RPG was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I don't ever see it included on any 'Top X SNES games' videos. But it had great visuals and music IMHO. It's worth a playthrough at least once if you haven't yet
BoF 1 actually has aged GREATLY when you use MRBL3s to reduce encounter rates. You level just fine without all the random encounters and the game's pace is much more smooth. I just beat it recently on the Switch, and the only downside was what to do next since the hints are pretty cryptic at times.
Neat. I just got into the SNES in 2021, I first beat Earthbound earlier this year. Other than that, I played Chrono Trigger but on the PS1 a long time ago. I want to try and beat Super Mario RPG before the remake comes out. Some great suggestions in there, eventually when I get to Breathe of Fire (and the sequel) I'll be sure to try the retranslation.
Derek do you have a link or source for the breathe of fire 2 translation you were talking about? I've never played the series so it's the version of 2 id probably want. Thanks
Yeah! I think this is the one: www.romhacking.net/translations/1384/ -- this is just the patch, so keep in mind you'll still have to provide the _legally dumped_ ROM and apply the patch yourself. Unfortunately linking to one of those ROM sites directly that hosts what you need in a pre-patched state would be an unwise decision on my part. Hope you'll understand! :)
i like ff 4 ff5 and chrono trigger wayyy more then ff6 i still dont know why everyone thinks ff6 and 7 are the best lol loved the vid such a trip down memory lane
You should check out Metal Max Returns for Super Famicom. it got an english patch a few years back. Great remake of the OG Famicom game, which also has a fan translation. It's an open world, post apocalypse, JRPG with no main quest. You go where you want, find stories to experience, in any order you wish. Ride through the wasteland in a convoy of tanks, toting shotguns and rifles on foot instead of swords and magic. The creator was apparently sick of Fantasy and it shows in all the old advertising.
Honestly, there are sooo many possibilities. Think I'm gonna feel this format out a bit, don't wanna rush it, but I really do feel like there is more like this on the horizon. :)
Arcana is fun little romp. My biggest issue with the game was how short it was. You should enjoy it. 7th saga takes place in the same world as Brain Lord.
Breath of Fire II re-translated (with Maeson rebalance patch) Final Fantasy VI Brave New World (with the included vanilla translation patch, if you want. I dont.) Lufia II "Frue Lufia" Chrono Trigger Plus Breath of Fire "War of the Goddess" re-translation These are some of my personal "definitive" versions of these games. They are some really great romhacks that elevate these already great games to near perfection!
Thanks for the nod to my favorite Final Fantasy; FF2 is still my favorite SNES RPG and in the series. I just played through the Pixel Remaster of 4 and I still loved all 15 hours of it! It's far from the best game, but it hit on all the right levels for 11 year old me, and the themes still hold up great. Also, the soundtrack! FF6 is what I'm playing right now, I'm just getting to the Opera scene. I'm excited to break it over my knee again after all these years! 😂 Breath of Fire 2 definitely needed a better translation, but the juxtaposition between its amazing world-building and that atrocious delivery always helped it stand out in my memory.
I actually did gasp when you admitted you haven't beaten FF6 yet. When I beat FF6 for the first time, I was so depressed - not because of the ending, but because I would never again learn more about the characters and what happens next. You've never played Lufia 2?? Oh man, that game is so great. It's 10x better than Lufia 1. You don't have to worry about L2 being too similar to L1, although I hope you like puzzles. The music is amazing as well, be sure to crank that music up when you play. Breath of Fire 2 is great but I have to warn you that game is a super grind. Level 2 is like 5 xp, Level 3 is 10 xp, then Level 4 is 50,000 xp. I exaggerate, but it really feels like that. And it also has a heavy encounter rate similar to the 1st one. Nowadays when I play BoF2 again, I use a Game Genie cheat to give me like 10,000 exp per fight, and I kid you not, it still feels like a grind at the end. lol
I think that the fan-patch I talked about also re-balances the leveling system? (Not sure, but I _think_ it does...) so hopefully that won't hurt me too badly when I replay it down the line. -- And actually I LOVE puzzles in RPGs. I realize it's hit and miss for some people, but man I love me a good Sokoban puzzle. :)
I have so many RPG and RPG-adjacent games (visual novels, adventure games) from the PS, PS2 and Super Nintendo (or rather, now that I know the language, Super Famicom) games that I've wanted to play or re-visit that I seriously have very little motivation to think or even care about what's going on with "modern" gaming. Over the past three years, I've made my childhood dreams come true by finally playing Wild Arms Advanced Third and Super Mario RPG in their original language, as well as played and cleared a Dragon Quest game (Dragon Quest 8) for the first time - in addition to finishing the Soul Blader/Gaia trilogy and Ys I/II... and finally getting into a generation I overlooked back in the day with the PSP and PS3 (Dot Game Heroes, Senjyou no Valkyria, Yuusya 30 and Folkssoul are so amazing). Not to mention having gotten a taste (and certainly wanting more) of things like Estopolis 2, Final Fantasies IX, X & XIII, Shadow Hearts, Mother 2, Front Mission, Popolocrois, Atelier Marie, Star Ocean, Tales of Phantasia, Legend of Dragoon... seriously, the list feels never-ending. Sorry for the essay, but I can't help but get excited when I hear there are so many others in the comments section who feel the same way. Also, just want to put this out to everybody, if you enjoy this genre of games, seriously consider studying Japanese. Trust me, it won't take that long to get to a level where you can start enjoying the games and once you do, you'll be hooked. Despite being a native English speaker and never having lived in the country myself, I was already enjoying stuff in less than two years, and after about four years I found myself just not even needing to bother with a dictionary. Really, the tools available thanks to the internet make this more than possible - which absolutely wasn't the case when I was growing up in the '90s in the States. It is absolutely worth the effort and I can't imagine people who enjoy this genre of gaming regretting the decision.
@@SuperDerek がんばってください！(ganbatte kudasai!) There's even a few games being released now with the expressed purpose of teaching non-Japanese speakers the language (yet something else that would have been unimaginable to us 80's/90's kids), such as M2's Tokyo School Life on Switch, which may not be a bad idea to check out!
Thinking about it now, I realize I've never really gotten to play the SNES version of Final Fantasy IV. Like, I've played almost every other release, just not the first one. I also started Breath of Fire with the third game, and I never really got to sink my teeth into the SNES games despite owning both (and both of them and Earthbound are on Switch Online!) And I am so excited for the Mario RPG remake! Man, that's gonna rock
I wanna play The Adventures of Hourai High again. I know a lot of people seem to hate it, but there weren't many SNES comedy RPGs outside of Earth Bound and comedy RPGs these days just do reference humour rather than actually being silly fun. I still don't understand the dislike around it.
FFVI is the best of the series, IMO. The stories for each character gives it such depth. VII gets a lot of love because of PS1 and so many were introduced through it (although I think IX is better), but VI was truly a masterpiece and the one by which all others are measured.
BOf2 was my first rpg and i have loved it ever since it came out. The translation is bad, yes, but underneath that is an amazing story with fantastic characters. I havent seen the fan translation but its probably awesome
you get my sub. I am fan of Lufia 2 rise of the sinistrals. the story was really good. I agree Lufia 1 was a slog! LOL I also loved earthbound. I too suffer from "no I dont want the game to end. Ill just stop." I have not finished a lot of my old games. I should go back and finish them just to check off my bucket list. I have beaten Lufia 2 several times. Same with earthbound. BOF... that encounter rate did me in. I think i got half way? I have heard all of the games on your list and have played almost all of them. Good luck. if you can try to see if you can play the sailor moon another story. it has multiple endings!!! also XXXXX airship has some AWESOME music! I recall that game being difficult in the beginning.
I grew up playing mostly on gameboy. So my first exposure to the BoF series was there with 1 and 2. I don't think I have ever finished 2, but it is one of my favorites. Only beaten by 3 because 3 is a it more accessible for me, and I love the dragon variety in 3. But if there were a game to re-release or update in the Bof series I would say it's 2. I love all the characters and the story is great. We need more Katt.
Make sure to check out the follow-up video tackling the Action RPGs missing from today's list! ua-cam.com/video/O-3E5PqGkME/v-deo.html
I have to warn you, breath of fire 1 and 2, are really really bad. 3 and 4 are awesome though
Breath of Fire 2 re-translated is truly EPIC and brings the game to a whole new level! I first played this game back in 1995, in fact it was one of my first Jrpg experiences... and it was an experience like no other. In fact, I didn't even know back then, as a kid, that videogames could do such a thing. What am I talking about? I'm talking about the game's STORY, which is definitely one of the deepest stories of the 16-bit era! Behind its colorful look, it could get dark and heavy and really emotional at times. Needless to say: Breath of Fire 2 was one of the games that made me love Jrpgs!
Agree, BoF2’s story is so good, especially for its time. I feel like it influenced FFX.
Yea. The patch is almost required. It's not one of those "you must experience the game as intended". A terrible translation is not intention lol.
100% agree played it through a couple times since the mid 90s and played the retranslatiob patch 2 years ago and I could always tell the game had more going for it then the original translation gave us. Like it isn't a totally different game but I definitely would say it's the only version I could play again. I have never dabbled to much in the re-translation scene because most games at least had half decent translations. I remember multiple times as a kid just being confused as to what I was supposed to do.
^^^All of this
Couple it with the Maeson rebalance patch and you have the definitive edition.
I have replayed Chrono trigger, Earthbound, and Breath of fire 1 & 2 more times than I can count. They never lose their magic and will probably always be my favorite games of all time.
Throw in FF6 and you basically have the foundations of my childhood. I was humming along to the music in most of these (thanks to my cousin passing down his SNES to me) before I could even read well enough to understand what was going on and progress the games.
@@scottimothy1 me as well
I played Breath of fire 1 for the first time somewhat recently, and I was surprised by how fun it was. The game is super cozy and relaxing, it gets to much flak imo
I'm glad to hear that it's not hard to enjoy to newcomers as I had feared. It's such a neat little title! :)
Even the random encounters are not that big of a deal, because you can buy very cheap items that turn them of for a short time.
In germany Lufia 2, just known as Lufia, has been a cult classic for us the now old generation.
Ff4/2 is the game that made me fall in love with rpgs. I make it a point to play every version that gets released. Just beat the pixel remaster for the first time last month, and got the super rare drop pink tail for the first time. 3 of them, in fact!
Lufia 2 is a game I'm so thankful to my friend for introducing me to. It's no perfect game by any means, but if you love old Wild Arms or Golden Sun it'll feel great.
The ancient cave itself is such a good part of the game that I try to watch the competitions for it every chance I can. Cheering someone on only for them to die around floor 90 and still somehow almost win the race is something that only Lufia 2 can do for me.
Playing through it right now, and I can tell it's really special.
It is perfect! Lol
lufia 2 it is pure Masterpiece! Love it!
Lunar and lufia are JRPGs that i really hope get added to PSN and E shop. Still waiting for golden sun to be added to switch online
@@michaelclifton9498 I'd play Lunar to death if it popped up on the PSN. I'd love to get a physical copy of Lunar again, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.
Breath of Fire II Retranslated made me realize why people in Japan loved it. You don't truly realize how bad Capcom USA pooped the bed until you play the retraslation.
Aww come on man, I can only get so HYPED! :D
I mean you kind of do it’s pretty obvious playing through the English version that the translation is terrible
I have that issue with BoF 1. I cannot finish it just because the translation completely destroys the game for me.
Giving Breath of Fire love. Happy to see it. It's one of my favorite in the series... but I played it as a kid and I've beaten it many times. Truly a classic.
The hype is real, Lufia 2 is leaps and bounds above Lufia 1. It is 100% worth playing.
Great list, Derek! And to anyone who wants to just watch amazing playthroughs of some of these games before trying for yourselves, I can't reccomend HCBailly enough. His First LP was on Arcana, even!
Kingdom of Zeal is such a beautiful song. So much pain, hope, triumph, and mysticism
Great stuff, Derek! I’ve always pined for more “Top 10” videos from you over the years!🎉
FF VI doesn't just appear at the top of people's top SNES RPG lists. It appears at the top of people's all time RPG list. And for great reason. Amazing story, top villain, interchangeable party.
And as I'm typing this, you are taking about Lufia II, and it doesn't suck lol. I still have my copy from when I was a wee lad.
FFVI is my fave 2D game of all time. It used to be my all time fave game when it came out... but then Mass Effect took the top spot, followed by Witcher 3 after that. I remember staying up for over 12-15 hours every day with a friend from Jr. High taking turns playing FF VI. Actually, same with FF IV also.... and yes. I'm older than dirt.
I have to be one of those people then to say that it is far from my favorite even just in the FF series. I can see why people might consider it the best coming off of Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy V for the SNES. If you look at the RPGs that came out before and at the time of Final Fantasy VI then its clear why Final Fantasy VI would be considered one of the best in terms of visuals and to a certain extent story. Its the first truly ensemble cast (though I didn't really feel like they grew throughout the adventure or that we got much story on the specific characters) and the first decent story that wasn't a medieval fantasy themed story. It has some great moments. But having played it after Final Fantasy VII - X, I wasn't exactly impressed with it and I've never been the biggest fan of a truly steampunk setting. Too many games that I felt were better came out after it like Chrono Trigger for example.
@jus4000kicks you wouldn't be impressed. It's not the first of its kind of you play it backwards. I get it, but if you grew up with these and played them when they released, in order, it was the best.
This is a first, I've played every single game on this list on the SNES when I was a kid and enjoyed every single one of them. I don't remember the combos anymore but there were some seriously broken setups for Robotrek. I spent hours testing every single combo and keeping notes on them. For me the SNES was the best console ever, although Genesis had Phantasy Star 2 and 4 which is possibly still my favorite world setting for a JRPG. That isn't to say later consoles (particularly the Suikoden series on playstation) didn't have some good JRPGs but the combo of nastolgia and quality pretty much cements SNES for me forever. You don't even need to limit yourself to turn based, you can go with the old style ARPG as well with Zelda, Illusion of Gaia, Soul Blazer, and more
It's so funny to me that Lufia 2 was ever "little known" because I rented it from my local rental shop in when it was still fresh from Japan, '96 I guess? I was 11 and it's been one of my favorite games ever since. I really think it gives Chrono Trigger a run for its money (which I also adore). I hope you enjoy it whenever you decide to give it a go.
I love Breath of Fire 2 and Lufia 2!! Definitely in my top 5
THANK YOU for mentioning Arcana. One of my fave gems from back in the day that nobody seems to remember anymore. It’s a little engrishy I’ve never played a better translated version but it’s so deep and the dungeons like the Ice Mine could take hours to get through. Plus there’s a lot of strategy with four different elements that enemies and your summoned Spirits have. And the music is top notch Super NES.
I’m proud to say I’ve put multiple hours into every one of these games back in the day. Lufia 2 is drastically better than the 1st one. And once you hit the Ancient Cave, it gets very addicting and you’ll keep going back.
Great list - definitely a fun thing to do for sure. I have a few SNES games I still haven't played...like RoboTrek!!! It looks neat, so maybe one day!
Thanks Paige! It's definitely a weird one, but worth a look when you get the time. :)
7th Saga has a really good patch that balances out the game to be actually playable. In it's default state it's borderline masochistic. All the power to those that can get through it. It drove me mad.
FF2 and SMRPG are what sprung me onto turn based RPGs. Chrono Trigger and Earthbound I managed to play and enjoy 20 some odd years ago also due to early ZSNES. Funny how that works. I've probably beaten FF2/4 a good 7-8 times in the last 10 years between all the different ports and versions and even fan remakes like the mad lads that made an online version on BYOND decades ago.
IMO, the 7th Saga patch makes the game way too darn easy to the point it's utterly effortless. It's not masochistic unless you're just not "getting" what you're supposed to do in the game. I've a playthrough on my channel where I'm almost max level, not too far from the end with only 25 hours played on the clock. It's nowhere near as hard and grindy as people let on, assuming you know what to do.
I Beat 7th Saga (US) with all but the healer class... she just does too little damage.
@@tacticallynx7291 ... she? You mean Valsu? pretty sure Valsu is a guy. But eh, instead of using physical attacks, you're meant to spam his insanely powerful ICE 1 which does do a rather good amount of damage. The thing about Valsu is that he gets the rather overpowered Elixir spell.
It's beem over a decade. so I can't recall the characters. but the only one I couldn't beat the game with was the girl... so she's the mage then? ....Got fed up and googled, Esuna is the one I couldn't beat it with, no phys damage, and often out of mp.@@Dhalin
@@tacticallynx7291 Ahh, yeah, you really need to watch MP usage with her. Usually the best way to go about things was to just brute force it with levels. After awhile, her spells get so insanely powerful that the basic Ice 1 spell does more than enough damage to kill anything in a couple hits but it takes awhile to get to that point.
Earthbound was the first rpg I ever played and was Responsible for loving the genre ever since
Had the urge to replay Secret of Mana last week. I never realized how short it actually is! 😅
I heard this title also got a fan re-translation that might be worth revisiting. :)
Ah it's not so bad, 2 or 3 dungeons, then 30 Sage Joch quests, then 2 or 3 dungeons, gg. j/k
Ah, I remember Arcana! I kept renting it back to back because I wanted to beat it. I eventually bought my own copy. Don't think I ever beat it, though.
As a big fan of first-person dungeon crawlers, and Arcana/Card Master is a really underrated gem in the genre. It has a surprising amount of QoL for the era (like auto mapping and regeneration while walking). If you you play it in a way that will allow patches, I'd highly recommend the "fastrom" patch that makes dungeon movement animations faster.
Great list mate. I haven’t played Lufia 2, but Arcana was one of my favorites from the era- the nondescript sprites of the battle screen are like a mix between Ys and Drakkhen! Have you ever played Paladin’s Quest? A truly flawed but unique game with a weird alien sci fi art direction
I miss your old review and tops videos, Derek. Thanks for doing one today.
Thanks dude. I plan to make a point of throwing a bone to the retro fans I've brought in over the years. And hope to do more reviews in that vein soon!
Great video! I am also very eager to go through BoF2 again with that Retranslation! Not sure if you knew this or not but a number of RPG’s on this list had improvement patches to make the original games even better. Namely BoF1 and both Lufia games. BoF’s is called Definitive Edition, Lufia and the Fortress of Doom’s is Restored and Lufia 2’s is Frue Trilogizer.
Interesting! Others have also mentioned a patch for 7th Saga, so I'm stoked to try that out too, since I heard the first one can be a chore at times. :)
@@SuperDerek I was just about to come into the comments to mention the BoF1 improvement patch! I just started playing it recently, and the translation is SO MUCH BETTER, not to mention they also fixed a lot of the item and equipment names to make sense. And if that wasn't enough, they also programmed in a dash button like the BoF2 improvement.
You just hooked me on playing LUFIA II again. YEAH, ITS THAT GOOD
Amazing review! Another game that I would have loved to see here: Tales of Phantasia. The story and the gameplay are amazing!
I loved BoF2, it is one of my all-time favorites. I just replayed it recently with the updated translation romhack, a popular rebalancing hack and unfusing-less hack. It was just as amazing as the first time I played it.
Unfusing-less? What does that do? I think I remember having trouble fusing characters a LONG time ago, but this sounds kind of interesting!
I'm such a sucker for that game, I'm in the middle of my playthrough with that very same hack-combo. I wouldn't mind a remaster from the original, a compilation/collection would be cool too.
I wouldn't mind if Capcom released a Collection of Fire, then decided to maybe reboot the series with a fresh title. As long as they were done in the style of BoF 3 or 4. :)
@SuperDerek it removes many of the conditions that would normally cause your characters to break fusion with their shamans (status effects, low hp). A KO will still break a fusion however.
The rebalance, retranslation, and unfusing hacks are all compatible with each other if installed correctly. I played through from start to finish with no glaring bugs or issues.
@@AlDesentis You and me both, I would love a remaster of BOF 1 and 2.
seeing Breath of Fire 2 being recognized makes me so happy. I remember playing this game as a kid. the very first RPG i ever played and the game that made me love JRPGs. Btw - that frog gave me so much headache understanding him. lol
I have very similar memories of 7th Saga as you described with Robotrek, lol. Struggled with it over a few rental sessions when no other games in stock on the shelf looked good. The weird and opaque flow of the game was frustrating (you can easily get stuck against certain key bosses if you don't know what you're doing) but it also gave the game a lot of allure, like it was more complex than it was. Wish you luck on that; it should be interesting if nothing else!
That being said, Lufia II was one of the few JRPGs we owned outright and I'll join the people gassing it up to you (and second the people assuring you it's better than the first game lol). Make sure check out its version of the Ancient Cave, which is basically a full-fledged rogue-lite within the game!
Great list i have fond memories of these games especially chrono trigger and final fantasy vi
Final Fantasy II was my first JRPG. It was a rental and it none of it 'clicked' for me until the last hour before it was due to be returned. I remember my dad telling me the car was ready to go while I was trying to learn as much as I could from the Status screen with what little time I had left. I was so hyped for the next weekend when I'd be able to rent it again, but this time, I'd actually know how it was supposed to be played.
I played BOF II with the retranslation patch just early this year, and it was a great experience.
Yep, Lufia 2 is one of those games like chrono trigger that was way ahead of its time and still holds up today. It's not quite as good, because its one flaw is it's extremely linear and predictable gameplay wise. Go to new generic town, go to the dungeon next to town, go to new generic town, go to dungeon next to town, and repeat till you beat the game pretty much haha. But the story is actually pretty good, the combat is fun, the music is badass, and the dungeons are amazing! So it's second on my list next to chrono trigger of games on the SNES that still feel just as good to play today.
FF 3 is third on that list because, it's a good game but if you ask me going back you realize" oh I got like 12 characters and some of them have not said anything for half the game or longer". This is just an early final fantasy problem in general and why I actually like FF2 more than 3 because it actually has character development as corny as it is haha. Speaking of FF2 if you do replay it I recommend playing the DS 3D port if you never have, people say it's bad and harder, but I highly disagree. Brings the game to life so much more than the original!
Honestly I think Lufia 2's linear "go here. now go here" formula was because of what they did in Lufia 1. In Lufia 1 they sent you all over the place looking for those pieces of alumina metal, it was so vague that if you weren't paying attention you might not know where to find them. In Lufia 2 as soon as you talk to any one or two townsperson you'll get your "GO TO SOUTH TOWER" speech. xD
@@BruceRiggsGamer Very true haha and I mean this is not just a Lufia 2 problem like 90% of old JRPGs were like this. But I think the extremely generic towns and plot set up of go to town, they have a problem that can be solved in the dungeon right near the town. It is the only thing that's keeping it from being Chrono Trigger level of replayability for SNES game. Like, I can only remember the plot of like 2 towns in the entire game, but I remember the majority of the dungeons because they were tons of fun.
BoF2 is an amazing horror RPG, so dark and brutal yet with a K-A rating! The last act of this game (Infinity) is one of the most memorable gaming exleriences of my childhood. Feels so different than the rest of the game, and the true ending is just so cool.
Super interesting take -- never thought of it as a horror RPG but I can see it! You know, Capcom has roots in horror RPGs right? Before Breath of Fire they made Sweet Home, a game that would later spark the Biohazard / Resident Evil series! So I suppose in that context, it makes a lot of sense to play with a lens looking for horror elements. :)
@@SuperDerek thank you for sharing, I've never really looked into Sweet Home before. While BoF2 hides a lot of the darker stuff behind colorful graphics and cute talking animals, these other games certainly go for a classic grim setting. Well, time to add another game to the backlog! 😅
i have the same issue with emulation, hopping between a bunch of games, and i found that just keeping a notebook and taking little notes here and there as i move through the games makes it easier to both leave them for short to long periods of time, and to return to them when i'm ready.
I love Arcana. Its really basic but it gives me a good nostalgic feeling.
If you play 7th Saga, do yourself a favor and play it with the rom hack that reverts it back to the easier JP version.
Thanks for the advice, I think I'll definitely do that! I heard this one got messed with a bit. Do you know what all got changed?
@@SuperDerek off the top of my head, I think they nerfed the stat increases on level ups, made it take longer to level up, and also buffed the enemies.
Most definitely trying to make the game harder to try to fight the rental market at the time....
The problem with the romhack is that they effectively removed 90% of the challenge from the game. I get the original was harder than people are used to, but jeez. They didn't have to make it THAT easy.
Omg lufia 2, breath of fire 2, and secret of mana. We’re my favourite snes games. Your in for a treat
A note for playing Lufia 2 which is one of my favourite games. There is a very long cut scene slightly less than half way through the game where a lot of people stop playing because they think it is the end, it is not the end so keep going.
Nice list. What draws me nuts about BOF2 is the uninspired dungeon music. That 10 second loop in almost every f zone in the game made me quit halfway through. What were they thinking? Im inside the tree. Does it get any better?
I'm right in the middle of a Lufia II replay right now!
Nice! I can't wait to dive into that one! ..Well I mean, I guess I kind of already said that in the video though, lol
Thank you for mentioning Breath of Fire II, as it is criminally under-rated. Fun battles, high level of challenge, awesome boss music, creates a strong sense of exploration even in the linear portions, makes you care about every coin and every drop. Every member of the cast is interesting and serves at least some niche uses, making your decision about which characters to bring feel strategic and meaningful throughout the game. The brilliant town building and shaman systems take the game to even higher levels. The story hits really hard, too.
7th Saga is good but, the issue I have with it is the random encounter rate is stupid high. The multiple characters in it blew my mind back in the day though.
Others here have directed me to the fan hack that fixes the grindiness of the US release of the game.
@@SuperDerek I highly recommend against using that hack. The hack makes the game way too easy to the point most of the challenge is removed. I tried the hack and it was so easy that I barely had to use any spells or items whatsoever and most stuff I came across would die in 1-2 hits from normal attacks without any grinding whatsoever. I understand that the original was harder than people were accustomed to, but jeez louise they went way too far with the hack. That said, XP is split between group members, so if you wanna level faster, go solo. You get ALL of the XP and if you do recruit a partner, they are automatically your level so why waste XP leveling them?
Final fantasy II was the first rpg I played. It was during summer vacation and my cousin was away for college. I had to spend the summer at my aunts, so I plugged to his snes but he couldn’t stop me and I tried Final Fantasy II. I played that game like a full job, putting in 12 hr plus days because I needed to know what would happen next! Great game!
I remember gazing longingly at screenshots of Breath of Fire II in GameFan as a kid, but it took me several tries over the years on emulator, cartridge, switch online, and finally emulator again w/ retranslation patch to make any progress. It really is such an improvement, but even with the patch I found the game to be a very beautiful slog. It took me three whole years to finish. I don't know why, but less beloved games I've replayed lately like Paladin's Quest, 7th Saga, or Secret of Evermore held my attention so much more somehow.
I really love evermore though. 7th Saga...not so much. Something about the atmosphere of the game I just didn't like, I enjoyed Lagoon more... hahaha.
I don't play any classic game without checking romhacks. I got Arcana from this list and checked and what do you know, there is an overhaul mod which joins together all the improvement patches and does a lot else on it's on. I have overhaul improvement patches for so many games and it's just so cool. Chrono Trigger, FF4, 5, and 6, Lufia 2 the list goes on and on. In fact many games that may have been ported to newer consoles with better graphics are still best played on SNES because of the patches made with the readily accessible modding tools for it.
It's really incredible what an awesome and talented community there is surrounding the SNES and it's RPGs!
Great list! It's a lot like my SNES backlog, with Chrono Trigger being replayed over and over, but never actually finishing FF III yet. Sigh... I'll get there "soon'ish" :)
I really relate to this video. I want to play Earthbound again too. I've only played it through once maybe a year ago, but it's so charming and comforting to experience (aside from some frustrating parts lol). I love RPGs on the SNES and I might check out a couple you mentioned here that I didn't play.
You definitely ought to! Love how so many early SNES games were bite-sized experiences, compared to today's hundred-hour epics. :)
@@SuperDerek yes! I prefer short and sweet. Not sure if you'll see this, but would Mother 25th Anniversary Edition for NES give me a similar feeling to Earthbound? I want to escape to Earthbound land but with new content and I like NES games too.
@@1DangerMouse1 YEP! I would definitely recommend that rom hack! I actually talk about that, including 2 other methods of playing Mother 1 in my review of the game, along with footage of the visual differences. It's a solid, solid way to play the game!
@@SuperDerek thanks for the info. I actually read through the comments and ended up going with the rom hack of the Mother 25th Anniversay rom hack lol. The one where they kept most of the quality of life improvements but changed the character sprites back. I'm enjoying it so far and it definitely takes me to that happy Earthbound place! I'm also playing Breath of Fire on switch online and liking it so far! Great for relaxing bed gaming. Thanks again for the suggestions.
I actually did play Arcana back in the day, and revisited it as an adult some time ago. A massively under appreciated game in my opinion.
I didn't know there was a re-translation for Breath of Fire II, so I might have to check that out. I've also never played Lufia II and would like to someday. I wish I had more time to play classic SNES and PS1 games. If there's ever a bizarrely terrible year for new games, I'll just go full retro for a time.
New games have been absolutely wild lately! My poor wallet can't take much more of this!
Omg yes!!! Not many or any talk about Robotrek - I need to play that again
I'm playing through all of the final fantasy games right now and I just finished 4/2 and it is truly amazing
I have good memories around BF 1. My cousin owned the game and we would share games with each other. E-key all day long :D.
I just bought a repro of lufia 2 for snes 2 weeks ago and plan to finally dive in and play it after I beat ara fell and Balfurs Gate 3. Cant wait.
I love seeing Robotrek on these kinds of lists.
Lufia 2 is actually pretty fricking good, one of the staple JRPG's of my early teens.
...That sinistral theme man. You'll know when you hear it, but also, the game is just fantastic, lots of content, lots of side content, and is actually fun to play.
Speaking of fan translations, you might be interested to know the Tales of Destiny 1 remake on the PS2 has had a fan translation project for a while, and it just hit 100%. ♥
Solid list. Some of these are my favorite JRPGs of all time!
7th Saga is....OK. If you like a lot of pain. The patch to re-balance the game is a must IMO. With the patch it's a decent game, but kind of forgettable for me too.
Arcana I remember for the music more than anything else. Maybe from the encounter rate, but I remember the battle music the most. It's a really good track. The rest of the game is pretty average IMO, but I still liked it. It has a unique look with everyone looking like a card so that's neat.
Super Mario RPG never really jived with me either. It's a fun RPG, but I just don't hold it in the same high regard as others.
Final Fantasy 6 is still my favorite JRPG of all time. Don't know where you left off on it, but it'll be worth it to finish it. :)
Chrono Trigger still holds up as a solid standard by which many modern JRPGs are judged IMO and its a close 2nd for my favorite JRPG of all time. :)
Lufia II is a safe bet for having a good time. It may be a prequel, but everything was improved so it would be more surprising if you didn't like it.
Final Fantasy 4 is a great game. I rarely circle back to the SNES version without patching it to restore things that was taken out though. If you're going to replay it again, using the patches to uncensor and restore things and update the translation is a good way to have a refreshing play through for the SNES version of it.
Earthbound is always loads of fun and has one of the most surprising final bosses for a JRPG IMO.
Robotrek is the only one on this list I never played. I really should just go do that at some point.
Breath of Fire > Breath of Fire 2 (vanilla), but Breath of Fire = Breath of Fire 2 when both have their re-translation and improvement patches. For me the two are a wash once the fixes are in place. Like BoF2 has better visuals, but BoF1 has better dragons and I like some music more in 1 over 2, but 2 also has some music I like over 1. They started the series, and IMO both are great games and always worth playing through again. :)
Haha, I loved the writing in this one. Great list!
Thanks! This one was a lot of fun to put together. :)
Lufia 2!❤❤❤ One of few games to bring a tear to my eye and my number 3 behind FFVI and ChronoTrigger.
I'm here to give 7th Saga some well needed love. I got into SNES in the mid 90's at a late age ( 30 ) and got 7th saga for xmas and FELL IN LOVE with this game and JRPS I too have never finished FF3 ( I know ) I'm going to give BOF 2 a play and see what I think
What order would you recommend I play the Mother series? I never played any of them, but have since got all 3 on repro carts. Should I experience Earthbound first or play in order?
Good question! I think I'd start with EarthBound, then Mother 3, and if you really liked everything, try out Mother 1 and see the roots of it all. I reviewed all 3 if you'd like my extended thoughts. :)
What a fun video, I have a lot of comments that don't have anything to do with being a fake fan!
First off, Lufia/Estpolis II and Final Fantasy III/VI are both great games, you will probably enjoy them just fine, the original Lufia is indeed inferior. In particular I think anyone who likes Zelda style games or Golden Sun will like Lufia II.
It's funny that you would feel strange or whatever about not having finished FFVI just because it's considered a classic, since I feel the same way about all the games you and others cover that I haven't finished, particularly sizeable series like Wild Arms, Breath of Fire, or Ys. Knowing you haven't finished FFVI makes me feel a bit better about that, just a little.
Also, it's nice to hear someone acknowledge that EarthBound isn't for everyone. There are a lot of people who just assume that if they love a game it means that it's objectively good and everyone else must like it too, but I can guarantee there's at least one person who hates every game ever made (not at the same time), and probably a huge majority of people can't stand at least one ultra-popular game out there.
I would like to nominate this comment for comment of the year! This, honestly, is one of the reasons I just don't give scores in my reviews, but instead try to offer reasons people might or might not enjoy a given game, to help them decide whether or not something is for them or not. :)
First 7th Saga is pain and torture. Arcana I did play because I did like like the cover it was a fun game. You should give Arcana a try. You should also try Final Fantasy 5 if you haven't played that one.
Front Mission Gun Hazard has been on my backlog list, I never heard of it till SNES drunk mentioned it and I'm hyped, but hopefully responsibly
Yeah! This one's super interesting too, think I might have it on SFC actually. I plan to have a whole other video about Japanese Exclusives though!
Breath of Fire 2 is a 10/10 game. If you can live with it's difficulty and slow walk speed (fixed on the retranslation), you'll be rewarded with a gorgeous looking game, splendid soundtrack and one of the most heart breaking stories you'll ever find on a 16-bit RPG. This game gave me some of the best experiences playing a game on my life. Same goes for Phantasy Star 4 on the Mega Drive/Genesis.
In Europe we have way less JRPGs on the SNES... the only ones from this List we had were Lufia 2 and Breath of Fire 2.
But i was lucky, i had 2 of these from flea markets back then, Chrono Trigger and Arcana.
Nowdays we also have a few more like Chrono Trigger, Breath of Fire, Final Fantasy VI, Mario RPG and Earthbound one way or another.
My first super Nintendo RPG was Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. I don't ever see it included on any 'Top X SNES games' videos. But it had great visuals and music IMHO. It's worth a playthrough at least once if you haven't yet
BoF 1 actually has aged GREATLY when you use MRBL3s to reduce encounter rates. You level just fine without all the random encounters and the game's pace is much more smooth. I just beat it recently on the Switch, and the only downside was what to do next since the hints are pretty cryptic at times.
Neat. I just got into the SNES in 2021, I first beat Earthbound earlier this year. Other than that, I played Chrono Trigger but on the PS1 a long time ago. I want to try and beat Super Mario RPG before the remake comes out. Some great suggestions in there, eventually when I get to Breathe of Fire (and the sequel) I'll be sure to try the retranslation.
Derek do you have a link or source for the breathe of fire 2 translation you were talking about? I've never played the series so it's the version of 2 id probably want. Thanks
Yeah! I think this is the one: www.romhacking.net/translations/1384/ -- this is just the patch, so keep in mind you'll still have to provide the _legally dumped_ ROM and apply the patch yourself. Unfortunately linking to one of those ROM sites directly that hosts what you need in a pre-patched state would be an unwise decision on my part. Hope you'll understand! :)
Secret of Mana, Inindo, and Paladin's Quest are other JRPGs that I love to play.
i like ff 4 ff5 and chrono trigger wayyy more then ff6 i still dont know why everyone thinks ff6 and 7 are the best lol
loved the vid such a trip down memory lane
You should check out Metal Max Returns for Super Famicom. it got an english patch a few years back. Great remake of the OG Famicom game, which also has a fan translation. It's an open world, post apocalypse, JRPG with no main quest. You go where you want, find stories to experience, in any order you wish. Ride through the wasteland in a convoy of tanks, toting shotguns and rifles on foot instead of swords and magic. The creator was apparently sick of Fantasy and it shows in all the old advertising.
Started the Re-translation BOF2 for the first time and as a fan of BOF 3 I can see the roots of the game.
Oh man. This was great. Now you got to do one of these for the PS2.
Honestly, there are sooo many possibilities. Think I'm gonna feel this format out a bit, don't wanna rush it, but I really do feel like there is more like this on the horizon. :)
EarthBound was also the game that got me into RPGs. I am playing Breath of Fire for the first time on the NSO. After that I'll play Breath of Fire 2.
Arcana is fun little romp. My biggest issue with the game was how short it was. You should enjoy it. 7th saga takes place in the same world as Brain Lord.
Hell yeah Robotrek. It's weird, it's tough, I will never set aside time to go through it again but I want to play it again.
Top tier intro work here.
Breath of Fire II re-translated (with Maeson rebalance patch)
Final Fantasy VI Brave New World (with the included vanilla translation patch, if you want. I dont.)
Lufia II "Frue Lufia"
Chrono Trigger Plus
Breath of Fire "War of the Goddess" re-translation
These are some of my personal "definitive" versions of these games. They are some really great romhacks that elevate these already great games to near perfection!
don't forget the "encounter rate fix" patch for both BOF1 and 2.
You should do a video making clear every JRPG ever released on the SNES. I never knew there were only 15!
That's an interesting idea!
Thanks for the nod to my favorite Final Fantasy; FF2 is still my favorite SNES RPG and in the series.
I just played through the Pixel Remaster of 4 and I still loved all 15 hours of it!
It's far from the best game, but it hit on all the right levels for 11 year old me, and the themes still hold up great. Also, the soundtrack!
FF6 is what I'm playing right now, I'm just getting to the Opera scene. I'm excited to break it over my knee again after all these years! 😂
Breath of Fire 2 definitely needed a better translation, but the juxtaposition between its amazing world-building and that atrocious delivery always helped it stand out in my memory.
Wow, 15 hours or so on Pixel Remasters for FF2? It's pretty wild how big RPGs have gotten over the years. 😲
I actually did gasp when you admitted you haven't beaten FF6 yet. When I beat FF6 for the first time, I was so depressed - not because of the ending, but because I would never again learn more about the characters and what happens next.
You've never played Lufia 2?? Oh man, that game is so great. It's 10x better than Lufia 1. You don't have to worry about L2 being too similar to L1, although I hope you like puzzles. The music is amazing as well, be sure to crank that music up when you play.
Breath of Fire 2 is great but I have to warn you that game is a super grind. Level 2 is like 5 xp, Level 3 is 10 xp, then Level 4 is 50,000 xp. I exaggerate, but it really feels like that. And it also has a heavy encounter rate similar to the 1st one. Nowadays when I play BoF2 again, I use a Game Genie cheat to give me like 10,000 exp per fight, and I kid you not, it still feels like a grind at the end. lol
I think that the fan-patch I talked about also re-balances the leveling system? (Not sure, but I _think_ it does...) so hopefully that won't hurt me too badly when I replay it down the line. -- And actually I LOVE puzzles in RPGs. I realize it's hit and miss for some people, but man I love me a good Sokoban puzzle. :)
@@SuperDerek Awesome. That means for Lufia 2 you are in for a treat.
And I also hope that's true about that BoF2 patch... for your sake. LOL
Awwww, young Derek was so cute and cuddly😁 And even had that famous hairdo way back when. What a legend, am I right, or am I right?
I have so many RPG and RPG-adjacent games (visual novels, adventure games) from the PS, PS2 and Super Nintendo (or rather, now that I know the language, Super Famicom) games that I've wanted to play or re-visit that I seriously have very little motivation to think or even care about what's going on with "modern" gaming. Over the past three years, I've made my childhood dreams come true by finally playing Wild Arms Advanced Third and Super Mario RPG in their original language, as well as played and cleared a Dragon Quest game (Dragon Quest 8) for the first time - in addition to finishing the Soul Blader/Gaia trilogy and Ys I/II... and finally getting into a generation I overlooked back in the day with the PSP and PS3 (Dot Game Heroes, Senjyou no Valkyria, Yuusya 30 and Folkssoul are so amazing). Not to mention having gotten a taste (and certainly wanting more) of things like Estopolis 2, Final Fantasies IX, X & XIII, Shadow Hearts, Mother 2, Front Mission, Popolocrois, Atelier Marie, Star Ocean, Tales of Phantasia, Legend of Dragoon... seriously, the list feels never-ending.
Sorry for the essay, but I can't help but get excited when I hear there are so many others in the comments section who feel the same way.
Also, just want to put this out to everybody, if you enjoy this genre of games, seriously consider studying Japanese. Trust me, it won't take that long to get to a level where you can start enjoying the games and once you do, you'll be hooked. Despite being a native English speaker and never having lived in the country myself, I was already enjoying stuff in less than two years, and after about four years I found myself just not even needing to bother with a dictionary. Really, the tools available thanks to the internet make this more than possible - which absolutely wasn't the case when I was growing up in the '90s in the States. It is absolutely worth the effort and I can't imagine people who enjoy this genre of gaming regretting the decision.
Nihongo ga skoshi wakarimasu. Demo, mada, josu ja arimasen.
Hiragana is sadly not my strong suit.
@@SuperDerek がんばってください！(ganbatte kudasai!) There's even a few games being released now with the expressed purpose of teaching non-Japanese speakers the language (yet something else that would have been unimaginable to us 80's/90's kids), such as M2's Tokyo School Life on Switch, which may not be a bad idea to check out!
Derek dont feel bad. I've yet to play Lufia 2 as well xD
Thank you for putting bof2, its still my fav snes rpg even though I like chrono trigger, ff6, etc
Thinking about it now, I realize I've never really gotten to play the SNES version of Final Fantasy IV. Like, I've played almost every other release, just not the first one.
I also started Breath of Fire with the third game, and I never really got to sink my teeth into the SNES games despite owning both (and both of them and Earthbound are on Switch Online!)
And I am so excited for the Mario RPG remake! Man, that's gonna rock
I've heard the SNES version was dumbed down significantly for US players.
“Hype responsibly Derek!”
Breath of Fire II - when I play this game, I feel like a boy again.
I wanna play The Adventures of Hourai High again. I know a lot of people seem to hate it, but there weren't many SNES comedy RPGs outside of Earth Bound and comedy RPGs these days just do reference humour rather than actually being silly fun. I still don't understand the dislike around it.
FFVI is the best of the series, IMO. The stories for each character gives it such depth. VII gets a lot of love because of PS1 and so many were introduced through it (although I think IX is better), but VI was truly a masterpiece and the one by which all others are measured.
BOf2 was my first rpg and i have loved it ever since it came out. The translation is bad, yes, but underneath that is an amazing story with fantastic characters. I havent seen the fan translation but its probably awesome
Arcana looks like a fancy SNES Version of Swords & Serpents on NES
you get my sub. I am fan of Lufia 2 rise of the sinistrals. the story was really good. I agree Lufia 1 was a slog! LOL I also loved earthbound. I too suffer from "no I dont want the game to end. Ill just stop." I have not finished a lot of my old games. I should go back and finish them just to check off my bucket list. I have beaten Lufia 2 several times. Same with earthbound. BOF... that encounter rate did me in. I think i got half way? I have heard all of the games on your list and have played almost all of them. Good luck. if you can try to see if you can play the sailor moon another story. it has multiple endings!!! also XXXXX airship has some AWESOME music! I recall that game being difficult in the beginning.
I grew up playing mostly on gameboy. So my first exposure to the BoF series was there with 1 and 2. I don't think I have ever finished 2, but it is one of my favorites. Only beaten by 3 because 3 is a it more accessible for me, and I love the dragon variety in 3. But if there were a game to re-release or update in the Bof series I would say it's 2. I love all the characters and the story is great. We need more Katt.
I bought the Hype Responsibly shirt! I am still saying Lufia 2 best on the list hands down.
Yessss Super Mario RPG hype!