After over 1300 comments, I thought I'd pin a "Frequent Comments" post up here. 1, "zelda is an RPG and ur stupid lol, u have illusion of gaia on here but not zelders??" Yes, in the most uselessly pedantic and strict definition of "role playing game," Link to the Past is an RPG. You're playing as a role, and that role is Link. However, under this definition, absolutely any game can be a role playing game. Even stuff like Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball. So, when it comes to video games, the context changes of how "role playing game" is used. You need to make the character grow, not just by items (like in LttP) but by getting stronger and learning new abilities, usually through experience points. Will in Illusion of Gaia and even Albert in Front Mission Gun Hazard utilize this. Their characters grow through combat. That's what make those games role playing games. Link is a static character. The only way Link gets stronger in LttP is by collecting a shitload of items, most of which are used to solve puzzles. (Or, in other words, what you do in a typical action-adventure game.) 2, "Chrono Trigger is better on DS and by your own rules, should not be on this video." I put 30something hours into the DS version, and the extra content is not worth exploring, and it's definitely not essential. I even prefer the original SNES translation. It's still best experienced on Super Nintendo. 3, "Where is [Bahamut Lagoon, Fire Emblem 4, Secret of Evermore, Dragon Quest, etc?]" Elsewhere.
It seems crazy to me that people don't like to think of Zelda as an RPG, when it was clearly designed to be one. Nintendo may have handled character progression in a non-traditional and streamlined manner, but that doesn't change the fact that Link permanently gains access to new abilities, more HP, and attack damage, making him stronger. Experience points aren't essential to RPGs, Brogue for example doesn't feature them, and many RPGs that do often link them to other gameplay elements besides combat, such as puzzles.
Zelda is an RPG and an adventure. You seem to be one of those who think stats and exp mean RPG. And to quote you, everything can be an RPG then. Even Soccer games.
I AM a bit surprised the Mother 3 doesn't make this list, as it's as strong as it's predecessors mechanically and visually, but also possibly more ambitious from a narrative perspective.
FFVI and Chrono Trigger are still my 2 all time favorite games ever. Even though I have played through and completed them dozens upon dozens of times, they never get old.
It's so weird because I LOVED chrono trigger as a kid, it was one of my all time favorite games and sadly my file got ruined when I was nearly finished because I saved it in a spot where my character was stuck (bug/glitched?) and I never bothered to start a new one. Now 2 full decades later I just revisited this one and I find it just kind of meh now. Idk why I am nitpicking it so hard but I guess my expectations for games has changed over the years
I'm so happy that you included Lufia 2 on the list. That game holds a special place in my heart as it was the first game I bought with my own money back when I was in elementary school. I wouldn't spend all of my pocket money for lunch just to save for this game, and when I finally had the whole $30 in cents and dollars, I remember going to the electronic store with my parents with a pouch bulging with coins, I was a bit embarrassed because the cashier had to count it all out...it was worth it though, such a good game, and that boss theme song, hearing it again gave me the goosebumps!! This was also during a time when we didn't have the luxury of online reviews, sure there were gaming mags but I couldn't find any that reviewed Lufia 2, I bought it simply because the screenshots on the back looked good, boy did I strike it lucky!
@@planescaped same here. I'd definitely include Lufia 2 in my top 5. I loved the characters, the puzzles, and the monsters you get to raise and evolve. But that ending was crushing.
Lufia 2 was one of those games that was really cheap for sale at Blockbuster when I got it. It still has the Blockbuster sticker on it, but man did I love that game. That and Breath of Fire 2 are series that I wish could have kept going on longer than they did. I have been playing WoW since the original alpha, and I think I have more time spent between BoF 2 and Lufia 2 than I do in almost 20 years as a hardcore raider in WoW. That's how great those games were.
Same. Just bought it because it looked good. Some of the puzzles made me a little nuts, and there weren't gaming sites to help out back then. I just told myself the Jewel Sonar must be bugged. 😆 Eventually the answers were available though. One that had me stumped was, "when the date changes in the back, something will happen". So simple.
I couldn't find it to buy here in Brazil, but at least I used to rent it a lot. For me it's the traditional RPG game I like the most from SNES, although I know the superiority of Chrono Trigger. I REALLY love the graphics of this game and its puzzles. Ieven played it more in the Emulator era, way more than CT. I don't know why but I was always lazy to play CT. But don't get me wrong... I LOVE CT.
I played it first on an emulator because I didn't even know about it in the 90s, but then I had to get the cart and play it on the actual SNES. Still have it.
I completely agree with you. I played Terranigma for the first time this year after watching SNES Drunk and fell in love. Few games have sat with me so much since. I've constantly found myself revisiting the soundtrack and just thinking about the story. I actually wrote an article on it (along with Soul Blazer & Illusion of Gaia) for Goomba Stomp: goombastomp.com/terranigma-the-best-action-rpg-on-the-snes/ There are few games like Terranigma.
As an big RPG fan; I really want to play this game. I hope they'll remake it & bring it to outside Japan like there doing with Seiken Densetsu 3 ( now called Trials of Mana ).
@@jjc4924 When he says "play any way you can" he's giving you a hint without coming right out and saying it. 5 minutes and 2 downloads later, you could be playing today. Totally recommend it as well. This is my fav SNES game.
@@brodestalixtocaun6262 what the fuck does that mean, lmao. I didn't even touch not being able to get a game. And besides, I have insanely limited options to emulate, and I don't like them.
@@nateblack8669 Play Brave New World mod, just to change things a bit, I recently finished a playthrough of it. It notably changes the battle system so it feels almost like a different game, so fun times
Anybody who hasn't tried this game needs to stop whatever they're doing, pop it in their SNES and experience the wonder of Earthbound. In my top 10 games of all time
Earthbound is my favorite rpg ever. Played it back in the 90s when it was released and still have my Earthbound cartridge. I dust it off and replay it about once a year.
It definitely had a great story, but sadly even squenix admits they tried to do too much story with each character, which honestly, the game could and should have been bigger than it was, but, well, cartridge size and all...
@@therogueveteran They're too close to say that definitively. Without 6 there would be no 7 that's for sure. I would have loved to see a 6 remake, definitely a title that deserves one.
Yo my brother got this one and I was a bit young to fully get into it but I'd watch him play through the whole thing, upon playing it again I was blown away with what they were able to do with a SNES cartridge for that game
Loved Shadowrun too, SNES version was a JRPG version of Shadowrun, and the Genesis version tried to translate the pen and paper game into video game. I didn't care for the Genesis version though, unfortunately.
@Owen Marble persona 5 is one of my favorites but i doubt ff7 remake will even come close to it and i don't get all the hype for it. from what i've seen it looks like an average action game and they are breaking it into at least 3 parts, probably more, just to milk that hype as much as possible. since most people are seemingly brainwashed by the hype behind it, it could be terrible but would still be praised as goty by many.
@Owen Marble I doubt FF7 Remake will ever get released, at least not fully. March seems way too ambitious, and even then, it's only likely to be Episode 1. Personally, I'm going to wait to pick up the complete edition on PS6.
Been following the channel for about a year and this is my first comment (though I always leave a like). Thanks for every video. I love the snes and play it even more than I play with my PS4. Keep up with the amazing work!!
Exactly same for me. FF6 was my first RPG, but I kinda gave up somewhere in the beginning. Then I played CT, and oh man. Then I got back to FF6, and it was great.
This game was the best RPG hands down. If the multiple endings wasnt enough each character was awesome!!! In FF you always have one or two characters you just dont like. In Chrono trigger they're all bad-ass. I never liked Ayla at first, but after I used her she's the best Melee character in the game. Her STR and spd are at max WAY before everyone else.
@@michaelsong5555 Even against multiple targets her Dual Tech with Crono, Called Falcon toss I think is still deadly. I level her up immediately when I get her now.
@El Carlos its faster if you bypass the expansion element,(did not even know about on 1st play) makes it a casual 7-10 day playthrough, and the ending will expose your soul.
@@Mephil Xenogears has the best RPG _story_ ever made. As a game it's alright but it has issues. I think it would've worked a lot better as an anime due to the absolute scope of it's lore.
@@jojonta2119 Disagree, gameplay wise it was awesome. Battle system was a blast and way ahead of its time. The second disk was what people have problems with (I honestly don't) and the reason why they have problems with it is because its like an anime and not a game. So why would the game have been better as an anime, if the part of the game that was like one is arguably the worst part of it??
Great list! I'm 40 and the highlight of my childhood was renting each of these games and trying to beat them within one weekend with my friend, staying up all night on Friday and Saturday and trying to complete them by 6pm when they had to be returned to the rental store. I think your list is extremely accurate and regret not appreciating Earthbound and Chrono Trigger as much as I should have at the time. My issue with FF6 was that you'd level up your guys but then they'd leave indefinitely so you'd never know if you were going to have them again or if you did, if they'd come back stronger and all your time with them previously was wasted. Otherwise a very top RPG for the console and deserving of a top slot. I think my favorite game, that combined the best elements of all the aforementioned, never existed.
A masterful list truly, this will go down as one of RU-vid history go to videos when consulting for the best jrpg's, ever made. The captured footage here is gorgeous, such important moments in all games.
I am pretty new to the retro gaming scene. I completed Metroid and I've completed Super Metroid twice, and I was looking for something new. Something my dad, who grew up playing the NES and Genesis, never got into. RPGs. I heard Chrono Trigger's music a long long time ago on RU-vid, but I decided to try it out a few months ago. I played a tiny bit of it, not expecting to get anywhere really, but it blew my mind. I haven't ever played anything as fun or as intriguing as Chrono Trigger. Fast forward two months, and I have 2 out of 13 endings completed, and I have to say I've never been happier. After I complete all the endings, I'm glad you gave me inspiration for what to play next!
Hautaka as someone who loves this game more than anything in life, your words brings genuine warmth to my heart. Chrono Trigger is the best game ever made, and in my opinion the greatest work of art to ever exist. I literally have beaten that game HUNDREDS of times. I have the original for SNES, the psX port, the DS “remake”, on my Wii from the Nintendo Store, and on my iPhone. I play it mostly on my phone and SNES. Oh and I have it on my emulator on both my laptop and PC. The music, characters and story are unmatched by any game out there. It’s just simply incredible. Play Chrono Cross for PS1 and then play the fan mod Chrono Trigger: Flames of Eternity
@@christophermurray9192 Thank you! I'm hesitant on Chrono Cross because as far as I am aware it doesn't feel anything like Trigger, but I might as well give it a shot. Also I'm not sure where to find Flames of Eternity anymore. It sounds intriguing and I hope it didn't get shut down like many fan mods.
Hautaka Chrono Cross doesn’t feel like Trigger until the end of disc 1 but even then it’s still nothing compared to its predecessor. Cross would have been better off as a stand alone game but if you play the DS remake or iPhone port there is a new last boss and it’s the same as the final boss from cross, bringing everything full circle. I highly recommend playing everything. Play Breath of Fire, all of them. Play Grandia 2, you can get it for Dreamcast. There’s also a laggy shitty PS2 port. I believe there’s also a collection that recently came out for PC or is soon. Final Fantasy 7. Just play it if you haven’t already. Legend of Legaia. Both of them are great RPGs with a unique combat system that’s a lot of fun. Those are some of my favorites.
cross is a really good game but the combat system is so boring compared to trigger. i was expecting a similar combat style with more depth but it was much more simple and bland to me.
Spoilers: Not God for once, rather a godlike alien mutant who went Tetsuo under the mental pressure of the tyrannical civilization he was meant to rule.
Yeah, I feel like Secret of Mana had a more classic feel so it gets more attention but the mechanics of Evermore were better. Also loved the Cecil cameo.
don't be. Tales of Phantasia is a fun experiment, but the game itself is far from stellar. There's two points to that: 1. The PSX remake is way more polished, and. 2. The first Star Ocean actually improved everything ToP had to offer, making it worth playing for the franchise, but not for the quality of the game itself.
Tales of phantasia offered to much to the experience. The puzzles and story line alone should have gotten mentioned. The battle system was quite unique to anything that I had seen from that time. The food system was a very hot topic especially in lengthy dungeons because of the amount of tp you had to negate, for farming purposes it was almost useless because going back to rest every few minutes was not a big deal. Some of the bosses where nerve racking at best especially without the proper equipment. Even though your inventory was severely limited. Still one of my favorite games even when you account for 64 bit games and MMOs.
I got back and forth on this in my mind a lot. To me, FF6 is "better" than Chrono Trigger. But to me Crono Trigger is the more iconic game, and therefore better. I feel like Crono Tigger is the most edited down JRPG of all time and that's part of why it's the best, ever. Every member of the cast feels necessary. Every item feels necessary. Every location, boss and story element feels necessary. Nothing in Chrono Trigger feels repeated, unimportant, or uninteresting. It's just VERY streamlined and absolutely the game you should hand someone to say "this is a JRPG" or "This is the Super Nintendo." It's an iconic game.
If octopath was somehow made back on the snes exactly as it is today, it would be difficult to not see it being in the top 5 on this list with an outside chance at number 2/3 for a lot of people depending on personal preference. It just came out now instead of then. All that being said... it shows that they do certainly still make em like they used to, just not so mainstream usually.
Final Fantasy 6 is like when you have ALL the right people. It felt like they had the right developers and MOST IMPORTANTLY the right corporate managers. People who were not interfering with the creative team. It was an amazing project. Never had an equal in my opinion.
Chrono Trigger, The first time I played it I was so depressed in my room. After I finished it, I felt way better about myself. That game molded a part of my personality on so many levels.
@@trollingisasport Super Mario RPG was the sendoff for the SNES, in my opinion. I had begun to become disinterested in gaming and then SMRPG came out and LOOKED like something from another generation as well as being incredibly fun to play. That was my last hurrah with the SNES before I got a PS1.
I was depressed when my family moved from the north to the south and the game that I wound up playing to get me through it was Hook. I literally played the game every day from beginning to end after school for about 2 weeks.
I remember when I first played Chrono back in the 90s there was a real and snowstorm like no school for a week played the hell out of it while liesening to the black album
FFVI vs. Chrono Trigger. there is no contest. Chrono Trigger wins hands down. The best video game ever committed to silicon. period. i say that with the addition that Final Fantasy VI is my favorite game of all time! they both definitely have their merits, but in terms of story and scope, the most prevalent factors in RPGs, Chrono Trigger is the victor. great list! also, i like how your intros are seemingly made to piss of those who think they're annoying. fwiw, they're not annoying. they're unique and very distinctive. keep up the great work, man!
Idk man, I've always loved 4 more than 6. And 9 more than 7. 4 & 9 are the 2 FFs I've played more than any others. Despite playing every port of FF4 the game a total over 20 times. I've never played the after years. Idk if I'll like it and ruin my favorite 2d FF story
This was great! Thanks for sharing. Chrono Trigger, FF6, and Super Mario RPG are all some of my favorites. I need to check out the Front Mission, Lufia, and Mana series games.
@@peterplaysbass to me, I thought about it really hard, it's even top one. I asked my younger brother who didn't play it that much and told me Secret of Evermore as well, which surprised the heck out of me. He's a fighting game guy so I thought he's say Street Fighter 2 or something. LOL
Lufia 2 is probably my 2nd favorite RPG of all time. The Ancient Cave was so rewarding. The comedy from Dekar was always something to be waiting on. Tia's story line really pulled at the heart strings. I hate to say it but I just couldn't get into FFVI but I might revisit it. FFIV is my all time favorite, but that may be that it was one of the very few games I had the luxury of owning as a youngster besides Mario Kart and Killer Instinct. Mom relied heavily on the 99 cent Tuesdays at the rental place, and let's face it, if you were around during rental times as a kid when it was at its height, you likely got disappointed when they didn't have the game in stock you were looking for. I would convince my mom to let me keep Lufia 2 until the following Tuesday and pay off the debt by doing a lot of housework since the store only had one copy. Now i sit here with some odd 380 games installed on my Xbox and still love going back and playing the classics. Edit: I really enjoyed the video by the way.
Omg, I heard the illusion of Gaia music at the start and immediately became a kid again. What an amazing memory, sitting in my basement completely lost in this incredible story line...... my brother bitching at me because he wants to play street fighter. 🙄 good times.
It is an action based adventure RPG. If Terranigma, Soublazer and Illusion of Gaia is in his list, then Link to the past is fitting what this ass hole is categorizing as RPGs.
Mario RPG was such a good game! They pulled it off masterfully. No big surprise that Chrono Trigger took the number 1 spot. That game is legendary, it cannot be denied. Also glad to see Illusion of Gaia on the list, had a lot of fun with that one back in the day! Thanks for the amazing content we always!
The SNES was a goldmine for amazing JRPGs. So lucky to have lived through that era. FF6 and Chrono Trigger still remain my favorite games of all time. Sooooooo good. Was always torn between which I liked more so I decided a long time ago both are number 1 to me. Great list.
I loved how deep ffvi was. But loved the replayability of chrono trigger. I remember when I bought that game. I got all thirteen endings that same week.
@@matsujonen I'd have to agree 100% with you on that. CT still stands as my most replayed game ever. I did the same as you with the endings, maybe not AS quickly tho and have replayed it at least 1 or 2 times a year since it released.
I remember getting introduced to Chrono Trigger in middle school by a friend who showed me the PSX port. Flash-forward to 2019, I now do a completion run of CT probably once a year (I tracked down an original SNES cart & play it on original hardware). CT is the game that all game studios should REQUIRE their employees to play. It's nearly perfect in every catagory: art/graphics, story, gameplay, music, "fun factor", etc. Anyways, have a wonderful Thanksgiving, SNESDrunk, & thank you for yet another quality video. You rock
I was obsessed with CT back in 96. I'd play it every weekend from the beginning, over and over. Gradually, I found every secret in the game. It was my addiction
Terranigma is still my favorite, it's story really got to me. I haven't played a few of these games, like Lufia 2 or Gun Hazard yet, so maybe they'll become favourites
Really wish they would port it to iPhone without changing anything except maybe let you get back earlier characters like dekar to use later on in the game, and put it on Nintendo switch since now they got snes on there.
Missed out on a lot of these as a kid due to attention span but as I’m older now I can really enjoy and appreciate a good RPG. Played a couple of these but definitely gotta do the whole list. Good stuff man 😮💨
i was shocked how late i found out about it and how fun it was. had to play it with a ROM on my family pc, It would not go pass a certain area and I had to download other ones and they crashed too. never finished it. :(
"No, Link to the Past is not an RPG" THANK YOU! Have no idea why people keep thinking games like that are RPG's at all. Love the content on the channel as well, keep up the awesome work!
If that was ever called an RPG then actual RPG's would have a whole different term to describe an entirely different genre, setting, and theme. How the hell could link to the past be described in an RPG in any way..
@@iamlucidess I've met so many people that say its and RPG because you "take on the role of link". So my response is to call everything else an RPG because you take on the roll of sonic, mario, megaman, donkey kong, etc. It is absolutely a stretch to call link to the past an RPG, because it is exactly what SNES DRUNK called it.
Well probably because its a top down thingie where you go around, solve puzzles, talk to characters in town etc. But yeah, I get it and don't also enjoy those rpg's where everything is set in certain places and you can't alter your experience any way.
@@brudel001 top down games that require you to solve puzzles doesn't make a game an rpg though. You don't have anything that alters stats, or gain experience from battle.
I wish they could make more Breath of Fire games as good as the older ones. Breath of Fire 3 was my absolute favorite(it's for PSX so obviously it wouldn't be on this list). The newer ones they've released just were not as good. 4 was okay, but Dragon Quarter just.....*shudder*
Chrono Trigger is a masterpiece. I remember the sense of panic in battles I wasn’t prepared for. Dying and being SO frustrated but determined to squash it. I’m 37 and Chrono Trigger is my #1 pick as well. Man I love that game.
Dude, terranigma is a gosh darn masterpiece. When you can't talk to the animals anymore I cried. The way it integrates real world inventions and people into the game and it's non grind heavy mechanics were perfect to me.
The ending is soooo good. Ark dreaming he's a bird and going to see Elle, and then the Crystal theme plays...it's so hard not to cry there. And the ice caves with the goat is just heart wrenching.
Thank you for this list. Huge nostalgia hit. I realize I missed on a lot of good Rpg games back then and that reminds me to fix my damn laptop so I can go back to emulate those gems.
The whole reason I got into retropie modding was to play that game. Never played it as a kid but became my second favorite game of all time, 2nd only to kingdom hearts 2
It makes me sad that a lot of younger gamers don't realize just how fantastic this era of gaming was for it's time. 1990 thru 1999 (SNES/SEGA/PS1/N64) was like a greatest hits decade for gaming.
I genuinely feel bad for young gamers these days. This is the worst generation of gaming- there are no innovations left to be wowed by, and the industry has started to rot. I feel privileged to have grown up as a 90s gamer, even if I did have to put up with living in Australia and being treated like a 3rd-class gamer as a result (I think only *four* the games on this list were ever even released in our territory, although we did get Terrangima at least).
and to anyone who says that Secret of mana has bad hit detection, i like to say they dont know how to properly play it and certain weapons at certain orb lvls react differently to different enemy variables, now speaking of bad hit detection, secret of Evermore DOES indeed has that issue where everything detects really really bad. this wasnt a stab at you brother but i do encourage you to try different weapons on the tough skinned monsters and ct ect, youl see what i mean, the battle system on SOM is utterly decades ahead of its time with all the math and percentages, id even call it a precursor to skyrim with the weapon enchantments!
@@johnnybaum7957 they also forgot super famicom wars, the fire emblem series, front mission (not gun hazard), energy breaker, emerald dragon, treasure of rudras, treasure hunter g and langrisser. different strokes for different folks i guess.
I agree. Also, Treasure of the Rudras is a top 5 for me. And Romancing Saga 3 is up there in the top 10. Shin Megami Tensei, Energy Breaker and Chaos Seed are great games too. I guess it just proves that the SNES/SFC was a great console for RPGs.
As stated in the opening of the video, games that are better experienced on other consoles were excluded; and I think that comment specifically referred to Star Ocean. The PSP release was, in every possible way, a better version of the game than the SNES/SF original. As for Tales of Phantasia... I don't recall that I played the GBA release, but I *heard* it was much improved.
What about Dragon Quest? I'd have put at least Dragon Quest V and III on the list, now I get that some people would prefer other versions of DQ5, but I'd argue that the SNES versions of I, II and III are still the definitive versions...
Chrono trigger hands down is one of the most fun games to play. The music with the story arc are perfect. Completely changed characteristic walk and at any random time you can walk into an enemy type rpg
@MonsieurHiroshima yes. I've finished them and more as well. SNES is considered one of the greatest cause of their strong rpg library. I'd say ff6 is the best out of all of them. They could've done a top 20 cause there's so much more
@MonsieurHiroshima of course it was. Im glad i had the time and pacience. All of these rpgs deserve to be played at least once if you truly like the genre!
Playing Chrono Trigger, especially as a kid gives meaning to life, even outside the virtual world. You take something beautiful with you as you grow up and take on the challenges that life throws at you.
Thank you,. Takes me way back I'll never forget all the hour of beautiful gameplay, be it on a win98 znes emu or on the console ,this video brings back beautiful memories 👑
I remember playing Chrono Trigger on my DS back in middle school and absolutely loving it! It wasn’t until another year later when I found out it was originally a SNES game and appreciate it as my favorite game of all time even to this day.
Rob Playing the DS version on a Wii U is by far the best way to play it. On the DS, it’s sort of difficult to read the text, but on the Wii U, it’s perfect.
FF6 is a top 3 RPG. It's story is like a full on opera-level story. Character mechanics are all completely unique and different. One requires street fighter motions, another absorbs magic, and another charges by waiting before unleashing increasingly powerful sword attacks, another turns every item in your inventory into a throwing object. It's the pinnacle of RPG.
Chrono Trigger defined so much of my aesthetical sense... The world really seemed to become something marvelous since I first played it. Game of my life for sure
A fair, well-thought out list. I was so happy to see the love for Super Mario RPG, and as for the top two I think it could go either way. Your reasoning for each felt sound. Thanks for this video!