The Super Nintendo marked a major milestone for the industry, with a technical leap that brought consoles much closer to the visual quality seen in arcades.
Nintendo was eager to make the most of the hardware jump, launching Super Mario World and F-Zero out of the gate, two games that showed off just what the SNES was capable of, especially when compared to the aging tech of the NES.
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The SNES would become notable for its JRPGs, with several all-time classics launching on the system. Companies like Enix and Squaresoft brought their A-game, with titles that would define what it meant to be an JRPG and leave a lasting impression on those who experienced them.
There were some SNES JRPGs that pushed the boundaries of the tech available at the time, with incredible visuals and soundtracks. These games were chock-full of content, going far beyond the paltry runtimes of the era’s platformers, marking them as the most ambitious games on the system.
10
The 7th Saga
Enix Created The Original Battle Royale
Developed by Produce! and published by Enix, The 7th Saga is one of the most underrated JRPGs on the SNES. There’s a good reason for this: the English version of the game was made significantly harder, likely because the rental market was still a huge deal, leading to many titles having their difficulty cranked up.
It’s a huge shame that The 7th Saga left a poor impression on so many people, as it has all kinds of interesting design choices. In The 7th Saga, the player picks one of seven different characters, and they’re tasked with competing against the other six they didn’t pick to claim seven magical runes spread around the world.
The 7th Saga was like a prototype battle royale, as it was possible to forge alliances with some of the other characters, forming a party of adventurers, while facing others on the battlefield.
Those who can get past The 7th Saga’s high difficulty will find one of the unique RPGs on the SNES, one that took a lot of risks and made design choices that were practically unheard of at the time.
9
EarthBound
The Game That Inspired Countless Quirky Indie RPGs
Shigesato Itoi could never have predicted how his quirky little SNES RPG would inspire so many games, especially outside Japan. See, EarthBound’s weirdness meant that it underperformed in North America, and didn’t even see a European release at launch.
However, those who played EarthBound saw just how amazing it was, thanks to its incredible comedic writing and its ability to dial up the darker tone for extra effect. It helped that those who couldn’t afford a second-hand copy (which is still expensive today) could experience it through emulation.
A whole generation of indie developers was inspired by EarthBound. If it weren’t for Ness’ bizarre adventure, there likely wouldn’t be Undertale, Deltarune, the Lisa trilogy, OMORI, or Yume Nikki.
EarthBound was so influential because it leaned into its premise, using a contemporary setting, kid characters, and an endless array of strange enemies. There’s nothing quite like EarthBound, and even its imitators have failed to match what makes it so memorable.
8
Bahamut Lagoon
One of the SNES’ Best JRPGs Is Still Trapped in Japan
A cruel reality of the SNES is that many of its best RPGs never left Japan. This is due to the genre being considered niche and the high cost of producing cartridges, making any potential bomb a huge risk. It took the massive success of Final Fantasy 7 and the cheapness of CDs during the PlayStation era to change the industry’s opinion.
This is why Bahamut Lagoon never saw an international release, despite being one of the best-looking titles on the SNES. In this tactical RPG, the player controls a squad of dragons, alongside standard human adventurers, as they rebel against an invading empire.
Bahamut Lagoon has some of the most gorgeous sprite work on the SNES, with the player able to change their dragons’ forms by feeding them items, turning them into creatures both grand and monstrous.
Square Enix has yet to remaster or remake Bahamut Lagoon, but fans do have options for playing the game, as an English translation can easily be found online, meaning those who want to mount their dragons while understanding what’s being said can do so.
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If you’re feeling nostalgic about the SNES, it’s probably with good reason. This amazing console had a ton of incredibly memorable platformer games.
7
Dragon Quest VI
One of the Best Dragon Quest Games Is a Saga Across Two Worlds
The Dragon Quest franchise had a strong presence in the West during the NES era, but Enix backed off localizing the SNES titles, meaning Dragon Quest 5 and 6 didn’t receive English releases at launch.
The absence of two of the best Dragon Quest games was a huge loss for SNES fans, as they’re among the best entries in the franchise. Dragon Quest 6 is often overlooked by fans, which is strange, as it’s easily a top-tier game.
Dragon Quest 6 is set across two dimensions, allowing the player to travel between the real world and the dream world on a journey to uncover the player characters’ lost memories.
Dragon Quest 6 features an expansive character class system, along with tons of side quests and minigames, making it one of the most expansive SNES JRPGs in terms of content. It also has one of the best optional superbosses in video game history, one that’s well worth defeating, as it unlocks a whole new ending.
6
Radical Dreamers
Chrono Trigger’s Sequel Took A Bold New Direction
The SNES had a Japan-exclusive add-on, called the Satellaview, which allowed games to be downloaded onto blank cartridges via a satellite link. The Satellaview was a curious addition to the SNES library, and some of its games still haven’t been found.
A few companies heavily supported the Satellaview, including Squaresoft, which produced Radical Dreamers, a visual novel/RPG fusion that acted as a sequel to Chrono Trigger.
Radical Dreamers is a strange game, with visuals best described as “goth liminal spaces” as its three characters explore the dangerous halls of Viper Manor in search of the mysterious Frozen Flame. The game occasionally breaks into “Choose your own Adventure” battles, where the player has to pick outcomes and hope for the best.
While a fan translation of Radical Dreamers has been available online for years, it did receive an official English localization in 2022, which was released alongside a remaster of Chrono Cross, the game that was essentially a spiritual remake of Radical Dreamers.
5
Tales Of Phantasia
The SNES Could Barely Contain Tales Of Phantasia
When booting up Tales of Phantasia, it’s hard to believe that it’s a SNES game. Not only does it have voice clips, but its 2D battle system has visuals so crisp and clean that they wouldn’t look out of place on the PlayStation.
Tales of Phantasia is a time-traveling JRPG, where an evil sorcerer named Dhaos keeps appearing in different periods, and needs to be taken down by heroes.
One of the most striking aspects of Tales of Phantasia was its real-time battle system, in which the gameplay switched from an overhead perspective to a side-on view, with the player controlling the party and unleashing their powers as needed.
While Tales of Phantasia did receive a fan-made English patch, it would later receive an official localization in 2006 with its Game Boy Advance remaster. There’s also an English iOS port, but fans have trashed it because the controls are so bad; people should stick to the Game Boy Advance version.
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4
Live A Live
Seven Heroes Must Unite As One To Save Reality
There were several SNES RPGs that dabbled in genres and settings outside the standard fantasy fare, but none went as far as Live a Live, which featured seven heroes from drastically different worlds, where the player got to experience their individual stories, before combining them into one epic wrap-up tale.
Live a Live’s story sections include a ninja stealth stage, where a shinobi must assassinate a rival lord; a brutal caveman world, where the protagonist must fight waves of dinosaurs; an Aliens-inspired horror sci-fi ship, where the service robot has to protect the crew from a rampaging beast; an old western, where two rival gunslingers have to put aside their differences to protect a town; a pro-wrestler story arc, where he must face all comers; a modern day story involving a psychic boy, who must face an evil cult; and the last days of an old martial arts master, who must find a student to learn their techniques.
The battles in Live a Live are turn-based and take place on massive grids, with the chibi visuals of the overworld switched out for massive, detailed character sprites. It’s here where placement means everything, as every attack has an AoE that needs to be accounted for.
Live a Live might be an ambitious game, but it was an ugly one, even for its time. Fortunately, it has received a modern remake that overhauled the visuals, which is the best way to experience the game.
3
Trials Of Mana
Secret Of Mana Could Never Match Its Sequel
Secret of Mana was one of the best action RPGs on the SNES, and is fondly remembered for its co-op multiplayer (a rarity for the genre) and for actually being released in Europe at a time when games were lucky to be released in America.
Unfortunately, Secret of Mana’s superior sequel, Trials of Mana, wouldn’t see an official localization and was only playable via a fan translation for years, until it was finally released in English as part of 2017’s Collection of Mana.
It’s a huge shame that Trials of Mana took so long to be localized, as it’s one of the most ambitious games on the SNES. The player picks three characters from six possible candidates, and the choices determine several key points in the story, especially the boss fights.
Throw in the fact that each character has branching job paths with unique powers, and the end result is a game with tons of drastically different story routes for players to experience.
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Decades after their release, these games continue to inspire modern titles.
2
Final Fantasy VI
Only One SNES Game Could Cram An Opera Scene In
Squaresoft was always pushing the SNES hardware to its limits, cramming massive worlds and expansive gameplay systems into tiny SNES cartridges. This culminated in Final Fantasy 6, one of the SNES’s densest titles in terms of content.
Final Fantasy 6 follows Terra, one of the few people in the world with the ability to use magic. After being freed from mind control by the evil Gestahl Empire, Terra joins a resistance group that seeks to restore magic to the world while also overthrowing the imperial forces, who use advanced technology to crush all opposition.
Final Fantasy 6 has a massive roster of playable characters, with a story spread across two different overworlds. The game pushed the SNES’ hardware to its absolute limit, using the Mode 7 3D trickery whenever possible to give the world map a distinct feel when exploring it.
It’s just a shame that Final Fantasy 6 was so buggy, with a tendency to wipe saves or crash during the end boss fight. The game could be a pain to play, but those lucky enough to dodge these glitches were in for one of the best entries in the franchise.
1
Chrono Trigger
Few Games Have Ever Matched the SNES’ Best JRPG
The video game medium has seen the most technical innovations, with modern titles far outstripping anything the 8- or 16-bit era could achieve visually.
However, graphics aren’t everything, as evidenced by Chrono Trigger, a game released over thirty years ago, still being counted among the greatest video games of all time. No amount of ray-tracing or 4K resolutions can match the heart and soul of a game produced by three titans of the industry at the height of their game.
Chrono Trigger is a time-traveling RPG, where a group of adventurous teens learns that the world is going to end in the year 1999 when an alien bursts from the ground and wipes out nearly all life. It’s up to the heroes to use their ability to traverse the ages to gather allies and information about their foe, in order to prevent the apocalypse.
Chrono Trigger is a masterpiece of game design, with an unforgettable roster of characters and one of the best soundtracks on the system. It’s ironic that this game about time travel is the one that has become timeless, as fresh to play now as it was in 1995.
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Pop in the cartridge and get playing.
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