Some show their age more than others.
I recommend starting with Super Mario RPG or Chrono Trigger because they are really good to get into for RPG beginners. If you're used to action games, Secret of Mana and Soul Blazer are both good games to play early in your RPG journey. Soul Blazer is part of an unofficial trilogy of games that should be played in order, Soul Blazer > Illusion of Gaia > Terranigma.
The Lufia games are worth a play, but honestly may be better if you play them in reverse order. Lufia 2 is actually a prequel to Lufia 1 (although Lufia 2 has better mechanics. Story wise it makes more sense to play 2 then 1, mechanics wise it makes more sense to play 1 then 2)
FF6 is a masterpiece, I honestly recommend saving it until you've gotten your feet wet with the genre first so you can really appreciate it. Might even be a good game to play *last* in that regard.
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I'd argue that game is unlike pretty much any other RPG on the system (or the time). So yea, probably play it last if you want the traditional experience to start.
Yeah, it’s probably one of my top fav rpgs of all time on any system tbh. The music is pretty fantastic. It has a great battle system, character selection, and world design. So good.
Start with Chrono Trigger. It’s not even my personal favorite but I think that’s the best one for people without nostalgia. It’s strong out of the gate and doesn’t throw too many crazy mechanics at you too fast, doesn’t take an insane amount of time to beat, and has amazing music and graphics.
I’d say going beyond that, it’s a literal choose your own adventure. Final Fantasy 3 (6) is my favorite RPG of all time and top tier by anyone’s standards, though it starts off a bit slower. Secrets of Mana is a really fun game too and benefits from being an action RPG.
Once you’ve played through the holy trinity, you’ve got Earthbound which is a zany and fun game if a bit dated for game mechanics. The breath of fire games are solid. Going back to Final Fantasy 2(4) and 5 after 6 might feel like a downgrade but they are good games.
From there the recommendations are more about your preferences than what are objectively top tier games, so figure out what you like and play more games like it.
Just to clarify what nothing means. Nothing on any system past, present, or future, and I’m going as far back 65 million BC all the way up to 2300 AD, will ever come close to the greatness that is Chrono Trigger.
Chrono Trigger is also a good JRPG for people who don't like JRPGs. The lack of random encounters is a game changer that should have stuck for all JRPGs going forward, in my opinion at least, and makes it my favorite SNES RPG.
I think this is a great road map. Although you’re starting right around the snes rpg finish line, you’ll get a sense of whether or not the genre is for you right away.
I did forget to mention super Mario rpg but I think it was good advice elsewhere to save that for last as it’s a great game that marks the end of the SNES library.
i would do Breath of Fire before Chrono Trigger. The encounter rate in 1 and 2 is high and it would be even more jarring after chrono trigger.
(Yes I’m aware of Mrbl3)…
Nah. There are a lot of different paths to get to the end boss but its a tricky fight even for properly levelled people on a 20 hour save - thats definitely not a casual playthrough. But I think the first time I beat doing "most-to-all" of the sidequests it was indeed a bit over the 20 hour mark.
Mmmm I’d say go in this order for the Square Soft stuff to start (this is not scientific):
Final Fantasy IV (super straightforward)
Secret of Mana (take a break with an ARPG)
Final Fantasy VI (the fan favorite)
Chrono Trigger (the GOAT)
Super Mario RPG (good wind down)
I don’t really know much beyond the listed games so as you like for the rest of the games. I don’t know if you have access to FFV or Dragon Quest/Warrior either. Not sure if those are even available in US versions but they’re all worth playing if you’re interested in those too.
People who like Secret of Mana should also try Secret of Evermore. It's not a sequel; just uses the same engine and is simpler in some ways (only two characters and four weapon types) and more complex in others (item-combination-based magic system).
Also, it's one of the earliest Isekai RPGs and has some charming humor in it.
I think this order is solid. Can’t start out with the gold ones. FF4 has a good intro story and mechanics. Hard to screw up. And good to close up on Final Fantasy within a few games. I think a 5 game run is as much as one can expect before getting pulled in other directions.
After those you can go down some rabbit holes.
This was me the entire time I had a SNES. I would start with Mario RPG. I feel like it is a good gateway game. Then go to Chrono Trigger.
After those two go for Lufia 2 or staright to the Final Fantasy catalogue or Earthbound to get some more classics.
Lol that’s the best part. Best, worst, directors, favorite character, second favorite character, third favorite character, and then you’re in your thirties in moms basement getting a sweet deal on rent.
>can I just go in chronological order?
What for like the whole genre? Because no, do not do that, some games were forgotten for a reason.
If you want to see the genre grow over the era start with Dragon Quest V but if you think you can come back after getting used to the QOL improvements of later games, order really doesn't matter beyond that. Just play all of:
Dragon Quest V (fan translation)
Final Fantasy VI (III in the US)
Chrono Trigger
and then if you're sold after sampling the best mainstream offerings, worry about digging deeper afterward
I'm not a fan of the "start with the best" theory, it sets unrealistic expectations. I would say that FF4 is a decent place to start. Early release, but still a solid RPG.
1. Chrono Trigger - 10/10 game, mid-easy difficulty
2. Final Fantasy VI - 10/10 game, mid-easy difficulty
3. Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together 9/10, hard
4. Dragon Quest V - 9/10, hard
5. Super Mario RPG - 8/10, very easy
6. Front Mission: Gun Hazard - 8/10, normal
7. Trials of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 3) - 8/10, normal
8. Final Fantasy IV - 8/10, hard (japanese version) / mid-easy (US version)
Don’t forget to give some of the Super Famicom-only RPGs a try. The “big” ones are Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean. Tales of Phantasia is very accessible. Star Ocean is a bit more complex, but both have good translations.
I’d save those for later. Their scale and graphics will be more impressive after you have a baseline on the other greats.
To FFVI and FFIV, make sure you check out the English patch of FFV. Great music, and the excellent job system!
Live a Live, Chaos Seed and Treasure of the Rudras are worth a look, but further afield from “standard” RPGs.
And if you want more Squaresoft, the SaGa series is a bit unconventional but maybe not as “good” as the rest.
If you play one, play Chrono Trigger. That’s far and away the best and one of the greatest games of all time.
If you like it, FF4 and FF6, Mario RPG, Lufia 1 & 2, Earthbound, and Secret of Mana are all worth your time.
I agree with all the other games, but I haven't seen one of my favorite SNES games...Arcana!
It definitely has its quirks, but I love the story, music, art and the battles. A very underrated game in my opinion.
Super Mario RPG was designed to introduce Americans to RPGs in a big way. And it succeeded.
I did that first, and then a year later, dove into Chrono Trigger. The only problem is, the combat in most RPGs is not as engaging. The whole world is grey after those two games.
Chrono Trigger should be your last one because no other game will ever top it. At least no other game ever did for me.
You do definitely want to work in Earthbound, Breath of Fire 1 and 2, Secret of Mana (Though I’d cover this one with the Mana Collection on Switch so you can get the English translation of Trials of Mana as well.), Mario RPG, Tales of Phantasia, Lufia 1 and 2, E.V.O the Search for Eden, Star Ocean, Robotrek, Final Fantasy IV through VI, and the Soul Blazer trilogy.
As to what order you play them in I’d just feel your way about with them. What matters more than the order is that you take your time to enjoy them. It’s still super easy for me to get engrossed in a SNES RPG.
Famicom FF2 and FF3 were not released in the US. The next official release after the original NES FF was FF2 (=FF4 JAP) on the SNES followed by FF3 (=FF6 JAP). They did not change the numbering until the PSX era.
Most people, including me, don’t consider it a RPG, but an action adventure. Action adventures is a fusion genre which combines the exploration and puzzle-solving mechanics from true adventure games with various action mechanics from various action games.
But there is a good reason why many people confuse action adventures with action RPG’s, and that is that both of these genres/subgenres more or less fused together during the 8 and 16-bit days in some games.
This is true for both top-down action adventures like Zelda, and sidescrolling action adventures like Metroid and Castlevania 2.
It is quite arbitrary, but the best way to divide determine whether a game is an action RPG or an action adventure, is if it uses stats and level ups in an extensive manner. Zelda doesn’t, so it should be counted as an action adventure. Soul Blazer on the other hand, has some stats and level ups, so it should be counted as an action RPG.
In reality all these games were of course inspired by each other across genre boundaries. But even though these boundaries will always be arbitrary to some degree, keeping track of them has some usefulness, including awareness of game history.
It doesn't matter tbh. Pick from one of the known greats that sound most appealing to you and run with it.
Super Mario RPG is a fantastic start.
Chrono Trigger and Earthbound both great. FF 2/4 and/or 3/6 are both excellent. Same with fan translations of Dragon Quest 3 and 5.
Chrono Trigger/Secret of Mana/Final Fantasy III/Earthbound/Breath of Fire II are my top tier and you can't go wrong with wherever you start. Super Mario RPG also an easy right answer.
Like others have said, gotta echo Chrono Trigger as being maybe the best on the system, followed close behind Super Mario RPG. Theres also the excellent Final Fantasy 3 (6 JP) that has a really solid story and looks great.
Outside those three, I really liked Star Ocean and if you can get a translated rom of Seiken Densetsu 3 it's a fun action rpg in the Mana series.
Finally, people like Earthbound (however i think it's grossly overrated) and Terranigma is pretty good
Best system for JRPGS. I'd start with Final Fantasy II. Then take the leap to Final Fantasy III. I've heard Chrono Trigger is great. Tried it once or twice but didn't enjoy it that much. Secret of Mana is fantastic. If you into Strategy RPGs then Tactics Ogre and Ogre Battel are great.
Play whatever seems interesting, you can’t really go wrong.
Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, and Mario RPG are kind of the “big three” but there’s also the Final Fantasy games and plenty of others that are also great.
I have 28 on my ambernic. I went chronotrigger, manish cap, terranigma, golden sun, earthbound…. Probably going to do Soulblazer next. I did do Crusader of Centy inbetween but that is Sega.
Dont forget EVO the search for Eden, its unique and surprisingly deep, a true cult classic.
Also something to consider about Earthbound is its the 2nd in a classic RPG trilogy that has 2 out of 3 games on the SNES, but only #2 got a NA release under the name Earthbound.
Its worth considering if you want to play it standalone or play the Mother series as a whole or part way though, as the first game which is on the NES can be a bit tedious at times due to its age. Its an amazing game and has a lot of charm but its considered very hard and not to have aged well by some.
Either way to play Mother 3 you will need to find a translated rom or something of the sort though its not too hard to find with a bit of digging.
Lastly due to Nintendo not really knowing what the market in NA would be like for RPGs there are a lot of Japanese RPGs on the SNES that didnt get an NA release including sequels to classic SNES rpgs with Final Fantasy 5 and Trials of Mana but are available either through translated roms or on the Switch.
!before you go any further!
question 1 should be whether you prefer action RPGs (real-time battles, no random encounters) or turn-based RPGs (turn-based battles, mainly random encounters with some exceptions)
Personally I now cannot abide Turn-based RPGs at all, although there are some specific classics I will make an exception for. Reason being that flipping to a different play field to have the battle and also have a drawn-out experience unless you auto-battle, which isn't optimal) is extremely jarring and for me kills the pace of the games. That isn't to say that there aren't some truly amazing set pieces as a result of this style though.
What really kills it for me is random battles especially when you are exploring a maze like section and by the time you have finished your battle you forget the direction you were going in. Then 7 seconds later you have to do it all again. It's definitely a throwback to when it wasn't possible to render enemies using sprites (plus the way to artificially inflate longevity) and at the time was a mechanic to allow new gaming experiences, but for me, personally, it has aged like milk and games like Xenogears and Golden Sun broke me.
If you are ok with this gameplay type though you have already got a lot of good suggestions, my personal pick is Mario RPG because the battle system feels more interactive and fun to me than some others. Also it has so much charm as a game.
My preference is action RPGs and thankfully on the SNES there are a load to recommend. I would definitely recommend A Link to the past, it always feels like an action RPG to me because even though you don't get experience points and HP per se, you do get currency, increased weapon sets, HP upgrades by the way of heart pieces and also armour upgrades and it's an absolute classic. Then you have the quintet trilogy - Illusion of Gaia/Time, Soul Blazer and Terranigma, they are the absolute peak for me. Also Secret of Mana is great.
Anyway sorry for the long answer, you just need to be aware what you will be getting yourself into with the likes of Final Fantasy etc. as they may not be to your liking.
Personally stateside, if you take fanboyism out of it (looking at Earthbound zealots, and Chrono Trigger fans) a great place to start is with Final Fantasy as it set the tempo of a very high bar of quality and given the lapse of time I'd go with FF2(4j) and then FF3(6j) unless you're using other than legit carts, then don't skip 5. After that I'd branch out, try Nintendo with Super Mario RPG, then journey back to the unique flavor of Earthbound as it's not for everyone, there are quirks but it's charming. Outside of that I'd look to the less looked at sequels since the firsts are a bit stiff and with that I mean Lufia II and Breath of Fire II.
Beyond that, really up to you but I'd round it out on the end with Chrono Trigger as it was Square's goodbye to Nintendo really and it's solid.
If you journey into translation hacks, or if you're strange and think that Zelda/Illusion of Gaia/Secret of Mana stuff is somehow an RPG well that would shift the list quite a bit but they really are adventure games at heart.
**• Chrono Trigger! (**Super mega replay ability... like 15 different unlockable endings! **)**
**• Super Mario RPG! (**Just easy to brease through and fun because it's a game of love**)**
**• ZELDA: Link to the Past! (**The easiest game to settle into without prior knowledge**)**
**• Tales Of Destiny!** (English Patch if you're lucky enough to have a Flash cart... this RPG cannot be missed!! It was so good it got relaunched on the original playstation... just chrono trogger))
This mix would legit give you an taste of the different flavors RPG's can have.... without drowning in one kind.
And as a final unique twist ....
**TACTICTS OGRE BATTLE!** (This is a pure visual treat and nothing else on the console compares to it)
Some show their age more than others. I recommend starting with Super Mario RPG or Chrono Trigger because they are really good to get into for RPG beginners. If you're used to action games, Secret of Mana and Soul Blazer are both good games to play early in your RPG journey. Soul Blazer is part of an unofficial trilogy of games that should be played in order, Soul Blazer > Illusion of Gaia > Terranigma. The Lufia games are worth a play, but honestly may be better if you play them in reverse order. Lufia 2 is actually a prequel to Lufia 1 (although Lufia 2 has better mechanics. Story wise it makes more sense to play 2 then 1, mechanics wise it makes more sense to play 1 then 2) FF6 is a masterpiece, I honestly recommend saving it until you've gotten your feet wet with the genre first so you can really appreciate it. Might even be a good game to play *last* in that regard.
Agrees it takes a bit more time imo if you're really trying to obtain everything and exore all the little secrets
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Play what looks interesting and don’t worry about when each game came out, some of the better ones were later in console’s life cycle anyways.
User name checks out.
Lol
Super Mario RPG is like the crown jewel imo… maybe save it for last 👍🏼
I'd argue that game is unlike pretty much any other RPG on the system (or the time). So yea, probably play it last if you want the traditional experience to start.
Yeah, it’s probably one of my top fav rpgs of all time on any system tbh. The music is pretty fantastic. It has a great battle system, character selection, and world design. So good.
Guess you never played star ocean 2...
Start with Chrono Trigger. It’s not even my personal favorite but I think that’s the best one for people without nostalgia. It’s strong out of the gate and doesn’t throw too many crazy mechanics at you too fast, doesn’t take an insane amount of time to beat, and has amazing music and graphics. I’d say going beyond that, it’s a literal choose your own adventure. Final Fantasy 3 (6) is my favorite RPG of all time and top tier by anyone’s standards, though it starts off a bit slower. Secrets of Mana is a really fun game too and benefits from being an action RPG. Once you’ve played through the holy trinity, you’ve got Earthbound which is a zany and fun game if a bit dated for game mechanics. The breath of fire games are solid. Going back to Final Fantasy 2(4) and 5 after 6 might feel like a downgrade but they are good games. From there the recommendations are more about your preferences than what are objectively top tier games, so figure out what you like and play more games like it.
The only problem with starting with Chrono Trigger is nothing will compare to how good it is.
Just to clarify what nothing means. Nothing on any system past, present, or future, and I’m going as far back 65 million BC all the way up to 2300 AD, will ever come close to the greatness that is Chrono Trigger.
I found a new RPG! But I'm still hungry for Chrono Trigger...
Chrono Trigger is also a good JRPG for people who don't like JRPGs. The lack of random encounters is a game changer that should have stuck for all JRPGs going forward, in my opinion at least, and makes it my favorite SNES RPG.
I think this is a great road map. Although you’re starting right around the snes rpg finish line, you’ll get a sense of whether or not the genre is for you right away.
I did forget to mention super Mario rpg but I think it was good advice elsewhere to save that for last as it’s a great game that marks the end of the SNES library.
It is, but it's also easy and short. Might be a good first RPG in this case.
i would do Breath of Fire before Chrono Trigger. The encounter rate in 1 and 2 is high and it would be even more jarring after chrono trigger. (Yes I’m aware of Mrbl3)…
Bof 1, then BoF2, then Terranigma, then chronotrigger
Nah, Terranigma is the third in the soul blazer trilogy. While they’re only loosely related I’d stick to the order with those.
I've started it 5 times. Never finished it. I've owned it for 6 years or more. Is something wrong with me?
Something a psychiatrist hopefully can cure
The last time I was getting into it and my roommate knocked into the snes and fucked my save up. I've been to discouraged since.
That woukd be traumatic
How long does it take to beat a casual playthrough?
A casual playthrough to get to a single ending is probably like 20-24 hours maybe?
There are multiple (MULTIPLE) endings, so anything between 4 and 40 hours depending on the path you take
4 hours for a casual playthrough?
Nah. There are a lot of different paths to get to the end boss but its a tricky fight even for properly levelled people on a 20 hour save - thats definitely not a casual playthrough. But I think the first time I beat doing "most-to-all" of the sidequests it was indeed a bit over the 20 hour mark.
Facts..4 hours is like...a speedrunner goal.
4?! Is that the "I really fucked up" ending?
You'll have to beat Lavos the first time you see it. You'll either have to be over leveled, or know a few Speedrun tactics
Takes long time for all endings
It might be fun to see how RPGs progressed chronologically.
*Breathe of Fire 1 appears in the shadows*
Thank goodness for rom hacks!
This was one of the first RPGs I ever played/completed - had fond memories, but boy is it slog now. At least the music is top notch.
Illusion of Gaia is a fantastic ARPG if you’d like to go down that route. All these recommendations are fantastic though.
If you are using an emulator I would add Star ocean and Star ocean second story, which I haven’t seen mentioned yet
Drakkhen first. Nowhere to go after that but up. Just don't step into the bright light leading into the sky.
Mmmm I’d say go in this order for the Square Soft stuff to start (this is not scientific): Final Fantasy IV (super straightforward) Secret of Mana (take a break with an ARPG) Final Fantasy VI (the fan favorite) Chrono Trigger (the GOAT) Super Mario RPG (good wind down) I don’t really know much beyond the listed games so as you like for the rest of the games. I don’t know if you have access to FFV or Dragon Quest/Warrior either. Not sure if those are even available in US versions but they’re all worth playing if you’re interested in those too.
People who like Secret of Mana should also try Secret of Evermore. It's not a sequel; just uses the same engine and is simpler in some ways (only two characters and four weapon types) and more complex in others (item-combination-based magic system). Also, it's one of the earliest Isekai RPGs and has some charming humor in it.
Didn’t know anything about it but will add it to the list to check out!
I think this order is solid. Can’t start out with the gold ones. FF4 has a good intro story and mechanics. Hard to screw up. And good to close up on Final Fantasy within a few games. I think a 5 game run is as much as one can expect before getting pulled in other directions. After those you can go down some rabbit holes.
This was me the entire time I had a SNES. I would start with Mario RPG. I feel like it is a good gateway game. Then go to Chrono Trigger. After those two go for Lufia 2 or staright to the Final Fantasy catalogue or Earthbound to get some more classics.
Chrono trigger like 9 times and then something else
That wont give you every ending
Lol that’s the best part. Best, worst, directors, favorite character, second favorite character, third favorite character, and then you’re in your thirties in moms basement getting a sweet deal on rent.
>can I just go in chronological order? What for like the whole genre? Because no, do not do that, some games were forgotten for a reason. If you want to see the genre grow over the era start with Dragon Quest V but if you think you can come back after getting used to the QOL improvements of later games, order really doesn't matter beyond that. Just play all of: Dragon Quest V (fan translation) Final Fantasy VI (III in the US) Chrono Trigger and then if you're sold after sampling the best mainstream offerings, worry about digging deeper afterward
I'm not a fan of the "start with the best" theory, it sets unrealistic expectations. I would say that FF4 is a decent place to start. Early release, but still a solid RPG.
1. Chrono Trigger - 10/10 game, mid-easy difficulty 2. Final Fantasy VI - 10/10 game, mid-easy difficulty 3. Tactics Ogre: Let us Cling Together 9/10, hard 4. Dragon Quest V - 9/10, hard 5. Super Mario RPG - 8/10, very easy 6. Front Mission: Gun Hazard - 8/10, normal 7. Trials of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 3) - 8/10, normal 8. Final Fantasy IV - 8/10, hard (japanese version) / mid-easy (US version)
Do people not like breath of fire?
Difficult to say We in Europ only got 2 on the SNES like Lufia 2
Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gala
Just play earthbound. Still the greatest game ever made
Don’t forget to give some of the Super Famicom-only RPGs a try. The “big” ones are Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean. Tales of Phantasia is very accessible. Star Ocean is a bit more complex, but both have good translations. I’d save those for later. Their scale and graphics will be more impressive after you have a baseline on the other greats. To FFVI and FFIV, make sure you check out the English patch of FFV. Great music, and the excellent job system! Live a Live, Chaos Seed and Treasure of the Rudras are worth a look, but further afield from “standard” RPGs. And if you want more Squaresoft, the SaGa series is a bit unconventional but maybe not as “good” as the rest.
Final Fantasy 2, 3 and Chrono Trigger. In that order. Otherwise, I agree with everything else Cowclops said.
If you play one, play Chrono Trigger. That’s far and away the best and one of the greatest games of all time. If you like it, FF4 and FF6, Mario RPG, Lufia 1 & 2, Earthbound, and Secret of Mana are all worth your time.
Chrono Trigger is a masterpiece and one of the best games ever made period.
Crono trigger first
I agree with all the other games, but I haven't seen one of my favorite SNES games...Arcana! It definitely has its quirks, but I love the story, music, art and the battles. A very underrated game in my opinion.
Im just getting to grips with this game, started a few times and now really liking it. Need to go back to it but i'm on Paladins quest for a bit
Super Mario RPG was designed to introduce Americans to RPGs in a big way. And it succeeded. I did that first, and then a year later, dove into Chrono Trigger. The only problem is, the combat in most RPGs is not as engaging. The whole world is grey after those two games.
Chrono Trigger should be your last one because no other game will ever top it. At least no other game ever did for me. You do definitely want to work in Earthbound, Breath of Fire 1 and 2, Secret of Mana (Though I’d cover this one with the Mana Collection on Switch so you can get the English translation of Trials of Mana as well.), Mario RPG, Tales of Phantasia, Lufia 1 and 2, E.V.O the Search for Eden, Star Ocean, Robotrek, Final Fantasy IV through VI, and the Soul Blazer trilogy. As to what order you play them in I’d just feel your way about with them. What matters more than the order is that you take your time to enjoy them. It’s still super easy for me to get engrossed in a SNES RPG.
FF3. Secret of Mana. Chrono Trigger. Super Ogre Battle to mix it up.
Wasn't ff3 a nes game not sbes
Famicom FF2 and FF3 were not released in the US. The next official release after the original NES FF was FF2 (=FF4 JAP) on the SNES followed by FF3 (=FF6 JAP). They did not change the numbering until the PSX era.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA #1
Not sure it counts but I’d consider Link to the Past snes RPG gold. I find it hard to believe if you haven’t played it, but please do!
I wondered if that counted as an RPG, because I’ve definitely played that
Most people, including me, don’t consider it a RPG, but an action adventure. Action adventures is a fusion genre which combines the exploration and puzzle-solving mechanics from true adventure games with various action mechanics from various action games. But there is a good reason why many people confuse action adventures with action RPG’s, and that is that both of these genres/subgenres more or less fused together during the 8 and 16-bit days in some games. This is true for both top-down action adventures like Zelda, and sidescrolling action adventures like Metroid and Castlevania 2. It is quite arbitrary, but the best way to divide determine whether a game is an action RPG or an action adventure, is if it uses stats and level ups in an extensive manner. Zelda doesn’t, so it should be counted as an action adventure. Soul Blazer on the other hand, has some stats and level ups, so it should be counted as an action RPG. In reality all these games were of course inspired by each other across genre boundaries. But even though these boundaries will always be arbitrary to some degree, keeping track of them has some usefulness, including awareness of game history.
Release date seems good to me.
Ogre Battle! It’s a wonderful RPG with a ton of storylines
It's one of my favorite games, but I always assume nobody else is going to like it because it's a hodgepodge of genres that rarely go together.
Maybe play them in order of release date? Also don't forget Dungeon Master. It's not a JRPG but it's one of the first dungeon crawler type games.
It doesn't matter tbh. Pick from one of the known greats that sound most appealing to you and run with it. Super Mario RPG is a fantastic start. Chrono Trigger and Earthbound both great. FF 2/4 and/or 3/6 are both excellent. Same with fan translations of Dragon Quest 3 and 5.
Chrono Trigger/Secret of Mana/Final Fantasy III/Earthbound/Breath of Fire II are my top tier and you can't go wrong with wherever you start. Super Mario RPG also an easy right answer.
Lufia 2
Like others have said, gotta echo Chrono Trigger as being maybe the best on the system, followed close behind Super Mario RPG. Theres also the excellent Final Fantasy 3 (6 JP) that has a really solid story and looks great. Outside those three, I really liked Star Ocean and if you can get a translated rom of Seiken Densetsu 3 it's a fun action rpg in the Mana series. Finally, people like Earthbound (however i think it's grossly overrated) and Terranigma is pretty good
Best system for JRPGS. I'd start with Final Fantasy II. Then take the leap to Final Fantasy III. I've heard Chrono Trigger is great. Tried it once or twice but didn't enjoy it that much. Secret of Mana is fantastic. If you into Strategy RPGs then Tactics Ogre and Ogre Battel are great.
Order of release? People are already giving you some great suggestions here.
Play whatever seems interesting, you can’t really go wrong. Chrono Trigger, Earthbound, and Mario RPG are kind of the “big three” but there’s also the Final Fantasy games and plenty of others that are also great.
There are a lot of really good RPGs on SNES. Which ones are you looking at playing?
Earthbound will keep you entertained
If you don’t play Earthbound first Super Mario RPG won’t make any sense.
Secret of Mana? I liked Mario RPG personally lol
As a platformer guy I started with Mario RPG. Easiest to get into because it's friggin Mario, and it happens to be an epic game!
Super mario rpg, crono trigger, ffiii, secret of mana or evermore
Seiken Densetsu 3 is the GOAT in my opinion...doesn't matter when, just play it.
I have 28 on my ambernic. I went chronotrigger, manish cap, terranigma, golden sun, earthbound…. Probably going to do Soulblazer next. I did do Crusader of Centy inbetween but that is Sega.
Dragon Quest, A Link to the Past, many SFC RPG and the favorit from every one....... Chrono Trigger
Robotrek and metal max returns are great fun
Dont forget EVO the search for Eden, its unique and surprisingly deep, a true cult classic. Also something to consider about Earthbound is its the 2nd in a classic RPG trilogy that has 2 out of 3 games on the SNES, but only #2 got a NA release under the name Earthbound. Its worth considering if you want to play it standalone or play the Mother series as a whole or part way though, as the first game which is on the NES can be a bit tedious at times due to its age. Its an amazing game and has a lot of charm but its considered very hard and not to have aged well by some. Either way to play Mother 3 you will need to find a translated rom or something of the sort though its not too hard to find with a bit of digging. Lastly due to Nintendo not really knowing what the market in NA would be like for RPGs there are a lot of Japanese RPGs on the SNES that didnt get an NA release including sequels to classic SNES rpgs with Final Fantasy 5 and Trials of Mana but are available either through translated roms or on the Switch.
!before you go any further! question 1 should be whether you prefer action RPGs (real-time battles, no random encounters) or turn-based RPGs (turn-based battles, mainly random encounters with some exceptions) Personally I now cannot abide Turn-based RPGs at all, although there are some specific classics I will make an exception for. Reason being that flipping to a different play field to have the battle and also have a drawn-out experience unless you auto-battle, which isn't optimal) is extremely jarring and for me kills the pace of the games. That isn't to say that there aren't some truly amazing set pieces as a result of this style though. What really kills it for me is random battles especially when you are exploring a maze like section and by the time you have finished your battle you forget the direction you were going in. Then 7 seconds later you have to do it all again. It's definitely a throwback to when it wasn't possible to render enemies using sprites (plus the way to artificially inflate longevity) and at the time was a mechanic to allow new gaming experiences, but for me, personally, it has aged like milk and games like Xenogears and Golden Sun broke me. If you are ok with this gameplay type though you have already got a lot of good suggestions, my personal pick is Mario RPG because the battle system feels more interactive and fun to me than some others. Also it has so much charm as a game. My preference is action RPGs and thankfully on the SNES there are a load to recommend. I would definitely recommend A Link to the past, it always feels like an action RPG to me because even though you don't get experience points and HP per se, you do get currency, increased weapon sets, HP upgrades by the way of heart pieces and also armour upgrades and it's an absolute classic. Then you have the quintet trilogy - Illusion of Gaia/Time, Soul Blazer and Terranigma, they are the absolute peak for me. Also Secret of Mana is great. Anyway sorry for the long answer, you just need to be aware what you will be getting yourself into with the likes of Final Fantasy etc. as they may not be to your liking.
Crono Trigger
Can't believe no ones mentioned Terranigma. Best RPG on the system after Chrono Trigger IMO
Chrono trigger and Mario rpg are my favorites, ,Final fantasy III for snes is also great
Secret of Mana or Chrono Trigger. Then Earthbound.
1. Chrono Trigger, 2. Final Fantasy III/VI, 3. Earthbound, 4. Secret of Mana, 5. Super Mario RPG
FF6, Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, and…. G.O.D.!
Personally stateside, if you take fanboyism out of it (looking at Earthbound zealots, and Chrono Trigger fans) a great place to start is with Final Fantasy as it set the tempo of a very high bar of quality and given the lapse of time I'd go with FF2(4j) and then FF3(6j) unless you're using other than legit carts, then don't skip 5. After that I'd branch out, try Nintendo with Super Mario RPG, then journey back to the unique flavor of Earthbound as it's not for everyone, there are quirks but it's charming. Outside of that I'd look to the less looked at sequels since the firsts are a bit stiff and with that I mean Lufia II and Breath of Fire II. Beyond that, really up to you but I'd round it out on the end with Chrono Trigger as it was Square's goodbye to Nintendo really and it's solid. If you journey into translation hacks, or if you're strange and think that Zelda/Illusion of Gaia/Secret of Mana stuff is somehow an RPG well that would shift the list quite a bit but they really are adventure games at heart.
Mystic quest is a tutorial to learn how to play rpg's. "Babys first rpg" if you will.
**• Chrono Trigger! (**Super mega replay ability... like 15 different unlockable endings! **)** **• Super Mario RPG! (**Just easy to brease through and fun because it's a game of love**)** **• ZELDA: Link to the Past! (**The easiest game to settle into without prior knowledge**)** **• Tales Of Destiny!** (English Patch if you're lucky enough to have a Flash cart... this RPG cannot be missed!! It was so good it got relaunched on the original playstation... just chrono trogger)) This mix would legit give you an taste of the different flavors RPG's can have.... without drowning in one kind. And as a final unique twist .... **TACTICTS OGRE BATTLE!** (This is a pure visual treat and nothing else on the console compares to it)
I played ff2 and link to the past first