SNES JRPGs With The Best Stories

Key Takeaways

Lufia 2: A captivating narrative with godlike foes built up throughout, making it one of the greatest sequels ever made.
Live A Live: Uniquely structured narrative with seven scenarios set in different timelines, offering a fresh take on JRPG storytelling.
EarthBound: An anti-JRPG with a group of friends facing an alien embodiment of evil, providing a grand adventure with charming writing.

As a seasoned gamer with over three decades of gaming under my belt, I can confidently say that the Super NES era was a golden age for JRPGs, and these top 5 games from that epoch are the cream of the crop. Having played through all of them multiple times, I still find myself drawn back to their captivating narratives and immersive worlds.

One of the most remarkable home gaming consoles ever made, the Super Nintendo, significantly boosted Nintendo’s dominance within the video game market. By effectively tackling the aftermath of the gaming industry crash, they single-handedly revitalized the sector. The Super Nintendo not only sustained this resurgence but also sparked competition among other console manufacturers, leading to a fierce battle in the console market.

On the Super Nintendo, a variety of genres thrived, but side-scrolling platformers held the majority of the spotlight. Yet, it’s worth noting that JRPGs managed to carve out their niche, leveraging the console’s hardware improvements to create timeless JRPGs boasting stunning pixel art that continues to amaze. There are numerous excellent JRPGs on the SNES, offering captivating narratives that linger in fans’ minds long after they’ve completed the epic journeys these games invite them to embark on.

5 Lufia 2: Rise Of The Sinistrals

The Fight Against The Sinistrals Makes For An Epic Narrative

It’s a crying shame that Lufia 2 does not get the love and attention it deserves. It may look a tad too generous at first glance for most people to get into, but the captivating setting and brilliant writing of this game help it stand out as one of the greatest sequels ever made. The game’s biggest achievement is including conflicts against godlike beings that don’t come from nowhere and are slowly built up throughout the title’s compelling narrative, which is something that a lot of other games in the genre can learn from.

In this game, players assume command over Maxim, a youthful character endowed with the ability to vanquish four colossal entities called Sinistrals, who menace to dominate the world for sinister motives. The experience offers an exciting and captivating journey, despite some predictable elements that come with the genre. Fans of traditional role-playing games should make it a priority to delve into the compelling storyline that Lufia 2 presents.

4 Live A Live

An Ambitious Narrative That Takes Place Across Different Time Periods

Many Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs) often stick to traditional, unchanging narratives and structures that fans have grown accustomed to. While this isn’t inherently negative, players yearn for games that innovate their storylines and offer a distinctive experience. That’s the appeal of Live A Live, a game initially confined to Japan, but now remade so gamers can discover one of the most original SNES JRPGs with a modern facelift and an ambitious narrative design.

As a gamer, I get to select one out of seven unique narratives, each taking place in distinct timelines. In these tales, a valiant hero is pitted against insurmountable odds to vanquish a villain whose name consistently contains the title “Odio.” This malevolent entity was once a noble knight who fell from grace and became the Overlord of Darkness, wreaking havoc across various dimensions. The seven heroes are summoned by this dark lord to his corrupted realm, where we must either unite against him and bring him down or meet our doom at his hands – it all depends on which character I decide to command in the game’s climactic conclusion.

3 EarthBound

An Anti-JRPG Where A Group Of Friends Embark On An Adventure To Beat Giygas

The influence that the game “EarthBound” has had on titles like “Undertale” and “Omori” underscores its global acclaim. In a time when most JRPGs centered around catastrophic events and battles against divine entities, “EarthBound” stood out as an unconventional JRPG, focusing on a band of friends who simply wanted to enjoy themselves, their peaceful pursuits disrupted by an extraterrestrial embodiment of evil bent on eradicating all life on Earth.

The game takes players on a thrilling journey filled with numerous common foes and locations, yet manages to convey a sense of grandeur. The task of gathering eight distinct tunes within a Sound Stone prior to going back in time to vanquish Giygas is even more captivating due to the game’s delightful dialogue. What makes this game renowned for its exceptional boss fights is the climactic battle itself, which brims with lore and offers an intense experience that can genuinely terrify players.

2 Final Fantasy 6

A Riveting Story Propelled By An Antagonist Who Manages To Plunge The World Into Ruin

Many players believe that “Final Fantasy 6” stands as the finest main series installment, a testament to its exceptional quality. By this stage, SquareSoft had already honed their skills in creating Japanese Role-Playing Games (JRPGs). Rather than resting on their accomplishments during the development of “Final Fantasy 6”, they chose to push the boundaries even further. They enlarged the game’s scale by incorporating two distinct overworlds, and introduced groundbreaking non-linear storytelling that remains an impressive feat to this day.

In this structure, every character gets their moment to shine (except in rare cases), and fans are captivated by Kefka’s charm as a villain. This mischievous jester deceives everyone he encounters, manifesting an ideal representation of Chaotic Evil, as he wreaks havoc on the world and transforms into a deity. The unification of all characters following this apocalyptic event to stage a final resistance creates one of the most epic conclusions in a Final Fantasy game, offering a deep and satisfying storyline.

1 Chrono Trigger

A Tightly-Paced Story That Is Simply Unputdownable

There aren’t enough flowery words to describe the sheer magic players felt when they played through Chrono Trigger for the first time. The dream team of Hironobu Sakaguchi, Yuji Horii, and Akira Toriyama combined their efforts along with several other high-profile members at SquareSoft to develop a generational JRPG that is still considered to be the gold standard of what this genre is capable of. It’s a testament to Chrono Trigger‘s entertaining writing and stellar pacing that it houses one of the greatest narratives told in a video game despite its use of a silent protagonist.

Exploring time travel and teaming up with companions from various timelines to battle against Lavos creates an adventure that feels just as grand as ever. Plus, it’s fantastic that the game offers players complete flexibility by allowing them to confront Lavos whenever they choose. The unique aspect of this game is its storyline, which concludes differently depending on when you destroy the world-destroying parasite, making the experience even more captivating.

2024-09-14 04:34