Back in the NES days, Yuji Horii released Dragon Quest, which kicked off a genre that would become known as JRPGs. While many players only discovered the genre during the PS1 era, some older gamers have already been navigating these Eastern waters on the SNES, which boasts an impressive catalog.
We had Final Fantasy, including Final Fantasy VI, considered by many to be the best of the franchise. We had more Dragon Quest, keeping the series’ iconic formula alive. It was also the birthplace of Star Ocean and Tales of, bred from the same concept but split by creative struggles. And, of course, the SNES was home to Chrono Trigger, often considered the best JRPG of all time.
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Yet, the SNES JRPG catalog isn’t remembered solely for its laurels. There are plenty of titles on the console that never captured the spotlight, and for good reason. There aren’t many, but there are still some SNES JRPGs you should definitely avoid, because you surely have better games to tackle in your infinite backlog.
8 Paladin’s Quest
Quest to Find Another Game
Paladin’s Quest is exactly what you would expect from an SNES JRPG. It features a fixed story and cast, a linear narrative, and random turn-based combat, where you earn money, buy stronger items, and so on. There were some oddities here and there, such as the bottle mechanic that served for healing and optional party members, but that’s about it.
The thing is, if Paladin’s Quest was your first ever JRPG, you’d probably have a blast and keep yourself thoroughly entertained. But if not, there’s no need to dedicate time to it. It’s aggressively average, which isn’t a problem per se in life, but it can be if you’re deciding which JRPG you’re going to spend hours and hours on. In a world where handling a backlog has become an exact science, it’s better to aim for the stars.
7 Inindo: Way of the Ninja
Introducing War Games Before Suikoden
There was a good reason why games back in the day came with a manual, and Inindo: Way of the Ninja puts that reason to the test. This JRPG, which seems pretty run-of-the-mill at first, begins introducing elements that will be severely confusing if you don’t know what’s going on, especially in the second half.
As I always say, piling on more mechanics and complexity doesn’t make a good game, especially if you don’t know how to explain what’s happening. Inindo: Way of the Ninja features a top-down view, letting you visit towns, buy items, recruit members, and fight in turn-based battles, just as one would expect.
But then, you hit some more strategic gameplay, participating in full-scale battles in a tactical style, while also being forced to talk to feudal lords to convince them to face Oda and aid you in the war. It feels pretty good on paper, but it’s so clunky in execution and so tedious that you’ll probably drop the game long before the credits roll.
6 Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Final Fantasy for Dummies
I understand that poor Benjamin doesn’t deserve all this disrespect, but since its conception, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest has been a controversial experience. Nowadays, it might be worth a playthrough just for curiosity’s sake. Back then, however, anyone expecting something along the lines of the other SNES Final Fantasy titles was bound to be gravely disappointed.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, aka Mystic Quest Legend in Europe, and Final Fantasy USA: Mystic Quest in Japan (I’m not kidding), is a Final Fantasy for newbies. And look, if the Japanese name is any indication, we know exactly who those newbies were supposed to be. The game was literally marketed as a “simplified role-playing game,” as if JRPGs weren’t already straightforward enough.
To be fair, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest is simple, but not necessarily easy, and it isn’t really engaging. It’s a game so forgettable and so un-Final Fantasy-like that you’re better off investing your time in any other spin-off in the series.
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5 The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang
Repetitive Beyond Measure
The JRPG elements in The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang are incredibly scarce, but the warning still stands. I played this game for the first time this year at a friend’s request, and dear lord, sometimes even the most sincere friendships come at too high a cost. I almost broke my controller facing one of the bosses because the hitbox was so miserable that I was absolutely seething.
The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang sees us playing as the titular Spike McFang as he spins his cape and throws his hat to defeat enemies, earning experience and leveling up in the process. There’s a magic and item system as well, driven by hella expensive cards. Needless to say, the game demands a bit of a grind, but its gameplay fails to motivate, quickly becoming repetitive and uninteresting.
4 Laplace no Ma
Great Concepts, Bad Executions
Laplace no Ma — known via fan translation as The Laplace’s Demon — is a JRPG that never left Japan. While I can’t state this as a fact, it seems to draw heavily on Sweet Home, Capcom’s NES JRPG precursor to Resident Evil. In Laplace no Ma, we recruit a group of intrepid modern adventurers to wander through the Weathertop mansion, each for their own reasons.
The JRPG has plenty of good ideas, but the execution is buried in bureaucracy. For example, to earn money, you need to use a camera, which the Journalist class starts with. You then take photos of the mansion’s monsters and sell them later. The Detective uses firearms, which are effective against corporeal enemies, while the Medium uses magic, which is good against ghosts — except the game doesn’t tell you this until you learn it the hard way. To top it off, you can only swap party members at the town Inn.
Then there’s the Scientist, who can use battery-powered tools but has to constantly buy batteries, and the inventory is severely limited. It’s a JRPG that tries to pack in some novelties without worrying about user-friendliness, leaving you with a frustrating trial-and-error experience until you abandon the title altogether.
3 Secret of the Stars
The Great Roleplaying Game Aqutallion
Tecmo’s Secret of the Stars is the kind of game that has such baffling design decisions that you actually end up amused by how bad it is — provided your expectations are aligned. It features the usual JRPG staples but also adds original elements, such as a dual-party progression system and a town management-esque mechanic. Good ideas, bad execution (I know I’m repeating myself with this argument, but it’s true!).
The biggest offender in Secret of the Stars was the localization, which was so hilariously bad that you can’t help but love it. Even so, you can still grasp that you’re on an adventure with Ray and his fearless group, the Aqutallion, to face Homncruse. It’s just that, before doing so, you’ll have to face off against the evil, disgusting, and malicious villains Cat Boo and Badbad. Yeah, you read that right. To be fair, though, Secret of the Stars’ battle graphics were pretty good, so there’s at least something to cherish here.
2 The 7th Saga
Unnecessarily Difficult
If you search for the hardest JRPGs out there, odds are that The 7th Saga is going to be on the list. It was the first game where I got a game over in the first five battles, and I had no clue how to avoid it other than restarting and trying again. The reason was simple: the US version of The 7th Saga had a major artificial bump in difficulty, to the point of becoming utterly unfair.
That doesn’t mean the game is bad. Quite the contrary, actually. At the start, you choose from one of seven heroes to participate in what can only be described as a battle royale in search of seven runes. Along the journey, you can ally yourself with one of the other heroes while facing off against the remaining ones. In the US version, enemies hit much harder, the stat gains per level-up were reduced, and since the rival heroes scale with your progress, they become inherently overpowered, amping up the challenge considerably.
It’s still worth checking out The 7th Saga because it’s a fun and quite ingenious game, featuring mechanics like a radar system that helps you anticipate enemy encounters. But because it’s so hard and frustrating, you might be better off opting for a hacked version that fixes the monsters and levels back to the balance of the original Japanese release.
1 Romancing SaGa 2
Play the Modern Version
This is a case of “an enhanced version exists, so there’s no reason to play the original.” I played Romancing SaGa 2 on my PS4, and look, I consider myself a veteran of the genre and have played many SaGa games, including recent releases like Scarlet Grace and Emerald Beyond. Even so, I had a rough time enduring Romancing SaGa 2, even while glued to a walkthrough.
It’s not a bad game, mind you. It’s a clear evolution of the first Romancing SaGa and was extremely ambitious for its time. Seeing your protagonist spawn across countless generations, and having the power of choice to decide whether to save an entire race or unlock the forbidden powers of dark magic — among other branching paths — was incredible for the era.
Even so, it’s really hard to get into the game, and the chances of ending up frustrated are sky-high. Plus, nowadays, in addition to the enhanced port of the base game, we also have a full-fledged remake in Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven, which is a fantastic turn-based JRPG, one you definitely shouldn’t avoid.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
