10 Best SNES RPGs of All Time

[@CulturedVultures]

which RPG have YOU been playing? let me know below! - Jimmy

[@ChibiKami]

lately I've been playing Panzer Dragoon Saga and Grandia for Saturn. Any way I can the Saturn version of Ogre Battle is next on the list

[@charlesbaker8929]

I have mostly been playing in other genres, but I did recently do some upkeep in my Etrian Odyssey III HD file.

[@SableBales]

Been playing Metaphor and Breath of Fire IV lately

[@stevenmolinaro921]

Persona 5 Royal

[@StewNWT]

FFIV is a top 5 SNES RPG, always gets neglected on these lists

[@Julius-t4f]

I'm 40. Had most of these games back in the day. Played all of them since. Excellent list 👏

[@dumbstruckempire]

Seeing Lufia 2 in any video makes me pretty happy.

[@spencergsmith]

Honestly, I completely forgot about Lufia and Lufia 2, but I loved those games as a kid.

[@eviljef]

It's my favorite RPG. I'm not even mad that it was dead last on the list. Just the fact that it was still good enough to be in the top 10 made me happy.

[@dumbstruckempire]

@@eviljef I know lol. It's hard because I love, love Lufia 2. It's such a slammed race to the top every time I have to assemble one of these.

[@bobjoemac1]

Lufia 2 is the perfect combination of Zelda dungeons and RPG combat like final fantasy. Shame the franchise didn't continue with Lufia 2's masterpiece design.

[@Dug88]

Lufia 2 is my personal favourite snes rpg. I really enjoyed the dungeon puzzles and I spent a lot of time playing through the ancient cave dungeon. I've always been more about the gameplay than the stories in these kinds of games so Lufia 2 really gave me a lot to enjoy. Also, the Frue Lufia hack is a great way to play it that fixes all the bugs and updates the script.

[@tired_and_stressed]

Illusion of Gaia. Such a brilliant and eerie game. Gave 8 year old me the creeps playing it back in the 90s. Wasn't quiet able to grasp the concept of nihilistic dread.

[@Juankprieto]

11:54 I love how at this precise moments, every SNES fan already did the math and knows what the top three games are.

[@harperthejay]

FFVI is always my pick for the best SNES RPG (and best SNES game, and best RPG, and honestly my favorite game ever), but I always respect the Chrono Trigger/FFVI rivalry. Both are absolute masterpieces.

[@TheGemini5]

That's EXACTLY how I feel!

[@rondroske3623]

Right there with you.

[@adolchristin9837]

FF6 is a better j-RPG (the best ever made). Chrono Trigger is a better video game overall. That's how I decide between them. 😂 We cannot chose between our kids 😂

[@mikebr9764]

Same

[@Locke9611]

FFVI best for Stories. Epic. Character relations. Secret of Mana 2 best for Graphic and Battles. great class techs scene and best magics scene. No others could match this game in great battle animate. Tales of Phantasia Best for Dungeons. The most complex dungeons and so unique. One of the greatest dungeons Rpg of all time. I compare them as 3 Gods of Snes Rpg. ChronoTrigger maybe The most famous one like Blue Eyes card. but he cant confront the three gods.

[@erakfishfishfish]

What impresses me about Super Mario RPG is how complete of an RPG it feels, but can be beaten in 10-15 hours. So many games these days are so bloated with pointless content, tedious crafting, and anything else that makes games feel more like a chore than fun. It was refreshing to pick up the Switch remake and play a game that was exactly what it needed to be and nothing more.

[@michaelp4122]

100% I've replayed SMRPG about 5 times now. I can't say that I've beaten an other RPG a second time except for maybe Pokemon Blue/Red. SMRPG and Chrono Trigger are my two favourite RPG's.

[@Edwinschuur]

The combat is so repetitive however with so little abilities

[@Edwinschuur]

The combat is so repetitive however with so little abilities

[@michaelp4122]

​@@Edwinschuur How was the combat repetitive? Every 45 minutes you get a new weapon with new timing combos. Different enemies were weak to different attacks. Having one spiked enemy would prevent you from doing a Super Jump. Compare this to other RPGs of the 90's where you just select "attack" or repetitively use the same spell the enemy is weak to.

[@Edwinschuur]

@michaelp4122 that's it. You just select one attack they are weak to and time the button. Other RPGS give a lot more spells and abilities.

[@EnochBP]

Lufia 2 is so criminally underrated

[@jaimereupert4247]

Too bad the ones after this killed the series, much like how Breath of Fire 6 did for their series. (Yes, I know a lot of people hate 5 as well and consider that the one which killed the series, I personally like the game, it just had a lot of flaws.)

[@ToastyTravis19]

I literally started this video saying Lufia 2 better be in here

[@pachucodreams]

@@jaimereupert4247 Dragon Quarter is a perfect game and my favorite one. It works off of IV pretty well thematically.

[@adamantium1983]

Frog is one of my favorite characters of all time. He is so modest but knows when to be epic.

[@RoBaDoB143]

Loved Lufia 2. Never did best it though, blockbuster rentals only lasted so long

[@AnimeBrosAMV]

It is impressive how all of these games look! Jrpgs on snes were so ahead of its time!

[@mjdf122]

They’re all called RPGs then you break them down into other RPG categories/genres I’ve seen and have all from 1980-Now

[@xxJing]

I would say Lufia 2 has one of the best stories for a SNES game. I'm going to say just story wise it does beat out all the SNES Final Fantasy games and I would say the only games that possibly beat it are Earthbound, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Quest 5, Tactics Ogre, and Fire Emblem Geneology. 3 of those games not available outside of Japan on the SNES. I would say Fire Emblem Geneology has the best story, it's basically Game of Thrones and it's really the only Fire Emblem to go that dark so it's a rarity even in its own series.

[@flamespear86]

The second Game was called Illusion of Gaia in North America but Illusion of Time in Pal regions. It came packed with an awesome XL sized T-shirt.

[@MackenziePerrault]

Just "bought" a lifetimes worth of JRPGs and Illusion of Gaia was definitely one of them 😁

[@CulturedVultures]

did you "buy" them from an "online emporium of free games that are too expensive to buy physically"

[@MackenziePerrault]

@@CulturedVultures sure did matey ☠️🏴‍☠️

[@gnarwhal7562]

Homer Simpson: "Ugh, I would sell my soul for a [Switch port of Chrono Trigger]"

[@tylerpetty5458]

Second game in that trilogy is Illusion of Gaia/Illusion of Time, depending on what region you're from.

[@Boschio]

Illusion of Gaia! Great trilogy in general. Absolutely love the story and music in them, especially Terranigma.

[@gumpyflyale2542]

Illusion of Gaia is my favorite Snes Game

[@Concerned.Citizen]

I recently bought a cartridge on ebay, got delivered last night Looking forward to playing it

[@mindblockandroid]

FF4 at least deserved an honorary mention! And I know they were only released in Japan, but Tales of Phantasia and Secret of Mana 3 were absolute bangers!

[@erakfishfishfish]

It was a victim of his one-per-franchise rule, which is a shame, because IV is great. The battle music against Zeromus is one of my favorite pieces in the series. However, as great as IV is, it’s truly remarkable how much of a leap in quality VI has compared to IV.

[@MattCayen]

Star Ocean 😐

[@mindblockandroid]

@@MattCayen I haven't player it but its visuals are amazing, a bit better than Tales I think (it was made by the same team, as I understand)

[@MattCayen]

@@mindblockandroid I'm a big Tales fan, playing Destiny director's cut rn 😅. I prefer Phantasia but I think Star Ocean rly deserves a spot on any snes rpg list

[@TheGriffonscribe]

Illusion of Gaia was the second game in the Quintet trilogy. It was the first one I ever played, but fell in love with Terranigma. It baffled me as a kid why it never released in North America so I had to play it through...other means.

[@DreamerTrain]

Earthbound has the indie community by a chokehold

[@mitchconner6316]

I truly appreciate the narration by an actual human being rather than AI reading a script

[@CulturedVultures]

is it really getting that bad on here?

[@FollowMe4REP]

@@CulturedVulturesIt is that bad on here.

[@Puni_Taro]

3:38 The good Quintet Qunitett ^.^. You forget to put Actraiser one and two in there. D: But the Second Game chronically must be Soul Blazer i think. It was Actraiser 1, Soul Blazer, Ilusion of Gaia (Time), Actraiser 2 and than Terranigma.

[@FollowMe4REP]

Was Actraiser 2 actually canon?

[@steveleavell114]

Illusion of Gaia. I've been playing one of my all time favorite games, Final Fantasy X.

[@kyleoliveira2371]

The second game is called Illusion of Gaia. In Japanese ガイア幻想紀 (Gaia Gensouki). Fun fact: in Europe it was known as Illusion of Time.

[@FollowMe4REP]

This is the correct answer

[@williamjones4117]

Well, I've been playing Adventures of Hourai High, and Metal Max 2 ReLoaded lately, and have been enjoying them immensely, even if I am currently being skill-checked by the latter.

[@newm0116]

I have been playing Quest Brian's Journey, which is the Gameboy Color port of Quest 64.

[@TheGriffonscribe]

Cthulu Saves Christmas - A great little indie RPG gem that is legitimately funny and has some surprisingly good combat

[@CulturedVultures]

haha yes! that's been on my list forever!

[@epsileth]

Giving niche love for Robotrek. Fun little RPG, build robots to battle baddies, unlock combos and recipes for more power, get that sweet xp and money. Made by Quintet, published by Enix. Good little time killer.

[@ianwagj]

The second game in the Quintet trilogy, three answers! Illusion of Gaia in the US, Illusion of Time in Europe and Fantasy Machine Gaia in Japan.

[@ZsXsim13]

Lol, nailed it!

[@mattpace1026]

Given that the tool showed the names of the games in the trilogy about thirty seconds before that question, this seems just a little less impressive.

[@matiasjauhojarvi9551]

Great video. I have to start some of my snes rpgs sometime.

[@statesminds]

Its crazy terranigma games never came out in america. Need a port collection. Same for lufia games and 2 ogre battle games. And i been singing a call for breath of fire 1-5 collection. I played 1&2 on gba first

[@seismicsmasher]

Answer: Depends on the region, but for me it was Illusion of Gaia. One of my all time favorite games.

[@medleysa]

Second game is called Illusion of Gaia The Quintet trilogy is an excellent ARPG series. Solid gameplay! Also, I knew what the #1 spot was gonna be 😉

[@CulturedVultures]

Congrats! You won the giveaway! Please add your email to your KZbin profile on here (kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYCYi52Jm7iEa9k), then email us at infoatculturedvulturesdotcom to claim your prize :)

[@ShortKicks7733]

Great video Thanks subbed and liked 🎉

[@Guilherme36594]

My list 10 - Breath of fire 2 9 - Terranigma 8 - Illusion of Gaia 7 - Final Fantasy IV 6 - Secret of mana 5 - Earthbound 4 - Lufia II: Rise of Sinistrals 3 - Super Mario RPG 2 - Final Fantasy VI 1 - Chrono Trigger

[@spencergsmith]

I’d place Secret of Mana higher, and prefer SoulBlazer over Illusion of Gaia, but that’s a solid list.

[@SableBales]

Second game in Terranigma trilogy was Illusion of Gaia, the first in the trilogy was SoulBlazer

[@XadePsyconic]

The SNES has a truly superb library of RPGs, many of which never left Japan back then. Seiken Densetsu III (now officially called Trials of Mana), Live A Live, Treasure of the Rudras, Far East of Eden Zero, Front Mission, Front Mission: Gun Hazard, Bahamut Lagoon, Fire Emblem: Genealogy of the Holy War, Energy Breaker, Star Ocean, Tales of Phantasia

[@joshvega3329]

P4 golden, p5 royal, and xenogears are on rotation in the jrpg jukebox.

[@jaimereupert4247]

The second game in the "Gaia Trilogy" is called Illusion of Gaia.

[@obananagato]

Illusion of Gaia personally i preffer Soul blazer tbh also, its important to tell that the some of the creators of Terranigma and Golden sun are making a game called Tako no Himitsu and its looking super nice so far

[@CulturedVultures]

Congrats! You won the giveaway! Please add your email to your KZbin profile on here (kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYCYi52Jm7iEa9k), then email us at infoatculturedvulturesdotcom to claim your prize :)

[@FernandoRafaelNogueiraReis]

That was a great list!

[@pachucodreams]

I've been playing Shadow Tower: Abyss on PS2 and recently started Contact on the ds!

[@FollowMe4REP]

Contact is one of the absolute bests games of all time. Haunts me every day I don’t play it.

[@RyanChilds-Malgron]

Legend of Dragoon - my favorite rpg and currently playing!

[@unnaturalselection8330]

Sure, but it ain't SNES

[@CulturedVultures]

get to da outro

[@maxvsthegames]

The second game of the Quintet Trilogy is Illusion of Gaia (aka Illusion of Time in Europe). One of my favorite childhood game!

[@paulyeung962]

So happy to see Lufia 2 on this list, I played all these games and still own half of them with my SNES. I should probably sell them off.

[@Alias_Salia]

somehow feels that Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean should be on this list great video, thanks!

[@wizzrod]

Illusion of Gaia is a game that intrigued many a Zelda fan. Glad to have so many great action RPGs on the SNES, my favorite being Secret of Mana!

[@Sesomi3601]

Been playing Legend of Legaia again lately. Such a wonderful gem in the turn-based RPG series for the PS1. If you like marshal arts, that's a game for you.

[@hggfhh4449]

I'm an American, we never got terrinigma. You win that one Europe. Not much else in terms of snes rpgs but you do win that at getting that game.

[@KT1459]

Such a great list

[@Lallander]

Illusion of Gaia was the second game. I actually didn't know there was a third until now.

[@bigeasy89]

Illusion of Gaia. This trilogy is a series I have yet to experience but have it listed on my list of JRPGs that I want to play through.

[@ScottMakesGames]

These games deserve a long overdue remake or remaster!

[@ivancruz8595]

Illusion of Gaia... and my personal favorite... THE BEST OF THE THREE!

[@filthiman]

I personally loved Visions of Mana. It really felt like an old school Mana game. Would recommend for sure.

[@topfranluis1]

Id agree on Breath of Fire 2 if it didn’t Force certain characters upon you, made the grinding so tedious and removed EXP Share and Easy Party member swap from the first game

[@roberts5436]

The second game was Illusion of Gaia. I wish they would bring that game back out here

[@NobleWrot]

To answer the question, Illusion of Gaia/Time. It was probably my most played game as a kid, next to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. As far as what I have been playing, I recently beat Metaphor Re:fantazio. Picked up Breath of Fire III. Oh, I have played Visions of Mana. I liked it, but the on-screen text is often too small. Main gripe.

[@jaimereupert4247]

What rogs am I playing? 🤔 Where to begin? Eyudien Chronicles, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance, Dragon Quest XI: S Definitive Edition, Pokemon Infinite Fusion, Pokemon Scarlet, Pokemon Y, 3 different Pokemon HeartGold (pre-randomized) files, plus several more.

[@adolchristin9837]

Illusion of Gaia is the second episode of the Quintet Trilogy. But did you know that an unofficial fourth episode was released on Playstation by the same people but under another game studio name (Shade) ? It's called The Granstream Saga, and while not as good as the first three episode, the writting and music definitely feels like the true fourth episode of the saga.

[@CulturedVultures]

Congrats! You won the giveaway! Please add your email to your KZbin profile on here (kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYCYi52Jm7iEa9k), then email us at infoatculturedvulturesdotcom to claim your prize :)

[@GavinMasters]

Where I'm from, was "Illusion of Gaia." Where you're from: "Illusion of Time." Either way, it's MY personal favorite of the series. I just love all those world wonders they crammed in. And the OST is to die for! :)

[@businesscat380]

You missed out on the chance to shoehorn in your customary F-Zero reference when discussing Super Mario RPG...there's miniature models of the Blue Falcon and Fire Stingray in the game (and a Star Fox ship). If you willing to apply translation patches, there's a treasure trove of unreleased SNES RPGs... - Bahamut Lagoon - Chaos Seed - Energy Breaker - Fire Emblem Genealogy of the Holy War - Fire Emblem Thracia 776 - Front Mission (+Gun Hazard) - Marvellous, Another Treasure Island - Star Ocean - Tales of Phantasia - Treasure Hunter G - Treasure of the Rudras - ...

[@CulturedVultures]

I like how my mania is become a well-worn trope with you guys ❤ and awesome suggestions dude! we got a load of Japan-only releases in next week's SNES video!

[@gumpyflyale2542]

Star Ocean had an extra chip in the cartridge

[@businesscat380]

@@gumpyflyale2542 Yep. Might've been the same one used in SFA2, was there to do data decompression for all the voice audio

[@voltron77]

Don’t forget the dragon quest games.

[@parnash]

The second game? That was Illusion of Gaia, baby. Had a blast playing that one, though as a kid I could never make it out of the dungeon because I was impatient. So I used the other save file on my rental to beat the game, haha.

[@Marcuray]

illusion of gaia. the darkest story in the whole gaia trilogy, where characters just die for your cause.

[@Skip2TheEnd]

Still blows my mind that the top 4 games on this list never got originally released in PAL territories! I honestly felt like Square had a personal vendetta against Europe at the time! 😆

[@Turambar29]

Illusion of Gaia! I had a blast with it as a kid!

[@KaienFEMC]

It is a crime to not have Tales of Phantasia and Star Ocean on the list.

[@mcheezy]

Illusion of Gaia! I need to revisit those games

[@DigiPen92]

@CulturedVultures Can you do a video on Top 10 Best NES RPGs of All Time please? I might put Dragon Quest IV (or III) in the NES RPG list.

[@mrt862]

I just finished Breath of Fire 1. I turned on BOF2 just to check out the vibe of the 1st level before I get into it properly. You can definitely notice a big step up from the previous game, which was pretty average. I can't wait to put some time into it Super Mario RPG was so good. I'm saving this replay for later Chrono Trigger is almost perfect A game i haven't seen mentioned is Dragon Ball Z Super Gokuden. It's been on my list for a while and I'm slowly getting to it. It looks interesting

[@miltoneo]

Illusion of Gaia was the second game of the Terranigma trilogy

[@ondinnonk]

Last two RPGs I finished were Triangle Strategy and Sea of Stars (:

[@Catterjee]

Illusion of Gaia. A classic in its own right.

[@Manobaru]

You've used artwork of Bianca from the 2008 DS release of Dragon Quest V on the thumbnail, instead of any illustrations from 1992 made for the SNES 😅 I know it's nerdy nitpick, but I believe we're all nerdy-nerds here 🤓

[@CulturedVultures]

🪄you saw nothing 🪄

[@tylerbowling]

I've been going through the FF 1-6 gauntlet and am currently on FF6 right now. Figured I find it on here.

[@stevenmolinaro921]

Illusion of Gaia. Currently on the final two hours of the game

[@daniel_cofresi]

Funny how after a while these lists can only be either predictable or WRONG huh? Please don't take it the wrong way though, you did a great job with this video, it's just interesting to me how the SNES is the only console i've seen all reviewers agreeing so much on

[@goatbone]

Besides Elden Ring I think the last RPG I played was Shining the Holy Ark and that was about 3 years ago.

[@metalspinda9594]

Rune factory 4. It's got a great farm sim aspect to it. It's a riot.

[@giacatnguyen9635]

That's a tough list to argue with, but my personal opinion is that Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together belongs there somewhere, and as much as I like Super Mario RPG, I don't think it quite makes the top 10. Shin Megami Tensei II also belongs in the conversation, but there's no obvious candidate to kick out in order to make room for it.

[@AWClint]

Illusion of Gaia, as the 2nd in that trilogy, always gets to a point where that surprise reveal has me wanting to pick up Soul Blazer for a quick(ish) playthrough. Separately, Chrono Trigger is one of those games that only feels overrated until I play it again. By the time I'm playing with those curtains in Crono's room, I've accepted it's ranking as accurate

[@marooned4835]

Putting Secret of Mana over Dragon Quest V is actually insane

[@CulturedVultures]

*froths out of mouth, puts the Godzilla 1998 VHS on again*

[@marooned4835]

@@CulturedVultures har har har

[@erakfishfishfish]

Despite growing up in the 8- and 16-bit era, I didn’t get around to playing Chrono Trigger until it was rereleased on the DS. I think at that point, the game was so overhyped for me that it could only disappoint. I ended up getting bored and stopped playing after 15-20 hours.

[@musicwalls]

Not a single Shin Megami Tensei game on this list is insane

[@tigerlok89]

Second game in the trilogy was Illusion of Gaia! 👊

[@ARadicalDream]

Cool, but where are Shin Megami Tensei I and Tales of Phantasia?

[@ondinnonk]

Illusion of Gaia! When I played this as a kid, I got stuck really early on. I still have the cartridge tho (: maybe this is my sign to return to the game

[@noyd]

I think Illusion of Gaia was the the 2nd in the series. Indeed a great game in it's own right. yeah, underated, Lufia 2 is one of my favorite games of all time.

[@maxlc3]

Chrono Trigger is still my favorite game of all time. SNES has some timeless classics. Most recent RPG I have been playing is the new Dragon Age. I am 20+ hours in and just bored, unfortunately. I care very little about the characters, which is frustrating.

[@colecv01]

Psst The second in the trilogy was Illusion of Gaia. That was a great game!.

[@SwagimirPutin]

Illusion of Gaia/Illusion of Time depending on your region.

[@rlxd01]

Illusion of Time (PAL)/Illusion of Gaia (NTSC-US)/Gaia Gensōki (NTSC-J)

[@Nintendude.]

YO Codename: S.T.E.A.M mention, nice.

[@gaspump]

10:15 I rather like Visions of Mana though I will admit I was distracted by the remakes of both Romancing SaGa 2 (already my 2nd favorite in that series) and Dragon Quest 3 (series fan since playing the original NES cart in the 80s). I'd say it's a bit slower paced, at least for a while, than you might be expecting but it feels like a game that will ultimately end up being quite rewarding. It's also gorgeous to look at and has fantastic music, plus a super flexible class change system that really gives you some agency on play style once you open it up a bit. Really fun boss fights, too, including bringing back some old favorites like that Mantis Ant and Full Metal Hugger. The demo kinda sucks since there's no save carryover and it gracelessly dumps a bunch of mechanics on you all at once so if you try that do know that this is paced better in the full thing.

[@CulturedVultures]

that's good to hear RE Visions! however, you're the *only* person to comment on it - not a great sign :(

[@Kara99tg]

I'm probably in the minority but I thought Illusion of Gaia was the best of the trilogy.

[@ondinnonk]

I am currently playing Crosscode and also the original Xenogears for the first time ^_^

[@zaanc9929]

i only include the game i have finished, so here's my list: 10 super mario rpg 9 final fantasy iv 8 soul blazer 7 zelda link to the past 6 breath of fire 2 5 final fantasy vi 4 lufia 2 3 final fantasy v (i put it higher than ff6 because 5 is my very first final fantasy and i enjoyed it so much) 2 terranigma 1 chrono trigger

[@XannolcZ]

Illusion of Gaia! Never heard of it (only played Terranigma) but saw comments and got in line. Points for honesty? 😅 /shrug/ RPG I'm currently playing is Cosmic Star Heroine. Fun little game with interesting combat mechanics. Still need to wrap my head around the Style system but as usual, I grind my way out of any challenge

[@lucrativesoundsent.1274]

Ha! I’m currently playing Lufia 2 right now and so far I’m enjoying the game. The Ys series are great rpg’s as well!

[@mjdf122]

Lufia II best SNES RPG in 1996 I’ve seen and have all from 1980-Now

[@lucrativesoundsent.1274]

@ Funny because I thought I had played part 2 many years ago and I never did lol

[@MattCayen]

Lufia 2 is so good :D

[@lucrativesoundsent.1274]

@@MattCayen Definitely is! I’m enjoying the game so far!