I Ranked Every SquareSoft game on SNES

Before Square-Enix, we had two separate companies. Here's a look at every game published by SquareSoft for SNES and where I rank them.
Rank SquareSoft Games - tiermaker.com/create/squareso...
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[@JohnRiggs]

If you're new, I've been doing these ranking videos for a while. Check out the entire playlist to binge-watch kzbin.info/www/bejne/lWO4lIx_q7mNiqM We'll be ranking SNES games from Enix, LJN and THQ in the coming weeks. Make sure you're subscribed so you don't miss out! And I still have more NES companies to do, too,like Data East, Taito, Bandai and more. Just thought we'd introduce SNES games for a bit.

[@Der_Kleine_Mann]

Hope to see more of these SNES rankings in the future, because I have no NES.

[@ancientone5903]

Back in the day when Square Soft was just Square Soft, if only Square Soft and Enix never merged from the beginning...

[@chris4087]

Loving these ranking videos John has resparked my interest in the nes! Can't wait for the data east video! Some of my favs in there for sure.

[@braylenreece5060]

Instablaster...

[@NickolaiVolkov]

As soon as I saw the clock pendulum, my immediate thought "S!" LOL. Glad to see I was not alone! 😂😂😂

[@mode_7]

As someone who did beat it, Secret of Mana is an S tier all day long. I love how long it went on for, such a bang for your buck and taking into account the way gaming has gone I don’t think you can really complain about length. My favourite game of all time.

[@joselombana8381]

I came here expecting A and S tier ratings and I wasn't disappointed. I love Sqare soft in the 90s.

[@robertandruw7647]

can't go wrong with square soft. Those guys make only AAA games.

[@banzaisdead]

I laughed at the automatic (and fully 110% deserved) S for Chrono Trigger

[@joselombana8381]

@Al Bert the NES/ Famicom has this game called 3D world runner which is also a square soft. I believe it came out before the OG final fantasy

[@Needed4Reddit]

One of the best developers by far before EA bought them.

[@davisbowe8668]

I imagine that this and the published by Nintendo list probably have the highest rated games.

[@kekeke8988]

Mystic Quest has nothing to do with Saga. That's Final Fantasy Legend. MQ was designed specifically for people unfamiliar with the genre in USA. It was released in Japan as Final Fantasy USA.

[@sanderbakker2126]

@R Shmigelsky Mystic Quest is made as an entry level RPG,the Saga games are quite the opposite. I agree that these games don't have much in common

[@frozenaorta]

It certainly plays just like the Saga (FFL) games of that era. Just... Nowhere near as deep or challenging.

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

It is Final Fantasy for dummies, basically

[@Vanessaira-Retro]

Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 6 are still some of the best games I've ever played. There are fewer games that I can think of that even approach or surpass these two titles. I also feel strongly about FF4 since that was my first FF.

[@gamerstranded2705]

Agree 100%. They are masterpieces!! I played them later in life tho. Genesis kid. So I was playing shining force 2 and phantasy star 4.

[@BDBD16]

@@gamerstranded2705 But Shining Force was sooo good too. Hidden characters etc..

[@joselombana8381]

OMG FF 4 was my first too. I had a neighbor playing the game he was up to the part when (spoiler alert) Anna dies and Tellah calls Edward a spoony bard. I was maybe 14 and that type of story telling blew my mind in 1994. As soon as he finished it he gave it to me as a gift.

[@tigmo55]

I couldn't agree more!! Chrono Trigger is my personal favorite but Final Fantasy VI is also in "S" tier territory for sure. Both games have incredible stories, music, characters, and visuals/atmosphere. Final Fantasy IV is a solid game as well.

[@Vanessaira-Retro]

@@gamerstranded2705 Which are absolutely two outstanding games in their own right. Was truly a Golden Age of Gaming.

[@Real_The_Goof]

Secret of Evermore was made in the west actually, and USED the Secret of Mana engine!

[@derek-64]

can't say i've ever played it but after seeing a decent amount of gameplay footage i will have to get this one at some point.

[@blake3606]

@@derek-64 its a good one

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

And it sucks

[@solusemsu7957]

Whoa!!! Moved to SNES. Nice. That means more videos like this in the future. 😃👍

[@secretysecret1551]

Yeah, I can't wait. SNES is my all time favorite console.

[@solusemsu7957]

And John. Completely agree with your take on Secret of Mana. It's Iike you read my mind. Amazing game....long, and can get boring.... but still a fantastic game.

[@chrisgoetz3816]

Yeah, Ive played like every NES game, even a bunch he never covered .( KOEI games, rainbow silk road) Im ready to check out some.hidden gems I dont know about for SNES and Genesis.

[@EsotericArcade]

Very happy for this!

[@tommyp4297]

I spent many an hour with a friend in college going through Secret of Mana. Thinking back on it brings back some great memories.

[@made.fresh.daily.]

i was in middle school with my best friend and maaaaannnnn when i tell u those where some of THE BEST Saturday mornings?!?!?!

[@TrainmasterCurt]

Final Fantasy IV has a special place in my gaming heart, it was the 2nd Final Fantasy game I played, and the music is still the best in my eyes, so much that I once recorded the Golbez theme on a cassette recorder, and looped it and played it on Halloween. Me and my friends would do funny things like turn an Imp into a pig with Piggy spell, then use Death, lol

[@StewNWT]

FFIV is my favourite game of all time. The music is untouchable. So epic

[@JakeRandall]

Yes!!!! My favorite company, I miss when they were square soft 😭

[@JS_2099]

You should do a Part 2 with all the Japanese RPGs they didn't bring over. Most of them have English translations now.

[@FrankHarwald]

Indeed, Seiken Densatsu 3 aka Secret of Mana 2 would absolutely have to gon on this list.

[@PsychomachineryEBM]

Final Fantasy V, Treasure Hunter G, Bahamut Lagoon... Tons of missing games, this list is messed af

[@jaredhammonds8255]

Me: Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy 3 get an S or we riot! John Riggs: It's an S come on!

[@DigitalxxxFr34k]

Breath of Fire was Developed by Capcom , the first game was published by square in the united states.

[@XENOS_Indie_Game_Dev]

Yup, Breath of Fire is a Capcom game, and I don't know why they didn't release it themselves, but at least they released the rest of the games in the west and I have most of them, excluding the handheld versions.

[@secretysecret1551]

Ohhh, how about a Nintendo made SNES list. You're going to need a longer spreadsheet to squeeze in all of the S-games.

[@JohnRiggs]

you may be right.

[@secretysecret1551]

@Mr. Peanut pretty much a perfect 10

[@weihuatang171]

@Mr. Peanut S = Ace

[@retrojustplay7426]

Love this video type, keep up the good work Mr Riggs.

[@r.burger991]

Loving all the ranking videos! Keep 'em up! Many games and systems to work with.

[@iamryan9234]

Breath of Fire is underrated. I’m so glad you gave it an A. It can be a bit broken and I wish you could utilize all of the characters better. But it’s one of my favorite RPGs on the SNES

[@JohnRiggs]

It was perfect for the time.

[@garb7477]

Breath of Fire 2 holds up as one of my favorite rpgs! I thought this series was developed by capcom however

[@gjd646]

Andy Garber they were developed by Capcom but Squaresoft published the first game in North America. My guess is that Capcom didn’t want to take the risk themselves, considering that RPGs weren’t very popular in NA then particularly in the early part of the system’s lifespan. After the first one was successful, Capcom published the second one themselves in NA.

[@nicpayne8258]

@@garb7477 Breath of Fire 2 was a masterpiece! I remember getting to the Cathedral and shitting my pants

[@garb7477]

@@nicpayne8258 Really was a great game. I had my game erase itself after fighting Roy....still went back and played through

[@carllavery4442]

Mystic Quest is the game that got me into turn based JRPG games, really good game. That said Secret of Evermore is one of my favourite ever games, I always loved how the dog changed depending upon what world you were in

[@DoomPlague]

I was happy to see some love for Evermore when some fans trash it. Same with Mystic Quest which never seemed terrible like fans make it out to be. You can call it a watered down FF but it still has more depth than FF13.

[@kefkarothsephka7708]

same here with mystic quest

[@stevehunt9051]

I played or rented everything SquarePants or Enix. Tough to pick a favorite

[@fitnessabcvideo]

You are getting some serious momentum, keep it coming. Great work Riggs.

[@chrisnewell2332]

Love these ranking vids, ace 👍

[@turbo8890]

Been waiting for SNES videos, thank you and nicely done Riggs!!

[@osc9988]

Been waiting for you to cover snes, love the videos, great content!!!!!

[@MetalJody1990]

I didn't grow up with any Square Soft games. I'm 30 and just now exploring some of these RPGs. The music is incredible, especially in Chrono Trigger.

[@Rackhir420]

Awesome video I'm really looking forward to the Enix video between these two companies they both released some of my favorite rpg's. Keep up the good work.

[@mikemr8340]

Love these videos and your commentary

[@westlancsflips]

Great video. Thanks John. Love this content

[@EverettNewell]

Keep up the great vids, Mr. Riggs

[@brandonflynn8047]

Love these videos glad you are continuing with SNES

[@longliveartimus]

Really enjoyed the video, Riggs.

[@JohnMcVie13]

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars would be at the top of my list. It remains as my default favorite game of all-time. Maybe it wasn't included since it was a partnership between Nintendo and Squaresoft?

[@JohnRiggs]

Totally. I'll include that on the Nintendo video. I did think about that but I'm sticking with publishers instead of developers.

[@floridapunkarchivist]

@@JohnRiggs can you believe I got to the end boss and he ended up being probably the hardest boss ever?? Maybe I didn't level up enough but I can't believe I never got a chance to beat Mario RPG. This was when it came out...I'm 38 years old now and now that it looks like we can relax with Biden winning the election...I may treat myself to Super Mario RPG all over again for the remainder of 2020...good way to end what began as the worst year of my lifetime.

[@Jayce_Alexander]

@@floridapunkarchivist If you spend some time grinding before the final areas so all your characters are maxed out (I believe they max out at level 30) you will definitely beat the game. It's one of the best for sure. Have fun. ;)

[@paxhumana2015]

@@floridapunkarchivist , whoever won the election made us lose and they are all morons that serve the same Luciferian globalist elite in the end.

[@folnevar]

Not only is Kefka one of the greatest villains, but he's also one of the greatest boss battles of all time. Combine that with the music by Nobuo, and you've got one of the greatest moments in all of gaming!!

[@rickylucas6503]

He's the only villain that succeeded in destroying the world. Which, to me, makes him the best. Not for any moral reason, just b/c he was having fun.

[@xROCKLOBSTUHx]

Oooo baby! Been waiting for Riggs to get to Snes ranking!

[@mjdf122]

Big John Stud Riggs Coming Through Great List Thank You For All Happy Holidays

[@7thangelad586]

Square in the 90’s. So many quality games. I enjoy all of their games, but I can’t keep track of how many times I’ve played every incarnation of FFII/IV. I finished FFVI, Chrono Trigger, and Secret of Mana as a child, and I just cannot get into any of them again no matter how hard I try. But I know it’s nostalgia that drives my love for FFIV. Glad to hear your thoughts on these games, Mr. Riggs!

[@StewNWT]

FFIV is the best!!!!

[@ivanvargas2425]

I really enjoy these vids. Thx

[@PixelSlayers]

Ahhh yesssss. Was waiting on both SNES and Square video!

[@ChrisSmith-yk2uz]

Greetings from the UK. I really enjoy your content John, and I'm looking forward to more SNES games rankings from you.

[@fjcarmo0369]

Thanks for finally doing one of these for the SNES. The SNES was my system growing up and I loved my JRPG's especially. I have beaten every game in this video at least once. My favorite game from the video is definitly Final Fantasy III. Even today at least once a year I make a full playthrough of this game as it is one of my favorite video games of all time. My least favorite game in the video is Secret of Evermore. I beat this game 1 time and never played it again. It was always difficult to get the dog to dig when you wanted him to and the attack command was sometimes really picky as to exactly where you had to be standing for an attack to land. I am looking forward to more of these videos for the SNES Mr. Riggs.

[@michaeladams9807]

I've been waiting for these videos 👍👍

[@mikaelrivacov5705]

The two that blew my mind away after playing all rpgs mentioned here are Tales of Phantasia and Trials of Mana one was developed by Namco and never left Japan. The other never came to the US as well😭 both could only be emulated 😊😌

[@KTJohnsonkidThunder]

I totally agree with your list. As for Breath of Fire, it was originally made by Capcom, but it was localized here by Squaresoft because the company was obviously synonymous for RPGs. As for Mystic Quest, the Boss Battle music is the best part of the game.

[@joselombana8381]

The final battle is close second in my opinion.

[@kekeke8988]

It was licensed to Square for localization because Capcom believed there was no market for JRPGs in America.

[@scottythegreat1]

@@kekeke8988 Actually, Capcom USA didnt have a translator for Japanese to English. Capcom (In Japan) translated their games themselves. With all the text and programming involved in RPGs, they wanted a proper translation, and seeked out a company with extensive experience in translating RPGs.

[@cleverestx]

Thank you for giving FFIII (6 in Japan), a solid S - I can stay subbed to you!

[@tflics]

Another great video! Looking forward to more!

[@JohnRiggs]

well, I mean, LJN SNES is next week so we'll see if you still wanna say that :)

[@thenamek1351]

Chrono Trigger was my favorite game of all time. I played it so much I think I logged in 200 + hours at least as a kid! Also own it on PlayStation and digital on my vita!

[@JohnRiggs]

That's a lot of hours!

[@kekeke8988]

Man, was it the only game you had?

[@thenamek1351]

@@kekeke8988 nope just trying to get all the endings and level 99

[@starlaw3320]

I look forward to these videos!

[@mosiarmstrong]

8:25 Secret of Evermore had the absolute SICKEST commercial I had ever seen in my life up to that point.

[@jodymcdougle8810]

Awesome another Riggs post!

[@Mike-ix5sv]

I'm excited for this one john. Love your rankings, square is by far my favorite developer, and these snes gems are where it all began

[@John_TheDrummer]

I'm a simple man. I see a John Riggs Ranking list and I click it immediately. This has been one of my favorite KZbin series and every time one pops up I feel so happy!!!!

[@richardjames14]

Awesome!! Thank you for going to SNES, this series is so sick 💯

[@stephenjones5079]

Very nice indeed. My favourite console and a great list of excellent games. Fantastic video.

[@FreeggNinja3618]

I'm glad you gave Chrono Trigger an S, anything else would be blasphemy

[@poop24]

I love your videos and the fact you give props to Urbana's best beer!!!!!

[@marie-lisecouillard7263]

Amazing series of videos! I love them! Are you thinking of doing one for Game Boy/Color games eventually, I grew up with it, but my 8-year-old self didn't have a lot of games to play, but I recently modded my game Boy Color so I'm looking for tons of games to play! And which ones to avoid...

[@PKMNwww411_MkII]

Secret of Mana so nostalgic. If you have a multitap you can have three players.

[@Everclear1102]

Love these

[@MrJGD77]

Another top quality video 👍🏽

[@frank68x]

FF2 is also my favorite. That fade in at the beginning with the Red Wings theme...still gives me chills.

[@SumerNivek]

Final Fantasy 2/4 is still my favorite FF of all time. When Palom and Porom did...their thing...I almost cried.

[@locke103]

the fact you briefly mentioned earthbound put a smile of my face. i'd honestly love to hear your thoughts about that franchise over all. or even just that specific game of the series.

[@jacktastick]

The best chronotrigger ending is when you meet the staff. That was super cool

[@Wheels8504]

The perfect thing to watch on my 35th birthday. Thank you.

[@jNetDowling]

Can't spell Square without S and A. And as much as I also love Secret of Mana, I have to agree with your criticism of it. My Switch playthrough is sitting dormant at about 15 hours right now, and I think that by the time I've finished taking a break from it and playing some other games, I'll be raring to go once again.

[@CDRiley]

Qure

[@MasterRoshi8974]

I love these episodes!!

[@inkfusedgamer]

Breath of Fire was the first RPG I beat! Glad to see the love is shared! Great video.

[@TheFearleader420]

I accidentally slowed down the playback to half speed and created drunk Riggs.

[@zakknafein3216]

When Chronotrriger came out I remember paying 100 dollars for it never regretted it

[@TheRosswise]

Picked it up at Walmart for $79.99, I definitely got my moneys worth. I marathonned it for about two months until I saw every ending. The solo fight between Chrono and Lavos was pretty tricky, but damn it felt good to beat him.

[@pnvgordinho]

100 for a new game?. Damn. Now that´s a fan.

[@joselombana8381]

Yeah man $89.99 plus tax was very expensive back in the 90s. I remember only FF6 and Chrono Trigger being way more expensive then the rest.

[@freddyvidz]

@@joselombana8381 and Phantasy Star 2 on Sega

[@joselombana8381]

@@freddyvidz I didn't own a Genesis back then but I can imagine.

[@NamooNara]

Really enjoying this series of videos! How about ranking consoles? 😏

[@Oddjob126]

John where was Super Mario RPG?

[@Projectwolfie21]

IIRC Squaresoft made it, but it was published by Nintendo. That's why you see Breath of Fire on here: made by Capcom, published by Square at last in the west.

[@JohnRiggs]

exactly that - I'm going by publisher so it'll be on the Nintendo video.

[@Tuxy79]

You reminded me to purchase Children of Mana for my daughter.

[@chaseman94]

Can't wait to see who's next!!!

[@BurgerBroeders]

Great to see some SNES lists now! This video gives me so much nostalgia; to a time where creators where limited by hardware and pushed it to the limit to make the best product possible. And it shows, every single game is a masterpiece. Every soundtrack a masterpiece. It’s not just nostalgia talking, they are just great games. This video makes me want to lock myself up in my gameroom and play SNES all weekend. Damn you, adulthood :P

[@tont760]

It really is a great story. And the name Cecil or female Cecilia, translates to "blind" which fits our protagonist as he is blinded by his duty to the Empire. And so the journey begins...

[@TheLastLineLive]

Fun fact: Secret of Mana is actually 3 players if you got the multitap.

[@Gambit2483]

You can't talk about FF3/FFVI and not mention the Opera scene. Damn...Squaresoft was seriously on point back in the 16bit era

[@Rountree1985]

I’m glad you’re doing these with Super Nintendo games now!

[@MrBaltch]

Final Fantasy II/IV will also be my favourite of the series, mostly because I stopped playing them and remember loving it so much!

[@mihoshiproductions9809]

I love secret of mana a lot and have beaten it numerous times but there is a moment in the game where I always forget where I'm supposed to be going next and wander around until I remember it. The game I feel also has a lot of 'filler' moments where it just drags on like they used every single idea they came up with whether it made sense or not.

[@TheRealPapaChico]

Nice! John. Good choice for a video.

[@ZBR_ProXP]

Pretty much nailed this one, John

[@GreenDragonPainting]

SUPER NINTENDO! I'm really excited to go through all these great games with you. I can't say enough how much I enjoy these ranking videos! Thanks for doing these 😁

[@tigmo55]

I know I already commented but John, you look so happy and passionate in this video which is great to see! You normally look passionate but I think that those NES Ocean and Wisdom Tree videos got you down a bit. Gotta love getting back to some truly great games, right? ;)

[@JohnRiggs]

oh great, and next week is LJN SNES games. We'll see.

[@tigmo55]

@@JohnRiggs I look forward to seeing that man! Just have fun with it and break out a bunch of D's and F's if necessary. I played a ton of LJN NES games but not so much on the SNES. It'll be interesting to see if they made any improvements going to 16 bits.

[@olivierbiwer5205]

I think the fight music in Mystic Quest (PAL version, if that makes a difference) is fantastic. It always gets my heart pumping.

[@natecubblyn9402]

Great video. Came expecting heavy hitters and was not disappointed. Only two of those I’ve beaten are FFII and CT, both gameboy ports. It’s sad the older you get the harder it is to find the the time for good RPG stories like these

[@bezerker99]

I recently bought Trials of Mana for the Switch on a Black Friday sale. Of course, that game is a reimagining of the sequel to Secret of Mana (a game I never played back in the day). Then I quickly remembered Secret of Mana is on the SNES Classic so I dusted that little mini console off and now playing it for the first time! What a fantastic action RPG!

[@RetroGameNova]

I always wanted to play The Secret of Evermore, the story and box art was amazing. Great list Riggs, I played most of these except Mystic Quest. I don’t know if this is true or not but I HEARD since we got Secret of Evermore we didn’t get Terranigma which you could only play on an Emulator.

[@corgibuttz2550]

Ohhhh boy. Just starting... expecting an "S" wave. :D

[@UnlicensedOkie]

Sitting with covid watching a ton of KZbin videos These videos getting me through my day

[@UnlicensedOkie]

@@PJ-sv4iw the worst part is the random coughing fits that come out of nowhere and make you feel like you’re dying, for a few minutes, and then you’re ok again

[@thomasherzog86]

at least its not corona. get it? guess you cant laugh right now. hope you get well soon and have no long lasting effects.

[@UnlicensedOkie]

@@shawnpatrick1877 that’s what I’ve heard too Which sucks lol

[@PeteOliva]

Get well, man.

[@MountainHomeJerrel]

Hearing that classic Final Fantasy music made me smile with nostalgic fondness, and then instantly frown thinking about the modern state of the franchise.

[@mikedl1105]

You're a brave man, Mr. Riggs

[@ryanpolenz7741]

Long time fan and thank you for all the videos! Just a heads up, Mystic Quest was specifically designed for America. Its not part of the SaGa serious like the FF Legend series on Gameboy. Other than that,i agree with everything you've said!!! Cheers to you and your family!

[@toryficarola]

I enjoyed the fact that the video gameplay demo of FFMQ in the sub-screen next to your head perfectly demonstrated your synopsis with how it's kind of Zelda-ish, with a female sprite chopping a tree to clear a path just as you were literally saying.....

[@gjd646]

FF VI and Chrono Trigger are still in my top 10 games of all time. Evermore was one I was hyped before playing it but I burned out on it at some point and never finished it. The alchemy system was difficult to manage and drove me nuts: I’ve always intended to go back and give it another go but I never had time to do so.

[@30Jago]

Secret of evermore and chrono trigger were my 2 most anticipated games ever. I remember seeing all the ads in nintendo power and telling my parents how much I wanted them. I wasn't let down when I got them

[@TheRealCaptainFreedom]

Do a shot every time Riggs says “Final Fantasy” and I promise to send flowers to your funeral.

[@RickinBaltimore]

Final Fantasy VI: AKA the greatest game I ever played to this day. (My opinion, yours may vary)

[@troystrain2436]

Great stuff here! Wasn't Super Mario RPG done by Squaresoft too? It's been so long that I don't really remember.

[@dartdude2668]

Great video John, square really made great games for snes

[@Jebbreh]

I think your list is pretty on point.

[@markking2310]

Great video. Can't wait for Enix

[@JohnRiggs]

That's in a couple weeks.