Best RPGs Only Available On The SNES, Ranked

The Super Nintendo has one of the greatest video game libraries of all time. It has games for every genre, from brawlers to shooters to RPGs. Many of these (RPGs in particular) have made it beyond the SNES via digital ports on online stores like the eShop, and some have even been remade.

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The Best RPGs On The SNES, Ranked

The Super Nintendo has some of the greatest RPGs of all time, with these being the 15 best role-playing games on the SNES.

Chrono Trigger, for example, was ported and enhanced several times on systems like the PS1 and Nintendo DS. Sadly, not every great game gets a second chance — like these SNES classics and hidden gems. The games detailed on this list have never officially left the SNES console, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be tracked down online. These games will be ranked based on quality.

7

Hero Chronicle: Project Olympus

A Licensing Nightmare In A Fan’s Game

• Developer: Winky Soft
• Publisher: Banpresto
• Released: November 20, 1992
• Platform: SNES

When it comes to crossover RPGs that never came to the West, Super Robot Wars takes the cake as there are dozens of titles still missing in action. A game that may be even more obscure and trapped on the SNES is Hero Chronicle: Project Olympus. This turn-based RPG crosses over the Ultraman, Gundam, and Kamen Rider properties.

While it was never released in North America, there is a fan patch for it in English. Sadly, Japanese players haven’t been able to find it again, possibly due to licensing issues, which are seemingly always a problem in licensed-based games getting re-released.

6

Robotrek

Pokemon With Robots

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Robotrek

Systems

Released

July 8, 1994

Developer(s)

Quintet

Publisher(s)

Enix

Robotrek is one of the few games that Quintet made for Enix on the SNES that wasn’t an action RPG. Instead, this game is turn-based and it can be likened to Pokemon. It stars a young mechanic who has a customizable robot that he takes on adventures.

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Players can build on the robot as they progress, giving it new body parts and weapons — and new buddies too. Robotrek never made a big splash in the RPG scene, but it did release in North America like many of Quintet’s games, most of which are also locked in the SNES’ good graces.

5

E.V.O.: Search For Eden

Fight, Eat, Evolve

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E.V.O.: Search for Eden

Systems

Released

December 21, 1992

Publisher(s)

Enix

E.V.O.: Search for Eden is one of the most unique games on the SNES. It’s a 2D linear RPG wherein players will go through life and evolve. They’ll begin as a fish, eating plants, and slowly, by leveling up, they can start attacking other fish to evolve into bigger hunters.

Players can also choose evolution points when they hit certain criteria, so it’s a bit more dynamic than the evolutions found in the Pokemon series. Almanic made this game for Enix, and they also made a PC game in Japan called 4.6 Billion Year Story: The Theory of Evolution. It shares some elements, but both games are completely their own thing.

4

Arabian Nights: Desert Spirit King

This Is Not Your Clive’s Ifrit

• Developer: Pandora Box
• Publisher: Takara
• Released: June 14, 1996 (Japan)
• Platform: SNES

Arabian Nights: Desert Spirit King is kind of like a Middle Eastern version of Inuyasha. A young girl finds a magic ring, and inside is an evil genie, Ifrit, who grants one wish. She wants to bring peace to the land, so this genie reluctantly agrees to help even though he was sealed away for evil deeds.

The push and pull between the two is great, and the story is unlike anything else on the SNES. The gameplay is turn-based, but players can use cards to change the terrain, which can affect enemies or heroes by strengthening or weakening certain traits. It was only released in Japan on the SNES, and it hasn’t been re-released officially, but there is a fan translation for it in English.

3

The Twisted Tales Of Spike McFang

A Vampire Hunter Who Loves Tomatoes

The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang stars a young vampire who chooses to eat tomatoes instead of drinking blood. His goal is to stop other vampires from terrorizing the land — one dungeon and boss fight at a time. Players can attack enemies with their cape and hat, and there are spell cards to gather. Attacking and defeating enemies will gradually level up Spike, and there is even two-player co-op.

This game was actually a sequel to a TurboGrafx-16 game called Makai Prince Dorabotchan, which was not released in the West — neither was the golf game, Super Naxat Open, which had cameos from this series.

2

Secret Of Evermore

Not A Mana Game, But Still Worthwhile

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Secret of Evermore

Systems

Released

October 1, 1995

Developer(s)

Square Enix

Publisher(s)

Square Enix
, Nintendo

Secret of Evermore is not tied to the Mana series, but it does play and look like Secret of Mana. It’s more like the newly formed North American branch of Square’s spiritual sequel to Secret of Mana, which used the same action gameplay with the rechargeable meter and the ring-based menu system.

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Though limited in terms of the open-world aspect, these incredible SNES RPGs still showcase some of the best elements the genre has to offer.

It wasn’t even released in Japan initially, and it still hasn’t been seen there officially. It’s a wild ride featuring a young boy and his dog going into an alternate world that feels like a tour through history, running from a Roman Empire to a dinosaur-heavy jungle, but it’s all just one world.

1

Lufia 2: Rise Of The Sinistrals

A Long Lost RPG Franchise

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Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals

Systems

Released

February 24, 1995

The entirety of the Lufia franchise remains stuck on the consoles they were released on. The only game that made it out was Lufia: The Legend Returns, which was a Game Boy Color RPG that was re-released on the 3DS’s eShop — which has since closed, so not even that game had a happy ending.

Of the many entries out there, Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals stands out on the SNES as the peak for many fans. The turn-based battle system had an early mechanic like Limit Breaks in Final Fantasy, there was light monster-catching, and it had puzzle-like dungeons akin to The Legend of Zelda series. It hasn’t been re-released yet unless one wanted to count the DS game, Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals, which was more like a reimagining than a remake akin to the level of Final Fantasy 7 Remake.

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