Summary
- NES success led to more Nintendo consoles & portables, inspiring Sega, Sony, and Microsoft.
- Classic RPGs for each Nintendo console include Crystalis, Pokemon, and Chrono Trigger.
- Paper Mario, Fire Emblem, and Tokyo Mirage Sessions significantly shaped Nintendo RPGs.
The NES launched in 1985 in North America and forever changed the landscape of home consoles after the Atari bust a few years prior. Thanks to its success, Nintendo had the confidence to make more consoles and even portables. Also, Nintendo helped prove that the home console/portable market was viable for other companies like Sega, Sony, and Microsoft.
On Nintendo systems specifically, they catered to all types of genres, and some fans think their systems hold many of the greatest RPGs ever made. If someone had to play ONE RPG from every Nintendo console from the NES to the Switch, these would be among the top choices.
12 Crystalis (NES)
A Better Zelda RPG
- Developer: SNK
- Publisher: SNK
- Released: July 1990 (NA NES Version)
- Platforms: NES, Game Boy Color
The Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy franchises made huge waves with their NES entries, but they are a bit archaic now, and there are better versions of these games to play. Crystalis, on the other hand, is still easy to pick up and play.
Similar to early Zelda games, players began their journey in a top-down world, but there were more RPG elements, like fighting enemies to level up. Also, there was an impressive magic system that affected the environment, including ice freezing over rivers, which is one big reason why it stands out on the NES beyond just RPGs.
11 Pokemon Blue/Red (Game Boy)
Created A Monster
Pokemon Blue
- Released
- September 28, 1998
- ESRB
- Everyone
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo 3DS
It’s hard to quantify just how big of a deal the debut of Pokemon Blue and Pokemon Red were in 1998. It turned the aging Game Boy into a must-have system because everyone on the playground carried one of these two games around.
Collecting and trading monsters was like an evolution of the trading card phenomenon, but better because of the interactivity, and the games were still fun even without friends.
10 Chrono Trigger (SNES)
A Timeless Time-Traveling Miracle
Chrono Trigger
- Released
- March 11, 1995
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- SNES, PlayStation (Original), PC, Nintendo DS, Android, iOS
Chrono Trigger was the brainchild of some of the best minds at Squaresoft, Enix, and it even had Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame do the artwork. It was ahead of its time, sort of like a Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy crossover, but with original ideas.
Enemies could be seen on the map, characters could perform combos in battle, and the time-traveling element was unique to RPGs at the time, and it still is to this day.
9 Paper Mario (N64)
A Theatrical RPG
Paper Mario
- Released
- February 5, 2001
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Comic Mischief
- Developer(s)
- Intelligent Systems
- Genre(s)
- RPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 64
Compared to the SNES, the N64 didn’t have that many RPGs, but Paper Mario was far and above others that did come out. It was a spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars that borrowed the active turn-based battle system and humor.
What Paper Mario did better than that game on the SNES was the paper aesthetic, which made it more vibrant, and it added to the gameplay too, like allowing Mario to turn into various paper forms.
8 Pokemon Gold/Silver (Game Boy Color)
A Sequel Like No Other
Pokemon Gold and Silver
- Released
- October 15, 2000
- ESRB
- Everyone // Mild Cartoon Violence, Simulated Gambling
- Developer(s)
- Game Freak
- Genre(s)
- JRPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Game Boy Color
Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver were a big leap forward for the franchise, adding color thanks to the new system, phone mechanics, better trading, new Pokemon, and so on.
The new region of Johto was a bit more exciting to explore, although that may have been because of the coloration, too. Beyond that, the addition of Kanto as a post-game region was mind-blowing, and no Pokemon game has tried bridging the gap quite like this again.
7 Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (Game Boy Advance)
Time-Based Perfection
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
- Released
- November 17, 2003
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Developer(s)
- AlphaDream
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo Wii U
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was another spiritual successor to Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, only this time Mario was paired with just one party member: Luigi. It focused on brotherly love and improved the time-based combat so that Mario’s moves outside and inside combat were tied to the A button, and Luigi was a B boy. Many sequels followed, but there’s still nothing quite as good as the original, from the combat to the pixel art to the music.
6 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GameCube)
Now With Switch Support
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
- Released
- October 11, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Cartoon Violence
- Developer(s)
- Intelligent Systems
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo GameCube
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door is an RPG sequel that improved what came before, and many believe this is the best paper-based game in the series. Mario’s story was bigger, the hub town had more ins and outs to explore, the Peach bits were intriguing, and the combat was more interactive. It still looks good on the GameCube, but now new fans can enjoy it via the Switch remake too.
5 The World Ends With You (DS)
Using The System To Its Full Extent
The World Ends With You
- Released
- July 27, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo DS, Switch, Android, iOS
The World Ends With You used both screens and the touch controls so well that any DS RPG paled in comparison. On the bottom, players controlled the protagonist Neku, who could perform touch-based moves based on equipped pins, from fireballs to slashes.
Neku’s partner changed between sections, but they always controlled via the D-Pad and face buttons on top, and it was hard to get used to at first, but practice made perfect. The dual-screen system was changed in the Switch version, but it is still good and an easy way to play.
4 Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
Pushing Every Boundary On Wii
Xenoblade Chronicles
- Released
- July 29, 2022
It’s still hard to believe that Monolith Soft was able to make Xenoblade Chronicles on the Wii because of how massive and seamless it is. The zones were huge with monsters crawling all around, and it could easily take players 80+ hours to complete, but it never dragged.
The combat was MMO-based but with a twist, as different combos could affect enemies in different ways, like Topple would throw them off balance and weaken them. It's even better on the Switch, and the 3DS version is impressive too.
3 Fire Emblem Awakening (3DS)
Building The Brand
Fire Emblem: Awakening
- Released
- February 4, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen due to Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Developer(s)
- Intelligent Systems, Nintendo SPD
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, Strategy
- Platform(s)
- 3DS
Fire Emblem was always a more niche tactical RPG series for Nintendo, with many entries trapped in Japan until Fire Emblem Awakening changed all that. Now it’s a top-tier franchise thanks to Intelligent Systems adding quality-of-life improvements like difficulty levels, online support, a romance option, and so much more.
8 Most Influential Nintendo Games
From PlayStation to Xbox, Nintendo's influences on the game industry are widespread.
The core gameplay was mostly unchanged for old-school fans, too, featuring grid-based maps, a class system, and character combos, plus players could play it in hardcore mode to feel that weighty challenge.