The RPG genre was a bit clunky on the NES, although some classics would later go in to spawn giant franchises. Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy come to mind, but those two were refined in the next generation via the SNES. There are so many classic RPGs on the SNES besides Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy games though.
There are also a lot of classics that never made it to the United States. Some SNES RPGs did get to Europe though, but not many. Of these games, these are standouts that most players can experience through fan translations. As always though, it would be great if these SNES RPGs made it to the U.S. Officially one day.
8 Dark Half
Play The Light And Dark Side Simultaneously
- Developer: West One
- Publisher: Enix
- Released: May 31, 1996
- Platform: SNES
Dark Half has one of the most unique premises for an RPG. Players swapped back and forth between an evil overlord, Rukyu, and a daring hero named Falco. Rukyu could recruit monsters to fight for him in battle while Falco could recruit party members. There was also a soul meter that drained with every action taken sort of like the meter in Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter for those more familiar with that brutal game. If either Rukyu or Falco had their meter drained before the final conflict, it was game over. Dark Half was only released in Japan, but fans translated it into English.
7 Far East of Eden Zero
One Of Many Tengai Makyo Lost Projects
- Developer: Red Company
- Publisher: Hudson
- Released: December 22, 1995
- Platform: SNES
Far East of Eden Zero is part of the Tengai Makyo series and most of these games never made it outside of Japan. It’s a shame for Far East of Eden Zero especially because it felt like a step above many SNES RPGs of the era. The colors used in this fantastical world were jaw-dropping and still look good today. The turn-based gameplay was nothing explosively new but the third-person perspective was well-detailed for all party members. It was also a huge game with a world that could be explored with a variety of vehicles like airships. While it was never officially released in the West, it did get a fan patch in English.
6 G.O.D.: Heed the Call to Awaken
Awakening To The End Of The World
- Developer: Infinity
- Publisher: Imagineer
- Released: December 20th, 1996
- Platform: SNES
EarthBound was a one-of-a-kind gem on the SNES that was overlooked and gained a new appreciation after the fact. Since then, there have been many homages made by the indie community like Undertale and Eastward. There were other EarthBound-like games set in the modern era back on the SNES though including G.O.D.: Heed the Call to Awaken.
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It began with a young school kid in 1999 before he saw aliens invade and go into a coma for ten years. When he wakes up, it’s 2009 and the world has been ravaged by aliens but pockets of humans are still rebelling. It may sound grim but the dialogue and enemies are full of whimsy in this turn-based RPG that was only released in Japan but it does have a fan patch in English.
5 Glory of Heracles 4: Gift From The Gods
If God Of War Were A JRPG
- Developer: Data East
- Publisher: Data East
- Released: October 21, 1994 (Japan, SNES Version)
- Platform: SNES, Wii, Wii U
The Glory of Heracles series was big in Japan, hitting every Nintendo console up until the SNES. They were developed by Data East which was huge in the 80s and 90s, especially in arcades. The only game North America got was the final one on the DS in 2010. It was the first game since Glory of Heracles 4: Gift from the God s was released in Japan in 1994. There is an English patch for it and it is worth checking out for RPG lovers who enjoy Greek mythology and specifically exploring the mystery of Atlantis. Also, the DS game is a hidden gem on the portable.
4 Gunple: Gunman’s Proof
Zelda Meets EarthBound
- Developer: Lenar
- Publisher: ASCII
- Platform: SNES
- Released: January 31, 1997
Gunple: Gunman’s Proof feels like it should have been released outside of Japan because it is a Western but one that looks and plays like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Players will go into dungeons and fight aliens and random thugs in a colorful world not unlike EarthBound as well. Instead of swords, players will gain a variety of guns and other gadgets to fight back with and they can even dodge bullet spray by laying prone. There are puzzles but it’s more action-focused than a Zelda game. There’s an English translation for those curious even though there isn’t much dialogue to work through. One of the most interesting things about Gunple: Gunman’s Proof was that it was released on the same day in Japan as one of the most groundbreaking RPGs of all time: Final Fantasy 7.
3 Terranigma
Post-Apocalyptic Secret Of Mana
Terranigma
- Released
- October 20, 1995
- ESRB
- e
- Platform(s)
- SNES
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
- How Long To Beat
- 16 Hours
Terranigma was developed by a company named Quintet which worked on a number of games for Enix on the SNES. Some of them were published globally like ActRaiser, Illusion of Gaia, and Soul Blazer. However, Terranigma only saw a release in Europe outside of Japan so it was fully playable in English to those who could import it.
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Of the many Quintet games, this is the one most unfortunate to have never been released in North America as it feels like they put all of their energy into it. The action-based gameplay was solid with the sprite work and gameplay overall having a very Secret of Mana quality to it. While it is still stuck across the pond, at least it is available in English without the need for fan patches.
2 Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon
The Beginning Of The Mystery Dungeon Series
Torneko's Great Adventure
- Released
- September 19, 1993
- Developer(s)
- Chunsoft
- Publisher(s)
- Chunsoft
- Franchise
- Dragon Quest
- Platform(s)
- SNES
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Dungeon Crawler, Roguelike
- How Long To Beat
- 7 Hours
Despite the Dragon Quest series being huge in Japan, not many of their games have made it onto digital store shelves. Many of the spinoffs never made it across the seas either like Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon, which was a spinoff to the fourth game in the Dragon Quest series. It’s also the first game in the Mystery Dungeon franchise which has also based games on the Final Fantasy and Pokemon franchises. In Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon, players will go through dungeons as Torneko, a shopkeeper, to look for loot in a roguelike setting. The sequel got a release outside of Japan on the PS1 but those interested in North America for this SNES original will have to settle for a fan translation.
1 Warriors of the Blue Dragon Legend: The Two Heroes
Samurai Pokemon Tactics
- Developer: Game Freak
- Publisher: T&E Soft
- Released: January 17th, 1997
- Platform: SNES
Warriors of the Blue Dragon Legend: The Two Heroes was developed by Game Freak and it should be easy to tell that because of the art. Players will explore an overworld in a top-down perspective and switch to a 2D view when entering combat. Enemies move when the player moves akin to early roguelikes including Torneko's Great Adventure: Mystery Dungeon. This adds a layer of strategy to the hack and slash gameplay. While it missed North America in 1997, Pokemon fans can rejoice knowing it’s available to play via yet another fan translation.
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These DS hidden gems were released mostly in Japan, but Europe received some of these quirky RPGs as well.