Summary
- The NES revolutionized the video game industry and brought iconic games like Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, and Metroid into people's homes.
- The NES was home to some of the first video game RPGs, offering longer and more complex experiences that allowed players to customize their gameplay and make decisions that affected their power and team.
- Games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Fire Emblem started on the NES and laid the foundation for long-lasting and beloved franchises in the JRPG genre.
The Nintendo Entertainment System was a huge step forward in the history of video games, bringing arcade-quality experiences into people's homes. The console not only revolutionized the medium, but it also gave way to some of the most iconic games ever made. From Super Mario Bros., to The Legend of Zelda, to Metroid, the NES was an unparalleled system.
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The NES was also home to some of the first video game RPGs, which were longer and more complex than most arcade cabinets could allow. These games truly allowed players to customize how they played, assembling a team of their choice and gaining more power based on their decisions. These 8 RPGs on the NES are the most memorable.
8 Glory Of Heracles 2: Titan's Downfall
The NES had no shortage of games inspired by Greek mythology, from Nintendo's own Kid Icarus to other RPGs like The Battle of Olympus. Glory of Heracles is one of the more obscure series, given its exclusive release in Japan, but its sequel, Glory of Heracles 2: Titan's Downfall can be considered a much stronger and dramatic iteration of the series.
Glory of Heracles 2 is closer to a more traditional modern-day RPG, introducing a party system to the franchise and a day/night system. Though it never saw a Western release, there are fan translations that make the game easily understandable for English-speaking audiences, but it's a shame it hasn't made a transition to Nintendo Switch Online arcades yet.
7 Fire Emblem Gaiden
It took a long time for Fire Emblem to become the worldwide best-seller that it is now, but in the beginning, many of the series' core elements were intact. One of the first games, Fire Emblem Gaiden, was released for the Famicom in 1992, two years after the SNES's worldwide release. However, it was a marked improvement on the very first game in the series.
Though Fire Emblem Gaiden has since been remade for the Nintendo 3DS, its original iteration on the NES didn't immediately appeal to fans of the first game. However, the game's characters, storyline, and gameplay improvements remain staples of the Fire Emblem franchise to this day, sparking a great future for Nintendo's strategy RPG series.
6 Final Fantasy
Released for the NES in 1997, the very first Final Fantasy is a far cry from more recent entries in the series. At the time, the game was a top-down JRPG with turn-based battles, with enemies randomly encountered on the map. It's not dissimilar to what Nintendo eventually created as the formula behind Pokemon on the GameBoy a decade later.
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However, this game can be credited with starting one of the longest and most storied franchises in video game history. Many of the game's elements, from its six character classes and world building, remain iconic parts of the franchise's history. Furthermore, it's inspired countless JRPG franchises to follow, though it wasn't even Square Enix's first try.
5 Dragon Quest
Although the first Dragon Quest game failed to reach audiences like Final Fantasy, some RPG fans could argue that it's the superior JRPG. Unlike the party system of Final Fantasy, players take control of one character in Dragon Quest, originally titled Dragon Warrior for its Famicom release in 1986.
Part of its lack of appeal to Western audiences was due to the game not being localized in English until 1989, two years after Final Fantasy was released in Japan and a year before its Western release. Though the game was a commercial failure, the Dragon Quest fanbase remains committed and strong to this day, and the series has continued to live on.
4 Mother
Many RPG fans would probably cite the SNES sequel to Mother, Earthbound, as the superior game in the franchise, and they would probably be right. Compared to its more polished and expansive sequel, Mother seems quite primitive, though it lays the foundation for what becomes perhaps Nintendo's best RPG. However, it was quite polarizing upon release.
Aside from being released late into the NES's lifespan, Mother also challenged RPG fans with a high level of difficulty, though it was innovative for being set in modern-day America. Ironically, the game didn't see a Western release until the Wii U Virtual Console, renamed Earthbound Beginnings, making it a prime choice to play for fans of the sequel.
3 Zelda II: The Adventure Of Link
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
- Released
- December 1, 1988
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo R&D4
- Franchise
- The Legend of Zelda
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Nintendo GameCube, 3DS, Wii, Nintendo Wii U
While most titles in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise are action-adventure games, Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link is an outlier. As only the second game in the series released in 1987, Nintendo experimented with RPG elements, allowing players to upgrade their strengths by gaining experience and battling random encounters in the overworld.
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Those who enjoyed the nostalgia of 2D Zelda games will fall in love with the style of these clones.
However, the core of Zelda 2's gameplay still relies on action, as players get to tread through dungeons and take on nearby enemies with their swords. Though it can be quite a divisive game among hardcore Zelda fans, it contains a lot more polish and charm than most other NES RPGs and has tons of replay value as well.
2 Final Fantasy 3
It's a shame that for years Final Fantasy 3 only saw a release in Japan, despite the SNES's Final Fantasy 6 taking its name for Western releases. However, it's one of the more beloved entries in Square Enix's JRPG series and is often considered one of the greatest games ever made as well. However, it doesn't change much from the original's gameplay.
Instead, where Final Fantasy 3 appeals so much to fans is its simplicity and polish. Though it adds some complication to its turn-based battles, such as the addition of special actions like "Steal" or "Summon," it's mostly a more sleek and refined version of the original Final Fantasy, with an even more compelling storyline and a greater legacy.
1 Dragon Quest 3
Although JRPG fans love Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest still remains the series with a much clearer vision and stronger gameplay mechanics. Dragon Quest 3 is an especially great example of this for how it expands upon and improves the gameplay of the first two games, giving players the option to explore a more open world early on in video game history.
Although t he game has received several remakes over the years which improve upon the graphics and controls, the original still remains dear to many RPG fans' hearts. Even the installment's protagonist, Erdrick, appears as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate now, remaining one of the most iconic JRPGs in the NES's history.