Summary
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.
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.
7Hero Chronicle: Project Olympus
A Licensing Nightmare In A Fan’s Game
When it comes to crossover RPGs that never came to the West,Super Robot Warstakes 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 isHero Chronicle: Project Olympus. Thisturn-based RPG crossesover theUltraman,Gundam, andKamen Riderproperties.
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.
Robotrekis 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 belikened toPokemon. It stars a young mechanic who has a customizable robot that he takes on adventures.
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.
E.V.O.: Search for Edenis 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 theevolutions found in thePokemonseries. Almanic made this game for Enix, and they also made a PC game in Japan called4.6 Billion Year Story: The Theory of Evolution. It shares some elements, but both games are completely their own thing.
4Arabian Nights: Desert Spirit King
This Is Not Your Clive’s Ifrit
Arabian Nights: Desert Spirit Kingis kind of like a Middle Eastern version ofInuyasha. 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 playerscan use cardsto 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.
The Twisted Tales of Spike McFangstarsa young vampirewho 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 calledMakai Prince Dorabotchan,which was not released in the West — neither was the golf game,Super Naxat Open, which had cameos from this series.
Secret of Evermoreis not tied totheManaseries, but it does play and look likeSecret of Mana. It’s more like the newly formed North American branch of Square’s spiritual sequel toSecret of Mana,which used the same action gameplay with the rechargeable meter and the ring-based menu system.
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.
The entirety of theLufiafranchise remains stuck on the consoles they were released on. The only game that made it out wasLufia: 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 Sinistralsstands out on the SNES as the peak for many fans. The turn-based battle system had an early mechanic like Limit Breaks inFinal Fantasy, there was light monster-catching, and it had puzzle-like dungeons akin toThe Legend of Zeldaseries. 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 thana remake akin to the level ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remake.
