My Top 5 Favorite Square RPGs

My Top 5 Favorite Square RPGs

With yet another Final Fantasy game around the corner (a sequel to a sequel, no less), I wanted to take some time to reflect on the “golden age” of RPGs that Square produced back in my heyday.  When Super Nintendo was king, Squaresoft was emperor of RPGs.  The genre was still struggling to grab a handhold in the mainstream gamer’s market, but Squaresoft games were making headlines everywhere, from the smash hit Chrono Trigger to the revolutionary Final Fantasy VII.

I’ve played many RPGs in my 29 years, and a respectable chunk of them were produced by Squaresoft.  I feel that the latest titles have lost a little bit of their magic as of late, perhaps having fallen victim to a world with a quickly diminishing pool of fresh innovation.  Although technology has advanced so far, the writing and presentation of many video games have become prepackaged and a bit uninspired, at least in my humble opinion.  Originality has been squashed by the “endless sequels”, and gameplay often falls flat in favor of aesthetics.

Don’t get me wrong – there are still lots of great games out there.  The Elder Scrolls series, Dragon Age: Origins, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Eternal Sonata, Star Ocean: Last Hope, just to name a few.  But the fact remains that some of my favorite RPGs come from Square-Enix’s back catalog.  Here’s my list of top 5 games below.

5. Final Secret of Mana.  Innovative for its time, Secret of Mana was one of the first (1) action RPGs, and (2) multiplayer RPGs, setting the stage for dozens of today’s greatest hits.  I loved the enormity of the game world, and I spent a great deal of time leveling up my weapons and spells.

Fondest Memory: Once you get Luna, the Sprite gains an endless supply of mana to cast spells with MP Absorb.  It was awesome to be able to spam magic like crazy!

4. Final Fantasy VI.  I know many of you will scoff that I don’t even mention Final Fantasy VII on my list, but this comes from the fact that Final Fantasy VI was my FIRST Final Fantasy game.  I didn’t get a Playstation until much later, so I grew very close to Terra and company as a result.  The main characters and villains, while nothing more than 2D sprites, had great personalities and variety.  The musical score is still one of my favorites and can be found on my iPod rotation to this day.

Fondest Memory.  While in hindsight its quite silly, Kefka’s maniacal laugh was something I’ll never forget.  Whenever you heard it, you knew trouble was coming.  That evil clown!

3. Super Mario RPG.  This one time alliance between Nintendo and Squaresoft birthed one of the best games ever made.  Although Nintendo made spiritual sequels in Paper Mario (which isn’t a bad franchise, by the way), none came close to the original.  Innovation abounds here, especially with the timed hits, paving the way for turn-based RPGs to evolve into more action-oriented forms today.

Fondest Memory.  After finally taking Peach back to the castle, I fully expected to move on without her.  But oh was I so happy to see her floating down from her room with that blue parasol.  Should’ve been a sign back then…

2. Final Fantasy Tactics.  This game has (and continues to, thanks to the War of Lions PSP reiteration) stolen literally hundreds of hours of my gaming life.  The battle mechanics, while a little quirky, hooked me straight away.  Grinding in random encounters to master every class became a literal obsession.  The sheer number of options for customization keeps me coming back for more.

Fondest Memory. Recruiting “Thunder God Cid” turns the tide of the game completely.  With his obscenely powerful Excalibur and repertoire of attacks, he’s a nigh unstoppable Juggernaut on the battlefield.

1. Chrono Trigger.  I can hear the theme song in my head now…  My dear, dear Chrono Trigger.  By far my favorite old school RPG, Chrono Trigger vigorously stimulated our sense with a cool time travel premise, an innovative combination-based battle system, memorable characters, a breathtaking score, and picturesque graphics.  Aside from the main story, there are tons of side quests to do and multiple endings to unlock.  While its legacy can be felt in many games today, the franchise was sadly short lived.  Hint hint?  You there, Square-Enix?

Fondest Memory. While the fight against Magus wasn’t the most difficult in the game, he was certainly challenging enough with a tricky strategy that kept you scrambling.  Figuring out his pattern and taking him down was one of my proudest accomplishments.  Plus, his battle music was really cool.

What are your favorite Square RPGs?  Let me know in the comments below!