The Best RPGs I’ve Played so far

This is an update from a previous blog post. Since then, I’ve played more RPGs and decided to include some modern ones. I love playing games like this because they feel like an interactive story, and I find them very relaxing.

I’m not going to put these in any particular order. I don’t like doing that, as each game has something that makes them stand out. One thing you might notice is a lack of Action RPGs. It is a part of the genre I don’t particularly care about. I stick to the standard turn-based RPGs.

This isn’t an overall list. It is based on the games I’ve written about on this blog or made YouTube videos about.

Bottom Line up Front: A List of My 15 Favorite RPGs from my YouTube Channel and Blog.

Selection criteria

Let’s talk about what qualifies for this list. I’m not just going to be putting any random game on this list. Here are the criteria I used to compile this list:

• Has to be an RPG (Duh, Paul. Thanks for reminding us.)
• I have to have played it for my YouTube Channel.
• I have to have enjoyed it, no matter what the review score is.

Cosmic Star Heroine

Developer: Zeboyd Games

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 9/10

This is a short but fantastic RPG. It feels a little weird to say an 8 to 10-hour game is short, but in context with the other games on this list, it is a short game. Cosmic Star Heroine felt like a game that could’ve been in the Phantasy Star series. It could’ve been Phantasy Star V.

The game starts with the main character investigating a rebel group. It is set in a dystopian society where the government is trying to control the population. Throughout the game, you learn more about the corrupt government and other parts of a vast conspiracy. It ends with a fight against an AI.

Cosmic Star Heroine is a fantastic game! The combat system is a little odd, but it grew on me. The graphics are beautiful. If you like pixel art, then you’ll love this game. It looks and plays like a lost Phantasy Star game.

Ogre Battle

Developer: Quest

Genre: Strategy RPG

Review Score: 10/10 (My Score)

This is my favorite game on the SNES. The story isn’t as good as the Tactics Ogre side of the series, and you have to go out of your way to get it, but everything else is fantastic. The game is an acquired taste, but I have so much fun with it.

Before the events of the game, an evil wizard influences the ruler of the Highlands to take over a continent. You play as the leader of the resistance and try to liberate the different kingdoms that make up the empire. As you play, more of the history of the Ogre Battle gets revealed to you, and the demonic influence over the empire becomes apparent. The game ends with you fighting a version of the Devil.

As much as I love this game, I have to admit the battles are a little strange. You can control your units’ tactics and use tarot cards to damage the enemy, but you don’t directly control the fights. While I don’t mind this, I can see how other people might find it annoying.

Sea of Stars

Developer: Sabotage Studio

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 9/10

I was very excited about this game. Modern RPGs tend to be Action RPGs, and they all feel the same to me. Sea of Stars is a retro-inspired turn-based RPG with beautiful pixel art and an incredible story.

Sea of Stars follows two kids who are destined to fight against evil. Like every RPG, they face nearly impossible odds and fight against a god-like being. They get betrayed by two other people and have to defeat them to save their world. It is a wonderful story that I can’t do justice.

This was the best game I played in 2023. I had a lot of fun playing it. After I was done, I tried to find more games like it to play. This was like a gateway into other indie RPGs for me.

Phantasy Star IV

Developer: Sega

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 9/10

This is my favorite game on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive. I have a ton of memories of playing this game with my friends in the 1990s. It was a rental title, and when I started collecting video games, I looked for it. It feels a little weird to say that this was the first game of the series that I played, but that is what happened.

The gameplay and graphics are great, and I love the story. The comic book cutscenes are fantastic! I like how they kept bringing back the bad guy from the previous games and explained that it was just an aspect of the real villain. If I had to say something bad, it would be that the story didn’t leave much room for a sequel.

I love how this game incorporates some of the elements from the previous three games. There is even a reason for the events of Phantasy Star III, the black sheep of the series. I like everything about this game.

Thousand Arms

Developer: TOSE

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 8/10

This game would’ve been more entertaining if I had done the dating sim part of the game. I should back up a bit. Thousand Arms is a JRPG with a Dating Simulation, which is tied to how you improve your weapons and magic. The better your relationship with the women in your party, the better your weapons can be.

You play as a magical blacksmith. The main character gets chased out of his home kingdom and becomes an apprentice. Then he gets sucked into this global conspiracy where you end up fighting against the embodiment of evil—pretty standard stuff for a JRPG.

I had a lot of fun with this game, even if I missed a lot by skipping much of the dating sim part. At some point, I might play the game again to see what I missed. Thousand Arms has a unique combat system that I thought was awesome! Unfortunately, if you want to play Thousand Arms today, you have to find a copy and a PS1 or PS2 or try to emulate the game.

Unicorn Overlord

Developer: Vanillaware

Genre: Strategy RPG

Review Score: 9/10

Unicorn Overlord is one of my favorite games of 2024. It took everything that I loved from Ogre Battle and made it better. It is also one of the few games I’ve wanted to play from a big publisher in a long while.

The game’s story is fun and feels like an alternate telling of Ogre Battle. You play as the stereotypical Hero, and you’re trying to free the continent from an evil emperor. Like in Ogre Battle, once you defeat the big bad guy, you have to fight an evil wizard. It is a great story.

I didn’t think I would ever get a spiritual successor to Ogre Battle. Unicorn Overlord is better than that game, and I think it is a worthy successor. I would love for this to turn into a series, and I hope there is a sequel.

Tactics Ogre

Developer: Quest

Genre: Tactical RPG

Review Score: 8/10

This is one of my favorite RPGs. I like Ogre Battle more, but Tactics Ogre has the better story. It occurs in the same world and tells a more personal story about a minor conflict.

The game has multiple endings, and the overall conflict is similar to the ethnic conflict in the Balkans following the breakup of Yugoslavia. It is a great story, giving the player more opportunities to replay the game. I like how mature the story is, and it was a nice change of pace from the other games I played in the late 1990s.

This game is so good. I played the PS1 version, which is less friendly to new players than the PSP and Remake. If you want to play this game today, I would recommend the Remake that came out in 2022. It is easier to get ahold of, and you don’t have to deal with older hardware or emulators.

Jade Cocoon

Developer: Genki

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 7/10

Jade Cocoon came out at an odd time. Its play mechanic is similar to Pokemon’s, which made the game get lumped in with all of the other properties seen as Pokemon clones. The games were being made around the same time, but there are similarities.

In Jade Cocoon, you play as the cocoon master, and you’re charged with saving your village. A sickness spreads through the village, and then people start turning to stone. The game has a lot of lore, and the story is very good; you have to go out of your way to read it.

I like Jade Cocoon a lot. It was one of the games that I rented from a mom-and-pop rental store, and I beat it in a weekend. Yes, it does have a number of similarities to Pokemon, but it has a better story.

Vandal Hearts

Developer: Konami

Genre: Tactical RPG

Review Score: 7.5/10

This was a lot of fun to play. I vaguely remember playing it in the 1990s, but I could’ve confused it with another game. Vandal Hearts has a gritty art style and an excellent story.

The game picks up after a revolution that overthrew the monarchy. A civilian government is trying to rule, but it is very corrupt. There are many parallels between this game and the French Revolution until time travel and demons come into the equation.

The graphics and gameplay stood out to me. The art style has a grit and grime that I really liked. It felt like the game was dirty and corrupt, just like the story. The gameplay has a few issues, but I enjoyed it and seeing where the story would take me.

Final Fantasy VI

Developer: Square Enix

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 9/10

This is my favorite game in the mainline Final Fantasy series. I like it as much as Final Fantasy VII. This is one of the games I played with my friend Drew, and I have a lot of memories of trying to get as far as we could during sleepovers.

The story starts like many other RPGS. You’re fighting an evil empire that is trying to take over the world, and things end with you fighting god. What makes this game different is the characters. They are awesome, and I love getting to know them. It is one of the best RPGs from the 1990s.

Final Fantasy VI is a spectacular RPG. It isn’t for everyone, but it is one of my favorite games and my favorite Final Fantasy game. You can look at it like a prototype for some of the ideas for Final Fantasy VII. That is one of the cool things about the Final Fantasy series. The development team was always willing to try new things and refine ideas from previous games.

Phantasy Star II

Developer: Sega

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 9.5/10

I’m glad I gave this game a more serious try because it is great. I still like the fourth game more than this one, but Phantasy Star II is a lot of fun and has some fascinating themes. It has some weird things that you might’ve missed during your first playthrough.

The story follows a group of characters who are trying to defeat Dark Falz/Dark Force, or whatever its name is in this game. It is similar to other science fiction stories, and some of the themes involve humans as an invasive species and the role of artificial intelligence in our future lives.

I tried to get into this game several times over the years. A few years ago, I sat down and tried to get into the game. Once I did, I found it was one of the better RPGs from the 1990s.

Arcadian Atlas

Developer: Twin Otter Studios

Genre: Tactical RPG

Review Score: 8/10

I was going to go with a different game, but the more I thought about Arcadian Atlas, the more I felt it deserved to be on this list. It is a beautiful-looking Tactical RPG, and the plot reminds me of Tactics Ogre and Vandal Hearts. It has some flaws, but for an indie RPG, it is great.

The story starts with a civil war between the Queen and the oldest Princess. Everyone, aside from our two heroes, sucks in this game. The characters’ motivations change quickly in the game, and you’re left wanting more in the end.

I wish this game was longer. It has a great setup, but things get a little confusing as the game goes on, and if you don’t watch the post-credit scene, you might think the ending is disappointing. However, the ending is very good and gives you some hope that the few good people in the game will be okay.

Chrono Trigger

Developer: Square Enix

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 10/10

There isn’t too much I can say about Chrono Trigger that hasn’t already been said. It is a fun game that has a great story. I also have some fantastic memories of playing it with my friends.

This is a time-traveling adventure where you try to stop a mysterious creature from destroying the world. There are a bunch of endings and side quests for you to do. A lot is going on in the game, and trying to fix all of the problems in the timeline can be a lot of fun.

I remember playing this game with my friend Drew. It was one of the first RPGs I played on the SNES, and Drew introduced me to many of them. I was more of a Genesis kid when I was growing up and didn’t know about the games on the SNES.

Parasite Eve

Developer: Square Enix

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 8/10

Parasite Eve reminds me of Christmas. Not only because the game takes place during the holidays, but also because I got it for Christmas the year it was released. It was a fun game to play when I was a kid, and it was great to revisit it.

You play as Aya, and you’re caught in a strange set of circumstances. You end up fighting monsters as you learn more about Aya’s past. This ties into a novel and a horror film by the same name. The game acts as a sequel to the book.

I firmly believe this is where George Lucas got the idea for mitochondria. This was the first place I had heard of mitochondria, and it seemed like an excellent idea. I like Parasite Eve a lot and wish the series had gone on longer.

Monster Sanctuary

Developer: Moi Rai

Genre: RPG

Review Score: 9/10

This game is like a Pokemon clone combined with Tales of Destiny. You create a party of six monsters, but the battles are three-on-three, and you give orders to each monster. Monster Sanctuary also has beautiful pixel art.

The game is set up like a Metroidvania and has you solving puzzles and exploring a map. I don’t usually like the Metroidvania genre, but Monster Sanctuary hooked me. It was probably the Catzerker. It is the best part of the game!

There is a mystery in Monster Sanctuary. You learn about the history of this place and about the two factions that live here. It is a little Pokemon and a little Castlevania Symphony of the Night.

Best of the Rest

There are a bunch of other games that didn’t make the list. While I like them, I didn’t think they should be on a list of the top 15. Here are the other RPGs that I thought about including:

• Final Fantasy IV
• Final Fantasy II
• Final Fantasy V
• Phantasy Star
• Phantasy Star III
• Dragon Quest
• Dragon Quest IV
• Shining Force
• Robotrek
• Breath of Fire
• Secret of Evermore
• Voice of Cards: Roar of Dragon Isle
• Voice of Cards: Frozen Maiden
• The DioFIELD Chronicles
• Tales of Destiny

Conclusion

The more I thought about this list, the more I realized I was leaving something off. The fifteen games on here changed several times throughout my writing this, and even now, I feel like I’m forgetting something. I almost thought about separating this into Modern and Retro lists.

I thought about expanding this to twenty, but that would be a bit of a burden when I record the audio for YouTube. I like all these games, and if I had to pick my favorite, it would be Ogre Battle. Tactics Ogre and Unicorn Overlord would be close seconds.

There are more RPGs that I want to play and some that I’m having trouble getting into. I’ve tried to play a few of the classic and well-remembered games, and I’ll have to get into them at some other point. Here is a brief list of the games I still want to play:

• Suikoden
• Breath of Fire II
• Breath of Fire III
• Pokemon Crystal
• LaPucelle Tactics
• Dragon Quest VIII
• Tales of Phantasia
• Shining Force II
• Koudelka
• Tales of Destiny II
• Vandal Hearts II
• Final Fantasy Tactics
• Pokemon Ruby and Saphire
• Final Fantasy Legend I-III

Hopefully, I’ll get into these games soon, but at the current pace I’ve been going, it will take some time. Some of them haven’t been for me. I don’t mean this to be a personal attack on the fans of these games, but it seems like some people take it that way.