Among all Nintendo consoles, the SNES is one of the least understood. Most tend to think of the console’s big-hitters, including Super Mario World and Star Fox, and maybe stellar ports like Doom and SimCity. What these games have in common is that they are not RPGs.
In fairness, plenty of notable SNES RPGs do exist, including Chrono Trigger and EarthBound. These games aren’t too difficult, though, which is why it’s fortunate that there also exist RPGs on the console that will drive players up a wall, including The 7th Saga and Wizardry V.
Paladin’s Quest Is Devious With What Magic Will Cost Players
Paladin’s Quest sees Chenzi, a young student attending a magic school, activating a machine on campus that causes all sorts of supernatural evil to invade the world. It is now Chenzi’s chance to atone for his actions. Joined by the likes of Midia, he must find a way to break the machine before its after effects destroy the world.
In any normal Final Fantasy-esque RPG, using magic will merely cost players their magic points, which they then have to replenish via items over the normal course of gameplay. Deviously, in Paladin’s Quest, using magic will cost players their health. Given how tempting it is to use magic against enemies, this leaves players with no other choice than to pray that their raw attacks will be enough.
Lagoon Is a Little Too Specific
Lagoon is set in Lakeland, a well-to-do nation that has suddenly become overrun with supernatural horrors that pollute the country’s waters. The end goal for Zerah, who is responsible for such pollution, is to unleash the Evil Spirit from the castle’s confines. It is up to the protagonist, Nasir, to stop them.
The sneakiest part about Lagoon, not to be confused with Bahamut Lagoon, is how specific players have to be in all aspects of gameplay. This includes determining what exact weapons to use and how exactly magic will be used. This is bound to take a mental toll on the player, and if they don’t get it right, they can expect to be pummeled in battle.
Dark Half Leaves Players in the Dark
Dark Half, not to be confused with Stephen King’s The Dark Half, is unusual among other JRPGs in that it has players take control of the villain. The villain in question is Rukyu, an ancient evil who vows to get even with all humanity. To this end, he takes on all the armies and slaughters humans in even the largest villages.
It quickly becomes apparent that Dark Half actively punishes players for playing the villain, with players having to make sure Rukyu’s SP, Dark Half’s equivalent of the HP used in normal JRPGs, doesn’t get too low. The problem is that using magic, which is necessary in some cases, will lower the SP, with it only being replenished if players succeed in battles.
Final Fantasy 5 Is Harder Than Any Other Final Fantasy Game
Final Fantasy 5 is a Japan-exclusive Final Fantasy title set between two worlds, both of which have peacefully coexisted up until now. Trouble is brewing when Exdeath, the game’s antagonist, tries to take over both worlds. It is up to Bartz Klauser, along with four additional party members, to stop Exdeath’s nefarious plans.
This game is seen as a black sheep among the Final Fantasy franchise, and for good reason. It all comes down to how the job system works, which theoretically gives players the freedom to compose their party however they want. However, if players go for a particularly bad composition, they will pay dearly in battles.
Arcana Is an RPG With Dungeon Crawler Elements
Arcana, developed by HAL Laboratory of Kirby fame, is set in the fantastical land of Elemen. A devastating civil war has left a good portion of the land’s population dead, but its trying days are not over yet. The main protagonist, Rooks, has to work to stop Rimsala, who was partly responsible for this civil war, from being revived.
The game is technically a JRPG, but in practice, it’s more of an RPG with strong dungeon crawler elements. This means Arcana plays by the latter genre’s rules, with the game immediately ending after Rooks’ death, with no ability to change into other party members. This isn’t even mentioning the limited inventory space, and how often the player’s party changes with none of their input.
The 7th Saga’s Localization Neutered Its Western Release
The 7th Saga is set in Ticondera, a world that had been living in peace for a century following the demise of Gorsia. He was defeated by a set of seven runes, all of which were scattered following his defeat. The player characters are set to locate these runes in an effort to inherit the world’s throne, which is presently held by the benevolent Lemele.
No other JRPG is as notorious as The 7th Saga, with its infamy boiling down to its hackneyed U.S. localization. Whereas the original Japanese version of the game was reasonable in its stat scaling, the American version made it so that enemies had an unfair advantage in battles over the player, with party members rarely seeing any significant point upgrades.
Wizardry V Brings Unforgiving PC RPG Mechanics to SNES
Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom is the fifth “scenario” in the Wizardry series from the ’80s. The game takes place shortly after the series’ third scenario and sees the player and their party having to restore order to the fantasy world of Llylgamyn. The land’s peace is threatened by the emergence of the nefarious sorceress Sorn.
Being a port of a PC game, Wizardry V plays more like a cRPG than any other SNES game. This is not for the best, given that the game will autosave at the worst moments, which may render it unplayable. This is especially the case since there exists a permadeath system that completely removes party members if they aren’t revived correctly.
Might and Magic III Is Mighty Tough
Might and Magic III: Isles of Terra is set on the titular islands, the home realm of franchise antagonist Sheltem. He is once again causing havoc, forcing the player and their party to put a stop to his plans before anything gets worse. They will have to navigate through and solve many puzzles.
Ironically, while the original PC version of Might and Magic III was known for being accessible, the SNES version is the complete opposite. Between the limited inventory, poor user interface, input lag, performance problems, and, worst of all, the hackneyed combat system, players will inevitably get stuck at numerous bosses.
The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I Didn’t See a Sequel for a Reason
J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, Vol. I is based on the epic novel The Fellowship of the Ring, and thus follows the book closely in terms of plot. For the uninitiated, it sees the hobbit Frodo Baggins searching for his older brother, Bilbo. Frodo is carrying a ring that is desired by many, including Gollum, its original holder.
For a game based on Lord of the Rings, it proves to be much harder than necessary, and it’s not just because of the game’s many bugs. There is also the poorly-implemented fetch-quest progression system, which makes the game into a crawl. With an equally poor mapping system, players are bound to get lost and killed in due time.
Brain Lord Requires a Brain to Play
Brain Lord sees main protagonist Remeer, the son of a mighty dragon warrior, venturing out after spending years without his father at his side. Joined by his friends, including bounty hunter Kashian, spiritual guru Barness, warrior Rein, and witch Ferris, they will take on one of the most fearsome dragons of all.
There is no other game with such a fitting title, as Brain Lord will end up breaking brains if players aren’t prepared. There are a myriad of difficult puzzles to solve during the standard course of gameplay. Worse than that is the strict hit detection, which leaves no room for error, lest players want to get a game over. The game’s difficulty comes as no shock given it was developed by Produce!, the same studio that made The 7th Saga.