Poll of the Day > Are there any good indie Square SNES JRPG style games?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Everyone always praises FF4-6, Chrono Trigger, Seiken Densetsu, etc. and rightfully so, but nobody ever seems to try to recapture what made those games special.

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I am Setsuna

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Breath of Death 7 and Cthulhu Saves the World are both great, but they seem to channel more NES style, same with Artifact Adventure (also great)

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Have you played star Ocean 2

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Have you played Lufia 1 and 2?

edit: not square, but fits everything else on your list

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Lokarin posted...

Breath of Death 7 and Cthulhu Saves the World are both great, but they seem to channel more NES style, same with Artifact Adventure (also great)

All of these games are great, but as mentioned are 8-bit.

I have played Lufia 1 and 2 and the first three Star Ocean games. I have played Cthulhu saves the World

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papercup posted...

I have played Lufia 1 and 2 and the first three Star Ocean games. I have played Cthulhu saves the World

What are your favourite of the classics? I'm supposed to be making a game for a game jam right now so I'd like to know what SNES era game design sensibilities you like in contrast to the NES era

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The 16-bit aesthetic just looks super nice, and they could actually tell a story, and have interesting/fun battle systems. My favorite game in that style is FF6

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papercup posted...

The 16-bit aesthetic just looks super nice, and they could actually tell a story, and have interesting/fun battle systems. My favorite game in that style is FF6

I daresay that's a little unfair since FF6 is probably the best RPG ever... a lot of fun in these type of RPGs is the power creep and FF6 continues to give you cool content right up until the final battle (including being able to steal cool stuff from the Statues), plus it's full of secrets and puzzles (zozo clock, Hidon's cave, shadow's dreams), plus the characters are emotive and interact with each other even when you are able to pick your party (such as when you first board the airship, as well as comments during the Opera scenario)

12/10

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https://www.lorenzostanco.com/lab/steam/

That should help.
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https://youtu.be/D30_1ASyqy8

this one is pretty good too

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haven't tried it yet, but isn't Octopath Traveller something like that?

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Sahuagin posted...

haven't tried it yet, but isn't Octopath Traveller something like that?

Probably one of the best examples. Generational RPG, IMO.

papercup posted...

I have played Lufia 1 and 2 and the first three Star Ocean games. I have played Cthulhu saves the World

Speaking of Zeboyd games, Cosmic Star Heroine is by them and is more of a 16 bit rpg homage. I recommend it, I had a great time. Shades of Chrono Trigger and the like.


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I think the chance of having a truly great indie JRPG like the 16 bit era was ruined with all of the RPG maker games that flooded the 'market' in the 2000's.

Sahuagin posted...

haven't tried it yet, but isn't Octopath Traveller something like that?

Kinda. I wanted to like Octopath, but I couldn't get into it. It was quite repetitive, having to do 8 introduction chapters, then 3 follow up chapters each.

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Octopath is pretty but I've only started the first bit and it's a bit of a snooze.

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Octopath Traveler was the recommendation I came into give, and I've got the same critiques as others had of it. It was fun enough, but the 8 story gimmick didn't come together enough for a satisfying payoff.

Bravely Default might be worth checking out for you, but I've got more complaints for that one than Octopath.

I haven't actually played them yet, but I purchased them because they're supposed to scratch the same itch you're trying to: have you tried the Trails in the Sky games yet?

bravely 2 for switch may be
the 3ds one is a chore iv'e heard

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Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky 1 and 2, probably in teh top 3 JRPGs I've played in the past 15 years.
I never even finished the second one yet though because I was interrupted with some life stuff when I was playing it.

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/1205450/Turnip_Boy_Commits_Tax_Evasion/

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I've been replaying Golden Sun. I forgot how oldschool the puzzles are.

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ReturnOfFa posted...

I've been replaying Golden Sun. I forgot how oldschool the puzzles are.

That game's story is horrible and I regret wasting my time finishing those games.

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Yeah I like the first two Bravely games a lot. I've heard the new one is not good.

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papercup posted...

Yeah I like the first two Bravely games a lot. I've heard the new one is not good.

It is not.

definitely recommend Trails in the Sky, but not sure if it directly fits the topic. they have even better story than classic jRPGs, but not as good combat. (has an interesting combat _system_, but I find the combat pacing to be agonizing.) the story/setting/characters are easily good enough that I consider them must-play regardless of the combat though.

(but it's a different experience IMO than classic jRPGs. I would say classic jRPGs had good but roughly-told stories, with really good combat mechanics. these games have interesting but VERY tedious combat, with off-the-scale quality writing, characters, and setting. the story and characters drag you willingly through the boring combat. maybe not everyone will see it that way though, I dunno.)

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I have heard Trails in the Sky is good but I don't really know anything about it.

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I liked this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaYPBH6AWVw

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