Ray's Top 10 RPG List: Part 1

After a long absence in writing I’m back with my own response to Janai’s Top RPG list. I’ll follow the original rules of only one RPG per series and give a different look into the genre. So without further ado, prepare for an awesome trip into the world of my favorite RPGs.

#10: Mother 3

Many gamers of the SNES generation hold a special place in their hearts for the quirky, obscure, little RPG called Earthbound, or as it was called in Japan, Mother 2. This game is the sequel to that gem.

Mother 3 tweaks the Earthbound formula and fixes some of the flaws of its predecessor to become a shining achievement. The pacing of the story is expertly handled, quickly grabbing the player and pulling them in. The story also carries significant weight, dealing with heavy losses in a young boy’s family. It also delves into the dangers of increasing technology, as you see a small peaceful town blow up into a modern city. It’s hard to go into more detail without spoiling the story.

Hippos that fire rockets are perfectly normal, right?

Despite these heavy themes, the game overall remains very lighthearted. This leads to many colorful NPCs and humorous situations. The weapons and items are similarly lighthearted, ranging from yo-yo’s and clogs for weapons and ramen to dog treats for healing items. The enemies are also crazily designed, including mismatched chimeras, robot maids, and animated instruments.
While the battle system is a very simple typical RPG, there is one feature that makes it unique and exciting. The HP is displayed as an analog odometer that ticks down as you get hit. If you are able to heal while the HP is ticking down, the damage stops and your HP rises again. This leads to high damage caused by the enemies and the race to stop your HP from counting down, making this RPG fast-paced and chaotic at times.

Despite this RPG being wonderfully crafted, it has not been released in America, but a very well done fan translation exists for those so inclined to seek it out.

#9: Wild Arms 2

Since this game was featured on Jon’s original list I’ll try not to overlap.

This game starts off with a choice of three characters to play as. For each character you pick, you get to learn some backstory and how to use the character and how to play the game. This is a great way to introduce the game’s mechanics and the main characters.

While the game does have a turn-based system, there is enough variety to make the game unique. You are warned before entering many of the random encounters by a small exclamation mark over the character’s head. You can press the “O” button to opt out of the battle if you want to, but only a limited number of times. In addition, as your team grows from 3 characters to 6 you can swap out characters mid-battle switching up your team of 3 on the fly. This is a huge benefit, because every character plays differently and can be further tweaked to suit your play style. Each character’s play style is also backed up by a unique backstory and means of advancing their moveset.

This in no way affects my opinion! I promise!

The final piece of the battle system that wraps up the game is the Force Power (FP) system.  Instead of having both magic points and a meter for special powers, they are combined to great effect. Each character starts with FP equal to their own level and it rises as the characters attack, defend or takes damage. The amount of FP determines what skills the characters can use, which include magic or use of powerful guns. However, using these skills doesn’t actually deplete FP. FP can be spent on powerful attacks called Force Powers which can do things such as summon powerful guardians, attack multiple times, and boost skills. Balancing on how you use FP between these two options is the key to succeeding in the game’s lengthy and rewarding  boss battles.

This interesting battle system combined with the puzzles and interesting locales makes Wild Arms 2 an awesome game.

#8: Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga

Despite being a platforming star, Mario himself has spawned three separate RPG series. The first of these is the one that many gamers hold near and dear to their hearts, Super Mario RPG. This game was developed by Squaresoft when they were still good buddies with Nintendo. While it was a wonderful game, I personally feel that Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga really captured the Mario universe better.

As the title indicates, you’ll only control the two Mario Bros. in this game. While this may seem way too small for a turn-based RPG, the developers managed to come up with several ways to majorly switch up the gameplay. Each of the Bros get the ability to jump, use a hammer, and an elemental attack (fire for Mario, electric for Luigi). Both inside and outside of battle, you control Mario with the A button and Luigi with the B button. This allows for some interesting jumping puzzles outside of battle, and inside of battle creates some interesting ways to avoid and counter enemy attacks. While these mechanics work fine separately, they really shine when they are combined together. Outside of battle, the character in the rear can jump on top of the front character, whack them with the hammer, or hit them with their element. This causes new type of jumps, burrowing and shrinking abilities, and dashing abilities; all of which flesh out and enrich the game’s platforming sequences. In addition, the game likes splitting up the Bros, leading to some interesting puzzles and story sequences.

Believe it or not this is the first battle of the game, not the last!

The story is really funny and really fleshes out the Mario Brothers, something that is almost never done in their near infinite games. The brothers are up against the evil Cackletta a evil witch from the Beanbean Kingdom. She attacks the castle, steals Peach’s voice, and even gets Bowser wrapped up in this mess. The as the story goes on, you’ll see Luigi deal with his inferiority complex, and Bowser lose his memory and become a thief. The Mario Bros. even have to fix plumbing at one point!

The developers’ creativeness and love for the characters really shines through and makes this the best RPG featuring Mario (and his brother).

Stay tuned for Part 2 (featuring numbers 4-8) coming sometime next week!