1. Chrono Trigger
Even if I didn’t have a love for time travel tales, Chrono Trigger is always on my list. It is, for me, old-school JRPG perfection, with timeless and gorgeous artwork and music, a cast I overwhelmingly love, and one interesting and innovative gameplay idea after another. Battles take place on the same field we explore, where we can see the enemies prior to battle. Inventive double and triple techs beg you to experiment with party makeup to find your favorites (Crono, Marle, and Ayla for me). It’s a story that spans millions of years, giving us every setting from prehistoric through to what is essentially a spaceship.
I don’t mention all of this simply to praise the game, but rather to illustrate that it opened my eyes to what was possible in an RPG. Many of Chrono Trigger‘s ideas still show up today in other games, and I welcome them.
2. Final Fantasy IV
While I played some of the first Dragon Quest (or “Warrior“) thanks to an oh-no-I’m-dating-myself giveaway through Nintendo Power, Final Fantasy IV is what I consider my true entry point to RPGs. In fact, it’s the most essential game on this list! 30+ years later, it’s easy to see some of FFIV‘s character development or plot as simplistic. Nothing about it is incredibly deep or convoluted. But it didn’t need to be; I still love the story it tells, and the central cast ranks among my favorites. It introduced me to the whole concept of a Paladin (which I intently identify with and play in any game I’m able), not to mention many core FF jobs like Dragoon and White Mage. I absolutely could not get enough of FFIV. It awoke my love of world-spanning adventure, character and narrative, turn-based battles, and the emotional power of music in games.
3. Final Fantasy XIV
Originally a diversion at a time in my life when I desperately needed one, I love and treasure my time with Final Fantasy XIV, its characters, the developers, and friends I’ve made along the way. I never expected it to be among my favorites, let alone that several of its expansions are the length of (and rival in quality) many full RPGs I’ve played. While I don’t use it as a form of escapism (I’m way too keenly aware of my to-do list), it’s still a place of comfort to me. After 11 years, it’s become a familiar world, and logging in means I get to spend time with some of my favorite characters, not to mention the people I love playing with. I don’t know how long the game will run, but it shows no signs of slowing down, and I’m on board all the way.
4. The Legend of Zelda, Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom
The Legend of Zelda predates even FFIV for giving me a big world to run around and adventure in, even if it doesn’t have the narrative of FFIV. Looking back, I never realized how much it was working, in a way, to be open-world. While Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom have redefined (again) what Zelda is as a series, I like the idea of them as extreme re-interpretations of the NES classic. All three of these games encourage discovery on your terms, but the sense of wonder and curiosity that BotW and TotK add to this are palpable. And they do this on a scale so hilariously massive that gamers (and developers) in the mid-1980s could only dream of it.
I have played a large number of games in my life that I like, many that I love, but rare is the game that can grab me the way these games did, inviting me to explore worlds with endless possibilities. And I can’t wait for the next one.
5. NieR: Automata
This statement will shock nobody: Yoko Taro is a master at subverting your expectations. I had heard this when NieR released, and again with NieR: Automata. But it’s one thing to hear it and another to experience it. It took me until 2020 to play Automata, and it got under my skin in a way I never expected. It achieves this through the decision to change genres if it fits the narrative, the inventive system of multiple endings, the absolute insanity of the plotline, and two of the greatest protagonists I’ve ever spent time with.
There wasn’t a moment of NieR: Automata that didn’t make me want more, and Ending E capped it all off. I know the game is seven years old, but I still won’t spoil it; if you know, you know (also, Aleks talks about this and more in his fantastic article). Ending E threw several things at me I wasn’t prepared for, all with the backing of one of gaming’s greatest musical experiences.
Non-RPG: Super Metroid
I’d honestly make a strong case that Metroid: Zero Mission is a better game in some ways, with tighter gameplay and more responsive controls, but Super Metroid is vital to the genre it helped create, and I need another playthrough of it every so often. While I don’t believe a “strong female lead” needs to be physically strong, I’ve always been fond of an outstanding woman character in a role typically reserved for men. Coupled with satisfying gameplay and the Metroidvania “aha” moments when you realize you can finally get to that area, it’s an all-time favorite for a reason.
