6 Best NES RPGs That Still Hold Up Today

The Nintendo Entertainment System was home to plenty of innovative games. After all, developers were just starting to play with more powerful hardware, which opened the door for new genres that just weren’t possible on older systems. Role-playing games were one of the genres that really started to take off during the NES era, giving players engaging worlds filled with great stories to dive into. Even though most of these RPGs are relatively primative, they can still be worth playing to see how far the genre has come and experience the great stories told on the NES.

Here are six NES RPGs that are still worth playing today.

6) Sweet Home

Sweet Home isn’t just a neat relic of its time that’s a blast to go back to; it also has a massive spot in gaming history. See, this 1989 RPG from Capcom essentially created the survival horror genre because the company would later use it as inspiration for the hit Resident Evil series.

That said, Sweet Home is a great game in its own right. Players head into an intricate mansion, filled with puzzles, creepy corridors, and more than a few terrifying creatures. Unlike Resident Evil’s action-heavy gameplay, you’ll use turn-based combat to deal with these baddies. In an intriguing twist, if your characters die, Sweet Home continues forward, which means there are five different endings to see. It can be tough to find these days, but it is worth seeking out.

5) Mother

Mother is the first game in the series that’s better known as EarthBound in the United States. In fact, this RPG is easy to find these days because it’s been re-released as EarthBound Beginnings. Unsurprisingly, the two games share quite a bit of DNA.

Sure, EarthBound features an updated look, a new story, and some extra bells and whistles, but Mother set the stage for most of the things players love about EarthBound. Your character, named Ninten, fights against wacky creatures using a mix of normal household items and psychic powers. There’s a mysterious alien force at the center of everything, and you have to use a surprising tactic to take down the final boss. If it sounds a lot like EarthBound, that’s because it is, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth checking out.

4) Metal Max

This one is also pretty tough to get your hands on, depending on where you live. Publisher Data East never took Metal Max outside of Japan, so you’ll need to track down a fan translation if you want to give it a whirl. And if you’re a fan of classic RPGs, this is one to check out.

Set in the post-apocalypse, humans are largely confined to underground villages because of all the monsters. Thankfully, you get access to several tanks, which protect your characters from damage while giving them a way to fight off baddies. Metal Max is also completely open-ended. From the start of the game, you can do whatever you want, making it a fun game to go back to, even if you’ve played it before.

3) Final Fantasy III

Final Fantasy III was a massive hit for Square, selling more than a million copies during its original run. Much of that love comes down to the job system, which lets you unlock new jobs to make your characters even stronger. It’s a neat way to build up your character, giving them even more utility as you improve their standing.

There are a few issues with the design, most notably the lack of save points in dungeons, which could really put you in a bind, but FF3 is one of the early success stories for the series. It’s obviously been surpassed by this point, but this was proof that Square was heading in the right direction with the fan favorite series.

2) Dragon Quest IV

I’ll give you a slight spoiler and reveal that the top two games on this list both come from the same series. Look, Dragon Quest, or Dragon Warrior, if you lived in North America at the time, was on another level during this era. Developer Chunsoft was pumping these games out, but that didn’t mean a drop in quality.

Sure, the interface is chunky, and it can be hard to wrap your brain around some of the old-fashioned genre conventions, but this five-act epic is a must-play for RPG fans. Thankfully, that’s easy to do. Dragon Quest IV got a DS remake, which added a sixth chapter, in 2007, which has since been ported to mobile devices.

1) Dragon Quest III

It’s a close race between the two best Dragon Quest games on the NES, but the third entry just pips DQ4. Just look at the hype around this game. Over one million copies were sold on the first day, and 300 students were arrested for truancy in Japan. The love for DQ3 was on another level in 1988.

Thankfully, it lived up to the hype. It controlled like a dream and featured just enough updates to make it much easier for new players to get into the series. The day/night cycle and in-game bank added more depth, and while the visuals are still a little rough, they have a certain charm. Curious players will be happy to know that the 2024 HD-2D Remake is still just as good and readily available on PC, Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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