Summary
- River City Ransom had expressive sprites and added RPG elements to brawlers on the NES.
- Pokemon Yellow brought tropes from the anime to the Game Boy with Pikachu as the star.
- Super Mario RPG impressed with faux 3D graphics and interactive battles on the SNES.
Nintendo has released some of the best RPGs on their consoles, from giant franchises like Final Fantasy and Pokemon to smaller titles like Golden Sun. However, there is, without a doubt, an easy winner in terms of which RPG is the best one on each Nintendo console.
The 12 Best RPGs Ever Released On Nintendo Consoles, Ranked
Be it the SNES or Switch, Nintendo's consoles always have a few incredible RPGs. Which are the best role-playing games to ever hit a Nintendo system?
It’s a bit harder to determine what the best-looking RPG is on each Nintendo console and handheld, though. Graphics are one thing, but then there is also the art style. The following RPGs will take into consideration the console’s graphical abilities at the time, and not just if they hold up today. At the time of release, these were some graphically out-of-this-world RPGs.
12 River City Ransom (NES)
Battle Royale!
River City Ransom
- Released
- April 25, 1989
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Beat 'Em Up
River City Ransom combined the fun of brawlers, which were all over the NES, and added RPG elements. Players could beat up thugs, collect money, and then boost their stats by going to diners around the city.
What still makes this game impressive for an NES game is the expressive sprites that react naturally when they get hit and the decently sized city to traverse, albeit from screen to screen instead of in seamless zones.
11 Pokemon Yellow (Game Boy)
As Close To The Anime As Possible
Pokemon Yellow
- Released
- October 18, 1999
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Strategy, JRPG
Pokemon Yellow was the third game that North America got on the Game Boy, a rehash of Pokemon Blue and Pokemon Red but with tropes from the anime thrown in, like a Pikachu that doesn't like hanging out in its Pokeball.
This made it a hit, as players could talk to Jesse and James from Team Rocket and get all three starter Pokemon, rather than just their choice at the game's outset. The star of the game was Pikachu, who said its name, followed players around, and could be cared for with little emoticons.
10 Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars (SNES)
Who Needs An N64?
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
- Released
- May 13, 1996
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is an example of a game that was impressive on the SNES because it used faux 3D graphics, but is not as timeless today. This game was released months before the N64 debuted in Japan, and while it did not fully support 3D environments, it still looked unbelievable.
The music, interactive battle system, and expressive characters also helped it go beyond other RPGs on the SNES from a visual standpoint, and it was a fine RPG debut for Mario and crew.
9 Pokemon Stadium 2 (N64)
Pokemon Get A Big Upgrade
Pokemon Stadium 2
- Released
- March 28, 2001
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Tactical
The Pokemon series debuted in 1998 in North America, and while fans could see the Game Boy sprites brought to life in the anime adaptation, it was not the same as seeing them on a game console. That is, until Pokemon Stadium was released in 2000 for the N64, which was a wild moment for Pokemon fans.
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The Pokemon behaved and moved so freely, and this was further enhanced in 2001 with the release of Pokemon Stadium 2. While it wasn’t a big open-world RPG like the Game Boy games, it did feature hundreds of Pokemon, with intricately detailed moves that are still fun to watch.
8 Star Ocean: Blue Sphere (Game Boy Color)
A Lost Looker
- Developer: tri-Ace
- Publisher: Enix
- Released: June 28, 2001 (GBC Version, Japan)
- Platform: Game Boy Color, Mobile
Star Ocean: Blue Sphere was not released in North America, but fans have since translated it for Western audiences. This is great news, because it’s one of the best entries in the Star Ocean series; even on the Game Boy Color, it outdoes the SNES original in some regards, which also admittedly still looks good.
The characters move more fluidly, for example, there is more gameplay variety, and the colors add an extra sense of pop to the action-based gameplay.
7 Kingdom Hearts: Chain Of Memories (GBA)
Are Those PS2 Cutscenes On A GBA?!
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
- Released
- December 7, 2004
- ESRB
- Everyone // Fantasy Violence, Mild Language
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix, Jupiter
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Digital Card Game
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories was a direct sequel that folloowed the first game, wherein Sora wanders into Castle Oblivion, a fortress that is actively stealing his memories, one Disney-based film after the other.
These Disney worlds from the first game are recreated surprisingly well in abstract ways, but they are still recognizable without a doubt. Perhaps the most impressive thing is the game's few cutscenes, which look like they came straight off of the PS2, albeit in a very compressed manner.
6 The Lord Of The Rings: The Third Age (GameCube)
Fellowship Of Spira
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age
- Released
- November 2, 2004
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T // Blood, Mild Violence
- Genre(s)
- RPG
The Lord of the Rings films were a cash cow in the early 2000s, and the direct movie tie-in games sold well, looked like the films (more or less), and were well-reviewed. That’s why it made sense for EA to make an original game, and they made a looker at that.
The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age spanned the course of the movie trilogy, albeit from a different party’s perspective, and it also took liberties with the narrative. The turn-based battle system was similar to Final Fantasy 10’s, which made sense since that too was a big blockbuster. While the environments were a bit brown, the character models—particularly the game's enemies—looked fantastic on the GameCube.
5 Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (DS)
Roxas’ Origins
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days
- Released
- May 30, 2009
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG, Fighting, Action-Adventure
Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories had impressive cutscenes that were PS2 quality, but Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days actually looked like a PS2 game, paired down to match the screen size of the DS. Instead of Sora, players learned more about Roxas and how he got into Organization 13.
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With multiplayer, players could even play as other characters, and missions were bite-sized, going through several familiar Disney zones. The only thing that wasn’t PS2 quality was the controls.
4 Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
It's Still Impressive That Monolith Soft Pulled This Off
- Developer: Monolith Soft
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Released: April 6, 2012 (NA)
- Platform: Wii
Xenoblade Chronicles was a late entry to the dying Wii library, which didn’t exactly have a ton of RPGs on it. This game felt like Monolith Soft used every ounce of the Wii’s power to make it look impressive and to have it play like it was designed for another console, like the PS3 or Xbox 360.
The size of the open-world environments and the monsters that roamed around in them did not make the game chug on the Wii at all, and that was Xenoblade Chronicles' greatest achievement.
3 Monster Hunter Generations (3DS)
Towering Monster Fights On The Go
Monster Hunter Generations
- Released
- July 15, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Blood, Crude Humor, Fantasy Violence, Mild Suggestive Themes
- Genre(s)
- Action RPG
Monster Hunter games always thrive on portable systems, with Monster Hunter Generations being the last core franchise title released on a handheld.
The zones were still sectioned off into smaller areas, but the details and monsters that Capcom packed into these key areas were beyond belief for a game on the 3DS. Whether alone or with a party, battles could be epic to the point that players would sometimes forget they were playing on a handheld.