Summary
- Mega Man 2 is regarded as one of the best NES games due to its difficulty and influential level design.
- Metroid introduced semi-open worlds and became a key part of the Metroidvania genre.
- Dragon Quest's impact on JRPGs is massive, pioneering silent protagonists and number crunching playstyles.
In the history of gaming consoles, few have been as influential as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). Nintendo's greatest break into the mainstream of the gaming world was a breeding ground for beloved franchises that still exist today and laid the foundations for entire genres without which modern games would be unthinkable.
10 Influential JRPGs Worth Playing Just For Their Importance To The Genre
These JRPGs are memorable not just for their own brilliance, but for the impact they had on the gaming world.
From absolute classic games regularly regarded as the best of all time to underappreciated classics that laid the foundations of modern genres, there are plenty of influential games that defined the NES.
8 Mega Man 2
A Wiley Entrance
Mega Man 2
- Released
- December 24, 1988
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Platformer, Action
Capcom emerged early as one of the main competitors to Nintendo development studios, making its own cadre of characters to try and compete for market share both in Japan and the English-speaking world. While many Capcom titles didn't quite capture the imagination, Mega Man 2 certainly did and is regarded as one of the best games ever made to this day.
Famous for its unforgiving difficulty and flexible level-select screen that allows players to chart their own way through the game's insidious stages, the game rewards patience and skill and has clear influence over the brutal difficulty design that would come to define Japanese-focused platformers in the 1990s, and it's still a great entry point into the franchise to this day.
7 Metroid
Say Hello To Samus
Metroid
- Released
- August 6, 1986
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E for Everyone: Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
Very few expected Metroid to be considered canon as a broadly experimental game that bucked the trends of video game design at the time. Far from plug-and-play, Metroid rewarded players for consistent exploration, mapping, and dungeoneering. Most importantly, it also introduced the idea of semi-open worlds where new abilities can unlock previously shut-off pathways.
Needless to say, Metroid became one of the key parts of the nascent Metroidvania genre that would dominate the indie game world of the 2010s, even spreading into the AAA gaming world too. It's an incredibly satisfying playstyle, making Metroid one of the most influential games on the NES, even if it remains one of the most difficult entries in the franchise.
6 Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior)
The Hero Slime
Dragon Quest
- Released
- May 27, 1986
- ESRB
- t
- Developer(s)
- Chunsoft
- Genre(s)
- RPG
Western audiences, to this day, may still consider Final Fantasy to be the biggest JRPG franchise, but in actuality, Dragon Quest is so massive in Japan that it far outweighs the cultural impact of Final Fantasy. The game was one of the earliest attempts to translate the D&D game system into video games for Japanese audiences, and it was a massive hit.
What resulted was a franchise that is still going strong to this day, pioneering the silent RPG protagonist, the number crunching, the light-hearted adventuring, and the distinct style of JPRG that stretches for hundreds of hours. It's hard to imagine what JRPGs today would look like without Dragon Quest to inspire them.
5 Final Fantasy
Far From The Final
Final Fantasy (1987)
- Released
- December 18, 1987
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- JRPG, Adventure
As the popular story goes, in the late 1980s, Square was in big financial trouble, and Final Fantasy was, as the name indicates, their final attempt to revive the company and keep it healthy. Regardless of how true that story is, Square still exists today (now known as Square Enix), as does the indelible influence of Final Fantasy.
Where Dragon Quest broadly popularized the JRPG in Japan, Final Fantasy is almost certainly the first JPRG played by decades worth of gamers dipping their toes into a whole new side of one of gaming's greatest genres, helped along by the game's relatively humble playtime. To this day, Final Fantasy evolves further, inspiring more, and becoming the de facto entry point for newcomers to the JRPG genre.
4 Tetris
Falling Blocks
Tetris (1989)
- Released
- July 31, 1989
- ESRB
- e
- Genre(s)
- Puzzle
For a game defined by its simplicity, it's no wonder that mountains of ink have been spilt trying to encapsulate its totemic nature. The simple game of dropping blocks from a height into interlocking patterns has delighted gamers for decades because of its literal game design perfection.
The 15 Best Tetris Video Games Of All Time
Tetris is one of the most well known games ever made. There are plenty of different spins on the classic formula, and these are the best.
There is no superfluous design in Tetris. Every pixel is perfectly placed, every block is considered, and every speed is measured within an inch of its life. Tetris is a game design icon because it demonstrates how simplicity in game design doesn't mean boring, but instead, can make a game immortal.
3 Castlevania
Vampire Hunting
Castlevania
- Released
- May 1, 1987
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Action, Platformer
Horror games were not popular in the nascent days of the video game industry for many reasons, but Castlevania not only partially pioneered the subgenre of Metroidvania games, but it also showed the immense influence horror would have over the video games of the future.
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The Best Vampire Games (That Aren't Castlevania)
Castlevania might be the most iconic vampire gaming series out there, but there are plenty of other great vampire games.
Paired with genuinely impressive visuals and atmosphere for the time, as well as satisfyingly crunchy combat, Castlevania showed that platformers of the day could branch out further than sci-fi and military settings, setting the groundwork for many horror games to come.
2 The Legend Of Zelda
The Hero Of Hyrule
The Legend of Zelda
- Released
- February 21, 1986
- ESRB
- E For Everyone Due To Mild Fantasy Violence
- Genre(s)
- Action-Adventure
The Legend of Zelda is undoubtedly one of the greatest video game franchises ever made, and it all started here with the original, released in 1986, with the specific intention of trying to replicate the experience of exploring the countryside as a kid.
Though its gameplay has aged considerably since its release, its game design tenets of relatively open exploration, dungeon crawling, and item acquisition throughout an epic adventure were key in defining where most games would go in the future. It's hard to imagine what action-adventure games would look like today without The Legend of Zelda, and it's pretty short, too, making it a great game to try today.
1 Super Mario Bros.
The Greatest Of All Time
Super Mario Bros.
- Released
- November 17, 1985
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- E For Everyone
- Genre(s)
- Platformer
What is there to say that hasn't already been said about Super Mario Bros.? It's quite possibly the most famous game of all time and likely the most famous game there will ever be. It's a game that launched Nintendo into superstardom and continues to pull in millions of fans every year, even if it's not the best Mario game on the NES.
Though the game might not seem impressive to modern gamers, the simplicity of the momentum-based movement, the side-scrolling platforming, the interconnected levels, the speed of traversal, the engaging enemy design, and countless other choices can be seen in almost any game released today. Video games are impossible to imagine without the influence of Super Mario Bros., making it not just one of the most influential games on the NES but one of the most influential games of all time.
10 Surprising Influences For Classic Nintendo Games
While fans of classic Nintendo games know a lot about the franchises, they might be surprised to know what influenced their creation.