RPG Ranks: 20-11

Continued from the previous post.

20. Final Fantasy VII (#50)

Yes, it's overrated as all hell. No, that does not mean it's a bad game. It's an extremely customizable RPG with active-time battles and interesting segues and plot twists, plus loads of mini-games to try. Crazy how they pack so much into one game that managed to give it so much popularity. And remakes, for that matter, although you're better off playing the original PS1 release.

19. Terranigma (#68)

Terranigma does what it needed to do, end a small series and end it well. This is a definitive action RPG, with its money and level up systems being traditional and its gameplay done at a great pace. Further strengthening it is a fantastic plot, setting up the real world, evolving its life, and then making sure civilization is up and running and properly maintained. Fantastic!

18. Grandia II (#41)

Memorable characters, memorable scenes, memorable plot, nothing here should be forgotten. This was the peak Grandia game, shame that after this the series pretty much fell apart. Even if much of the gameplay is similar to the first Grandia, this was a great step up for the series, and a great offering to the corrupt church plot. Of course, the Playstation 2 version is actually pretty buggy, so play it in a different port.

17. Vagrant Story (#70)

Hard describes most of the action RPGs I have played, and Vagrant Story is no different. Difficult combat system involving risk, limbs are often targetted to even odds, numerous abilities can help at a cost, puzzles can be difficult to solve, and creating new weapons in workshops takes a lot of time and effort. But it's rewarding. The story is grim with a grim setting, you'll be dealing with conspiracies surrounding death and demons, but it's all worth it.

16. Final Fantasy Tactics (#95)

Continuing with the grim settings, we have a game that actually takes place in the exact same grim setting, Ivalice. FFT offers us many characters to look at, with our main one being branded as a heretic yet doing everything right, while another corrupt church tries to sic demons into the already solemn world. The game gets to have its incredibly tough moments and sidequests, and it helps to take a lot of time into playing it.

15. Suikoden (#27)

The first Suikoden is my personal favorite, the first time we get to find and recruit 108 characters to assemble an army against an evil empire. It deals with a lot of issues, morality of those within your confines, facing your relatives on opposing sides, and the Soul Eater rune. Six characters per party, unites and rune magic possible, as barebones as it is this is still one of my personal favorites for that kind of RPG.

14. Suikoden II (#33)

But in the end, the superior of the first two Suikoden games will always be the second. It has the same principles, but does them far better, and gives us one hell of a compelling story (as well as one of the greatest villains to grace any RPG) with the obvious premise of "war is hell". Clearly this is the case, given the ages of our heroes in this story, and what they inevitably end up doing, to each other, and to others around them.

13. Breath of Fire II (#11)

It may be the second RPG I ever played when I got back to the genre, but this game still holds up as one of the most memorable games ever. For a barebones turn-based game, that's an accomplishment. We have the best of the corrupt church plot, and numerous character scenes that will likely jerk a ton of tears. This game is easily one of the saddest ones, and the uniqueness of each character and their pasts tie into that very well.

12. Disgaea: Hour of Darkness (#130)

Angels, demons, humans, overlords, item worlds, loads and loads of fun were had in Disgaea: Hour of Darkness. This should not be passed up. While grinding can be something you'll do often, the storyline is compelling, hilarity is had in lots of places, tears were shed in others, and you can have fun customizing your characters, items, and such in your leisure. Ever wonder how it feels to pass a bill to a Dark Assembly? Yep, it's hard to convince some unruly senators. But you must get stronger somehow.

11. Bahamut Lagoon (#125)

The Final Fantasy Tactics that never was. This game did things that other games were more famous for. It predates the Final Fantasy Tactics level of perfection. It offered sky islands before Skies of Arcadia was a thing. And the ways to feed dragons and use them in battle in accordance to the units makes this one heck of a game. Add to it the impressive storyline and excellent characters and you have a true hidden gem.

Concluded in this post 10-1.