/vr/ - Retro Games

>Just Breed
Tactical RPG which unlike Fire Emblem leans more towards the RPG elements. You can explore towns, talk to people, shop, etc However the combat is tactical grid based. Unlike in FE or Famicom Wars, an attacked unit will not retaliate on the turn it is attacked. Gameplay is based around generals, the player has up to 4 teams each with 1 general and 5 units composed of fighters, archers, and mages (offensive or defensive). Units belonging to a general can not leave the current screen the general is on, so it is him that gives the overall movement of the team.
Nice graphics and musics. Difficulty a bit on the easy side. You can replay battles to grind for exp/gold and the game seems to expect you to do that at least if you want to buy an acceptable amount of gear in shops.
What's impressive about it is the amount of characters the game can have on the screen at once. The game uses background graphics for the characters, unless it is currently the unit in play in which case it will turn into sprites for the time being. Smart.
On the bad side, the game rarely goes beyond the battle->town->repeat routine. Most of the game has the same two musics on loop (battle and town), despite the musics being of quality. A waste on that side as well as with graphics, a mangaka was hired for monster designs but you only see enemy designs in small windows when you select them (there are no battle anims).
Also, the game insists on using the same few palettes for the majority of towns, even when it really doesn't fit. All of this makes the game very monotonous.

All in all the game feels like a wasted opportunity: published by Enix, allegedly took 3 years to dev and hired famous mangaka and composer, and all that for what? A tired town->battle routine, "tactical" gameplay that can easily boil down to "just grind lol", enemy design in small windows that you don't get to see, and the same two musics looping for most of the game.
It IS a good game, but it should have been more.

>Moryo Senki Madara

By Konami, based on a Manga license unknown to me, but the double page ad for this game was all over Japanese magasines at the time of release. The story failed to catch my interest and felt like you had to know the original work to fully enjoy it.
Great soundtrack using the same soundchip as Castlevania 3, there are even several world map themes.
Good graphics with Konami's trademark huge characters, lot's of great looking graphical cutscenes.
Combat is turned based, but top down and semi automatic: you can pause the action at any time to input commands for the next turn(s). Characters/enemies move around the screen to attack. For a semi-automatic system, there is a surprising amount of tactic involved and battles often get exciting.
Sprites are small during combat, but you get a graphical view of the enemies Dragon Quest style before battles which I appreciated a lot (they knew the impact of such graphics on the player, vs their small sprites during combat which rarely looked menacing)
Until the late game and revive item/spell, you do NOT want any character to die. You have to go through hell to get them back AND they will lose all their gear and items.
The game can get really brutal in difficulty, at least until you figure out a couple of tricks (one involves grinding the physical and magical attack power stats easily and quickly, the other involves protective spells).
Seasons change with time on the overworld map, a couple of events are tied to it.
The game is fairly long too. Exploration and dungeons get more complicated and interesting as the game goes on, perhaps a bit too many floor pits and teleporters in the late game dungeons.
In some ways, it felt like this game paved the way for Lagrange Point.
[cont]

>>9619425
[cont]


On the down side:
-Took a bit too long to be able to use spells conveniently, at first they're rare and expensive to use.
-The game LOVES to take away your characters for story reasons, and with them their gear and items which you do not get back even when the character is back.
-Too much barren land on the overworld map
-You have 2 protagonists plus 2 allies whom you can change, however it took too long to have a real choice of allies, by that point it was a downgrade to change. I only changed once despite the great amount of characters to choose from.

>Kaijuu Monogatari (Shell Monsters Story)

Surprisingly good DQ(2) clone from 88.
The game shines with its exploration and its characters system. There are 4 characters, each starts the game on a different side of the world map. You can start with anyone, switch to any character at any point.
The world is your playground with a LOT of unlinearility and exploration. You could probably replay the game 5 times and do things in a different order, or differently, every time.
The priority at first is to gather the 4 characters together, but once that's done you're free to split the team any way you like any time. This also becomes mandatory after a while due to treasure hunting at sea as the boat only carries two people.
The battle system is DQ2-like, but looks very dynamic: you can see your characters on the screen, and each enemy changes to a "wounded" variant when about to die.

While that unlinearility is the game's strength, it is also its weakness: it is hard to balance a game in which the player is allowed to go to many places in any order. At the very beginning difficulty is brutal, but after a while you're guaranteed to play 1 or 2 areas in which enemies won't be able to make a scratch anymore, although it is still possible to walk into a later area by chance and suddenly stumble on much stronger enemies (like in Final Fantasy 2), although area limitations are clearly marked for the most part. Also the entire late-end game spices thing up properly.

Overworld/town/dungeon graphics are okay, but characters and enemies graphics in battle have a lot of charm.

Musics are hit&miss, some good tracks, some not so good, sadly the two songs you'll be hearing the most belong in the not-so-good department.

[cont]

>>9619435
[cont]

Not much going on in the story department.
On the bad side, I found that offensive spells were barely if ever worth using. Also, middle to high grade gear is scattered all around the world so at some point once the team is gathered, some backtracking is required just for that. Also, the interface and text is a bit slow. Finally, the translation available had some graphical glitches and a couple of misses.

Tip: use the world map provided with the manual, write down the name of the towns on it; and write down every clue NPCs give you. Doing that emphasizes the sense of adventure, I only needed a guide for one nasty non-hinted key item at the very end of the game.
Same dev/publisher later on made Jubei Quest, re-using a lot of mechanics and ideas from this game, albeit with more linearility. While Shell Monsters Story is a DQ2 clone and emphasized the adventure-exploration elements, Jubei Quest is more of a DQ3 clone: more linear, but bigger, with more varied environments and more focus on story.

>Digital Devil Story - Megami Tensei

The first in a long series for Atlus (the sequel easily being one of the best RPGs on Famicom), this first person dungeon crawler has quite a reputation for being very hard. I didn't think it was that hard, and grinding goes a long way (you will need to, to some extent, at the very least before entering the 2nd and 3rd areas) but it can definitely be tedious.
There are two party members, and then you get to recruit demons for an extra 3 party members. You can then fuse demons together to end up with more powerful demons.
The game gets easier once you get the spell that allows you to return to town, and also if you manage to recruit that optional demon which gives you a revive spell early on, but you may still occasionally get fucked by traps or a horde of demons ambushing you.
For 1987, the game is MASSIVE, it takes probably a good 60-70 hours to beat especially if you make your own maps (looking them up wouldn't be the same). Combats can really drag on too. There is quite a bit of unlinearility.
The game looks pretty good, especially for '87, and especially the monster design.

I have to warn that one should play via emulation and set the emulator savestate auto-save function to every 5 mins or so. From the mid point onward, I got a LOT of crashes, some recurrent ones too related to certain enemy types which I then usually ran from to avoid the crashes.

Dragon Warrior 4 is still the best

>Momotarou Densetsu (The Legend of the Peach Boy)

Late '87 DQ1 clone by Hudson based on popular Japanese story. 1 on 1 battles with occasional help from AI partner in battle. Very grindy even by Famicom RPG standard, almost DQ1-tier. For 87' the game sounds and looks great, and battles, menus, text are all very fast and smooth. Lot's of humour and some charm.
However, the game drops the cake pretty hard starting from the mid point of the game. Suddenly, the item puzzles for progression are cryptic (even with the in game clues included) and the game does everything in its power to be as obnoxious and annoying as possible: NPCs that warp you to another point of the world map (several times), enemies that can steal all your money and items and flee from battle with it, tons of enemies which can heal themselves to full HP making fights last forever, enemies ambushing you and getting to hit you 3 times in 1 turn or freezing you, etc etc the game just won't stop trolling.
This, on top of the grind and the fact that useful late game healing items can only be acquired through a luck based mini game, makes the experience very painful and I can't recommend the game before of that.

Somehow this game spawned an entire series, including an untranslated Famicom sequel. Also, it feels like it was influencial to the genre, as many small things this game did would find their way to other (better) RPGs: the AI partners can be found in Musashi no Bouken and SD Keiji - Blader, the humour (including a 4th wall breaking joke mentionning the console itself) in Ninjara Hoi!, the way the teleport spells involves an animation showing the character go around the world map physicall in Jubei Quest (and Ninjara Hoi! too iirc), and there is also progression being alted by a fat sleeping monster blocking the road, that you have to find a way to wake up (Pokémon).

>SD Gundam Story Knight Gundam Legend

Very obvious DQ clone, everything in the system and menus is identical to DQ2/3. Even the character are, at first, reminiscent of classes found in DQ3, until they start to shine on their own.
However the game is surprisingly very good, the graphics and musics are great and there is a lot of charm to the world. Balancing isn't too bad overall (there are issues, like your characters having Def so high they are dealt 1 dmg from physical attacks, but can easily get OHKO'd or close by spells).
You play as a hero + 3 other party members chosen from 6 allies total.
The game also has tons of good and interesting ideas, for instance in battle you have an option to go behind enemies, there is an item which on the world map lets you see ahead of you, you can mark spots in dungeons to help get your bearings, a party member left at the base may occasionally join a battle as a 5th AI controlled partner and gain exp from the battle, etc etc.
There is also a card mini game based on an IRL card game (the price of a card is even the same!). However, there isn't much to the card battles themselves as they're just AI controlled 1on1 RPG battles, but they can be used to gain exp and gold.
On the bad side: dungeons are very drab and samey. I felt there are a bit too many towns too, or rather the size of the world doesn't warrant that many so close to each others.
The end game and ending are VERY disappointing and left a very sour taste. You go through a cave that leads to the end castle. Neither the cave nor the castle have random encounters. Then, the game taunts you with a boss rush that doesn't happen, followed by a final boss which is just a buffed up version of a boss already fought earlier in the game (while the hero has been buffed up insanely), while the real villain just leaves and the game hints at playing the sequel.
What a terrible end game! There are two sequels on Famicoms but neither have been translated so far.

>Niji no Silkroad (Rainbow Silkroad)

A somewhat different concept in this RPG with no experience points and very few visible stats.
You must go along the silkroad and trade goods in order to raise money, which you will use to buy equipment that raise your HP and attack and even eventually hire party members, in order to solve quests and go through dungeons within a kingdom before moving on to the next kingdom.
The game is very one dimensional, grindy, and frankly quite a bore because of it. Combats are all about the attack button, your only other option being a couple of items which would NEVER work when I attempted to use them, dungeons all look the same throughout the entire game (same tiles, same palette) so there is very little to keep the player entertained.
Graphics and music are okay, and the historical tidbits are fun, but other than that the idea behind the game was more fun than the game itself.

>The Magic Candle

A DQ1 clone from 1992 which for the time looks outdated: there is no scrolling, the FOV is half the screen, and the mechanics are very simple. I thought it was a port of a 1989 computer game of the same name, but they have nothing to do with each others.
However I found the game to have a lot of charm. The musics and art style have a lot of charm, especially the enemies graphics which are some of the best looking I've seen on the system and are very big.
Story is simple DQ1 style as well but with a bit more dialogue, and there is charm to be found in that if it's your sort of things. The game is seperated in chapters, with a couple of plotwists along the way, and you can't backtrack to areas pertaining to previous chapters.
Combat is 1vs1 but, as per tradition with DQ1 clones, along the way you get an AI partner that occasionally attack or use spells in combat, but unlike in SD Keiji - Blader, Musashi no Bouken and Momotaru Densetsu, the AI partern is actually very useful. You get just about as many spells as in DQ1, with similar functions.
Difficulty seems spot on at first, with a little bit of grind required, but around the mid point the game becomes a breeze you can just waltz through with no worry. Shame! It would have gained in being a little bit harder. As a result the game feels pretty short.
There is a day/night cycle but it doesn't seem to make much difference, though you do get a count of how many days it took you to beat the game at the end.
It is worth noting that spells seemed to power up as the hero did, but with an added downside of consuming more MP (so I often didn't know how much MP a spell would cost)
If DQ1 is your thing, you should try this game.

>Shinsenden - The Legend of Immortals

1989 game by Tamtext and Irem (I keep saying every publisher on Famicom released at least one RPG)
Good graphics (there is shading in towns/dungeons), good music. The story is a bit more than your usual "kill evil overworld" but the dialogues and cutscenes go way too fast to truly appreciate it, although the many references to ancient cultures help make it seem more mature.
You can run in towns, you can carry up to 16 items per character (versus the traditional 8, and you're gonna need them!), battle speed can be set to "so fast you barely have time to realize wtf is going on" plus you can make the loading of fights faster by holding a button. Message speed is pretty fast too, I never once felt like hitting the fast forward key. When you target a dead enemy, you will automatically attack the next enemy (though only within the same group). All of this makes grinding really fast, and are the kind of QOL the vast majority of Famicom RPGs (and even beyond) lack.
Tons of interesting mechanics: you have spells and skills, each with their own MP pools. Starting from chapter 2 onward you can also absorb most enemies and then summon them for use in battle, each absorbed enemy can be used once but they have infinite MP. They have to be used intelligently for healing/fighting/tanking and it's an essential mechanic in some parts of the game. Also, blocking actually matters a lot, and when you are low on health, enemies deal less damage and you are more likely to dodge attacks. So the game is challenging but forgiving at the same time (I once managed to make it back to town with 1hp left, that included surviving a fight with that 1 HP).

[cont]

>>9619475
[cont]


But yes the game is very challenging (did I mention that running away from battles never work? At least until you get a spell for it). You will need to grind a bit in each chapter, then each move matters, each item slot too, each spell/skill use etc On top of this, if the hero dies, it's game over, and it's back to the previous save file (no respawning with half your money like in most DQ clones). You only get a revive spell at the very end and I believe it can only be used to revive the 3rd party member. That on top of all the interesting mechanics gives this game a tactical edge over many other RPGs of the kind.

On the downside there isn't much in the way of exploration, especially in the overworld. The game is divided in a chapter format and each chapter takes place in its small island with 1-2 towns and dungeons each. Also the game likes to take characters away from your party abruptly.

Overall one of the most underrated Famicom RPGs (neither a mobygames nor a wikipedia page?) which shines manly thanks to its neat QOL and mechanics, the challenge it provides, and the story that's a bit more than the usual. It is challenging and a bit grindy however, but the grind goes fast, and the game is definitely too short (about 16-18 hours long)!

Good luck with Hoshi wo Miru Hito.

>>9619515
>Hoshi wo Miru Hito

I'm not sure I'll try that one, then again there IS a guide and it makes it sound feasible

Maybe once I have played every other translated one and after I've struggled with non translated ones using AI translation and guides

>>9619447
>There's a late game enemy who has a move that kills you by crashing the game
That's the most Megaten thing I've ever heard of.

>>9619471
Visually this one looks great, it's really charming.

>>9619785
I think some of the crashes I experienced were definitely related to the translation

>>9619998
it does, it really nailed the DQ spirit with the enemy design (and I guess the overworld too)

>>9619418
One of the few quality posters on this board. Always a joy to see these threads.

>>9619425
Madara was literally a rip off of Dororo.

>main character's father summoned a host of demons to gain political power
>traded his new born son's body parts in exchange
>the husk of a baby is put in a basket and sent down the river to die
>baby is found by old man who replaces all of its missing body parts with prosthetics
>baby grows up and vows to hunt down the demons who stole his body parts to regain them

dont hear little ninja brothers discussed much. probably because it wasnt very good (and i remember it being very difficult). it was unique though since you could play it with 2 players. there was like a track and field mode too. my brother and i would rent this game off and on. never beat it.

>>9623645
I played it and its non RPG prequel (Kung Fu Heroes) and its sequel Super Chinese 3 which trades the two combat modes for something more like River City Ransom, except not that well designed.

They're okay but a bit tedious. They two games have an interesting hybrid format but they definitely have RPG elements and follow RPG routines like finding the 6-7 key items as a goal.
The turned based RPG fights in Little Ninja Brothers / Super Chinese 2 are a bit of a pain and iirc there was little gain from them so you were better off running from them, except from boss fights, in which case the game is entirely balanced on playing 2P so if you don't call the partner in combat you have no chance of winning.

pic related would make a great 4chan or /vr/ title image

>>9624217
>which trades the two combat modes for something more like River City Ransom,

actually correction, the turned based RPG fights are still there, it's just the top down fights that was replaced by sidescrolling stuff

>>9623628
huh, that's more coherent than the version of it in my head was - which is an indictment either of me or of the translated Famicom game I played (that being the one OP talks about above; I largely agree with OP's assessment of it by the way)
it sounds pretty cool in your summary, but the most interesting part in the game's story that I recall was a weirdo side jaunt in which you travel through time for no apparent reason, or something like that

>>9624217
I lost interest the one time I tried to play Little Ninja Brothers, but somehow I kinda love Kung Fu Heroes even though it's stupid and weird

>>9624284
Yeah gameplay is a bit weird at first because the perspective and hit detection are a bit fucked up, but once you get used to it it's pretty fun to jump around and punch shit up. Little Ninja Brothers aka Super Chinese 2 uses the same mechanics but with an RPG world to explore and using the top down fights as random encounters and you have to grind to become strong enough and earn money, and then for some reasons you have some turned based RPG fights thrown in as well.
Super Chinese 3 is more of the same but sadly instead of refining the top down fights they went for sidescrolling River City Ransom style fights that are very laggy.

The first game (the non RPG one) was very challenging, the last world and last level specifically was really hard.Getting there was easy, but it took me probably 3-4 hours of retries (restarting the game over) to finally beat the last world; and you need to make sure to find most of the hidden power ups throughout the entire game, using warps is a terrible idea unless you really know what you're doing.

the ending theme of Little Ninja Bros is fun, spoilers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DRelqlu2No&t=3m43s

it's crazy that the US got this game when it's so obviously inspired by anime. I suppose it has to do with it being a sequel to a first game already released there

Bumping a based thread

>>9619447
This sounds great, as an SMTfag. If it works well I'll probably emulate it via virtual console on my 3DS. Not sure if that's how you did it, but hopefully it won't crash

good thread, I'm playing FF3 right now
I haven't heard some of these games , I'll check them out

Well this one was very fast to play through

>Silva Saga

Late 1992 release. Typical DQ/FF clone material, the story is very cliché JRPG stuff, but the game looks great, both in the world and its vibrant colours and the enemy design (lot's of really big enemy art in combat), and sounds great too and the OST has many tracks, some even dedicated to specific towns or shops.

Easiest RPG I've played on the system in terms of difficulty, it's almost insulting how easy it is. Also characters auto-target the next enemy in combat so the "spam X to win" cliché really applies here. At first characters were gaining levels every 2-3 fights, it was ridiculous. And if that wasn't enough, most items from chests in dungeons respawn so it is easy to farm them (MP refills or sell for money etc)

Some interesting mechanics, the main one being that you can have up to 3 parties you can switch to in combat. The first party is your main characters, hero+warrior+mage. The second party is made of "Idols", godly creatures that you find along the way and which mostly just use spells and are AI controlled. The third party consists of soldiers you can hire, you must pay for them and their gear so I never bothered with them. Only the party active at the end of a battle recieves exp. Idols may be fused together to create new idols, however they'll start over from lvl1, though usually know better spells so it is worth it.
Also you can pawn items instead of selling them.

The game is huge and there are a lot of dungeons, some of which can get a bit mazey, but the dungeons look great and most of them have dedicated art and palettes.
The overworld is huge also and once you get the boat, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, again and again... Having no world map, no manual, I just used a walkthrough at that point when I didn't know where to go.
[cont]

>>9625105
[cont]

There is a day/night cycle (which goes through many steps) but it seemed to have no impact except from the fact some late game dungeons could only be entered at certain times of the day, annoying.
Also, throughout the game the 2 companions constantly change: they get switched to another character using the same art, knowing the same skills, keeping the same items... so the only thing that changes is the name and a small stat upgrade, + whatever the new char knows to do to progress in the game. A bit pointless and weird to use characters like key items.

Finally the game is fastest RPG on I've seen on the system. Everything from walk speed (both in towns and dungeons), to text and combat speed, makes it feel like the player just waltz through everything. As a result, and coupled with the low difficulty, despite a great amount of content, the game was really short (10-12hours).

Conclusion: Great on a technical level, a couple of interesting mechanics, but ultimately nothing special except it is the fastest and easiest RPG I've seen on the system.

>>9619418
Oh shit, I was trying to remember if the thread I saw about NES RPGs was here or not. I'm kind of doing the same thing, but I've only done Dragon Warrior and am currently on II.
Anyway, thank you for your service.

>>9625105
the enemy designs look really cool

>>9619418
how many have easily readable text? kana-only games are scary

>>9619421
This was Shinzo Abe's favorite game

>>9625760
I don't speak Japanese (I did one semester at the university a decade ago and that was it), so I've only played fan translated ones.
The amount of translated Famicom RPGs is frankly amazing, and I'm grateful for that, though there are quite a few I wish were translated already that aren't

I'll consider using Retroarch's AI translate tool when I've gone through every translation, I've already played 2 RPGs that way, but some games may not work well with the tool depending on the font

>>9619452
despite the original game quality, momoden is huge in Japan. don't forget also that the game inspired a spinoff board game, momotaro dentetsu, about train development, which still receives regular releases to this day.

>>9625942
well the game looks and sounds great for 87, it's mostly the amount of trolling the game puts the player through that ruins it for me. Plus I suppose the original story may have some weight if it's a famous children's story

I'd still play the the sequel, or rather the spin off (Gaiden), if it was translated.
I saw an ad for the board game and had no idea wtf I was looking at, so now I know thanks.

>>9624217
>>9624220

is this by culture brain? it looks similar to the ninja boy games on game boy. The first one is an overhead game where you use punches and kicks to clear screens of enemies to advance, but the sequel is an RPG but with side scrolling beat em up fights. First one isn't that good, but second one is ok. The boy sprites and the monster sprite look familiar, especially for 2 since that game takes place on space dinosaur planets.

Do you have a list of games you've played/games you're planning to play?

>>9619447
The NES version of Megami Tensei II got a translation, check it out! Music fucking kills

How are the Goemon RPGs?

>>9625105
>>9625107
I feel some conflict between "easiest RPG I've seen on the system" and "used a walkthrough"

>>9626104
yeah it's by culture brain alright and that sounds like the same series, the first one sounds like Super Chinese 1 aka Kung Fu Heroes and the sequel like Super Chinese 3. They probably just renamed it to "boy" for the game boy.

>>9626927
already played some time ago, played it before 1, which may explain why I didn't think 1 was too hard since I was in known territory. Although the tricks you can use in 2 to make the game easy don't work in 1.

>>9627069
I only used a walkthrough for directions when I didn't have a map or when there was something cryptic (not being able to enter a dungeon unless at a specific time of day); also to know what some items/spells do. Spell/item lists and a map were probably in the manual which I don't have; and I had not looked it up I'd have turned in round a lot more, and gotten more exp from random encounters, thus making fights even easier

>>9625105
I recommend the first game in the series if you haven't played it already: Minelvaton Saga. Top-down action battles a la Xanadu, with great non-linear world map.

bumping with a 8-bit qt3.14

Have you played Lagrange Point?
It's a Dragon Quest clone where you can put Robots and a Native American cyborg in your party.

>>9619418
What are your top 5 so far? I've been meaning to get into more of these

>>9629936
I have, great game, I'll probably replay it one of these days using other characters. Maybe I got lucky but by the end game I was using characters in a way that was almost self sufficient, with iirc the human and robot characters healing each others almost completely (BP included)

>>9629940
Outside of DQ/FF series, my answer for highest tier wouldn't have many surprises: Metal Max, Earthbound Beginnings, Megami Tensei II, and perhaps Lagrange Point. There are a lot of games in the tier just below that though that are very underrated like Namco's Dream Master.

if you played dragon quest then you basically played every famicom rpg

OP I just wanna say you've inspired me to jump through the hoops to play Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei, looking forward to starting it. Got a notebook of graph paper on hand

>>9624729
I didn't like FF3, I only played it for an hour but I think I'll drop it

>>9631835
FFIII gets worse when you get to those annoying mini and toad only sections. Or when you need someone in your party that could cast Scan to defeat a boss.

>>9631843
I'm at the mini only section, that's why I'm dropping it

>>9631850
iirc some of the mini sections you don't have to stay mini all the time, you can just cast back mini whenever you need to enter a hole. Looks like some people failed to realize that.

But yes FF3 is annoying when it forces certain status or classes onto the player. I always try to fight it to the max, like when you have to switch to Dragoon I just switch on character.

how is the nes version of dragon quest? would you recommend it over the snes remake

>>9633490
The first DQ? NES version is grind city. They greatly increased the EXP/gold gains in the SNES and Game Boy ports. While I like the graphics of the NES one best, for time efficiency I'd say play the SNES one.

>>9633490
It's fantastic. I hear the SNES version increases EXP from battles so the grind to get through it is quicker, but the grind isn't long in DQ1. It's a nice, brief game.

>>9625105
nice graphics, but easy battles sound annoying and I'm suspicious of the cryptic puzzly-type stuff that drove you to the walkthrough... oh well, guess I'll probably just listen to the soundtrack and skip the game

>>9627069
of course all these games, like surely 100% of them, will have easy battles, since enemy AI is extremely weak and you can always trade grinding time for better abilities, but they can be arbitrarily difficult in their puzzles and secrets and such - sounds like in this game dude was finding super-duper-easy battles and a few hard secrets/puzzles/whatever

>>9633986
>of course all these games like surely 100% of them, will have easy battles

That is not true. Shisenden was challenging, Metal Max can be challenging on a first playthrough and the on-foot parts will remain challenging even after, and Mother DQ games (and even FF1/2 to a lesser extent) can be challenging because random encounters actually wear you down little by little like they're supposed to.
Dream Master wasn't that hard but it works similarly to Sweet Home in that you have a finite amount of healing items, and unlike Sweet Home you can't grind past what the game gives you (numbers of encounters is set, and if you have to hunt down every single enemy ine ach area if you want to lvl up)

>>9631480
>Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei
I think that one actually has auto-map

>>9633976
>brief game
It took me like a month of nightly grinding to get to level 25 so I could beat it.

>>9635505
Dude what, everyone just beats the game at lvl 20-21

I hear some people have done it at lvl17 which is when you get healmore

I'm playing Dream Master today. Good rec.

>>9635509
Well it was 20 years ago, maybe level 25 is wrong, but it was at least 22 I'm pretty sure. Either way, just to grind to 20 took a long time.

>>9619447
The crashing issue got me wondering if it’d be better to play the SNES remake which is supposed to be translated now.

I don’t mind the old school but I expect it to be stable at least.

>>9633490
I recently beat it in about 24 hours; I was mapping dungeons as I went, however, and fiddly with the programs I was using to do so. 20 hours, give or take, is probably more accurate. I only had to intentionally settle in and grind towards the end for some specific equipment. I also referenced the manual, included map and monster chart, and the extra adventure guide and explorers handbook from Nintendo Power.
Long story short, it was pretty fun and I would say it's worth a shot if you understand how rudimentary it is.

OP if you're still around, do you archive these anywhere? And what games stick out to you as having been the best or at least the ones you personally enjoyed the most? Top 5 or so.

>>9635647
I never played them but from what I've seen, most people say playing the remake of 1 is fine but you should definitely play the original version of 2

>>9635926
No it's just for myself, I started doing the screenshot collage and the small review recently after I realized there were RPGs I played last year I barely remembered anything about

There is my list so far (stricly turned based RPGs, not including A-RPGs)

>God Tier
DQ2
FF2
Earthbound Beginnings
Digital Devil Monogatari - Megami Tensei II

>High Tier
FF1
DQ3
DQ4
Metal Max
Lagrange Point

>Good+ Tier
Digital Devil Monogatari - Megami Tensei
Dragon Quest
Dragon Ball 2 (RPG/Adventure/Card)
Dream Master (Adventure/RPG)
Final Fantasy III
Heracles no Eiko II: Titan no Metsubo
Jubei Quest
Just Breed (RPG/Tactics)
Kaijuu Monogatari (Shell Monsters Story)
Moryo Senki Madara (Konami)
Ninjara Hoi!
SD Gundam Story Knight Gundam Legend
SD Keiji - Blader
Shinsenden - The Legend of Immortals
Sweet Home (Adventure/RPG)
The Magic Candle

>Good Tier
Cleopatra no Mahou (Adventure/RPG)
Ganbare Goemon Gaiden 2 - Tenka no Zaihou
Ghost Lion
Indora no Hikari
Jajamaru Ninpou Chou (Ninja Jajamaru The Ninja Scrolls)
Kawa no Nushi Tsuri (Legend of the River King) (RPG/Fishing)
Musashi No Bouken
Silva Saga
Tenchi Wo Kurau 2 - Shokatsu Koumei Den (Destiny of An Emperor 2)

>Okay Tier
Ganbare Goemon Gaiden - Kieta Ougon Kiseru
Gegege no Kitaro 2 - Youkai Gundan no Chousen
Last Armageddon
Momotarou Densetsu (The Legend of Peach Boy)
Otaku no Seiza - An Adventure in the Otaku Galaxy
Niji no Silkroad (Rainbow Silkroad)

>Bad Tier
Bloody Warriors Shan-Go no Gyakushuu
Destiny of An Emperor
LaSalle Ishii no Child's Quest

>Shovelware Tier
All the Dragon Ball Z games. DB2 and DBZ2 were the best ones. DB3 hasn't been translated so I haven't played it
Nakayoshi to Issho
Ushio To Tora

>Tactics Tier
Dai 2 Ji Super Robot Taisen (Super Robot Wars 2)
Fire Emblem - Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
Fire Emblem - Gaiden
Just Breed

>>9636947
>God Tier
>DQ2
>FF2
>Earthbound Beginnings
>Digital Devil Monogatari - Megami Tensei II

>>9619418
bump

>>9636947
great taste anon

>>9636947
>Bad Tier
>Destiny of An Emperor

I like this game but I can't really argue with this

>>9639924
It seemed like such a unique spin on the JRPG. I only played part way through in the past but I really enjoyed it. Been wanting to play it though at some point again. My Dragon Quest loving older bro really enjoyed it back in the day. I was curious what Gamefaqs thought and it seems to be a well received game.

>>9619418
Cool reviews OP, you pretend to play the first Megami Tensiei games?

>>9639924
>>9639972
I have no idea what people find in this game. The historical setting is cool yes, but the combat is incredibly monotonous and slow. Then you like a billion characters but most whom you recruit suck ass, I mean why would you use characters that don't lvl up while your main cast does; so the only reason to "recruit" is not to have the generals appears as adversaries anymore. Then progression is obtuse with tons of backtracking and the game excepts me to remember a tons of chinese name (people and places), while on top of that every place looks the same.

Also the whole "general armies" thing make no fucking sense at all. I am supposed to believe that the entire army, thousands of units, go to rest at the inn in town? And somehow they all benefit from the general equipping better gear.

I think it was well recieved in the US simply because it was one of the few NES RPGs released there. I mean they had DQ series (very late), FF1, Ghost Lion, Destiny of an Emperor, and that's it.

The sequel was better, at least the dungeons looked good and were varied.

>>9639972

It's very charming in some ways and the unusual battle system and character count do provide some fun variety to somebody used to more ordinary JRPGs. Also the soundtrack is great.

Downsides that I recall: The complicated story doesn't come across clearly in NES form, and stuff you do outside battles doesn't tend to be terribly interesting. You spend a lot of time marching across empty patches of overworld from one fortress to the next, knocking down army after army of warlords you never heard of before (unless you've actually studied the original tale I guess) and probably will never hear of again. It's a slog. And the many many Asian phrases and proper names in it are tiring to keep track of.

It's certainly good enough to be enjoyed by somebody who is just looking for some basic JRPG stuff with a few twists. But it's too repetitive, linear, and simple to compete with the bigger names.

>STED: Iseki Wakusei no Yabou (STED - Starfield of Memorable Relics)

Sci-fi theme, top down overworld and towns coupled with first person mazes (rings a bell?).
One of the most challenging RPGs I've played on Famicom, the amount of grind required is high and even then the game remains challenging.
On top of that the puzzles are very cryptic, I wouldn't have beaten this game without a guide. The translation is unfinished which doesn't help either.
The game is rather monotonous as everywhere you go on the world map looks the same.
Graphics and musics are good and the game system has some interesting things: you choose stat distribution with each lvl-up, the party is composed of 3 humans and a robot, on top of HP/MP body parts also have a health value, you need to reload guns, you buy spells and can distribute them to who you want aside from the robot. The robot needs dedicated healing items.
You can only see your other characters sprites if the ones in front are dead, I still have no idea what the last 2 characters look like.
Not much going in the story department.
Fights can have up to 6 different enemies at once, but you can only see the first one in the list and then on their turn. So, good luck remembering all those enemy names.

[cont]

>>9640118
>I mean they had DQ series (very late), FF1, Ghost Lion, Destiny of an Emperor, and that's it.
Excluding ARPG hybrids, there were a couple western RPG that were ported and translated to NES like The Bard's Tale 1, Wizardry 1-2, Ultima 3-5, and Might & Magic 1. The latter is still my favorite version of that game. Awesome gameplay, sprites, and music.

>>9640282
[cont]

The translation introduces a glitch at some point mid way through the game and you'll probably need the help of savestates and/or the guide to get out of it as the player gets sent into a graphically glitched area. Also don't use the "exp counter" patch, it doesn't work.
Also the end boss is really challenging, I could only beat it with the following strategy (the strategy told in the guide is terrible): go to the glitchy point mentioned just above, there is a computer that lets you re-distribute your stats. Forget about agility, for the 2 guys focus on attack, for the girl on wisdom (magical attack power). The protag should have the psycho sword, while the girl should spam Thunder (and not Thunder3, the MP cost isn't worth the difference). Use Psyshell at the start of the fight for increased def. Forget about the robot, use it for healing items and then let it die. Have as many Vitaron and Brainer items as you can in the inventory.

Not a bad game per se but I hope you're ready for a lot of grind, cryptic puzzles, and an unfinished (even glitchy) translation.

Other tips:
-The battle msg speed is VERY slow by default: press select in the menu to remedy that.
-Spells not specified in the FAQ:
Wall: increase def for a single character
Inji: increase chance of escaping battle
-A common trick for RPGs of the time: you can avoid battle in the overworld by opening the menu and closing it every 4-5 steps. This also seems to work in dungeons, however dungeons also have set battles on some tiles you can not avoid.

I still have some time off left so now I just started Doraemon: Giga Zombie no Gyakushuu, probably the last translated "obvious DQ clone" I have left on the system.
I wasn't expecting much but first impressions are excellent, soulful world and musics, fast battles, and some interesting mechanics like having party chat and a seperate bag for inventory items (on top of each character's inventory), two things DQ would only introduce later on. The game reminds me of Mother, except easier.
I mean look at those walk/idle anims, awesome.

>>9640283
Yeah there were those but I thinking specifically JRPGs from the start. I do plan to play all those you listed eventually though some of them scare me either by their lengths or by their supposed difficulty, and mapping out first person dungeons can get tired and use up a lot of time.
Though now that I've played through Megami Tensei and STED, I feel like I could probably handle them. I suppose the next stop in scary territory would be the first Glory of Heracles though. Although I did gave up on both Sansaara Naga and Columbus: Ougon no Yoake because the start of those games were really obtuse (I plan on coming back to them later though).

>>9640282
Phantasy Star killer spotted

>>9641861
It could be but it seems to have a lot of flaws.

>>9640118
I always assumed the general was buying in bulk. But your right, thousands of men ain’t staying in an inn. The soldiers could be billeting, but past a certain point size it’d make more sense for the army to make their own camp. Maybe they make camp near the friendly city/village.

>>9640283
MM1 NES is pretty neat. I did play through the PC original awhile back, I think the NES combat has some mechanical differences but both games are quite similar.

>>9636947
>DQ2
>god tier

yikes, if thats the best the nes has to offer, what a shitty library of RPGs

>>9619418
I was looking for good Famicom RPGs to play, finding this topic was wonderful, thanks anon!

>>9642476
I keked at this a bit, it’s got some infamous issues, the only thing I could see is >>9636947 giving it points for being hardcore af. Surely DQ 3 or DQ4 would be a better choice for god tier.

>>9635505
I just keep trying the final castle/boss over and over since you don't lose XP when you die

>>9642727
>>9642476
I give it point because I think the difficulty of the western NES version was spot on for me yes, but not just that. Exploration and possible unlinearilty, the adventure mechanics, god tier music, still images of enemies that look dynamic, characters and story that managed to draw me in despite the low amount of text, and much more.
People in the west only praise DQ1 as "father of the JRPG", but really most of those other RPGs owe as much (if not more) to 2 than to 1; so there is that too, being the first doing so many things for the genre. In the DQ anniversary doc on youtube they do acknowledge DQ2's legacy.

Few examples of why I think DQ2 is well designed:
- the allies and the way they join the party. Everything is made to make you realize they were going through their own adventures of their own while you were. This gives them weight and personality and puts everyone on the same level. How many RPGs have each character put on the same level of importance like that? Certainly not DQ3.
- The way towns work like hubs. You usually use the same town in between several small quests; either that or there is a good reason to come back to the town later on. This makes the world feel organic, real; vs the tired routine "each area is composed of one town, one dungeon, clear that, reach next area, repeat" which DQ3 started.
- The adventure elements, namely the treasure hunting; DQ2 probably started the "you must find X number of magical key items as a goal" trope for jRPGs (unless you count Zelda as an RPG), but unlike later/other use of that trope in which the key item is merely a meaningless token for denoting that you beat a dungeon; here you must go through adventure game mechanics to acquire them, acquire clues, solve puzzle, beat dungeons too sure but not only, and almost each one is acquired differently. Again this makes the items and the world feel real and you can imagine what happened to each item to get to the point that they are now.

Anyway, this ranking >>9636947 is not final and subject to change. For instance I put FF2 above FF1 because 2 left a great impression on me mainly thanks to its mature story/world and originality; but everytime I think back on FF1 now I realize how well designed of a game it is >>9638251


>>9642639
This was the first thread if you're interested >>9542936

>>9642981
I'm currently playing DW2 and I totally agree with your points. I just got the boat a bit ago and I almost feel overwhelmed with my options when checking out the new places I can go.

>>9643387
>I almost feel overwhelmed with my options when checking out the new places I can go.

It's true that it can feel overwhelming, but at the same time it is well designed and designed in such a way that you are likely to stumble on the easier areas first.

IIRC one of the NPCs tell you to go East or that Tantagel is east or something like that, and looking at the world map you're very likely to stumble on it first as it's located next to Lianport.

Then, once that area is cleared you're likely to find either Osterfair and Beran (if not by boat, by using the monoliths) which are the next logical destinations; and going to either place before the other doesn't really matter.

And in the end, Tuhn is the hardest place to find, it's also where the enemies are some of the strongest (pre-final area) and where you can get one of the best pieces of armor.

Meanwhile in DQ3, it's MUCH easier to stumble on harder areas early on. On my first playthrough I remember one of the first places I found by boat was Jipang and I got absolutely assblasted by the enemies in the cave there.

>>9643387
This was what happened to me, I got to the boat and got lost and ended up in a place that was way too challenging for my level

>>9643409
>It's true that it can feel overwhelming, but at the same time it is well designed and designed in such a way that you are likely to stumble on the easier areas first.
I meant what I said in a good way. I'm not reading the rest of what you said because it looks helpful, but I want to figure it out myself. I've done some poking around, and so far I found Osterfair, that tower on an island, and Alefgard that all seem more or less doable. The only clue I've found is the fortune teller in Osterfair telling me to go west.
I should just be using a map. I haven't found a good scan of the map poster, which I used when I played the first one too, but maybe that's for the best since it seems to have all the dungeons mapped on it and I'm mapping them myself.

>>9643942
It's fun!

>>9644128
You can at least use the map from the manual. It's small but better than nothing.

>>9644131
...I forgot that was in there.

>>9642981
>>9643409
You do a great job defending this game and it makes me more intrigued to try it. Maybe after I finish Earthbound Beginnings.

>>9619452
>Nintendo game with a scene that, out of context, looks like cannibals about to eat a baby with fully exposed genitals.

I have never wanted to show something to my childhood self more. I would have shit a hole through 20 pairs of pants.

>>9644375
Nudity, either for comic relief like that or pure lewd, was common on Famicom, unlike on NES.
That game also has a hidden scene in which you can enter the women Sauna, pic rel.
Somehow this turned into a trope/running joke in JRPGs, for instance there is something like that (minus the graphical cutscene) in the 2nd Goemon RPG on Famicom; and more recently in DQ11

bump

This one was pretty fast to go through as well

>Doraemon - Giga Zombie no Gyakushuu (Doraemon - The Revenge of Giga Zombie)

Another game in the pile of "obvious DQ clone", but another pleasant surprise. The game is based on the Doraemon licence, a series of manga and anime I'm only vaguely familiar with (it aired for a short time two decades ago in my country).
In some ways it is reminiscent of the Mother series, the game starts in a realistic modern day (for the time) area, in this case Japan, before venturing into other worlds and eras. You play as yourself accompanying Doraemon in his search of allies (who come and go, but who actually leave their inventory behind when they do!), you enter your name and your sex, and there is a different character for boys and girls (this came out after DQ4). The story doesn't take itself too seriously, each area has its own side plot and feel like they could be an episode from a series.
The musics are really good often sounding upbeat and joyous, great sounding drums and bass, and varied enough. Graphics are good enough but nothing extraordinary, some of the enemies don't look very good; but they are very varied with lot's of different locations.
Some interesting mechanics: there is a party chat you can use to remember what to do next and there is a seperate bag for inventory items (which can contain up to 100 items!), two things the DQ series would only introduce later on. Money is used to buy items (but not equipment, which is only found) but it is also used to cast spells and you only earn money from fights once you get back to a town.
Spells are treated like inventory items, so you can assign them to whomever, with the added downside of clogging the inventories quickly. However most spells don't work on the field (the cure spell even got consumed when I tried, so don't do that!)
[cont]

>>9646547
[cont]


Difficulty is very easy, there is basically no grinding whatsoever and if you really needed it, leveling up just once makes a big difference. When a character dies, he's back to 1HP once the fight is over. If the entire party dies, you're back to the last save location (in a town) but you lose neither progress nor money. So the game is very lenient and just wants you to have a good time; but you still don't want to die in combat (no reviving) and enemies remain strong, so despite being a leniant game with no grinding, combat still manages to remain engaging.
On the downside, only a few defensive spells work at all during boss fights, few combat items did too; so it's all just the attack command against them. Also enemies in random encounters get quickly repetitive as you fight the same 3 enemies over and over in each area; although most areas are short enough it doesn't become too much a burden. You also get a Repel spell that actually works if you're tired of it. Enemies often behaved similarly too and rarely used spells so there were little incentive to prioritize targets.

All in all, a simple and easy but quirky and fun experience that managed to suck me in with its offbeat world. The game doesn't overstay its welcome either (around 15 hours).

bump

bump... Come back retro anon.

>>9646547

What the hell is that Bugeyed? A weird tall blob with many eyes? A swarm of small bugs? Or is that mess just a momentary spell effect or something?

>>9648534
I think it's a swam of small bugs because there is a smaller version, but I don't know how the white rings make sense then

I thought I’d add a suggestion for you retro anon.

Dark Lord. https://www.romhacking.net/translations/934/

Very unique game breaks away from the Dragon Quest style. Quite challenging three person turn based strategy RPG. Battles happen on the same screen you’re exploring on with tile based movement. Outside of battles the way you move through the areas and interact with the world reminds me more or Crystalis. It’s mission based with a town as a central hub. Though the game can be a bit cryptic with how leveling up works. You take jobs and that raises stats and gives abilities. Also cool soundtrack.

>>9648965
It was on my list, just started it, but I'm getting my ass kicked and I'm not sure I get it.
I made a 3 chars party, then after realizing that the quest the king hands out leads to a dead end and that I have to cancel that to start the real first quest in the lab.... I'm getting my ass kicked by mere slimes who can deal 60-100% dmg to me in one hit. I don't have money to buy new equipment, the king says I need 800 exp to lvl up when slimes hand out 1 EXP each... what the fuck? what am I doing wrong?

>>9649269
yeah I don't get this game, I reached the 2nd quest now, and everything just 1-2 shots me (2 of my chars still haven't lvled up), and there is no way to grind or make money, I can't even backtrack to town in this mission

How many of these threads have you done, OP? Maybe you should post this somewhere else too so it won't go away

>>9649518
>Maybe you should post this somewhere else too so it won't go away
Both warosu and desuarchive save /vr/ threads. If he knows where to look, he can find all his posts.

>>9649896

Those sites never seem to work consistently for me. If I really want a thread then I just tell my browser to save it to my hard drive...

>>9619418
Is Dragon Warrior 4 for the NES worth playing these days, compared to the DS version?

>>9650365
Yes, the DS version has an incomprehensible "english" translation.

>>9649269
It’s a tough game! I can’t even remember how I got through it because it was so many years ago. Your characters do get a lot more survivable later on. There is a walk through on game faqs that might help. Also has good info on the job system.

>>9650365
I'm not a fan of the DS versions. If you look at the og DQ4/5/6, each has its own style; then the remakes convert that "let's have the same style for each game, with assets and an engine taken straight out of DQ7 PSX". Then there are a bunch of balance changes to make the games easier.
The only advantage of DQ4 DS is that decide if you want each partern to be AI controlled or not; but you can also control everyone in the last chapter in the original using a gameshark code.

>>9650614
>>9649269
>>9649436
Okay, I restarted the game. Created new characters and this time watched the stats roll and attribution to be in my favour. It makes a HUGE difference as a single stat point helps a lot and you can end up creating a warrior in between 8 and 15HP at the start.
Then I checked the guide so they have appropirate jobs.

Finally I found an exploit.... When you exit a quest in progress, and say No to cancel it, you lose the progress you had acquired so far (exp and items) because you're back to the previous save point.
However, if you do this
>exit quest
>but don't cancel it
>do your business at the shop, then save
>go back to the quest
>re-exit it immediately but this time say Yes you want to abandon the quest
>Now you can restart the quest over but get to keep the exp and items

In other words you can restart a quest over and over; and considering the first quest has a Revival item that can be sold for 700G; I'm going to profit from this exploit I found to buy the best equipment for my chars right from the start! Fuck you game, I'm not playing by your rules.
Then I'll make sure to kill at least 30 slimes in the first level so that everyone gains a level at the end of the first quest, and HOPEFULLY I'll be set for the rest of the game now.

>>9651564
wow... even after re-rolling to get the best possible stats and using the exploit to buy the best possible gear at the start, slimes still one shot my wizard.... two attempts in a row! What the hell is going on in this game

>>9651676
Okay so, I checked a video on youtube, and they're not getting the same kind of damage values at all despite similar stats. Then I tried again in another emulator and indeed I was getting much lower dmg from enemies with similar or even worse stats than in my first playthrough.

Conclusion: don't play this game in FCEUX. either it's glitchy or it triggers a copy protection of some sort that makes the game impossible.

>>9619452
Akira Sakuma wrote the game and most of the trolling going down on it, his games often have this kind of shit most famous being the god of poverty on the Momoden train games, he also worked on Ninjara hoi and created Toki which later would be ripped off by rare to create DKC.
Another fun fact is that he is close friends with Akira Toriyama (met him while working on Jump in the early 80s) and Yuji Horii (met him in the early 70s while attending a manga club in the same university).

>>9651770
Now all the similarities between Ninjara Hoi! and Momotarou make more sense.

>>9646547
>The ninjas are controlling the dinosaurs.
jej

Whelp that's it for Dark Lord I guess. I didn't follow the guide and I played quest 6 before 4 and 5.
Now I can go to 5 and 6, except that the first time I attempted 6, I got a glitch that would send me back to the location of quest 1 instead and thus softlock the game. After trying again, I made it to the proper level, however it's above my current level.

So I tried quest 5 and I got the same glitch: sending me back to the location of quest 1 again and again, so I can't continue the game.

Anyway I wasn't enjoying it very much

Whelp that's it for Dark Lord I guess. I didn't follow the guide and I played quest 6 before 4 and 5.

Now I can go to 4 and 5, except that the first time I attempted 5, I got a glitch that would send me back to the location of quest 1 instead and thus softlock the game. After trying again, I made it to the proper level, however it's above my current level.

So I tried quest 4 and I got the same glitch: sending me back to the location of quest 1 again and again, so I can't continue the game.

Anyway I wasn't enjoying it very much

>>9651446
>If you look at the og DQ4/5/6, each has its own style; then the remakes convert that "let's have the same style for each game
This is why I stopped the FF Pixel Remasters about 3/4 through the first one. It was already the worst of both worlds as far as content goes, in my opinion, but the thought of playing six games that would all look so similar was not appealing.

>>9652074
Thanks for the cautionary tale anyway.

>>9651760
Here I thought NES emulators were perfect!

>>9652074
Whoa! Never had that issue! Don’t know wtf is going on I played this back in the 2000s I think. I guess I got lucky when I played it.

>>9642981
As someone who got into JRPGs through DQ1+2 on the GB, you're spot on. I was always surprised when I saw people shit on DQ2 online. It felt like such a gigantic open world with so many secrets to find and puzzles to solve, it was awesome. You only ever hear people parrot "uhh... b-b-bad balance... th-the last area makes you grind a lot..." but even if you do consider those, the game as a whole package is fucking great and it's a shame how much undue hate it gets.

>>9653413
NES emulators aren't perfect when it comes to two things: mappers used by 1-2 games, and fan translations. The later being only partially the emulator's fault. I could only get Namco's Dream Master to work on an older version of FCEUX for instance

Do you remember what emu you used to play it? The review on romhacking mentions Quicknes. Maybe I'll try it again one of these days but not now. I got bummed out on the game with these issues.

I read every single post in this thread.

Has anyone played Sansara Naga?

I had tried this game 8 months ago and gave up on it due to seeming extremely weird, difficult, and user unfriendly.
Tried it again now and I made it a little farther but the game is still incredibly hard and user unfriendly.

It's kinda like Pokémon but with a single dragon. My Dragon is in the nursery and I'm supposed to go defeat enemies to feed him. Problem is, either I face low lvl enemies to the point that I'm making 10 Gold worth (= nothing) in between each visit at the inn, or if I step on other tiles the enemies obliterate me.

This game has been NOTHING but obscure "you gotta know what the dev intended you to do; and the dev has a fucked up mind" so far. There is a guide but if I follow it step by step what's the point of playing.
Step on the wrong tile next to the main path? Instant battle with 8 enemies WAY above your level. Talk to the wrong NPC? Enjoy having your money stolen. And you need money to save. Fuck.

>>9654557
Okay so, I had to check the guide anyway, it suggests you can beat up the Loan guy to steal his money. I did that and got money enough to progress, sweat....

except the next time time I went at the inn to save, right after I saved the Loan shark came in, beat me up (I couldn't pay), and now I've been thrown out of town without anything left. This happened when saving so now I'm softlocked.

The review on romhacking.net mentions possible glitches later on that can softlock the game too.

So I guess that's it, another game I give up on. Feels like I'm reaching the bottom of the barrel here. I dare anyone to try this game out, it's just shit like that in every corner . And why the fuck are there giant gray heads on the overworld? It's not a glitch, it appears like that in the manual too. What a fucked up game.

>>9650023
Me, I print out these threads.

>>9654267
No I don’t it was so many years ago. I’ve generally been lucky with fan translations but I’ll have to keep in mind potential issues can pop up.

>>9656531
Come to think of it I think I’ve mainly used FCEUX and Nestopia. Haven’t tried that many different emulators.

>Maharaja

Adventure-RPG game from 1989 published by Sunsoft. It mixes elements from command based adventure games, going around still first person screens, talking to NPCs, solving puzzles, and RPG elements with random encounters, turned based fights, shops, equipment and spells. If you know Cleopatra no Mahou, it plays exactly like that, except that in Cleopatra the RPG elements are light and the adventure elements more developed, but in Maharaja it is the contrary.
The adventure elements are pretty simple, there is the occasional item puzzle and NPC to talk to in order to progress, but there is nothing that should make you require a guide. Along the game you can buy better equipment and acquire many spells, which you don't get right away on level up as you need to backtrack to town and to Shiva's temple to learn them.
The game's main pro is its graphics, environments are colourful and varied. Enemies look good and have various animations (idle, attacking, etc), and musics are pretty good as well. The story revolves around Hindu religious elements but sadly still boils down to "demon lord wants to conquer the world".
[cont]

>>9657829
[cont]
The main flaw is how repetitive and samey the dungeons are. There are 3 towers, 2 forests and a final castle. All 3 towers use the same design with the rooms and layout being identical in all floors of all 3 towers and only the palette changing. The 2 forests use the same visual design as well. Finally, navigating the final castle can easily get confusing. As you go around still screens, you never know what angle the next screen will use, for instance you may enter a room to the east and find yourself facing north on the next screen. This leads to easily turning in round on yourself, triggering random encounters in the process, just to get your bearings.
Also while there is a spell to warp to known places, there isn't one to exit a dungeon, so you'll find yourself backtracking a lot, with the point of views making it look like you're literally walking backwards.
Grinding a bit is necessary, but very fast, and you'll find that just 1-2 levels gained make a huge difference. The game isn't very long otherwise (around 8 hours, which is still longer than Cleopatra).

Conclusion: a hybrid mix of adventure and RPG elements that excels at neither, but fun nonetheless if your expectations aren't too high. It managed to draw me in which it somewhat more original setting and quality graphics.

and as a small bonus

>Sugoro Quest - Dice no Senshitachi (The 100 World Story - The Tales on a Watery Wilderness)

RPG-Board game, a unique concept. As with board game logic you go around the board turn after turn, except the game is an RPG: you go around fighting encounters (random and pre-set), go through sidequests, in order to gain experience, level up, and buy equipment and spells, so you can tackle on the dragon serving as final boss of the board.
Graphics use very simple lines and colouring, but are charming because of it. Enemies look comical and are animated.
You fight against the clock, as there is a pre-set number of turns, and dying only puts you back to square one. However, you make up your own rules, from number of turns to number of players to random encounter appearance rate; and this is where the game shines. It must be played with between 2 and 4 players, as the controller is passed around, but any player can be AI controlled too. Then, you may decide to either cooperate with the other players, even going as far as teaming up to move and fight together (regrouping and splitting whenever you feel like, but also sharing gear and items), or you may decide to play against each others, and you can even fight the other players if you meet them on the field.
Simply using 2 players working together will make the game much easier however.
There are three boards, three different stories, but they all basically boil down to the same thing, with only the size of the board changing, though you may get an occasional "plot twist", which can randomly change a scenario.

>>9657856
[cont]
The sidequests you can trigger are also semi-randomized but you will quickly find the same ones repeating. In fact the game itself is very repetitive: try to find the quickest methods to acquire exp and gold (quests), then buy the strongest equipment and go kill the dragon. Though as with board game logic, you may randomly stumble on something that makes you lose exp or even all of your money.
One flaw is that at first it is hard to understand the turn logic (number of steps allowed etc) and for instance making the wrong choice in the command menu in a town can easily cost you a turn.
Each board only takes 30-60 minutes to complete so it is a very short game, but replayability and rules changes give it more length. Playing alone isn't much, but I can easily imagine it being a fun party game.

I can't believe all the cool rpgs that NES has that have finally been translated to English.
>thank you for posting them!

>>9640282
I really like the look of this one. It's cute.
Finna try it out when i can fr.

nice thread OP

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