Game Reviews8.2/10
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals Review: A Prequel That Earns Its Place
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals review — the SNES prequel that removed random dungeon encounters, added IP Skills and Capsule Monsters, and still holds up.
CLAY TRIBUNE / THE ARCHIVE
Tag: JRPG
Game Reviews6.5/10
Breath of Fire II arrived in 1994 as the second entry in Capcom’s role-playing series, a direct sequel set 500 years after the first game.
Breath of Fire II review: Capcom's 1994 Super Nintendo follow-up with nine playable characters, town building, and dragon powers. Ambitious but uneven. 6.5/10.
Game Reviews7.9/10
Breath of Fire Review: Capcom’s First RPG Still Earns Its Place
A retro review of Breath of Fire, Capcom's first RPG, on Super Nintendo: Ryu, the Light Dragon Clan, six keys, eight party members, and a 7.9 score.
Game Reviews8.4/10
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars Review — A Crossover That Shouldn’t Have Worked
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars review — Square's 1996 SNES crossover put Bowser on Mario's side, destroyed the Star Road, and scored 8.4.
Game Reviews7.7/10
Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster Review: 7.7/10
Final Fantasy II Pixel Remaster review: Firion's rebellion, the use-based stat system, Word Memory, chocobos, and why it scores 7.7/10.
Game Reviews8.9/10
EarthBound Review: Nintendo’s 1994 RPG Still Casts a Spell
EarthBound, Nintendo's 1994 SNES RPG, swapped swords for a meteorite in the backyard. A look at Ness, Giygas, and why it still scores 8.9/10.
Game Reviews9.5/10
Chrono Trigger Review: A Time-Travel Classic That Still Holds Up
Chrono Trigger review: Square's 1995 SNES time-travel RPG still lands its hooks, from the fair to Lavos. Score: 9.5/10.
Game Reviews7.2/10
Pixel remaster smooths Final Fantasy’s rough edges while leaving its grinding intact
A deep dive into Final Fantasy's 1987 NES origins and its 2021 2D remake, covering story, combat, grinding, and whether the classic still holds up.
Game Reviews7.8/10
Dragon Warrior III Built the Modern RPG, Then Buried It in Random Encounters
Dragon Warrior III review: Chunsoft's 1988 NES RPG pairs a day/night cycle and a class-change system that wipes stats but keeps your skills. Score: 7.8/10.
Game Reviews7.3/10
Dragon Warrior: Erdrick’s Heir and the Founding of a Genre
Dragon Warrior (1986) set the template for console RPGs: Erdrick's heir, three keepers, the Dragonlord, and a 7.3 Metacritic score built on patience and grind.