The Super Nintendo Entertainment System was known for being a role-playing game powerhouse. At this point, Enix and Squaresoft were essentially second party developers for Nintendo and would crank out hit after hit of some of the arguably best RPGs ever for both the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo.

However, when you think of RPGs on the Super Nintendo, your mind automatically goes to the poorly numbered Final Fantasy games, but the system had so much more to offer in the way of RPGs. To ensure some other franchises get some love, we have decided to curate 10 of the best Super Nintendo RPGs that aren’t Final Fantasy.

10 Front Mission: Gunhazard

Front Mission: Gunhazard is an epic action RPG that has a very in-depth and well-written story. The concept art for the game was done by Yoshitaka Amano, who is known for his work on the Final Fantasy and Vampire Hunter series. As a result, looking at the art may lead you to believe that this too is a Final Fantasy game.

In Front Mission: Gunhazard you pilot a mech in side-scrolling stages, jumping, shooting, and using other abilities to make it through levels. Between missions, you navigate an overworld and upgrade your mech, which is where the RPG elements come into play.

9 Dragon Quest V

Dragon Quest is a long-running series that is still going strong to this day. The series actually predates Final Fantasy and greatly inspired Hironobu Sakaguchi when developing Squaresoft’s take on the genre.

The art for Dragon Quest, which at this point has become synonymous with the series, was done by Akira Toriyama, who was also in charge of the game’s character design. Akira Toriyama is best known for his Dragon Ball series but has actually created art for many games over the years including Blue Dragon, Tobal 1 & 2, and Chrono Trigger.

8 Breath Of Fire II

The Breath of Fire series was Capcom’s take on the RPG genre. In the Breath of Fire series, you partake in typical JRPG battles. However, you can turn into a dragon mid-battle as a way to deal a lot of damage.

While most entries in the Breath of Fire series are not directly connected, similar to the Final Fantasy series, Breath of Fire II is a direct sequel to the first game. In Breath of Fire II, you play as Ryu Bateson, who is looking to clear his name after being wrongly accused of a crime.

7 Seiken Densetsu 3

The Japanese exclusive Seiken Densetsu 3 or Trials of Mana is the sequel to Secret of Mana, another beloved Super Nintendo game. Seiken Densetsu 3 takes everything established in Secret of Mana and improves on it greatly with additional classes to choose from, more precise combat, and some of the best visuals on the Super Nintendo.

Seiken Densetsu 3 was recently remade and finally released to North America as Trials of Mana on the Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, and PC, though it departs drastically from the original with a 3D world and online play.

6 Terrinigma

Terrinigma is the final game in the Quintet trilogy which included Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia. Terrinigma is a top-down action RPG similar to The Legend of Zelda series.

In Terrinigma, you fight through different dungeons and traverse an overworld that has a great use of the Super Nintendo’s famous Mode-7, which allows a background layer to be rotated and scaled. You can use a variety of different attacks by running, jumping, attacking, or using a combination of the three actions to create different moves, giving it a beat em’ up like feel.

5 Live-A-Live

Live-A-Live is a Japanese exclusive game developed by Squaresoft at the tail end of the Super Nintendo’s life cycle, and it is easily one of the most unique games on this list by far.

You play as one of nine characters, all in different time periods and walks of life, until, eventually, two more scenarios are unlocked, which links all of the narratives together. Each character was designed by a different manga artist and has a unique gameplay style including using stealth, reading people’s minds to progress, or just not fighting whatsoever.

4 Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

Nintendo and Squaresoft came together while both were in their prime to collaborate on a project which became Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. While structured similarly to Final Fantasy, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars offers a bit more to make it feel like a Mario game.

There were many things added to make the experience overall more enjoyable such as timed attacks to make combat more engaging and frequent mini-games for variety. This was also the start of the Mario RPG series which is now mostly known for the Paper Mario games.

3 The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

After the series departure in Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Nintendo decided to return to the gameplay established in the first game with an overhead view and strong emphasis on puzzles. While not as difficult as previous entries, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past offers great visuals and many new toys to play with.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is possibly the best 2D Zelda game there has ever been, and there are many that would argue it is the best game in the series as a whole.

2 Chrono Trigger

Chrono Trigger offers a welcomed change on turn-based battles that were popularized by Dragon Quest, Final Fantasy, and countless other JRPGs. As you progress through the game, you unlock different attacks that utilize more than one party member to increase the amount of damage done to enemies.

However, what really sets Chrono Trigger apart from the rest is its story, which has many likable characters, time travel, and great pacing. Chrono Trigger also has some of the best music on the Super Nintendo which is easily some of Nobuo Uematsu’s best work.

1 Earthbound

Unlike most other RPGs, Earthbound has a contemporary setting. Instead of using swords and shields, you’re using baseball bats and yo-yos. This may also be the game with the most personality on this list, with a style all its own.

Earthbound’s gameplay is also different from most other RPGs. Rather than forcing the player to engage in every battle, you can see enemies on the overworld and avoid them if you are weak or just don’t want to battle. Also, when you can take out an enemy in one hit, the game will just skip the battle and still allow you to earn the experience.

NEXT: 10 SNES Games We Hope Get A Remake Soon