shadow run was ahead of its time in almost every way. While it didn’t get that much attention when it was released, games like Cyberpunk 2077 and the ascent to this day proudly carry on its legacy. Even the shadow run franchise itself finally came into its own with a trilogy of successful PC RPGs released over the past decade.
14. Soul Blower
Even today, Soul Blazer is a title that not many gamers have heard of. Admittedly, it’s a little rough around the edges. Coming early in the SNES’s lifecycle, the graphics and music aren’t quite on par with the best games of its time, but the gameplay makes it a worthy addition to this list. Get some inspiration from Act-raiser, another beloved Quintet game, your goal in this action RPG is to clear various lairs, rescue various souls (which can take the form of plants, animals, or other humans) and rid the land of the evil Deathtoll .
Quintet would continue to tighten Soul Blazer‘s best ideas in several other games (including Terranigma, another fantastic action RPG that unfortunately never made its way to North America). Unfortunately, Quintet closed down in the mid-2000s and it’s unclear at this point who exactly owns the rights to these games. Unfortunately, that makes an official reissue of these often-overlooked gems unlikely.
13. The 7e saga
the 7e saga is an excellent example of a game with a lot of great ideas that never quite came together. Probably the best thing about the game are the playable characters. In the beginning you have seven to choose from (including a robot and an alien), and eventually you will meet six other characters that you can fight or recruit. It was also one of the first RPGs not to feature completely random combat. Enemies could actually be avoided by an innovative “radar” system.
Unfortunately, the 7e saga is also relentlessly difficult, with some enemies always surpassing your stats no matter how much you level up. So while it may not have aged as elegantly as other games on this list, it’s an extremely fascinating project with incredible ideas that have since been worked into numerous genre classics.
12. Breath of Fire II
To be honest, Breath of Fire II does not have a particularly memorable standout feature. Sure, there’s a city-building feature that lets you fill a city with different NPCs you encounter during the game, but it’s easily ignored. Having a giant talking armadillo in your company is also pretty cool, but of course it’s hard to recommend the game based on that alone.
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