The spiritual successor to Soul Blazer. This game stands on its own perfectly well, but it picks up on a lot of story themes from the first game. The dungeon design is satisfactory, but really, you’ll come here for the story and the combat. The main character gets a cool thing that lets him transform into a big beefy guy that rips apart enemies.
Master of Darkness AKA Vampire: Master of Darkness
This is a Castlevania knockoff for Sega’s Master System and Game Gear. The controls are a little more lenient, and in general the game is a little easier—moreso in terms of raw platforming. You get different main weapons (my favorite is the sword) and a few different subweapons as well. I really enjoy it.
Mother AKA Earthbound Zero
While this follows the conventions of an ancient JRPG, it’s a good deal more accessible. It has a reputation for requiring some grinding, but the GBA remake has an option for helping you out there and making the game easier to handle. The story lacks the punch of Earthbound on SNES, but you’ll still find plenty of quirky dialogue, situations, and combat to read through—it’s a wacky and strangely emotional experience through and through.
