Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals

To begin a game with the defeat of the heroes and only then return to the very start of their journey takes courage, and that is exactly how Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals opens its narrative. This JRPG on the Super Nintendo is a prelude to the events of the first installment and belongs among those titles that lovers of the genre pass on to one another as a secret tip.

Lufia II came out on the Super Nintendo in the mid-nineties and combines classic turn-based battles with something that wasn't a given in the genre at the time: elaborate puzzles right inside the dungeons. Rooms full of sliding boulders, arrows, timed switches and logic riddles turn traversing a dungeon into a brain-teaser, not just a sequence of random skirmishes. The game also features the famed Ancient Cave, a randomly generated hundred floors where you lose your equipment and have to work your way up relying only on what you find along the way, a feature that foreshadows the later roguelike elements in JRPGs.

The story follows the swordsman Maxim and his companions in their fight against the Sinistrals, a quartet of powerful enemies. The narrative heads toward an exceptionally powerful and emotional ending that became legendary among players and is still spoken of to this day as one of the most emotionally affecting finales of the 16-bit era. The characterful cast and the calm pace give the drama room to resonate.

The series is the work of a Japanese studio, and in the days of its release Lufia II remained a more intimate title that didn't gain the mass attention of the big names of the genre. That is precisely why it earned a reputation as a hidden gem: players who discovered it often rank it among the best and at the same time most underrated JRPGs on the Super Nintendo. The collector's value of the original cartridges reflects this.

The combination of clever combat, an addictive dungeon puzzle and a narrative that gets to you makes Lufia II a game that stands up to comparison with far more famous names. It's a title for someone who wants more than just bashing monsters in random battles, and who appreciates it when a game can strike right at the heart toward the end.

Why play: A hidden gem of 16-bit JRPGs with addictive puzzles and one of the most powerful finales of the whole era. If you love turn-based role-playing, don't overlook this one.