# Legend of Zelda (SNES)--similar games? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 30, 2000, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339 "2000-08-30T15:15:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/1 "2000-08-30T15:15:47Z")
Kindof a GQ, kindof an opinion; but I need a game recommendation. Way back when, my little brother got a Super Nintendo System (SNES). I got so hooked on the Super Mario Bros. Game that came with the set, I had to buy my own system. With guide book in hand, I proceeded to not only beat the game but uncover every hidden item and secret world. Then, I moved on to _The Legend of Zelda, a Link to the Past_ which was even more fun. I now need help on what game to get next. Who can recommend me a similar game for the SNES, or, I guess, my home PC? (No, I am _not_ going to buy a Nintendo 64, or a Playstation, or a Dreamcast, or whatever). I don’t want Ninja kickboxing or bazooka-laden militants blowing up everything. If you remember Mario and Zelda, you’ll know what type of game I am looking for. Someone mentioned _The Secret of Mana_ to me, but I haven’t tried it yet. [sacrilege] Oh, one other thing. There’s got to be a guide or tips book to direct me. For me, the fun of the game is _not_ discovering the things for myself (too frustrating!). I don’t have the game-smarts for that. Instead, I like to know what the goal is and how to achieve it, step-by-step. [/sacrilege] Who among you can help me? ---
**Author:** ![MadHatter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@MadHatter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadHatter)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/2 "2000-08-30T16:23:07Z")
I would recommend buying a 64, but if you are content with your SNES for the time being, get the two other Zelda games that are available on it: The Legend of Zelda The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening ---
**Author:** ![Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trout_Mask_Replica)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/3 "2000-08-30T16:23:29Z")
A few suggestions: Final Fantasy 2 and 3 Ogre Battle Yoshi’s Island I don’t know of any guides for these games, but I’m sure you can find something on the net. ---
**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/4 "2000-08-30T16:28:21Z")
Ohhh, this is my kind of question, **divemaster**. I used to be so into SNES. So fun. _Secret of Mana_ is indeed a good game. Very fun. Some others you might enjoy: [ul] [li]The _Final Fantasy_ games[/li][li]_Super Mario RPG_ (combines your other two games genres)[/li][li]_Donkey Kong Country_ and its sequels[/li][li]_Earthworm Jim_[/li][li]one of my favourites, _Road Runner:Death Vally Rally_[/li][/ul] I hope this helps. I’ll try to think up some more later. ---
**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/5 "2000-08-30T16:30:35Z")
Dag nabbit all to hell! That should be _Road Runner: Death Vally Rally_. My first two are more like Zelda, and my last three are fun side-scrollers like the Mario games. ---
**Author:** ![silent\_rob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@silent\_rob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silent_rob)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/6 "2000-08-30T16:33:24Z")
Whoops, sorry to post again. But I noticed you were looking for guides. Well, it’s really hard to get these for SNES games anymore. I have several that are each for a bunch of games, but that doesn’t really help you. [Game Sages](http://www.gamesages.com/) is exactly what you’re looking for. It has info/walkthroughs on nearly every game ever made. And those that it doesn’t, are constantly being added. It even has info for Atari games. It should be able to help you out. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![lolagranola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea5d25/32.png) [@lolagranola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lolagranola)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/7 "2000-08-30T16:35:08Z")
Earthbound is similar as a quest type game. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/8 "2000-08-30T17:17:31Z")
Thanks for the replies! Some of these suggestions sound great. The Game Sages Web Site looks very helpful. Also, I’m sure I can get guide books on eBay. (I feel like a kid a Christmas) ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/9 "2000-08-30T17:47:45Z")
Scrap your SNES and go get the 8-bit NES and buy Deadly Towers. That game is awesome as it cured my video game addiction. [Deadly Towers Reviews for NES - GameFAQs](http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/nes/review/7648.html) has a list of beaming reviews for you to look at. I would suggest them as they are so great. 😉 Look at all the ones that scored it a 1. Woohoo first place. It has to be great. If you ever want to find the reason why Nintendo started to lose its hold on the video game market and was slowly pushed out, this would explain it. That and when I bought it when I was 12-15 years old it was $40. You will never go back to video games again. HUGS! Sqrl PS. Yes, I really owned it. I cried for days. ---
**Author:** ![Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a88e57/32.png) [@Trout\_Mask\_Replica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trout_Mask_Replica)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/10 "2000-08-30T18:45:08Z")
[The 20 worst NES games of all time.](http://www.seanbaby.com/nes/w20-1.htm) Guess which one came in first? ---
**Author:** ![Mojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Mojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/11 "2000-08-30T19:25:47Z")
A lot of the titles that have been mentioned previously are RPGs that use turn-based fighting. If you’re looking for more action type titles with RPG elements, try Pocky & Rocky (1 & 2), Super Metroid, Flashback, and the Castlevanias. That “20 worst” site that TMR mentioned has one of my all-time favorites, _Bible Adventures_.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/12 "2000-08-30T19:45:28Z")
Well, I’ll be. I also had #3 on their list, X-Men. How could something so cool be turned into something so horridly wrong? Deadly Towers was still infinitely worse IMO. HUGs! SQrl ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/13 "2000-08-30T20:01:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mojo \* > A lot of the titles that have been mentioned previously are RPGs that use turn-based fighting. If you’re looking for more action type titles with RPG elements, try Pocky & Rocky (1 & 2), Super Metroid, Flashback, and the Castlevanias. Could you elaborate on the distinction you are making? What exactly is “turn-based fighting”? How would Mario World and Zelda be classified? Use small words, please, as it took me until now to figure out what “RPG” stands for. (I never played D&D or similar…I just like finding hidden goodies and getting through the different levels. Vanguishing bad creatures is fun too.) Those links to the terrible game reviews were very entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/14 "2000-08-30T20:03:38Z")
I recommend Secret of Mana with all my heart, and while you’re at it get Chrono trigger. Those are IMHO the two best console RPGs ever. ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/15 "2000-08-30T20:21:04Z")
Turn based fighting is that like in Final Fantasy. Basically it has each set of characters and villains attacking in turn. Super Mario and Zelda are not really turned based fighting. Usually turned based games have multiple characters controlled by one character. HUGS! Sqrl ---
**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/16 "2000-08-30T20:29:01Z")
IMO, the BEST games to EVER grace the SNES (and yes, I have one too) were Lufia and Lufia 2. Epic role-playing. Hideous puzzles. And, best of all…In Lufia 2 there is a dungeon (I think it was the Dungeon of Fate or something) where you go in, lose all your spells, weapons and armor, become level one again…and have to fight your way down levels using just what you find. It goes to level 99, and if you find a BLUE chest, you get to keep what’s in it even when you go back up. Never-ending challenges. Gah. Now I have to hook up my old system just so I can play that dungeon again. 🙂 K. ---
**Author:** ![Gravity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gravity/32/14322_2.png) [@Gravity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gravity)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/17 "2000-08-30T20:30:23Z")
Oh, and I never got it (because my system was packed away) but I REALLY liked how Harvest Moon looked. ---
**Author:** ![Yue\_Han](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/eada6e/32.png) [@Yue\_Han](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yue_Han)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/18 "2000-08-30T20:42:07Z")
MadHatter, Legend of Zelda and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link are NES games, not SNES. And Zelda II is completely unlike both the original LoZ and Link to the Past. –John ---
**Author:** ![UrbanShocker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/eb9ed0/32.png) [@UrbanShocker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanShocker)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/19 "2000-08-30T21:10:48Z")
I second Chrono Trigger. And when it comes out here, get a Playstation 2 and get Chrono Cross, because that’s what I’m doing. I can’t remember the time I was this excited about a game. Anyway, yeah. Also get Donkey Kong Country 1 and 2, but absolutely NOT 3. If you like sidescrollers, Contra 3: The Alien Wars was pretty good. Never buy guides, just go to [gamefaqs.com](http://gamefaqs.com). Out of This World is fun. If you’re into hockey get NHL '98. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2000, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339/20 "2000-08-30T21:22:25Z")
I agree with everyone who has ever said anything good about Chrono Trigger. I’m probably going to buy a Playstation 2 just so I can play Chrono Cross. For another Zelda/Secret of Mana style game, you might try Secret of Evermore. The play style is _very_ like Secret of Mana, but there are only two characters (a boy and his dog) and there’s a lot more humor–you’ve got to love a hero who quotes horrible (nonexistent) sci-fi movies all the time (“It’s like Captain Horgis said in ‘Mars Needs Lumberjacks’…”). Collecting regents for the spells (the dog sniffs them out for you) and only being able to use a limited set of spells at a time was sometimes frustrating, but it did lead to some strategizing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/legend-of-zelda-snes-similar-games/31339.md?page=2)