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List of Nintendo Entertainment System role-playing games

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List of Nintendo Entertainment System role-playing games   [Edit]   [Talk]

The Nintendo Entertainment System and Famicom are known for housing many of the best known role-playing games of all time. Being the initiator for many video game series such as Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Mother, Fire Emblem, and more. The following are a list of role-playing games released on the Nintendo Entertainment System, Famicom and Famicom Disk System.

Abbreviations[]

Abbreviations are somewhat incomplete and ambiguous:

  • RPG stands for Role-Playing Game(s).
  • CRPG stands for Computer Role-Playing Game(s);
    • (There is no abbreviation for Consolle Role-Playing Game(s)).
  • JRPG stands for Japanese Role-Playing Game(s);
    • (There is no abbreviation for Western or American Role-Playing Game(s)).
  • ARPG stands for Action-based Role-Playing Game(s);
    • (There is no abbreviation for Turn-based Role-Playing Game(s)).


Turn-based Role-Playing Games[]

Western series[]

Ultima 3 and the first Wizardry trilogy were the inspiration for Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. All these four video games (series) were ultimately inspired by the pen-and-paper game Dungeons & Dragons.

Default sorting is by similarity, then by original release year.

Title Year NES
port		 Lang. Combat Exploration Setting Similar
Wizardry 1: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord 1981 1987 JE Turn-based, front view First person dungeon crawl Fantasy Wizardry
Wizardry 2: The Knight of Diamonds 1982 1990 JE[1] Turn-based, front view First person dungeon crawl Fantasy Wizardry
Wizardry 3: Legacy of Llylgamyn 1983 1989 JE Turn-based, front view First person dungeon crawl Fantasy Wizardry
Ultima 3: Exodus 1983 1987 JE Turn-based, tactical grid Top-down open world Fantasy Ultima
Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar 1985 1989 JE Turn-based, tactical grid Top-down open world Fantasy Ultima
Ultima 5: Warriors of Destiny 1988 1993 E Turn-based, tactical grid Top-down open world Fantasy Ultima
Bard's Tale 1 (The-) 1985 1990 JE Turn-based, front view First person open world Fantasy Wizardry
Bard's Tale 2 (The-): The Destiny Knight 1987 1992 J Turn-based, front view First person open world Fantasy Wizardry
Dragon Wars 1989 1991 JE[2] Turn-based, front view First person open world Fantasy Wizardry
Might & Magic 1 1986 1990 JE Turn-based, front view First person open world Fantasy Wizardry
AD&D (Forgotten Realms 1): Pool of Radiance 1988 1991 JE Turn-based, tactical grid First person open world Fantasy Gold Box
AD&D (Forgotten Realms 2): Hillsfar 1989 1991 JE Action-based, side view Top-down open world Fantasy Gold Box
  1. ↑ Wizardry 2: English fan-translation
  2. ↑ Dragon Wars: English prototype official translation

NOTE: The Silver Box games (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Lance and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Dragons of Flame) are not role-playing games. In fact, instead of using the "tabletop D&D" rules, they are just action-platform adaptations of the Dragonlance novels.

Japanese series[]

Official English localizations:

Japan release only (but fan-translations exist):

Japanese games[]

Official English localizations:

Japan release only (but fan-translations exist):

Unlicensed Chinese games (fan-translations exist):

  • Biohazard (FamiCom) (Resident Evil) (2003)
  • Lei Dian Huang: Bi Ka Qiu Chuan Shuo (Pokémon Yellow Pikachu) (2004)
  • Final Fantasy VII (FamiCom) (2005)
  • Mo Shou Shi Jie E Mo Lie Ren (World of Warcraft: Demon Hunter) (2008)

Action-based games[]

The Dragon Slayer series is the grandfather of Action-based Role-Playing Games (and the Hydlide series would be a great-uncle...), although the author declared that he based his game on the American Caverns of Freitag. Nevertheless, today's definition of ARPG would include none of the Dragon Slayer titles released on Nintendo systems (Faxanadu, Romancia, Legacy of the Wizard).

Series:

Official English localizations:

Series released in Japan only (but fan-translations exist):

Standalone games released in Japan only (but fan-translations exist):

Unlicensed Chinese games (fan-translations exist):

  • Di Dao Zhan (Tunnel War) (1996)
  • Lin ZeXu Jin Yan (Lin Zexu: Opium Ban) (1996)
  • Pinuocao De Fu Su (Pinocchio's Recovery) (1998)
  • The Legend of Zelda: San Shen Zhi Li (2006)
  • Gu Mu Li Ying (Tomb Raider) (2007)

Other combat systems[]

Strategy/tactical games with role-playing elements[]

Standalone games released in Japan only:

Disputed genre attribution: action-adventure games[]

The genre-defining action-adventure game is the first Legend of Zelda, although some "Zelda clones" actually are role-playing games. Action-adventure games lack one defining characteristic of role-playing games: player-controlled character progression (e.g. the option to grind enemies to get stronger).

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