There are certain beloved RPGs that the world worships. They have stood the test of time and continually welcome new people into their epic stories, letting them get to know the memorable characters. However, even the most amazing games can still have flaws, some of which can hamper an otherwise incredible experience. Here are the worst elements from five beloved RPGs.
1. Earthbound – Convoluted Saving and Teleportation
Earthbound is a wonderfully weird, creative game that deserves the praise it gets. However, when you want to save or teleport, you’re bound to get frustrated. To save your game, you need to call Ness’s dad on the phone, and he’ll deliver a long spiel that can’t be skipped every time you do so. This can really drive you crazy when you just want to save your game and go on with your quest.
Of course, if you’re playing the game on Nintendo Switch Online, you can just use save states, so arguably, saving via Ness’s dad isn’t an issue anymore. However, the teleportation is still very much an issue no matter where you play the game. Teleportation requires your party to run for a distance, meaning that you need a long space without any obstacles. You will crash over and over and over, it’s guaranteed.
2. Final Fantasy – the Hall of Giants
The original Final Fantasy deserves its place in the pantheon of beloved RPGs. Not only did it kick off one of the most iconic RPG series of all time, but it also set many of the genre’s tropes firmly in place and inspired countless other games. That said, it shows its age, and there are some glaring flaws, the most annoying one being the “Hall of Giants,” as it’s known to fans.
In the Cavern of Earth, there is a hall where you run into a battle with Hill Gigas literally every time you take a step, forcing you to fight, and fight, and fight. While it can be useful if you want to gain a lot of quick experience or money, it’s super annoying if you just want to get through the area. There’s a reason why the Hall of Giants was revised for the Pixel Remaster version of the game.
3. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door – the General’s Quest
Many people say the Paper Mario series peaked at the GameCube’s The Thousand Year Door and never reached that game’s level of brilliance again. While I can’t deny that it’s an awesome game that deserves to be mentioned among beloved RPGs, it’s not perfect. One giant flaw is the game’s reliance on backtracking, and it reaches ridiculous levels with the General White sidequest.
You’re tasked with finding General White. It seems simple enough at first, but you get sent on a wild goose chase, revisiting every major location in the game and always being told that you just missed the general. So where do you find him? He’s sleeping in his tent, right where you started. Yes, the game just trolled you and wasted your time.
4. Kingdom Hearts 2 – Atlantica
The Kingdom Hearts series is a dream for Disney fans, but that doesn’t mean it’s without flaws. If you ask players their least-favorite part of Kingdom Hearts 2, you’ll likely get one standout answer: Atalantica. For some reason, instead of the fun RPG gameplay, this area turns the game into a rhythm game. I get the logic behind it – The Little Mermaid is known for its awesome music and Ariel’s singing plays a large part in the story – but the execution is less than stellar.
For one thing, not everyone who plays RPGs wants to be good at rhythm games. The sudden genre switch frustrated many players who just wanted to get back to the exploration. In addition, most of the songs were less than memorable, the only exceptions being the songs actually from the movie. In the context of the rest of the game, Atlantica feels like a commercial break.
5. Chrono Trigger – Silent Crono
Chrono Trigger is possibly the most beloved of all the beloved RPGs, and easily one of the greatest SNES games of all time. Even its flaws are extremely minor. Case in point, we have silent Crono. Silent protagonists were common in RPGs at the time, but since the supporting characters in Chrono Trigger are all so memorable and full of personality, Crono’s refusal to speak sticks out. This is especially apparent during a section when Crono dies and the party has to resurrect him. Allowing him to speak would have helped the player get more emotionally involved with his death.
Conclusion
Nothing is perfect, not even the most beloved RPGs of all time. Still, the flaws shouldn’t discourage you from playing them. Every game on this list is very much worth playing, so if you haven’t done so, you should check them out. You won’t regret it, even with the small annoyances.
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