Final Fantasy IV (mistakenly called FF2 in the US SNES release) throws you right into the action as Cecil, a dark knight with a crisis of conscience. After Baron’s king starts acting shady and orders you to do some seriously questionable stuff, you ditch your rank and go rogue—only to stumble into a way bigger mess involving stolen crystals, a dude named Golbez who’s definitely up to no good, and a whole lunar conspiracy.

The overworld’s got that classic SNES charm—you’ll bump into ninjas, summoners, and even a talking octopus while hopping between towns on foot or by airship. Then there’s the underworld, all lava and dwarven forges, and the moon (yes, the moon) where rabbit-like Hummingways bounce around. The party swaps out a lot, which keeps battles interesting—some characters straight-up die (or seem to), and others just peace out when their arc’s done. Pro tip: Don’t get too attached to anyone.

It’s got that old-school grind, but the Active Time Battle system keeps fights tense. You’ll remember the soundtrack too—the Red Wings theme slaps harder than Cecil’s sword swings. Still holds up if you can handle the random encounters.