Final Fantasy III (or VI, depending on who you ask) is one of those SNES classics that still holds up. You start off with this weird magitek armor mission, and before long, you're thrown into a world where magic is gone—except, of course, it isn't. The sprites are gorgeous, the music slaps (Terra's theme still gets me), and the story actually makes you care about these characters. Kefka’s not just some generic villain either—dude’s unhinged in the best way.

What I love is how open it feels later on. You can recruit (or miss) a bunch of characters, and some of their side stories hit harder than the main plot. Also, the Esper system lets you customize skills in a way that doesn’t feel punishing. First time I played, I messed up and gave everyone Fire spells like an idiot, but even then, it wasn’t game over. Just don’t skip the opera scene—trust me.