Final Fantasy IV on SNES is one of those RPGs that just sticks with you. Right from the start, you're thrown into this world where the story actually matters—characters have real arcs, betrayals hurt, and that soundtrack? Still gives me chills. The Active Time Battle system keeps fights tense since enemies don’t wait for you to pick a move, and figuring out when to strike or heal becomes second nature after a few battles.

Also, Cecil’s whole Dark Knight-to-Paladin journey? Way ahead of its time for 1991. The English fan translation here is solid, though you’ll still catch some charmingly weird phrasing. If you’ve only played the newer Final Fantasy games, this one’s a great way to see where a lot of the series’ DNA started.