But you know what game will really mess with your head? I mean, the art isn't as good, but it doesn't matter:
Earthbound.
(Also its predecessor, Mother. You can find translated ROMs.)
I’m probably just stupid, but games back then had this tendency to make everything into a maze, where the “challenge” was in figuring out what the hell to do next. SMRPG suffers from this too, there’s a few points near monstro town that if you don’t know exactly where they’re trying to get you to go, it’s really confusing. Childhood me couldn’t figure it out and I never made it past there (I have since revisited and completed the game.)
You’re a kid out on an adventure. Relish it.
I gave it another try when it came out on the switch SNES app last year and the game is absolutely magnificent. I wish i had actually played it as a kid. I don’t even want to spoil it, but there is so much creativity and love that went into some of those areas. The final battle is one of my favorite moments I’ve ever experienced in a game. This is a great candidate for a new remake (or better yet sequel) but I don’t think it’s going to happen.