The Super Nintendo was blessed with a library of incredible, influential RPGs. But unlike the golden age on the first PlayStation, players didn’t seem to notice at the time. Only through time and file sharing sites did some of these classics get their flowers. Earthbound. Chrono Trigger. Tactics Ogre. During today’s PC Gamer presentation from the Tokyo Game Show, one of the most elusive gems from the era resurfaced, as the first two Lufia games will be officially re-released for the first time on Steam.
In Lufia, a mysterious fortress emerged in the sky, casting a shadow over the world below. To fend against a race of ill-intent demigods known as Sinistrals, the toughest heroes gathered, successful in battle but failing to escape the crumbling floating island. A century later their descendants must raise their arms as the Sinistrals reemerge and the prophecy begins anew.
Published by Taito in 1993, Lufia looked a little plain next to contemporaries, but RPG fans who gave it a shake discovered a game filled with ornate writing, ambitious combat and a mountain of side quests. It’s a worthy adventure, but its sequel two years later, which chronicles the original raid on the Sinistral fortress, was where things really began to cook. The visuals were given a massive, painterly facelift. The combat was tightened to make its quirks engaging over enraging. The score is an all-timer.
Some critics consider the underdog sequel among the best JRPGs of the era. And like most late entry SNES classics, it’s incredibly rare in the wild. Both Lufia are known to fetch huge figures among collectors. Lufia received a handful of sequels, especially on handheld devices. The team behind the games, Neverland, would go on to create the incredibly successful Harvest Moon spinoff series Rune Factory.
In something of an ongoing theme and only a few weeks after Clear River Games announced a port for the similarly sought after cult classic Terranigma, the same crew announced a dual re-release of the first two Lufia games. Coming next year, Lufia I & II The Sinistrals Saga promises a pixel faithful return to two overlooked classics. The announcement was the top highlight from the closing TGS direct, which also included a new game from the Lorn’s Lure crew and a stronger anti-AI sentiment than the rest of the expo.