the Hearth @Felthry@awoo.space

@starkatt I don't know that we have that much of an understanding of either, why do you think it's that important? I can kind of guess, but I'm curious what your reasoning is.
-F

@starkatt oof, that sounds particularly unpleasant. Hope that heals up soon.
-F

@BatElite @lizardsquid the same way as the rabbit from monty python and the holy grail
-F

@lizardsquid i love them
-F

@kobi_lacroix Surely it's a several-brainer?
-F

@NovaSquirrel chrono trigger is a good one, probably pretty beginner friendly too

the dragon quest games are mostly all set in different worlds, like the final fantasy games, but there's a lot of commonalities and i think you'll still enjoy it. dragon quest IV, V, VIII, and XI are, i think, generally considered the series' high points (though don't play V unless you want a *really* tragic story, seriously the protagonist of V has basically one good thing happen to him in his entire life), with III, VI, and VII also generally well-liked

-F

what the *actual* fuck, why

did this actually happen?
-F

@trysdyn i was trying to remember the name of it a few days ago and couldn't, then while writing a list of recommendations for someone else it suddenly came to us (and we added it to the list under the heading "if you want to experience something truly terrible", alongside hydlide, but with extra caveats and "just go watch a speedrun or something really" on hoshi wo miru hito)
-F

oh we remembered what the terrible NES game was called! it's hoshi wo miru hito
-F

@NovaSquirrel oh yeah and since it looks like you're playing them on a flashcart, warning that boktai and boktai 2 both make heavy use of extra hardware on the cartridge (a photosensor with a filter to detect only sunlight) and can't really be played without it
-F

@NovaSquirrel we're not too familiar with the NES library honestly, so a lot of these are less obscure
-F

@NovaSquirrel so as rpgs go, Tales of Phantasia is a Tales game, with the unique battle mechanics that entails--battles play like a fighting game more than an rpg

and superstar saga is a mario and luigi game, with that series' own unique battle mechanics--lots of button pressing at the right time to pull off special attacks and dodge/counterattack enemy attacks

the other ones on the list are more traditional jrpgs

i think superstar saga is a great one for someone new to rpgs, the others might be more intimidating

if you're really interested in getting into rpgs we could make some more beginner-friendly recommendations that aren't playable on gba
-F

@NovaSquirrel oh also mega mans 2 and 4 in particular (and any others you want to play, those are just usually considered the best)

and we can recommend one SMS game, though this isn't one for someone new to jrpgs and definitely not one to play without a guide: Phantasy Star
-F

@NovaSquirrel as far as NES games go (we're not familiar with game gear or SMS),

The obvious ones:
- Zelda 1
- Zelda 2
- Castlevania 3
- Super Mario Bros 3
- Kirby's Adventure

Less well-known ones:
- Crystalis
- StarTropics
- Lagrange Point (JRPG, japan-only but there's a fan translation, only game ever to use the audio capabilities of the VRC7 chip so really neat soundtrack)

I don't know if the NES version is any good but:
- Ys I
- Ys II

One that I think you would appreciate just from the name alone (but we know nothing beyond the name and the fact that it's apparently really rare):
- Princess Tomato in the Salad Kingdom

If you just want to experience something really really awful:
- Hydlide
- Hoshi wo Miro Hito (never released in english) (seriously this game is truly awful, just watch a speedrun or something, it's been at GDQ once or twice)

-F/R

@NovaSquirrel well the gba/gbc/gb ones that come to mind are, to start with the obvious:

- Minish Cap
- Oracle of Ages
- Oracle of Seasons
- Link's Awakening (we're more nostalgic for the non-DX (also easier to do the select glitch) but either)
- Four Swords + A Link to the Past (for alttp specifically)
- Super Mario Land 2
- Metroid Fusion
- Metroid Zero Mission
- Kirby's Dream Land 2

if you like rpgs, i can also recommend
- Tales of Phantasia
- Golden Sun + Lost Age
- the GBA releases of Final Fantasies IV through VI
- Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga
- all three Final Fantasy Legend (Sa Ga) games

Tactics games:
- Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
- Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones
- Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade (just "Fire Emblem" in the US)
- Fire Emblem: The Binding Blade (never released outside Japan but repro carts are available with a translation hack)

and some more obscure titles we also recommend:
- Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand
- Boktai 2: Solar Boy Django
- Shining Soul II
- The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (legitimately a pretty good diablolike, despite being a licensed game)

And two we recommend mostly for their soundtracks but also pretty okay games:
- Pokemon TCG and TCG 2 (translation hack)

-F

@NovaSquirrel we definitely have some suggestions!
-F

something that slightly confuses us about british english: why would you call it a courgette when you could instead call it a zucchini and have an excuse to say zook
-F

@JulieSqveakaroo yeah just look at what teflon does if you burn it
-F

fun fact: vinyl chloride, the monomer that the popular polymer polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is made from, is actually horrendously toxic, carcinogenic, ozone-depleting, and a fire hazard

kind of amazing how something as dangerous as that gets made into something as safe and everyday as PVC
-F