What are some of the best lesser-known pre-2000 JRPGs that aren't part of any of the main series everyone is already...

What are some of the best lesser-known pre-2000 JRPGs that aren't part of any of the main series everyone is already familiar with? Games like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or Fire Emblem, or Chrono Trigger. I've been on a JRPG kick lately but I've played most of these main series.

uploaded the wrong image.. pic related was one of my favs

Everybody has played trigger but chrono cross is good af and no one ever plays that one REEEEEE

Valkyrie Profile

I just cant get into it, i have started it dozens of times in the past and i have never made it too far in it. Not sure if i found it boring or why i just didnt keep on playing. Maybe i give it another shot

It's not as well designed as the original but if you give it a few hours it'll start clicking.

Suikoden 1 and 2.

Played them both for the first time last year and they both hold up well and really scratched my ps1 era itch.

Im in the middle of Danganronpa 2 now so im going to complete that first. I also have ff xii on backlog too, id like to beat the 50mil hp boss again now that i know something about the game. I have no idea how i killed it years ago without googling anything

Terranigma

Nier Automata

>pre-2000

Max I've reached was starting disc 2
It doesn't have a hook and therefore it's boring
What a shame

Is that shit even an RPG?

Not pre 2000 but Radiant Historia

Legend of Dragoon
Suikoden
Breath of Fire
Grandia
Lunar
Lufia (especially 2)

not exactly lesser known but enough that you might not have played it but Skies of Arcadia is really good and a hell of a lot of fun storywise.

Technically made in the early 2000's but in the style of older JRPG's is Golden Sun and GS: The Lost Age. Both games have an interesting battle system and are loaded with secrets like optional quests, challenge bosses, hidden treasures, etc.

>no one played a Greatest Hits seller

Thunked my thinkler. CC just doesn't have as much staying power because it's sub-par. Battle system that just adds tediousness but not any real depth or challenge, retarded plot, bad writing, buggy shit, bloated cast consisting mosty of uninteresting/unimportant/useless characters. Even removing any comparison to CT and any expectations one may have had, it's just not that great of a jrpg. It was pretty and had a good OST and like 10 cool chatacters and that's about it.

Nocturne

Great list other than Legend of Boring.

Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean

Old Sega Saturn JRPG, extremely obscure and expensive but arguably better than any of the 2D Final Fantasy games, IMO. Amazing OST, too.

Oh, I remember renting that when I was a kid.
MC has a talking sword, right? That's all I remember.

Sounds familiar. I don't really remember right off unfortunately, I haven't played it in over 10 years but I remember it being pretty good and I still listen to the OST on occasion.

>Breath of Fire
my nigga. BoF 3 is a top tier 90s JRPG

also even though you said lesser known games, I'm just going to mention Seiken Densetsu 3 cause it was never officially released outside of Japan but there's an excellent fan translation

One of those games people will say is great because it's rare and expensive for a physical copy, when it really isn't. I've got a copy I snatched off Half about 4 years ago for about 1/3rd of what it's worth. It's good in the sense that they didn't execute it poorly for a traditional turn-based jrpg, but it's nothing special or unique in any way. Certainly not on par with the better FFs, 2D or otherwise, and it's also one of the weakest jrpgs WD decided to publish. Painfully slow gameplay to the point that's it's almost unbearable, so definitely better to emulate this one than play a real copy anyway. Plot and cast are bog standard jrpg material, but with a talking sword. Graphics, music, combat system, all nothing special even by gen 5 standards. Typical Working Designs le zany mess of a localization. Don't strain yourself going out of your way to play this one, pals.

3DO emulation works well. No real excuse not to give it a try. Solid game with a fun battle system that added a grid to the combat (it's not an srpg, just has light srpg elements in the battle system, kinda like Radiant Historia, although not exactly the same)