Dear Reader:
Japanese parents pick the Famicom RPGs they'd most like their children to play
RPGs in general are quite big in Japan, and they have been for years. In an interesting new survey, parents who played countless Famicom RPGs back in the day were asked to name their top picks for Famicom classics they'd like their kids to play. The results of that survey can be found below.
1. Dragon Quest III (1988, Enix)—16.3%
2. Momotaro Densetsu (1987, Hudson)—10.3%
3. Mother (1989, Nintendo)—8.7%
4. Final Fantasy III (1990, Square)—7.3%
5. Dragon Quest IV (1988, Square)—7.0%
6. Final Fantasy II (1988, Square)—6.0%
7. Tenchi wo Kurau II (1991, Capcom)—5.0%
8. Metal Max (1991, Data East)—4.3%
8. Dragon Quest (1986, Enix)—4.3%
10. Dragon Quest II (1987, Enix)—3.7%
10. SD Gundam Gaiden: Knight Gundam Monogatari (1990, Bandai)—3.7%
10. Sweet Home (1989, Capcom)—3.7%
Want a little more insight into why some of these games made the list? You can read comments from some of the parents below.
#1 Dragon Quest III
“I’d like for them to play all Dragon Quest games, but I think III might be the easiest to start.” (Male, 38-years-old)
“The game is like the foundation of RPGs. It is the super masterpiece among masterpieces.” (Male, 44-years-old)
“It has a great system, great monster designs, and great music. Everything about it is perfect. I hope my children get to play it one day.” (Male, 40-years-old)
#2 Momotaro Densetsu
“My kids are really into Momotaro Dentetsu now, so I’d like to see them play Momotaro Densetsu.” (Male, 39-years-old)
“Now that Momotaro Dentetsu is a hit, I hope to see a remake of Momo Densetsu.” (Male, 42-years-old)
#3 Mother
“The quotes are great. It’s different from today’s RPGs, and it doesn’t take long to beat, so I’d like to have my kid sit right next to me and watch through it all.” (Male, 44-years-old)
“Mother 2 and Mother 3 were great, but Mother 1 was complete. Even the official guidebook was high-quality.” (Male, 41-years-old)
“It’s like watching a whole movie. It’s my favorite RPG. I would certainly love to play it together with the kids.” (Male, 40-years-old)