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Over the last several years, there have been many remakes, remasters, reimaginings and re-releases of classic video games. There’s a lot to look at under that topic, so today we’re going to narrow things down a bit with a look at a few classic role-playing games recreated in various forms. As always, all of these items are available in our collection!

A collection of the first three games in the Mana series: Final Fantasy Adventures, Secret of Mana and Trials of Mana. Initially created as an action RPG spin-off of Final Fantasy in a style reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda games, Mana is a long-running series with remakes and remasters of its own. This collection is the original version of each game with an additional quick save function. Of particular note, this collection is the first time the original Trials of Mana is available outside of Japan!

Since these games are from the early 90s, the difficulty balancing has some issues. However, that is a small flaw in a trio of games that have excellent storytelling and a unique and interesting combat system that mixes real-time action with turn-based strategy. For those who love a challenge, the difficulty curve may not be a flaw at all.

Collection of Mana is absolutely worth playing for the historical experience alone, allowing you to see how RPGs have developed over the years. And on top of that, the games hold up really well after all these years, so I really can’t recommend this collection enough.

If you want something more modern, with voice acting and 3D graphics, check out the Trials of Mana remake!

Exactly what it says on the tin, this is a remaster of the 2003 GameCube game Tales of Symphonia. A young swordsman named Lloyd escorts his childhood friend Colette on a pilgrimage to rejuvenate their world. However, over the course of the story, it becomes increasingly clear that this rejuvenation comes at a price.

Some might dispute calling this a remaster, as it’s really just a port of the game for modern consoles, along with the graphical upgrades that naturally come with being recreated for HD. Tales of Symphonia HD probably would have been a more accurate title. Still, a graphical update that’s playable on modern consoles is really all Tales of Symphonia needed.

The original GameCube title was a well-crafted game with the Tales series’ real-time combat system, compelling characters and voice acting that was absolutely phenomenal for the time and still holds up well by today’s loftier standards. The mechanics have aged equally well. As much as I love later games in the series, I’ve always found Tales of Symphonia to be the easiest and most intuitive one to play.

Tales of Symphonia is one of the best games in the Tales series, and while it might have been nice to have some more bells and whistles, this remastered edition still lets you play a classic RPG on modern consoles. That’s really all I wanted.

Much like Collection of Mana, this game is a must-play if you’re interested in the history of gaming. And if you’re just looking for an RPG with well-designed gameplay and a story that tugs at your heart, then this game will serve you well.

The sixth mainline game in the Sakura Wars series, and one of the few to receive an official North American release. This game differs from the previously mentioned titles in that it’s not a remake or a remaster but a soft reboot of the franchise.

Since this title and the series it comes from are a little more obscure in North America, I’m going to take some time to explain the game in detail. Expect this section to be a little longer as a result. (Super short version: Sakura Wars is an intriguing mix of visual novel and action RPG. I highly recommend it to anime fans and anyone who wants to dip their toes into the visual novel genre.)

This game takes place in a steampunk interpretation of the Taisho era, in which humankind is protected from demons by the Imperial Combat Revue. As the name suggests, the Combat Revue serves dual functions of fighting off demons during times of war, and entertaining the public during times of peace.

The player fulfills the role of captain of the all-female Flower Division of the Combat Revue (well, all-female except for the player character). Gameplay-wise, this involves getting to know the girls and providing them with emotional support. Once the combat phase of each chapter is reached the player will lead their team into battle.

The former task plays out like a visual novel, albeit with some extra mechanics unique to the Sakura Wars franchise. In addition to making choices on how to respond to NPCs, the player is also able to control some aspects of the conversation with the analog sticks, such as tilting the stick upward to speak with more enthusiasm or selecting background items to shift the topic of conversation. And, much like Telltale Games’ The Walking Dead or Batman: The Enemy Within, putting additional pressure on the player. In short, this is not the sort of visual novel you can just sit back and passively observe.

The combat portion of the game is a 3D beat-’em-up, reminiscent of the Dynasty Warriors game, except your character and their team are piloting tank-sized bipedal mech suits. Doing well in your social interactions will enhance the strength of your team.

It’s an odd mix of genres—half visual novel, half action RPG—but I had a great time with Sakura Wars. Both sides are well executed, and to top it off this is a gorgeous game with great character designs by Tite Kubo, author and illustrator of Bleach. There are some supporting characters designed by various other artists as well, many of whom have striking and distinct art styles of their own. See if you can guess which artists contributed to the game!

Although Sakura Wars is a soft reboot for the franchise, it still has a lot of the silly and playfully immature humor of old 90s romantic comedy anime. As someone who grew up watching those anime, such as Tenchi Muyo or Inuyasha, I found Sakura Wars to be a fun nostalgia trip in addition to being a unique and interesting game in its own right.

Oh, and there’s also a minigame where you play the card game koi-koi, which is sort of like Uno but played with Hanafuda cards. I spent an embarrassing amount of time playing koi-koi. I’m probably going to go play koi-koi again after I’m done writing this.

Anyway, koi-koi is… Wait, no, Sakura Wars, we’re talking about Sakura Wars.

*Ahem*

Sakura Wars is a well-executed mishmash of disparate video game genres, as well as a love letter to its own series and similarly silly anime rom-coms of the 90s. I think older anime fans and dedicated visual novel enthusiasts will get the most out of this game, but if you’ve ever thought about trying to get into the visual novel genre, I think this is a great game to ease you in by offering a little action gameplay on the side.

Let’s end on a weird one. This game isn’t a remake or a remaster, but a complete reimagining of the original Final Fantasy. The story takes place in the Kingdom of Cornelia, just like the original, and features characters with the same names as those in the first game. However, while the original game was high fantasy, Stranger of Paradise is a dark fantasy reinterpretation of the story.

The gameplay is a merger of classic Final Fantasy mechanics with a Soulslike combat system. While the Soulslike genre is pretty oversaturated by this point, the novelty of incorporating Final Fantasy’s mechanics spices things up and brings familiar concepts from the franchise into a new environment. Furthermore, the game was co-developed by Koei Techmo’s Team Ninja, famous for the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series, so we pretty much have the ideal team to craft a tough but satisfying combat system. I found this game more accessible than its Soulslike predecessors, but it still provided a satisfying challenge.

Stranger of Paradise can be a bit silly at times, occasionally coming across as more of a parody of dark fantasy than a true example of it. However, I greatly enjoyed this campier take on dark fantasy, and I think the over-the-top and sometimes surreal nature of Final Fantasy games is a big part of their appeal. Stranger of Paradise is an absolutely bizarre way to experience the original Final Fantasy, but it’s a fun one to be sure.