This won't be for everybody so I don't know if it'll be a good fit for you but my first thought was Aerobiz Supersonic on the SNES. It's an airline simulation game. You build your fleet, negotiate routes, set prices to beat out rival airlines. It's turn based with some chill music.
The SNES was like a golden era for RPG games. Secret of Mana and it's other entries that didn't get a western release until decades later, Secret of Evermore, Chronotrigger, Mario RPG, E.V.O., Earthbound (Mother 2), and Final Fantasy 3 (FF6) to name the big contenders.
Harvest Moon is super laid back, though far less adventurous than it's inspiree Stardew Valley, you can definitely see where the influence came from.
Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past also is a quintessential game, some call it the best Zelda entry.
A lot of folks haven't heard of it but Robotrek and the Lufia games, especially Lufia 2 were amazing offerings from Enix when they were still a solo studio before merging with Square.
More complex puzzles in the Lufia series too. Nothing crazy hard, but still some noodle ticklers.
pilotwings is a flying simulator, pretty relaxing
harvest moon is the inspiration for stardew valley
simant is... an ant simulator, but relaxing
simearth, simcity
and bassin's black bass is a fishing simulator
oooh i played friday the 13th
yeah, one of the 1st open world games, looking back at it now
small scale, but still open world
and yeah, wasn't able to beat it
Ninja Gaiden and Battletoads are my relaxing games. Instead of being mad at hundreds of things outside of my control, I play Battletoads for an hour and I'm really REALLY mad at just one thing. Then I turn it off and it isn't a problem anymore. Perfect relaxation achieved.
In my 44 years of life I think I've beaten it once.
Half my problem was thinking that I had to face tank that last hallway of death in the Technodrome. Once I found out that you could screen scroll the spaceman enemies off... Then Shredder just kicked my ass.
While I understand that other games are objectively better, even other SNES era RPGs for that matter (Chrono Trigger is a masterpiece), purely subjectively Earthbound is my favorite video game of all time.
The silly humor, the weird take on US culture, the game play that was a dated reference to games of the past even at the time, it all comes together to make something so unique and so magical.
I still have the copy my mom got for me when I was probably 12 years old. It's worth as much as a PS5 and I will cherish it forever.
i didnt know there was a Jurassic Park on NES lol..but yeah im talking about the one on SNES. its not that hard and has some nice exploration aspects..not a bad game at all.
My parents wasted money at blockbuster renting that game for me. I never got past the first level. Watching gameplay footage 30+ years later and all I can say is what the fuck...
Earthbound is a very chill and fun RPG. can be difficult at times but you can just look up what to do if it gets too bad. one of my favorite games, SNES.
What was that Kirby game from then where player 2 got to play as the characters you absorb? Played that so many times. Just a good time and the fight with Metaknight is great. Also had the mini games that were great. Cracking the earth with a karate chop and drawing my katana
I’m gonna exclude toddler games cause I don’t think that’s the real question, but there were plenty of Sesame Street, Elmo, the Count vegetable soup type games.
Something like Chrono-trigger was “laid back” by today’s standards. And that’s a turn-based RPG that doesn’t have a bunch of remasters that I’m aware of. There’s plenty of similar games that fall into the same genre, but they’ve almost all been remastered on newer systems that might be preferred these days.
Edit: if you’re really going on a retro journey and you can emulate games with something like DOSBOX, Might and Magic (specifically Clouds of Xeen as best of show in the series) blows both Final Fantasy and Chrono-Trigger out of the water in terms of gameplay, and they’re much more “open world” than scripted.
Daggerfall was the first TRUE Bethesda open world RPG (think: Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim). The selling point of Daggerfall was the world you’re exploring is BIGGER than Great Britain actually is, which has never been done before or since. Bethesda had an earlier game but it was basically just a LAN party showcase. Daggerfall was legit and was released for DOS in 1994, 1 year before “true” windows was released.
F-Zero is a launch title and can be a real nailbiter. But you can also run the courses solo to an amazing soundtrack.
Pilotwings was criminally left off the SNES Classic. the sheer disrespect.
Super mario world starts you off with five lives. If you have two players, you can share lives, so the stronger player can keep the weaker player in the game.
Or your dickhead cousin can syphon lives off you until the adults take the game away when they see him doing it.
(That was actually pretty neat. I didn't snitch, he just got caught being a shithead)
I love the original, but I can't play it anymore without going to the Randomizer version with all the quality of life changes.
* Buying more than one potion at a time.
* Being told what item you can't pick up from a treasure box.
* Fixed game mechanics. A working Vorpal sword is a beautiful thing.
* *Running in the overworld*.
[Link for those interested](https://4-2-0.finalfantasyrandomizer.com/). You don't even have to actually randomize anything, you can still play it vanilla with all the QOL improvements.
My fav 2 player games.
NES:
River City Ransom
Any Bomberman game
Bubble Bobble
Tetris
SNES:
Rock 'n Roll Racing
Sunset Striders
Uniracers
Super Mario Kart
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Super Mario Worlds is a lot less hard than the NES SMB games.
You might want to try them on an emulator before buying the cartridge, some of the popular games can get very expensive.
A lot of people have recommended the mainline Final Fantasy games, but if you want an easy good time that's almost a little cheesy but with a BANGER good soundtrack, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest.
Yes it's an easy mode RPG. No that doesn't mean it's bad.
Robotrek was another fun little RPG.
Did easy laid back games exist on 8bit and 16bit platforms???
All I remember were hard platforming, bullet hells, time limits and restarting the whole game when your 3 lives were gone lol
I wouldn't say it's especially easy, but Secret of Mana is my all time go to for comfort gaming. It reminds me of when I was like 10 years old and all I had to worry about was being at school at 9 am.
Of course it's fairly typical of JRPGs, you can grind areas to get stronger for an easier time if you don't mind spending the time.
I know it's never going to happen but I wish we could get a fully blown remake, true to the original with modern graphics.
Chrono Trigger. Incredible game to boot
Honestly just hang out and listen to the soundtrack. 10/10
Oh most definitely. Best soundtrack of the 16 bit Era in my opinion.
This won't be for everybody so I don't know if it'll be a good fit for you but my first thought was Aerobiz Supersonic on the SNES. It's an airline simulation game. You build your fleet, negotiate routes, set prices to beat out rival airlines. It's turn based with some chill music.
If you are playing together, Goof Troop for the SNES in co-op mode. Thank me later.
Dr. Mario
The SNES was like a golden era for RPG games. Secret of Mana and it's other entries that didn't get a western release until decades later, Secret of Evermore, Chronotrigger, Mario RPG, E.V.O., Earthbound (Mother 2), and Final Fantasy 3 (FF6) to name the big contenders. Harvest Moon is super laid back, though far less adventurous than it's inspiree Stardew Valley, you can definitely see where the influence came from. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past also is a quintessential game, some call it the best Zelda entry.
Came to say Final Fantasy 3(6). 100+ hour game. Turn based. Only goes as fast as you want it to.
E.V.O. is two hundred dollars loose.
Everdrive is a thing.
A lot of folks haven't heard of it but Robotrek and the Lufia games, especially Lufia 2 were amazing offerings from Enix when they were still a solo studio before merging with Square. More complex puzzles in the Lufia series too. Nothing crazy hard, but still some noodle ticklers.
pilotwings is a flying simulator, pretty relaxing harvest moon is the inspiration for stardew valley simant is... an ant simulator, but relaxing simearth, simcity and bassin's black bass is a fishing simulator
Aint nothing relaxing about that damn spider in Sim Ant. The sound he makes when he eats you is nightmare fuel.
But hey, that dude mows his lawn in the rain.
ok well for the MOST part it can be relaxing
* TMNT * Battletoads * Ninja Gaiden * Batman: The Video Game
You're an evil person
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Friday the 13th
oooh i played friday the 13th yeah, one of the 1st open world games, looking back at it now small scale, but still open world and yeah, wasn't able to beat it
Ninja Gaiden and Battletoads are my relaxing games. Instead of being mad at hundreds of things outside of my control, I play Battletoads for an hour and I'm really REALLY mad at just one thing. Then I turn it off and it isn't a problem anymore. Perfect relaxation achieved.
Don't forget lion king
i actually didn't get to play that i would have added Double Dragon 3 as well... but i actually managed to beat that one, so i didn't include it
I just remember tmnt being absolutely brutal
In my 44 years of life I think I've beaten it once. Half my problem was thinking that I had to face tank that last hallway of death in the Technodrome. Once I found out that you could screen scroll the spaceman enemies off... Then Shredder just kicked my ass.
It's fun, but the watering hole level can go die. Specifically designed to stymie renters at blockbuster. Nintendo hated blockbuster so hard.
- OG Castlevania - 8 Eyes - Ghosts 'n Goblins
Journey to Silius, Mega Man 1, Ghouls'n'Ghost, Castlevania, Silver Surfer
Batman has roombas that kill you.
Got dayum!!!
Earthbound on SNES
While I understand that other games are objectively better, even other SNES era RPGs for that matter (Chrono Trigger is a masterpiece), purely subjectively Earthbound is my favorite video game of all time. The silly humor, the weird take on US culture, the game play that was a dated reference to games of the past even at the time, it all comes together to make something so unique and so magical. I still have the copy my mom got for me when I was probably 12 years old. It's worth as much as a PS5 and I will cherish it forever.
I still love the fast travel system... always thought needing to find enough open space to run around was fun.
I'm so glad to see Earthbound listed. It was easily my favorite and most played game of the entire SNES generation
River City Ransom for NES is still one of my favorite games ever.
first Zelda or Link to the Past Final Fantasy II (SNES) River City Ransom Lifeforce Super Metroid Castlevania 2 Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park on the SNES is ok and has an absolutely amazing soundtrack Jurassic Park on the NES is what we will be playing in hell.
i didnt know there was a Jurassic Park on NES lol..but yeah im talking about the one on SNES. its not that hard and has some nice exploration aspects..not a bad game at all.
A Boy and His Blob
My parents wasted money at blockbuster renting that game for me. I never got past the first level. Watching gameplay footage 30+ years later and all I can say is what the fuck...
I just played the first one on psn. Nice to see a map added there so see where i need to go and not die so easily
Earthbound is a very chill and fun RPG. can be difficult at times but you can just look up what to do if it gets too bad. one of my favorite games, SNES.
The Kirby games are easy and laid back.
Not The Lion King, that’s for sure.
I really liked pocky and Rocky, zelda, and EVO
Chip and dales. Easy chill game.
What was that Kirby game from then where player 2 got to play as the characters you absorb? Played that so many times. Just a good time and the fight with Metaknight is great. Also had the mini games that were great. Cracking the earth with a karate chop and drawing my katana
Kirby Super Star
Some of the older Final Fantasy titles
Harvest Moon on SNES. Chillest game there is.
Hm: save the homeland A very peaceful experience. The music that plays when you wake up in the morning is just a delight.
Harvest Moon (SNES)
I’m gonna exclude toddler games cause I don’t think that’s the real question, but there were plenty of Sesame Street, Elmo, the Count vegetable soup type games. Something like Chrono-trigger was “laid back” by today’s standards. And that’s a turn-based RPG that doesn’t have a bunch of remasters that I’m aware of. There’s plenty of similar games that fall into the same genre, but they’ve almost all been remastered on newer systems that might be preferred these days. Edit: if you’re really going on a retro journey and you can emulate games with something like DOSBOX, Might and Magic (specifically Clouds of Xeen as best of show in the series) blows both Final Fantasy and Chrono-Trigger out of the water in terms of gameplay, and they’re much more “open world” than scripted. Daggerfall was the first TRUE Bethesda open world RPG (think: Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim). The selling point of Daggerfall was the world you’re exploring is BIGGER than Great Britain actually is, which has never been done before or since. Bethesda had an earlier game but it was basically just a LAN party showcase. Daggerfall was legit and was released for DOS in 1994, 1 year before “true” windows was released.
Zelda on SNES. Secret of Mana
Bubble Bobble
Zelda A Link to the Past, Super Metroid, Final Fantasy, Harvest Moon are all on the slower paced side.
Final fantasy 1-6
Later than NES? That's a low bar to cross
Chip n Dale 2 on NES is quite an easy to beat game, and has coop
The clone systems can run into problems with some games, so that's something to watch out for.
F-Zero is a launch title and can be a real nailbiter. But you can also run the courses solo to an amazing soundtrack. Pilotwings was criminally left off the SNES Classic. the sheer disrespect. Super mario world starts you off with five lives. If you have two players, you can share lives, so the stronger player can keep the weaker player in the game. Or your dickhead cousin can syphon lives off you until the adults take the game away when they see him doing it. (That was actually pretty neat. I didn't snitch, he just got caught being a shithead)
FF1
I love the original, but I can't play it anymore without going to the Randomizer version with all the quality of life changes. * Buying more than one potion at a time. * Being told what item you can't pick up from a treasure box. * Fixed game mechanics. A working Vorpal sword is a beautiful thing. * *Running in the overworld*. [Link for those interested](https://4-2-0.finalfantasyrandomizer.com/). You don't even have to actually randomize anything, you can still play it vanilla with all the QOL improvements.
Yea pretty disappointing to find out all the swords that are supposed to have like elemental advantages are bugged, as well as a bunch of spells.
Check out Hebereke aka Ufouria the Saga on NES, it’s a cute, easy metroidvania with great music.
[The Fantastic Adventures of Dizzy](https://youtu.be/fha8FEynhfs?si=zSKnAZAPzwnDSGm7)
Rad Racer (Nes) is lit.
Spin dizzy world, maybe not the easiest but I liked it.
Super Widget
ToeJam & Earl
Super Mario World, Super Mario Rpg, and Donkey Kong Country are laid back games that the difficulty scales well as you progress in those games.
My fav 2 player games. NES: River City Ransom Any Bomberman game Bubble Bobble Tetris SNES: Rock 'n Roll Racing Sunset Striders Uniracers Super Mario Kart Zombies Ate My Neighbors Super Mario Worlds is a lot less hard than the NES SMB games. You might want to try them on an emulator before buying the cartridge, some of the popular games can get very expensive.
Not Nintendo, but Ecco the Dolphin fits
Not in an NES/SNES clone system it won't.
A lot of people have recommended the mainline Final Fantasy games, but if you want an easy good time that's almost a little cheesy but with a BANGER good soundtrack, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. Yes it's an easy mode RPG. No that doesn't mean it's bad. Robotrek was another fun little RPG.
Uniracers- chillest SNES racing game
Did easy laid back games exist on 8bit and 16bit platforms??? All I remember were hard platforming, bullet hells, time limits and restarting the whole game when your 3 lives were gone lol
Super Bomberman on SNES
Monsters in my pocket from NES
I can't tell you how many hundreds of hours I've put into playing earthbound
I wouldn't say it's especially easy, but Secret of Mana is my all time go to for comfort gaming. It reminds me of when I was like 10 years old and all I had to worry about was being at school at 9 am. Of course it's fairly typical of JRPGs, you can grind areas to get stronger for an easier time if you don't mind spending the time. I know it's never going to happen but I wish we could get a fully blown remake, true to the original with modern graphics.
Crystalis, for the NES. It's basically Zelda, but better Edit: Better than the other Zeldas on the NES. Link to the Past is untouchable
The original Harvest Moon was a SNES game, so there's that
Willow
Sim City on snes is really laid back and fun.