This is a hard one to rank; the design of the game itself is still solid, and the writing really raised the standards for game storytelling at the time (just as EarthBound did for the 16-bit era) but the problem, like nearly all NES-era RPG's, is its reliance on grinding to pad out the experience and compensate for the low cartridge space. If you play this with a patch that trims the fat, it's great; the characters and plot are engaging, the battles are fun and the areas are varied and a lot of fun to explore, but other than the novelty of owning it, don't bother with the original release.