The Magic of Scheherazade showed us that mixing turn-based and action RPG battles is harder than it sounds, so I’m a little worried about the balance here.

This looks like a major update to a well-established improvement hack. A retranslation with ability name changes, more detailed maps, and that Bishop softlock bug should be long stomped.

Dragon Quest is the OG for a reason. The remakes are a lot less grindy and don’t use ye olde Englysshe so they would be easier to read but less educational.

Filler arcs, such a common cause of show death.

DQ5 wasn’t the first generation game or the first monster-catching game, but it was one of the earlier games to offer either and AFAIK the first game to offer both.

There’s nothing quite like Chrono Trigger.

Dragon Quest IV/Dragon Warrior IV was a strong influence on Chrono Trigger’s medieval era. If you wanted an entire game about the Hero, DQ4 is the closest you’re ever likely to get. (Does that make Recettear a sister game to Chrono Trigger?)

Phantasy Star IV has a similarly fast-moving and cinematic plot, but the graphics and gameplay are more archaic as befits a 1993 game. Strongly recommended if you want to play older JRPGs like DQ4.

Final Fantasy VI (released as “Final Fantasy III”) is similar in quality and difficulty, but much longer and more complex.

Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross continue the story, but they have a much darker tone.

Earthbound/Mother 2 came out the same year and is another of the greats, but that’s where most of the similarities end. Earthbound might be the only 16-bit classic whose tone is “all of them”. Earthbound can be quite hard early on, so don’t get discouraged.

For me it got good as soon as I went through the first time portal.
It got great at the second visit to the past.
It became immortal at the first visit to the dark ages.

I find the first visit to the future to be a slog for the most part, although it has one of the strongest scenes in the game. Power through that segment and it gets better in a hurry.

Also, don’t play Chrono Trigger with the sound off until you can play the soundtrack in your head. The soundtrack doesn’t gently suggest atmosphere like a modern game. It sets the tone for the scene.

Upper South.

Although it’s a trick question of sorts. Eastern Kentucky, the Golden Triangle, and the Purchase might not all be in the same region of the US.