5. Mana/SaGa
Though they are actually two distinct series of games, the Mana and SaGa franchises have been grouped together here owing to their similar debuts in North America the first Mana title was originally released as Final Fantasy Adventure, whilst the first three SaGa titles were released as The Final Fantasy Legend series. Though the first Mana (known as Seiken Denetsu in Japan) was designed as a 'gaiden' (meaning side story) to Final Fantasy, many elements of Square's flagship RPG were dropped from the second title, Secret Of Mana, which along with its Japan-only sequel Seiken Denetsu 3 is often listed amongst the finest games ever made, holding their own with their seamless battle system and innovative ring command system against subsequent entries in the series, which received a more lukewarm reception. The original SaGa was the first RPG to be released on Nintendo's Game Boy, and was borne out of Masashi Miyamoto's realisation that the handheld could be a viable platform for the genre (and indeed it was, if the sales of Pokémon are to be believed). Like Mana, the original trilogy of games was similar in style to Final Fantasy, but the subsequent Romancing SaGa trilogy stood out enough to allow the series to flourish in its own right, enthralling its dedicated following of fans with branching non-linear storylines and open world exploration.