Current version:Super Famicom / SNES
Aretha

Aretha

Aretha is a Super Famicom role-playing game released in 1993 developed by Japan Art Media. It centers on character or equipment growth, area exploration, and combat and party setup, with controls, information, and pacing arranged around television output, a directional pad, shoulder buttons, and a six-button controller.

AI score · out of 10
6.4 / 10
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About this game

Aretha is a Super Famicom role-playing release centered on character or equipment growth, area exploration, and combat and party setup. Story beats, exploration, and progression resources support a longer campaign, with progress divided into stages, tasks, matches, or growth milestones that make its immediate goals understandable. Its value depends on whether these rules continue to create judgment and room for mastery rather than on campaign length or series recognition. Short campaigns are judged by repeat-challenge value, while longer ones are judged by variety, pacing, and recovery after failure. Characters, world building, maps, and music carry most of the atmosphere, while sprite animation, scrolling, color, and chip-based audio jointly carry readability and atmosphere. The main genre-specific friction is that dense text, menu layers, repeated battles, and language dependence can slow progress. In addition, password or battery saves, multiplayer accessories, manual dependence, regional language, and cartridge enhancement chips can affect original-hardware use. This description covers only this release and excludes emulator features, modern-port conveniences, and content from other platforms.

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Super Famicom / SNES

AI review

AI reviews are subjective assessments, not player ratings. See each review for its evidence and limitations.Published date:

6.4 / 10Super Famicom / SNES

An inviting party adventure held back by uneven battles and opaque information.

Aretha gives its party a welcoming identity through large portraits, changing companions and music that flows naturally from the field into villages. Battles attack from multiple directions, while casting spells learns further magic and synthesis creates powerful equipment. These ideas encourage experimentation beyond ordinary shopping. Consultation identifies the next objective, and straightforward dungeons keep exploration approachable. Frequent encounters nevertheless stretch the journey, especially when enemies occupy several directions. Accuracy and newcomer strength are uneven, while battles provide neither damage numbers nor useful descriptions of spell and item effects. Limited medicine storage and equipment handling when companions leave add further friction. The adventure suits players drawn to characterful Japanese role-playing games, provided they can tolerate opaque combat information and a relatively slight conclusion.

Strengths

  • Directional combat and spell progression
  • Helpful objective consultation
  • Welcoming portraits and musical transitions

Weaknesses

  • Frequent encounters
  • Poor combat-effect explanations
  • Awkward party and equipment handling

Who it is for: Players who enjoy companion-focused Japanese RPGs and equipment synthesis.

Play notes: Japanese original; medicine capacity and departing companions' equipment require care, and the ending is brief.

View scoring basis
DimensionReview stateScoreWeight
Dimension

Accessible dungeons and changing companions help progression, but frequent encounters and a thin ending disrupt momentum.

Reviewed6.0 / 10Not provided
Dimension

Directional combat, spell learning and equipment synthesis invite experimentation, but uneven accuracy and fragile newcomers weaken tactical consistency.

Reviewed6.6 / 10Not provided
Dimension

Large portraits emphasize companions, while seamless village music transitions lend the journey cohesion.

Reviewed7.0 / 10Not provided
Dimension

Objective consultation and wall assistance ease navigation, but absent combat explanations, restrictive medicine storage and departing-party equipment handling cause friction.

Reviewed5.7 / 10Not provided

Review sources

Not provided

Core information

Publisher
Yanoman
Release date
1993
Platforms
Super Famicom / SNES
Content kind
Game
Release state
Released
Region
Worldwide
Official website
Not provided
Offline minimum players
Not provided
Offline maximum players
Not provided
Online minimum players
Not provided
Online maximum players
Not provided
Tags
2D GraphicsLong-term ProgressionLevel ProgressionFantasyExplorationStory-drivenTurn-based CombatSolo-friendlyMain Story 20–50 HoursTop-down
Supported game languages
Not provided
Requires base game
Not provided
Standalone
Not provided
Age ratings
Not provided
Play modes
Not provided
Perspectives
Not provided

Release editions

Sources

Not provided