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.