Originally released in 1991, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, better known as theSNES, is Nintendo’s seventh-best-selling video game console to date.
That might not sound that impressive by today’s standards, but for its time, the SNES was the bestseller of the 16-bit age and the ultimate winner of the fourth generation console wars.
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As with most of Nintendo’s best-selling consoles, the key to that victory wasthe SNES game library. The console was absolutely jam-packed with certified bangers, so much so that no one player could realistically play them all.
Whether you grew up in that era or have a current interest in retro gaming, there are more than a few SNES games that have managed to slip under the radar of the general populace.
Some of them have had ports, rereleases, and even remakes and remasters in the modern day, but even so, they never quite hit the heights of their contemporaries. If you’ve had your fill of the usual classics, these are the games you should consider giving a try.
10ActRaiser
A Literal God Game
“God game” used to be a term often attributed tolarge-scale management gameslike SimCity, though you don’t really hear it as much anymore. Maybe it’s just fallen out of style, or maybe there just aren’t enough management games where you get to play as a literal god.
If you don’t believe such a thing really exists, then you’ve never played ActRaiser.
ActRaiser regularly flips between two game modes, an overworld management sim and a sidescrolling action game. In the former, you need to build out your world’s populace, build trade routes, and all that good stuff, while in the latter, you take direct control of a warrior statue to deal with monsters and bosses.
ActRaiser is, in a word, cathartic. I find some management games to be frustrating because you can’t always directly intervene when something is inconveniencing you.
Here, when there’s some monster menacing my stuff, I grab my sword and show it who’s in charge around here. It’s proactive and satisfying, like squishing a roach in the kitchen.
Let Those Limbs Fly
I don’t know why, but there’s something about gaming protagonists with floating, segmented limbs that just works. It worked for Rayman, it worked for Dynamite Headdy, and by gum, it worked for Plok.
The big difference is that, rather than just his head or fists, Plok can launch both his arms and legs rapid-fire.
Plok is an action platformer with a similar vibe to Rayman, having you rush through levels and knock punks out of your way by launching your arms and legs. Occasionally, you find presents that transform you into one of a few special costumes, each of which comes with a powerful weapon.
There isn’t really anything existentially incredible about Plok, it’s just a well-designed, fun platformer. I will say, I find his motivation of trying to get back his stolen flag very relatable, not to mention hilarious when he clears a level and finds something that’s not his flag like a pair of undies.
8Zombies Ate My Neighbors
The Bane Of My Childhood
Zombies Ate My Neighbors
In my youth, there was a kid I would very charitably refer to as a “friend” who held exclusive dominion over the SNES when we interacted.
If I ever tried to dissent, he would threaten to pop in the bane of my existence, Zombies Ate My Neighbors. The spinny red title screen with the evil laugh scared me, what can I say?
Putting aside my childhood trauma, though, Zombies Ate My Neighbors is actually a lot of fun to play with a friend. The levels’ mazelike designs encouraged thorough exploration, and the wide variety of available weapons provided all sorts of wacky avenues for busting the undead.
As an adult, I appreciate Zombies Ate My Neighbors presentation more than anything, because it’s jam-packed with cheeky nods to schlocky horror movies like Tremors and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Just don’t ask me to play it until you’re in the game proper; I still can’t look at that title screen…
7Sunset Riders
Old West Action
Sunset Riders
The 90s were the golden age of arcade games, particularly side-scrolling beat ‘em ups. It wasn’t a proper birthday at Chuck E. Cheese without six kids huddled around the extra-large X-Men cabinet, fighting over who got to be Colossus.
One particular game of that era that I’ve always carried a torch for is Konami’s Sunset Riders, which replaced punching with shooting.
What made Sunset Riders fun was that, since everyone was using guns instead of melee combat, no enemy was truly out of your reach. The moment any mook popped up on the screen, you’d start mashing the shoot button at them like there’s no tomorrow.
Of course, this goes both ways, so you need to be ready to jump out of the way when a flashing bullet starts flying your way.
Sunset Riders was one of my go-to quarter munchers in my arcade years, and it was always a treat to get to play the SNES port. I’d always play as the fourth player, Cormano. Nobody else could rock a pink sombrero like that guy, and to this day, nobody else has.
6Goof Troop
Designed By Shinji Mikami
Goof Troop
If you were a 90s kid, you almost definitely grew up watching Disney Afternoon cartoons like Darkwing Duck, TaleSpin, and Goof Troop. They were all great shows, and despite the fact that tie-in games usually stink, some of them gotsome pretty good ones.
Arguably, one of the best was the SNES Goof Troop game, which just happened to be the third work designed by Shinji Mikami. Yeah, Shinji “Resident Evil” Mikami designed Goof Troop.
Goof Troop is kind of like A Link to the Past, but with more emphasis on puzzles and less on combat. Neither Goofy nor Max can directly defend themselves under their own power, but you can knock enemies away with thrown rocks or stun them with a grappling hook.
Both characters can only hold one item at a time, so you need to carefully consider which tools will help most with which puzzles.
Goof Troop was one of the very first SNES games I ever played as a kid, with a friend and I spending hours on it. We’d always get stuck in the same place because neither of us had any idea what we were doing, but it never stopped being fun.
5The Legend Of The Mystical Ninja
Konami’s Forgotten Legacy
The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
One ofKonami’s old tentpole franchiseswas Ganbare Goemon, or “Let’s Go, Goemon,” a series of platformers starring a character reminiscent of the legendary outlaw hero, Goemon Ishikawa.
As an aggressively Japanese series, it never had much of a presence out west, but it did get a couple of localized ports, the first of which being Legend of the Mystical Ninja.
Mystical Ninja is a lite hybrid of action and RPG gameplay, dividing levels up into open towns and linear sidescrolling sections. You raise money and upgrades in town, then fight your way through a proper level to a boss. It’s not an easy game, but the surprising level of exploration potential, not to mention some funny visuals, makes the trek worth it.
Like many of Konami’s classics, Mystical Ninja is best with a friend, and I had some great times playing it with buddies growing up. Personally, I actually prefer Ganbare Goemon 2, as it’s the first appearance of Goemon’s giant robot, but since that never came west, this is the next best thing.
4Captain Commando
Capcom’s True Mascot
Captain Commando
Capcom has always had something of an affinity for powerful, superhero-style characters, which makes sense given all the crossovers it’s done with Marvel over the years.
In fact, the company has a secret shadow mascot, independent of Mega Man, that bears the company name: Captain Commando, CapCom for short.
Captain Commando’s only self-titled game released for the SNES in 1995, a good four years after its original arcade release. It’s an old-school beat ‘em up, but the big draw is the characters.
You have the titular Captain, armed with a multitude of fire and electric-spewing weapons, as well as a ninja, a knife-wielding mummy, and a baby riding a robot. It’s the kind of action-packed weirdness that made for a great time on a sunny afternoon in the 90s, and a generally entertaining sidescrolling beat ‘em up to boot.
Barring his appearances in the first two Marvel vs. Capcom games, Captain Commando has not had any further playable roles. It’s a darn shame, as I loved his game growing up, andwould love to play as him again.
3Live A Live
Play The Old One Or New One, Just Play It
Live A Live
During the SNES era, Square was on a hot streak of JRPG releases, with its best and brightest cranking out certified classics like Final Fantasy IV and Super Mario RPG.
In between all of that, though, there was one little JRPG that didn’t get a western release, despite the fact that it would be a formative work for multiple industry greats. That game wasLive A Live.
This incredibly experimental JRPG puts you in control of seven different heroes, each withtheir own storiesand gameplay mechanics. It’s a little hard to wrap your head around at first, especially since you kind of have to change your frame of reference for each story, but the whole thing comes together with picture perfection.
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This game was the directorial debut of Takashi Tokita, who would go on to direct Chrono Trigger, as well as the first major compositional work of Yoko Shimomura.
Also, its boss theme, Megalomania? Yeah, it inspired Undertale’s Megalovania. Obviously, I couldn’t play it as a kid because it wasn’t released here, but after playing the 2022 remake, I swiftly realized what a vital piece of gaming history Live A Live is.
Gettin’ Weird With It
During its more active years, one of Konami’s bread and butter genres was sidescrolling shooters likeGradius. They were fun and simple games, good to fill up an arcade with.
However, both in the arcades and at home on the SNES, Konami got a little more wild and weird with its Gradius spin-off series, Parodius. It was only released in Japan and the PAL territories, but I knew a guy who was good at tinkering with consoles growing up, so I got to try it on a SNES.
Gameplay-wise, Parodius is more or less the same as Gradius. You control a little ship, stuff flies in from the right, and you shoot it. The difference is that you’re not just shooting little aliens or whatever, you’re shooting the strangest, most bizarre imagery you’ve ever seen. Parodius isweird, aggressively so, and needs to be seen to be believed.
One moment, you’re shooting at little birds and crabs on a beach, the next moment you’re flying through a cityscape being menaced by a gigantic showgirl. Don’t even get me started on the giant octopus in a bathhouse.
1Super Putty
Worthy For Its Sheer Weirdness
There are some games that are very difficult to explain in words alone. Maybe they have very dense concepts, or maybe their gameplay just doesn’t make sense until you’ve got a controller in your hands.
One particular SNES game that meets both those criteria is Super Putty, a game in which you play as a lump of blue goo that punches robots and eats babies. I think.
Super Putty strikes me as a game that its developers didn’t care that much about giving it a unifying concept.
What can putty do? It can stretch, it can shapeshift, and it can absorb stuff. Great, that’s the game. You can stretch across platforms, you can shapeshift for various attacks, and if you smoosh yourself onto the ground, you can eat anything that steps on you. Why? Shut up, that’s why.
As bizarre as Super Putty is, it’s the very particular kind of bizarre that deserves to be experienced, if for no other reason than to say you did. I played Super Putty growing up, and I hadnoidea what was going on, but you’re able to bet I never forgot it.
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