With each video game generation, we all get more and more nostalgic for the simpler times. Back when not every game wanted us to dedicate hours to a battle pass or spend our entire bank account for the chance to get a 0.0008 percent chance character, it was perfect.
Nowhere is this more clear than with the joys we feel when playing Nintendo’s 16-bit console, the SNES. The games of this era were gems and to this day many of them still hold up incredibly well. If you are bored with every other modern game being a battle royal or an open-world soulslike clone, look no further than these classics.
This unique title puts the little pink puff ball Kirby and his forgotten yellow friend Keeby against one another in a golf-like game. Kirby’s Dream Course has you launching your puffball around, utilizing abilities from the Kirby series to defeat more enemies on the board before entering the hole to end the stage.
Multiplayer titles in the online era of gaming often lack the pure chaotic fun that older ones, such as Kirby’s Dream Course have, and it’s a shame. This game can ruin friendships just as easily as aMario Party title,but even worse, as you can directly mess with your friend at any time, and it never gets old, even with the limited board choices.
Unfortunately, outside the wonderful animated Netflix shows, the Castlevania series has been dormant for a long time, with only rereleases ever gracing modern platforms. Despite this, fans still want a new entry in the series as these games are unlike any other and Super Castlevania 4 is one of the best.
Even with the surge of the Metroidvania genre, Super Castlevania IV holds up great against its modern counterparts with its retro pixel art and soundtrack. While other titles in the series, such asSymphony of the Night, are incredible, there’s something special about Super Castlevania 4 that no other Metroidvanias can reproduce.
While Square Enix has continued to produce entries in the Final Fantasy series, few havefelt all that special.The modern entries especially lack the charm and spark of the earlier entries, and with that in mind, we need more people to experience the classic that is Final Fantasy 6.
Final Fantasy 6 features a fantasy steampunk world filled to the brim with life and classic RPG elements that we sorely miss. While modern games have realistic tones, ones like FF6 give you an imaginative, gripping adventure. Alongside a visual identity as strong as Final Fantasy 6’s, it becomes more apparent that retro games are better in many respects.
This legendary title is one that helped inspire so many of the now iconic Metroidvania genre games to flourish, and to this day, it still stands above even the best of them. Super Metroid has you adventuring through the planet Zebes as Samus Aran, looking for a stolen Metroid baby.
With a perfectly sized map and a good mix of progression, secrets, and backtracking, Super Metroid shows why it deserves to have an entire genre half-named after the series. The world is so open and distinctly alien, and it shows the perfect example of how todo a Metroidvania right.
Back in the early days of gaming, developers were a lot less protective of their brands, and this included Nintendo, which partnered with Square (now Square Enix) to create the first Mario RPG title. Super Mario RPG is a cult classic for a reason, as it combines two of the SNES era’s greatest development teams into one unforgettable title filled with ’90s charm.
Despite having a remake on the Nintendo Switch, we can’t help but still love the original release as the sprites and music are just too iconic. The way the game has almost 3D visuals on such a limited system will always be impressive and if you want a charming classic Square Enix RPG instead of its modern serious direction, there is no better title.
This Nintendo-developed turn-based RPG is a classic that deserves more recognition and love in the modern era. Earthbound isn’t just your average RPG. With a quirky, lovable cast and a deep story, there is plenty to love, and it is super unique, breaking multiple genre staples unlike any other title.
So many modern indie RPG games are heavily inspired by Earthbound’s creativity and charm, such asUndertaleand Omori, but stand on their own footing with more mature tones and themes. Even despite more modern titles pushing the RPG genre to marvelous heights, the more grounded yet creative gameplay and narrative of Earthbound are simply incredible to this day.
Shortly after his debut in the Mario series, our favorite green dinosaur would swiftly get his title in Yoshi’s Island. This 2D platformer is filled with soft, beautiful pixel art that is surprisingly challenging despite its children’s picture book theming and baby-centric plot.
The art style of Yoshi’s Island is like a hug from a loved one, and the pleasant music is fittingly bouncy. The game does sometimes reflect the opposite of this with tricky platforming and the stress of Baby Mario crying whenever you are hit. However, everything all together makes for one of the most distinct games out there that modern games wish they could be.
With games in the modern age, we are lucky enough if a game comes with one fleshed-out mode, let alone a whole pack of variety, and that’s what makes Kirby Super Star so special. As the European name suggests (Kirby’s Fun Pak), this game is packed with modes, so even if you get bored with the platforming, there are tons of things that can keep you busy for hours.
Combine this with very solid mechanics and iconic music, and you have a game that feels like Christmas every time you unlock a new mode. From the deep, open-ended collect-a-thon Great Cave Offensive to the progression-based cosmic adventure in Milky Way Wishes, Kirby Super Star is bite-sized fun in many sweet packages.
The prestigious The Legend of Zelda series has been standing tall over nearly every generation of gaming, and it may have been at its best on the SNES with A Link To The Past. This 2D adventure has you venturing across a detailed, beautifully-filled Hyrule that has things to do all over.
With a long main quest, you will get many hours of fun as you lose yourself in this retro world. While modern Zelda titles have big, empty open worlds, A Link to the Past has love crafted into every inch of its Hyrule. With a stunning art style to boot, nothing beats a trip back to Hyrule’s past if you’re looking for a timeless adventure.
Modern games often attempt to tell grand narratives with deep and emotional characters that, while great, can take away from the game itself. That’s why many SNES games rock. Ones such as Donkey Kong Country 2 have very simple plots, allowing the brilliant platforming gameplay to be a focus rather than a poorly written movie.
While its high difficulty levels can be frustrating, it’s the good kind of difficulty that modern games lack, and not a single level feels boring. Nothing feels unfair and if you want to feel genuinely challenged, any of the SNES DKC titles will be a barrel blast.
