The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) is one of the most memorable consoles ever created. Nintendo really had a run in the early ’90s following the success of the NES, as the Super Nintendo ushered in tons of classic games and moved genres like RPGs forward by decades. It truly was a great time to be a video game fan, especially as competition was heating up between Nintendo and Sega, with PlayStation (and eventually Xbox) duking it out.
The thing about the Super Nintendo is that while not every single game aged well, many of them did. They were privy to first-rate craftsmanship, vibrant visuals that still stand out even amid modern advancements, and more often than not, great gameplay. While there are some obvious shoutouts for SNES games that hold up today, a few of them are potentially off your radar.
EarthBound
EarthBound, otherwise known as “Mother 2,” stands out among the crowd for myriad reasons. While the visuals don’t seem impressive at first glance, there’s a ton of personality and charm present in the world of EarthBound that transcends graphical limitations.
This is a quirky, mature, and all-around addicting RPG, crafted by geniuses at Creatures Inc (formerly Ape Inc) and HAL Laboratory. The offbeat soundtrack, writing, and narrative ensure that it’s still relevant today.
You can find Earthbound on the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, through the SNES Classics app with Nintendo Switch Online.
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest
Although it took me many years to say the title correctly (it’s not Diddy Kong’s Quest, it’s Diddy’s Kong Quest), I had beaten Donkey Kong Country 2 around 15 times before that revelation ever washed over me. It’s one of the best platformers ever made, period, and the combination of Diddy’s agile movements with Dixie’s hair-spin hovering made all the difference.
It’s a step up from the original Donkey Kong Country while honoring the series as a whole, and offering up one of the best soundtracks of all time. Many architects of Donkey Kong Country 2 are still working in today’s industry for a reason.
Kirby Super Star
HAL Laboratory has made many attempts to recreate the magic of Kirby Super Star, and they’ve succeeded in spurts. Kirby Super Star on the SNES is an impressive game in that it’s effectively nearly 10 games in one.
There’s multiplayer for pretty much the entire package (beyond the versus side modes, a second player can join core modes as a co-op buddy), making it easy to pick up and play with a friend or family member over the course of an entire weekend. The more you play, the more modes you unlock, making it very easy to get sucked into. Kirby Super Star debuted on the SNES but was eventually re-released on the Nintendo DS.
Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
If you need a pick-me-up, you’ll probably be smiling a few minutes into a run of Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island. In addition to sporting a unique art style that’s been used multiple times throughout the Yoshi series, this is basically the nexus of it all, following Yoshi’s debut in Super Mario World.
The egg-throwing antics of Yoshi are still being ported into the modern era, through games like Yoshi & The Mysterious Book. It’s a formula both fans and Nintendo itself have been fond of for several decades.
ActRaiser
ActRaiser is a bit of an oddball pick, but its out-there presentation really helps it stand out among the rest of its SNES brethren.
Part side-scrolling action platformer, part city simulator, ActRaiser asked players to essentially play God, controlling an Angel who manages towns and fends off angry demons, as well as a statue that serves as the action avatar. This constant push and pull of raiding dungeons, fighting bosses, and managing towns made for an experience that is still barely replicated today.
In addition to the SNES, ActRaiser was released on the Wii Virtual Console and mobile phones, but was never directly ported to modern systems. Instead, there’s a remake in the form of Actraiser Renaissance, which some say doesn’t hold up quite as well as the original but still gets the theme across.
Mega Man X
Mega Man X is one of the cleanest platformers of all time. I can pick this game up and play it with instant muscle memory, since it keeps things simple at first, then adds complexity as you pick up more mechanics and upgrade the titular hero of Mega Man X.
While grabbing new weapons was always a part of the Mega Man formula, with Mega Man X, you’re also building up your armor until you end up becoming a force of nature at the end, capable of much more destruction than the classic Mega Man series ever offered.
Mega Man X was ported from the SNES to the PC, and later to mobile devices. It’s also available in the Mega Man X Legacy Collection across most modern platforms, and hosts a series of sequels.
Super Metroid
Through tone and strong design sensibilities, Super Metroid is one of the best games on this list that still holds up. You can pick it up and get into it instantly, and the tight controls and deliberate visual style will draw you in instantly.
Super Metroid has never been remade, despite its universally beloved pedigree. It’s remained on the SNES for ages, until it was eventually released on the Wii Virtual Console and the Switch SNES Classics line. It’s likely that we’ll get a remake one day, but this sleek adventure doesn’t need it.
Final Fantasy 6
Final Fantasy 6, also known as “Final Fantasy 3” for a time in the West, is often considered one of the best RPGs from Squaresoft, or any studio for that matter.
Although it balances a ton of characters, it does so with grace while skirting storylines that had never been done at the time and, even to this day, aren’t as common. The classic team of Yoshinori Kitase and Hironobu Sakaguchi at the helm, with Sakaguchi’s soundtrack hitting even harder than before, led many to consider Final Fantasy 6 their favorite video game ever. It’s no wonder that Square Enix is seemingly terrified of having to remake this classic.
Final Fantasy 6 has been ported to countless systems since its SNES launch in 1994, including the Game Boy Advance, mobile devices, and numerous other platforms through the Pixel Remaster edition. It’s one of the most accessible games on this entire list.
Super Mario World
Even beyond unleashing Yoshi out into the world, Super Mario World is notable because it’s one of the best-designed platformers ever made. Nintendo really outdid themselves on this one, introducing tons of classic new concepts that would eventually become staples of the series, much like in the prolific Super Mario Bros. 3.
Super Mario World is very easy to find even if you don’t own an SNES. It was ported to the Game Boy Advance in the early 2000s and is readily available on the Nintendo Switch via Nintendo Classics, in both SNES and GBA form. This is in addition to its appearance on collections and various Virtual Consoles pre-Switch.
Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is one of those games that fans beg to see again on a yearly basis. It’s been rumored to get a remake for at least a decade now, and fans want to get their fix on as many platforms as possible.
Playing Chrono Trigger for around 15 minutes will paint a perfect picture of why so many people still hold it up as a crowning achievement 31 years later. Starting off in a low-key festival that turns into a time-hopping epic is a genius formula reminiscent of a popular anime. The strong character designs of Akira Toriyama hold up, and the amount of freedom Chrono Trigger provides (even allowing the player to eventually travel with a flying time machine) is unparalleled.
Chrono Trigger might have debuted on the SNES, but it has been ported to the PlayStation, the Nintendo DS, mobile devices, and PC since launch.
