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Way back in the ancient days of 1991, Nintendo released a revolutionary new console, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was Nintendo’s second home console in America, following the breakout success of the OG Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985.
While the NES was an 8-bit gaming system (it used an 8-bit microprocessor as its central processing unit), the SNES was double the power at 16-bit. It had better graphics and sound than its predecessor and was the most advanced home console of all time at launch.
It also boasted iconic predecessors of some of the most popular modern video game franchises like The Legend of Zelda, Mario Kart, Mario Bros., Donkey Kong and Final Fantasy. Without the SNES, we wouldn’t have a Nintendo Wii or Switch.
There are a lot of great games on the system and it can be hard to single out just a few, but here are our picks for the 11 best SNES games:
11. Street Fighter II Turbo
We know Street Fighter as a fighting game institution covering a huge number of titles, but this iteration is an absolute gem. From Sagat screaming “Tiger Punch” to skinny Dhalsim and his “yoga flame” mantra, Street Fighter II Turbo was the ultimate fighting game in the golden era of the genre.
Was it better than Mortal Kombat? Yes.
10. Contra III: The Alien Wars
Contra III had big shoes to fill. The original Contra on the NES was already iconic by the time the SNES came out. Somehow, Konami delivered another classic. This game had it all: motorcycle levels, top-down levels and gruesome firefights pushing the SNES’s Mode 7 capabilities.
It was also incredibly difficult. That made beating this monstrous game all the more satisfying in the end.
9. Super Castlevania IV
Castlevania had three titles on the NES before this beloved platformer made its way to the SNES. It continued the story of the Belmont clan and their life’s mission of destroying Dracula. This was an early graphical showcase for the system, features classic levels like the clock tower, and requires a dexterity that few possess.
While it had its flaws, it was a huge step forward in a franchise that would eventually peak with Symphony of the Night on the Playstation – a game that all other games of its ‘Metroidvana’ type are measured by.
8. Mega Man X
Mega Man X effectively invented the cinematic tutorial level that we see in so many games today. Its first stage introduces you to its futuristic world while showing off the detailed and colorful graphics the SNES was capable of.
It was packed with secrets and power-ups that you didn’t need to get but helped so much when you did. Unfortunately, after an amazing run on the NES, this was pretty much Mega Man‘s peak.
There was that JRPG on the PlayStation and there are countless Battle Network games and spinoffs, but nothing quite captured the lightning in the bottle that X did. This one doesn’t show its age. Classics are classics for a reason.
7. Super Mario Kart
Mario Kart 8 on the Nintendo Switch is one of the best-selling video games of all time, but it wouldn’t exist had it not been for this quirky little go-kart game on the SNES. It featured, for the first time, all of the Mario characters facing off head to head in races around familiar-looking locales from Mario games.
The formula has been tweaked over the years but the base of what makes the game so much fun was captured wonderfully in this little beauty. Always look for shortcuts!
6. Super Mario World
Super Mario World had huge shoes to fill after Super Mario Bros. 3 revolutionized platforming games for the previous generation, but this is Nintendo firing on all cylinders.
Shigeru Miyamoto and his team took their winning formula and expanded it in every direction. No need to break something that works, right? With better graphics and new power-ups, including the ability to ride Yoshi for the first time, this classic offered heart-pounding, challenging fun.
5. Secret of Mana
One of the things the SNES did exceptionally well in its generation was JRPGs. Secret of Mana was made by Square, who back then had a reputation for making the world’s best JRPGs in the business.
The game tells a timeless story with some of the most sweeping and beautiful music of its day. In addition, it wasn’t turn-based, so the action moved quickly, and it featured the novelty of having an extender that allowed three players to play at once. The game’s story was so well-crafted it could bring you to tears.
4. Donkey Kong Country
Before Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong was basically a Nintendo C-lister. He was a character they used as a foil to Mario way back in Nintendo’s arcade days, but Donkey Kong Country changed all that. It brought the fearless ape to the forefront with his own incredible platformer.
We got introduced to a whole new slew of characters in the Donkey Kong universe, ones that still pop up all the time today. The graphics were incredible and the music seemed to float in the middle of the air. Didn’t hurt that it was also really, really fun to play.
3. Chrono Trigger
Neck and neck with Final Fantasy VI, Chrono Trigger is Square’s ultimate masterpiece of the era. This gets the pick because it’s almost flawless. It has so much variety, heart and lore that it could be a Tolkien novel. It somehow made time traveling not a trope, but a true character in the story.
Every generation should get a chance to experience this incredible adventure.
2. Super Metroid
Super Metroid begins with a fully powered-up Samus making her way through a space fortress to eventually meet Ridley, a fearsome winged beast. Once she defeats him, a countdown begins and she has to make her way out of the building very fast, or die. Games just didn’t start like that!
After losing her powers she made her way through a tough adventure on an alien world to uncover ancient lore and take on the fearful Mother Brain and the several different types of Metroids, along with Space Pirates. The first Metroid was a plucky little game but this one changed Samus into an all-time icon.
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Every generation has its favorite iteration of The Legend of Zelda, and A Link to the Past used every bit of processing power the SNES could muster to deliver a cinematic masterpiece pitting Link against Ganon as he tries to save not one but two kingdoms.
It was so innovative in the way it progressed, and its puzzles could get you stuck for weeks. There was no part of the game that was boring, and it featured surprise after surprise, like how you think you’ve finished it but all of a sudden you’re in a bizarro upside-down world that has a ton of new dungeons.
Play it if you’ve never played it, it hasn’t aged a day.