Nintendo’s long history is full of classics. Whether you’re looking at their mascot Mario - who has starred in a vast amount of titles - or at their smaller, obscure games from years back, it’s wall-to-wall quality. The best way to experience some of that brilliance is via Nintendo Switch Online, and if you’re a subscription holder, you can download and play any of these brilliant games today.
Each game on this list is legendary in its own right. Some of them have shaped thousands of games that followed. Every game here cemented Nintendo as a legend in its own right, but which of these SNES games is the best?
Super Punch-Out!!
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You don’t have to enjoy boxing to enjoy Super Punch-Out!! The arcade fashion of the controls and mechanics make it very accessible and the cartoon visuals pack a lot, well, punch. Because of its simplicity and basic 2D visuals, it hasn’t aged badly either. Playing today is just as fun as it was back in the SNES era. Perhaps the only drawback to this brilliant game is the difficulty. It’s no walk in the park, but thankfully the learning curve is pretty shallow so you can get the grips of each fighter and their style easily.
Super R-Type
Shoot-em-ups have always simmered along at a pace, never really going out of fashion. However, the mid-90s had many of the highlights that are still respected today. Super R-Type is one of those titles. An endlessly replayable journey through fast-paced stages where bullets and ion shots overwhelm your little plucky ship. Some of the best feelings come from dodging a shot that would have totaled your ship, or taking out a boss by the skin of your teeth. The arcade quality of Super R-Type makes it even more appealing as you can constantly chase those high scores.
Kirby’s Dream Land 3
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There’s something so enigmatic and wonderful about this little pink amorphous blob. Kirby is adorable, but also one of the most powerful Nintendo characters out there. This little dude just wanders around gulping down objects, creatures, and enemies then taking on their power. That’s badass, and Kirby’s Dream Land 3 is one of the best ways to experience this. Its wonderful platforming is combined with the ability to wield various powers. A great gateway into Kirby and his shenanigans.
Earthbound
The power of Earthbound generally comes from the legions of fans that have loved this Nintendo RPG gem for decades. It’s quirky, surreal, and off-the-wall, which can be off putting. However, give this game a chance and you’ll be captivated. Just calling this a simple Japanese RPG does it a great disservice because that makes you think of every other RPG from the era, when it’s so incredibly different. Earthbound is a terrific journey and one that doesn’t shy away from being weird, which is something we should all embrace.
F-Zero
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Anytime I can pass along some love to F-Zero, I will. The fast-paced racing is unlike anything else from the SNES era. There’s the bonkers futurism, the hover cars that just rip along the tracks taking turns at ridiculous speeds, and it all looks ruddy lovely too. Watching F-Zero nowadays, it looks as if it would be a nightmare to play, but it’s still so simple to grab a controller and start zooming. If only Nintendo cared about the franchise, we could have a superb racer on the Switch.
Donkey Kong Country
If Nintendo is the champion of platformers, then Rare has to come in second place, right? Rare were just masters at the craft of designing characters and putting them in levels that make you feel all the joy and whimsy. Donkey Kong Country managed to elevate platforming due to its use of 3D objects on a 2D plane. It was revolutionary for the SNES and it still feels original now, plus this was a big leap forward for the Donkey Kong character who has since become very important to Nintendo.
Star Fox
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Another seminal series for Nintendo that the company has neglected for quite some time. Thankfully, we have the brilliance that is Star Fox on Nintendo Switch Online. Imagine the wonder of a shoot-em-up scaled up to fully 3D 1990s polygons, with an animal cast as its central protagonists. It shouldn’t work but it does. I went back to this recently to show a friend who’d missed out on it as a kid, and we ended up playing through it for hours because it’s still so engaging. Plus, any worry I had about it looking rough faded quickly because it has that kitsch retro look that never goes out of style. Bags of fun and loads of charm, Star Fox is still wonderful.
Super Metroid
Now, this is where I make an admission that usually gets me booed out of a room. I’ve never clicked with the Metroid games. I appreciate them, but that’s very different from enjoying them. I know they’re brilliant - I’ve watched so many speedruns of Super Metroid, it’s ridiculous. I know the love it has is warranted. It’s simply the epitome of the genre it has spawned, with its bedfellow Castlevania (which was much more my jam). So, while I’d love to say you should play it because I love it, I can’t. However, I can, with confidence, say you should play it because everyone else loves it. It’s considered the perfect MetroidVania, a wonderful balance of discovery, battles, and ingenious traversal.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
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What can I say about A Link to the Past that hasn’t already been said a million times before? There is nothing. It’s a perfect game. It’s joyous, funny, vast in scale, filled with details, features superb combat, and perhaps some of the most iconic imagery in gaming. While I can’t say anything different, I can say that this game was one I never played fully until I was an adult. I wasn’t a Nintendo kid so I could only play in snatches round a friend’s house and I never got to finish it. I was so scared going back to Hyrule after so many years, but I needn’t be because it was just as magical as when I was a kid.
Super Mario World
Probably my favourite Nintendo game of all-time, bar Super Mario Bros 3, is Super Mario World. While Nintendo themselves have tried (and come close) to bettering this game, and other companies have tried over the years, nothing comes close to this. Everything is iconic. The platforming is still tight, challenging, and rewarding. The level design, particularly the verticality, is sublime, and that scaling overworld map just draws you in, delivering a plethora of levels that sing. Mario has never felt better than this, controlling him feels like an extension of my senses and the addition of the spin-jump is a chef’s kiss moment. I could easily play this game over and over until I die, and I shall, and so should you.
Topics: Kirby, Mario, Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Online, The Legend Of Zelda, List, Retro Gaming