The Super Nintendo was home to many great games that spanned just about any genre imaginable. The wealth of variety was due to the system being a third-party powerhouse with amazing developers like Capcom, Konami, and Squaresoft all supporting the system.
One genre that shined more than others on the Super Nintendo was the platformer. Beginning with the release of Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985, the genre was the most popular and explored genre for both the third and fourth generation.
Having the groundwork laid by the fantastic platformers developed for the NES allowed the SNES to release some of the most successful and beloved platformers of all time. So to give some love to the system that perfected the genre, here are the top 10 SNES platformers.
10 Demon's Crest
Demon’s Crest is the third game in the trilogy that lets you play as Firebrand, a prominent enemy in the Ghouls N’ Ghosts games. You can jump and fly at the same altitude with most of the game’s platforming challenges taking advantage of this ability. Throughout the game, you collect different gems that let you transform into different gargoyles with different abilities. At any point in the game, you can switch between gargoyles when you needed one of their abilities. These different abilities allow you to travel to previously unreachable areas in the game’s semi-open world, a format created by Nintendo’s Metroid series.
9 Kirby's Dream Land 3
Kirby's Dream Land 3 plays very similarly to other games in the series. Kirby can jump and hover about by holding air in his mouth, suck up enemies and steal their abilities, and ride some animal buddies. The game has a very light yet colorful palette making it almost look like it was drawn by a small child.
There are two endings in the game, one that has Kirby and friends fighting the series usual antagonist, King Dedede, and the other ending is the secret true ending that sees Kirby fighting Zero. Zero is a giant eye with a red iris and is the ring leader of the Dark Matter invasion of Dreamland.
8 Umihara Kawase
In Umihara Kawase you play as a young girl going through a variety of different stages that are set up more like obstacle courses rather than typical video game levels. As you make your way through the game you come across large fish that you can catch with your fishing line before throwing them into your backpack. The fishing line can also be used as a rope that you can attach to just about anything as a way to make it across gaps or elevate yourself to higher levels.
7 Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures
Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures is one of the most colorful games on this list, which is saying a lot when looking at other entries. In Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures, you play as Twinbee who is the star of a line of shoot ‘em up games made by Konami.
Instead of being a classic shoot ‘em up, Pop'n TwinBee: Rainbow Bell Adventures is an endearing platformer that takes inspiration from Sonic: The Hedgehog and the shoot ‘em up series it spawned from. You make your way through large sprawling levels with a large selection of abilities at your fingertips like dashing in any direction and shooting out projectiles.
6 The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse
In The Magical Quest Starring Mickey Mouse, Mickey comes across different outfits, all of which give him new abilities for taking out enemies and traversing the levels. Mickey can acquire a magician’s outfit which lets him shoot out magic balls that can be charged to produce a more powerful effect. Later in the game, Mickey unlocks the firefighter outfit which allows him to spray his enemies with water, put out fires, and move blocks. Finally, Mickey gets the mountain-climbing gear which gives him a grappling hook for climbing on certain objects.
5 Sparkster
Sparkster is a sequel to Rocket Knight Adventure on the Sega Genesis. Added to the Super Nintendo version is the ability to dash either left or right with the shoulder buttons. Like previous games in the series, in Sparkster you have a meter at the top of the screen that when filled will allow you to attack with a quick spin attack or a dash attack. While this meter would need to be charged by holding down a button in previous titles, in Sparkster it is constantly filling on its own.
4 Aladdin
Aladdin has you playing through different portions of the Disney movie, from the intro that has you going around the Agraba marketplace to the cave where Aladdin finds the magic lamp, and more. Aladdin is a very solid platformer with added abilities like being able to swing from poles, bounce off some objects, and throw apples at enemies to stun them.
The game really captures the feeling of the movie with the well-detailed sprites and the lively areas you go through. While the game is easy enough, there are many out of reach items that will really test your platforming skills if you want to get them.
3 Super Ghouls ‘n Ghosts
While many other consoles received ports of the Ghouls N’ Ghosts arcade game, the Super Nintendo was blessed with its very own, unique version of the game. While you cannot shoot up and down like in the arcade classic, you can instead double jump which the game makes great use of as platforming is the main focus of the game. You can also upgrade your armor twice wherein the arcade original you could only do it once - the first time you are given green armor which increases the power of your weapon; the second time you are given gold armor which gives you a special attack that is different for each weapon.
2 Donkey Kong Country
Donkey Kong Country uses digitized images of real objects to give it a very distinct look that still holds up to this day. You play as Donkey Kong who can bounce off of enemies, roll, and pick up barrels. Some barrels will be marked with DK, and these barrels contain Diddy Kong whom you can change to at any point.
Having both Donkey and Diddy together will give you an extra hit before dying. Also included in the game are animals that you can ride. You’ll find a rhino, ostrich, swordfish, and more that you can ride around levels and take out enemies with.
1 Super Mario World
Super Mario World is one of the finest platformers ever released. It has near-perfect controls, many varied interesting and challenging levels, powerups that dramatically change any level they are brought in to, and so much more. There are many new additions that were added to Super Mario World that weren’t seen in previous titles such as multiple exits to levels, the cape powerup which would allow you to fly if used properly, and Yoshi. Many of the mechanics and design philosophies put in place by Super Mario World not only influenced every Mario game that followed but every platformer made from that point forward.