While the NES may have opened the floodgates of video game goodness, the Super Nintendo made sure they stayed open. Nintendo's second home console was heavily supported by first-party titles like Super Mario World, Super Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.
However, a plethora third-party developers made many of their best and most legendary games for the console as well. Ask any old school gamer to recall their fonder memories of the SNES, and they are likely to reminisce about the following ten games below. Fortunately, most of these are playable on more modern consoles for newer generations of gamers to enjoy.
10 Final Fantasy VI
Initially known as Final Fantasy III in North America, Final Fantasy VI is the last two-dimensional mainline entry in the long-running franchise. It is often considered one of the best Final Fantasy games, and is notable for a major twist halfway through the game which significantly changes the way one progresses through the latter portion of the adventure. Kefka is also one of the finest villains of the generation, setting a precedent for antagonists who actually get away with their misdeeds.
9 Super Star Wars
Star Wars video games are hit and miss, though in recent years they have been having better luck. On the SNES, fans were able to play the three Super Star Wars titles, side scrolling action titles with various flight sequences taking advantage of the console's mode 7 capabilities. While the movies are easy to watch, Super Star Wars is notably difficult, taking extreme skills just to pass the first level.
8 Super Castlevania IV
The Castlevania series eventually expanded beyond Nintendo, but many still associate the series with the NES and SNES. Super Castlevania IV retains similar gameplay to its predecessors, only with better graphics and refined mechanics. Super Castlevania IV was the pinnacle of this era, refining a formula which was expanded upon with Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, which included more exploration.
7 Turtles In Time
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game on the NES was notorious for its difficulty, which includes an infamous jump that is nearly impossible to accomplish. Turtles In Time takes cues from the best beat 'em ups of the time to craft a cooperative adventure where the iconic characters travel through the ages to stop shredder. Going through the campaign with a friend makes for one of the most memorable multiplayer experiences on the SNES.
6 Secret Of Mana
Turn-based JRPGs were all the rage in the '90s, but Secret of Mana stands out from the pack by putting the action into realtime. Players cannot rest for one second during combat and they must take movement into account when facing certain enemies.
Also a rarity for the genre, another player can jump into the fray for some cooperative action. A remake came out in 2018, though some may prefer the retro 2D graphics and original soundtrack.
5 Super Ghouls 'N Ghosts
In the 2D age, side scrolling was the method of traversing most games chose to employ. The Ghosts 'n Goblins series is known as one of the hardest platformers of the era, and Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts for the SNES loyally continued this trend. Like many other games of the era, one has to beat SGnG twice in order to unlock the true ending, which feels like a cheap and artificial way to extend a game's runtime.
4 Super Street Fighter II Turbo
During the SNES's life, arcades were still immensely popular and offered a fidelity most consoles could not match. However, it was still a big deal when a popular arcade game made its way to a system like the SNES, even if it took a graphical downgrade. Super Street Fighter II Turbo was a dream come true for many fighting game fans, who now no longer needed to travel to a public space and use all their quarters to face off against friends.
3 The Lion King
Even back then, adaptations of popular movies had a bad reputation for being cheap cash-ins. Certain video game versions of popular Disney movies got it right on the SNES and Genesis, however, crafting addictive side scrolling platformers using the popular characters. As great as The Lion King is, most never saw every level thanks to its extremely uneven difficulty. This was the result of the publisher wanting people to purchase the full game and not beat it after renting it once.
2 Super Bomberman
The Bomberman formula is easy to understand just by looking at it. Plant bombs in a field to blow up blocks and other opponents while constantly dodging explosives.
Super Bomberman was the prettiest 16-bit game at the time, and one could even play with up to three other friends with a multitap. The ability to go through the adventure mode cooperatively also makes Super Bomberman one of the best ways to experience the Super Nintendo with a friend.
1 Chrono Trigger
While Square was pumping out Final Fantasy games at a steady pace during this era, their most legendary entry on the console was probably Chrono Trigger. The time travel narrative is deeper and more nuanced than almost anything else on the console, and the game eschews random encounters in favor of overworld encounters. Despite its legendary status, Chrono Trigger only received one sequel and a couple of re-releases.