Wow, the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games list was a tough one to narrow down. There were so many great titles on the system, this could very easily have been a top 100. We culled it title by title. Slowly but surely the list took form, and beloved games like Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox, Zombies Ate My Neighbor, and Mega Man X started hitting the cutting room floor. After countless hours of debate we present the top 10 Super Nintendo games of all time. Here are the best of the best.
10) Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars snags the number 10 spot on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown. This title represented a major departure from the typical Mario side-scrolling platformer, and was an unabashed success with Mario & RPG fans alike. Square delivered a highly polished role-playing experience, stayed true to Mario’s world, and provided several new characters which Nintendo promptly buried in an unmarked grave. Oh, Mallow and Geno. We hardly knew you.
9) ActRaiser
ActRaiser, like many Super Nintendo titles, represented a hybrid of gaming never really seen before. The game combined a city-building sim with a side-scrolling action platformer. Sounds strange, right? It was. It was also amazing. ActRaiser featured inexplicable strong monotheistic religious subtext, truly epic boss battles, and some of the most addictive gameplay of the 16-bit generation. Sadly the sequel lost its nerve and dropped the city simulator aspect. As Hunter would say. “Some kind of high-powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.” ActRaiser earns the number 9 spot on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown.
8) Secret of Mana
Secret of Mana was another beautiful freak that was birthed in the 16-bit Super Nintendo laboratory. An action role-playing game with real-time battles and co-op gameplay with 2-3 players on the screen. Pretty impressive when you consider that it was only a couple years ago that video game designers really figured out about this whole co-op fad. Oh you mean you gamers want to play these games together? At the same time? Why didn’t you say so! Grrr. Secret of Mana multiplayers its way into the number 8 spot on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown.
7) Super Mario Kart
Super Mario Kart was released on the Super Nintendo (SNES) in 1992, and the world of video game racing was never be the same. The title boasted eight unique characters, split screen multiplayer action, battle mode, and a plethora of different racing tracks. Super Mario Kart went on to become one of the all-time best selling titles on the Super Nintendo (SNES), and the game races into the number 7 spot on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown.
6) Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger was released in 1995 and is now widely considered to be one of the best video games ever made. Similar to Secret of Mana in terms of graphics and bright colors, Chrono Trigger jumped ahead with a stronger story, memorable characters, time travel, and one of the strongest video game soundtracks ever created. If you’re a Square fan and haven’t played this title – make the effort and go find it. Chrono Trigger earns the number 6 spot on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown.
5) Out Of This World
Out Of This World blazed an artistic trail for video games like the PS2 title Shadow of the Colossus. Much like Shadow of the Colossus, Out Of This World featured almost no dialogue nor narration, and instead relied on graphics, gameplay, and archetypal characters to create a true storytelling experience. The main character is a scientist/inventor warped to a strange planet, befriended by a large alien, and forced to fight and puzzle his way through a world full of danger. A little Dragon’s Lair, a little Shadow of the Colossus, a little The Hero With A Thousand Faces. Out Of This World is certainly one of the less popular titles on this list, but this title is very artistically significant in the history of gaming and deserves a spot. Out Of This World takes the number 5 place on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown.
4) Super Mario World
Released for the Super Nintendo in 1990, Super Mario World is still widely considered one of the best Mario games of all time. Although Super Mario World features a familiar plot and side-scrolling platformer action, there are several improvements made to the series. New power-ups like the cape, featured Koopalings, and of course, most notably, Yoshi. Your trusty dinosaur mount who eats everything, breathes fire, flies, and appears in a host of other Mario titles following this game. Super Mario World leaps into the number 4 spot on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown.
3) Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy II or Final Fantasy III? Argh, how do you pick! Final Fantasy III (or Final Fantasy VI if you want to be confusing) was released on the Super Nintendo (SNES) in 1994, and remains to this day one of the top RPGs ever created. Featuring the standard Square party system and turn-based combat, the steampunk setting was what really set this title apart and set the stage for future protagonists like Cloud and Squall. Final Fantasy III gave us a seamless blend of magic and technology, and skillfully rode the line of tension errupting between these opposing forces. Final Fantasy III is without question one of the most popular Final Fantasy games in the franchise (arguably only behind Final Fantasy VII). This game has been ported more than Paris Hilton. Final Fantasy III levels its way into the number 3 spot on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown.
2) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Numbers 1 & 2 on the countdown could easily have gone either way. Without question one of the greatest games ever made, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is a shining example of 16-bit perfection. A major graphical evolution from its 8-bit ancestors, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past wowed gamers from moment one. The story is pretty similar to other Zelda titles, strap on your green pajamas, find the Master Sword, whap Ganon over the head and save Princess Zelda. But really, who’s playing Legend of Zelda for a big twist ending? The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of the most solid titles ever created, one of the greatest games of the entire 16-bit era, and it earns the number 2 spot on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown.
1) Super Metroid
Samus Aran’s third incarnation, Super Metroid is one of the top-rated games on any system ever. This title took everything gamers loved about the original Metroid and improved on the lot. A giant graphical jump, strafing backwards, new weapons, and an expansive environment. Mother Brain splatter never looked so good. This is without question a must-play title for anyone who missed it on the SNES. Not only a game but a gaming experience, Super Metroid takes the number 1 spot on the Top 10 Best Super Nintendo (SNES) Games countdown.
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