Topic: Obscure Nintendo Games

Cheers!

I am interested in discovering games that were released only in Japan and are worth playing, preferably from the '80 and the '90. I know that during those years many games didn't make their way into Europe or USA, but I know there were a lot of great games that were launched on the various Nintendo consoles, so if you know any of these obscure gems, would be great if you could share them.

Ooo, I always loved looking into obscure Japanese exclusives so I already have a pretty big list off the top of my head:

• Metal Slader Glory (NES): Ultra ambitious visual novel by HAL Laboratory with some of the most impressive graphics on the console. Has a translation.
• Cave Noire (Game Boy): A very early roguelike pared down to its barest essentials, deceptively addicting and replayable. Has a translation.
• Alcahest (SNES): Fairly linear action RPG by a collabing HAL and Squaresoft, with an incredible soundtrack that paved the way for Kirby Super Star's OST. Has a translation.
• Pop'n Twinbee: Rainbow Bell Adventures (SNES): Twinbee but a platformer. This got released in Europe, but a ton of content was cut so I'd recommend playing the translated Japanese version to experience the game at its best.
• Tetris Battle Gaiden (SNES): This one's actually getting rereleased in the upcoming Tetris collection. Super fun and chaotic take on competitive Tetris that still feels really fresh and original.
• Wagyan Paradise (SNES): Drop-dead gorgeous platformer by Namco that shares several team members with the Klonoa games, also has one of the crispest soundtracks on the console. This one doesn't have a translation though and there are several minigames that demand at least a basic knowledge of Japanese so be wary.
• Hashire Hebereke (SNES): Spinoff of the Ufouria games that's basically a footracing game. Super goofy and silly in a charming way.
• Super Nazo Puyo: Rulue No Roux (SNES): Spinoff of Puyo Puyo focused entirely on solving puzzles, has a ton of modes and gets genuinely tough. Has a translation.
• Magical Pop'n (SNES): Level-based metroidvania with tight controls and absurdly fluid animation. Has a translation.
• Snoopy Concert (SNES): Peanuts-themed point and click adventure game by Nintendo themselves. Replicates the artstyle perfectly and has a soundtrack by the guy responsible for Earthbound's music. Has a translation, and can be played with a controller or the SNES Mouse.
• Ganbare Goemon 2-4 (SNES): None of these games released outside of Japan, but they all have translations and rank among the best Goemon games, with 2 being a personal favorite.
• Front Mission: Gun Hazard (SNES): Unique ARPG take on the Front Mission series with a soundtrack by several Square alumni and a ton of content. Has a translation.
• Doremi Fantasy (SNES): Very polished and pretty platformer by Hudson Soft, has a translation.
• Marvelous: Mohitotsu No Takarajima (SNES): None other than Eiji Aonuma's first game as director, has a translation.
• Umihara Kawase (SNES): Not for everyone, but the ones who click with Umihara Kawase really click with it. A brutal but whimsical physics platformer built with speedrunning in mind, and marks one of the earliest examples of an indie game.
• Sutte Hakkun (SNES): Very smartly designed puzzle game by Nintendo that came out right at the end of the SNES's lifespan.
• Chameleon Twist: JP (N64): Another case of a game that got released elsewhere, but it's hard to understate just how much more the Japanese version has. Higher difficulty, more collectibles and minigames, CPU functionality for the Battle Mode, unlockable characters, hidden bosses, the list goes on.
• Custom Robo V2 (N64): Both Custom Robo games for N64 are great, but V2 in particular has so much to do, probably my favorite game in the series.
• Tomato Adventure (GBA): Basically a prototype for the Mario & Luigi games, AlphaDream's DNA is all over this game. Has a translation.
• Starfy 1-3 (GBA): These are on NSO now but if you haven't played them yet, you definitely should. Really fun and comfy underwater platformers unlike anything else out there. There are no shortages of guides out there to help with the Japanese text, but 1 and 3 also have their own translations.
• Bit Generations (GBA): Basically the first iteration of the Nintendo's Art Style series, a bunch of abstract, simple games that are easy to pick up and understand.
• Kururin Paradise/Squash (GBA/GCN): Fantastic sequels to Kuru Kuru Kururin with more involved level design, interesting mechanics, and better music. Both have translations too.