11. Tetris Attack (SNES)
The Tetris branding was a misnomer here; a pure marketing strategy to give this wonderful puzzler a leg up in the West. Panel de Pon is a cracking puzzle game that doesn't resemble Tetris in the slightest and if you've never played it before, you're in for a real treat. It's so incredibly addictive that Capcom's Shinji Mikami had to ban the game while his team was developing the original Resident Evil. As recommendations go, that's not a bad one.
If you've somehow misplaced your original cart (how very careless), you can check it out most easily on Switch, although you won't find Tetris Attack anywhere on the menu screen of your Nintendo Switch online Super NES app. It's listed under its Japanese title, almost certainly due to Nintendo not wanting to pay The Tetris Company in order to use the name again.
10. Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! (SNES)
Rounding off the Super NES DKC trilogy nicely, Dixie and Kiddie's adventure is still a pleasure today. It arguably can't quite reach the highs of the second chapter in Rare's trio of DK delights, but Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! looks better than ever and gives you some choice with a non-linear map to explore and options should you hit a roadblock on your adventure.
9. Kirby Super Star (SNES)
This is less a game and more a smorgasbord of ideas thrown at the SNES which — somewhat unexpectedly — congeals into a satisfying blend of games, sub-games and mini-games. There are nine in total and the titular character is a versatile hero that manages to suck up these experimental bits and pieces and meld them into a whole greater than the sum of its parts. 'Cohesive' might be generous, but Kirby Super Star is thoroughly entertaining and well worth a look.
8. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)
Rare's first foray into the world of DK and his cronies. Despite the visuals not wowing like they did back in 1994, the template put down in Donkey Kong Country would influence every DK title to come. The redesigned DK looked brilliant, the music was incredible, and every aspect of the game demonstrated a stunning attention to detail. While not quite as polished as you remember, DKC is still a classic that should be tracked down and played — which is much easier now that it's included as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Super NES offering.
7. EarthBound (SNES)
EarthBound succeeds at not only being one of the most unique and refreshing RPG experiences ever created, but also one of the most epic and entertaining as well. Combining classic RPG gameplay elements with a heart-warming modern spin, the game somehow feels familiar yet strange all at the same time. With a peerless visual style, soundtrack and storyline, playing EarthBound is like revisiting a vivid childhood memory of fun and adventure. You can't repeat the past, but you can certainly revisit it. Mother!
6. Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (SNES)
Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (not Diddy Kong's Quest) is a beautiful secret-filled game with a gorgeous soundtrack that helps create an atmosphere that sticks in the memory. You end up returning to this simply to enjoy your surroundings and have 'that feeling' again. We've found this to be a feature of many Rare games and the second SNES entry in the DKC series is a prime example. Debate will rage as to which of DKC games is best, but this is up there with the very, very best.
5. Super Mario All-Stars (SNES)
An extremely impressive package featuring the NES Super Mario Bros. games with a 16-bit lick of paint, Super Mario All-Stars was a convenient way to revisit the classics back on Super NES. Ultimately, with the exception of Super Mario Bros. 2 (we'd say that this collection contains the optimum version of that game), the originals arguably still offer the best experience these days. If you're playing this via Nintendo Switch Online, they're all accessible so you can easily see for yourselves.
However, for anybody who first experienced the NES games in this package, we understand if this represents peak 2D Mario for you and offers the ultimate nostalgia trip; everyone's a winner now that they're all available on Switch.
4. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island (SNES)
Yoshi's Island is the absolute summit of not just Yoshi games, but platformer games in general, with a wonderful vision of pastel colours, majestic backdrops, and character-oozing sprites. Honestly, it's difficult to remember any other game that matches or even comes close to the amount of detail that Yoshi's Island did, past or present. The level of charm is astronomical. Every enemy seems quite intentional. There will be moments when you refrain from killing an enemy just to watch it in action.
With its deep exploration-based gameplay and gorgeous art style, Yoshi's Island is still a joy to play all these years later. Yoshi's Island isn't just a great platformer: it's a reminder of why this silly little hobby of ours is so wonderful.
3. Super Metroid (SNES)
We dislike overusing the word 'masterpiece', but in this case (and in the case of a chunk of top-tier SNES releases) it's absolutely accurate. Super Metroid is the standard by which all Metroid games are judged, and an impossibly high one, at that. If you're a franchise fan, you'll have played this to death. If, however, you've never dipped your toes into Nintendo's pool of sci-fi action exploration, this is the one you need to play. That's all there is to it.
2. Super Mario World (SNES)
There is endless debate about whether Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World is the better game. For our money, they are two sides of the same coin — two faces of a monumental peak in the video game landscape. This remains an incredible achievement of invention and sheer entertainment that the 2D platforming genre has struggled to match ever since. Introducing Yoshi and an expanded overworld with multiple paths, Mario World overflows with secrets and secret exits that were perfect for fuelling playground gossip and elevating it to the upper-est echelons of platform video games, 2D or otherwise.
Decades on, it still doesn't get much better than this. All games have flaws, but if there exists an exception to that rule, Super Mario World is it.
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (SNES)
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is one of the best games of all time, and if you haven't experienced it yourself... you probably have through one of the other Zelda games, such was its influence on the series and the entire action-adventure genre.
Link could move diagonally and run thanks to the Pegasus Boots, and he could swipe his sword sideways, allowing for a much wider range when attacking. In fact, A Link to the Past introduced many mainstays of the franchise, including various stalwart items and the idea of parallel worlds.
There's no shortage of 2D and 3D Zeldas to choose from these days, but this 16-bit entry codified the core elements of a 'Zelda game.' It's still got that touch of magic about it many years later. Unmissable.
Was there ever any doubt? Let us know your thoughts below, and remember - if you haven't rated your favourite games from the list, you can still do so and influence the overall ranking. New games added to the service will appear here, too - you can check back in the future and rank them as well.
And if you're after a full list of every Nintendo Switch Online retro game currently available, we're happy to oblige.
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