Ah, the 90s… That decade holds plenty of fond memories for me as a gamer, what with the Super Nintendo being released in 1991 and all. As soon as I was old enough to hold a controller and understand how to use it, I had plenty of classics at my disposal. That’s, uh, just an expression, of course. Like I’d ever dispose of classic SNES games… There was Super Mario World, Donkey Kong Country, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, just to name a few.

But then there were others.

As kids, my brothers and I often got SNES games as gifts. Some were from our parents, others from other kids’ parents (because let’s face it, the kids didn’t buy us squat). The thing about these games, though, is that many of them were quite obscure. I had never heard of these games before, nor did my brothers or anyone we knew. And even these days, I still hear very few people talk about these games or even know that they exist.

The thing is, many of these games I actually enjoyed playing. So allow me to share with you my picks for the Top 10 SNES Games You Probably Never Played.

 

Note: This article was originally published many years ago on a website that no longer exists that went by the name of Game Podunk. The original article was also converted into a video uploaded to the Game Podunk YouTube channel, which you can watch here. The video script differs slightly, as this article has been edited for improvements.

#10

Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball

I still have no clue who the hell this Bill “Lame beer” guy is, but apparently, in the year 2030 (so, like, really soon, or even in the past, if you’re reading this ages from now) he becomes commissioner of a basketball league, gets rid of all the referees, and creates a play style where there are absolutely no rules. Fouls don’t exist and you could basically throw a bomb at another player and that’s perfectly legal. Combat Basketball was made by Hudson Soft, and it was the very first basketball game released for the SNES.

Quite frankly, it kinda sucks, but I still found it pretty entertaining back in the day, if only because it was so silly. Or maybe it was that one kick-ass song. If you know, you know…

#9

Sküljagger: Revolt of the Westicans

First of all, “Westicans?” From “Westica?” Really? I’m guessing that place is somewhere to the West? Anyway, Sku- …SkulJAGGER? …SkulYAGGER? SkulYAGGER! We’ll go with SkulYAGGER. Sküljagger: Revolt of the Westicans is an interesting little gem. I don’t remember too much about it, other than the fact that bubblegum is a pretty big gameplay mechanic.

You heard that right.

You can chew different types of bubblegum to do things like hover and jump higher. There’s even a practice mode where you just practice your bubblegum skills. Other than that, I never knew what the story was, and I don’t think I ever passed the first level, but the bubblegum thing made this game memorable enough for me to throw on this list, so whatever.

#8

Super Off Road

Originally an arcade game with a much longer title, Super Off Road is a different kind of racing game than any other I’ve played. Rather than using Mode 7 like Super Mario Kart and F-Zero did, Super Off Road used a single, top-view camera angle. This meant that “down” was actually utilized in this one. Crazy, I know.

One feature that this racing game has that others I played at the time didn’t is customization. You can customize your truck with the money you earn through winning races and such. And I’m a sucker for customization. Aside from that, it’s a fun game in general. Maybe not as fun as Super Mario Kart or F-Zero, but fun enough to place on a Top 10 list.

#7

World Heroes

Otherwise known as “the other Street Fighter” by me and at least one other person probably, World Heroes had plenty of similarities with the wildly popular fighting series, right down to having some Japanese dude spouting Japanese move names that I never bothered translating. It may have been popular enough to merit a sequel and several ports since its initial arcade release, but the series’ existence seemed to have been long since forgotten. One thing this game has, though, that Street Fighter could never quite compete with is the ability to fight as Rasputin.

…Okay, so maybe that’s not anything to write home about, but still. Anyway, World Heroes is pretty fun, and it was my very first fighting game ever, long before I ever picked up a Street Fighter game, so it was memorable for me, earning it a spot on this list.

#6

Out to Lunch

A game that just needed to be made. I mean, who didn’t open up their fridge and think, “What if all this food just came to life and escaped and I had to go on a journey around the world to get it all back with some evil chef trying to thwart me?” What? No one else did? Just me? Well, whatever. That’s the plot of Out to Lunch, anyway.

I mean, sure, there are much better platformers on the SNES (this is Nintendo’s console, after all), but this game is something a bit out-of-the-ordinary, and so it left quite the impression in my memory banks. If my parents had never gotten me this game, I’m not sure I’d ever have known what it was or believed anyone who told me something like this existed.

#5

Troddlers

Some kids grew up with Lemmings. I, on the other hand, had Troddlers. They are similar games in that your main objective is to get some little people from Point A to Point B, but how you do so is different. I have some pretty fond memories of this one, partially because I remember bonding with my uncle as we played multiplayer together. And partially because of the catchy music.

Troddlers is more like Lemmings with a dash of Solomon’s Key, because you, a sorcerer’s apprentice (or apprentices, if playing multiplayer), create and erase blocks to guide the little guys to their destination. There’s also some kind of story, but naturally, I never cared about that as a kid. The game was fun, and that’s all I cared about.

#4

ActRaiser

This Enix-published game is certainly one-of-a-kind. Seriously, I have never played any other game quite like this one. I’ve played city-building simulation games and I’ve played side-scrolling action games, but both genres in the same game? Well, the city-building part is more what you would call a “god game” type of simulation, as you’re helping to build a civilization by increasing its population, protecting against demons, and performing miracles, but eh, close enough.

In ActRaiser, the protagonist is basically God, with the antagonist being Satan (The Master and Tanzra in the versions outside of Japan). You don’t actually control Master God, though, but instead control his little angel servant for the simulation sequences and an animated sword-wielding statue for the more action-y parts. The game is actually fairly good, and even has a sequel (which sadly got rid of the god game aspect to be a pure side-scrolling action game), but unfortunately wasn’t all that popular, having since all but faded away.

 

Note: In 2021, long after this article was originally published on Game Podunk, a remake of this game called ActRaiser Renaissance was released on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Android, and iOS. Check it out. Clearly, the game was remembered a lot more fondly than I initially realized.

#3

Super Earth Defense Force

Every time I hear people speak of a new Earth Defense Force game, I can’t help but think of this personal classic. But then I remember that no one else really knows about this one and are instead talking about a third-person action game where you fight giant things like bugs. In fact, for a while, I was wondering if the games were somehow related.

They aren’t, by the way.

The Earth Defense Force I’m talking about is a side-scrolling shooter much like games in the R-Type series. It was originally an arcade game but was later released for the SNES as Super Earth Defense Force. A much more creative title, I know.

Fun fact: this was the first side-scrolling shooter I ever played. It’s also one of my favorite SNES games ever. Although that could just be the nostalgia talking. Or maybe it’s the game’s amazingly amazing soundtrack.

 

Note: Super Earth Defense Force has since been released on the Nintendo Switch via Nintendo Switch Online on its…uh…SNES emulator thing. Check it out.

#2

Plok!

Even though it has one of the most incredible soundtracks I’ve ever heard in the 16-bit era (and of all time, I would even say), not many people are aware of Plok!’s existence. Well, not many people I know, at least. Perhaps it’s the most popular game ever in some areas of the world, but I have yet to meet someone who has ever played it aside from my brothers.

Regardless of its popularity, though, I fell in love with Plok!. The game, not the weird-looking protagonist. It’s fun, with its Rayman-like feature of throwing limbs at enemies and the different power-ups that help to spice up the gameplay. And did I mention the soundtrack? Soooooo goooooood…

 

Note: It seems since originally writing this article, Plok! has been getting more love and discovery, mainly for its stellar soundtrack. One big factor in all of this is certain YouTubers reacting to its music. Another big factor is the untimely death of Geoff Follin, who composed the amazing music with his brother Tim Follin. May he rest in peace…

#1

The Lost Vikings

You guys know who Silicon & Synapse is, right? Wait, let me reword that: You guys know who Blizzard Entertainment is, right? Before they were known by that name, they went by Silicon & Synapse. And back in those days, they developed one of my favorite puzzle games ever. I may even go so far as to say that this is one of my favorite SNES games ever.

The Lost Vikings is a fun little puzzle-platformer involving some Vikings being abducted by aliens and escaping into different periods as they try to get back home. So, you know, usual Viking shenanigans. You play as Erik the Swift, Baleog the Fierce, and Olaf the Stout, each with different abilities that you utilize to reach the end of each level.

This game is probably the most well-known out of all other entries on this list, with the Vikings even making cameos in World of Warcraft, as well as becoming playable characters in Blizzard’s Heroes of the Storm, but it’s still an underrated game I rarely ever hear about. Hell, there was even a sequel I didn’t know about until I hit my teens. For the record, turns out the sequel is also pretty amazing.

 

Note: In 2021, long after this article was originally published on Game Podunk, Blizzard Entertainment released the Blizzard Arcade Collection for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox One, which includes both The Lost Vikings and The Lost Vikings 2. Check them out.

 

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Do you agree with this list? What SNES games did YOU enjoy that next to no one else has ever played? Be sure to let me know in the comments below. Do you have an idea for a list you’d like to see me use? Leave that in the comments as well, and I might just pick it up.