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00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're counting down our picks for the Top 20 Best SNES Games
00:11of All Time.
00:17For this list, we'll be looking at the absolute greatest of what Nintendo's 16-bit wonder
00:21had to offer.
00:22Which Super Nintendo game do you have fond memories of playing?
00:25Let us know down in the comments.
00:27Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring
00:32the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:36Super Ghouls N' Ghosts
00:42Capcom made things a bit easier when they transitioned Arthur to 16-bit, but that doesn't
00:47mean his SNES outing won't still pummel you into the dirt.
00:50Once again, the knight is tasked with saving Princess Guinevere from an evil emperor and
00:54his hordes of nightmarish creatures.
00:56Hordes of awesome power-ups like the ground-traveling scythe and upward-firing crossbow are fun
01:00tools of death, but you'll have to stay on your toes because the enemies will simply
01:04never stop coming.
01:06Add on Arthur's two-hit health bar and exceptionally tough boss fights, and you've got one of
01:10the most challenging yet satisfying action platformers of the system.
01:18Killer Instinct
01:24In an arcade era dominated by Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter, Rare released this fighter
01:29with a heavy focus on pulling off incredible combos.
01:32Its fast-paced and varied roster helped it stand out, which led to a Super Nintendo port
01:37that's still fun to play today.
01:38Some sacrifices obviously had to be made when it came to graphics and sound, but the gameplay
01:43was as smooth as ever.
01:44There's really nothing quite like hearing Ultra Combo screamed over the game's awesome
01:48soundtrack after pulling off an intense string of button inputs.
01:57F-Zero
02:05The F-Zero franchise has a reputation for being stressful, and its legacy began right
02:10here.
02:11Set in the year 2560, it focuses on high-stakes Grand Prix's with hovercars.
02:15As one of the launch titles for the system, it showed off the Super Nintendo's graphical
02:19and gameplay improvements with tremendous style.
02:22Its tough-to-master courses likely caused a lot of players some pain as they went careening
02:26into barriers and even other racers.
02:29It was sleeker and faster than any other racer around, and perfecting its controls and tracks
02:33was definitely rewarding.
02:34It's just a shame that Nintendo doesn't show it more love these days.
02:44Super Street Fighter II The New Challengers
02:53To be fair, you can't go wrong with any version of this classic Capcom fighter, but
02:57for its new features, we have to give love to the New Challengers.
03:00There were a ton of improvements made over past iterations.
03:04Customizable speed settings, new attacks, and a reversal mechanic made all the difference
03:08when fighting.
03:09Smaller changes like reworked graphics and character animations made it feel a bit more
03:13polished.
03:14But what really got us excited were the four new characters, namely Cammy, Fei Long, T-Hawk,
03:18and DJ are now series mainstays.
03:21All in all, it's the best version of a terrific fighting game.
03:24Super Mario Kart Super Mario Kart is for those who want something
03:33more manageable than F-Zero, which, let's be honest, is the vast majority of us.
03:37Putting Mario characters in a kart racer was a novel idea at the time that has grown into
03:42one of Nintendo's most profitable franchises.
03:45While its controls may not have aged as well as other installments, Super Mario Kart still
03:49deserves heaps of praise.
03:51It was an absolute delight racing beloved characters through the Mushroom Kingdom, intensified
03:56by chaotic items to use against your opponents.
03:58For two-player competitions, whether it be racing or battling, there was nothing else
04:02like it around.
04:09Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 4 Turtles in Time
04:17The early 90s were a wonderful period for beat-em-ups, and Turtles in Time just may
04:22be the best.
04:23It follows the heroes after Shredder sends them through a time warp.
04:26The player then has to fight their way through different eras.
04:29The art style lovingly recreates the look of the popular animated series, and each turtle
04:33has unique stats that go beyond just using a different weapon.
04:37As a port of the arcade game, the SNES version unfortunately couldn't have all four turtles
04:41being playable at one time, sadly.
04:43But other than that, it's a fantastic port that also adds new modes, as well as bosses
04:48and enemies.
04:49Cowabunga!
04:57Star Fox
05:04It may not look like much now, but by 1993 standards, Star Fox was simply jaw-dropping.
05:10The rail shooter used the Super FX coprocessor and polygonal graphics to simulate 3D before
05:15it was an actuality.
05:16It was quite literally unlike anything else any other console had seen.
05:20Beyond its unique look, the game was just a blast to play.
05:23It had us flying through enemy-infested areas and shooting down foes to protect our teammates.
05:28Gameplay was simple, but never boring.
05:30Interestingly, it also offered three paths with different difficulties and levels.
05:34This added a replayability factor that was absent in most games of the genre at the time.
05:44Secret of Mana
05:52The Super Nintendo was a haven for great RPGs, and Square gave us most of them.
05:57Secret of Mana follows a young boy who unknowingly unleashes monsters into the world.
06:01He and his allies must venture to eight temples to power up the Mana Sword and bring peace.
06:06While that isn't exactly an original fantasy story, there were plenty of other elements
06:09that made Secret of Mana unique.
06:11Instead of a single player controlling a party, up to two others via the multi-tap could join
06:15for a three-player adventure.
06:17Its fights were also fought in real-time rather than in turn-based battles.
06:21And each character could change equipment and spells through an innovative ring command
06:25menu.
06:30Super Castlevania IV
06:38Like Super Ghouls N' Ghosts, Super Castlevania IV features the same simple plot as the game
06:42that began the franchise.
06:44Namely, Simon Belmont, vampire hunter, is taking on Dracula and his minions.
06:48But it lacked in story, originality, and more than made up for with stellar gameplay
06:52and music.
06:53Simon's ability to thwip his whip in eight directions made it easier to block projectiles
06:57and slay monsters.
06:59And there were plenty of other weapons to collect along the way, like firebombs and
07:02a cross-like boomerang.
07:04It's also got terrifically atmospheric level layouts, bolstered by wonderful enemy and
07:08boss designs.
07:14Super Mario World 2 Yoshi's Island
07:22Though it's not quite as good as its predecessors, Yoshi's Island is still one of the best
07:25platformers on the Super Nintendo.
07:27The dino's unique mechanics like tossing eggs and the hover jump added a new layer
07:31to the familiar formula.
07:33The hand-drawn art style, which resembled a pop-up book, was undeniably adorable.
07:37All of these elements kick-started Yoshi's career as a bonafide platforming star in his
07:41own right.
07:43And it may have been placed higher if it wasn't for Baby Mario's alarm-like wailing that
07:46happens every single time you get hit, yeah I know.
07:50Despite featuring one of gaming's most annoying sounds, this spinoff is an absolute delight.
07:59Mega Man X
08:07Taking place a century after the NES series, this spinoff brought a ton of new attributes
08:11to Capcom's Blue Bomber.
08:13Not only did 16-bits offer more intricate levels and character designs, but the story
08:17was a bit grander than a mad scientist using robots for evil.
08:21The villain this time, Sigma, was a sentient robot who had gone nuts.
08:24He and his animal-based robot bosses offered some of the best fights the series has ever
08:29seen.
08:30Combative gameplay was as great as always, utilizing power-ups from fallen bosses and
08:34X's arm cannon.
08:35There were also notable improvements to platforming sections such as the ability to scale walls
08:40and dash that made traversal much more fluid.
08:46Super Mario RPG The Legend of the Seven Stars
08:55There was a time where placing Mario in an RPG may have seemed like a strange idea, but
09:00Paper Mario and the Mario & Luigi spinoffs owe thanks to Square's work here.
09:04Super Mario RPG is a beautiful blend of Mario's characters and elements with the traditional
09:09turn-based gameplay that Square is known for.
09:11The plot is notable for having Bowser not be the big bad, but rather a teammate the
09:15player can unlock.
09:16Two other party members, Geno and Mallow, are some of the best-written characters Mario
09:20has ever come across.
09:22Despite the Nintendo 64 being mere months away, the game also sold fantastically well.
09:26That's just what happens when one of the best RPG studios around meets gaming's
09:30most famous icon.
09:37Kirby Superstar Kirby's platformers don't get as much
09:45love as Mario's, but with games like Superstar, they really should have.
09:49The collection features a reworked version of Kirby's Dream Land, as well as eight
09:52new games.
09:53Whether you're racing King Dedede, challenging yourself in the boss rush arena, or going
09:57on one of several platforming adventures, there's bound to be something here that
10:01will make you smile.
10:02It introduced helpers to the series, giving up a copy ability would give Kirby an ally
10:06controlled by the computer or a second player.
10:09It also slightly tweaked gameplay by having each ability grant Kirby more than one attack
10:13like in previous games.
10:19Final Fantasy VI Square's Final Fantasy was already a respected
10:29franchise.
10:30So the fact that the sixth entry, or third for North Americans, was bigger, better, and
10:34bolder than anything that came before is saying quite a lot here.
10:38With a heavier focus on technology and warfare, it tackled more serious themes than other
10:42installments, and its characters are some of the best throughout the decades-spanning
10:45franchise.
10:46Kefka, the game's unhinged clown-lice antagonist, is still one of the best villains in gaming
10:51history.
10:52And with a whopping 14 playable heroes, gameplay could be as varied as you want it to be.
11:01Donkey Kong Country 2 Diddy's Conquest
11:10The first will always be a classic, sure, but the follow-up is just a bit better in
11:14every field.
11:15With Donkey Kong kidnapped by King K. Rool, Diddy and his girlfriend Dixie set out to
11:19save him.
11:20Rare made the levels bigger and more challenging, added more animal companions, and improved
11:24on the already impressive graphics.
11:26While Diddy got his name in the title and was the faster of the two, it was Dixie that
11:30was the true star here.
11:31Her ponytail gave her the ability to glide over tough jumps and obstacles, clearly making
11:36her the better Kong.
11:37No matter which of the two you prefer, Diddy's Conquest took them through enchanting levels
11:41with some of the best music Rare has ever produced.
11:50Earthbound From poor seller to a legitimate masterpiece,
11:59Earthbound has had a strange journey in pop culture.
12:02As the only game in the Mother series to release outside of Japan initially, it enthralled
12:06those who played it at release.
12:08And that legacy has only grown over time.
12:10Now it follows the young boy Ness and his new allies as they attempt to stop the evil
12:14alien Giygas from taking over the world.
12:17The writing is fantastic, with an odd sense of humor that parodies western culture.
12:21Its characters, playable or not, made the world come alive and made us want to explore
12:25every nook and cranny.
12:26It's an influential RPG that has inspired many others, such as Toby Fox's Undertale.
12:36Chrono Trigger Chrono Trigger is the crown jewel of Square's
12:44work on the Super Nintendo.
12:46It follows some of the most compelling RPG characters of the time as they travel through
12:50various eras to prevent the future destruction of their world.
12:53It utilizes many popular RPG mechanics, however it does away with a turn-based battle system
12:58in favor of a time-based one depending on character attack and spell.
13:02Its art style, particularly characters designed by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, is
13:07still gorgeous today, and the time travel plot allowed the developers to build incredibly
13:11unique worlds.
13:12More importantly, it was wonderfully fun to see how our actions in the past could actually
13:17change things in the future, and it actually led to 12 different endings.
13:27Super Metroid From the moment the title appears on the game,
13:34Super Metroid instills a theme of loneliness that will grow throughout the game.
13:38After catching Ridley stealing the last Metroid in existence, bounty hunter Samus Aran follows
13:43him to Zeeb's.
13:44From there, it's an isolated trek through labyrinthine tunnels with plenty of unwelcoming
13:48wildlife.
13:49Much of what the Metroid series is known for began right here.
13:52Its map is a puzzle to be conquered, with frequent obstacles that can only be cleared
13:56by obtaining certain power-ups.
13:58Players need to search every possible spot to find answers with no tips to help them
14:02through it, and it's just the right balance of tough but rewarding.
14:10The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
14:12A Link to the Past features some of the best art direction and sound design of the entire
14:22SNES library, and much like Super Metroid, the foundation of what we know as Zelda was
14:27established here.
14:28Hyrule's lore, the Master Sword, engaging NPCs, and stylish unique weapons are still
14:33important facets of the franchise.
14:35While the story still boils down to rescuing Zelda, there are so many other smaller details
14:39that propelled this entry to being the most resonant.
14:42It was the first world in the series that felt lived in and had a history of its own.
14:46A Link to the Past deserves all the credit for what Zelda grew to be.
14:55Super Mario World
15:01Sometimes you don't need to change much to make a masterpiece sequel.
15:05Released alongside the Super Nintendo, Mario's adventure through Dinosaur Land is one of
15:09the best platformers ever created.
15:12Levels were more varied than they had ever been, yet somehow felt familiar to long-time
15:15fans.
15:16Its overworld, taking Mario through various islands, had many enticing secret levels just
15:21begging to be discovered.
15:22That's not to mention the gameplay, perfected with improvements like the spin jump, new
15:26power-ups like the cape feather, and gaming's most beloved green sidekick.
15:30No offense Luigi, we still love you.
15:32Any player, no matter their skill level, can pick up Super Mario World and be delighted
15:35through the end.