Underrated SUPER NINTENDO Games

Super Nintendo may be the greatest game system of all time. Here are 14 SNES games that need more love. Not quite SNES Hidden Gems but kind of best SNES games that aren't the usual games like Chrono Trigger and Final Fantasy.
Games Featured:
Brain Lord
Spanky's Quest
Axelay
Lagoon
Skyblazer
Goof Troop
Skuljagger
Dragon View
Xardion
Soul Blazer
Hammerlock Wrestling
True Lies
X-Caliber 2097
E.V.O.
Games in Intro:
Paladin's Quest
Young Merlin
Street Combat
Timecop
Plok
Robotrek
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If you'd like to send us anything
John Riggs, 4010 Summitview Ave, Yakima, WA 98908

[@travistaylor3186]

When I was a youth I rented EVO Search For Eden so many times that when that rental store finally closed for good I went to rent it one last time and they just gave it to me for free to keep. I still have it on my shelf in it’s rental case.

[@bhaktisunshine2516]

That is so rad!!!! Dude. Especially considering what its worth these days 😍 congrats

[@andrewwerner7524]

I had a similar thing happen. I rented it so much they ended up just selling it to me. Which in hindsight it would have been a lot cheaper if I just "lost the game" right away and saved 50-100 dollars of rental fees before buying it lol.

[@metaldude55ify]

Dude that is freaking amazing. What a righteous thing to do!

[@axiene]

so, the shelf is a rental case? i don't understand the end of your comment.

[@user-wr5yg6cy2b]

Thats really rad

[@MaverickMustaine]

Just got Blackthorne. Outstanding game!

[@MasterRoshi8974]

I just recently bought Brain Lord not knowing what is was. I ended up beating it bc it was absolutely a great time.. Awesome list spanky.

[@PJ_Playz]

Discovered Soul Blazer a couple months ago. Very nice find and glad to see it on this list.

[@coonea1]

Wow, it's so weird when something just barely tickles your memory. I played some of these a bit by renting, or just played for a bit at a friends house. Years and years later, seeing them again is wild. Cool list. I'll be retrying a few of these!

[@thisthatdude]

thank you so much for showing Soul Blazer, when i bought my SNES back in the day, i saved all my money an bought it with Soul Blazer. Loved the game an no one ever heard of it lol

[@canadiansoviet]

I have the cartridge

[@Guywhoselifeisshit]

I need a Part 2. Awesome and awesome Video👍🏼

[@aragnidarkness2474]

Lagoon was a joy to play. I feel like The Lion King is so underappreciated on the SNES when compared to other platformers. Smartball is fun, even if it is simple.

[@ronnietravis741]

Wow never heard of brain lord but it looks super awesome. Thanks man. I can always count on good old riggs to show me some games I didn't know I needed in my life

[@loco_Maverick]

is this a re-upload, i could swear i seen this video before unless I am going crazy. good stuff

[@Jacksons2000]

same

[@KidNato]

I think its an obligatory video if you cover old games

[@loco_Maverick]

@@KidNato no i seen this exact video for sure now, once i watched it again

[@poleythepolarbear9706]

This is a re-upload. I have seen this video before.

[@oaf-77]

Mandela effect

[@ganggreen1983]

True Lies is really good. It unfortunately gets too difficult and pretty much feels broken in the later levels.

[@johnrose4572]

An obscure developer called Ukiyotei made Skyblazer - and yes, they had previously made Hook. They went on to make the execrated Spawn for the SNES. The company had disappeared as of 2002 or thereabout.

[@dumdumchord]

Soul Blazer Protip: Name your character "Anus", your game experience will improve exponentially.

[@arcadeutopia3035]

Loving this Cheers John 👍

[@mellowlink1215]

Arcana for the SNES was an awesome game.

[@SNEStalgia]

I love these videos, especially games on the SNES. DUDE! I'm a huge fan of Lagoon!

[@matttherrien9608]

Would it be a good idea for me if I'm not interested in getting involved with something as extensive as A Link to the Past?

[@Duke_Togo_G13]

I never knew about SoulBlazer... Now I gotta go buy it. Looks awesome! Thanks John!

[@25hztolife86]

Good looking out. Now I know what games I need to play.

[@aaronburrell3729]

Dude! I’ve totally been playing X-Kaliber 2097 non stop today. Thanks for that one! I need this on Switch.

[@hauntedcabin7482]

I love the SNES. Thank you for the recommendations. Random question, will you ever do a video on how to make one of the Link to the Past hacks, like Goddess of Wisdom or Parallel Worlds?

[@Rayeo_TNJ]

Brain Lord might have been my favorite game I owned back as a kid. If you like Soul Blazer, try the spiritual sequels, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma

[@savagereign]

Illusion of Gaia is in my top five hands down. The growth of your characters throughout the game, and even the secret ending if you got all the special items. It's integration of using character abilities to traverse the map was so cool. Like a metroidvania but 2.5d.

[@SeraphManEXE]

Terranigma never gets enough love. It's my favorite underrated SNES games hands down.

[@Berzerkir]

Biker Mice from Mars, if you haven’t given it a go, one of my favs! Great game and very competitive on multiplayer!

[@genghiskhan7041]

My favorite Super Nintendo game was easily SimCity. I was already an adult before I got it and enjoyed it immensely.

[@adamfrazer5150]

John you've nailed it - great choices ! I rented Axelay many times, same with Lagoon and Soul Blazer 😎

[@ManillaHeep]

Dragon Quest VI! One of the best SFC classics. Also 7th Saga! If you can manage to get past the difficulty imbalance, it's a really fun enjoyable game. Music is great in both games too.

[@glara4505]

Illusion of Gaia is super underrated imo. What a game

[@dannykent6190]

Love that one

[@mrwii5741]

Nice Job on this Video Those are some really good picks!

[@AkAkAkNeil]

I for one dig this style of video and want morrrrr please. Knowing games worth repeat playing is a good thing.

[@Quarlitox]

So many nice games! It was pleasant watching your comments on the SNES controller. It was such a an improvement from the NES controller! I liked the throwing ball system in the monkey game. I can't say the same for the bubble gum tool in the pirate one 😁

[@zebazryth]

Soul Blazer is one of my all time favourites!

[@louyork8379]

I loved Skuljager. It’s nice to see it get some love. I also rented it a few times back in the 90s. Kickass game

[@Chigurh007]

Nice list! You should add run saber to your part 2 :)

[@shaynes.9773]

Lagoon is a favorite of mine too. When I played Lagoon back in the day, it was a rental game. I didn't actually own it during the SNES era. I do have a used Lagoon cartridge now though. I might actually spent the extra money to get a CIB Lagoon. I haven't yet wrapped the game, but I have gotten close to the final game stage though. That short sword can be frustrating for taking on damage while playing it. I am not sure if there is a Game Genie code to give the character a longer sword....ha ha. Incredibly fun game. I like your game list. I'll have to buy some of these games you recommend that I don't yet have.

[@chefpunjab]

True lies was my ish. I used to rent that game from a store called "pharm more" for less then a $1 all the time.

[@Bajablast48]

Rock n roll racing should be on the list for part 2

[@janX9]

Yeah, I played that a fair Mount as a kid. The trick to driving well is turning using the L & R buttons not the D-Pad. That's how I play.

[@savagereign]

I loved how the vehicles changed as you progressed through the game. it was truly awesome!

[@dannykent6190]

Best racing game ever.

[@Metalpug79]

So I was looking at your “Must Play Games” playlist on your channel and noticed that there’s a random Tasty video in the playlist about celebrity chocolate chip cookie recipes lol. Not sure I’ve ever played that game before, but it sounds delicious ✌️😋

[@Niggas4Trump2024]

Hyperzone, Magic Sword, Top Gear, TMNT Tournament Fighter, and Clayfighter.

[@LordelX]

Wow. Good list. I know most of these games and they are all quality (except I’d recommend playing Lagoon and Xardian absolutely last). Didn’t know about Skyblazer, I’ll have to check it out.

[@xxnike0629xx]

Spanky's Quest... Wow. Talk about nostalgia.

[@charlieconlon9564]

Brain Lord is one of my favorite games! Such a good soundtrack.

[@Dave-rf1zj]

Genichiro Tenryu being mentioned blew my mind...wasn't expecting that. I'm a pro wrestling mark myself. Was a big fan of Tenryu back when he was working in All Japan Pro Wrestling with two of the all time greats....Jumbo Tsuruta & Giant Baba. In my opinion, AJPW from the mid 1970's until Misawa's excursion to form NOAH in 2000 or 2001 was one of the top 2 or 3 best promotions in pro wrestling hands down.

[@TheLastLineLive]

Feeling some Deja Vu here

[@mr.mooseknuckle9524]

I play Soulblazer once a year. Love it to death.

[@Nebujin383]

Sounds like me, but with Castlevania Symphony of the Night :p PS: Yea, i know its no SNES title....

[@rodzilla6053]

Finally a video about underrated snes games that includes SoulBlazer. My roommate and I rented this in college and thought it was great. I looked at game stores around town, but could never find it to purchase. When I decided to start collecting old nes/snes games a few years ago I found it and it now resides with my meager collection. Sky Blazer looks good too, I'm gonna keep my eye open for it.

[@TheGebs24]

Lovely video here mate. I managed to get Brain Lord cheap (ish) a few years back 😃

[@BlackMoore82]

Aero Fighters, E.V.O.: Search for Eden, Illusion of Gaia, Knights of the Round, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja, and Ranma ½: Hard Battle.

[@7thangelad586]

So much material to chew on in this one! One game that I’ve been playing mindlessly is Might & Magic 3. It’s an old D&D style RPG with the character creation and dungeon crawling. It’s pretty forgiving for that style of game! The same is true of AD&D Eye of the Beholder. John, if you want a great co-op game that defies all genres, try FireStriker!

[@kyanitefrog3880]

I stand utterly behind Soul Blazer & Lagoon And i know they are too dated for many today, but this makes them more special to me

[@jazzjohannes]

Yeah, that Plok game that was in the preview, should've made the list, absolute top nodge gameplay and fun as well as entertaining to watch someone play it!

[@emmettturner9452]

The absolute most under-rated and under-appreciated game on Super NES has to be Tetris Attack. To me it's the most under-rated of all time across all platforms. Even among fans, few have played it to a high enough level to know how deep it really goes. Absolute GOAT!

[@Krisipoke]

Best puzzle game ever, seriously.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@Krisipoke Easily, especially when matched with a player of similar skill. For me, that's my twin brother. You can see him play a bit of Time Trial in my 8BitDo video. :)

[@jizzaymz]

Some of the titles on my list would include: - King of The Dragons - Riddick Bowe Boxing - Bubsy 1 & 2 - Super Adventure Island (although it's incredibly easy) There's more but those 5 for sure!

[@canadiansoviet]

Bubsy👍👌

[@jizzaymz]

@Ben DC4L although 2 was fun I'm personally not a fan of RPG games so that element was a turn-off for me. The original NES Adventure Island Games were sidescrollers so I liked how Super Adventure Island 1 didn't stray from that. I'm not saying 2 is a bad game by any means but I personally have more fun playing part 1 even though I can beat it in less than 20 minutes

[@jizzaymz]

@Ben DC4L it just has elements of an RPG... you go around collecting items to get upgrades and have to interact with a bunch of characters that you have to find (like how most RPG's are). There's still a lot of side scrolling action but I wasn't a fan of the mechanics added to the game. To each their own though cuz I'm positive that more people enjoy part 2 compared to part 1

[@tomradburn2073]

Great to see Lagoon getting some love. I put some serious hours into that game.

[@b_side8669]

I absolutely love you’re little nes pictures on you’re wall . where did you get them ?

[@TechWithSean]

Soul Blazer as well as the rest of the Quintet SNES 'trilogy' (Illusion of Gaia, Soul Blazer, and Terranigma) are all great SNES RPGs.

[@goatbone]

I find it funny those games are referred to as the 'Quintet Trilogy.'

[@TechWithSean]

serene.velocity - lol yeah, the studio that developed them was called quintet though that’s where the name comes from.

[@shadowrunner5597]

Brain Lord is just the most badass SNES RPG ever

[@NateKat80]

It's nice to know that somebody out there loves lagoon! They came haunted me for years but, after several save states I finally beat it! Good review on that and you should take a look at terranigma.

[@LivingwithPerks]

So glad you included EVO... Almost thought you were gonna leave it out!

[@DonkeyPuncher1976]

I love that these are games I have never heard before. Well most I haven’t. Always like finding new great old games.

[@rayforceaddict]

Skuljagger! Wow I rented that too. Somehow I remembered it reviewing well. I might have to revisit it. Cheers!

[@MrCalverino]

I love Spank's Monkey!!! We rented from a local video store long ago in 1995! I always loved the music!!!

[@cratedivizion]

SKULJAGGER!! awesome oddball game. great tunes

[@joshuaberthiaume6950]

Spanky's Quest is an absolute gem of a game. SO MUCH fun, SO much playability. Platform puzzle game that really should have continued as a series on later systems. Sadly though, it was just a one and done one hit wonder. The game is awesome, it's so much fun to play and the boss battles are just awesome. This game was way ahead of its time. This game holds up even today. Easy pick up and play puzzle platform that does not disappoint. As a kid I absolutely loved this game and to this day I still do and wonder why it never got any love. It is deserving of love and could EASILY been built upon to have A Spanky's Quest 2 or even 3. A huge, missed opportunity here Ladys and gentlemen.

[@MrCalverino]

omg I love the music on that game!!! we rented it back in the day from a local video store

[@AzureKnightmare32]

Props for mentioning Lagoon and Soul Blazer, I loved those games and played the shit out of them back in the day!

[@benkizer9509]

You are posting like crazy right now.

[@steelyburt]

I played Brainlord! I don’t remember if I beat it. But I def got Lagoon vibes from it, which is a good thing!

[@LordKlektar]

Nice to see Skyblazer get some love!

[@retrodungeonYT]

So many games I had never seen. Thank you

[@richpope7218]

OMG Axelay may be the most underrated game of any 16-bit title.

[@pkw8er]

One of my fav snes games which nobody ever mentions is Mickeys Magical Quest. There are like 3 parts of that game. Did you ever play any of those?

[@canadiansoviet]

I loved Mickeys Magical Quest. Fireman suit is the best

[@johnrose4572]

The SNES is one console for which I do not have a favorite game; this is for the reason that the system library was simply too impressive overall!

[@ArlanKels]

The SNES controller layout is still utilized today, with slight alterations. Playstation and XBox all use it. I find it amazing how good the design was that it could stand for decades.

[@drg5352]

I remember playing Brain Lord for hours at a friend's house, but I never could remember what the heck the name was afterward, as I didn't have an SNES until I was working a job and could buy one myself. Definitely need to track that one down now.

[@fivestringpat]

Random thoughts from the games on your list which I played as a kid: Brain Lord looks like something that you'd have found on the Sega Genesis, I think it's the colour pallette maybe? I absolutely loved SkyBlazer, I was big into DBZ at the time and just pretended the main character was Goku. Skuljagger confused the HECK out of me but man it was charming with that bubblegum mechanic. Dragonview is one I never had a cart for but did enjoy it on zsnes and I really liked the 3d overworld. The music got pretty spooky.

[@Undeadspelldragon]

Biometal is a really great shmup with less lag than a lot of them on SNES. The shield mechanic makes it very manageable if you use it wisely. And the soundtrack is hilarious

[@Wheels8504]

A re-upload right? Not a bad thing.

[@goatbone]

True Lies was developed by the Australian company Beam Software, who also developed Shadowrun for SNES.

[@leatherhidegaming]

I believe they also made Lost Vikings 2.

[@jeffcox6539]

Metal Marines was an awesome strategy game. It deserves some love.

[@SunShine-tw2fu]

Spanky's Quest is one of my favorite games I still play often !!!

[@bedwablackburn]

I have a soft spot for the SFC Sufami Turbo mini cart system, and more specifically "Gekisou Sentai Carranger: Racer Zenshi!" because it's a cute little platformer

[@exactspace]

Thanks for the video

[@hayabusa8314]

Big fan of Soul Blazer and Brain Lord. Skyblazer is love!! For a part 2: Super Turrican 1 and/or 2, Firepower 2000, and Super Bowling. Lots of fun.

[@NickEnlowe]

Once again, we've got someone who assumes Axelay is a vertical shooter only. He's in for a surprise once he makes it past stage 1.

[@LordRain1031]

I know this is an old video but watching your videos is making me want to get a computer or laptop and get an NES and SNES emulator!

[@hawksleygamingproject4164]

Parker Lewis reference has me sold

[@JTSDAD67]

I really liked Axelay with the mode 7 and all but it also had side-scrolling levels in the style of Gradius or R-type.

[@chadkimmel8957]

I really enjoyed Soul Blazer, the only downside to it is it’s a bit on the easy side.

[@joshuaberthiaume6950]

Goof Troop is also another absolute gem that is deserving of more love and a sequel. I mean WOW for all the crap that they made on the SNES how did they not build upon Spanky's Quest and Goof Troop!??? Amazing. Goof Troop is such a fun action puzzle game that is so much fun to play. It's even more fun if you have a friend and can play co-op. The levels are great, and the bosses are tricky and tuff but beatable and bring so much satisfaction when you beat them and complete the level. This game is in my top 10. A hidden Gem for sure.

[@dovalink744]

Skyblazer is amazing. Graphics gameplay music.... Awesome.

[@Real_The_Goof]

I can tell that you got Dragon View footage from an emulator. Now, with that said.. i'm not complaining that you took the footage from an emulator.. what does irk me is that you forgot to turn on a specific feature that makes transparencies work properly. One piece of the footage there are green bars and you're fighting something. Those bars should not be bars, they should be a sold transparency. I can't remember the name of the feature, but it turns those bars into proper transparencies. They used the same features for kirby's dreamland 3 on the SNES and without the proper setting turned on, it looks like bars in that game as well.

[@ronniebauhaus]

Thank God for John Riggs

[@matthewlane518]

Never played soulblazer, but i want to now!

[@xxcaveman25xx]

Nice video!!!

[@VanishedPNW]

True Lies is a fantastic game. Used to rent from Crazy Mike's all the time. The flamethrower and Uzi and shotgun are a great weapons. I never let the LJN handle discourage from renting a game.

[@LuckyBird551]

I have one: Ardy Lightfoot. One of the best platformers of the SNES. The graphics, music, level design, character sprites, everything moves very fluid and also the level design is great and the challenge is hard, but not impossible.

[@MrBnjjackson]

Tin Star, to me, is the most underrated game on the SNES. Plays similar to Star Fox but it's a lot less bold, very straight forward, even to a fault, despite it having a very unique boss fight mechanic. Great music and funny story. It's short and to the point but to get the highest score demands perfection, which is possible but you'll spend countless enjoyable hours getting there.

[@derek-64]

i have Xardion and X-Kaliber 2097. good stuff, but the vast majority of those i haven't played. i may get some of them. and here's some other games that deserve more love. Super Adventure Island II, Zool, B.O.B., Magic Sword, Cacoma Knight In Bizyland, Time Trax, Time Slip. Chuck Rock, Boogerman.

[@MegaKirbySuperstar]

Kirby Superstar is my absolute favorite game. It's a co-op action platformer with such a great variety of moves and modes. A precursor ro the way characters would play in Smash Brothers too. It's deserves a mention to folks.

[@Phi1981]

12:40 there is a secret passage behind that cupboard up left where you can get the flamethrower. I still know two or three cheats for true lies... great game!

[@MrKennethb83]

Man I’m enjoying this video lol . I didn’t play many of these !!

[@Mockingbird650]

Legend of the Mystical Ninja. Shadowrun.