The Super Nintendo is one of the greatest video game consoles of all time, if not the hardest, but some of its titles can be profoundly difficult for modern or younger gamers to revisit. The gaming landscape has changed so much since the fourth generation of gaming that the fact that games were more often than not hard by default can come as a bit of a shock.
It can also be overwhelming, as it potentially means players are locked out of dozens of games due to their skill level. But always remember that skill can be built, and learning how to play a game is just as much a part of the experience. It might result in immediate and frequent deaths, but sticking it out with these games reveals some of the most skill-based titles in the SNES library.
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10Super Castlevania IV
Of all the titles featured on this list,Super Castlevania IVis the easiest to actually sit down and finish. It’s a forgiving game with an incredibly generous continue system and mechanics that can make competent players outright overpowered.That said, reaching that point requires skill, patience, and mechanical mastery.
The whip is tricky to get used to, as holding the attack button too long activates the flail, ensuring that whip presses need to be precise and true with no error. Not just that,Super Castlevania IVis still hard even with continues. Virtually every stage after the fifth is bound to kill fresh players at least once–to say nothing of the endgame boss rush and New Game Plus.
9Super Mario Kart
It’s easy to take for granted just how easy modernMario Kartis. Go revisitSuper Mario Kartand see just how much the franchise has evolved since 1992. While a game likeSuper Mario Kartshould suggest that it’d be accessible for all audiences, it’s one of the most mechanically nuanced titles on the Super Nintendo.
Between drifting, hopping, maintaining speed, and generally just avoiding the game’s aggressive CPUs,Super Mario Kartdemands complete mastery should players even think about challenging 150cc. This is a game so hard, even longtime fans of the series never manage to do better than 100cc.
8Super R-Type
Super R-Typeis easily the most frustrating game on this list. While other titles might be much harder,Super R-Typerequires that players operate on another level entirely. Devoid of any checkpoints whatsoever and full of slowdown,Super R-Typeis a Super Nintendo game that only veterans of the genre will be able to get through.
In spite of its glaring flaws, however, it is a good game–for those that have the patience to actually memorize patterns and learn how to play. It’s incredibly demanding, and a good chunk of game time will be spent just surviving the beginning, butSuper R-Typecan be rewarding for those masochist gamers.
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7ActRaiser
Half side scroller action RPG, half life simulator,ActRaiseris one of many games Quintet released for the SNES and one of their harder titles. WhileActRaiser IIis tougher and requires more skill, it isn’t as well designed and omits the life simulator aspects entirely.ActRaiseris a far more unique and polished game that uses its difficulty better.
WhereActRaiser IIopts for hair-pulling frustration,ActRaisersettles on regular frustrating, requiring players really understand how to make the most of the life simulator as any bonuses they obtain carry over into the brutally hard side-scrolling stages.
6Zombies Ate My Neighbors
Zombies Ate My Neighborsis a defining cooperative title for the Super Nintendo, but it has some serious balancing issues that start to crop up in the latter half. Perhaps it’s not fair to call them “balancing issues,” butZombies Ate My Neighborsis an incredibly easy game to fail in, where just about any mistake can cause a game over.
The repetitive stage layouts can also confuse new players, making this a game that gradually gets better the more it’s played. That’s true of just about every game on this list, though. Often, the hardest games are the ones that players will be able to build an affinity for if they just focus and try to improve their abilities.
5Super Star Wars Trilogy
To be honest, all threeSuper Star Warsgames deserve their own spot on this list, but they’re derivative enough (by no means in a bad way), where they can comfortably be considered one title even if that’s inaccurate. What’s great aboutSuper Star Wars, though, is that getting good at one game usually transfers over to the next.
Again, these games are very similar, but that just means that audiences can see themselves improve fromA New HopetoReturn of the Jedi. It’s a fantastic way to experience the Original Trilogy, and it’s a rather faithful adaptation, to boot. All three games are viciously hard to the point where most reading this will let overconfidence best them, but they’re worth a try.
4Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
One of the last games released for the Super Famicom and the lastFire Emblemgame directed by the series’ creator,Thracia 776is a great note to end the series’ 16-bit run on, even if it is brutally hard even by the franchise’s standards.Thracia 776is unforgiving, relentless, and downright cruel at times.
But it rewards strategy better than most games in the series, and a lot of its harder and more “unfair” elements create an oppressive atmosphere that end up adding to the experience on a whole.Thracia 776is really only for fans of the series (and even then, only hardcore fans), butGenealogy of the Holy Waris an easier SNES alternative that’s just as good.
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3Contra III: The Alien Wars
MentioningContrais basically cheating when it comes to discussions on the hardest games of all time.Contra III: The Alien Warsis one of the most immediately overwhelming games on the SNES, but one that has an accessibility that keeps it engaging even for video game novices. That doesn’t mean it isn’t oppressively hard, butContra IIIis fun even in death!
While beatingContra IIIalone is certainly doable (albeit by no means easy or simple),The Alien Warsshines best when played cooperatively. It not only lightens the load, it just makes getting through a game a potentially more enjoyable experience.
2Super Ghouls ‘N Ghosts
Super Ghouls ‘n Ghostsinexplicably putsContra IIIto shame, makingThe Alien Warslook like the first half ofSuper Mario World.Super Ghouls ‘n Ghostsdemands perfection, patience, and mastery. This is a game where replaying each stage is basically a part of the gameplay loop. Death just isn’t possible, it’s inevitable.
Now,Super Ghouls ‘n Ghostsisn’t an unfair game, but it really toes the line. Slow down ironically ends up helping a lot of the time, but this is still a game that requires perfect platforming at such an intense scale. There’s really nothing quite likeSuper Ghouls ‘n Ghostson the SNES, though that doesn’t quite make it the hardest game.
1Hagane: The Final Conflict
That title belongs to none other thanHagane: The Final Conflict, an action side-scroller that uses every single button on the Super Nintendo controller, creating a level of mechanical depth that frankly rivals most games released today. This is a game that did as much asDevil May Cryyears before Capcom reinvented the action genre.
Haganeis also punishingly hard, actually requiring players to make use of their entire skillset. At the same time, all challenges are sensible, all bosses are fair, and the checkpoint system is surprisingly forgiving given just how difficult some stages can be.Hagane’s a hard game to track down, but it’s absolutely worth a playthrough.
