If we’re to be brutally honest, there aren’t too many NES (that’s Nintendo Entertainment System, in case you didn’t know) games genuinely worth going back to play in 2022. Yes, there are plenty of genuinely good games, and a bunch of nostalgic ones. It’s lovely to see how the genres we enjoy today began. But, for the most part, you’ve played better games since.
If you’re going back to the NES today, maybe with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, then we’ve listed the ten best games you need to revisit, limiting selection to one per series, with a minor exception. The NES has some incredibly nostalgic games to enjoy, but these are still good whether it’s your first or thousandth time.
If you want to see more lists of classic retro games, make sure to take a look at our list of best SNES games and best Sega Genesis games for the ultimate 16-bit showdown. For more Nintendo, make sure to flick through our list of best Nintendo 64 games.
Super Mario Bros. 3
The later NES games just look and play better than the early entries because developers learned how to get the most out of the hardware. That’s clear when you compare Super Mario Bros. 3 to the original. The visuals are totally overhauled, finally resembling what we associate Mario with now, the game has multiple overworlds to explore, bonus levels and encounters, multiple new power-ups, and more. Super Mario Bros. 3 laid the foundations for not just the Mario series, but 2D platformers going forward.
Super Mario Bros. 2
We’re keeping entries on this list to one per series, but Super Mario Bros. 2 is a different beast, technically being the Japanese Doki Doki Panic. As we all know now, Doki Doki Panic was turned into a Mario game for Western regions after it was decided that the actual Super Mario Bros. 2 – known now as The Lost Levels – was too difficult for most players. Doki Doki Panic is a unique and interesting game from Miyamoto himself, however, and allowed you to play as Peach and Toad, something carried forward into games like Super Mario 3D World.
The Legend of Zelda
It’s tough to jump into the original Legend of Zelda now. The game gives you no direction and it’s totally possible to walk off into the world without even having a sword. But if this was one of the only games you had access to back in the 80s, picking it up and starting from fresh, slowly mapping out the world in your mind, was an incredible adventure, and still stands as one of the most influential games on the console, for obvious reasons.
Metroid
A space-faring bounty hunter exploring a dark, atmospheric planet while fighting off life-threatening alien creatures? When Metroid was released there was nothing else quite like it – a 2D platformer that focused on exploration and backtracking. This is the reason the Metroidvania genre exists today, and even managed to influence games like Dark Souls and Control further down the line.
Duck Hunt
Lightgun games are part of a by-gone era we just don’t see anymore. These truly brought arcade experiences home for everyone to enjoy, and Duck Hunt made it all possible, along with the Nintendo Zapper controller. It was simple, especially when compared to later games like Time Crisis and House of the Dead, but Duck Hunt‘s quick gameplay and cheeky dog mascot instantly endeared it to millions.
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy games outside of Japan got released in a very strange order, completely mixing up the numbered titles of the first few games. The actual Final Fantasy III was only released in Japan until later remakes and ports appeared in the West, but it’s still one of the very best games on the system. This took the Final Fantasy formula and made the journey across the land to save it feel more personal than ever. It iterated on a formula, but it’s a formula we still love to this day.
Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
What Castlevania III did so much better than many games of the era was actually illustrating the story you were embarking on. It sounds simple, but most games were just a collection of themed levels unless you looked in the manual for context. Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse had a world map that showed your journey across it. If you had to climb a tower, the next level would have you moving upwards, and stages were punctuated with occasional dialogue. Complete with alternate routes and multiple playable characters, this might be a more linear Castlevania, but it’s the best on NES.
Mega Man
Honestly, you shouldn’t just play one Mega Man game on NES, you should play them all. It’s impossible to pick just one of the six original Mega Man games that appeared on the system. They all play similarly, but you gain access to new powers and abilities across the series, with level complexity improving steadily over time. The true Mega Man experience is playing them all in order.
Dragon Warrior IV
Dragon Warrior IV, also known as Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, is one of the most beloved games in the series. It has been remade for both the PlayStation and Nintendo DS, spawned a manga, spin-off games, and the protagonist even featured as one of the alternate skins for Hero in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – that’s testament to how important this game is in a series with 11 mainline titles.
Kirby’s Adventure
One of the latest NES games released, Kirby’s Adventure has the same advantage as Super Mario Bros. 3 in that the developers knew how to make the best NES game possible. What we get is one of the best looking NES games, and also one of the best playing. This is the first game to introduce Kirby’s ability to absorb enemies and use their powers, and it’s used to great effect.
Written by Dave Aubrey on behalf of GLHF.
