The great SNES debate: which game is the best of all time?

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Some arguments amongst gamers never really get resolved, particularly as retro gaming has become more popular and classics of yesteryear are easier to replay on the best retro game consoles. For anyone who grew up with a Super Nintendo, one of these is unavoidable: What’s the best SNES game of all time? It sounds simple until you actually try to pin it down.

For many, the first contender is Super Metroid. It's a drive for mood and confidence in its complex level design and upgrades, letting players explore, experiment, and figure things out on their own. There’s no hand-holding, no obvious guideposts. Its influence stretches far beyond the 16-bit era, and even today, through 'Metroidanias' like MIO: Memories in Orbit and new games in the series, such as Switch 2's Metroid Prime 4, it still feels fresh in the way it teaches through play rather than instruction.

And of course, there’s Super Mario World, a game so polished it almost hides its own brilliance, ideas you grew with – double-jumps, secret worlds, pixel-perfect jumps – are developed and played upon in intriguing ways (I bought a SNES just for this game). Every jump feels perfectly weighted, each secret is intentional, Super Mario World is welcoming at first glance, but endlessly deep once you start poking at the edges.

Legend of Zelda screenshot, SNES — Is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past the best game on SNES? (Image credit: Nintendo)

RPG fans will argue just as fiercely for Chrono Trigger, Donkey Kong Country, Star Fox, or F-Zero, games that showed the SNES could handle ambition, emotion, and technical innovation without losing sight of the playable nature of Nintendo's game design, for which it is renowned.

So what matters most to you: atmosphere, precision, storytelling, or pure fun? There’s no right answer, only opinions, and plenty of strong ones. Jump into the comments below and tell us: which SNES game deserves the crown, and why.

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Ian Dean is Editor, Digital Arts & 3D at Creative Bloq, and the former editor of many leading magazines. These titles included ImagineFX, 3D World and video game titles Play and Official PlayStation Magazine. Ian launched Xbox magazine X360 and edited PlayStation World. For Creative Bloq, Ian combines his experiences to bring the latest news on digital art, VFX and video games and tech, and in his spare time he doodles in Procreate, ArtRage, and Rebelle while finding time to play Xbox and PS5.

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