The SNES is lauded for pushing the gaming industry forward, but there were also plenty of games on the grey and purple box that pushed the console itself to its limits.
Axelay
On the surface, you might think that Axelay is just another shoot ‘em up that launched on a console that was practically drowning in them. What makes Axelay stand out from the crowd though is that it was helmed by Super Castlevania IV producer Kazumi Kitaue, who would later executive produce Symphony of the Night, while the rest of the dev team was composed of talent who would largely go on to form Treasure. We love talking about Treasure around these parts, and while Axelay is a pre-Treasure banger, a lot of the design philosophies along with the desire to push limits are on full display.
Axelay switches between side scrolling shooting and third-person, behind the ship action that utilises Mode 7 style graphics to create some of the best looking levels in shoot ‘em up history. The amount of sprites and action on screen during the side scrolling sections are no slouch either, with the SNES not struggling to keep up with the ridiculous amount of stuff happening at once.
However, it’s the massive bosses throughout the various levels that are the star of the show, particularly during the third person levels. The Arachnatron and the lava/sand monster Wayler are both multi-segmented and brilliant animated bosses that boast some of the best graphics work on the console. One look at them, and you can see where Treasure would ultimately end up.
F-Zero
The game that pioneered the anti-gravity racing genre, F-Zero was a statement piece for the SNES, specifically with regards to its Mode 7 graphics. The technique of rendering objects to simulate a 3D space, F-Zero used Mode 7 to create futuristic environments and racetracks that were unlike anything else on the SNES at the time. Of course, it was unlike anything else because F-Zero was the first ever implementation of Mode 7, so it’s pretty clear how much F-Zero pushed the limits of the SNES to new heights. Some would say Super Mario Kart pushed Mode 7 and SNES even further, but that’s where those enhancement chips come into play. F-Zero is all natural, baby.
Styled after Formula 1 racing, because a zero is massively cooler than a one, F-Zero allowed players to choose from one of four ships, essentially boiling down to if you like blue, green, yellow or pink the most. While there’s only four distinct racers, up to 20 machines would be on the track at any one time, with the other 16 serving as obstacles to your 400km/h domination. What made F-Zero a true test for the SNES though is the fact that the game ran smoothly during all of this. If nothing else, that’s been a staple of the F-Zero series as a whole — performance is paramount.
Not only did F-Zero look great, but it ran even better, making it an essential addition to any SNES owner’s library.
Rendering Ranger: R2
Far from being the name of Aragorn if he got into gamedev, Rendering Ranger is actually considered among the best shoot ‘em ups on the SNES, despite the game’s obscurity and even rarity on its original platform. That rarity is due to the fact that Rendering Ranger: R2 only launched on the SNES within Japan, and if that’s not rare enough for you, the publisher, Virgin Interactive, only printed 10,000 copies of the game for distribution. Naturally, that makes prices for the original version pretty pricey, though Limited Run did release a SNES compatible version of the game a few years ago, making Rendering Ranger: R2 infinitely more accessible to play on original hardware.
Like pretty much all good shoot ‘em ups, Rendering Ranger: R2 sees the titular soldier tasked with defending the Earth from a massive alien invasion. Naturally, that means tons of enemies on screen at one time while you collect several power-ups to switch between various laser weapons. R2 even keeps players on their toes, switching between run ‘n’ gun and ship-based shoot ‘em up gameplay throughout the levels, somehow making both incredibly fun while testing how much the SNES could handle at any one time.
If you haven’t given R2 a chance yet, make sure to check it out for yourself, either on the SNES if you can get hold of a copy, or pick up the digital version on Steam.
Rudra No Hihou
Another Japanese-only release, Rudra No Hihou roughly translates to Treasures of the Rudras. Based heavily in Indian mythology, players are plonked headfirst into the last 15 days of the Earth, leaving the four main characters of Sion, Surlent, Riza and Dune to work on a way to actually save humanity. So far, so much like every other RPG that’s ever been made, but Square launched Rudra No Hihou in 1996, and it was the last Super Famicom game they made, meaning that they had years of experience when it comes to making the most of the hardware. The fact that Rudra didn’t use any enhancement chips to pull it off is astonishing.
While Rudra No Hihou is quite the looker graphically, specifically when it comes to the game’s character sprites, it’s the game design and overall structure that really tests the capabilities of the SNES. Instead of offering just one RPG adventure, Rudra No Hihou allows players to swap between three parallel adventures, with the choices you make in one campaign affecting the events of another, right down to the items left in certain areas at certain times.
Throw in a massively complicated magic system, which requires players to type in certain phrases to cast magical spells, and you’ve got a recipe for a one of a kind RPG experience. There’s even an English fan translation out on the world wide web if you feel like having a go.
Secret Of Mana 2
After Square released Secret of Mana in 1993, the development team would get to work on a sequel, the third overall installment in the Mana series, which was set to release outside of Japan as Secret of Mana 2. Square would cancel this release though, with Square Japan citing some unforeseen “programming faults” that were deemed impossible to fix. Next Generation Magazine, in a preview of the game, theorised that it might have been something to do with the tepid reception to Secret of Evermore, the Square USA developed game using the Secret of Mana engine, but who knows?
The fact remains that until 2019, when the game launched worldwide as part of the Collection of Mana, we missed out on a SNES whipper. Building off the foundations of the original Secret Of Mana, adding more spectacular bosses, some incredible Mode 7 graphics (particularly when exploring the overworld), and the ability to play the entire game in co-op, Secret of Mana 2, or Trials of Mana as it’s more commonly known, is a brilliant RPG experience.
When you factor in a full-blown time progression system, the ability to choose which hero you want to play as and a bunch of different character classes for them to specialise in, and it’s not really surprising that we got a full 3D remake so that more people could get in on the act.
Another World
Another World? Not another world.
Are we including Another World, or Out Of This World depending on where you live, because of its stellar gameplay? No. Unless you have a particular kink for old school, Prince Of Persia-esque platforming, or being insta-killed fir lingering on one screen for just a second too long, the gameplay in Another World can be incredibly frustrating to deal with. However, the game’s approach to cutscenes and cinematic experiences made it a landmark game when it was originally released on the Amiga and Atari ST back in 1991. The game would then be ported to the SNES a year later, which doesn’t sound all that impressive until you learn about the port’s development.
According to Rebecca Heineman, the programmer responsible for both the SNES and Apple IIGS versions of the game, in an interview with Grok Code, publisher Interplay wouldn’t pay for a Super FX chip to get the game working, so Rebecca had to get creative: “I found a way to do it with static RAM on the cart and DMA which got me a great frame rate. Interplay wouldn’t pay for the static RAM either, so I ended up using Fast ROM instruction. Interplay wouldn’t pay for a 3.6 MHz ROM either. So, frustrated, I shoved my block move code into the DMA registers and used it as RAM running at 3.6 MHz. It worked.”
I don’t know what any of that means cos am idiot, but the fact that Rebecca was able to use such innovative methods to get Another World working on the SNES is proof of how this port actually tested the limits of the SNES’ capabilities.
Dragon View
Far from being a game where you remark “cor” and “blimey guv” while staring at some drakes, Dragon View is the sequel to an Amiga RPG by the name of Drakken, though Drakken did also receive a port during the early days of the SNES. Drakken caught player’s attention by using a mix of sprite scaling and object rendering to create a pseudo-3D effect. While it doesn’t quite hit as hard as Mode 7, Drakken was able to create an engaging RPG overworld to explore without the use of Super FX and other enhancement chips.
However, that doesn’t hold a candle to Dragon View.
An “and the kitchen sink” approach to a sequel, Dragon View includes the innovative overworld exploration from the original game, along with the addition of side scrolling action RPG combat and exploration when you reach towns and dungeons. In essence, you’ve got two great approaches to the RPG format in one game, with Dragon View encouraging player exploration above all else, with you even able to level up your gear. What’s most remarkable is that, despite some occasional slowdown when there’s too much on screen, the game runs pretty smoothly, thanks in no small part to the fact that only a portion of the screen actually shows the game.
The rest of the screen is taken up by health bars and and all kinds of other info. It is a bit busy, and kinda makes me feel a bit itchy, but it does again showcases the innovative ways developers circumvented the SNES’ limitations.
Tales Of Phantasia
While the SNES was home to a plethora of RPGs, some of which have become known as the best that the genre has to offer, Tales of Phantasia’s legacy and trailblazing additions to gaming have seemingly been overlooked over the years.
The first game in the Tales Of series, which would go on to include games like Vesperia and Arise, Tales Of Phantasia was originally a Japan-only release on the SNES, though a remake of the game did make its way to Western shores in the 2000s on the Game Boy Advance. Considering Bandai’s love of remaking/remastering other Tales Of games at the minute, perhaps we’ll see Phantasia again soon.
Either way, what makes it a trailblazer and console pusher? As the first game in the series, Phantasia introduced the Linear Motion Battle System which allowed multiple party members to fight in real time, pausing to cast spells if needed. Multiple players could even join in as other party members, turning an in-game travelling party to a real life full-blown party.
The real console limit testing though comes from not just the amazing graphics, but the inclusion of voiced cutscenes and even an intro cutscene with a vocalised theme song, all on the SNES.
In an era of silent characters and walls of text, Tales Of Phantasia managed to offer something different, showcasing what gaming could be capable of in the future, all on a console that was probably dying for a rest at this point.
Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
I’m gonna sound like a broken record when it comes to the SNES and Mode 7 graphics, but Mode 7 was a revolutionary technique that helped bridge the gap between the 2D and 3D eras of gaming. One game that made brilliant use of those Mode 7 graphics that doesn’t get the flowers it deserves sometimes though is Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, though the majority of that might be because most rage quit the game before they could even reach the Mode 7 levels.
When the game didn’t want you to launch your controller into the nearest wall, you can see that the sprite work and backgrounds in Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back are phenomenal. However, if you stick with the game past its hellish opening levels, you’ll finally reach a recreation of the film’s iconic snowspeeder section, showcased in pseudo 3D using Mode 7 graphics. Or, if you’re a big cheater/dark side user, you just enter the password “RCWJMF”.
Does it look as good as the film? Obviously not, but if you’re willing to stick with a game that’s up there with the hardest SNES games of all time, you’re rewarded with visuals that put other consoles to shame, and still look pretty charming today.
Contra 3
Another hard SNES game, another Kitaue produced game, and another example of Mode 7 essentially being magic, Contra 3 had some big shoes to fill when it came to following up its previous games. The first Contra and its sequel, Super Contra, had basically become the byword for run ‘n’ gun shooters, while countless other games had tried to cash in on the shoot ‘em up, so Konami had to swing big to make Contra 3 stand out from the pack. In short: they nailed it. From the sound design to impressive visuals, everything about Contra 3: The Alien Wars is a huge step up from its predecessors.
Like other Contra games, you play as plucky yet fragile little fleshbags as they face down the might of an alien invasion. Contra 3 received rave reviews at the time, thanks in large part to the game’s incredible sounds and music, to the sprite work for the characters, bosses and backgrounds. The developers even used some programming tricks to have objects rendered in either the foreground or background to overcome the SNES’ limitations.
As for the Mode 7 graphics, two of the game’s levels took place from a top-down perspective, making use of the size rendering techniques Mode 7 was renowned for to create magic. It was, and still is, a beautiful highlight of the SNES’ library, just as long as you can see through your bloodshot eyes after the fiftieth time of getting your shit pushed in.
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