At this time, 30 years have passed since Super Nintendo landed in Spain, a little over a year and a half later compared to the Japanese market, where the Brain of the beast had been since November 1990. Even so, we still had to wait in Spain for some weeks more because it was not really until June 6 when the stores of our country began to distribute what is today, for many, the best 16-bit console of its generation.
With a Super Mario under his arm
The arrival of Super Nintendo in Spain had its launch in April 1992 at a presentation party in Madrid where the first launch titles could already be seen. A catalog fueled by those 19 months of difference with the launch in Japan and that served so that when it landed in our stores, the quality of its cartridges was exceptional. Not only the F-Zero or Super Soccer and Pilotwings were present at the beginning, but a success that would end up becoming one of the best cartridges of the entire generation: Super Mario World .
In any case, the practically five years in which it was in force in our country, until the PlayStation earthquake from 1996, give to make countless classifications of the best titles. We are aware of the wonders that are scattered throughout the Japanese catalog but, at least in our case, we have preferred to focus on those names that have served to create global phenomena that have continued over the decades. In one way or another, either impacting other developers who copied those ideas, or through new installments in franchises that were being born at the time.
We left out masterpieces like the Axelay or that Konami Parodius trilogy , without forgetting other wonders like StarFox or the cartridges with the Super FX chip that opened the doors to polygonal universes that would arrive just a few years later. We stay with the essence, with those names that are as unforgettable as a console that 30 years later continues to captivate those who enjoyed it… even in its mini editions. Let’s go there!
F Zero (1990)
The forerunner of futuristic-themed racing games sure inspired the fathers of the Wipeout (Psignosis) and countless others who stopped convincing us that racing F1 cars was cool . Its circuits drawn in an excellent mode 7 are still unmatched.
Super Mario World (1990)
We have already talked about him and we can add little: one of the best Super Marios in history, the one that paved the way for the following ones and that introduced a whole series of playable improvements that we continue to enjoy today.
The Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past (1991)
What to say about the delivery that, as in the previous case, puts the Zelda games in the future . Thanks to this cartridge Nintendo got enough rope to develop games for more than a decade with adaptations for Game Boy, Game Boy Place, Game Boy Advance, etc. Although a little earlier, in 1998, it made its leap to 3D on Nintendo 64. You have a wonderful remake of The Legend of Zelda Link’s Awakening for Game Boy (directly inspired by this one for SNES) available for Switch. magnum opus.
Super Castlevania IV (1991)
After its successes on the NES , the arrival of the Castlevania franchise was practically unbeatable with a fourth installment that laid the foundation for the franchise throughout the following decade. What’s more, after 2000, the only major versions are still 2D, despite the fact that in 2010 it made the leap to 3D thanks to Mercury Steam.
Super Mario Kart (1992)
What to say about a game that is still anchored in the eighth installment of Wii U and that originally arrived in 2014 (although it is the same on Switch except for a DLC with new circuits that was published in early 2022). He single-handedly invented a new genre far from the more realistic simulators on other platforms. Who has not ever played with a Super Mario Kart ?
R-Type Third Lightning (1993)
Irem’s classic shooter had new sequels after the launch of the first installment in 1987, and this R-Type Third Lightning is proof of that perfection achieved by the Japanese. There are few titles that have been as defining as this franchise on Super Nintendo.
Final Fantasy III/VI (1994)
The one known as Final Fantasy VI in Japan (III in the US) is considered one of the milestones of the genre due to the enormous number of new combat options, enemies and main characters seen up to that moment in the franchise. In its own way, it paved the way for everything we would later enjoy on PlayStation.
Super Metroid (1994)
With Metroid Dread in stores last year, this cartridge takes on even more importance, setting forever everything we can expect from a title in this saga with Samus as the protagonist: a huge map, a character that grows in abilities phase by phase and fun within the reach of a few cartridges.
Donkey Kong Country (1994)
This is the game that served Nintendo to defend itself against the 32X of the Mega Drive and that growing fever for 3D. A game with pre-rendered graphics that has a development as simple as it is epic and that, also in its own way, served to mark the path of the platforms of the future.
ChronoTrigger (1995)
It is certain that instead of this colossal Square RPG you would have chosen Secret of Mana or any other of the Japanese, but this Chrono Trigger is special because it is still so current that remasters have been released for current consoles in April 2022. Its history and its status as the first title in the Chrono saga puts it at the top of the Super Nintendo elect.
