Mini Review: Nintendo Online SNES Games

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Because of the delay that my previous review got, I’m going to make a new one! If you don’t know already, Nintendo offers online play if you pay $20 a month. Of course, this is a terrible deal because paying for online play is stupid. However, Nintendo kind of made up for it with the introduction of some retro game selection. Games from the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Gameboy Color are all offered for free if you buy Nintendo Online. The SNES is the most interesting to me because of the vast variety of games, so I’m going to go over some of them that I’ve played. (I’ve finished none of the games, though)

Yoshi’s Island

A nice and charming game that brings a whole new view to the old Mario style. You play as Yoshi is escorting baby Mario to meet baby Luigi who was kidnapped by Kamek. The game is technically a sequel to Mario World, but is barely alike. The art style is astoundingly unique, with different thicknesses on outlines and a bright color palette. Yoshi has an action where he can eat enemies and spit them back out for an attack similar to a koopa shell, but if you press down, Yoshi swallows them and gains an egg. These eggs can be used for many things, attacking, collecting and opening up paths. It really adds a subtle layer of strategy to the game. All the levels are lovingly crafted and aren't too easy. It’s a great game and beats a couple of the previous Mario games in my opinion, but it really is its own thing. Also, Yoshi was the first in any Mario game to implement the classic ground pound move.

Super Mario Kart

This first Mario Kart was a thing to behold back then. Never had a racing game been applied to a silly casual setting. There were items, fun tracks, cool Nintendo characters and three cups to choose from with different maps in each. I admit, some of the tracks were pretty fun to ride on, but the SNES is not the place to bet on in terms of 3D looking racing. It looked good enough, but it was hard to judge your position. Couple that with the funky drifting turning physics and I see Super Mario Kart more as a relic of the old times that is cool to look back on, but then I go back to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

F-Zero

This was the original racing on the SNES with fast riding that requires incredible accuracy to pull off slick turns and a good selection of cars and courses to mix things up. Mario Kart had some tough competition. Mario Kart wins, too. Though F-Zero is faster and more action packed, the selection of maps is pretty dull. In Mario Kart, you have colorful blocks, mud lands, snow biomes and creepy bridges and can send you flying into the void. In F-Zero, you have different backgrounds and maybe a jump pad or two. I guess the selection of cars are okay, but Mario Kart has a wider variety with more memorable characters (LIKE DONKEY KONG JR!!!!).

Mario All Stars

Mario All Stars is four Super Mario platformers (Mario Bros., Lost Levels, Mario Bros. 2, Mario Bros. 3) compacted into a single game for the SNES. All the games have been redone with a polished art style, bug fixes and a new physics. I don’t know why

they put it on the SNES Nintendo Online thing when all the games are on the NES Nintendo Online thing. Still, the art styles are nice and the games feel good to play. Personally, I prefer the old Super Mario Bros. 3 art style, but I’ll take what I can get without filling up my switch storage.

Super Mario World

A great addition to the Mario series! In Super Mario World, you explore an island of

and new enemies. Everything is overhauled with a pretty unique art style compared to previous games. Mario is starting to look less like a level editor with slopes and cool boss arenas! The Koopalings are back and they have some fun castles to traverse.

Boom Boom is here too. Yeah, if you haven’t caught on, Super Mario World is pretty similar to Super Mario Bros. 3. A vast world to explore, Koopalings, the ability to keep abilities through different levels. I almost forgot the new stuff! Yoshi is here as some sort of power up who can eat enemies and travel through levels. The cape is a new power up that can give you great momentum that can skip levels almost entirely. Getting away from power ups, levels are very exploration based, with pipes scattered everywhere. However, this gets in the way when you enter the Forest of Illusion. This area breaks the world apart and forces you to do a silly little puzzle to let you progress. Why? Everything was going so well until this happened. Maybe if it told you what to do, this would be fine, but making players go back into levels for keys is feksfh324itwlkjl;agjkdndj. I’m probably just touched in the head, so take everything with a couple grains of salt. Anyway, in total, I think Super Mario World is a great addition to the Mario series with lots of major features that influenced modern Mario games.

Earthbound

The best RPG on the SNES and a great RPG in general. Earthbound is a beautiful

creation with humor, great strategy and satisfying feel overall. You start out as Ness who saw a meteor fall. A bee told you the ropes and then got squished. For a while, you’re on your own. Enemies are everywhere and you are weak as dang diddly ding darn. By talking to some people you find out that your hometown has been invaded by a group of gangsters and you have to progress by defeating their boss. After a while, you piece little things together. At the drugstore, you can buy weapons and armor. At the burger restaurant, you can get some food for healing. Over time, the game slowly removes your

your training wheels and lets you do stuff for yourself. One vital weapon you possess is PSI magic. Coming across fuel for PSI is not common, but when you do have it, use it carefully. Also, to travel to one specific town in the game, you have to enter through a cave. However, this cave is guarded by ghosts that hate positive energy. After getting another member to your squad (which you can do), you can talk to the band called Runaway 5 and have them blast tunes from their truck while driving across the cave. By the way, each character has their own custom action they can do that changes up the way you play. It’s little things like this that just add so much depth to the gameplay. Also, I haven’t even

mentioned the art! All the music is so stellar and memorable. The enemies you fight are ever so cursed, but oh so cool. On the side are a few of my favorite disturbing

opponents because yes. In total, Earthbound is amazing, where is Mother 3 and port Mother 3 to North America please.

I’m sorry for writing so much, but games are fun and I like games. If you want to play any of these games, you can just use an emulator online, but I guess they come with Nintendo Online, too. Just have a game that you would like to play outside of the retro game selection (Splatoon, Smash Bros., Mario Maker 2) with Nintendo Online.