Though there aren’t many benefits to being a Millennial, one of the few was growing up with the NES. Admittedly, I was a pretty bad gamer at the time, and had to learn things like timing jumps and patience. But in retrospect, the NES was an amazing console, with a fantastic roster of video games to collect and play.
This list catalogs several NES games with higher replay value than most, whether that be due to hidden goodies or just sheer enjoyment factor. Honestly, that last category is where most of these sit, as they’re all games you’ll want to play again and again, even after you’ve rolled credits.
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These NES games run the gamut from adventures featuring heroic robots, magically transformed dragon boys, sleep-deprived shapeshifters, musclebound, gun-toting soldiers, and much more besides. So let’s blow on our cartridges, pop them in, and talk about some incredible NES adventures!
10 Blaster Master
Just a Boy and His Tank
When it was released, Blaster Master was a fairly unique adventure. The combination of top-down segments with side-scrolling sections piloting the SOPHIA tank made it one of a kind. But that being said, it was also a very challenging journey, since it featured expansive underground lairs to explore without any ability to save your progress in any way.
Because of how huge the game is, there tends to be a lot of replay value just in finding the courage to get through it in a single sitting. While not as challenging as something like the Ninja Gaiden series, this Sunsoft adventure is still quite something.
For those who want a more streamlined experience, the Blaster Master Zero games are modern remasters, but with many quality of life conveniences. Still, without the original, we never would have benefited from those adventures, so I’m quite happy Sunsoft took a chance on it.
9 River City Ransom
One of the First Beat ’em Ups
Like Blaster Master, River City Ransom was also a pretty huge game for the era, featuring a non-linear adventure where you fight your way past several vicious gangs. Thankfully, this adventure featured a password system, which was pretty much the only way to save on the NES, making it a far less stressful experience.
Alex and Ryan are determined to recover Cyndi and save the day, but doing so will be a lot of work. Thankfully, River City Ransom featured simple-to-learn beat ’em up controls, as well as numerous martial arts moves to master. You’ll need them all to get past gangs with their own techniques and quirks.
This adventure might not have initially gotten a glowing reception in North America, but critical reviewers enjoyed it enough that this style of adventure is very much alive and kicking to this very day.
8 Contra
Muscle Men to the Rescue!
Here’s something I don’t get to say very often: I first played Contra with my babysitter, who was a pretty cool person in her own right. I needed all the help I could get back then, since running and gunning is a skill that takes many years to master.
Even as an unskilled youth, Contra drew me to it with the colorful graphics, hideous monsters, and epic music. And while it’s true the game can be beaten in a few hours, this is a series you’ll want to play again and again, reveling in the adrenaline rush as you get better and better.
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In the years since, Contra has gotten much more demanding, while still adhering to the basic controls established in the first NES entry – the sign of a classic in the making.
7 Mega Man 5
Rock and Roll
Let me just say I am a huge fan of Mega Man, despite being terrible at the series growing up. In large part, that’s because the first three games were ridiculously difficult, with the series getting progressively easier with every following game.
While I won’t say which Mega Man is my favorite, I really enjoyed Mega Man 5. It felt pretty well-balanced and featured a lot of diversity, such as summoning Rush and Beat to assist with platforming and combat duties. You’ll need the help, since your brother-in-arms, Proto Man, has seemingly lost his mind and is the main villain of the adventure.
Mega Man 5 also featured a great assortment of Robot Master bosses, with my personal favorites being Napalm Man, Gravity Man, Charge Man, and Star Man. It’s another solid and fun Mega Man adventure you’ll definitely want to play more than once.
6 Bubble Bobble
Daffy Dragon Delights
Bubble Bobble
-
- Released
- June 16, 1986
- Developer(s)
- Taito
- Engine
- game engine
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Bubble Bobble
- Platform(s)
- Amiga 1000, Atari ST, Arcade, Apple II, Commodore 64, Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo Game Boy Color, Nintendo Entertainment System, PC, PS4, Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System, ZX Spectrum
- Publisher
- Taito, Romstar
I still remember playing Bubble Bobble as a child. It was a remarkably fun and original game, and one of the first I ever played to feature multiple endings. I was only able to get one ending myself, since this is a game that featured a ton of secrets and ramped up the difficulty in progressive playthroughs.
At first, the game has you believing you’re one of two cute little dragons, who fight monsters by blowing bubbles, encapsulating them, and then popping them before they burst out in an enraged form. It even featured pretty spectacular boss battles, including one I referred to as Whistler, the big bad of the adventure.
And let’s not forget the terrifying ghost whale that appeared whenever the clock ran dry… Bubble Bobble was a remarkably packed experience, with many secrets to uncover. And it’s somehow one game that’s still challenging, no matter how much I’ve grown as a gamer.
5 Super Mario Bros. 3
Koopaling Craziness
Even though I enjoyed the first two Mario games, the one that made me love the series on NES was Super Mario Bros. 3. It was just so bursting with creativity, from the transformative powers of different costumes to hidden routes and especially Bowser’s bratty Koopalings.
This wasn’t just an amazing game; it’s one of the best platformers I’ve played in all my years. And while it’s perhaps a bit easier than Super Mario World, this is still one hell of an adventure. The sheer variety of things to do and secrets to uncover also lends it a lot of replay value.
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Best of all, Super Mario Bros. 3 still holds up very well. So if you somehow haven’t played it yet, you should really check it out digitally on the Nintendo Switch’s digital NES library.
4 Little Nemo: The Dream Master
Capcom’s Dreamy Platformer
Back in the NES and SNES era, Capcom was king in my home. Their games were always challenging, featuring fun platforming and gorgeous graphics. And while many think of series like Mega Man, Capcom also developed many other adventures, including Little Nemo: The Dream Master.
Though undoubtedly inspired by the cult classic movie, Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland, you don’t have to be familiar with that to enjoy this NES adventure. It’s all about a young boy journeying through a world of dreams, taking a cue from Mario and transforming into different forms via wild costumes. Those include a frog, gorilla, and mole, whom you ply with candy to gain access to their abilities.
Even though it’s candy colored and cute, Little Nemo: The Dream Master is a pretty brutally hard platformer, featuring endless waves of foes and locked doors you’ll need to open with keys scattered throughout huge levels. So get ready for adventure; otherwise, this platformer might be your nightmare.
3 Dr. Mario
Pill Popping Panic
Here’s a fun challenge — think about Dr. Mario, and see how long it takes for the music to come blaring into your head. Though a decidedly simple little game, it featured an utterly unforgettable soundtrack that made destroying grinning viruses super satisfying.
In a time when Tetris was perhaps the first utterly addictive puzzle game, Dr. Mario found a new way to bring in patients. Flipping bi-colored pills and using them to destroy viruses with the same color proved incredible fun.
And while the game lacked any sort of story mode, the basic gameplay loop was so addictive, I found myself playing on harder and harder difficulties, racking up new high scores. It was great medicine for the NES era of games.
2 Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse
Heroes United Against Dracula
Even though it was the third game in the popular Castlevania series, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse was honestly where the series began for most players. It just achieved a perfect mix of nasty bosses and foes, challenging platforming, and tons of hidden goodies to uncover.
While not a remarkably long game, the optional paths through the adventure not only led to different levels, but also to different allies. This was the first game to feature multiple playable characters — Trevor Belmont, Grant, and Syfa. Each allowed access to different parts of the game and had unique ways of platforming and attacking.
Perhaps the best sign of the game’s importance was that Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse was translated into an amazing animated series on Netflix many years later, and inspired many copycat adventures from other developers.
1 Ghosts ‘n Goblins
Arthur’s Quest
Though there are several amazing NES games on this list, the one that had to take the gold was Ghosts ‘n Goblins. Nothing says replay value like a game you can never, ever get the best ending for.
This is easily one of the most difficult platformers in gaming history. Arthur may be a knight, but he’s no match for the assorted ghosts, goblins, and grotesques arrayed against him. Jumping itself is a challenge, and a single blow will rend his armor, leaving poor Arthur in his boxers, ready to be finished off by any stray attack.
In fairness, some players have probably managed to get the very best ending in this game. Just be prepared for a ton of practice and perseverance, since this is one of the most uncompromising adventures out there, championied only by the SNES follow-up.
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The original Nintendo Entertainment System is the true home of retro classics — here are the best NES games ever made.
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Author: 360 Technology Group
