Super Mario Bros. 3 is often cited as one of the greatest NES games of all time, if not the best ever made for the system. Having a quick playthrough will give one an understanding as to why this sentiment exists. Between its creative power-ups, varied level design, and consistently entertaining bosses, Super Mario Bros. 3 has it all.
Even so, one could easily make the case that other NES games, including those released around the same time as Super Mario Bros. 3 or even afterward, are better. Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse are just two examples of such titles.
Crystalis Is a Hidden NES RPG Gem
Long before the Neo Geo, SNK was just another video game company putting out titles for consoles like the NES. Crystalis was one of those games, releasing in 1990 — the same year as the Neo Geo. The game is set in the year 2097, a century after a devastating nuclear war had all but destroyed the world. As players will soon find out, the world will only spiral further into ruin if the Draygonian Empire has its way.
Crystalis is effectively the Super Mario Bros. 3 of RPGs, perfecting the genre in many ways while also adding features that help the game stand out. In particular, a core gameplay mechanic in Crystalis is the elemental swords, each of which has special-case uses. For example, the water sword is able to freeze rivers, so players can go across them, while the fire sword can melt ice enemies.
No Disney games, not even the Kingdom Hearts series, can compare to Capcom’s DuckTales. Far from the company’s only Disney game, DuckTales is Capcom’s best, and it has an original story based on the source material’s world. Here, Scrooge McDuck and his chief adversary, Flintheart Glomgold, are in a competition to see who can collect the most valuable treasures.
Scrooge will go to great lengths to materially enrich himself, up to and including finding treasure on the Moon. DuckTales really is a cartoon in video game form, with there being specific gameplay mechanics that wouldn’t be out of place in the show. A highlight on this front is Scrooge’s cane, which has two functions: to attack and to bounce.
Castlevania III is Peak 8-Bit Castlevania
Castlevania III is chronologically a prequel to the other NES Castlevania games, being set in the year 1476. It sees famed vampire hunter Trevor Belmont being sent on behalf of Transylvania to take on Count Dracula, who has emerged from a long slumber. Trevor will receive plenty of help along the way; other playable characters include the pirate Grant Danasty and Alucard, who is Dracula’s estranged son.
Trevor Belmont makes use of his whip and any items he happens to come across, while Grant Danasty and Alucard have their own strengths that help make up for Castlevania III’s ludicrous difficulty. As far as Grant Danasty is concerned, he is able to scale walls, which beats having to painstakingly find staircases to reach the top. And, given that he’s a vampire, Alucard is able to transform into a bat and fly to otherwise out-of-reach platforms. Hard as it may be, Castlevania III has enough action to keep players entertained.
Ninja Gaiden II Is the Perfect Middle Ground
No other video game franchise elicits as much fear and dread as the Ninja Gaiden series. Part of the franchise’s notoriety has to do with it being one of the hardest in gaming history. This is especially the case with the third NES installment, Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, with the game offering no continues at all. The first installment also isn’t exactly accessible, due to how buggy it is.
That being said, Ninja Gaiden II offers a middle ground compared to the games that surround it. The game is set shortly after the first, with the previous installment’s Jaquio having been defeated. However, the world is not able to rest yet, as the nefarious Ashtar, who rules over the Realm of Darkness, has other plans.
Ninja Gaiden II is slightly easier than the other NES games in the trilogy, but that isn’t saying too much given players still need to deal with relentless enemy waves. Players are able to cope by making use of special power-boosting items that give Ryu advantages during combat, including boomerangs for long-range attacking and the various fire items.
Kirby’s Adventure Outclasses Super Mario Bros. 3 in Every Way
Even late into the NES’s lifespan, the console still received a plethora of quality games, likely helped by the more low-effort third-party titles moving away to the SNES, Sega Genesis, and other consoles. Wario’s Woods was the last game released for the NES, coming out in December 1994, and it served as a fine farewell for the system. However, it is nothing compared to Kirby’s Adventure, which came out the year before.
Kirby’s Adventure is arguably the NES’s greatest masterpiece and outclasses Super Mario Bros. 3 in every way. Set in Dream Land, as the title suggests, the Fountain of Dreams is tainted and the Star Rod has been stolen. Kirby, the round pink puffball hero, correctly assumes that King Dedede stole the Star Rod, and sets out to retrieve it.
It’s a miracle a game as expansive as this made it on the NES. Kirby’s Adventure is vibrant, long and, more importantly, substantial. Here, Kirby is able to copy select enemies’ abilities by digesting them. This would go on to be Kirby’s signature power, and it’s a joy to play with, the fun factor complemented by the best graphics on the console.
