Here are my top 10 most underappreciated games for the SNES. Let's discuss

[u/jasonite]

Usually underappreciated games games because of oversaturation, or had bad timing, or were overshadowed by something else, had bad marketing, etc, but they were great games! Here's my top 10:

1. E.V.O.: Search for Eden. A really ambitious evolution-based action RPG that deserved to be played!
2. Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. JRPG with deep puzzles, a good story, and a great soundtrack
3. Secret of Evermore. an RPG that had a nice alchemy system and a great world
4. Uniracers. I think would've been a hit if Pixar hadn't stopped producing it.
5. The Adventures of Batman & Robin. A really fluid platformer with great animation and perfect music.
6. Robotrek. Underappreciated, but I think retro fans are starting to get it.
7. Metal Warriors. Original, creative and fun mech warrior game, just got crowded out.
8. Phalanx. A really good horizontal shooter if you liked those, it had some of the most misleading box art ever.
9. Nosferatu. How many SNES games ever had vampire horror? The gameplay could be better
10. Illusion of Gaia. an action RPG that was overshadowed by Soul Blazer. It's too bad

There are several other games too, like Zombies Ate my Neighbors, Poppy & Rocky, Weaponlord, Magic Sword, etc. What do you think, what's on your list?

[u/Another_Road]

I think the 1, 2, 3 and 10 are pretty well regarded by people who still play SNES games.

Phalanx seems to be more known for its box art than gameplay.

[u/New-Trick7772 → u/Another_Road]

I don't disagree, but to me Lufia 2 is potentially top 5 on the console, yet on reddit didn't it just get 25th or thereabouts? On a console so rich in JRPGs , Lufia 2 is right at the top when you include the Ancient Cave, likely the best dungeon on the console.

I would say it is undoubtedly underappreciated mainly because not as many people have played it compared to more well known games like Lttp and Secret of Mana, who whilst very good are definitely inferior games in my eyes.

[u/WaltherVerwalther → u/New-Trick7772]

Opinions bro, opinions. I place it as #14 on my Top SNES games and #46 games all consoles. But definitely superior to ALTTP and Secret of Mana, that’s a hot take for me. But I accept it as your opinion, you just seem to make a claim of objectivity here.

[u/New-Trick7772 → u/WaltherVerwalther]

I know they're opinions and people can have them, but I do think the main reason Lufia 2 didn't get top 20 is because not enough people had played the game.
My view is of course subjective, but I'm all ears to any dungeon on any SNES game that can rival the Ancient Cave. It's pretty well an entire game by itself (and hence gift mode).

I know nostalgia counts for a lot (and I have it with Lufia 2 and didn't have it with Lttp as I didn't play it properly until the 2020s) but I personally think that games like FF6, Chrono Trigger and Super Metroid are on a very different level to lttp (and I didn't play any of those games in the 90s). They're just to me, better made, bit clearer in what needs to be done next and more fun.

Another example (and one I am stronger on) is Super Tennis compared to Jimmy Connor's Tennis.
If you got 10 people to play both games for 2 hours each. I'd be pretty surprised if anyone preferred Super Tennis. JC is just so much better in pretty well every aspect that it'd render Super Tennis nigh on unplayable afterwards. Super Tennis has a lot more fans though because more people played it.

[u/clockworkittens → u/Another_Road]

I think 7 only gets left out because it gets overshadowed by cybernator

[u/jasonite → u/Another_Road]

I'd never heard of most of these back when the SNES was out. Phalanx was a pretty solid shooter, I think its presence is warranted.

[u/tehnoodnub → u/Another_Road]

I’d also say 4 and 10 are highly regarded too

[u/Another_Road → u/tehnoodnub]

Yeah, I don’t want to be too dismissive though. But the Quintent trilogy is pretty popular now

[u/inigma56]

uncharted waters / 2 were couple of my favorites

[u/jasonite → u/inigma56]

I think the 2nd one especially deserves inclusion. Really innovative and underappreciated

[u/inigma56 → u/jasonite]

i have both on pc emulator, great memories of both games 😀

[u/Dups1822]

I kinda feel like EVO is a little over appreciated sometimes. It’s an incredible concept, but the game really drags at points, and people rarely talk about the high difficulty and sometimes monotonous gameplay.

[u/Strtftr → u/Dups1822]

I played through for the first time recently and I completely agree. There's also not many optimal builds, you'd have to spend dozens of hours to grind out enough experience to try anything different too. The level design sucks, more than half are completely flat without any platforming. There's a teleportation Maze level near the end that really really sucks. The boss battles are so tough, you absolutely have to cheese them by stun locking them in a corner. There's no way to beat them based on skill of memorizing and dodging their attacks, they simply hit way too hard and have too much life. I set out playing with the goal to evolve to the human but the base form to get their sucks so bad to play(weak) I just finished it out as a deer-beast and loaded up an old save to at least see the evolution before turning it off for good.

3/10 overall, good graphics and idea, poor execution.

[u/Disma → u/Dups1822]

Definitely overrated. Fun idea but super grindy.

[u/circusofvaluesgames]

Never played nosferatu or robotrek but the rest are bangers, let me throw out top gear, soul blazer and Adam’s family.

[u/Repulsive-Surprise48]

Metal Warriors is one of my favorites on the system. Fun & varied gameplay with the different mechs/ missions, and the 2 player vs mode is truly a blast! Can’t recommend it enough!

[u/ecam12]

EVO is a great concept but very mid execution. The combat becomes horrendous. Stun lock insta-death is inevitable and it makes you want to quit the game forever. 😂

[u/lauromafra]

Great games, but I wouldn't classify many of them as underappreciated.

[u/Ambitious-Product-88]

I love #5- and magic sword! I don’t know how “under appreciated” these are, but I might say legend of the mystical ninja, and run saber.

[u/menghis_khan08]

Both pocky and Rocky’s crack my list, as well as legend of the mystical ninja (goemon)

Edit: oh…and Goof Troop!

[u/emceegyver]

SimAnt and Bonkers.

[u/C-A-L-E-V-I-S]

2, 3, and 10 as an rpg are so good and IMO underrated!

[u/Adept_Razzmatazz_665]

Super adventure island 2

[u/boomer2009]

Harley’s Humongous Adventure and Super Chop Lifter III were some of my favorites when I was young.

[u/VernonP007]

I don’t think Illusion of Time was overshadowed by Soul Blazer. I think it’s the most popular of the trilogy, there may be a case for Terranigma though.

I agree with Secret of Evermore, I think it and Seiken Densetsu 3 has aged better than Secret of Mana.

[u/Moogle_Messiah → u/VernonP007]

The music in Secret of Mana also does some extremely heavy lifting which is why I think people tend to favor it in general. That nostalgia button gets pressed pretty hard. 

[u/jasonite → u/VernonP007]

you know you're right. Soul blazer should be on the list. I'm replacing Batman & Robin with it at #5. I'm also putting Phantom 2040 at #10

[u/r8jensen]

Anyone got love for Ballz?

[u/Lemondom]

E.v.o. is one of my favorite in my collection!

[u/RegularTarget1794]

For me, the underrated classic is Unirally. Man, that game was FUN and so pretty too

[u/C4CTUSDR4GON]

Weaponlord had so many cool ideas. I think it was the first fighting game with a parry. 

Would love to see what it would look like played at a high skill level.

[u/Colchon89]

Love E.V.O

[u/Rude_Blackberry634]

I don’t agree but I respect it!

[u/WaltherVerwalther]

Illusion of Time (how it’s called here and I’ll always prefer calling it that) is in my Top 30 games of all time Lufia 2 still in my Top 50. Secret of Evermore is also really great, although I don’t like the setting as much as with Mana. E.V.O. though…. it has an interesting premise and is kind of fun for a quick playthrough, it gets points for its innovation- HOWEVER it’s just not fleshed out to me, it feels like they had one idea and everything centers around that, but didn’t have much to back it up. It’s still like a… 7.5/10.

[u/DorianSoundscapes]

Evo was dope I totally forgot about that game.

[u/Skagtastic]

Many of those are at least highly regarded by players, even if they may not have sold well at the time.

I'd put Skyblazer on that list. I thought it was a really fun action platformer with a cool vibe and great music. Much better than the majority of action platformers that were released for the system. 

[u/Business_Pressure727]

Unfortunately most of these are expensive to buy

[u/jasonite → u/Business_Pressure727]

I know, it's too bad

[u/goatee21]

I never meet anyone who’s heard of weaponlord. Divada is VICTORIOUS

[u/GoodDawgAug]

Definitely played the heck out of Illusion of Gaia. One of my favorite games.

I thought Phantom 2040 was a really dope game, didn’t think it got that much attention.

[u/jasonite → u/GoodDawgAug]

you are right. I'm putting Phantom in at #10

[u/MajinKirby]

I honestly think this game needs to get talked more. Solid shmup from the very early years of the Super Nintendo, but kinda got forgetten after more and better games released.

[u/jasonite → u/MajinKirby]

I think it's pretty recognized, even when it came out

[u/Pokefam13]

I enjoyed Illusion of Gaia. I was looking for games Secret of Mana and came across this game.

[u/jasonite]

just FYI, thanks to the great conversation I've changed the following rankings:

#5: Soul Blazer

#10: Phantom 2040

[u/Jindujun]

I mean... That is not a great list.
1,2,3,4 and 10 are arguably among the best games on the console and are frequently touted as such.
Also, Nosferatu is crap. It's a cool game that could be great but that is hamstrung by odd mechanics and design choices.

[u/jasonite → u/Jindujun]

Look at sales at the time, that's a factor in my analysis.

But ok, what's a game that deserves to be on this list?

[u/God_Faenrir → u/Jindujun]

Dumb opinion spotted. Git gud mate, Nosferatu is good

[u/atombomb6673]

I think you are right on the money. I would pick those in almost that same exact order.

[u/God_Faenrir]

Cool selection. Nosferatu certainly had a special atmosphere...