This is nostalgia. 6 best Dendy and SEGA games for which you should immediately install an emulator

The more I play games and observe the gaming industry, the more I become convinced of one fact: 2D graphics and pixel art convey the test of time much better.

Personally, even after the most “graphic” modern games, it’s always nice for me to return to something old and nostalgic.

And today I have compiled a small list of projects that are worth playing, even if you have never been interested in retro games. You are surprised that events in the past are possible.

1. Super Mario World (SNES. 1990)

It’s worth starting with the classics. Yes, in our country the original Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Bros 3 have a cult status, so I didn’t mention them. But it seems to me that many people missed Super Mario World, and in vain.

Super Mario World is a great game about the first mustachioed plumber on the Super Nintendo, and it, like no one, shows why you had to buy a console back then. Colorful graphics, which even now looks more than decent, and all this is accompanied by a pleasant soundtrack, which you can listen to separately.

And Super Mario World could be a great reference point for the many 2D platformer genres that are still alive and well today. The game has a very pleasant and smooth dynamics of complexity, it does not load from the very beginning, but does not tire of its simplicity throughout the entire playthrough.

🎮Where to play? The project is available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription, on the SNES Mini console, and of course with the SNES emulator, which is literally everywhere.

2. Contra: Hard Corps (SEGA Mega Drive. 1994)

It’s hard to find someone who has never heard of the Contra series. It will be even harder to find those who don’t think Hard Corps is the best part of the franchise.

Contra: Hard Corps is not only dynamic gameplay that requires the player to pay close attention and quickly change conditions in the level, but also practically the basis of the Run’n’Gun genre. This game embodies the philosophy of the SEGA Mega Drive: games should be challenging, daring and suitable not only for children.

As part of the Contra series, Hard Corps offers several bold innovations. You can choose a character that affects the gameplay, and also take advantage of non-linear progression with sequential endings. To view all the content, you will need more than one playthrough. So invite your friends, grab two gamepads and dive into the world of Contra: Hard Corps!

🎮Where to play?The game is available in the Contra Anniversary Collection on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam and Nintendo Switch. And again, there are no problems in emulating it wherever there is a SEGA Mega Drive emulator.

3. Beyond Oasis (SEGA Mega Drive. 1994)

You’ve probably heard about the classic Legend of Zelda series, which became a real hit for all Nintendo consoles. I’m sure you have. But did you know that SEGA had an attempt to create their answer to Nintendo?

You may be familiar with this game under a different name – The Story of Thor. In this game you have to take on the role of Prince Ali and think about the world around you. According to the plot, Ali finds a golden armlet – an ancient artifact that not only can speak, but also requires the hero to save his world.

In terms of gameplay, Beyond Oasis is reminiscent of the Legend of Zelda, but with one big difference – it has a much more advanced and complex combat system (Before Beyond Oasis, the developers made games in the Streets of Rage series, and these, if anyone doesn’t remember, were mind-blowing bitmaps), and there is also an element of pumping.

In addition to weapons, it is necessary to use the power of spirits, and they, in turn, can be developed, including through optional activities.

Beyond Oasis is a big and beautiful project that will provide many hours of interesting gameplay and will be memorable, I’m sure.

🎮Where to play? The game can be officially tried as part of the Sega Mega Drive Classics collection on PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch. And on top of that, the Switch game is included in the Nintendo Switch Online subscription. From now on I’ll stop talking about emulators – everything is already obvious. There is a translation into Russian, but only unofficial.

4. Mega Man series (NES/SNES. 1987-1995)

Modern gamers are probably familiar with Capcom mainly through the Resident Evil series. However, more exciting military action may be reminiscent of the huge Mega Man franchise, which includes many projects of different genres. In this article, I would focus on the “base” – the original games from this line.

Each of the six parts of the Mega Man game is a dynamic platformer with a non-linear plot. The main task of them is to defeat all the bosses in the level, show their abilities and go through the maximum levels to fight the main villain, who almost always turns out to be Dr. Wily.

The plot in classic games may seem simple compared to other parts of the franchise (I’m talking now only about the numbered series of games. The spin-offs have a different story), but it’s the gameplay that reveals the whole essence of Mega Man. Each game in the series presents a serious challenge, even more challenging than any Dark Souls title.

The levels don’t adjust to your actual inventory, and each one eventually has a boss that rewards you with a unique weapon. This requires the player to be flexible and adaptable.

Once you overcome the first difficulty barrier, you will be drawn into the world of Mega Man. You’ll find that the further you get into the games, the more you realize that the franchise’s plot is much darker than it first appears.

🎮Where to play? Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 and 2 are available on PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series and Nintendo Switch, which includes all the classic parts of the series. If it drags on, all the spin-offs are also kindly packaged into thematic collections and officially sold on current platforms.

5. Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (Game Boy. 1993)

It is very difficult to say anything new about the Legend of Zelda – it is an icon of the gaming industry that has formed a whole cult around itself and exists in many genres. For example, the person responsible for the Souls, Bloodborne and Elden Ring series, Hidetaka Miyazaki, said that when creating his games, he still condemns the principles of 3D action games that were laid down in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

But today I want to remember that the scale of the project has decreased. Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is the first portable part of the series and, at the same time, a game that showed the whole world that even on a console with very weak hardware and a monochrome screen, you can play a large, addictive project and even send a stingy man’s tears in the end.

Local history stands conditionally according to the formal canons of the series. There is no need to save Princess Zelda, deal with the situation in Hyrule District, and there should be no problems with Ganon. A reference to plot twists on the island of Koholit, inhabited by both rather eccentric people and monsters. Everything would be fine, but the hero cannot get off the island.

At least until he awakens the Wind Fish, who slept on the top of the mountain, with the help of eight Siren instruments hidden in eight dungeons. The entire main plot of the game will be devoted to their search.

The game is replete with interesting puzzles, captivates with bosses and small stories of the inhabitants of the Koholit Islands. The world of Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening is addictive, and you really don’t want to leave the house. And once again, all this is on a cartridge with a memory capacity of 1.5 MB.

🎮Where to play? In 2019, a remake of Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (officially translated into Russian) in a more doll-cartoon style was released on Nintendo Switch. The black-and-white original with sprite graphics can only be played through an emulator or by purchasing a pocket-sized Game & Watch: The Legend of Zelda, but a color version of the original game is available with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Both versions do not have a translation, but for emulators you can find a version with a fan translation.

6. Chrono Trigger (SNES. 1994)

To conclude our conversation, I would like to recall the cult Japanese role-playing game created by the “dream team”. And this is not just a metaphor – the association of SquareSoft developers who worked on the project was actually called the Dream Team.

And all because the visual style of Chrono Trigger is explored by the cult mangaka Akira Toriyama, whose style is recognized everywhere and always, written by the duo Yuji Horii and Hironobu Sakaguchi (fathers of the Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy series) and the soundtrack was composed by the famous maestro Nobuo Uematsu.

Unfortunately, such a team met only once, and will never meet again: Toriyama recently died, Nobuo Uematsu retired from the gaming industry long ago, and Sakaguchi went into the indie segment.

The plot, as the title suggests, involves time travel. The main character Chrono at the beginning of the story attends the Millennium Fair, where his girlfriend Lucca and the boss guarantee everyone to use the Teleportator attraction, which in turn transports Chrono and his new friend Marle not 10 meters forward, as they thought, but to the past.

And no, everything only gets more interesting from there – what initially looks like an adventure about returning home from the past becomes an epic story about saving the world from the apocalypse. The ending of the story largely depends on the actions of the player, and in the middle of the plot there is… and here is a spoiler for a shocking plot twist, which I am sure you think yourself.

🎮Where to play? Nowadays, the game is officially available for purchase only on Steam and mobile platforms. In addition, you can play three versions: the original on SNES (there is a good fan-made localization) and re-releases on PlayStation 1 (also available with Russian translation) and Nintendo DS translation (unfortunately, the Russian translation was abandoned halfway through). The last two, globally from the original, have the appearance of only animated (very beautiful, by the way) cut scenes. For some reason (most likely legal), the game is not being re-released on current generation consoles. However, rumors about a remake have been in the air for a long time.

You can play anywhere

The most important thing is that you can play these masterpieces comfortably anywhere. A smartphone (preferably, but not necessarily with a gamepad) and an inexpensive retro portable will do (I wrote a whole article about the intricacies of choice).