We’re going to look at five games from the SNES that could do with a reboot, revival, or just a sequel. Some of these titles are just franchises that have ended early into the 1990s and could be a new title in the 21st century.
Let’s get it!
Lufia & The Fortress of Doom (1993, Taito/Neverland)
Lufia is a series that ends up on Nintendo’s latest console’s shop often. While a good JRPG, there were better ones out at the time. Taito and Neverland were dedicated to this story in the ‘90s until 2001 when the last sequel in the series came out. Now, I tend to ere on the side of if there’s more to the story—other adventures could be had, there can always be a new Big Bad—pick up the property and continue the story.
Also, if the writing and technology is better in a new decade: float the game. We’re in a time when retro and nostalgia lives, series like Lufia and others on this list could come back in a flashier 2D fashion like Strider, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Streets of Rage, for instance. Lufia is a safe enough, old enough series that if a studio wanted to give a project to a smaller team or to drop something for diehard fans of a genre or series.
Square Enix, Level-5, Atlus, NIS, and so on could flood the gaming streets with 2D and 2.5D JRPG revivals, reboots, and continuations since there are so many series that ended with two or three games to its name. Some for a good reason and others—it’s as if the series just ended and vanished from memory.
Just chilling in the gaming witness protection program with Alex Kid and Tomba.
(You can pick up Lufia from eBay here. – the editor)
Rival Turf (1992, Jaleco)
This is a short entry for a pretty obscure title—which spawned two sequels! The early 90s was the domain of sports games, beat ‘em ups, and platformers. When Rival Turf dropped, it was at a time when the two big names in the beat ‘em up genre—Capcom and Sega—were gearing up for the sequels to their landmark brawlers Final Fight and Streets of Rage.
Mind you, that’s just the view of that time in U.S. In Japan, the Kunio-kun franchise was constantly worked on with multiple games being released each decade. It was a decent time to release a beat ‘em up, someone would’ve played it and it didn’t have to be particularly good.
Rival Turf was a functional beat ‘em up that did all the things you expect in the genre. It didn’t add anything new to the genre, either. You just had two burly brawlers cleaning up the streets with their fists and whatever plunder wasn’t bolted down.
It might be difficult to bring that concept into now as a remake of the trilogy but I feel that the franchise could be revived by squeezing the trilogy into one game in a remake with Rushing Beat 4 or the franchise reboot being a sequel.
That’s something to remember: many trilogies from the SNES-Genesis era could be made into one large game telling that story from start to finish.
(Here it is on eBay)
ActRaiser (1990, Enix/Quintet)
ActRaiser was a mix of genres at a time when developers were still being creatively adventurous with new titles. Story-wise, it didn’t offer much to run with but the gameplay and the degree of freedom you had to explore the game’s mechanics was different for its time on console. ActRaiser mixed simple city-building with pretty basic action gameplay—and it didn’t have to be complex to work.
Now games have elements from different genres with RPGs being the biggest contributor to adding and stretching out games with features like experience points, skill trees, attributes and so on being integrated. So ActRaiser was pretty ahead of the game in 1990.
In recent years, ActRaiser got a very nice remake which fleshed it out with cutscenes and such. I say give it a reboot. Dark Cloud came about—look forward to PS2 games that should get a reboot Coming SoonTM—and featured a story you could be invested in as well as meatier gameplay.
I believe with the improvements in writing, graphics, and familiarity with modern gameplay mechanics, ActRaiser could be something special in this era of gaming.
Plus, the game and its sequel came out before 1995, the game would be basically be new without a reboot tag.
(Get it here)
Cool Spot (1993, Virgin Games)
In the early 90s, there were a couple of games featuring big sponsor mascots. Most were chock full of essential difficulty, sameness, and suck. The exceptions: Global Gladiators and Cool Spot—and it’s Cool Spot by a country mile. This was a platformer that didn’t have any business being as good or as fun as it was.
While we eventually find out who kidnapped all the spots, the game takes you on an awesome adventure through interesting settings with themed obstacles. Cool Spot crawled so that Army Men: Sarge’s Heroes could soar, folks.
The only issue with a reboot now is that 7 Up hasn’t been hot nationally for a long time. Hell, when Spot Goes to Hollywood came out in 1995, you had drinks that were more popular. Never mind the new kids on the block like Snapple, Fruitopia—Surge?! How could Virgin Games compete?
(Available here)
Super Mario RPG (1996, Nintendo/Squaresoft)
Listen, I love Super Mario Bros. Superstar Saga and I love Paper Mario, but the OG Super Mario RPG was different. OK, it was very similar to other JRPGs out—Squaresoft mastered the formula and knew it worked for anything—but the setting of the Mushroom Kingdom and surrounding regions was fantastic.
The main reason I believe that element stood out was from years of playing as Mario and Luigi just hauling ass through various battlefields. I won’t get into that now, just know I have thoughts on the overall Koopa Army-Mushroom Kingdom War but this game really gave the games a story. A solid story. Mario and Luigi were part of a world with a kingdom and…people.
Yes, technological limitations and sure, Super Mario World did have the Yoshis as citizens, these are both true. However, those games still shotgunned you through those adventures. It’s as if they took place in post-apocalyptic worlds or something. Mario and Luigi had little help in SMB, they were looting war contraband.
Then we have Super Mario RPG, there’s a calm before the storm and Mario is actually updated on what just happened. He receives help in his quest, he gets allies, he grows stronger, we get more story, we’re not just clapping minions to sleep level after level. This game did for Super Mario what Sonic SatAM and the Archie Comics did for Sonic the Hedgehog.
Which is why Super Mario RPG should get a reboot—or rather a sequel. I want more in that world and the Nintendo streets need Geno and Mallow.
Sound off! What titles from the SNES or Sega Genesis era do you feel would make for a good reboot?