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The iconic era of the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) has introduced numerous 8-bit games that have revolutionized the console gaming industry we know and love today. Like the Sega Master and Atari, the NES helped increase the popularity of the gaming industry.
The NES's success continued to soar in the late 90s, extending to its successor, the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System). This article features five wildly popular NES-era action-adventure games that are still worth playing today.
Super Mario Bros. 3, Contra, and three other games worth playing from the NES era
1) Super Mario Bros. 3
The Super Mario series has some of the most popular games on NES, and Super Mario Bros. 3 was one of the highest-grossing games with over 18 million copies sold worldwide. The simple side scroller made waves with this third release and is still considered one of the best NES games of all time.
It follows the classic story of Princess Peach being kidnapped by Bowser. Players can choose between Mario or Luigi and go on a journey to reach and rescue her. The game contains various obstacles, hidden rewards, and paths in each level. Players are also given new power-ups like the Tanooki Costume. Similar to the Super Leaf, it allows Mario and Luigi to fly temporarily.
The game has been the source of one of the most iconic video game theme tracks ever and an inspiration to numerous memes and The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
2) Contra
Contra is a sideways shooting game released in 1988 for Nintendo and has since been a fan favorite action-adventure game. Like many retro games, this one too was developed for arcade machines and later ported to NES. Contra features two commandos on a mission to uncover the alien presence that is controlling enemies in a world set in 2633 AD.
Contra's two-player cooperative mode made it extremely enjoyable. Players can move between the background and the foreground to a certain extent and shoot in all directions. Each level has its fair share of enemies to keep you on your toes, and power-ups provide players with different guns and shields.
It is also one of the early games on NES that features the famous Konami code that lets players start off with 30 lives instead of three.
3) The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda is a name many gamers are well acquainted with. The action-adventure style game follows Link on his journey to stop Ganon from using the Triforce to remake the world.
Different iterations of the characters can be seen in various games, but the overall gameplay is similar. You get to go through the map battling multiple enemies and collecting utilities. The top view of the map depicts the maze world of the game and resembles some early RPG games.
Although the franchise has expanded well with popular titles like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, and more, the classic version is still worth playing today.
4) Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
Castlevania III is another action-adventure game that was released in the 90s. The story is a prequel to the original Castlevania game and features Trevor, the ancestor of Simon, as the main protagonist.
The game features multiple endings depending on the path you choose and has three other playable characters: Sypha the Sorceress, Grant the Pirate, and Alucard, the son of Dracula himself. Each of the characters has distinct features and abilities to support you through the non-linear story of defeating Dracula.
While there are minor differences between the Japanese version and the American version, the overall gameplay is similar. The game has lots of hidden features that keep gamers entertained throughout the story, making it one of the best NES games of all time.
5) Mega Man 3
Mega Man 3 is an action-adventure game from Capcom released in 1990. It features a simple 2D, lateral scrolling gaming style with an extensive map that will take you through various sections of the enemy-filled world.
In Mega Man III, Dr. Wily forms a truce with Dr. Light. As the Robot Masters go rogue, Mega Man has to go through the map, defeating them, and collecting Gamma Power Crystals.
While most of the retro games have been discontinued, some are still available on the Nintendo Switch and Wii. They can also be played on the PC via an emulator, and some websites even let you run retro games through online emulators.
