The Most Underrated Retro Games You Have Never Played

For every Mario and Sonic, there are a hundred brilliant games that slipped through the cracks. They sold modestly, got overlooked by mainstream press, or arrived on the wrong platform at the wrong time. These are the hidden gems — the games that dedicated retro players swear by and newcomers consistently miss. Let’s shine a light on them.

Gimmick! (NES, 1992)

Released only in Japan and Scandinavia, Gimmick! pushed the NES to its absolute limit — and almost nobody saw it. The star-throwing mechanic requires physics-based precision that still feels fresh today. The soundtrack is extraordinary. It’s routinely called the best NES game most people have never played. Browse NES games on MyEmulator.onl and discover titles like this that history forgot.

Earthbound / Mother 2 (SNES, 1994)

Earthbound sold poorly on launch — so poorly that Nintendo of America ran a “scratch and sniff” ad campaign. Today it’s one of the most beloved RPGs ever made. Set in a modern-day suburbia rather than a fantasy world, it satirizes American culture with a wit that no JRPG has matched before or since. The battle system, the writing, the Magicant dream sequence — all unforgettable. Play SNES classics including Earthbound right here.

Castlevania: Rondo of Blood (PC Engine, 1993)

While Western audiences got the inferior Dracula X on SNES, Japan got Rondo of Blood — arguably the finest traditional Castlevania ever made. Multiple routes, multiple playable characters, and pre-rendered cutscenes on a CD-ROM. It wasn’t available in the West officially until 2007. It’s extraordinary.

Gunstar Heroes (Sega Genesis, 1993)

Treasure’s debut game threw everything at the screen and made it work. Seven bosses with wildly different mechanics, co-op play, a weapon-combining system, and action so intense it redefined what the Genesis could do. It sits in the shadow of Sonic but deserves equal reverence. Explore Sega Genesis games to find this and other overlooked gems.

Bangai-O (N64/Dreamcast, 1999)

A twin-stick shooter so chaotic that bullets can literally fill every pixel of the screen. Treasure (again) made a game that rewards mastery with spectacle unlike anything else. It sold next to nothing. It is wonderful.

Find Your Own Gem

The best part of retro gaming today is discovery. Platforms you never owned, games that never reached your country, sequels to games you loved. Browse our full game library or explore by platform — your next favorite game might be 30 years old and waiting for you to find it.