The NES launched in North America in 1985 and rebooted the home console market. It was a smashing success that prompted other companies, like Sega and Sony, to eventually follow. By 1993, the library was huge, but the new game releases were dwindling on the system because the new hotness was the SNES.
That console launched in 1991 in North America, so it didn’t seem like the best idea to release new software on a dated console. Even though that was the stigma, that didn’t stop some developers from continuing to support the NES. These are some of the great games that were released in 1993 in both Japan and North America.
8 DuckTales 2
The original game is well-regarded as one of the best platformers on the NES. Capcom was killing it on the system thanks to their partnership with Disney. Not every Disney game is as memorable from this generation. DuckTales 2 is a good game as well, but it doesn’t hold the same status as the original.
This is probably due to its late release on the NES, which was well into the life cycle of the SNES. A good game never dies though and it, along with most Capcom and Disney collaborations can easily be played in The Disney Afternoon Collection.
7 Joy Mech Fight
Joy Mech Fight was a Japanese exclusive for all of its lifespan on the NES. It was eventually ported to the West via the Switch’s online service in 2019. Before this fans could experience the game in English with some fan patches.
The game itself is a fighter with a series of oddly shaped robots. It’s far from the best game Nintendo ever internally developed on the system, but it is fun to dive into their deeper catalog for the sake of history.
6 Kero Kero Keroppi No Daibouken 2: Donuts Ike Ha Oosawagi
Kero Kero Keroppi no Daibouken 2: Donuts Ike ha Oosawagi is a whopper of a name, but it is a sequel platformer starring Keroppi from the Sanrio series of characters. It was never released outside of Japan but it too has an English translation thanks to fans.
It’s an adorable little platformer with some striking colors. Players can defeat enemies by croaking at them, an ability that can be powered up. It’s not going to provide a thorough challenge for hardcore veterans, but not all NES games need to be brutal.
5 Kirby’s Adventure
Kirby’s Adventure is another cute platformer from 1993 and is the game more players are assuredly more familiar with. It is the second game in the franchise following its debut on the Game Boy. It created the formula that has gone on to inform the rest of the series.
This is when Kirby could swallow enemies and use their powers for his own like the classic sword. It can be played on the Switch, but the coolest version of the game is on 3DS as it does support full 3D.
4 Kid Klown In Night Mayor World
Kid Klown in Night Mayor World is a generic-sounding NES game, but it is masking a great one. In Japan, this was released as Mickey Mouse III: Yume Fuusen in 1992. It was ported to the West in 1993 under this new name to presumably avoid paying for copyright costs.
This happened a lot in 80s and 90s games with Super Mario Bros. 2 being the most prominent example. Kid Klown in Night Mayor World is the same game except for some switched-out sprites, so it is still worth playing. It was just a weird choice to turn Mickey into a clown.
3 Mighty Final Fight
Mighty Final Fightis a brawler like the main Final Fight games. However, all the characters were turned into cuter versions of themselves like Mike Haggar and all of his rippling muscles. Capcom may have done this to capitalize on the popularity of River City Ransom, which also had more chibi-like artwork.
It was another brawler on the NES, but it changed the genre by adding RPG elements like stat boosts. Mighty Final Fight lacks that extra pizazz, but it is still a worthwhile brawler to get into even if it is more like a remixed version of the first game.
2 Tetris 2
Tetris 2 is far from the second game in the franchise. The original Tetris was released in 1988. Between that year and 1993, there were over a dozen ports, spinoffs, and semi-sequels like Hatris. It’s odd to think that this franchise ever numbered a sequel like Tetris 2 especially since it was called Tetris Flash in Japan.
The game is more of the same albeit with more refined gameplay. It doesn’t feel like a huge boost sequel-wise, but it’s not bad either.
1 Wily And Right No RockBoard: That's Paradise
Wily and Right no RockBoard: That's Paradise is yet another Japanese exclusive from 1993. It is a spinoff of the Mega Man franchise which operates similarly to the Mario Party series. Players can choose a character and then compete against friends or the AI in a board game-like setup.
There is a lot of text, but thankfully this too has an English fan patch. It’s not the most robust party game on the NES but fans of the Blue Bomber will dig it.