The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, or SNES, was released in three region-locked versions between the years of 1990 and 1993. Despite its late start, relatively small games library, and stiff competition from Sega, the SNES was the most successful console of the 16-bit era (although some of its titles actually performed better on the Sega Genesis).
It even managed to maintain relevance well into the 32-bit era. Though it didn't have the largest variety of games, it did boast a lot of classic titles that are beloved to this day, such as Earthbound and Super Mario World. Unfortunately, though, any fun gaming experience can be ruined by a game-breaking bug. It's a good idea to look up a classic SNES game and see if there are any major glitches to watch out for before getting started (not to mention whether they still persist on other releases of the game in question).
10 Chrono Trigger: Stuck In A Wall
The first game in the highly successful Chrono series, Chrono Trigger is a fantastic story about heroes who travel through time to stop a monster named Lavos from destroying the world. Over the course of the game, the player takes several trips between different time periods, visiting 65M B.C., 12000 B.C., 600 A.D., 1000 A.D., 1999 A.D., 2300 A.D., and the End of Time.
With all that traveling, there are lots of chances to get stuck. This particular glitch occurs when a save point is activated while the characters are still moving. When that happens, the game can save the incorrect coordinates for the protagonist. The next time the player loads their game, they'll be stuck in a wall.
9 Yoshi's Island: Falling Back To Level One
A deceptively simple looking platformer, the excellent Yoshi's Island puts the player in the role of Yoshi, who is trying to safely convey Baby Mario to Baby Luigi. This game introduced some of Yoshi's main powers, like the flutter jump and turning enemies into eggs.
Players on level 4-7 can get some chickens and head to the wall to the left of the tunnel. Have Yoshi shoot an egg straight up and a jump ball will fall from the sky. Make the jump and then use the subsequent jump ball and continue left. Yoshi falls, which can lead to multiple problems. If the player is lucky they'll just lose a life, but it's possible to be transported back to the first level. Depending on what the player does in this distorted version of the first level, they may permanently damage not just the save file, but the cartridge itself!
8 Secret Of Evermore: Losing The Windwalker
When the hero in Secret of Evermore leaves Omnitopia on the Aeroglider towards the beginning of the game, he doesn't intend to go to the realm of Prehistoria, but that's where he crashes. With the Aeroglider destroyed, he has limited mobility until he meets Tinker Tinderbox, who lets him use the Windwalker to travel and collect rocket parts.
If the player attempts to land the ship in the far northeast corner of the map, they'll find themselves back in Tinker's lab but without the Windwalker. Once this happens, there is no way forward unless the hero already has all of the rocket parts.
7 Equinox: Stuck In The Ocean
Having to backtrack is among the greatest annoyances a gamer has to deal with. As such, many games implement a fast travel system to limit that frustrating element. In Equinox this system takes the form of a harp that Glendaal can play to teleport to different places in the overworld.
The harp can lead to more grief than it's worth for players who attempt to warp from Galadonia to Afralona, though, as they can find themselves unceremoniously dumped into the ocean. At this point, it's impossible for Glendaal to make it back to solid ground... which is, sadly, where the next part of the game takes place.
6 Super Punch-Out!!: Game Freezing
Super Punch-Out!! is a beloved boxing game that gives the player three minutes to knock out their opponent. The player can use a continue if they lose a fight and the game ends when all the continues are used. A more unconventional end to the game, however, can be achieved with the Aran Ryan glitch.
For this glitch to occur, the player must be low on health and have a full power meter. If they try to throw their special punch at the same time as one of Aran's punches, they'll fall over, but Aran will still try to grab them. Since he can't, he retreats back to his corner. If the player hits the Start button at just this point, the game will freeze with no way to resume it.
5 The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past: Data Corruption
If fans lose or accidentally delete a save slot in The Legend Of Zelda: A Link To The Past, this is the way to get it back. It's important to use a different slot to execute this glitch, or that data will be lost for good. After a series of tricks that turn Link into a water-walking rabbit that shoots laser beams (that's right), they'll reach the transport glitch.
This glitch makes Link teleport offscreen, at which point the player can scroll to places they normally can't. Hit reset and, with a little luck, that old save file will be back. With less luck, gamers will instead end up with corrupted save files and an unplayable cartridge.
4 Final Fantasy VI: Sketch Bug
Sketch is Relm's special ability which she uses to paint a portrait of one of her opponents and use one of their moves. If Relm's move misses or if the opponent is difficult to sketch, the bug causes a myriad of strange things to happen.
Usually, it freezes the game, but sometimes it gives the player items. Other times it completely wipes their Final Fantasy VI save file, so this one really is a huge gamble.
3 Star Fox: Infinite Loop
The Metal Smasher is a boss on the Level 2 route of Star Fox's Venom area. It consists of two halves that try to crush the player's ship. To defeat it, the player only has to destroy one half; the other will self-destruct. As the destruction occurs, a smaller ship, the Galactic Rider, will peel off and head for Venom's surface to become a boss later on.
However, if both halves of the Metal Smasher are destroyed at the same time, the Galactic Rider won't make its escape, breaking the game and leaving the player stuck in an infinite loop with no way to progress. The Galactic Rider is a troublesome yet sleek-looking spacecraft, though it's no match for the Great Fox as far as the amazing spaceships of video games go.
2 Secret Of Mana: Neko Save Glitches
In Secret of Mana, Neko the traveling merchant is a welcome sight after a long time wandering without going to a town. While his prices are exorbitant, his gear is useful and always suited to the player's current surroundings.
Neko can also save the player's progress (usually only possible at inns). One very special Neko in Ice Country can help players game the system to teleport to inaccessible places and get better items. As usual, this type of glitch comes with a lot of risk, and can permanently corrupt a save if executed incorrectly.
1 Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest: The Invisible Barrel
For this Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest glitch, the player needs to take Diddy alone into Castle Crush (perhaps one of the greatest and most creative levels in the Donkey Kong Country games) and grab the first barrel they see. Then they need to hold the barrel against the wall and drop it, but pick it up immediately. The barrel will break and Diddy will be holding an invisible barrel.
If Diddy throws it, any number of things can happen. Players experience everything from graphical glitches to Diddy morphing into another character, but chances are high that the game will freeze and erase the save.