The Top 500 NES Homebrews, Vol. 3
27 years after the last licensed release for the Nintendo Entertainment System, NES games still come out regularly. This listing curates and ranks 707 NES “homebrews.”
{Note: RETRO subscribers can access earlier editions of the Top 500 NES homebrew rankings here and here. Full subscribers gain access to all of RETRO, including national polling–driven articles like The Definitive Top 100 Worst NES Games, The Definitive Top 100 Hardest NES Games, The Definitive Top 100 Best Video Game Consoles, The Definitive Top 100 Best NES Games Never Released in America, The Consensus Top 100 NES Games, The Consensus Top 100 Underrated NES Games, and The Top 100 Unreleased NES Games. You can subscribe to RETRO by clicking the button below. The cost is just $5/month, and you can cancel anytime.}
Preface
RETRO subscribers can find the Introduction, Methodology, and Eligibility sections of this ranking here.
Please note that a ranking of anything is by definition subjective, if only because every ranking has a creator behind it who has determined what will be measured and how. I’ve taught video games as a professor at a large research university; been a videogame journalist for years; and been a professional cultural critic for a decade, but none of this ensures that you’ll agree with my judgments or that they’re “objectively” correct.
Information on my background as a video game journalist, an academic specializing in digital culture, and a professional cultural critic can be found at this link.
Changes in This Edition of the Ranking
New additions to this third edition of the RETRO Top 500 NES Homebrews include the following:
The addition of 100+ new NES homebrews;
the continued updating of developer and studio credits to ensure accuracy;
the inclusion of a Complete-in-Box section for each genre ranking, letting viewers know which games have been produced as a full physical product (note that this does not ensure that the game in question is currently in stock and available for sale);
the amendment of the Card section to constitute a Card / Game category;
the amendment of the Zapper section to constitute a Zapper / FPS (First-Person Shooter) category;
the inclusion of a Multicart genre section (featuring carts that contain multiple discrete games by a single developer);
the inclusion of a Simulation genre section;
the inclusion of a Kids genre section (devoted to NES homebrews that have been especially designed for the very youngest gamers); and
the inclusion of an Awards section to acknowledge the best games in various categories (e.g., Best Graphics, Best Song, Best Sound, and Best Writing).
Symbols
In the ranking below, homebrews new to the RETRO Top 500 are marked with a “🔹”. Games with a change in rank due to a re-evaluation—or the first play-through of the full version of a game, if it was previously ranked as a demo—are marked with a “🔸”. Any game with a “🔫” notation in its entry requires an NES Zapper to play properly.
The notation “DCU” following a game’s title means “developer currently unknown.”
Some Other RETRO Rankings
As ever, you can find RETRO’s ranking of localized NES titles here, and its ranking of unreleased NES games from the 1980s and 1990s here. The Consensus Top 100 NES Games are here, while the Consensus Top 100 Underrated NES Games list is here.
Total Homebrew Library Size
This archive now lists 707 playable NES homebrews, making it the largest archive of its kind anywhere.
This total includes 471 ranked games, 12 honorable mention games, 61 “red-pinned” games (see the Some Other Reviewed Games section of the rankings), 121 “no-pin” games (games that RETRO assessed but declined to rank), and 41 “watchlisted” NES homebrews. At least a dozen more homebrews usually appear in the to-be-reviewed category; these games are counted toward the library total only after their assessment.
Of the homebrews in this article, 194 are available as complete-in-box titles (“🎴”).
Note that 35 multiplayer games appear twice—but aren’t counted twice—in these rankings, as they receive a listing in both their genre and the Multiplayer category.
Review Copies
Studios or developers looking to send review copies to RETRO can arrange to do so here. The curator of the RETRO ranking owns a retroUSB AVS, and can receive new NES games as CIB, cartridge-only, digital ROM, or any combination of these forms.
If you have a link to your NES homebrew game that you’d prefer RETRO use over the one that’s been used below, use the contact form linked to above to request a change.
Table of Contents
Games are ranked (🔰) by genre, with honorable mentions (🔘) following each ranking.
Use “Ctrl+F” and the italicized phrases below to find the following ranking sections:
Action-Adventure Games (71 games)
Action-Adventure Rankings
Adventure Games (38 games)
Adventure Game Rankings
Arcade Games (80 games)
Arcade Game Rankings
Art Games (4 games)
Art Game Rankings
Card / Dice Games (4 games)
Card / Dice Rankings
Fighting / Brawler Games (24 games)
Fighting / Brawler Rankings
Kids Games (1 game)
Kids Game Rankings
Multicart Games (2 games)
Multicart Rankings
Music / Rhythm Games (22 games)
Music / Rhythm Rankings
Party Games (8 games)
Party Game Rankings
Platformer Games (62 games)
Platformer Rankings
Puzzle Games (42 games)
Puzzle Game Rankings
Role-Playing Games (27 games)
RPG Rankings
Shooter / Run n’ Gun Games (48 games)
Shooter / Run n’ Gun Rankings
Simulation Games (7 games)
Simulation Game Rankings
Sports / Racing Games (18 games)
Sports / Racing Game Rankings
Strategy Games (8 games)
Strategy Game Rankings
Zapper / FPS Games (4 games)
Zapper / FPS Rankings
Multiplayer Games (35 games)
Multiplayer Rankings
Awards
Best Music
Best Song
Best Sound
Best Writing
Special Citations (1 game)
Kubo 3
The Overall Top 10 (13 games)
Reviews and Gameplay Videos
Additional Information
Some Other Reviewed Games
Games To Be Reviewed
The RETRO Homebrew Watchlist
Special Thanks
Dedication
Action-Adventure Rankings
🔰 #1 | Dungeons & Doomknights, Artix (^)
🔰 #2 | Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure, SBP (^)
🔰 #3 | Little Medusa, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #4 | Trouble at 2A03, Team Disposable (^)🔹
🔰 #5 | Alwa’s Awakening, Elden Pixels (^)
🔰 #6 | L’Abbaye des Morts, Parisoft (^)
🔰 #7 | Nix: The Paradox Relic, Huddleston (^)
🔰 #8 | Jim Power: Lost Dimension, Piko (^)
🔰 #9 | Trophy, Gradual Games (^)
🔰 #10 | Battle Kid 2, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #11 | Super Bat Puncher, Morphcat (^)
🔰 #12 | The Great Gatsby, Hoey (^)🔹
🔰 #13 | Wolfling, Lazy Cow (^)
🔰 #14 | Orebody, Vanderhoef (^)
🔰 #15 | Space Raft, Raftronaut (^)
🔰 #16 | Eyra, Second Dimension (^)
🔰 #17 | Cheril’s Nightmares, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #18 | Mark of the Beast, Red Moon (^)
🔰 #19 | Battle Kid, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #20 | Adventures of Panzer, Pixelcraft (^)🔸
🔰 #21 | Biocats, PB Games (^)
🔰 #22 | Saturdayman, Sunday Pistols (^)
🔰 #23 | Indivisible, Kasumi (^)°°
🔰 #24 | Spacegulls, Morphcat (^)
🔰 #25 | Nin Nin, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #26 | Cheril the Writer, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #27 | Glider, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #28 | More Glider, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #29 | Cheril the Goddess, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #30 | Yun, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #31 | Vigilante Ninja II, Fraker (^)
🔰 #32 | Tower of Turmoil, CutterCross (^)
🔰 #33 | Bootèe, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #34 | Nomolos, Gradual Games (^)🔸
🔰 #35 | Jet-Paco, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #36 | Center of the Alien, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #37 | Che-Man, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #38 | Ralph 4, Pubby (^)
🔰 #39 | Filthy Kitchen, Dust Mop (^)
🔰 #40 | Machine Cave, Aeromangus (^)
🔰 #41 | Rainbow Brite, Pixelheart (^)
🔰 #42 | Streemerz, Faux Games (^)
🔰 #43 | The Banketh, RetroNES Games (^)
🔰 #44 | Nova the Squirrel, Nova Squirrel (^)
🔰 #45 | The Stranger, FG Software (^)
🔰 #46 | Almika: Star Rider, Mouse Spirit (^)
🔰 #47 | Silver Island, Digit 2600 (^)
🔰 #48 | Lala the Magical, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #49 | Antenna Antics, FG Software (^)🔹
🔰 #50 | Espitene, Mojon Twins (^)°
🔰 #51 | Mawthorne, CrazyGroupTrio (^)🔹
🔰 #52 | Sir Abadol, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #53 | Mad Wizard, Sly Dog (^)
🔰 #54 | The Wizard, RetroAge (^)°°°
🔰 #55 | Press Start, Coop (^)🔹
🔰 #56 | Wo Xiang Niao Niao, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #57 | Micro Knight IV, Siudym (^)
🔰 #58 | Claudia Adventure, Voltopt (^)
🔰 #59 | Banana Nana DX, Riecke & Bétoux (^)
🔰 #60 | Veggie Invaders, Dustmop (^)🔸
🔰 #61 | Ploid, Nape Games (^)
🔰 #62 | Adventures of Eldorin, Outlaw Bits (^)
🔰 #63 | Project Kunoichi, GX ‘79 (^)
🔰 #64 | Raz Adventure, Axbakk (^)
🔰 #65 | Nezumi, Pereira (^)
🔰 #66 | Rick Starfield, Nietfeld (^)
🔰 #67 | Bogen, Foerg & Harrell (^)
🔰 #68 | Game Gyaru EX, CrazyGroupTrio (^)🔹
🔰 #69 | Micro Knight: Revenge of the Foul Skulls, Siudym (^)
🔰 #70 | Waddles the Duck, CPP (^)
🔰 #71 | Love Story, Livak (^)
🔰 #72 | Purple Cape Man, Fraker (^)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
🔘 | Cur Manor, Manjiro (^)🔹
🔘 | Dummy Duck 7, Caudel (^)
🔘 | NES Quest, CF207 (^)🔹
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | The Adventures of Panzer
🎴 | Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure
🎴 | Alwa’s Awakening
🎴 | Battle Kid: Fortress of Peril
🎴 | Battle Kid 2: Mountain of Torment
🎴 | Candelabra: The Mad Wizard
🎴 | Dungeons & Doomknights
🎴 | Eyra the Crow Maiden
🎴 | Glider
🎴 | Jet-Paco: Hyper Special Space Agent
🎴 | Jim Power: Lost Dimension
🎴 | L’Abbaye des Morts
🎴 | Little Medusa
🎴 | Machine Cave
🎴 | Mawthorne
🎴 | More Glider
🎴 | Nix: The Paradox Relic
🎴 | Nomolos: Storming the Catsle
🎴 | Ploid
🎴 | Rainbow Brite: Journey to Rainbow Land
🎴 | Sir Abadol
🎴 | Space Raft
🎴 | Super Bat Puncher
🎴 | Tower of Turmoil
🎴 | Trophy
° Not to be confused with Espitenen & Mr. Pimponen, an excellent 2019 game by The Mojon Twins that is ranked in the RETRO Top 500’s Platformer section, below.
°° This game is an unlicensed demake of a game by Lab Zero Games and 505 Games.
°°° This game’s final boss hasn’t yet been coded, leaving the work without an ending.
Adventure Game Rankings
🔰 #1 | MOMOC, Goaterby (^)
🔰 #2 | Böbl, Morphcat (^)
🔰 #3 | The Magnilo Case, Dalyen Retro (^)
🔰 #4 | Lizard, Rainwarrior (^)
🔰 #5 | Cave Driller, Mazin (^)
🔰 #6 | Blob Quest, Livak (^)
🔰 #7 | NEScape!, KHAN (^)
🔰 #8 | Dead Tomb, Limited Run Games (^)🔸
🔰 #9 | Kazik & the Mysterious Temple, Siudym (^)🔹
🔰 #10 | Sweetleaf, Cramer/Marcel (^)🔹
🔰 #11 | Turtle Rescue DX, Turtle Rescue (^)
🔰 #12 | Squirrel Chaser, Hammond (^)
🔰 #13 | What Remains, Iodine Dynamics (^)
🔰 #14 | Temple Dilemma, Chacon (^)
🔰 #15 | Harry Dwarf, Convoy Avenger (^)
🔰 #16 | Zdey the Game, Art’cade (^)
🔰 #17 | Escape From Flooded Cave, Voxel (^)🔹
🔰 #18 | Star Evil, Pubby (^)
🔰 #19 | Cowlitz Gamers’ Adventure, Kur (^)
🔰 #20 | Wampus DX, Vanderhoef (^)
🔰 #21 | Retropia, Scardua (^)🔹
🔰 #22 | Closing In, CPP (^)🔹
🔰 #23 | Kubo 3, Seiji / SJ Games (^)🔸
🔰 #24 | Demon District, Klonoa (^)🔹
🔰 #25 | Mega Ari, Little Limit (^)🔸
🔰 #26 | Dream Dog Dilemma, CPP (^)🔹
🔰 #27 | Sparkle Panda Rainbow Hunter, FutuRETROistic (^)
🔰 #28 | Through Dimensions, CPP (^)🔹
🔰 #29 | Haunted House, Stacy (^)
🔰 #30 | Depths, Parker (^)
🔰 #31 | Sack of Flour, Heart of Gold, CMU (^)
🔰 #32 | Larry & the Long Look for a Luscious Lover, KHAN Games (^)
🔰 #33 | Bustina, Holmade Games (^)
🔰 #34 | Office Hero, Francoeur (^)
🔰 #35 | Shadow: An Adventure in Monochrome, Red Herring (^)
🔰 #36 | Platformer Text Adventure, Paltridge (^)🔹
🔰 #37 | Sneak n’ Peek, KHAN Games (^)🔹
🔰 #38 | E.T., KHAN Games (^)🔹
HONORABLE MENTIONS
🔘 The Prying Eye, CutterCross (^)
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | The Cowlitz Gamers’ Adventure
🎴 | Dead Tomb
🎴 | E.T.: The Extraterrestrial
🎴 | Kubo 3
🎴 | Larry & the Long Look for a Luscious Lover
🎴 | Lizard
🎴 | The Magnilo Case
🎴 | NEScape!
🎴 | Sneak n’ Peak
🎴 | Temple Dilemma
🎴 | What Remains
Arcade Game Rankings
🔰 #1 | Sparky, Most (^)
🔰 #2 | Assimilate, Nessylum Games (^)
🔰 #3 | XenoCreeps, Ehlers (^)
🔰 #4 | Fire and Rescue, Skyboy Games (^)
🔰 #5 | Kira Kira Star Night DX, RIKI (^)
🔰 #6 | Yeah Yeah Beebis II, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #7 | Super Painter, Retrosouls (^)
🔰 #8 | Zooming Secretary, Shiru (^)
🔰 #9 | Blazing Rangers, Karu_gamo (^)
🔰 #10 | Cue, Most (^)
🔰 #11 | Eskimo Bob, SBP (^)🔸
🔰 #12 | Neo Heiankyo Alien, Columbus Cir. (^)🔸
🔰 #13 | Altercation, Scott (^)🔹
🔰 #14 | Paws N’ Play, Darthlother (^)
🔰 #15 | Get ’em Gary, Second Dimension (^)
🔰 #16 | Wart Worm Wingding, Vanderhoef (^)
🔰 #17 | Super NeSnake 2, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #18 | Jammin’ Honey, Fraker (^)
🔰 #19 | Sinking Feeling, Mega Cat (^)🔸
🔰 #20 | Plummet Challenge, Fista Games (^)
🔰 #21 | The Cell, Most (^)
🔰 #22 | Blob Land, Scardua (^)🔹
🔰 #23 | Spacewalk 3030, Cramer (^)
🔰 #24 | Beer Slinger, Second Dimension (^)
🔰 #25 | Perfect Pair, Second Dimension (^)
🔰 #26 | Heather the Beheader, Pewko (^)🔹
🔰 #27 | Rooms, Manjiro (^)
🔰 #28 | The Grind, RNG (^)🔹
🔰 #29 | Mooooo!, Toscani (^)
🔰 #30 | Get It!, Gravel Studios (^)
🔰 #31 | NES Virus Cleaner, Sly Dog (^)
🔰 #32 | Blow Em’ Out, Second Dimension (^)
🔰 #33 | Alley Bat, FG Software (^)🔹
🔰 #34 | Lawn Mower, Shiru (^)
🔰 #35 | Turtle Party, Sherman (^)🔹
🔰 #36 | Fox Hunt, Tolerant X (^)
🔰 #37 | Carpet Shark, Fista Games (^)
🔰 #38 | Ouroboros, Scardua (^)🔹
🔰 #39 | Split Second, Hyatt (^)
🔰 #40 | Robo-Ninja Climb, Bite the Chili (^)
🔰 #41 | Immunatio, Romek RJM (^)🔹
🔰 #42 | Ball n’ Flag, Barasc (^)
🔰 #43 | Germ Squashers, 8bit Evolution (^)
🔰 #44 | Hitting Mice, Alien Tech (^)🔹
🔰 #45 | The Archer, Nice Code (^)🔹
🔰 #46 | Ninja I & II, Elisondo (^)
🔰 #47 | Arkade Rush, Tolbert (^)🔹
🔰 #48 | Tesla vs. Edison, RadTek (^)
🔰 #49 | Corpse, Mojon Twins (^)🔹
🔰 #50 | Crap Job, Oniric (^)
🔰 #51 | Wacko, Most (^)🔹
🔰 #52 | Pixel Poops: No. 2, Techmaster (^)
🔰 #53 | Wrecking Balls, Rahsennor (^)
🔰 #54 | Bovinium Quest, Grey Badge (^)
🔰 #55 | Stay Safe, Freizeitstaette (^)🔹
🔰 #56 | Eelectric, Scardua (^)🔹
🔰 #57 | Protector, Khopa (^)🔹
🔰 #58 | Megazame, Yan (^)🔹
🔰 #59 | Diablobetes, Addolorato / Pewko (^)
🔰 #60 | ConTroll, Scardua (^)🔹
🔰 #61 | Lost Souls, Red Moon (^)
🔰 #62 | Just Another Maze Game, Siudym (^)
🔰 #63 | CoOperating System, Mihoshi (^)
🔰 #64 | Flappy Jack, Fraker (^)
🔰 #65 | Tortoises, FG Software (^)
🔰 #66 | Intergalactic, Lembcke (^)
🔰 #67 | Box Boy, Tew (^)
🔰 #68 | Forehead Block Guy, Hoffman (^)
🔰 #69 | Ultimate Frogger Champion, KHAN Games (^)🔸
🔰 #70 | Farming Mushrooms in Lowas, Scardua (^)🔹
🔰 #71 | Galaxy Patrol, Bumbershoot (^)🔸
🔰 #72 | Gruniożerca, Kur & Brzukała (^)
🔰 #73 | Brick Breaker, Correa (^)°
🔰 #74 | Pindable Crystal Ball, Nice Code (^)
🔰 #75 | Escapeway, Nice Code (^)
🔰 #76 | Spring World, Nice Code (^)
🔰 #77 | Debris Dodger, Sly Dog (^)🔹
🔰 #78 | Paramedic, Redeye Hunter (^)
🔰 #79 | Crypto, Mercan & Yeni (^)
🔰 #80 | True Alien, Captain Dreamcast (^)🔹
HONORABLE MENTIONS
🔘 Angry Birds, DCU (^)
🔘 Chu Chu Rocket, Dwedit (^)
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | Assimilate
🎴 | Beer Slinger
🎴 | Blazing Rangers
🎴 | Blow Em’ Out
🎴 | Bovinium Quest
🎴 | Carpet Shark
🎴 | Eskimo Bob (Starring Alfonzo)
🎴 | Fire and Rescue
🎴 | Germ Squashers
🎴 | Get ’em Gary
🎴 | The Grind
🎴 | Kira Kira Star Night DX
🎴 | Lawn Mower
🎴 | Neo Heiankyo Alien°°
🎴 | NES Virus Cleaner
🎴 | Ninja I & II
🎴 | Perfect Pair
🎴 | Plummet Challenge
🎴 | Super Painter
🎴 | Tortoises
🎴 | Ultimate Frogger Champion
🎴 | Yeah Yeah Beebis II
° Also known as Mini Brix Battle.
°° Available in FamiCom edition only.
Art Game Rankings
🔰 #1 | CrossPaint, CutterCross (^)
🔰 #2 | Mess Maker, INUT (^)
🔰 #3 | Turtle Paint, Sherman (^)
🔰 #4 | Power Coloring, Parker / retroUSB (^)
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | Power Coloring
🎴 | Turtle Paint
Card / Dice Rankings
🔰 #1 | Donsol, Rek & Devine (^)
🔰 #2 | Euchre, Fraker (^)
🔰 #3 | Yacht, Scardua (^)
🔰 #4 | Concentration Room, Yerrick (^)
° Tailgate Party is a bean bag–throwing party game that uses the NES Power Pad.
Fighting / Brawler Rankings
🔰 #1 | Haunted (‘86), Retrotainment (^)
🔰 #2 | Almost Hero, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #3 | Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl, SBP (^)
🔰 #4 | Haunted (‘85), Retrotainment (^)
🔰 #5 | Weed N’ Stiff 2, CalGames (^)🔹
🔰 #6 | City Trouble, Walter (^)🔸
🔰 #7 | Justice Duel, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #8 | Super Homebrew War, Bite the Chili (^)
🔰 #9 | Alfonzo Melee, SBP (^)
🔰 #10 | Leggite Luta Livre, Vanderhoef (^)
🔰 #11 | Street Fighter II, Parisoft (^)🔹
🔰 #12 | Fight of the Phoenix, Lother (^)
🔰 #13 | Dimension Shift, Mugi (^)
🔰 #14 | Ashen House, CrazyGroupTrio (^)
🔰 #15 | Super Tilt Bro., Gadrat (^)
🔰 #16 | Oink n’ Boink, James (^)🔹
🔰 #17 | Young Oscar-San, ORart Games (^)🔹
🔰 #18 | Light Shields, Zutano (^)
🔰 #19 | K.Y.F.F., Sly Dog (^)
🔰 #20 | Karate Kick, Moffitt (^)
🔰 #21 | Breakfast of Champions, Francoeur (^)
🔰 #22 | Chumlee’s Adventure, GSPawn (^)
🔰 #23 | ROB.N, Seiji / SJ Games (^)🔹
🔰 #24 | Bushido Bomb, Sleeping Burrito (^)
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | Almost Hero
🎴 | Chumlee’s Adventure: The Quest for Pinky
🎴 | City Trouble
🎴 | Haunted: Halloween ‘85
🎴 | Haunted: Halloween ‘86
🎴 | Jay & Silent Bob: Mall Brawl
🎴 | Justice Duel
🎴 | K.Y.F.F.
🎴 | Weed N’ Stiff 2: Bobson’s Revenge
Kids Game Rankings
🔰 #1 | Maile Penguin’s Christmas Adventure, Karikas (^)
Multicart Rankings
🔰 #1 | Mojonian Tales, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #2 | Perkele, Donkey Games (^)°
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | Mojonian Tales°°
🎴 | Perkele
° One of the three NES homebrews on the Perkele cart, Winter War, can be—but need not be—played using an NES Zapper (🔫).
°° Contains “20+” Mojon Twins games, including all of those listed in this ranking.
Music / Rhythm Rankings
🔰 #1 | D-Pad Hero II, Hansen & Pedersen (^)
🔰 #2 | D-Pad Hero, Hansen & Pedersen (^)
🔰 #3 | 8-Bit Music Power Final, RIKI (^)
🔰 #4 | 8-Bit Music Power, RIKI (^)
🔰 #5 | 8-Bit Rhythm Land, Columbus Cir. (^)
🔰 #6 | TRACK+FEEL II, PT!H! (^)°🔹
🔰 #7 | Hyperbeatz, Mystical Wheelbarrow (^)
🔰 #8 | Hot Dance 2020, Adrian Makes (^)
🔰 #9 | Aerobot, Spirit Mouse (^)🔹
🔰 #10 | Moon8, Rainwarrior (^)
🔰 #11 | Goofy Foot, Swedish Columbia (^)
🔰 #12 | Polygondwanaland, 5Seven (^)🔹
🔰 #13 | A Hole New World, Pellicer (^)🔹
🔰 #14 | Utaco, Zurashu (^)°°
🔰 #15 | Creeping It Real, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #16 | A Winner Is You, Elisondo (^)
🔰 #17 | RNDM NES Album, Mega Ran (^)
🔰 #18 | Turquoise Palace, Morphcat (^)
🔰 #19 | 2A03 Puritans, BitPuritans/Smith (^)🔹
🔰 #20 | Teletime: Animalstyle, Mariano (^)
🔰 #21 | Raddio, Scardua (^)
🔰 #22 | Journey, NintendoAge (^)🔹
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | 8-Bit Music Power
🎴 | 8-Bit Music Power Final
🎴 | A Hole New World
🎴 | A Winner Is You
🎴 | Creeping It Real
🎴 | Goofy Foot: Power Chiptunes
🎴 | Journey
🎴 | Polygondwanaland
🎴 | RNDM NES Album
🎴 | Teletime: Animalstyle
° This game is optimized for use with the Power Pad, but can be played without it.
°° A karaoke game requiring use of a FamiCom Microphone in the second NES port.
Party Game Rankings
🔰 #1 | Billionaire Banshee, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #2 | Leak or Die, Fleity (^)
🔰 #3 | Tailgate Party, Orab Games (^)
🔰 #4 | Expedition, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #5 | MilioNESy, Denine (^)
🔰 #6 | Quadralords, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #7 | Spacey McRacey, Bite the Chili (^)
🔰 #8 | HappyNESs, Scardua (^)🔹
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | Billionaire Banshee
🎴 | Expedition
🎴 | Quadralords
🎴 | Tailgate Party
Platformer Rankings
🔰 #1 | Micro Mages, Morphcat (^)
🔰 #2 | Flea!, Lowtek Games (^)
🔰 #3 | Nebs ’n Debs, Dullahan Software (^)
🔰 #4 | Project Blue, Phillips/FrankenGraphics (^)
🔰 #5 | Basse Def Adventures, Broke Studio (^)
🔰 #6 | Cowlitz’s 2nd Adventure, Kur/M-Tee (^)
🔰 #7 | Twin Dragons, Broke Studio (^)
🔰 #8 | The Void, Behr / LCM Games (^)🔹
🔰 #9 | Cowlitz’s Lost Adventure, Kur/M-Tee (^)🔹
🔰 #10 | Wolf Spirit, Salgueiro (^)
🔰 #11 | Rollie, Optovania (^)
🔰 #12 | Espitenen & Mr. Pimponen, Mojon Twins (^)°
🔰 #13 | Shera and the 40 Thieves, CGT (^)
🔰 #14 | Ghoul Grind, WoogWorx (^)🔸
🔰 #15 | Slow Mole, Rosenlund (^)
🔰 #16 | Assault on Planet Beezlbub, T-Bone 1 (^)🔹
🔰 #17 | Pinky, Axbakk Games (^)🔸
🔰 #18 | Nessy! The NES Robot, DTG (^)
🔰 #19 | Super Uwol, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #20 | Doodle World, Peters (^)
🔰 #21 | Pinky Xmas, Axbakk (^)🔹
🔰 #22 | Nim & Nom, Krill (^)
🔰 #23 | Battery Chad, Formula Fanboy (^)
🔰 #24 | Nalleland, Nallebeorn (^)
🔰 #25 | Mutant Sewer Girls, Boring Kate (^)🔹
🔰 #26 | Blickel, Vintro Studios (^)🔹
🔰 #27 | Enormous Adventures, Game Losers (^)🔹
🔰 #28 | Bowels of the Beast, T-Bone 1 (^)🔸
🔰 #29 | Copter Bot, Cramer (^)🔹
🔰 #30 | Mineshaft, Nioreh (^)
🔰 #31 | Inversion, Kur / Red Moon (^)
🔰 #32 | Moonglow, Yurt Fiend (^)🔹
🔰 #33 | Study Hall, KHAN (^)🔸
🔰 #34 | 8Bit Xmas: Study Hall 2, retroUSB (^)🔸
🔰 #35 | Underground Adventure, Coop (^)
🔰 #36 | Pogo Cats, Yggi (^)
🔰 #37 | Driar, Adolfsson & Eriksson (^)🔸
🔰 #38 | Platycat, Logana (^)
🔰 #39 | Super Adventure Jih, Lira (^)🔹
🔰 #40 | Duckstroma, AB Ultra Narwhal (^)
🔰 #41 | Shadow of the Lemming, Siudym (^)
🔰 #42 | Frog, Boston Breams (^)
🔰 #43 | Blobert, Mystical Wheelbarrow (^)
🔰 #44 | I Wanna Flip the Sky, Livak (^)
🔰 #45 | Chicken of the Farm, Link / Mitch (^)
🔰 #46 | Falling, Tragic Muffin (^)
🔰 #47 | Exit Loop, The Mad Cete (^)
🔰 #48 | Marble Run, Haarahiltunen (^)
🔰 #49 | 8Bit Xmas: 12 Seconds, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #50 | Grave Adventure, Plude (^)
🔰 #51 | Christmasland, CalGames (^)
🔰 #52 | Mega Mountain, Adrian Makes Games (^)
🔰 #53 | Arlington Apple, Team Disposable (^)🔹
🔰 #54 | Kid Funky, Kool Doob (^)
🔰 #55 | Randy vs. the Aliens, Orangebox (^)🔹
🔰 #56 | No Name, Daylen Retro (^)🔹
🔰 #57 | Santa’s Magical Christmas Sleigh, RetroPlayer (^)
🔰 #58 | Forest Adventure, Nice Code (^)
🔰 #59 | Treat Sweep on Creep Street, Kosters (^)🔹
🔰 #60 | Dragon Leap, Crisafulli (^)
🔰 #61 | Down the Hole, Castimier (^)🔹
🔰 #62 | Tiger Jenny, Ludosity (^)°°🔸
🔰 #63 | You Are Insignificant, Team Disposable (^)🔹
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | 8Bit Xmas 2015: 12 Seconds
🎴 | 8Bit Xmas 2019: Study Hall 2
🎴 | Basse Def Adventures
🎴 | The Cowlitz Gamers’ Second Adventure
🎴 | Doodle World
🎴 | Dragon Leap
🎴 | Exit Loop
🎴 | Flea!
🎴 | Micro Mages
🎴 | Nebs ’n Debs
🎴 | Project Blue
🎴 | Rollie
🎴 | Shera & the 40 Thieves
🎴 | Study Hall
🎴 | Super Uwol
🎴 | Twin Dragons
° Not to be confused with Espitene, a 2018 Mojon Twins game ranked in Adventure.
°° This game’s final boss hasn’t yet been coded, leaving the game without an ending.
Puzzle Game Rankings
🔰 #1 | Witch n’ Wiz, Hughson (^)
🔰 #2 | Tapeworm Disco Puzzle, LowTek (^)
🔰 #3 | Gruniożerca 3, Kur / M-Tee (^)
🔰 #4 | Lucky Penguin, Kur / Macbee (^)
🔰 #5 | Roniu’s Tale, Kunjee Studio (^)
🔰 #6 | Gruniożerca 2, Kur / M-Tee (^)
🔰 #7 | Alter Ego, Shiru (^)
🔰 #8 | Multidude, Retrosouls (^)
🔰 #9 | AO, Nemesys (^)
🔰 #10 | Fluffy Space Escape, CPP (^)🔹
🔰 #11 | Atmo Sphere, Fiskbit (^)🔹
🔰 #12 | Babel Blox, Sly Dog (^)
🔰 #13 | Tomb of Ice, FG Software (^)🔹
🔰 #14 | Blockage, The Doc (^)
🔰 #15 | Upsad Down, Fadest (^)
🔰 #16 | Rock Paper Scissors, Wry Games (^)
🔰 #17 | Wordle, FG Software (^)🔹
🔰 #18 | Lan Master, Shiru (^)
🔰 #19 | The Incident, KHAN Games (^)
🔰 #20 | GemVenture, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #21 | Bare Metal, Scardua / M-Tee (^)
🔰 #22 | RGB, Scardua (^)🔹
🔰 #23 | Dushlan, McQuillan (^)
🔰 #24 | From Below, Hughson (^)
🔰 #25 | Bomb Sweeper, SnowBro (^)🔸
🔰 #26 | Soko Banana, Flip for Fate (^)
🔰 #27 | Hack*Match, Zachtronics (^)
🔰 #28 | Family Picross, Second Dimension (^)
🔰 #29 | Mystic Pillars, Sivak Games (^)
🔰 #30 | Orebody: Sand Ripples, Vanderhoef (^)🔹
🔰 #31 | Block Dude, Mitch 3A (^)
🔰 #32 | Draiocht, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #33 | Magic Floor, Korth (^)
🔰 #34 | Dizzy Sheep Disaster, CPP (^)
🔰 #35 | 0-to-X, Sole Goose Productions (^)
🔰 #36 | Critical Match, Lembcke (^)
🔰 #37 | Laser, Sav (^)
🔰 #38 | Tourtoise, Scardua (^)🔹
🔰 #39 | Squirrel Domino, Hoffman (^)
🔰 #40 | 8Bit Xmas: Dr. Covio, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #41 | UXO, Neodolphino (^)🔹
🔰 #42 | Sweet Dreams, Scardua (^)🔹
HONORABLE MENTIONS
🔘 Sokoban, Holmberg (^)
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | 0-to-X
🎴 | 8-Bit Xmas 2020: Dr. Covio
🎴 | Alter Ego
🎴 | AO
🎴 | Bomb Sweeper
🎴 | Draiocht
🎴 | Dushlan
🎴 | Family Picross
🎴 | From Below
🎴 | GemVenture
🎴 | Hack*Match
🎴 | The Incident
🎴 | Lan Master
🎴 | Lucky Penguin
🎴 | Multidude
🎴 | Mystic Pillars
🎴 | Rock Paper Scissors
🎴 | Roniu’s Tale
🎴 | Soko Banana
🎴 | Tapeworm Disco Puzzle
🎴 | UXO: Unexploded Ordinance
🎴 | Witch n’ Wiz
RPG Rankings
🔰 #1 | The Legends of Owlia, Gradual (^)
🔰 #2 | Weed N’ Stiff, CalGames (^)
🔰 #3 | Light From Within, Atarath (^)
🔰 #4 | Anguna: Scourge of the Goblin King, Bite the Chili (^)🔸
🔰 #5 | We Are Hejickle, Pubby (^)
🔰 #6 | Mystic Origins, New 8-Bit Heroes (^)
🔰 #7 | Candelabra: Estoscerro, Sly Dog (^)
🔰 #8 | Chaos Between Realms, Video Games United (^)🔹
🔰 #9 | Just a Game, Jacotomo (^)
🔰 #10 | 1000 Stars, Vufka (^)
🔰 #11 | Paws of the West, Pigeonaut (^)
🔰 #12 | Quest Forge, Ludosity (^)
🔰 #13 | Stellarator, McKinley (^)🔹
🔰 #14 | No Good Choice, Veremenko (^)🔹
🔰 #15 | File Fixers, Scardua (^)🔹
🔰 #16 | Time Survivor, Tinsley (^)
🔰 #17 | Black Box Challenge, Sly Dog (^)
🔰 #18 | Swords and Runes, Sole Goose (^)
🔰 #19 | Eternal Prelude, Rustocrat (^)
🔰 #20 | The Paths of Bridewell, ZKIP (^)
🔰 #21 | Roguelore, Scardua (^)
🔰 #22 | Inherent Smile, Calima (^)
🔰 #23 | To the Ends of the Earth, RinRem01 (^)
🔰 #24 | Shadow Animus, Chronicler of Legends (^)
🔰 #25 | Page Turner, Ferret Hall (^)
🔰 #26 | An Elf’s Tale, Bardsley (^)
🔰 #27 | TheWit.nes, Dustmop (^)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
🔘 Shokan Doro, Gonzalez (^)
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | Anguna: Scourge of the Goblin King
🎴 | Black Box Challenge
🎴 | Candelabra: Estoscerro
🎴 | The Legends of Owlia
🎴 | Mystic Origins
🎴 | Quest Forge
🎴 | Swords and Runes
Shooter / Run n’ Gun Rankings
🔰 #1 | Astro Ninja Man, Columbus Cir. (^)
🔰 #2 | Star Keeper, 87 Arts (^)
🔰 #3 | Blade Buster, High Level Challenge (^)
🔰 #4 | Haradius Zero, Neodolphino (^)
🔰 #5 | NeMULEsis, Vanderhoef (^)
🔰 #6 | Aspect Star N, Nicole Express (^)
🔰 #7 | Mine Mayhem, FG Software (^)🔹
🔰 #8 | Godzilla: King of Monsters, FG Software (^)°🔸
🔰 #9 | The Rise of Amondus, Sly Dog (^)
🔰 #10 | Sgt. Helmet: Training Day, Mojon Twins (^)
🔰 #11 | Copper Jacket, Monsoon Studios (^)
🔰 #12 | Gold Guardian Gun Girl, GoodTune (^)
🔰 #13 | Star Versus, Dust Mop (^)🔸
🔰 #14 | Bat Lizard Bonanza, Vanderhoef (^)
🔰 #15 | Touhou Rououmu, Kyoske (^)
🔰 #16 | Rekt, FG Software (^)🔹
🔰 #17 | DABG, Hoffman (^)
🔰 #18 | Spook-o’-Tron, Sole Goose (^)
🔰 #19 | Mermay’s Den, Mihoshi (^)
🔰 #20 | The Drunk Time Traveler’s Fiancée, Gonzalez (^)
🔰 #21 | Troll Burner, New 8-Bit Heroes (^)🔹
🔰 #22 | Thwaite, Yerrick (^)
🔰 #23 | Gaplus, M2 / Bandai Namco (^)
🔰 #24 | Chrono Knight, Artix (^)
🔰 #25 | Sweethearts, Zhamul (^)
🔰 #26 | Spirit Impel, Passe Gaming (^)
🔰 #27 | Improbability Fighter, Scardua (^)🔸
🔰 #28 | CYO, Nemesys (^)
🔰 #29 | Lunar Limit, Pubby (^)
🔰 #30 | T*Gun, Crisafulli (^)
🔰 #31 | Super PakPak, AOH Games (^)🔸
🔰 #32 | GunTnerR, Langel (^)
🔰 #33 | Bandana, Most (^)
🔰 #34 | Bloodfall, Ludos (^)
🔰 #35 | Black Hole, Siudym (^)🔹
🔰 #36 | Klepsydra, Drexegar (^)
🔰 #37 | Dragon Feet, Crisafulli (^)🔹
🔰 #38 | Saturn Smash, FG Software (^)
🔰 #39 | Spacy Shooty, Fraker (^)
🔰 #40 | Scramble, KHAN Games (^)
🔰 #41 | Galaxxon III, Rost & Co. (^)
🔰 #42 | 2600 A.D., CrazyGroupTrio (^)
🔰 #43 | War Boat, Timeline Games (^)🔹
🔰 #44 | Solar Wars, Covell (^)
🔰 #45 | Jupiter Scope 2, Nin-Kuuku (^)
🔰 #46 | Uchūsen, Nape Games (^)🔹
🔰 #47 | Galaxy Hero, Siudym (^)🔹
🔰 #48 | Kubo 1 & 2, Seiji / SJ Games (^)🔹
HONORABLE MENTIONS
🔘 Vehion, Livak (^)
🔘 Wraith, Livak (^)
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | Astro Ninja Man°°
🎴 | Candelabra: The Rise of Amondus
🎴 | Copper Jacket
🎴 | Ghoul Grind: Night of the Necromancer
🎴 | Gold Guardian Gun Girl
🎴 | Haradius Zero
🎴 | Kubo 1 & 2
🎴 | Lunar Limit
🎴 | Scramble
🎴 | Sgt. Helmet: Training Day
🎴 | Spirit Impel
🎴 | Spook-o’-Tron
🎴 | Star Keeper
🎴 | Star Versus
🎴 | Super PakPak
🎴 | T*Gun
🎴 | Uchūsen
° Not to be confused with the licensed NES game, Godzilla: Monster of Monsters.
°° Available in FamiCom edition only.
Simulation Game Rankings
🔰 #1 | Chippy, Fraker (^)🔹
🔰 #2 | FINnes, AGG 23 (^)🔹
🔰 #3 | Join Us, Aerage Games (^)°🔹
🔰 #4 | PCB Artist, Molloy (^)🔸
🔰 #5 | Nintencat: The Parody, Bryant (^)🔸
🔰 #6 | NES Calculator, Scardua (^)
🔰 #7 | Music Toy: Axe, Yerrick (^)🔸🔫
° Only the first two “rooms” in this game have been completed (the “basement” and the “living room”). The remaining two rooms can be viewed but are not fully playable.
Sports / Racing Game Rankings
🔰 #1 | Beyond the Pins, KHAN Games (^)°
🔰 #2 | Log Jammers, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #3 | Creepy Brawlers, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 #4 | Galf, Spoony Bard (^)
🔰 #5 | Amazon’s Running Diet, Ancient (^)
🔰 #6 | Project D.A.R.T., CutterCross (^)
🔰 #7 | SplatooD, der Zauberer (^)🔹
🔰 #8 | F-FF, Pubby (^)
🔰 #9 | Mr. Splash, Project F (^)
🔰 #10 | 8-Bit Xmas: Exciteduck, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #11 | RC2 Rally, Good_Tune (^)
🔰 #12 | Rumblefest ‘89, Jurassic Sunset (^)🔹
🔰 #13 | Highway Racing, Alien Tech (^)🔹
🔰 #14 | NESert Golfing, Rainwarrior (^)
🔰 #15 | 8-Bit Xmas 2018: Xmas Skiing, retroUSB (^)
🔰 #16 | Battle Pong, Bell (^)🔹
🔰 #17 | Box & Wrestle, Alien Tech (^)🔹
🔰 #18 | Rookie Egg Jugglers, Famicuber (^)🔹
° Offers a substantial Adventure game component as well as a bowling game.
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | 8-Bit Xmas 2018: Xmas Skiing
🎴 | 8-Bit Xmas 2021: Exciteduck
🎴 | Beyond the Pins
🎴 | Creepy Brawlers
🎴 | Galf
🎴 | Log Jammers
🎴 | Mr. Splash
🎴 | RC2 Rally
Strategy Game Rankings
🔰 #1 | Armed for Battle, 1010 HOWE (^)
🔰 #2 | Dune 2: Sand Emperor, TI (^)🔹
🔰 #3 | Tower Defense 1990, Lloyd (^)
🔰 #4 | Against the Pirates, CoolBoy (^)°°🔹
🔰 #5 | RHDE: Furniture Fight, Yerrick (^)
🔰 #6 | Galactic Ascension, Gerard (^)
🔰 #7 | Plants vs. Zombies, Nice Code (^)°
🔰 #8 | Guardian 5, Maaskant (^)
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | Armed for Battle
🎴 | Galactic Ascension
🎴 | Tower Defense 1990
° This game is an unlicensed demake of a popular game for another platform.
°° The title of this game has been mistranslated from Chinese, possibly as “Fighting Pirates” (erroneously transliterated as “Fated Pirate”). The correct title (对抗海盗) is Against the Pirates; the protagonist is in each stage fighting off hordes of marauders. Note that you input your ship’s movement in a very unusual way—via the Start button.
Zapper / FPS Rankings
{Note: Games with a “🔫” icon after them require the use of an NES Zapper. The remaining games are first-person shooters (FPS) or Zapper games that can be played with a controller.}
🔰 #1 | Shark, Most (^)🔹
🔰 #2 | Super Russian Roulette, Reitano (^)🔫
🔰 #3 | Falling Tiles, Fraker (^)🔫
🔰 #4 | Russian Roulette, Intendon (^)
HONORABLE MENTIONS
🔘 Russian Roulette, Yerrick (^)🔫
COMPLETE-IN-BOX GAMES
🎴 | Super Russian Roulette
Multiplayer Rankings
🔰 MP1 | Nim & Nom, Krill (^)
🔰 MP2 | Super PakPak, AOH Games (^)
🔰 MP3 | Star Versus, Dust Mop (^)
🔰 MP4 | Log Jammers, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 MP5 | Justice Duel, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 MP6 | Super Homebrew War, Bite the Chili (^)
🔰 MP7 | Altercation, Scott (^)🔹
🔰 MP8 | Billionaire Banshee, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 MP9 | Alfonzo Melee, SBP (^)
🔰 MP10 | Turtle Party, Sherman (^)
🔰 MP11 | Ninja I & II, Elisondo (^)🔸
🔰 MP12 | RHDE: Furniture Fight, Yerrick (^)
🔰 MP13 | Leak or Die, Fleity (^)
🔰 MP14 | Super Tilt Bro., Gadrat (^)
🔰 MP15 | SplatooD, der Zauberer (^)
🔰 MP16 | Germ Squashers, 8bit Evolution (^)
🔰 MP17 | 8-Bit Xmas: Exciteduck, retroUSB (^)
🔰 MP18 | Project D.A.R.T., CutterCross (^)
🔰 MP19 | Galactic Ascension, Gerard (^)
🔰 MP20 | Tailgate Party, Orab Games (^)
🔰 MP21 | Mr. Splash, Project F (^)
🔰 MP22 | Wrecking Balls, Rahsennor (^)🔹
🔰 MP23 | Sweethearts, Zhamul (^)
🔰 MP24 | Tesla vs. Edison, RadTek (^)🔸
🔰 MP25 | Light Shields, Zutano (^)
🔰 MP26 | K.Y.F.F., Sly Dog (^)
🔰 MP27 | Expedition, Mega Cat (^)
🔰 MP28 | Hack*Match, Zachtronics (^)
🔰 MP29 | MilioNESy, Denine (^)
🔰 MP30 | Quadralords, retroUSB (^)
🔰 MP31 | Battle Pong, Bell (^)🔹
🔰 MP32 | Spacey McRacey, Bite the Chili (^)
🔰 MP33 | Solar Wars, Covell (^)
🔰 MP34 | Bushido Bomb, Sleeping Burrito (^)
🔰 MP35 | HappyNESs, Scardua (^)🔹
{Note: This section of the RETRO Top 500 NES Homebrews is very much a work-in-progress. These preliminary in-category rankings are highly likely to change in the coming few months.}
Best Graphics
🔰 | 🥇 Jim Power: Lost Dimension, Piko (^)
🔰 | 🥈 Kira Kira Star Night DX, RIKI (^)
🔰 | 🥉 Trophy, Gradual Games (^)
🔘 | 🏅 Dimension Shift, Mugi (^)
🔘 | 🏅 Klepsydra, Drexegar (^)
🔘 | 🏅 Sweetleaf, Cramer/Marcel (^)
Best Song
🔰 | 🥇 The Wizard, RetroAge (^)
🔰 | 🥈 Veggie Invaders, Dustmop (^)
🔰 | 🥉 Star Keeper, 87 Arts (^)
🔘 | 🏅 October Sinclair, Pigeonaut (^)
🔘 | 🏅 Solar Wars, Covell (^)
🔘 | 🏅 Sweethearts, Zhamul (^)
Best Sound
🔰 | 🥇 Neo Heiankyo Alien, Columbus Cir. (^)
🔰 | 🥈 Astro Ninja Man, Columbus Cir. (^)
🔰 | 🥉 Twin Dragons, Broke Studio (^)
🔘 | Touhou Rououmu, Kyoske (^)
Best Writing
🔰 | 🥇 Stellarator, McKinley (^)
🔰 | 🥈 Mutant Sewer Girls, Boring Kate (^)
🔰 | 🥉 1000 Stars, Vufka (^)
🔘 | 🏅 Dungeons & Doomknights, Artix (^)
🔰 SC1 | Kubo 3, Seiji / SJ Games (^)
To conceive of, design, and code an aftermarket NES game approximately thirty years after the last licensed NES cart was published is a tremendous feat—an act of bravery, ingenuity, and determination.
To do this at the age of eight is nothing short of an act of heroism. RETRO would like to issue a special citation to Seiji, who developed the extremely promising game Kubo 3 and did so many, many years before the average person even begins to understand all that producing a video game requires. Seiji and Kubo 3 are an inspiration to everyone.
If you’d like to learn more about Seiji and Kubo 3, RETRO recommends this primer:
Reviews and Gameplay Videos
🔰 #1 | Witch n’ Wiz
Review: Reminiscent of a combination of several cult-classic—but still underrated—NES puzzle games like Fire n’ Ice, Puzznic, Adventures of Lolo, and Boulder Dash, what sets Witch n’ Wiz apart is its brief-but-emotional backstory, its consistently fine graphics and block-erasure level design, and a caliber of perfection in difficulty scaling that was never really achieved by the games we now call “Nintendo Hard.” While Witch n’ Wiz can be quite hard, never before have I played a video game that seems to set the amount of time, energy, and brainpower necessary to beat each screen at exactly the right level. At the very moment you feel like a level is too difficult to best, you do; at the very moment you fear perhaps the game is unfair, you realize it isn’t; and the result of this is a sense of ecstatic accomplishment that many otherwise wonderful original NES titles missed out on producing because they’d calibrated their learning curve and difficulty spikes improperly. Over dozens of levels, Witch n’ Wiz remains fresh, engaging, and a joy to puzzle through—a testament to developer Matt Hughson’s genius. Each set of sublevels offers an idiosyncratic gameplay mechanic that’s newly in play, and as you progress through each set Hughson continually finds clever new ways to deploy the mechanic. Meanwhile, the story sequence that leads off the game—and for that matter, the exciting and tense boss battle that closes it—lend emotional stakes to the game that subsist throughout its runtime. Overall, this game is just so impossibly tightly made that it feels like an instant NES classic; there are no flaws or hiccups one can identify, just a purely joyous game-playing experience that’s truly unforgettable.
🔰 #2 | Tapeworm Disco Puzzle
Review: Sometimes a game just hits every note perfectly. Alistair Low from LowTek Games has created a marvelous, ever-expanding world with his games Flea! and Tapeworm Disco Puzzle. By taking generally avoided and disfavored organisms one would never think of as protagonists and placing them in colorful, vibrant, whimsical environments that are aesthetically cohesive as well as imaginatively diverse, Low is creating a novel world that bears visiting over and over. In Flea!—quite cleverly, an “endless jumper” rather than “endless runner”—the gameplayer must navigate the idiosyncrasies of the primary sprite they control as well as the idiosyncrasies of the environment, which include dangerous needles, a straw subway, and all sorts of icky microbiology. As Henry the Hyperactive Flea, you find yourself in a platformer where timing rather than jumping is the focus, as jumping is constant and uncontrollable. While the graphics of this game and its same-world peer Tapeworm Disco Puzzle are deliberately pixelated and deformed in a way one can’t miss, the chromatic tones and general atmosphere of the works seem just as they should be—as if there couldn’t possibly have been a better alternative. As a gamer I think it comes down to feeling like these two games and the characters in them are truly loved by their creator; there’s a sense of warmth, humor, and resignation to danger in this world (this last particularly appropriate for organisms so easily vanquished by their environment or manmade forces) that just feels right because it feels innately earned. It helps that the controls are tight, the difficulty scaling masterful, the storytelling touch light but also profoundly generative and subtly humorous, and the layout of each screen clearly the result of genius-level game-development instincts. This applies with perhaps even greater force to Tapeworm Disco Puzzle than Flea!, as the former game has a story and characters that build off their predecessor and offer a sense of sonic style—as one might expect, given the name of the game and the profession of its protagonist (who literally lives in a cassette tape)—that makes even the toughest levels, for instance the ones in which a suddenly hypnotized protagonist moves ceaselessly (as is de rigueur in Flea!) eminently bearable. In Tapeworm Disco Puzzle, the titular tapeworm can only move a limited number of spaces outside his cassette at once, which is a challenge given how much he needs to do away from home; fortunately, you have wormholes and other clever gameplay mechanics available to extend your reach and allow you to offer aid to your friends, who are being attacked one by one by a mysterious unseen villain. This is one of those games in which every enemy, obstacle, screen, and mechanic is organically “of the world” of fleas and ticks, tapeworms, and other creepy-crawlies—but in a delightfully whimsical way rather than one played for cheap shock value. In the best art, each element speaks to every other element, and this is richly the case with Tapeworm Disco Puzzle and Flea!, which are unquestionably stunning works of digital art.
🔰 #3 | Astro Ninja Man
Review: Some games simply have an unmistakable, inimitable, idiosyncratic style—and Astro Ninja Man is just such a game. Some of this flows from the title’s conceit, which commingles the ancient and the futuristic in a way that perfectly contextualizes its over-the-top combination of pseudo-militaristic monologuing (every boss battle is preceded by a threat made against the player), ethereal beauty, techno music, and the sort of adorable cartoonizing of the game’s protagonist that can only happen when narrative cohesion and mimetic reality have already been thrown out the window. Many space shooters allow you to gain allies as power-ups, but in Astro Ninja Man it’s a straight-up doubling—then tripling and quadrupling—of the titular ninja-astronaut, which seems as much an aesthetic decision as a gameplay one. But it works. What also works is the outrageous color scheme, inscrutable bosses, oddly “floaty” projectiles (which at times seem more beautiful than dangerous), and a forgiving “hit box” that doesn’t count your allies against you, meaning you only take damage if the protagonist himself is hit. Playing Astro Ninja Man is an intense and unforgettable experience not just because the game’s conceit and sonic/color palettes are fresh, but because enemy movements and patterns are engaging, the difficulty scales properly, and the whole packages feels as much like an experience as a contest of dexterity. Every retro gamer must play this game.
🔰 #4 | Böbl
Review: Not to wax poetic here, but I think there’s something profound about selecting one of the most fragile phenomena on Earth—a bubble—as the protagonist in an NES adventure. We’re all familiar with “one-hit kill” titles that are set up this way merely to appeal to the subset of retro gamers who are masochists (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but it’s refreshing to see a game put a frame around why its primary character is particularly vulnerable. It helps, of course, when a game looks beautiful, is difficult but also oddly calming, and perpetually surprises the player with novel obstacles, power-ups, and environments. While there’s certainly a bit of a learning curve here in terms of controlling the titular bubble and its power-up functions, the game never feels unfair, and indeed somehow provokes a sort of emotional investment that’s a hallmark of the very best Adventure games. One finds in this game the earnest joy of exploration and discovery; beneath the deceptively simple package of Böbl is a game with an intriguing physics engine, great controls, and an extremely inviting set of environments. This game gains your emotional investment and your time in every way that a video game can and should. Highly recommended.
🔰 #5 | Micro Mages
Review: It seems like every retro gamer in the world absolutely adores Micro Mages—and it’s not very hard to see why. Yes, the sprites are tiny (even micro), but of course that’s part of the charm of this Platformer: it’s not just the vertical autoscrolling, which sees you frantically using Ninja Gaiden- (or Streemerz-) like wall-jumping to kill enemies, open chests, and hit checkpoints as quickly as possible; and it’s not just the excellent music and charming back-story; it’s that it’s simply remarkable that any game can look this good—with protagonists and enemies that move so fluidly—at this scale. Every space in this game is fully realized and wholly believable, which is made possible not just by all of the above features but the incredibly tight controls and the great score. Add in multiple difficulty modes, a multiplayer option, and a password system, and you have a game—like all of the Top 10 games in this list, in fact—that without question would have been ranked in the Top 100 of original NES games. It is not too much to say that Micro Mages is an addictive, action-filled gaming experience that will forever—and I mean forever—be regarded as a truly essential NES homebrew experience.
🔰 #6 | Star Keeper
Review: It’s a genuine shame that so few people will ever get to play this game, and if RETRO had a magic wand it would will 87 Arts and the game’s unknown developer—his name doesn’t appear in the credits—to agree to distribute this work of art via one of the many fine 8-bit-game publishers listed in this article. Playing Star Keeper is like stepping into a dream; while a few of the game’s visual setpieces (e.g., its clouds) may immediately put on in mind of Nintendo’s Super Mario games, even when Star Keeper echos that legendary series it does so by honoring its very finest qualities: a diverse rogues’ gallery with enemies that can only be described as adorable; truly effervescent environments; and a dreamlike ambiance that remains soothing even at moments the game’s difficulty seems to briefly ramp up. The simple premise here, of a boy with a house that’s also a spaceship, is memorable enough that the overall gaming experience feels like an “It’s a Small World” ferry ride through childhood wonders. So many 8-bit shooters take themselves too seriously; Star Keeper follows in the grand tradition of Sqoon, Gun-Nac, and Parodius by not falling into this trap and giving players something to do (collect stars) while jet-packing around and firing at enemies. All in all, this is a singular and sublime gaming experience that hopefully—one day—many more gamers will be able to enjoy.
🔰 #7 | Haunted: Halloween ‘86
Review: This may well be the quintessential NES homebrew. Its writing and graphics never feel other than homespun, but always in a way that is engaging, and often with subtle complexities that belie the charmingly organic nature of the work. Before more is said about the game, however, can we first address its core concept? Halloween is a holiday that surely deserves hundreds of video games devoted to it, and while it does have many, few more perfectly capture the sense of gloom and adventure surrounding All Hallows Eve than Haunted: Halloween ‘86. The drab color palette in the game is perfectly suited to its context, even as it is often surprisingly expressive; level designs so beautifully interact with with the many different background environments the game’s two protagonists fight their way through that the player never feels anything but wholly located in this richly realized world. Adversaries and obstacles are spooky, icky, and unnerving in exactly the right measure, and for an 8-bit beat ‘em up the two playable characters—who you can switch between at will, and will often need to—get an admirable number of special moves throughout the course of the game. Most of all, however, Haunted: Halloween ‘86 is to be celebrated for its inventive boss battles, its unique health-point system (you gauge the status of your playable character by how closely their skin tone matches that of the zombie that every successful hit gets closer and closer to turning you into), and its pitch-perfect atmosphere. This is a game series one genuinely hopes goes on and on, and (no spoilers!) the engaging, eerie story the series tells absolutely has the legs for several more entries. I can’t wait for the next one!
🔰 #8 | Flea!
Review: See the review for Tapeworm Disco Puzzle, above.
🔰 #9 | The Magnilo Case
Review: This game is a blast, pure and simple—and I say that as a retro gamer who often dislikes Adventure games, and games in the mystery sub-genre specifically. What makes The Magnilo Case something else entirely, however, is the quality of its writing: both the text itself, and also the pacing, plotting, evidence, and scenery that make this game run. From the moment you step inside Magnilo Studios, you want to explore it because it is creepy and adorable and ethereal all at once—by which I mean that you never know what the next room will hold, because the game developers have clearly let their imaginations run wild. Some Adventure games meet the requirements of the genre but lack a real sense of exploration, wonder, and negative capability (the idea, which we get from the poet John Keats, of finding a certain joy in uncertainty); The Magnilo Case reels you in from the very beginning and never lets go. Gameplay-wise it has all the features you would expect from this sort of title, yet all of them are done wonderfully and with a snarky, noirish panache. Magnilo is a game—and a place—you will want to lose yourself in.
🔰 #10t | Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure
Review: Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure is a remarkably complete game—not just for an NES homebrew, but for any NES game. If there’s a thing you love about 8-bit gaming, it’s here. Several playable characters, each with their own personalities and powers? Check. Elements of all six major 8-bit video game genres (Action, Adventure, Beat ‘em Up, Platformer, Puzzle, and Shooter)? Check. An overworld? Yes. A unique aesthetic that comes with a sense of humor? Certainly. While the story is gestural, (a) there is one, and (b) it’ll make you smile on occasion. But more than all this, and beyond even the tight controls, fine difficulty scaling, and interestingly varied levels and obstacles, Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure is invested enough in immersion and replayability to offer secret areas, special hard-to-find items, and little gameplay quirks (such as needing to duck into an igloo—if/when you can get to it—to change characters) that lend a sense of, pun a bit intended I guess, “adventure” to the game. I suppose I’m also one of those retro gamers who greatly appreciates a developer willing to build out a world across multiple games; it should be deemed a significant asset of Alfonzo’s Arctic Adventure that if you like its graphics, music, gameplay and characters, you can spend even more time with them—in a set of games that are excellent in their own right—via Eskimo Bob: Starring Alfonzo, Alfonzo Melee, and The Alfonzo Game. With the ongoing “Haunted: Halloween” series (which includes, so far, Haunted: Halloween ‘85 and Haunted: Halloween ‘86) and John Vanderhoef’s excellent “MULEniverse” series (which includes neMULEsis, Leggite Luta Livre, Bat Lizard Bonanza, Wampus DX, and Wart Worm Wingding), the “Alfonzo” series has all the makings of a new cult-classic miniverse in the NES2 ecosystem.
🔰 #10t | Dungeons & Doomknights
Review: Building off a long-running IP, Artix has built an 8-bit world that feels fully realized and lived-in, as though there were no iterations of this fantasy ecosystem besides this one (though there are). Beyond its airtight gameplay, excellent graphics, and suitably vast world—which is every bit as varied and imaginative as you’d hope—Dungeons & Doomknights is distinguished by its humor, fourth-wall-breaking self-referentiality, and quality-of-life components (such as the optional use of the Konami Code, a very useful in-game pet, and regularly appearing save spots). From the option to fight and defeat Death as your very first in-game action—I won’t reveal how to do it—to twists on common video game tropes, Dungeons & Doomknights continually surprises and delights. It’s a game you won’t want to put down, as without a doubt it is one of the most polished, finished, and expansive NES2 games you can play right now.
🔰 #10t | Little Medusa
Review: We need to get the obvious out of the way, first: yes, this game is reminiscent of Kickle Cubicle, a widely respected original NES title that nevertheless only made #100 on the consensus Top 100 NES Games of All Time ranking. In view of this, there is ample reason to feel like retro gaming needs more games that investigate the unique mechanic from Kickle Cubicle: pushing enemies to turn them into useful landmasses. Whereas Kickle Cubicle lacked an interesting narrative frame, Little Medusa not only has one but is of course borrowing from the best frame there is: Greek mythology. But it’s not just that the story here is far more engaging than was ever the case with Kickle Cubicle—though that’s true—but so too are the level designs, the enemies, the boss battles, your powers, the power-ups, the obstacles, the battlefields, the overworld art, the puzzles, the cutscenes and intermediary graphics, the music, the secret areas, and—well—everything, really. When you take a classic gameplay mechanic and improve on everything surrounding it in every way imaginable, you end up with a thrilling game. Little Medusa can confidently stand alongside the very best action-puzzle games from the original NES.
🔰 #10t | MOMOC
Review: MOMOC is very likely to move up this list over time, as the game mechanic upon which it (and its engineer protagonist) relies—the ability to traverse a Meiji-era Japan filled with hostile military forces using only the ability to craft ladders, walls, planks, and fuses—is so unthinkably versatile that it feels deeper and deeper with each moment of gameplay. I have rarely if ever seen an NES game that allows for so many different ways to “beat” (or clear) each screen; MOMOC almost feels like an open-world adventure, in which the only limiting factor is your own ingenuity. While a few stages in the journey can be crossed with little difficulty, many will have you plotting out a strategy with your brow furrowed, engaged in some slow-boiling trial-and-error session that will test your mental acuity and even your manual dexterity. The fact that the protagonist of MOMOC can gather materials Minecraft-style means you will develop a relationship to not just the layout but the mineral composition of each screen that goes well beyond the typical experience of 8-bit gaming. In short, MOMOC is a sneaky contender to one day—once RETRO takes even more time with it—become one of the top three NES homebrews on this list. It’s just that good. Anyone with an interest in the NES, whether twentieth century (“NES”) or twenty-first century (“NES2”) should be playing this game. See this link for in-game GIFs.
Some Other Reviewed Games
{Note: Games deemed a cut above the others listed below are marked with a red pushpin. A “🎴” means that a game exists in complete-in-box format.}
8-Bit Xmas 2008 🎴
8-Bit Xmas 2009: Snowball Fight!!! 📍🎴
8-Bit Xmas 2010: Jolly Joyriding 📍🎴
8-Bit Xmas 2011: Fireplace Bash 🎴°°
8-Bit Xmas 2012: Biplane Dogfight 📍🎴
8-Bit Xmas 2013: Santa’s Blasters 📍🎴
8-Bit Xmas 2014: Killer Queen Arcade 🎴
8-Bit Xmas 2016: Xmas Pinball 🎴
8-Bit Xmas 2017: Anniversary Multicart 🎴
1007 Bolts
A Simple Platformer Game 📍
A Small World
Airboat Apocalypse
Ambushed
Astroid
Auge 📍
Axelay 📍
Basic Championship Wrestling
Battleball
Beat ‘em and Eat ‘em 🎴
Berzerk 📍
Betelgeuse
Big City Sliding Blaster
Blurred Lines 2048
Bohpoli!
Bomb Array
Bomberman 2002 📍
The Box 📍
Box Game
Brandon, You’re Going to Hell 📍🎴
Brilliant Pebbles 📍
Brony Blaster
Bsides
Bust a Nut
Caged Fury 📍
Candy Shop°
Cat Killer 📍
Cats
Chase 📍
Code Master 🎴
Connect 4
Convention Quest 🎴
Cursed Bushido 🔹
Dizzy: Melanchony of Existance [sic]
Dragon Master 📍
Drakaina
Electronic Sweet-N-Fun Fortune Teller 🔹
The Fateslayer
Fighter F-8000
Fire of Rebellion
First Lights Cry 📍
Flappy Bird 📍
Flappy Block
Flight Minigames
Flight of the Harbinger 🎴
For the Birds VI
For Points 📍
Forgotten in Time
Function 📍
Galaxy NES 📍
Game of Life
Geminim / Siamond 📍🎴
Global Warming
Go
Grave Digger
Greedy Snake
GSM
Halloween 2009 📍🎴
Hammer Smack
Hangman
Happy Scrappy and the Haunted House 📍
Hazard
Hazard: Let Us Out 📍🔹
HexS 📍
Hey Reset 📍
Horror Hospital
Hot Head Joe
Hot Seat Harry
Iconoclast 📍
Invaders Must Die 📍
Jane Jones: Poet Detective 📍
Jelly Jam’d
Juhannussauna
Kosmity Atakujo 📍
Lake Fever
Libertango°
The Lift of Cirkat 📍🔹
Lights Out
Lil’ Digger 🔹
Lil’ Digger 2 🔹
Little Flame 📍
Llamagade
Mandelbrot Set
Manhole
March of the Minotaurs
MashyMashy
Master of Time 📍
Meet Me in the Parking Lot 📍🔹
Melo-Jellos 2 📍
Memory
Meteor Guard
Midnight Jogger
Miner 📍
Minotaur Game 📍
Missing Lands
Monster Slayer 📍🔹
Moon Magic
Mouser II 📍
Mr. Potato Head in PotatoLand 🔹
Munchie Attack 📍
Musical Quest 📍🔹
Nanaca Crash 📍
Nature Clan: Island
Nature Clan: Mirror Devil World
NES Raycaster
NES Sample Balls 📍🔹
NESert Bus 🔹
Nesglovphone
Nighttime Bastards 📍🎴
The Ninja of the 4 Seasons 📍
Ninja Slapper 🎴
NNNNNN 📍
No Points
Nothing Good Can Come of This
Number Muncher
Obstacle Trek 📍
Odyssey 1156
The One with the Walls
Orphea 📍
Ooze Redux
Overclocked
Paint or Draw
Pair the Pets
Pegs 📍
Pingback 📍
Pong 198X
Pong & Head Bounce
Poronkusema 📍
Prez
Pung! Balls of Steel
Putt Putt
Reggie’s Radical Adventures 🎴
RetroRGB Test
RoboRun 📍🔹
Robotfindskitten
Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Sbock 🎴
ROM City Rampage
Save the Kuin
Shaolin Squirrel
ShootNES
Simone Says
Sitten Kitten
Skater 📍🔹
Ski Pirates
Slappin’ 🎴
Slime Combine 🔹
Snail Maze 📍
Snowball
Soko Man
Space Fighter
Space Punks
Spacevania
Specus
Splash Rightnut
Sprilo
Squish: The Bouncing Cat Ball
S.T.I.N.G.
Super City Mayor 📍
Super Floofy Sheepie
Super Marxsky Comrades
Super Roman
Sweetie and the Carnage
The Tao of 007
Thallasophobe
That’s Whack
Theremin
Tracklayer 🔹
Vector Run
Windermere 📍
Zack in Time 📍
Zap Ping 📍
Zombie Calavera Prologue 📍
° These individual chiptune tracks by Norwegian programmer Snowbro might well make the RETRO Music rankings if compiled on a single ROM or cartridge.
°° See Quadralords, under the Multiplayer section of these rankings.
The Shortlist: Games To Be Reviewed
Subscribers can comment below this article to suggest additional games for review.
Note that the list below is non-exhaustive; the next edition of these rankings will include many more new NES homebrews beyond the ones in this preliminary list.
Commie Killer (🎴); Harbinger 2; Jet Set Willy; Kevin Power in Concert Carnage (🎴); Kevin Power in Too Many Games (🎴); Masmix; Press Start Again; Snakky (🎴); Solaris (🎴); Twelve Seconds (🎴).
Here’s a non-exhaustive watchlist of unreleased NES homebrews of interest to RETRO:
8bit-Strike
Allison of Astra
Api the Cat
Attack From Planet X
Balls and Booty 🎴
Cat Zap
Cobol’s Laboratory
Courier
Data
Diary of a Zomboni Driver
Force Bot
Full Quiet
Former Dawn
Gypsum & The Travelers
Halcyon
High Noon Knockout
Isolation
Jester 🎴
Kingdom Crisis
Leon: Tactical Asshole Cat
Malasombra
The Meating 🎴
Mega Commando
Mystic Searches 🎴
October Sinclair
Orange Island 🎴
Project Chocoblip
Project Sword
Pyronaut
Rally Rally Rally
Robo Factory
Sam’s Journey
Saru Kani Panic 🎴
Skatemasta Tcheco
Skeler Boy 🎴
Steel Legion
Sword of Ianna
Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of Death 🎴
Walter Nate: Timeline Agent
Witch City
The Witch Guild
Wizz Scape
Looking for Legally Acquired Aftermarket ROM or Cart
Contract RETRO via this form if you are in legal possession of any of the games below (as either a ROM or cartridge) and are legally entitled to share them with a third party.
Ping Pong°
° Specifically, the late 1990s or early 2000s Hummer Games version, pictured below.
Promising Homebrews Never Released
RETRO is watching—albeit with not too much hope—these NES homebrew projects, on the long odds that they may one day be resuscitated by their very talented creators.
Journey World
Maru Mari
Neotoxin
RETRO owes a debt of gratitude to the many digital artists and game development studios that have offered critical feedback during the formation and evolution of this ranking. RETRO would like to offer a very special thanks to Joe Granato and Austin McKinley (website), Matt Hughson (website), M-Tee (website), Jeffrey Wittenhagen (website), FrankenGraphics (website), Dale Coop (website), and Michael Chiaramonte (website). More names will undoubtedly be added to this list soon!
RETRO dedicates the Top 500 NES Homebrews to the memory of talented gamer, streamer, and rom-hack game developer Adam Hiner of Akron, Ohio (1983–2021).
Known by the many gamers whose lives he touched via his various online channels as AdamOSRetro, Adam exhibited an irrepressible love of gaming and NES homebrews in particular. His energy, joy, and bravery was superlative, and he will be sorely missed.