Super Princess Peach not only gave the damsel her own game, it granted her agency. Some autonomy. Some moxie...that both glorified and undermined her sacred, blissful nature. It's a game, some might say, in which the miss went somewhat amiss.
And yet, there's no denying the effort that went into this title, this journey of righteous vibe and color. Whether it keeps true to Peach's serene character...whether or not it betrays the greater Mario canon, the game is still plenty inspired in its own right--more than several New Super Mario titles combined.
Blue's Journey is the rare Neo Geo platformer that doesn't involve shooting hoards of militaristic folk. Rather, players command a bug boy named Blue who must free his planet from an invading empire of...a different race of minuscule critters? It's a weird premise, but the graphics and action are still sublime despite those ancient times.
If history was fair, Blue would have become the system's Super Mario.
Virtual Boy Wario Land takes the Mario canon into the darker corners of its universe. Wario, out to score more treasure, finds himself dumped into a twisted underworld of ghouls, traps, and brimstone--a veritable hell fitting for the oafish hero. It's a grim, crimson descent into madness unlike anything else on the platform...or anywhere else.
And it might just be the Virtual Boy's greatest game.
Super Mario Land is distinguished less for its excellent gameplay and more for its "unique" ideas; indeed, the game was designed more as a showcase for the Game Boy's capabilities than to be the next platforming classic. Years later, the game's shortcomings definitely show, and yet...its strengths have also become magnified, proving than even a mediocre Mario game can both impress and surprise.
Sonic the Hedgehog on the Master System speeds in a different direction than its 16-bit big brother. While not exactly an improvement, this downsized Sonic definitely isn't downgraded, offering an interesting alternative to the game everyone has already played to the point of memorization.
Yoshi Touch and Go explored the concept of the Endless Runner long before the genre became a trope on mobile phones. While it's a decidedly slight experience when compared to other Yoshi titles--Yoshi's Island specifically--for the genre it represents, it's about the best a game like this gets.
