8 SNES Games That Got Remakes (& What They Were Released For)
2020 was a giant year for remakes. April alone saw three. There was Final Fantasy VII Remake, Resident Evil 3, and Trials of Mana. That last one was a big deal because in 2019 Square Enix released the original Super Nintendo version to the West in an official translation for the first time.
Then, a year later, it got remade. There’s more to that story but the point is it is not alone in the SNES’ library. There have been many remakes for some of its classic games so let’s dive deeper into Trials if of and some other big games. The dates correspond to the North American releases unless otherwise noted.
8 Fire Emblem: Mystery Of The Emblem
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem originally released for the SNES in 1994 in Japan only. It was later released as Fire Emblem: New Mystery of the Emblem for the DS in 2010 also in Japan only. This DS game has a big significant mark for the series as it was the first time a casual mode was implemented whereas the West wouldn’t get this difficulty setting until Fire Emblem Awakening in 2013. For those curious there is an English fan translation for it.
7 Mega Man X
Mega Man X originally released for the SNES in 1994. It was later released as Mega Man Maverick Hunter X for the PSP in 2006. It is almost a complete shot for shot remake replacing the 2D sprites with polygonal models. Its biggest addition to the original were the animated cutscenes and overall extra story beats along with a mode wherein players could go through the whole game as Vile, one of the game’s big villains.
6 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles In Time
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time originally released for the SNES in 1992 which admittedly is a year after its 1991 initial release for arcades. That said, it was later released as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled for the PS3 and Xbox 360 in 2009.
This is an example of a remake that was deemed worse than the original as fans and reviewers didn’t care for the polygonal graphical changes. On top of that the music was also changed and some other content was missing. It is a rare game now because it was delisted from both services in 2011.
5 Final Fantasy IV
Final Fantasy IV originally released for the SNES in 1991. It was later released for the DS in 2008. The most noticeable difference off the bat are the graphics and voice over. Most of the game remains the same though. It should be noted that while obtaining this version on DS might be tricky, it’s also available on mobile devices and on PC. There were other enhancements between platforms one could call a remake like on GBA or PSP, but this was the big one. Too bad no others in the series besides the third game got this chili treatment.
4 Trials Of Mana
Trials of Mana originally released for the SNES in 1995 in Japan only. That said, after 24 years, the game was made available in English in 2019 via the Collection of Mana on Switch. Then, just a year later, it was released for PS4, PC, and Switch as a full blown, 3D remake. It should also be noted that a couple years early Secret of Mana got a remake on PS4, but was met with more lackluster reception compared to this.
3 Romancing SaGa
Romancing SaGa originally released for the SNES in 1992 in Japan only. It was later released as Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song for the PS2 in 2005. That is the only version the West ever got, but the SNES version didn’t get an English fan patch for those curious. This PS2 version is pretty hard to come by now, but it is oddly on the Japanese PSN for PS3. That service got quite a few RPG fan favorites that never re-released in North America like Grandia Xtreme and Wild Arms 5.
2 Star Ocean
Star Ocean originally released for the SNES in 1996 in Japan only. It was later released as Star Ocean: First Departure for the PSP in 2008. It redrew the sprites, added more story, content, and was just an overall bigger game while still remaining in the 2D space.
It also got an HD remaster in 2019 for PS4 and Switch as Star Ocean: First Departure R. For those that want to try the original on SNES, there is yet another English fan patch for that. Now, if only the second game, which also got remade for the PSP, could get an HD port to the Switch as well.
1 Ys IV: Mask Of The Sun
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun originally released for the SNES in 1993 in Japan only. It was later released as Ys IV: Mask of the Sun A New Theory for the PS2 in 2005, also in Japan only. This game has yet to come to the West in any form despite the remake amongst other ports. This makes it one of the very few games in the series still missing over here. However, it should come as no surprise by now that there is an English fan patch for it, but only for the SNES version.
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