The 1980s
When rules were still being written. Every decision was a first — hardware limits sparked invention no spec sheet could predict.
80 games in this room
Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Excitebike
エキサイトバイク
Excitebike is a 1984 Famicom motocross racing game that introduced a track editor — Design Mode — allowing players to bu…
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▶ Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Super Mario Bros.
スーパーマリオブラザーズ
Super Mario Bros. (1985) is the game that defined the side-scrolling platform genre and remains one of the best-selling …
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Balloon Fight
バルーンファイト
Balloon Fight (1984/1985) is one of Nintendo's most charming early Famicom games — an arcade-style action game where pla…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Ice Climber
アイスクライマー
Released in 1985, Ice Climber is one of Nintendo's earliest Famicom platform games, starring Popo and Nana — a pair of m…
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
The Portopia Serial Murder Case
ポートピア連続殺人事件
The Portopia Serial Murder Case is a 1985 Famicom adventure game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix, adapting Y…
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Door Door
ドアドア
Door Door is a 1985 puzzle-action game developed by Koichi Nakamura and published by Enix as the company's first Famicom…
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▶ Family Computer Disk System
The Legend of Zelda
ゼルダの伝説
The Legend of Zelda (1986) is the game that defined the action-adventure genre. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi …
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▶ Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Dragon Quest
ドラゴンクエスト
Dragon Quest (1986) is the game that established the Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) genre on home consoles. Designed …
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Uncommon ▶ Family Computer Disk System
Metroid
メトロイド
Metroid (1986) introduced Samus Aran — an armoured bounty hunter later revealed to be female — to the Famicom Disk Syste…
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Uncommon ▶ Family Computer Disk System
Castlevania
悪魔城ドラキュラ
Castlevania (Akumajo Dracula, 1986) is the first entry in Konami's gothic action-platformer series. Simon Belmont enters…
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▶ Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Star Soldier
スターソルジャー
Star Soldier (1986) is a vertical scrolling shooter, but that is not what makes it matter. What makes it matter is what …
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Gradius
グラディウス
Gradius (1986) arrived on the Famicom as a port of Konami's 1985 arcade hit — and brought with it something no other Fam…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
スーパーマリオブラザーズ2
Super Mario Bros. 2 (1986), released on the Famicom Disk System, is the direct Japanese sequel to Super Mario Bros. — a …
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Kid Icarus
光神話 パルテナの鏡
Kid Icarus (1986), released in Japan as 光神話 パルテナの鏡 (Palutena no Kagami), is a Famicom Disk System action-platformer deve…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
The Mysterious Murasame Castle
謎の村雨城
The Mysterious Murasame Castle is the second original title released for the Famicom Disk System, launching just two wee…
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All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros.
オールナイトニッポン スーパーマリオブラザーズ
All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. (1986) is one of the rarest officially licensed Nintendo games ever produced. Create…
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Ghosts 'n Goblins
魔界村
Ghosts 'n Goblins (1985/1986) is one of gaming's most famous and brutal platformers — a side-scrolling game where knight…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
The Goonies
グーニーズ
A side-scrolling action game based on the 1985 Columbia Pictures film, released exclusively in Japan on February 21, 198…
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Rare Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Layla
レイラ
Released by dB-SOFT in December 1986, Layla is a Japan-only Famicom action game inspired by the Dirty Pair anime. Player…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Zanac
ザナック
Released in 1986 for the Famicom Disk System, Zanac is one of the most technically remarkable vertical shooters of its e…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Moero TwinBee: Cinnamon Hakase o Sukue!
燃えろ!!ツインビー シナモン博士を救え！
Released for the Famicom Disk System in November 1986, Moero TwinBee: Cinnamon Hakase o Sukue! is the sequel to Konami's…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Volleyball
バレーボール
Volleyball is a 1986 sports game developed by Pax Softnica and published by Nintendo for the Famicom Disk System, adapte…
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
King's Knight
キングスナイト
King's Knight is a 1986 vertical-scrolling action game published by Square for the Famicom — one of the company's earlie…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Solomon's Key
ソロモンの鍵
Released in arcades and on Famicom in 1986, Solomon's Key is a puzzle-platformer designed by Michitaka Tsuruta at Tecmo …
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Mega Man
ロックマン
Mega Man (Rockman, 1987) is Capcom's first game designed exclusively for a home console — a deliberate break from the co…
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Final Fantasy
ファイナルファンタジー
Final Fantasy (1987) was Hironobu Sakaguchi's final gamble. Square was struggling, and Sakaguchi decided that if this ga…
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Uncommon Family Computer Disk System
Famicom Mukashibanashi: Shin Onigashima
ふぁみこんむかし話 新・鬼ヶ島
Famicom Mukashibanashi: Shin Onigashima (1987) is a text-based adventure game that re-tells the Japanese folk tale of Mo…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic
夢工場ドキドキパニック
Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic (1987) is a Famicom Disk System action platformer developed by Nintendo, created in partnersh…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
リンクの冒険
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is the 1987 FDS sequel to the original Legend of Zelda, and the most radical departure t…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Dragon Quest II: Luminaries of the Legendary Line
ドラゴンクエストII 悪霊の神々
Dragon Quest II is the 1987 Famicom sequel that introduced party-based combat to the Dragon Quest series, expanding from…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Eggerland
エッガーランド
Eggerland (1987) is the Famicom Disk System title that introduced the world to Lolo and Lala — a pair of round character…
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Esper Dream
エスパードリーム
Esper Dream (1987) is an action RPG by Konami for the Famicom Disk System, set in a fairy-tale world where a young boy w…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Otocky
オトッキー
Conceived by media artist Toshio Iwai and released for the Famicom Disk System in 1987, Otocky is one of gaming history'…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Ai Senshi Nicol
愛戦士ニコル
Released exclusively for the Famicom Disk System in April 1987, Ai Senshi Nicol is a Japan-only Konami action-adventure …
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
マイクタイソン・パンチアウト!!
Developed by Nintendo R&D3 and released in 1987, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! transformed boxing into a pattern-recognition …
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Arumana no Kiseki
アルマナの奇蹟
Released in 1987 for the Famicom Disk System, Arumana no Kiseki is a Japan-exclusive Konami action-platformer with a str…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
デジタル・デビル物語 女神転生
Released in September 1987, Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei was Atlus's first video game and the origin of a franchis…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Detective Jinguji Saburo: Shinjuku Chuo Koen Murder Case
探偵 神宮寺三郎 新宿中央公園殺人事件
Detective Jinguji Saburo: Shinjuku Chuo Koen Murder Case is a 1987 detective adventure game developed and published by D…
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Uncommon Family Computer Disk System
3-D WorldRunner
飛び出せ大作戦
3-D WorldRunner is a 1987 pseudo-3D action game developed by Square and originally released in Japan on the Famicom Disk…
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Rad Racer
ハイウェイスター
Rad Racer is a 1987 racing game developed and published by Square — known in Japan as Highway Star — featuring pseudo-3D…
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Uncommon Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Getsu Fuuma Den
月風魔伝
Getsu Fuuma Den (1987) is one of Konami's most distinctive Famicom titles: a hybrid action game that blends side-scrolli…
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Uncommon Family Computer Disk System
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir
ファミコン探偵倶楽部 消えた後継者
Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir (1988) is a murder mystery visual novel in which the player investigates the de…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Dragon Quest III
ドラゴンクエストIII そして伝説へ…
Released on February 10, 1988, Dragon Quest III became the defining mass cultural event of Japanese gaming. Developed by…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Nobunaga's Ambition
信長の野望・全国版
Released for the Famicom on March 18, 1988, Nobunaga's Ambition: Lord of Darkness (全国版) was Koei's first home console ga…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Contra
魂斗羅
Released in 1988, Contra dropped players into a relentless alien-infested war zone armed with nothing but fast reflexes …
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Ninja Gaiden
忍者龍剣伝
Released in 1988, Ninja Gaiden broke new ground by weaving a cinematic story between its brutal action stages — a first …
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Kaettekita Mario Bros.
帰ってきたマリオブラザーズ
Kaettekita Mario Bros. is a 1988 FDS title released exclusively through Nintendo's Disk Writer rewrite service — never s…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Super Mario Bros. 3
スーパーマリオブラザーズ3
Super Mario Bros. 3 is the 1988 Famicom landmark that expanded the Mario formula into a world map structure, themed king…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Mega Man 2
ロックマン2 Dr.ワイリーの謎
Mega Man 2 is the 1988 Famicom sequel that transformed Mega Man from a modest debut into a franchise phenomenon. The dev…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Double Dragon
ダブルドラゴン
Double Dragon arrived on Famicom in April 1988, one year after its landmark arcade debut. While the arcade original was …
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
R-Type
R-TYPE
R-Type for PC Engine is the 1988 home conversion of Irem's landmark 1987 arcade shoot 'em up, ported by Hudson Soft. Due…
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Bionic Commando
ヒットラーの復活 TOP SECRET
Bionic Commando (1988) is one of the Famicom/NES era's most mechanically distinctive games — a platformer where the prot…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa
バイオミラクル ぼくってウパ
One of Konami's most inventive Famicom Disk System titles, Bio Miracle Bokutte Upa stars baby prince Upa, armed with onl…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
The Legendary Axe
魔境伝説
Released at the PC Engine's launch window in 1988, The Legendary Axe was one of the first games to show what the hardwar…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Galaga '88
ギャラガ'88
Released for the PC Engine in 1988, Galaga '88 is Namco's ambitious sequel to the classic Galaga, expanding the fixed-sc…
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Hanjuku Hero
半熟英雄
Hanjuku Hero is a 1988 real-time simulation RPG developed and published by Square for the Famicom — an uncharacteristica…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Famicom Wars
ファミコンウォーズ
Released on August 12, 1988 exclusively in Japan, Famicom Wars is the turn-based strategy game that quietly launched one…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Blaster Master
超惑星戦記メタファイト
Released in Japan on June 17, 1988 as Chō Wakusei Senki Metafight, Blaster Master is a Sunsoft action game celebrated fo…
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▶ Game Boy
Tetris
テトリス
Tetris for Game Boy is a 1989 puzzle game developed by Nintendo R&D1, based on Alexey Pajitnov's original 1985 design. B…
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Game Boy
Super Mario Land
スーパーマリオランド
Super Mario Land is a 1989 platform game developed by Nintendo R&D1 and one of the four launch titles for the original G…
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PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
PC Genjin (Bonk's Adventure)
PC原人
PC Genjin — Bonk's Adventure in North America — is the platformer that Hudson Soft built to be the PC Engine's answer to…
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Uncommon PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Ys I & II
イースI・II
Ys I & II, released for the PC Engine CD-ROM² on December 21, 1989, is one of the most historically significant games in…
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PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Super Momotaro Dentetsu
スーパー桃太郎電鉄
Super Momotaro Dentetsu (1989) is the PC Engine entry in Hudson Soft's beloved board game series — a game about travelli…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
MOTHER
MOTHER
Released on July 27, 1989, MOTHER is one of the most distinctive role-playing games ever made for the Famicom — and argu…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Famicom Detective Club Part II: The Girl Who Stands Behind
ファミコン探偵倶楽部 PartII うしろに立つ少女
Famicom Detective Club Part II: The Girl Who Stands Behind is a mystery adventure game released in 1989 on the Famicom D…
Read more →Game Boy
The Final Fantasy Legend
魔界塔士Sa・Ga
The Final Fantasy Legend — known in Japan as Makai Toushi Sa·Ga — is the first RPG ever released for the Game Boy, the f…
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Castlevania: The Adventure
ドラキュラ伝説
Castlevania: The Adventure is the first Castlevania game released on a handheld console, launching approximately six mon…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Phantasy Star II
ファンタシースターII 還らざる時の終わりに
Phantasy Star II is the 1989 Mega Drive RPG developed by Sega — the sequel to the 1987 Master System original — and one …
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Neutopia
ニュートピア
Neutopia (1989) is Hudson Soft's earnest attempt to bring a Zelda-style action-adventure to the PC Engine. Widely discus…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Dungeon Explorer
ダンジョンエクスプローラー
Dungeon Explorer (1989) is one of the earliest home console games to support up to five simultaneous players in cooperat…
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Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
DuckTales
わんぱくダック夢冒険
DuckTales (1989) is one of Capcom's finest NES/Famicom games — a non-linear platformer starring Scrooge McDuck and his p…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Blazing Lazers
ガンヘッド
Co-developed by Hudson Soft and Compile — the studio behind Zanac and the Puyo Puyo series, led by Masamitsu 'Moo' Niita…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Military Madness
ネクタリス
Released in February 1989, Nectaris was one of the earliest hexagonal turn-based strategy games to appear on a home cons…
Read more →PC Engine / TurboGrafx-16
Tengai Makyō: Ziria
天外魔境 ZIRIA
Released on June 30, 1989, Tengai Makyō: Ziria is widely recognised as the world's first RPG on CD-ROM media. Exploiting…
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse
悪魔城伝説
Released in 1989, Castlevania III: Dracula's Curse is the prequel to the original Castlevania, following Trevor Belmont …
Read more →Family Computer (Famicom) / NES
Tecmo Bowl
テクモボール
Originally an arcade American football game in 1987, Tecmo Bowl became a phenomenon on the NES and Famicom through its a…
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
The Revenge of Shinobi
ザ・スーパー忍
Released in December 1989, The Revenge of Shinobi was the first Shinobi game built for the Mega Drive and one of the con…
Read more →Family Computer Disk System
Famicom Fairytales: Yuyuki
ふぁみこんむかし話 遊遊記
Famicom Fairytales: Yuyuki is a 1989 adventure game jointly developed by Pax Softnica and Nintendo for the Famicom Disk …
Read more →Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Golden Axe
ゴールデンアックス
Released for the Mega Drive on December 23, 1989, Golden Axe is a Sega beat'em up that became one of the defining titles…
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Uncommon Sega Mega Drive / Genesis
Ghouls 'n Ghosts
大魔界村
Released for the Mega Drive on August 3, 1989, Ghouls 'n Ghosts (Daimakaimura) is one of the most celebrated Capcom arca…
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