1991 was getting close to some of the last big years for the NES. That’s because Nintendo launched the Japanese Super Nintendo, the Super Famicom in 1990, and would do the same in August 1991 for North America. So, even though things were slowing down for the NES, it still released a crazy number of classic titles this year.
In fact, Nintendo released too many great games in 1991 to mention all of them. Along with the NES's bigger releases, some of the more obscure titles that deserve a nod include Adventure Island II, Yume Penguin Monogatari, Metal Max, The Lone Ranger, Vice: Project Doom, and Radia Senki: Reimeihen. There are also some Game Boy games thrown in here for good measure, as the console was just starting to blossom.
10 Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II released for arcades in March 1991. While it would not hit a Nintendo platform until 1992 via the Super Nintendo, it is still an important entry in an influential franchise that should be celebrated.
Street Fighter II was the blueprint from which all other fighting games were crafted from. It perfected the formula and quickly became a global sensation.
9 Destiny Of An Emperor 2
Known as Tenchi wo Kurau II: Shokatsu Komei Den in Japan, Destiny of an Emperor 2 released for the NES on April 5, 1991. It is a sequel to Destiny of an Emperor, which was released in North America a year prior in 1990 also on the NES. Unfortunately, the sequel remained a Japanese exclusive.
Both Destiny of an Emperor games are Capcom RPGs about Chinese history. Think of them as turn-based versions of Dynasty Warriors.
8 Super Robot Taisen
Super Robot Taisen, also referred to as Super Robot Wars, released for the Game Boy on April 20, 1991, in Japan. This series has been going strong in Japan ever since but only a handful have been released in the West.
That’s because the licensing would be a nightmare as all of these tactical RPGs crossover multiple mech-based games and anime from a vast array of companies and IPs like Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion. For those curious, this game, and many others, do have English fan patches.
7 Power Blade
This game released for the NES in 1990 in Japan as Power Blazer and in March 1991 in North America as Power Blade. Usually, games trying to appeal to another region just change their names and call it a day, however, in order to attract a Western crowd, the cartoony sprites of the Japanese version were completely reworked.
Both games are action platformers with boomerangs as their main weapons, but one is definitely going for a more “badass” style.
6 Game Boy Wars
A turn-based tactics game, Game Boy Wars released for the Game Boy on May 21, 1991, in Japan. For those unaware, this is related to Advance Wars. See, this all started as the Famicom Wars back in 1988 for the NES, or Famicom, in Japan.
2001's Advance Wars was the first game in the series to reach the West, which coincidentally is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021.
5 Battletoads
Battletoads released for the NES on June 1, 1991, in North America. This game and its overall series burned hot in the '90s but never really escaped it until last year’s Xbox exclusive reboot.
The 1991 game, in particular, is known for its music and extreme difficulty. Battletoads doesn't hold up as well as other brawlers of this era but it’s nevertheless an important title in Nintendo's history.
4 Final Fantasy Adventure
Released as Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden for the Game Boy on June 28, 1991, in Japan, this game debuted a few months later in North America as Final Fantasy Adventure.
This is actually the start of the Mana franchise, which was known as just Seiken Densetsu in Japan following this release. Square initially hoped to sell this title as a Final Fantasy spin-off to help gather sales but it soon became its own thing once the publisher realized what a hit it had on its hands.
3 Shatterhand
This game was released for the NES on October 26, 1991, as Tokkyuu Shirei Solbrain in Japan and a couple of months later for North America as Shatterhand. Like Power Blade, this too had sprite alterations but mostly for just its main character.
As Tokkyuu Shirei Solbrain was a Power Rangers type live-action show, it didn't make sense to release the game in the West without some changes since the show was not available to provide context. History aside, this is one of the best action platformers on the system.
2 Metroid II: Return of Samus
Metroid II: Return of Samus released for the Game Boy in November 1991 in North America. This was a big change of pace for most releases based on Japanese franchises at the time as Return of Samus didn’t hit Japan until 1992.
Return of Samus's legacy is not quite as glowing as the original game on NES, but it is still a great early game in the Game Boy's lifespan. However, going back to this Game Boy version can be difficult, especially with the existence of the 3DS remake.
1 Kid Icarus: Of Myths And Monsters
Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters released for the Game Boy on November 5, 1991, in North America. The legacy of this game is even crazier than Metroid II. It would not hit Japan until it was released on the 3DS’ Virtual Console in 2012.
This was done in collaboration with Kid Icarus: Uprising hitting the platform as well. For this whole franchise, the one to play would be Uprising, which will hopefully get a remaster on Switch at some point.