Shack Chat: What is your favorite Mode 7 game?

Nintendo Switch Online recently launched an SNES app for the hit hybrid handheld home console, and it got the Shack staff feeling pretty nostalgic for those old days of 16-bit soundtracks and sweet Mode 7 graphics. As is tradition, Shacknews editors put together our thoughts in this handy dandy Shack Chat for your reading pleasure. Which games made our list of favorite Mode 7 titles? Please take a look.

What is your favorite Mode 7 game?

F-Zero - Asif Khan, Still plays F-Zero

Dat Mode 7 tho #SNES #NintendoSwitch @FZeroNX @FZeroLad @FZeroNews pic.twitter.com/a9wkEBMmeC

— Productive Citizen ✌🏾💙🙏🏾👊🏾 (@technosucks) October 4, 2019

F-Zero was a Super Nintendo launch title that really showcased the new 16-bit technology. Mode 7 was on full display in the game, as players zoomed around at 400 km/h and higher with boost power. The level design was brilliant in the game, creating a nearly 3D feel to the racing gameplay. This was truly showcased in the post Grand Prix video, embedded above. My mind was blown the first time that I saw the Fire Stingray make turns as my times for each level scrolled by. 

F-Zero is the SNES game that I played for the most hours, completing all Grand Prix races on Master difficulty. While there are tons of awesome Mode 7 titles like Star Fox, Pilotwings, and Super Mario World, I still hold F-Zero to be my favorite. It was the first game that I fired up on the Nintendo Switch Online SNES app when it launched last month. 

Terranigma - Brittany Vincent, Senior Editor

When I first played Terranigma, I was truly impressed by the hulking overworld and its jaw-dropping visuals. It felt like the most expansive map I had ever traveled on, and this was far before games like Final Fantasy VII blew my mind with huge areas to explore. The Underworld map in particular had some of the coolest effects in the entire game, and I still stand by that use of Mode 7 as one of gaming's most impressive. If you ever have a moment, be sure to check out that area in motion as opposed to a simple screenshot. It will really sell you on it in a big way. I had never seen anything like it in a game to such a degree when I happened upon it.

Yoshi's Island: Super Mario World 2 - Ozzie Mejia, Senior Editor

Mode 7 was used more sparingly in the Super NES' final days, as consoles were starting to shift over to the next generation of graphics hotness. But Yoshi's Island had some novel uses for Mode 7 graphics that pushed the envelope in ways that the first batch of SNES games couldn't fathom. It's more than just that rotating overworld map of the island, too. Let's look at one of the most memorable uses of Mode 7 in this game.

I'm talking about the boss battle against Raphael the Raven, one of the most novel boss fights to come along at the time. The idea was that you were literally running around a sphere as the background actively shifted around. It was mind-blowing (as well as slightly dizzying) and one of the coolest boss encounters in the game. Mode 7 might have been on the way out, but it went out on a high note.

Star Fox - Blake Morse, Can do a barrel roll

While there were a lot of titles on the SNES that incorporated Mode 7 graphics that would end up in my top tier list of best games ever I feel like Star Fox is the one that really captures the true essence of what it was all about. It was such a unique perspective on the space shooter genre. While a few Sega arcade titles had done a similar view with games like After Burner and Thunder Blade, they didn’t have the fluidity or proper depth perception to make gameplay feel solid. I feel like Star Fox also gave us a glimpse of what to expect from the next generation of consoles as well. Definitely one of the finest, smoothest examples of Mode 7 to be seen on the SNES.

Super Castlevania IV - David L. Craddock, Longreads Editor

Other games such as F-Zero and Super Mario Kart arguably made better showpiece games for Nintendo’s Mode 7 tech. Those titles hinge on Mode 7; without it they--and the franchises they spawned--wouldn’t exist.

Super Castlevania IV’s usage of the tech is more calculated. In one level, players must navigate a series of jumps within a room as the room rotates around them, kind of like being inside a cement truck’s mixer as it turns ‘round and ‘round. The rotating background doesn’t directly impact gameplay, but it does augment the already-spooky atmosphere by making it trippy and surreal. Another level has players hanging from hooks while the screen rotates 90 degrees again and again.

Sure, other games put Mode 7 front and center, but Konami’s approach of using the tech to enhance levels and visuals was, to my mind, a slicker approach.

 Super Mario Kart - Greg Burke, Lives in the mines

One of the launch games for the Super Nintendo. Even though I never personally owned one, I would play this game a lot at my friends house, especially the battle mode. I remember always getting in fights over Toad, since he was clearly the fastest.

It’s hard to believe how far games have come in 27 years. The technology just has gotten so much better, but I’m really glad I was able to grow up during such a great console cycle that has given me so many great memories. 

TMNT IV: Turtles in Time - Chris Jarrard, Neon Night-Rider

If you are a regular reader of Shack Chat, you’d know by now that if there is any possible way that my answer can be Turtles in Time, it will be Turtles in Time. I don’t know exactly how Mode 7 works, and, to be honest, I can barely read at a fourth-grade level but some clever developers used it to make the SNES port of Turtles in Time.

Use of Mode 7 is not extensive in Turtles in Time since there isn’t much need for background rotation. With Mode 7 only being able to deal with backgrounds and not sprites, its ability to be implemented into most game was limited. In the case of the Ninja Turtles debut on the console, one level was ideal for some Mode 7 goodness. 

Dubbed Neon Night-Riders, the level put the turtles onto hoverboards to fight Foot Clan grunts, who also happened to have hoverboards. The level had the hoverboards constantly moving along a grid of tracks and the path of movement would often shift, with the end of the level moving horizontally in a boss fight against Krang. This level had everything good about F-Zero, plus Turtles in Time mixed in, so it is clearly the defacto best Mode 7 game.

MechWarrior - Sam Chandler, Guides Editor

You can’t really go past a MechWarrior title. In 1993, Super NES owners were blessed with an updated version of the MechWarrior game that launched on PC. This new version utilized Mode 7 for the first-person sections, and it’s an incredible use of this technology. Being able to move around the environment, all while battling other mechs, was marvel on the SNES. Plus the between-mission segments where you upgrade your mech and hash out your fees were pretty great.

Super Mario Kart - Bill Lavoy, Hunter

I’m with Greg all the way. Super Mario Kart. Part of this is because the other game I recall playing that would qualify is NHL Stanley Cup, which is fine, but I remember being addicted to Super Mario Kart. The problem was, I didn’t have a Super Nintendo, so I only got to play when I was at my friend’s place. This led to him being annoyed because I’d just want to come over and play Super Mario Kart. I can’t say I’m choosing Super Mario Kart because of its use of Mode 7, but I think it’s clear the game used the technology better than NHL Stanley Cup.

Jurassic Park - Donovan Erskine, Intern

Ocean Software’s Jurassic Park is the best game to use the Mode 7 graphics. Following the release of the blockbuster film, Jurassic Park hit SNES in 1993. Playing as Dr. Alan Grant as he tries to survive the madness that is Jurassic Park. I love the design of the dinosaurs in this game, the retro graphics give them a look different from what we see in the film. And, to be honest, I’m a sucker for any Jurassic Park content. 

Super Metroid - Josh Hawkins, That guy that does things

Growing up, I can still remember huddling under my blanket, playing Metroid Fusion on my Game Boy Advanced. However, it wasn’t until a few years after discovering the series on Game Boy, that I was able to go back and play through the original on the SNES. It was fantastic, the way that Nintendo blended everything together, and to be quite honest, I was in awe of how they brought the story and the world together into one moving piece with hardware that at the time was as dated as the SNES had become.

Super Metroid, while not the first Metroid game that I ever played, will always stand out as one of my favorite SNES games. Looking back on the limited time that I had with it (I was finally pick it up and play it at a friend’s house on their SNES when I was around 10 years old), I wish I’d had more time to really dive deeper into it and log the same amount of hours that I logged into Metroid Fusion when I would spend so many nights huddled underneath my blanket, trying to see what happened next.

The SNES era was a glorious time for video games and despite all of the advancements that we’ve made up to this point, some of the classics on Nintendo’s iconic system will never, ever be beaten.

Do you agree with our picks? Did we leave something off that is making you angry? Do you think we are a bunch of jaboofers? Let us know your favorite Mode 7 game in the comments section below.

Shack Staff

Shack Staff stories are a collective effort with multiple staff members contributing. Many of our lists often involve entires from several editors, and our weekly Shack Chat is something we all contribute to as a group.