Pinpoint gameplay and a feel that hasn't aged a day: some games are still a joy with a controller in hand, years later. This Top 100 gathers the retro games with the most polished gameplay, based on RomWize's reassessed scores. For each one: its current score, its versions, their rarity and their collector value.
"Firing in every direction, hopping onto a tank and freeing prisoners flows together with joyous fluidity, carried by extraordinary animation. Every screen bursts with detail and gags, and the generosity of the action never flags. Short but wildly dense, this foundational run-'n'-gun still delivers explosive thrills, especially in co-op."
"Observing rather than fighting, repurposing a humble tool a thousand ways, guessing what the game refuses to explain: that's the real engine. Exploration with no hand-held map rewards memory and deduction, and every secret hides a trickier one. The refusal to guide will put off those who want clear direction, but for anyone who loves to dig and share, it's an adventure of rare freshness."
"It's hard to find smoother 2D platforming: the hand-drawn animation hasn't aged a day and every jump breathes precision. The level design overflows with invention, from the impeccable timing of the musical stages to the frantic chase phases. Unlocking the Teensies feels repetitive, but the generosity and four-player co-op make it a benchmark with no superior equivalent."
"Everything rests on a radical bet: it's strictly two-player co-op, and each chapter throws out its own mechanics to invent new ones, from combat to racing to puzzles. Nothing repeats, the pacing never sags, and the two pads' complementary roles spark constant playful dialogue. The story is a pretext, but as a game for two it remains unrivalled today."
"Building squads, programming their behaviors then watching the ballet play out in real time blends planning and action with rare elegance. The depth of the classes amply rewards the patience to optimize, and exploring the world map paces it all without diluting it. Vanillaware's hand-drawn animation is timeless. The learning curve asks for commitment, but what richness it yields."
"The final Fatal Fury, this duel stakes everything on reading: the Just Defend guard and the T.O.P system turn each exchange into a tense tug-of-war where millimetre-perfect evasion pays off. The lavish animation and reinvented roster have lost none of their class. A 2D versus fighter of exemplary precision that purists still rank at the very top of the genre."
"Faithfully reprising the asylum's freeflow combat and stealth sections, this edition piles on extra challenges and maps. The same precise countering and the same thrill of being a silent predator are all still here. More complete than ever, it remains the best way into an adventure whose gameplay has held up admirably."
"A return to its roots in hand-painted 2D, it favors a snappy, precise platforming where every jump and every strike answers to a hair's breadth. Four-player co-op quickly tips into joyful chaos. Gorgeous and demanding, this revival keeps a lucid handling and an exuberance that make it a must of the genre."
"Rediscovering Mario's springy jump and the gliding cape reminds you why this classic remains a platforming yardstick. The levels brim with secrets and alternate paths that invite relentless searching. The control precision hasn't aged a day, and the adventure rewards both quick bursts and a full run."
"Stacking lines while the whole screen pulses, vibrates and sings in time with the game is a flatly hypnotic experience. The Zone, freezing time to pile up rows, adds a strategic layer without weighing down the timeless gesture. Connected mode renews both versus and co-op. In handheld, the meditative effect grows stronger still. Visually timeless, technically flawless."
"Linking strikes, counters and gadgets into a single flow turns combat into a ballet of intoxicating fluidity, where reading your enemies is everything. The predator sections, where you pick off guards from the shadows, vary the tempo with real cunning. The benchmark for licensed action-adventure, the asylum retains a handling and a sense of rhythm that haven't aged a day."
"Reconstructing the fate of sixty sailors by pure deduction, with no arrow or marker, demands an attention few games dare to ask. Each frozen moment becomes a scene to read, cross-reference and crack. The monochrome Macintosh-inspired look shuns realism and so will never age. The structure rewards observation over reflexes. A dense puzzle, savored once but etched for life."
"Rediscovering Mario's springy jump and the gliding cape reminds you why this classic remains a platforming yardstick. The levels brim with secrets and alternate paths that invite relentless searching. The control precision hasn't aged a day, and the adventure rewards both quick bursts and a full run."
"Every card you pick reshuffles the run to come, and that's where the dizziness starts: your deck, your relics and your read on risk keep reconfiguring. The four characters impose radically different logics, and the replay ceiling stays out of sight. Controller or touch, the handheld feel is flawless. The minimalist art has aged; the balance has not."
"A polished take on the adventure, this edition rebalances the difficulty and adds weapons and modes that elevate an already masterful combat system. Chaining dodges and strikes against merciless foes delivers a satisfaction of rare intensity. Still ferocious yet fairer than the original, this martial ballet remains an absolute touchstone of high-tempo action."
"Seeing every enemy intention in advance turns each turn into a clean chess problem: nudging a mech to shove a bug into its neighbor becomes pure tactical glee. On tiny grids, total information sharpens the tension rather than dulling it, because any slip is entirely your own. Compact yet inexhaustible, it hasn't aged a day."
"Dodging at the last instant, parrying, striking and bouncing straight back: the feel of the weapons borders on obsession and grips you within minutes. The roguelite structure punishes without frustrating, because death always reignites the urge to try another bit of madness. Metroidvania-style detours invite you to comb every corner. Fluid pixel art, total handheld comfort, edge fully intact against recent rivals."
"Exploiting elemental weaknesses to chain extra turns and trigger all-out attacks gives the turn-based battles a jubilant snap. Managing the calendar and social links shapes a captivating rhythm. As stylish as it is deep, this JRPG keeps a lucid, addictive system that makes it irresistible today."
"Swallowing enemies to lay eggs and hurling them with precision reinvents the platformer around a jubilant aiming mechanic. The floaty jump and the need to protect Baby Mario establish a singular rhythm, at once supple and demanding. Carried by a timeless crayon-drawn style, this treasure of inventiveness remains a delight from start to finish."
"Slowing, speeding up or zooming the action at will to amplify your blows and solve traps: these VFX powers reinvent the beat-em-up as a mischievous game of timing. The comic-book cel-shaded style hasn't aged a day, and the muscular difficulty rewards mastery. Demanding and inventive, this concentrate of ideas stays a breath of originality in the hands."
