The ’80s spawned several genres and franchises that continue to dominate the gaming industry today. The ’80s had its ups and downs, including the great gaming recession of 1983. The industry was on the brink of collapsing, but the introduction of numerous franchises kept it from falling apart.
’80s video games became stepping stones for prominent franchises to come. To find out that Prince of Persia, Sim City, or Metroid began in this decade might come as a surprise. ’80s kids had to play games that were less user-friendly. With lengthy learning curves and an open-ended format, many ’80s games are deemed impossible to beat. Here are some of the most memorable game releases of the ’80s.
10 Pac-Man (1980)
The original Pac-Man is a maze arcade game that was released in 1980. It stood out from other games because of its RGB color display, which happened to be revolutionary at the time. Pac-Man‘s colorful appearance appealed to a broader demographic, allowing it to flourish in the market. The hockey-puck shaped main character is considered the mascot of Bandia Namco today. Eating all the dots while avoiding four ghosts proves to be a grueling yet rewarding task.
9 Final Fantasy (1987)
Released by Square before the Square Enix merger, Final Fantasy was a role-playing game before role-playing games were trendy. It was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1987. Some players were frustrated by the amount of exploration required to find battles, but the graphics were good for the time. Final Fantasy follows four young people who possess elemental orbs.
8 Lunar Jetman (1983)
Lunar Jetman was a phenomenon back in its day. It’s a side-scrolling shooter that pits you against aliens to save the human race. As the first sequel game in its series, the game has a slightly longer learning curve than its predecessor. The range of colors was praiseworthy, and the gameplay still holds up by today’s standards. This game is included in 2015’s Rare Replay compilation for Xbox One. Lunar Jetman remastered in HD has never looked better.
7 The Legend Of Zelda (1986)
The original The Legend of Zelda was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System way back in 1986. The game still stars Link as the protagonist, but the gameplay was vastly different. The game had fewer RPG elements and was played from the top-down perspective.
Thankfully, The Legend of Zelda is widely available today. It can be played on the NES Classic Edition or the Nintendo Switch’s NES Switch Online catalog.
6 Contra (1987)
Back in the ’80s, many of the games available for purchase had steep learning curves. Contra is a run and gun game, which was initially played on a coin-operated arcade machine. Later, the game was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System. From Konami, Contra was action-packed and filled with plenty of surprises. This ’80s game helped to define the era of gaming and is part of a genre with too few releases today.
5 Metroid (1986)
This scrolling shooter released for the Famicom Disk System in 1986, re-releasing a year later for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Metroid stood out for its attention to detail in graphics and science-fiction themes. This is one of the first video games in history to feature a female hero. Samus Aran fights bosses Kraid and Ridley using a Power Suit on the planet Zebes. Only a real ’80s kid has beaten this game. The game’s intricate level design is puzzling, to say the least.
4 Donkey Kong (1981)
The original Donkey Kong was released on arcade systems and later was ported for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy. Before Donkey Kong became the amiable protagonist of the Donkey Kong Country series, he was a villain in Donkey Kong. The damsel in distress was named Pauline, and the hero was unnamed but was later called Jumpman. The objective in the game is to dodge barrels and other obstacles to recuse Pauline.
3 Tempest (1981)
The earliest arcade games in the 1980s looked a lot like Tempest. The games were played in color, but the range was limited compared to HDR (high-dynamic-range) televisions and monitors today.
Tempest was one of the first games to play on a three-dimensional plain, bringing an unparalleled experience for arcade goers. It was also one of the first games to have progressively more difficult levels that varied. It was a ground-breaking experience from the bright minds at Atari Inc.
2 Tetris (1985)
The original Tetris wasn’t as user-friendly as later releases. As one of the best-selling franchises of all time, Tetris for Game Boy was synonymous with the handheld system. The Game Boy didn’t play in color, but the game later received color support on the Game Boy Color. This ’80s game is still explosively popular. Tetris has adopted spins on the original, but the core gameplay remains. It’s a puzzle game with increasingly faster-paced levels.
1 Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
The pinnacle of ’80s gaming looked a lot like Super Mario Bros. 3. It’s a game with a rich color palette, multiplayer support, and user-friendly level designs that were still challenging. Super Mario Bros. 3 is considered one of the greatest games of all time for its leaps in platforming. The innovative minds at Nintendo are continually designing games that appeal to a broad player base. Super Mario Bros. 3 is the quintessential example of ’80 gaming.
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