SOME games have no business to appear on other systems. A Nintendo exclusive game on a Sega Genesis? A Playstation port on a Game Boy Color? We truly live in a bizarre time.
Not counting direct ports from developers and game publishers that were commercially distributed for mass consumption, these are either fan-made or games that never saw the light of day.
A bit of disclaimer, while some of the games on this list are more than decades old, the technical feat achieved by these developers is still amazing today and have yet to be replicated. We’re not talking about hacks, but games that were built from the ground up to run on the system. This is reverse engineering at its finest, now without further adieu:
1. Sonic the Hedgehog on SNES (2020)
Whether or not you believe the Blast Processing spiel that was touted back then, those who still think that Sega does what Nintendon't is in for a shock when they learn that it is possible now to run the original Sonic the Hedgehog on the Super Nintendo. Instead of a port, this game was developed from scratch with a new game engine for the Super Nintendo and it was created by a lone Brazilian game developer.
2. Resident Evil for the Game Boy Color (2012)
Supposedly 90% complete, this was the most anticipated game that we wanted to see on Nintendo's portable in the late 90s but instead, this game was cancelled sometime in March 2000 and we only received the ill reviewed Resident Evil Gaiden. Luckily, the ROM was dumped in 2012 and despite it all, this game could've been the better game than the latter.
3. Super Mario Bros on Sega Genesis (2010)
You can see a recurring theme in this article, playing an exclusive game on a rival console!
While this port has some differences in terms of sound effects and music, the game is the same as the Super Mario Bros you've played on the NES and/or Famicom. This is less of a tech demo but a full-blown game. It makes us wonder if you can actually port a ton of NES games on the Sega Genesis.
4. Duke Nukem 3D on Sega Genesis (1998)
This unlicensed games got the spotlight it deserved when in 2015 Piko Interactive game picked up the rights to distribute the game. Though no longer available in physical form, back then this game was relegated to an oddity, a Duke Nukem game that has partial levels but runs good enough to play. Kinda. Still, you gotta check this out.
5. New Super Mario Land for SNES (2019)
What started off as a Christmas gift for friends, New Super Mario Land is a remake of original Super Mario Land that came out for the Game Boy in the late 80s. The full story of this wonderful game read it here.
6. Star Fox on Genesis (2013)
When it takes an SFX chip to run Starfox for the SNES while Sega Genesis was able to replicate it without extra add-on is frankly insane. To think that Genesis was capable of doing primitive 3D renders as is without the Sega Virtua Processor (SVP) is mindblowing. Though choppy by any standards, it's still a sight to behold for any Sega Genesis owners.
7. Flappy Bird on Game Boy (2014)
Remember this guy? Boy, this game took the mobile gaming by storm to the point that the developer just went up and disappeared. What's more surprising is that you can also play this game on the Game boy, with more or less the same physics.
8. Gunman Clive on Game Boy/SNES (2015 & 2016)
Made by the actual developer of the game, Gunman Clive has been a staple for gamers since it was introduced in the 3DS and later to other consoles. When the first stage got ported over to the GB, man, this game run silky smooth, retains everything you loved about the game and makes me wish that the full game was available! This version was later ported over to the SNES too! If you wanna try this game out you can download the file from the developers here and here.
9. Streets of Rage for Commodore Amiga (2020)
While I never personally owned or played anything on the Commodore Amiga, the fact that Streets of Rage is running on this system is amazing still. Retains most of the graphics, some noticeable slowdowns but it's still Streets of Rage that we all know and love.
A prototype version of Rayman was in development for the SNES, this was during the cusp of the fifth-generation console. So the game was eventually unreleased as the development moved onto more powerful consoles. Though denied of its existence initially, the game eventually resurfaced in 2016 with the creator showing off the state of the development for everyone see.