Inspired by SNESDrunk’s “Unconventional Ways to Play Classic Super Nintendo Games” videos. (You should definitely check SNESDrunk out).
Finding alternate ways of playing a game, whether by doing a self-imposed challenge, or just playing a game differently than it was intended, are a good way of spicing up games you’ve played hundreds of times.
I’ll start with the 30 Melon Challenge in Yoshi’s Story, where you try to get all of the 30 Melons in each level, and NO OTHER FRUIT. It’s basically like Hard Mode for the game. Particular Mushroom has a video that goes into more detail.
I love retroachievements for this sort of thing
Here’s a fun one
Open up retroarch and apply the following as settings for a game:
- adjustment filter to mirror the screen, I think it’s in an image adjustment folder but can’t check which one at the moment
- swap left and right in the controls (in-game remap, not the menu controls)
Mirror mode! On any game! As long as you don’t care about text, it’s a fun way to add replay value. Great for platformers like Donkey Kong Country 2, Mario, etc.
If you really want a mindfuck, play a top down game like Zelda Link to the Past with the above but ALSO top down inverted too. I do that with the ALTTP randomizer sometimes.
Edit: hang on, I got Yoshi’s Story at launch and I 100% remember the ultimate aim of the game is to actually get all the melons. It’s not an alternative mode really, it’s the actual goal for 100%. At least, it’s how I played it in 1998.
It’s a minor thing, but whenever I get into a pokemon game, I deposit my starter ASAP. I don’t want to rely on the pokemon which is spoon fed to me from start, it feels a lot better to play the game with whatever I’m able to catch along the path.
I do the same!
I would love to hear people’s preferred early game alternate starters.
I usually go with the first non-Normal type Pokemon I encounter and build my team around it.
I love me an underrated Bug superstar. In Black I used a Leavanny as mine and it cleaned house. When I played Omega Ruby my Masquerain carried my team and took me totally by surprise.
Playing GTA by following all traffic laws. There are even mods for turn signals and realistic traffic flows for GTA 5
🎶 “Obeying all the traffic laws In Grand Theft Auto 5…” 🎶