5 Weirdest Games That Ever Released on SNES

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Today, game developers typically aim to create games with broad appeal. That makes it less common to see truly unusual or experimental titles. However, things were different with older, “retro” games. They were much cheaper to make, leading to a lot more creative freedom and a surprising number of weird and wonderful games – especially on the Super Nintendo. We’ve looked back at those classic SNES games and picked out five of the strangest, both official and unofficial, and we’re sharing them here in no specific order.

1) Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball

Released in 1990 for the Super Nintendo, Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball was the first basketball game on the system. The game is set in a futuristic 2031 where Bill Laimbeer runs the league, having fired all the referees and established a completely rules-free, weapon-filled basketball experience. It’s a uniquely violent sports game, a far cry from most titles of its time. Unfortunately, the game was widely criticized for its poor quality, with issues in its sound, graphics, and controls.

2) Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure

Released in 1995 for the SNES (and originally on the Sega Genesis in 1994), Boogerman: A Pick and Flick Adventure was a 2D platformer known for its deliberately gross-out humor, much like the Garbage Pail Kids. This style of game was very popular at the time, and Boogerman – often compared to Earthworm Jim, but with boogers instead of worms – gained a strong and dedicated fanbase. A more recent attempt to create a sequel through Kickstarter unfortunately fell short, raising only $40,000 of its $375,000 goal.

3) Hong Kong 97

Kowloon Kurosawa created Hong Kong 97 in just seven days as a joke about the video game industry, and it’s famously bizarre. Originally released in Japan as an unofficial Super Famicom game, it wasn’t available in the US on SNES for many years. Despite being considered one of the worst – and nearly unplayable – games ever made, that’s not entirely surprising given its rushed development and the fact it wasn’t made by professional game developers.

4) Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit!

If you were shopping for video games in the 1990s, you couldn’t avoid seeing terrible tie-in games based on popular franchises. While many were strange, the most bizarre one has to be Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit! Though based on the Home Improvement TV show, the game barely resembles it. Instead, it’s a confusing 2D platformer that doesn’t really make sense. It might have been better if it hadn’t been connected to the show, or even just had a different name, but even as a standalone game, Home Improvement: Power Tool Pursuit! isn’t very good.

5) Super 3D Noah’s Ark

Ever thought about combining the Bible with the fast-paced action of Wolfenstein 3D? Someone already did! Super 3D Noah’s Ark is a first-person shooter that plays a lot like Wolfenstein 3D, but with a biblical twist. You play as Noah on the Ark, using a slingshot to shoot food at the animals and lull them to sleep. The goal is to keep the animals calm by gently putting them to sleep – it’s a strange concept, especially if you’re familiar with Wolfenstein 3D, and just generally a very unique game where you play as Noah shooting food at animals!

What’s the strangest or most unusual game you’ve ever played on the Super Nintendo? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-04-01 19:15