Play Super Marina World Online

Super Marina World is one of those SNES games that somehow slipped under the radar, but man, it’s a joy. You play as Marina, who’s basically a mermaid with attitude—she blows bubbles to attack, which sounds silly until you’re using them to bounce off enemies or solve puzzles. The underwater levels are gorgeous, all shimmering blues and hidden caves stuffed with treasure, and the controls just feel right—no awkward swimming physics here.

I remember getting stuck in this one level with a giant octopus boss that kept changing colors. Took me forever to figure out you had to hit it in a specific order, but when I finally did? So satisfying. And the music—those SNES chiptunes still get stuck in my head. It’s not as flashy as some of the big-name platformers, but there’s a ton of heart in it. You’ll know what I mean when you stumble onto the secret dolphin ride or the level where you’re racing through a collapsing shipwreck. Definitely worth dusting off the SNES for.