Play Super Nova Online

Pick your ship, dodge the bullet storms, and power up with red orbs—just when you think you've got a rhythm, the screen flips and Belser's fleet swarms from a new angle. That middle ship's spread shot saved my skin more than once.

Developer: Taito

Genre: Shoot 'em up

Released: 1993

File size: 582.5 KB

Game Overview

Super Nova on SNES is one of those shooters that feels classic but still throws some cool surprises at you. You pick from three ships—each with totally different weapons—and blast through space to stop Belser (who, surprise, isn’t as dead as everyone thought). The scrolling switches between horizontal and vertical, which keeps you on your toes, and grabbing those red orbs powers up your ship in eight different ways. Blue orbs give you a temporary shield, but good luck timing that right when bullets are everywhere.

I messed around with all three ships before settling on the middle one—its spread shot just felt better for dodging the chaos. The later levels get wild, with enemies coming from all angles. It’s not the hardest shooter out there, but it’s got enough personality to make replays fun.