Play Uncharted Waters - New Horizons Online

Man, Uncharted Waters: New Horizons on SNES is one of those games that just swallows whole weekends without you noticing. You pick one of six characters—I went with the Portuguese explorer first, because who doesn’t want to stumble onto undiscovered islands?—and suddenly you’re juggling cargo holds full of silk and spices, dodging pirates, and trying not to run out of food mid-voyage.

The coolest part? It never tells you what to do. You could spend hours just trading olive oil between Mediterranean ports like some 16th-century day trader, or say screw it and go hunt for Atlantis. The ship upgrades feel satisfying (nothing like finally affording that sweet frigate), and the little details—like crew morale dropping if you don’t pay them—keep things tense. Also, the music slaps. That overworld theme still pops into my head randomly.

It’s janky in that classic SNES way (good luck deciphering the combat at first), but that just adds to the charm. Genuinely one of the few games where you can play as a pirate, a merchant, or Columbus with a conscience.