Mario Legends I - Elemental Quest is one of those weird, obscure SNES games that somehow slipped under the radar back in the day. You’ve got classic Mario-style platforming, but with this whole elemental twist—fire, water, wind, all that jazz. At first it feels familiar, then suddenly you’re switching powers mid-jump to melt ice blocks or ride gusts of wind. Kinda janky in that charming 16-bit way, but once you get the hang of it, the level design gets surprisingly clever.

Also, the music slaps. Not quite Koji Kondo level, but there’s this one water stage theme that’s weirdly hypnotic. If you’re into retro platformers with a twist, it’s a solid deep cut.