Random: Sakurai Talks About “The Most Incredible Year For The Game Industry”

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai reflects on the “most incredible year for the game industry” in his recent “Grab Bag” video. According to his personal opinion, that year is 1986, which saw the birth of major franchises, the introduction of the NES in Europe, and the inception of the iconic Konami code.

1986 marked the debut of series like The Legend of Zelda, Dragon Quest, Metroid, along with other significant franchises such as Castlevania and Kid Icarus. Sakurai highlights how many of these series are represented in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

He also discusses the evolution of games during this period, noting the advancements in technology that provided a significant boost in capacity. Both hardware and software made remarkable progress, with Sakurai mentioning the significance of the Pixar short “Luxo Jr.” in the development of CG entertainment.

“The Year of Legend” (1986), according to Masahiro Sakurai:

• The Legend of Zelda
• Kunio-kun (River City)
• Dragon Quest
• Ganbare Goemon! (Mystical Ninja franchise)
• Valkyrie no Boken
• Metroid
• Bubble Bobble
• Castlevania
• R.B.I Baseball
• Kid Icarus
• Super Mario Bros. The Lost Levels
• The Mysterious Murasame Castle
• Ghosts ‘n Goblins
• Fist of the North Star
• Zanac
• Alex Kidd in Miracle World
• TwinBee
• Ninja Hattori-kun
• Fantasy Zone
• Relics
• Slipheed
• Daiva (Story 1-6)
• Mighty Bomb Jack
• The Genji and the Heiki Clans
• Wonder Boy
• Hudson’s Adventure Island
• Ikari Warrios
• Gradius
• Arkanoid
• Rygar
• Star Soldier
• Salamander (Life Force)
• Solomon’s Key
• OutRun
• Xevious (Hidden Character)
• Gradius (Konami Code)
• Atlantis no Nazo
• Taksehi no Chousenjou

Quite an extensive list! If you’re feeling nostalgic for retro gaming, explore Nintendo’s collection of NES and Famicom games on the Switch Online service.