5 Forgotten '80s NES Games That Deserve A Remake

Nintendo played a major role in resuscitating the home console market after the video game crash of 1983 with the launch of the Nintendo Entertainment System. The NES introduced gamers to classic properties that continue to produce new installments for modern platforms today. Many of the earlier iterations of these games have also been revisited over the years through enhanced remasters and compilations keeping them in the public consciousness. However, not every hit '80s game has enjoyed the same longevity and extended relevance as their more enduring counterparts.

With a library as extensive as the NES' catalog, there were always going to be overlooked gems lost to time. More than just a reappraisal, these dormant properties could use a modern revival to introduce them to new audiences. Whether it's an underrated hack-and-slash title or cult classic beat-'em-up, these gaming franchises have the potential to reinvigorate their legacies. Here are five forgotten '80s NES games that not only deserve more attention, but warrant a full remake.

"Dragon Slayer" is both a surprisingly prolific franchise and one that's become relatively obscure since its debut in 1984. Starting out on Japanese platforms, the RPG series wouldn't make its way to Nintendo consoles until 1987. The series' fourth mainline installment was localized in the United States under the title "Legacy of the Wizard," providing players with an early open-world fantasy adventure. Players control different members of the Drasle family, each with their own unique abilities, as they search for the mythical Dragon Slayer sword to slay the evil serpent Keela.

While the franchise's spin-off series "Xanadu" has seen revival attempts, we want a remake of "Legacy of the Wizard" specifically. Just as Square Enix has brought back the original "Dragon Quest" games for modern consoles, Bandai Namco Entertainment could reimagine this influential NES classic. The overall layout and broader gameplay mechanics could remain largely intact, but with an improved technical presentation and additional optimized features for current gamers. The overarching "Dragon Slayer" franchise has been untouched since 2015 and "Legacy of the Wizard" could bring it back from the dead.

Arguably the most innovative and ambitious RPG from the NES library — that's been widely forgotten despite what it accomplishes so well — is 1987's "The Magic of Scheherazade." The player controls an amnesiac hero out to rescue the Princess Scheherazade from an evil wizard in a fantasy vision of Arabia. Primarily unfolding from a top-down perspective like "The Legend of Zelda," the game features an unorthodox mix of real-time and turn-based combat. Using time gates, the player can also explore environments in the past, present, and future, each markedly different from the other.

While titles in the "Legend of Zelda" and "Dragon Quest" series have seen revivals and remasters, "The Magic of Scheherazade" never lived past the '80s. From alternating styles of gameplay to the time-bending scope of the experience, the 1987 game was an impressive piece of work. Outside of "Beyond Oasis" and "Prince of Persia," few games of its era featured a Middle Eastern-inspired fantasy setting, helping distinguish it further. The game could use a full-on enhanced remaster, something that better realizes its mechanics and time travel aspects for current platforms.

Before Rare was acquired by Microsoft, it had an extensive history with Nintendo dating back to the NES era. One of the titles that Rare developed for the console in the '80s was 1987's "Wizards & Warriors." Players control a fantasy hero named Kuros who fights to defend the Kingdom of Elrond, which is threatened by the evil wizard Malkil. Kuros battles monsters through forests, mountains, and caves to reach Malkil's fortress at Castle IronSpire for a final confrontation.

"Wizards & Warriors" spawned an entire trilogy of games on the NES and a spin-off on the original Game Boy. However, the franchise has been dormant since 1992 and hasn't been included on subsequent Rare compilations like 2015's "Rare Replay." That leaves generations of gamers unaware of the entire fantasy trilogy and the saga of Kuros. Another hack-and-slash franchise that could benefit from the leap to 3D or revamped 2D, "Wizards & Warriors" is primed for a comeback.

Another game that blends drastically different gameplay styles is 1988's "The Guardian Legend," which got a North American release the following year. The game has a lone defender, known simply as the Guardian, stand as Earth's last hope from an incoming extraterrestrial force. This hostile empire travels in the form of a mobile planet, with the Guardian out to destroy several nodes around it to trigger its self-destruction. The Guardian explores the planet from a top-down perspective like "The Legend of Zelda" while cruising through its heavily guarded interior in space shooter sequences.

With a stirring soundtrack and an interesting juxtaposition of gameplay styles, "The Guardian Legend" is an overlooked NES masterpiece. Games have mixed similar mechanics before, most notably later entries in the "Star Fox" series, but with varying levels of success. A remake of "The Guardian Legend" could make that combination work, reflecting the original 1988 game's core sensibilities. A forgotten title that deserves to be retrieved from the untapped depths of the NES catalog, "The Guardian Legend" should get a modern reworking.

Vic Tokai developed and published the platforming game "Clash at Demonhead," which saw a North American release at the end of 1989. The game has players control soldier Billy "Big Bang" Blitz, who is recruited by his girlfriend to rescue a scientist developing a doomsday weapon. This mission extends to involve telepathic demons and extraterrestrial forces looking to eradicate humanity through the scientist's weapon. Upgrading his arsenal and developing various superhuman abilities, Big Bang sets out to save the world from these eclectic enemies.

Just based on the narrative alone, "Clash at Demonhead" is an absolutely bananas game that offers underrated NES platforming thrills. Nowadays, "Clash at Demonhead" is probably best known for being an obscure reference in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," which itself had been delisted for years. But cheeky allusions aside, the game could benefit from a modernized pixelated revamp not unlike the Scott Pilgrim title itself, doubling down on its ridiculous story. A bizarre genre blend with charmingly inventive gameplay, "Clash at Demonhead" could definitely stand out through a revival of sorts.