Best games
The best HAL Laboratory games
The 13 best games from HAL Laboratory, ranked from 3,828 critic and player ratings.
The best HAL Laboratory game is Super Smash Bros. Melee, with a critic score of 100/100. Updated September 2026.
- Ranked releases span 1993 to 2022.
- Average critic score across the 13 ranked games: 80/100.
- 3,828 critic and player ratings behind this ranking.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1970 to 2026.
- 13 games are listed on this page, carrying 3,828 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 13
01
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee is the second installment in the Super Smash Bros. series and the follow-up to the Nintendo 64 title. It includes all playable characters from the first game, and also adds characters from franchises such as Fire Emblem, of which no games had been released outside Japan at the time. Super Smash Bros. Melee builds on the first game by adding new gameplay features and playable characters: it's major focus is the multiplayer mode, while still offering a number of single-player modes.
100
/100
02
S
EarthBound
A turn-based JRPG and sequel to then-Japan-only Earthbound Beginnings (1989) in which Ness, a young boy living in a land based on the USA, leaves home to go on an adventure through strange locations, get to know quirky characters and defeat an unknowable alien threat called Giygas while facing up to the realities of growing up and becoming familiar with the real world.
93
/100
03
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series and the follow-up to Super Smash Bros. Melee. This edition introduces super attacks referred to as final smashes, as well as a brand-new adventure mode in The Subspace Emissary which is a side-scrolling adventure in the style of a platformer. It retains all basic mechanics of the Super Smash Bros. series, such as a damage meter, stocks, and Smash-style attacks.
91
/100
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee is the second installment in the Super Smash Bros. series and the follow-up to the Nintendo 64 title. It includes all playable characters from the first game, and also adds characters from franchises such as Fire Emblem, of which no games had been released outside Japan at the time. Super Smash Bros. Melee builds on the first game by adding new gameplay features and playable characters: it's major focus is the multiplayer mode, while still offering a number of single-player modes.
100
/100
02
S
EarthBound
A turn-based JRPG and sequel to then-Japan-only Earthbound Beginnings (1989) in which Ness, a young boy living in a land based on the USA, leaves home to go on an adventure through strange locations, get to know quirky characters and defeat an unknowable alien threat called Giygas while facing up to the realities of growing up and becoming familiar with the real world.
93
/100
03
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series and the follow-up to Super Smash Bros. Melee. This edition introduces super attacks referred to as final smashes, as well as a brand-new adventure mode in The Subspace Emissary which is a side-scrolling adventure in the style of a platformer. It retains all basic mechanics of the Super Smash Bros. series, such as a damage meter, stocks, and Smash-style attacks.
91
/100
04
Mother 3
A turn-based JRPG and sequel to EarthBound (1994) in which a tragedy surrounding a family in the primitive yet joyful village of Tazmily incites the coming-of-age story of Lucas, the family's younger son, who goes on perilous adventures along with his friends in order to find his missing brother and stop a group of masked men from bringing about the end of the world.
90
/100
05
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Join Kirby in an unforgettable journey through a mysterious world in a delightful 3D platforming adventure. Take control of the powerful pink puffball, Kirby, and move around freely in 3D stages as you discover a mysterious world with abandoned structures from a past civilization - like a shopping mall?! Copy enemies’ abilities like Sword and Ice and use them to attack and explore your surroundings! What journey awaits Kirby? Take a deep breath and get ready for an unforgettable adventure!
88
/100
06
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. is a crossover fighting video game between several different Nintendo franchises, and the first installment in the Super Smash Bros. series. Players must defeat their opponents multiple times in a fighting frenzy of items and power-ups. Super Smash Bros. is a departure from the general genre of fighting games: instead of depleting an opponent's life bar, the players seek to knock opposing characters off a stage. Each player has a damage total, represented by a percentage, which rises as the damage is taken.
85
/100
07
Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star, released as Kirby's Fun Pak in PAL regions, is a platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. The game was advertised as featuring eight games: seven short subsections with the same basic gameplay, and two minigames. Kirby Super Star sees players take on the role of Kirby, who can float around the screen, inhale blocks and enemies and spit them out. By swallowing certain enemies after inhaling them, Kirby can copy their abilities and use them as his own, becoming able to perform a wide range of attacks. A unique feature of the game is the addition of helpers. When Kirby is in possession of an ability, he can choose to transform it into a helper character which can be controlled by a second player or the computer AI.
80
/100
08
Pokémon Snap
Traverse various areas and take photographs of different types of Pokémon by discovering their secrets. Capture the perfect frame to gain bonus points from Professor Oak in order to unlock helpful items and locate and photograph the elusive Mew, a legendary Pokémon whose existence has never been recorded.
77
/100
09
Kirby: Star Allies
Kirby is back in this new title coming to the Nintendo Switch console in HD. Recruit enemies as helpers, use Kirby copy abilities such as Sword, Fire and Water, and join forces with up to three friends for a different kind of team-up action.
73
/100
10
Pokémon Stadium
In the game's Stadium Mode, one player competes in 80 different battles, divided into four tournaments. Beat the Stadium Mode and you're in for a bonus battle against the ultimate Pokémon warrior, Mewtwo, as well as a secret mode that gives you 80 brand-new, and devilishly tough battles. There is virtually no way you can beat the secret mode without having trained your own, elite Pokémon. One to four players compete against each other or the computer in a no-holds-barred battle with customizable rules. You can select rental Pokémon for these battles -- but that makes them much too predictable since their selection of techniques isn't determined by the trainer. You can also select quick and easy versus and random battles.
73
/100
11
SimCity 2000
71
/100
12
Kirby's Adventure
60
/100
13
Pokémon Ranger
55
/100
Mother 3
A turn-based JRPG and sequel to EarthBound (1994) in which a tragedy surrounding a family in the primitive yet joyful village of Tazmily incites the coming-of-age story of Lucas, the family's younger son, who goes on perilous adventures along with his friends in order to find his missing brother and stop a group of masked men from bringing about the end of the world.
90
/100
05
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Join Kirby in an unforgettable journey through a mysterious world in a delightful 3D platforming adventure. Take control of the powerful pink puffball, Kirby, and move around freely in 3D stages as you discover a mysterious world with abandoned structures from a past civilization - like a shopping mall?! Copy enemies’ abilities like Sword and Ice and use them to attack and explore your surroundings! What journey awaits Kirby? Take a deep breath and get ready for an unforgettable adventure!
88
/100
06
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. is a crossover fighting video game between several different Nintendo franchises, and the first installment in the Super Smash Bros. series. Players must defeat their opponents multiple times in a fighting frenzy of items and power-ups. Super Smash Bros. is a departure from the general genre of fighting games: instead of depleting an opponent's life bar, the players seek to knock opposing characters off a stage. Each player has a damage total, represented by a percentage, which rises as the damage is taken.
85
/100
07
Kirby Super Star
Kirby Super Star, released as Kirby's Fun Pak in PAL regions, is a platforming video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo. The game was advertised as featuring eight games: seven short subsections with the same basic gameplay, and two minigames. Kirby Super Star sees players take on the role of Kirby, who can float around the screen, inhale blocks and enemies and spit them out. By swallowing certain enemies after inhaling them, Kirby can copy their abilities and use them as his own, becoming able to perform a wide range of attacks. A unique feature of the game is the addition of helpers. When Kirby is in possession of an ability, he can choose to transform it into a helper character which can be controlled by a second player or the computer AI.
80
/100
08
Pokémon Snap
Traverse various areas and take photographs of different types of Pokémon by discovering their secrets. Capture the perfect frame to gain bonus points from Professor Oak in order to unlock helpful items and locate and photograph the elusive Mew, a legendary Pokémon whose existence has never been recorded.
77
/100
09
Kirby: Star Allies
Kirby is back in this new title coming to the Nintendo Switch console in HD. Recruit enemies as helpers, use Kirby copy abilities such as Sword, Fire and Water, and join forces with up to three friends for a different kind of team-up action.
73
/100
10
Pokémon Stadium
In the game's Stadium Mode, one player competes in 80 different battles, divided into four tournaments. Beat the Stadium Mode and you're in for a bonus battle against the ultimate Pokémon warrior, Mewtwo, as well as a secret mode that gives you 80 brand-new, and devilishly tough battles. There is virtually no way you can beat the secret mode without having trained your own, elite Pokémon. One to four players compete against each other or the computer in a no-holds-barred battle with customizable rules. You can select rental Pokémon for these battles -- but that makes them much too predictable since their selection of techniques isn't determined by the trainer. You can also select quick and easy versus and random battles.
73
/100
11
SimCity 2000
71
/100
12
Kirby's Adventure
60
/100
13
Pokémon Ranger
55
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best HAL Laboratory game?
Super Smash Bros. Melee currently tops the ranking with a score of 100/100 across 1,071 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.