With the recent popularity of Sega’s classic Streets of Rage 4, let’s delve into Sega’s retro arcade game library. Here are the top free retro Sega arcade games you can play on the Internet Archive. This is an online library of arcade games ranging from the fairly historically correct Shinobi to classic tile-matching Tetris.
1. Wally wo Sagase! – The Original
If you’ve ever wondered where Wally is, you’re not alone. If you thought hidden object books would be better as competitive multiplayer arcade games, Sega’s 1992 marketing department would agree.
In this gem of a game, you’ll find Wally, Woff, Wilma, and Wizard Whitebeard on digital landscapes of zany situations. Unfortunately, there was never a sequel, but you can play the original for free online.
2. Disney’s Aladdin – The Fun and Fanciful Retro Game
Jump into a whole new pixel universe with this side-scrolling platform featuring our favorite street urchin and his special pal. For short-range combat, use your trusty scimitar and hurl apples at far-off foes. There’s also a secret level where you play as Abu, but we’ll let you figure out how to get there.
3. Shinobi – For Ninjas
You may enjoy Shinobi more for its comic value than for its gameplay. As the master ninja, you must use traditional ninjutsu instruments like katanas and shurikens. There’s also a rifle that, when completely upgraded, unleashes explosive bullets to save your clan.
Hmm, did you pay attention in history class?
4. Tetris – The Game of Choice
Tetris is one of the most popular free retro Sega arcade games of all time. It requires you to stack seven “tetrominoes” into complete lines that subsequently vanish. Feeling nostalgic yet?
The Classic Tetris World Championship is still held every year. If you want to take on current champion Joseph Saelee, watch some videos to scout his tactics before practicing.
5. Wonder Boy – The Teenage Hero Game
This is the first game in the excellent Wonder Boy platforming series.
You play TomTom, a teenage hero on an epic mission to save his girlfriend from the Dark King. You’ll need to search for fruit to replace your health as it deteriorates. In addition, you will be armed with a skateboard and a small stone hatchet.
Fun fact: Tom Tom was one of the very first vegan advocates.
6. Space Harrier – An Original Rail Shooter Game
Space Harrier is one of the original rail shooter games. This game casts you as a jet-propelled soldier who must complete a series of absurd missions in increasingly implausible settings.
Your opponents are flying stone heads that shoot lasers out of their eyeballs and woolly mammoths with one eye. Gundam-inspired huge robots are among the other foes you’ll fight.
7. Excite League – Your Favorite Pastime
Baseball is known as “America’s pastime” in the United States, but it is also extremely popular in Japan. Excite League was released by Sega in 1988, and the graphics were fairly advanced for the time. It had a split-screen mode showing both the pitcher and batter’s perspectives at the same time.
Keep an eye out for the roof of the stadium collapsing when you hit a home run. Guess they didn’t have very good building codes back then.
Image Credit: Cottonbro; Pexels; Thank you!
