While in most areas the SNES and Mega Drive were similar enough, Nintendo’s one secret weapon – that Sega couldn’t match – was its Mode 7 technology.
Allowing different “layers” on the screen to be rotated, it was usually used to move the “ground” separately from the background, and is perhaps most famously employed in games like Mario Kart and F-Zero, though it also made memorable appearances in games like Link to the Past and Final Fantasy VI (where it was used for effects and map screens).
The image above, by Ethan, pays tribute to the tech by rendering the console itself in the effect.
To see it in action, check out the video below, which helpfully shows off Mode 7 in action in each game it was used in.
SNES [Tactical Destruction]
Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games through their characters, franchises, developers and trends. You’ll find Total Recall stories every Tue-Fri between 1am -2am Eastern.
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