Don't forget Demon's Crest, Super Ghouls n Ghost, ActRaiser2 and Gambare Goemon 2 & 3, yeah i know the Goemon series is only Japan(excluding Mystical Ninja a.k.a Gambare Goemon 1), but have a lot the scenes with the Mode7
The intro sequence uses actual 3D polygons. Namely the triforce rotating around is stored as a 3D model. Changes to the model are accurately reflected in the intro sequence.
Please keep in mind that some of these games (Yoshi's Island & Pilot Wings) used additional chips in the cartridges to perform sprite rotation and scaling and/or multi-axis background rotation and scaling. Also, some games (like Super Mario RPG) used a co-processor chip inside the cartridge that was actually more powerful than the SNES's built-in CPU to help out with complex work. My point being, Mode 7 doesn't deserve ALL the praise here... it must share the praise with cartridge chips; not to mention clever programming.
Yoshi's Island uses the SuperFX 2 to rotate/scale sprites however Pilotwings and Mario Kart use the additional chip to place the objects/sprites in the 3D space (to calculate the position) but the sprites aren't rotated nor scaled (there are simply multiple sprites of different sizes and point of view in the RAM/cartridge).
@@CharlesHepburn2 "[Pilot Wings] used additional chips in the cartridges to perform sprite rotation and scaling and/or multi-axis background rotation and scaling." I could be wrong but I don't think the DSP1 in Pilotwings do anything of the above.
@@Dosunceste you took my quote out of context… I said Yoshi’s Island did sprite rotation and scaling and Pilot Wings did multi-axis background rotation and scaling… the claims were in the order (with respect to) the order in which I listed the games I was talking about. I admit I could have taken more time explicitly word it out to avoid all confusion, but I thought most people would be able to tell I was listing properties in the same order I listed the nouns I mentioned. Maybe I didn’t explain my point deliberately enough for you to comprehend…. Then again, this was a quick post about some nerdy details on old video games. Either way, I think you could have inferred what I was talking about and not been so pedantic.
Yoshi's island example here is interesting as it mixes two features : the background is a mode 7 layer while the sprite of the bird is managed by the super FX 2 chip (the snes couldn't rotate of zoom sprites natively). Axelay is always quoted as a famous mode 7 game...but it isn't really. The gameplay uses a raster effect to compress scanlines hence that "roller finish" without true perspective. The game uses twice the mode 7 : for the boss ED 209 and (spoiler alert) in the ending scene.
what i found more amazing about old game programming is the tricks used to avoid the limitations of the cpu for example in mario kart the program makes more calculations while the tv beam is in the black region in the middle.
The Chrono Trigger section shown in the video is notable because it was one of the rare instance in which th sprites were resized (shrinked to be precise) in software without the help of additional chip, while the background used Mode 7 (in games likes F-Zero the sprites changes size because there are sprites of different size in memory/cart and are swapped in and out depending on the distance, there isn't a real scaling). Games missed but that must be cited when talking about Mode7 are: Ballz (for the floor in a faux 3D fighting game which would later be a very popular usage on Sega Saturn), Kirby Super Star (Fatty Whale boss), Wolfenstein 3D (the raycasting engine compute the visual in the CPU at half the resolution and then blow up by Mode7 for free, the visual were blocky but the framerate was "good" considering SNES wasn't really designed for that kind of rendering and that no additional chip was inserted in the cart) and last but not least S.O.S. (known as Septentrion in Japan).
@@lajya01 I don't think that's Mode 7. I'm pretty sure that's the SuperFX. The reason I'm so sure of this is if they were using mode 7, they wouldn't be able to use any other background layers because mode 7 only allows 1 background layer
@lajya01 In fact, the 3d object you are talking about in Yoshi's Island...are neither 3d neither FX handled. There are precalculated geometric shapes and the illusion is perfect. The super FX 2 in Yoshi is mainly used to rotate, zoom or warp sprites what the snes hardware couldn't do. The level with poisoned cotton also uses it.
Nice video, thank you! While Axelay does use Mode7 in places (e.g for the walker boss), the scene shown here doesn't at all, that's simply a line scrolling effect on regular backgrounds. Same goes for the Batman & Robin segment afterwards. Just because it looks like 3d doesn't mean it uses Mode 7.
I believe the Batman clip does actually use Mode 7 for at least the transition between the two angles, I stepped through frame by frame and it looks like the boards rotated more than what's possible in normal shifting techniques. I can't tell for sure if its still using it after the transition but I think it is. It looks like it's scaling a single set of track tiles to simulate depth as it goes into the background combin
The Axelay footage does not use mode 7 at all. Axelay itself does use mode 7 for a later part of the game, but those segments as pictured in the video are not mode 7.
Axelay vertical parts were not made using mode 7 Try it on an emulator, showing gfx informations, you'll be surprised It's just a raster effect (also, it explains why perspective is wrong) 2nd stage boss head has been made using mode 7, but it's a common mistake to believe that axelay has been made using mode 7
Mode 7 does have the limitation of only allowing one active background layer while enabled. Raster effects which are performed using HDMA tables are also used to add the perspective effect to Mode 7. Some games that use Mode 7 may appear to have a second background later but thats either switching modes mid-screen or overlaying Mode 7 with sprites to simulate another background layer.
@@Michael_Geyre I saw one RUclips user prototype a Mode 7 background in a Super Mario World ROM hack, and the platforms were sprites, placed with the help of the SA-1 coprocessor.
As a Megadrive user Mode 7 was one of the main I was jealous of Super Nes users, such spectacular graphics, even the majority of arcade games of that time couldn't replicate it.
I had a Mega Drive too, but I wasn't jealous on the Mode 7-effect at all. I wanted only to play Street Fighter II too, but when the Special Champion Edition came, we had the superior product, it was even better than SF II turbo. In my opionion, also Turtles Hyperstone Heist is the better game. There were so many cut games on the SNES, for example Mortal Kombat 1, which made the Mega Drive be better. Also I loved to play Final Fight CD on my Mega CD, it had the 2-player-mode that is missing in the SNES-version, it had 1 level more, it had all 3 fighters, it had uncut graphics, it had blood, it had the bonus-stages, it was just so much better than the SNES-version. Also, I liked the 6-button-controllers on SEGA way better than the cripple-controller from the SNES. Alien 3 was also better on SEGA. .... Still, the SNES was a great console, and I loved to play Super Mario, Batman Returns, Zelda and F-Zero at friends. But F-Zero needed clearly a 2-player-mode (which I liked, that Road Rash on SEGA had it), and Batman could have had easily a two-player-mode with a black Batman and a grey/blue Batman for example. Who cares, if there are 2 Batmans? It would have been fun to play with a friend and beat out the shit of the clowns and Catwoman. :D
There are a lot of animations in "Contra: Hard Corps" that pull of a convincing Mode 7 look, like for example the highway fight against Dead-Eye Joe when you run on a highway towards the screen while Dead-Eye Joe's mechanical robot jumps back and forth closer and further away from the screen, or the airplane fight when the plane Wonderbird stalks you in the background and tilts left and right every now and then.
"even the majority of arcade games of that time couldn't replicate it"--> are you kidding, RIGHT??! Superscaled was invented by Sega in middle 80'.....
"Rotating sprites" Snes can't rotate sprites, mode 7 can only rotate background, so, when you see something rotating or zooming, it might be the background (and, what seems to be the background can be made using sprites)
Prime example being the contra III footage here. While it looks like a giant spider sprite over a rotating background. The fact that it is what is scaling up and down makes me convinced that the spider is the actual mode 7 background layer while what we think is the background is just a bunch of animated sprites laid over a blank grey color. It is an impressive result nonetheless. Just breaks the mind when you have to decouple the word "Background" from Background Layer. In lots of these examples it's more probably clever line interrupt shenanigans or whatever it's calle. Where you just mess with timings per scanline. Mode7 really only comes into use when things need to scale and rotate and it can't be done with sprite animation.
Road Runner's Death Valley Rally also had some impressive Mode 7 effects. Especially after beating a level which involved having the Coyote fall off a cliff.
Another thing about Mode7, especially for those not watching this video in a higher res 60hz mode, is that in games such as Fzero and Mario Kart, the still frames are heavily pixelated but the image is "filled in" by the smooth 60 frames of animation per second.
This is what use to give games their charm back in the day. Every time I see sequels to these games on new consoles with modern graphics they fail to impress me because they look no different to every other game. But these classics that did so much with what little they had to work with was what gave them character, and stood out from other games. It's like a classic movie renowned for its exceptional practical effects getting a modern sequel or reboot with the same cgi that every other modern movie is using.
5:16 This is line scaling in software to make the roller-coaster racks, not mode 7.It's the same technique to make the roads in Street Racer on the Sega Genesis or Top Gear 2 on SNES.
Pretty sure that scene in axelay ISN'T mode 7, it's some sort of scanline manipulation trick. It's not the only time people (me included) assumed mode 7 trickery when it was actually even more impressive programming trickery. Loving you channel btw - this's my 7th video in a row!
I always wanted an explanation video detailing the differences between Snes mode 7 and Genesis tricks to mimic It. Like the game "On the ball" for Snes (it's real mode 7) vs "Sonic the Hedgehog" tricks on bonus stages
4:42 This isn't Mode 7, but it's still a nice raster graphics effect. This can actually be done on the NES, but obviously with much less color, and far smaller. I believe there is actually a WIP Axelay NES demake happening. Fun stuff. :)
Yeah, that looks like Mode 7 to me. Generally speaking, if you see sprites and environments in an SNES game rotate at large angles, then this is probably a rotation transformation of a background layer, and Mode 7 was all about transforming a background layer. You can see this same trick in "Super Mario World" for the bosses Morton, Roy, Ludwig and Bowser.
ah the glory days of game development, when some programmer would come up with a new trick to show off and the producer would use it at every opportunity
You should've included SOS, as that game used Mode 7 as its main mechanic, and while it might not be as impressive as say Terranigma, using something that's usually used for gimmicky effects as your game's central mechanic is impressive in its own right
Axelay does not use mode 7 in those vertical scrolling levels. That's a different HDMA effect on the scanlines. Turtles in Time also doesn't make "extensive" use of it, in fact the only part of gameplay that uses it is the Neon Night Riders level (it also uses it in the intro and time warp transition screens). Contrary to popular belief, it does NOT use it when foot soliders are thrown at the screen! ruclips.net/video/vZmrZCpBJhc/видео.html
Here are a few more genuinely impressive and/or cool uses of Mode 7 on SNES: ruclips.net/video/JzyTD03MmXA/видео.html (because it has vertical variation in the track elevation and also runs well) ruclips.net/video/DM9B36ZvH7M/видео.html (basically the whole level is a great use of Mode 7--and great use of sprites on all the stars to hide the limitations of Mode 7--as the boss slowly scales into view) ruclips.net/video/L8dpxGu8AzY/видео.html (again, it's the fact that it actually looks like there's two full layers there, even with Mode 7, which is technically not possible on SNES) ruclips.net/video/QQrnQmYWIEA/видео.html (just a cool way to use Mode 7 throughout the game for the main gimmick that actually affects the gameplay) ruclips.net/video/2MNyaqzux84/видео.html (very impressive due to the track undulation, which is very rare to see in Mode 7) ruclips.net/video/ATW5uBC62vE/видео.html (it's just impressive to see a game moving at Sonic-like speed but with entire screen rotation too) ruclips.net/video/Upr-KNWeZjs/видео.html (the entire game is being rendered via Mode 7 trickery) ruclips.net/video/pF3yY11aurE/видео.html (again, another fps [section] using Mode 7 for the effect) ruclips.net/video/5WxHLB0Kc10/видео.html (using it on the bosses head while effectively hiding the limitations of using of it better than in many other games) ruclips.net/video/VWClU1hk7iA/видео.html (lovely use on the clouds smoothly coming towards the camera) ruclips.net/video/F8ZXaKbvz90/видео.html (pretty cool use of Mode 7 for both the top and bottom parts of the tunnel, and yet they're not just mirrors of each other) ruclips.net/video/iIvZNcicyM0/видео.html (very cool that the entire boss battle is using Mode 7, sprites, HDMA colour gradients, and mid-screen mode switching to create a rather cool effect that has the boss scaling but not just on a blank screen or simple colour gradient behind them, which is often the case when Mode 7 is used in boss battles on SNES games) Maybe you should do a second list too. :D Remember, when using Mode 7, SNES can't show any other background layers behind or in front of it, so anytime it seems like that is the case, it's because the developers really did some great tricks with sprites and mid-frame mode swapping and the like to hide the limitations of using this mode, so I think such examples really deserve a lot of praise. PS. That level is Axelay is not an example of Mode 7 but a raster trick. And, although you already show Street Racer, I think it would be cool to show off the 4-player mode there too, just because it's literally showing 4 Mode 7 track views onscreen at once, which is frikin' impressive.
@@hardstyle3196 Axelay only uses mode 7 for a boss and for the endings. The gameplay features a raster effect to compress the scanlines hence that "roller finish" without perspective.
Some great examples here although a few aren't Mode 7 at all. Good use of Mode 7 is ace though. I always liked the Mine Cart sequence in Indiana Jones Greatest Adventures. Also a few of these games did use it but not necessarily in the clips shown - Adventures of Batman and Robin does use it but for the overhead bikes/Batmobile section. Cool video though.
I believe the Batman clip does actually use Mode 7 for at least the transition between the two angles, I stepped through frame by frame and it looks like the boards rotated more than what's possible in normal shifting techniques. I can't tell for sure if its still using it after the transition but I think it is. It looks like it's scaling a single set of track tiles to simulate depth as it goes into the background combined with line shifting for turns. I believe I see the scale stepping artifactting where if they were using pallet rotation the edges would likely be cleaner.
Nice video bro, great.. 😁👍 My favorite games are: 1. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. 2. Super Metroid. 3. TMNT: Turtles in Time. 4. Super Mario Kart. 5. Super Mario RPG. 6. The Adventures of Batman & Robin. 7. Chrono Trigger. 8. Super Soccer. 9. Contra 3: The Alien Wars. 10. Final Fantasy VI. 11. Super Castlevania IV. That's my favorite game, hehe.. 🙏😁
Wish I could find a specific snes game, which has one consistent gimmick, being a 2d platformer with levels that all rotates 360 degrees. Can imagine it would fit right into this video.
I guess the chances of you answering are low, but how did you put on such a perfect scanline crt effect. Never seen something so clean. The gameplay footage in this video is the best snes footage I have ever seen.
It's CRT Royale with a few tweaks, but the clean image here it's more the render modes in the video editor and working with files with very high bitrate in the capturing process (OBS). A lot of people are asking about those questions. Soon I will do some videos with tutorials to obtain this quality and try to help you
Axelay most definitely doesn't use Mode7 in the first level. You can notice it from the fact it uses more than 1 background layer. It does scaling only vertically, which can be done by just modifying the Y scroll registers. Also, Mode7 "as such" can't do any perspective related rotation. BUT with HDMA and DSP / heavy CPU use, it can be done. Also, standard resolution is "up to 256x240" (in PAL), and interlaced resolution is obviously also higher. There's also no "max. 256 colors on screen" limit. Sure, the max. palette size is 256 colors, but you can modify it while the screen is drawn. Otherwise, nice video :)
Axelay is not mode 7, other chanel explained it better recently, it's using scanline effects to render less scanlines on top, thus giving the curved appareance.
many beautiful games and effects in this video but some of them are 'just' amazing scroll and raster effects. If you see zooming and rotating stuff than thats most probably mode 7 in action though. See that contra 3 boss jumping on your head? He is a bg layer on mode 7. The rotating field the player is standing on is probably using animated background tiles to give the impression of rotating ground. Arkagis Evolution uses a similar effect on genesis. I love appreciation videos like that.
@@matttherrien9608 Some people prefer a stable frame rate and Sega's 320 resolution over the SNES's 256. Not to mention, many SNES games are displayed in the wrong aspect ratio. Many weren't designed in 4:3, because the internal resolution was 8:7. Another issue is the SNES's lack of flexibility. You were only given 16k object RAM, while Sega allowed you to use whatever resources you wanted - it's why Treasure games got a lot wilder than Contra III ever did. Anyways, neither SNES or Genesis had the best graphics. That was the Neo Geo. And it cost obscene amounts of money, because SNK didn't even try to compromise the technology, like Nintendo and Sega did. It's biggest handicaps were that everything was handled via sprite tiles, limiting background complexity, and that the sprite scaling was only able to shrink a sprite, which made a bad Hang-On clone, and was mostly abused for distracting camera gimmicks.
Even though there are some arguments about mode 7 here on the comments, i just love the showcase of SNES games, definitely the best generation of gaming, both SNES and Genesis... Amiga and Turbografx16, there was a balance and everyone was at their best with the capabilities of the time. The only other generation that comes close is the Gamecube PS2 gen, wich is the one i should be nostalgic for, but at the same time, that generation lasted tons of more years, starting with the Dreamcast in 1998 and kind of ending with the 3DS on 2017, i'm counting those arguably 128-bit CPUs.
Sabes español?? Y yo como idiota con el inglés 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤦🤦🤦 bueno te decía que olvidaste Lock on, el juego no es gran cosa, pero el efecto del avión es increíble
Axelay doesn't use Mode 7 in the vertical flying levels. it's actually just a line trick done via HDMA. On the top half of the screen lines are simply left out (the further to the top, the more lines are missing). This compression method gives the impression of an atmospheric curve. Level 3 alone shows everybody that it can't be Mode 7, since two layers are scrolled parallax, and SNES can only do Mode 7 on one layer. Still a great trick and a great game, though. Same goes for Super Castlevania 4. No Mode 7 in the spinning tower. It's just a HDMA line comprssion trick like in axelay, this time on top and bottom, though, with some additional line scrolling.
Special Mentions for Star Fox, Actraiser and Kirby Super Star
Don't forget Demon's Crest, Super Ghouls n Ghost, ActRaiser2 and Gambare Goemon 2 & 3, yeah i know the Goemon series is only Japan(excluding Mystical Ninja a.k.a Gambare Goemon 1), but have a lot the scenes with the Mode7
@@CharlyHyo I actually love the SGnG one. Very claustrophobic level. I think now that I should have included it
@@BitsBeats That game is perfect. Once you learn the mechanics, you're hooked.
What about S.O.S?
@@nsixties4380 Is it a worthwhile play?
That spinning room in Castlevania IV always blew my young mind.
There's a reason why it was called the Rotating Room . 😎
I used to beat all the enemies and then stand there, marvelling at the effect
Ranger x on Genesis has similar fx
@@legendsflashback Because it is the SAME effect: line scrolling, NOT Mode 7.
@@slashrose3287 cool
"A Link to the Past" also used Mode 7 for it's map screen feature, and in the intro sequence.
The intro sequence uses actual 3D polygons. Namely the triforce rotating around is stored as a 3D model. Changes to the model are accurately reflected in the intro sequence.
Please keep in mind that some of these games (Yoshi's Island & Pilot Wings) used additional chips in the cartridges to perform sprite rotation and scaling and/or multi-axis background rotation and scaling. Also, some games (like Super Mario RPG) used a co-processor chip inside the cartridge that was actually more powerful than the SNES's built-in CPU to help out with complex work. My point being, Mode 7 doesn't deserve ALL the praise here... it must share the praise with cartridge chips; not to mention clever programming.
Superfx/sa-1 coprocessor. Built into the cart and used a par of additional contacts, 16 in total, 8 on each pin.
Yoshi's Island uses the SuperFX 2 to rotate/scale sprites however Pilotwings and Mario Kart use the additional chip to place the objects/sprites in the 3D space (to calculate the position) but the sprites aren't rotated nor scaled (there are simply multiple sprites of different sizes and point of view in the RAM/cartridge).
@@Dosunceste never said the sprites in Pilot Wings were scaled by the chip inside the cartridge. Please re-read my post again.
@@CharlesHepburn2 "[Pilot Wings] used additional chips in the cartridges to perform sprite rotation and scaling and/or multi-axis background rotation and scaling."
I could be wrong but I don't think the DSP1 in Pilotwings do anything of the above.
@@Dosunceste you took my quote out of context… I said Yoshi’s Island did sprite rotation and scaling and Pilot Wings did multi-axis background rotation and scaling… the claims were in the order (with respect to) the order in which I listed the games I was talking about. I admit I could have taken more time explicitly word it out to avoid all confusion, but I thought most people would be able to tell I was listing properties in the same order I listed the nouns I mentioned. Maybe I didn’t explain my point deliberately enough for you to comprehend…. Then again, this was a quick post about some nerdy details on old video games. Either way, I think you could have inferred what I was talking about and not been so pedantic.
Yoshi's island example here is interesting as it mixes two features : the background is a mode 7 layer while the sprite of the bird is managed by the super FX 2 chip (the snes couldn't rotate of zoom sprites natively).
Axelay is always quoted as a famous mode 7 game...but it isn't really. The gameplay uses a raster effect to compress scanlines hence that "roller finish" without true perspective. The game uses twice the mode 7 : for the boss ED 209 and (spoiler alert) in the ending scene.
what i found more amazing about old game programming is the tricks used to avoid the limitations of the cpu
for example in mario kart the program makes more calculations while the tv beam is in the black region in the middle.
The Chrono Trigger section shown in the video is notable because it was one of the rare instance in which th sprites were resized (shrinked to be precise) in software without the help of additional chip, while the background used Mode 7 (in games likes F-Zero the sprites changes size because there are sprites of different size in memory/cart and are swapped in and out depending on the distance, there isn't a real scaling).
Games missed but that must be cited when talking about Mode7 are: Ballz (for the floor in a faux 3D fighting game which would later be a very popular usage on Sega Saturn), Kirby Super Star (Fatty Whale boss), Wolfenstein 3D (the raycasting engine compute the visual in the CPU at half the resolution and then blow up by Mode7 for free, the visual were blocky but the framerate was "good" considering SNES wasn't really designed for that kind of rendering and that no additional chip was inserted in the cart) and last but not least S.O.S. (known as Septentrion in Japan).
Yoshis island actually uses mode 7 and the super FX chip in combination for sprite and background scaling. It looks nice
It sure does. I love playing that game
The Super-FX was also used for 3d polygon objects. The falling walls in dungeons come to my mind.
@@lajya01 I don't think that's Mode 7. I'm pretty sure that's the SuperFX. The reason I'm so sure of this is if they were using mode 7, they wouldn't be able to use any other background layers because mode 7 only allows 1 background layer
@lajya01 In fact, the 3d object you are talking about in Yoshi's Island...are neither 3d neither FX handled. There are precalculated geometric shapes and the illusion is perfect. The super FX 2 in Yoshi is mainly used to rotate, zoom or warp sprites what the snes hardware couldn't do. The level with poisoned cotton also uses it.
I used to think it was updated graphics and all that other stuff,but now seeing this makes me appreciate the games I had played more
F-Zero still looks great. I really like the colors
I really like the music too. Some tracks are early EDM masterpieces
It was my First Snes game and I never get enough of It. I play still to this day
The spinning room in castlevania is gorgeous
It's awesome. It's not Mode 7, though. Many think it is, but it is not. Same with Axelay.
4:40 - This first level in Axelay uses a cool graphical scanline manipulation trick, but it's not mode 7.
Technically any console can do this if you have the programming know how
@@kiwibro6454Not any console, you have to have a hblank counter.
Same as that Terranigma thingy.
Nice video, thank you! While Axelay does use Mode7 in places (e.g for the walker boss), the scene shown here doesn't at all, that's simply a line scrolling effect on regular backgrounds. Same goes for the Batman & Robin segment afterwards. Just because it looks like 3d doesn't mean it uses Mode 7.
I believe the Batman clip does actually use Mode 7 for at least the transition between the two angles, I stepped through frame by frame and it looks like the boards rotated more than what's possible in normal shifting techniques. I can't tell for sure if its still using it after the transition but I think it is. It looks like it's scaling a single set of track tiles to simulate depth as it goes into the background combin
Axelay scene doesn't. Batman does. Ps. A game that uses similar trick to axelay and looks great is Spriggan Powered
Axelay not mod 7 .hardware snes HDMA
@@Brk3nHalobut mode 7 is a rotatable flat plane, those effects don’t look like that. You can always put it in an emulator and check
...Jurassic Park, Zelda - A Link to the Past, Mortal Kombat 2 - there are so many!
The Axelay footage does not use mode 7 at all. Axelay itself does use mode 7 for a later part of the game, but those segments as pictured in the video are not mode 7.
Axelay vertical parts were not made using mode 7
Try it on an emulator, showing gfx informations, you'll be surprised
It's just a raster effect (also, it explains why perspective is wrong)
2nd stage boss head has been made using mode 7, but it's a common mistake to believe that axelay has been made using mode 7
Mode 7 does have the limitation of only allowing one active background layer while enabled. Raster effects which are performed using HDMA tables are also used to add the perspective effect to Mode 7.
Some games that use Mode 7 may appear to have a second background later but thats either switching modes mid-screen or overlaying Mode 7 with sprites to simulate another background layer.
@@soundspark absolutely
@@Michael_Geyre I saw one RUclips user prototype a Mode 7 background in a Super Mario World ROM hack, and the platforms were sprites, placed with the help of the SA-1 coprocessor.
0:56 - Secret of Mana
1:20 - Turtles in Time
2:09 - Super Mario Kart
3:46 - Street Racer
5:00 - The Adventures of Batman and Robin
6:35 - Super Soccer
7:30 Not to mention how mode 7 made flying airships have a pretty neat aesthetic. 😏
Awesome video, some awesome titles too! Yoshis Island must be one of the most underrated game on the SNES. Super metroid one of the best ever created.
Another Mode 7 section in "Super Castlevania 4" is the part when you have to hold on to the whip while the room rotates around you.
the one shown in this video isn't even Mode 7.
Great examples, my favorite gen and console.
As a Megadrive user Mode 7 was one of the main I was jealous of Super Nes users, such spectacular graphics, even the majority of arcade games of that time couldn't replicate it.
I had a Mega Drive too, but I wasn't jealous on the Mode 7-effect at all. I wanted only to play Street Fighter II too, but when the Special Champion Edition came, we had the superior product, it was even better than SF II turbo. In my opionion, also Turtles Hyperstone Heist is the better game. There were so many cut games on the SNES, for example Mortal Kombat 1, which made the Mega Drive be better. Also I loved to play Final Fight CD on my Mega CD, it had the 2-player-mode that is missing in the SNES-version, it had 1 level more, it had all 3 fighters, it had uncut graphics, it had blood, it had the bonus-stages, it was just so much better than the SNES-version. Also, I liked the 6-button-controllers on SEGA way better than the cripple-controller from the SNES. Alien 3 was also better on SEGA. .... Still, the SNES was a great console, and I loved to play Super Mario, Batman Returns, Zelda and F-Zero at friends. But F-Zero needed clearly a 2-player-mode (which I liked, that Road Rash on SEGA had it), and Batman could have had easily a two-player-mode with a black Batman and a grey/blue Batman for example. Who cares, if there are 2 Batmans? It would have been fun to play with a friend and beat out the shit of the clowns and Catwoman. :D
Background and Sprite scaling was pretty common in arcades since the early to mid 80's
There are a lot of animations in "Contra: Hard Corps" that pull of a convincing Mode 7 look, like for example the highway fight against Dead-Eye Joe when you run on a highway towards the screen while Dead-Eye Joe's mechanical robot jumps back and forth closer and further away from the screen, or the airplane fight when the plane Wonderbird stalks you in the background and tilts left and right every now and then.
"even the majority of arcade games of that time couldn't replicate it"--> are you kidding, RIGHT??! Superscaled was invented by Sega in middle 80'.....
@@slashrose3287 Superscalers and Mode 7 were not the same thing.
Tragedy that we still haven't had an NA release of Terranigma.
Axelay ruined me for scrolling shooters for years.
Thanks for the nostalgia.
And i was searching for some SNES games to play. Thank you very much for the video 🙂
0:26
AND it was ALSO pushing the limits of the Super FX2 Chip.
Yoshi's Island music didn't have to go that hard but it did.
Demons Crest had it too if I'm not mistaken.
Yep. During the stage select parts.
That was fun flying around.
Yoshi's island has mode 7 magic bosses can squash stretch and morph smoothly and it looked awesome
"Rotating sprites"
Snes can't rotate sprites, mode 7 can only rotate background, so, when you see something rotating or zooming, it might be the background (and, what seems to be the background can be made using sprites)
yup. this bits and beats guy doesn't know what he's talking about.
Axelay isn't mode 7 either yet put down as it was.
@@orderofmagnitude-TPATP axelay is mode 1
@@praystation yes
Prime example being the contra III footage here.
While it looks like a giant spider sprite over a rotating background. The fact that it is what is scaling up and down makes me convinced that the spider is the actual mode 7 background layer while what we think is the background is just a bunch of animated sprites laid over a blank grey color.
It is an impressive result nonetheless. Just breaks the mind when you have to decouple the word "Background" from Background Layer.
In lots of these examples it's more probably clever line interrupt shenanigans or whatever it's calle. Where you just mess with timings per scanline. Mode7 really only comes into use when things need to scale and rotate and it can't be done with sprite animation.
Actraiser used it when entering the platform stages
Outstanding as always my friend absolutely outstanding 👏 👌 👍
Road Runner's Death Valley Rally also had some impressive Mode 7 effects. Especially after beating a level which involved having the Coyote fall off a cliff.
final fantasy v although it's exclusively in japan, had a bunch of cutscenes that used mode 7 graphics like the meteors falling and the airship
It looks like whoever played the Batman game, had no idea how the Joker boss fight works. XD
Another thing about Mode7, especially for those not watching this video in a higher res 60hz mode, is that in games such as Fzero and Mario Kart, the still frames are heavily pixelated but the image is "filled in" by the smooth 60 frames of animation per second.
This is what use to give games their charm back in the day. Every time I see sequels to these games on new consoles with modern graphics they fail to impress me because they look no different to every other game. But these classics that did so much with what little they had to work with was what gave them character, and stood out from other games.
It's like a classic movie renowned for its exceptional practical effects getting a modern sequel or reboot with the same cgi that every other modern movie is using.
this feels more like a "best known games on a platform" compilation.
Now that is an awesome idea for a list ! i love it !
The Super FX2 chip does the heavy lifting in Yoshi's Island, not Mode 7.
TMNT turtles in Time blew my mind away with the mode 7 graphics to me it looked just like the arcade game
Tiny Toons Wacky Sports Olympics (or something like that) also uses impressive mode 7 minigames
5:16 This is line scaling in software to make the roller-coaster racks, not mode 7.It's the same technique to make the roads in Street Racer on the Sega Genesis or Top Gear 2 on SNES.
Pretty sure that scene in axelay ISN'T mode 7, it's some sort of scanline manipulation trick. It's not the only time people (me included) assumed mode 7 trickery when it was actually even more impressive programming trickery. Loving you channel btw - this's my 7th video in a row!
think the only time is in the mecha boss fight
Love your channel. Just found it the other day.
even now that efect never fails in amaze me, i particulary remember the Demons crest stage select
I didn't know about mode7 back then... So the first time I played Chrono Trigger, the graphic simply blew my mind.
Konami on the SNES: Simply Great
Konami now: Pachinko, Pachinko, Pachinko and some Yu-Gi-Oh
And mobile games 😆
I always wanted an explanation video detailing the differences between Snes mode 7 and Genesis tricks to mimic It. Like the game "On the ball" for Snes (it's real mode 7) vs "Sonic the Hedgehog" tricks on bonus stages
great video, I loved mode 7 and most of these were new to me and pretty amazing.
4:42 This isn't Mode 7, but it's still a nice raster graphics effect. This can actually be done on the NES, but obviously with much less color, and far smaller. I believe there is actually a WIP Axelay NES demake happening. Fun stuff. :)
Did S.O.S. use Mode 7? Because that game was VERY impressive. The entire world turning upside-down and on its side at regular intervals
Yeah, that looks like Mode 7 to me.
Generally speaking, if you see sprites and environments in an SNES game rotate at large angles, then this is probably a rotation transformation of a background layer, and Mode 7 was all about transforming a background layer.
You can see this same trick in "Super Mario World" for the bosses Morton, Roy, Ludwig and Bowser.
ah the glory days of game development, when some programmer would come up with a new trick to show off and the producer would use it at every opportunity
You should've included SOS, as that game used Mode 7 as its main mechanic, and while it might not be as impressive as say Terranigma, using something that's usually used for gimmicky effects as your game's central mechanic is impressive in its own right
NBA Give N Go is another example for sports games.
Excelente video, great video!, New subscriber!
Although this was only released in Japan. The entire overworld for Tales of Phantasia was done using Mode 7.
Hi, great video I didn’t know about some of these games. I’m going to check them out
Dont forget Exhaust Heat too, great feeling of speed!
Axelay does not use mode 7 in those vertical scrolling levels. That's a different HDMA effect on the scanlines. Turtles in Time also doesn't make "extensive" use of it, in fact the only part of gameplay that uses it is the Neon Night Riders level (it also uses it in the intro and time warp transition screens). Contrary to popular belief, it does NOT use it when foot soliders are thrown at the screen! ruclips.net/video/vZmrZCpBJhc/видео.html
Here are a few more genuinely impressive and/or cool uses of Mode 7 on SNES:
ruclips.net/video/JzyTD03MmXA/видео.html (because it has vertical variation in the track elevation and also runs well)
ruclips.net/video/DM9B36ZvH7M/видео.html (basically the whole level is a great use of Mode 7--and great use of sprites on all the stars to hide the limitations of Mode 7--as the boss slowly scales into view)
ruclips.net/video/L8dpxGu8AzY/видео.html (again, it's the fact that it actually looks like there's two full layers there, even with Mode 7, which is technically not possible on SNES)
ruclips.net/video/QQrnQmYWIEA/видео.html (just a cool way to use Mode 7 throughout the game for the main gimmick that actually affects the gameplay)
ruclips.net/video/2MNyaqzux84/видео.html (very impressive due to the track undulation, which is very rare to see in Mode 7)
ruclips.net/video/ATW5uBC62vE/видео.html (it's just impressive to see a game moving at Sonic-like speed but with entire screen rotation too)
ruclips.net/video/Upr-KNWeZjs/видео.html (the entire game is being rendered via Mode 7 trickery)
ruclips.net/video/pF3yY11aurE/видео.html (again, another fps [section] using Mode 7 for the effect)
ruclips.net/video/5WxHLB0Kc10/видео.html (using it on the bosses head while effectively hiding the limitations of using of it better than in many other games)
ruclips.net/video/VWClU1hk7iA/видео.html (lovely use on the clouds smoothly coming towards the camera)
ruclips.net/video/F8ZXaKbvz90/видео.html (pretty cool use of Mode 7 for both the top and bottom parts of the tunnel, and yet they're not just mirrors of each other)
ruclips.net/video/iIvZNcicyM0/видео.html (very cool that the entire boss battle is using Mode 7, sprites, HDMA colour gradients, and mid-screen mode switching to create a rather cool effect that has the boss scaling but not just on a blank screen or simple colour gradient behind them, which is often the case when Mode 7 is used in boss battles on SNES games)
Maybe you should do a second list too. :D
Remember, when using Mode 7, SNES can't show any other background layers behind or in front of it, so anytime it seems like that is the case, it's because the developers really did some great tricks with sprites and mid-frame mode swapping and the like to hide the limitations of using this mode, so I think such examples really deserve a lot of praise.
PS. That level is Axelay is not an example of Mode 7 but a raster trick. And, although you already show Street Racer, I think it would be cool to show off the 4-player mode there too, just because it's literally showing 4 Mode 7 track views onscreen at once, which is frikin' impressive.
Some of this isn't mode 7
Which ones?
@@hardstyle3196I thought it was castlevania 4 but I was wrong, I learned about it later. But there is a lot going on there than just mode 7
@@hardstyle3196 Axelay only uses mode 7 for a boss and for the endings. The gameplay features a raster effect to compress the scanlines hence that "roller finish" without perspective.
I Like How Snes Era Has 3D 7 Mode Graphics And Level
Don't recall why, but Pilotwings blew my mind, but the N64 Pilotwings didn't do anything for me.
What's that Castlevania cover at the end? That sounds awesome!
What are your scanlines settings ? The games in the video look awesome
Some great examples here although a few aren't Mode 7 at all. Good use of Mode 7 is ace though. I always liked the Mine Cart sequence in Indiana Jones Greatest Adventures. Also a few of these games did use it but not necessarily in the clips shown - Adventures of Batman and Robin does use it but for the overhead bikes/Batmobile section. Cool video though.
I believe the Batman clip does actually use Mode 7 for at least the transition between the two angles, I stepped through frame by frame and it looks like the boards rotated more than what's possible in normal shifting techniques. I can't tell for sure if its still using it after the transition but I think it is. It looks like it's scaling a single set of track tiles to simulate depth as it goes into the background combined with line shifting for turns. I believe I see the scale stepping artifactting where if they were using pallet rotation the edges would likely be cleaner.
The Axelay and Chrono Trigger segments didn't have to be mode 7 either, although Chrono Trigger definitely used Mode 7 in its intro sequence.
Excellent video
Good idea!!
Nice video bro, great.. 😁👍
My favorite games are:
1. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island.
2. Super Metroid.
3. TMNT: Turtles in Time.
4. Super Mario Kart.
5. Super Mario RPG.
6. The Adventures of Batman & Robin.
7. Chrono Trigger.
8. Super Soccer.
9. Contra 3: The Alien Wars.
10. Final Fantasy VI.
11. Super Castlevania IV.
That's my favorite game, hehe.. 🙏😁
It's not Mode 7 that allows scaling on a per scanline basis, but the H-Blank DMA tweaking the Mode 7 registers per scanline.
I didn't know that Mode 7 is Super fantastic in this day and age but it always will be with the best graphics in some games.
It is litterally only the back ground layer that can be messed with like this. Hes added a few games that are not mode 7 like axelay
Axelay doesn't use mode 7 on this section. Just a form of scrolling where it stretches as it goes.
Some games didn’t just use mode 7 like pilot wings
They also have a DSP chip inside the cartridge to help with floating point calculations
3:14 So you’re telling me we could’ve had Animal Crossing for the SNES. That would’ve been cool!
Super Star Wars ran at about 7 frames per second in the speeder segments
Wish I could find a specific snes game, which has one consistent gimmick, being a 2d platformer with levels that all rotates 360 degrees. Can imagine it would fit right into this video.
4:43 axelay example is not mode 7, is hdma of vertical and horizontal line scrolling
I guess the chances of you answering are low, but how did you put on such a perfect scanline crt effect. Never seen something so clean. The gameplay footage in this video is the best snes footage I have ever seen.
It's CRT Royale with a few tweaks, but the clean image here it's more the render modes in the video editor and working with files with very high bitrate in the capturing process (OBS).
A lot of people are asking about those questions. Soon I will do some videos with tutorials to obtain this quality and try to help you
@@BitsBeats Thats so cool, thank you very much Iam really looking forward to see the video !
Axelay most definitely doesn't use Mode7 in the first level. You can notice it from the fact it uses more than 1 background layer. It does scaling only vertically, which can be done by just modifying the Y scroll registers.
Also, Mode7 "as such" can't do any perspective related rotation. BUT with HDMA and DSP / heavy CPU use, it can be done.
Also, standard resolution is "up to 256x240" (in PAL), and interlaced resolution is obviously also higher.
There's also no "max. 256 colors on screen" limit. Sure, the max. palette size is 256 colors, but you can modify it while the screen is drawn.
Otherwise, nice video :)
Axelay is not mode 7, other chanel explained it better recently, it's using scanline effects to render less scanlines on top, thus giving the curved appareance.
TMNT IN TIME was so effing dank. The music the fighting. It sucks it so short though. Nostalgia berries for sure.
Good video 😁
many beautiful games and effects in this video but some of them are 'just' amazing scroll and raster effects.
If you see zooming and rotating stuff than thats most probably mode 7 in action though.
See that contra 3 boss jumping on your head? He is a bg layer on mode 7. The rotating field the player is standing on is probably using animated background tiles to give the impression of rotating ground. Arkagis Evolution uses a similar effect on genesis.
I love appreciation videos like that.
Que es primitivo el mode 7, pero tiene un encanto que dan ganas de jugarlo!
Between colour and effects, how can people think Sega's visuals are superior?
You're opening Pandora's box 😂👍
@@BitsBeats Someone had to do it.
@@matttherrien9608
Some people prefer a stable frame rate and Sega's 320 resolution over the SNES's 256. Not to mention, many SNES games are displayed in the wrong aspect ratio. Many weren't designed in 4:3, because the internal resolution was 8:7.
Another issue is the SNES's lack of flexibility. You were only given 16k object RAM, while Sega allowed you to use whatever resources you wanted - it's why Treasure games got a lot wilder than Contra III ever did.
Anyways, neither SNES or Genesis had the best graphics. That was the Neo Geo. And it cost obscene amounts of money, because SNK didn't even try to compromise the technology, like Nintendo and Sega did.
It's biggest handicaps were that everything was handled via sprite tiles, limiting background complexity, and that the sprite scaling was only able to shrink a sprite, which made a bad Hang-On clone, and was mostly abused for distracting camera gimmicks.
Take a look at the Sega Genesis best graphics videos on RUclips and you tell me both systems are amazing.
Yoshi Island es simplemente un juego espectacular.
would like to see similar for sprite scaling on Neo Geo, programmed on Genesis, and the built in mode 7-ish mode on Sega CD
Even though there are some arguments about mode 7 here on the comments, i just love the showcase of SNES games, definitely the best generation of gaming, both SNES and Genesis... Amiga and Turbografx16, there was a balance and everyone was at their best with the capabilities of the time. The only other generation that comes close is the Gamecube PS2 gen, wich is the one i should be nostalgic for, but at the same time, that generation lasted tons of more years, starting with the Dreamcast in 1998 and kind of ending with the 3DS on 2017, i'm counting those arguably 128-bit CPUs.
Demon's Crest and DragonView had cool uses of mode 7 in the overworld exploration. I also loved spiraling down from the heavens in Act Raiser.
Believe it or not, Dragon View doesn't use mode 7.
Forgot About Micky Mania
I have no doubt that the game that best exploits this feature is Castlevania IV. Besides it, it's either a Mario game, racing or RPG among this list.
The batman one was insane
Sabes español?? Y yo como idiota con el inglés 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤦🤦🤦 bueno te decía que olvidaste Lock on, el juego no es gran cosa, pero el efecto del avión es increíble
Es que soy de Barcelona! Claro que sé español ;)
Jugaré este finde a tu recomendación, no lo he probado aún.
Un abrazo
Axelay doesn't use Mode 7 in the vertical flying levels. it's actually just a line trick done via HDMA. On the top half of the screen lines are simply left out (the further to the top, the more lines are missing). This compression method gives the impression of an atmospheric curve. Level 3 alone shows everybody that it can't be Mode 7, since two layers are scrolled parallax, and SNES can only do Mode 7 on one layer. Still a great trick and a great game, though. Same goes for Super Castlevania 4. No Mode 7 in the spinning tower. It's just a HDMA line comprssion trick like in axelay, this time on top and bottom, though, with some additional line scrolling.
Super Castlevania IV uses mode 7.
Watch the Retro Game Mechanics Explained video "Castlevania IV4-4 Tunnel Background".
I love SNES games
I'd bring up that final cutscene in Lufia 2^^
I'm glad Terranigma is in the List
Squash stretch and morph smoothly
I remember seeing the main character drop from heaven in Actraiser for the first time and being blown alway.
Was the SNES the greatest console of all time or what!?