Reading Keza MacDonald’s love letter to Nintendo feels like a trip down memory lane, it triggered so many memories for me. Super Nintendo dives into the company’s history, business practices and design philosophy by dedicating each chapter to one of their most prominent franchises, from Donkey Kong to Splatoon. MacDonald’s vivid recollections of growing up with Nintendo’s games frequently mirrored my own experiences, reminding me how significant the company was to my childhood.
The book excels at sharing the author’s enthusiasm by bringing up moments everyone growing up with Nintendo is familiar with, like your first console or the first time you played Wii Sports with someone who never played games before. Outside of acknowledging the Wii U’s commercial failure, the book rarely examines Nintendo’s missteps or controversial decisions, preferring celebration over critique. Whether you started with the NES or the Wii, Super Nintendo succeeds because it understands that Nintendo’s history is also a collection of personal memories.