ActRaiser is one of those weird, brilliant SNES games that shouldn’t work but totally does. Half the time you’re slashing through side-scrolling monster-filled levels like a god with a sword, and the other half you’re playing this oddly satisfying god sim, guiding little villagers to build towns and fend off disasters. The switch between action and strategy keeps it from getting stale—just when you’re tired of platforming, boom, you’re dropping lightning bolts on giant spiders threatening some poor farmer’s wheat field.

It’s got that classic SNES charm too—bright colors, chunky sprites, and a soundtrack that absolutely slaps. The first time you hear the overworld theme kick in while expanding your settlement, it just clicks. Some of the platforming bits can be janky by modern standards, but the mix of styles makes it way more interesting than your average 16-bit action game. If you’ve never played it, it’s like someone mashed up Castlevania and SimCity with divine intervention.