Adventures of Valecule is one of those NES games that feels like it got lost in the shuffle back in the day—which is a shame, because it’s got this weird charm to it. You play as this little knight dude (Valecule, I guess?) who’s basically just running through side-scrolling levels, slashing at monsters and jumping over pits. The controls are a little stiff, but you get used to it after a few deaths.

First thing you’ll notice? The music’s kinda catchy in that old-school chiptune way, and the enemies are just bizarre—like, one minute you’re fighting goblins, the next it’s these floating eyeball things. The difficulty spikes hard around the third stage, though. I remember getting stuck there for way too long as a kid.

It’s not a hidden gem or anything, but if you’re into retro platformers with a bit of jank, it’s got its moments.