Akumajou Densetsu is the Japanese version of Castlevania III, and honestly, it’s the better one—harder, sure, but with way better music and some extra little tweaks. You play as Trevor Belmont, the first dude in the family to take on Dracula, and man, does it feel like an uphill battle. The whip’s your best friend, but timing jumps is brutal, and those Medusa heads? Pure evil.

What makes this one special is the crew you pick up along the way: Grant the wall-climbing pirate, Sypha with her magic, and Alucard (yeah, that Alucard). Each one changes how you play—Grant’s agility saved me more times than I’d like to admit. The branching paths mean you can replay it a few ways, though good luck beating it without throwing your controller at least once.

If you’re into classic Castlevania, this is the one that really set the tone for the series.