Athena on the NES is one of those weird, janky platformers that somehow sticks with you. You play as the goddess Athena—except she ditches Olympus to become some kind of warrior princess in a fantasy world? The plot makes zero sense, but hey, it’s an excuse to slash through enemies with a sword, chuck axes, and even whip out a ball and chain (which, by the way, feels way heavier than it should).

The first level throws you right into it—jumping over pits, dodging Medusa heads that spit fire, and fighting these weird rock golems that take way too many hits to kill. The controls are a little stiff, but once you get used to them, there’s something satisfying about plowing through enemies with whatever weapon you grab next. Just don’t expect it to be fair—some of the later levels feel like they were designed to make you rage-quit.

It’s not a masterpiece, but if you like old-school platformers with bizarre charm, Athena’s worth a play. Just bring patience (and maybe a walkthrough for that one jump in Stage 3).