Battlemaster on the Sega Genesis is one of those old-school fighters that doesn’t mess around—you pick your warrior, step into the arena, and immediately realize this isn’t just button mashing. The combat’s got weight to it, like your sword swings actually feel heavy, and if you don’t time your blocks right, you’re toast.

At first, I kept getting wrecked by the AI because I treated it like Street Fighter, but nope—this is more about spacing and reading your opponent. The characters all play differently, too. The knight’s slow but hits like a truck, while the ninja’s quick but can’t take many hits. Took me a few tries to settle on the samurai as my main.

It’s got that classic Genesis look—gritty pixel art, chunky animations, and a soundtrack that’s all crunchy synth beats. Not the deepest fighter out there, but there’s something satisfying about mastering the timing and finally taking down that one enemy who kept wrecking you. If you’re into retro brawlers, this one’s worth a few rounds.