Bionic Commando is one of those NES games that looks like a standard platformer at first glance—until you realize your guy can’t even jump. Instead, Rad Spencer swings around with this weird bionic grappling arm, and honestly, it takes a minute to get used to. At first, I kept mashing the jump button out of habit, but once you get the rhythm of latching onto ceilings and flinging yourself forward, it feels surprisingly smooth.

The whole "no jumping" thing forces you to think differently—you’re constantly scanning for grapple points, timing swings to avoid enemies, and occasionally overshooting a ledge and plummeting into a pit. The levels are packed with hidden rooms and weird little secrets, too. And yeah, you’re rescuing Super Joe, but mostly I just remember the bizarre mix of military guys and robots, plus that weirdly catchy soundtrack.

It’s frustrating at first, but once the grappling clicks, there’s nothing else quite like it on the NES.