Clash at Demonhead is one of those NES games that starts off wild and just keeps escalating. You play as Billy "Big Bang" Blitz, this over-the-top action hero who gets pulled back from vacation because, of course, some mad scientist built a doomsday device and now a bunch of villains are holding him hostage. Classic Saturday morning cartoon stuff.

The first thing you notice is how weirdly open it feels for an NES game—you can tackle the levels in different orders, which was pretty rare back then. One minute you're jumping across floating platforms in some neon city, the next you're in a cave fighting a guy who looks like he raided a medieval armor shop. The controls take a second to get used to (that double jump still trips me up sometimes), but once it clicks, you feel like a total badass sliding under lasers and blasting enemies with your weird little gun.

Oh, and the dialogue? Hilariously cheesy. Everyone talks like they're auditioning for an 80s action movie, especially your dying buddy Joe who drops the whole "six medallions control the bomb" plot twist like it's no big deal. If you like games that don't take themselves too seriously but still have some legit challenge, this one's a blast. Just don't expect the story to make much sense by the end.