Cool World on Game Boy is one of those weird little platformers that somehow sticks with you. The pixel art pops even on that tiny green screen—you’ve got these chunky, expressive characters bouncing around, and the music’s got that classic bleep-bloop charm. At first, it feels simple—jump on enemies, grab power-ups—but then the levels start throwing curveballs. One minute you’re dodging falling icicles, the next you’re riding a minecart while some grinning gremlin chucks bombs at you.

What I love is how it doesn’t hold your hand. You’ll die a lot figuring out the quirks (that one boss with the spinning arms took me way too many tries), but when you finally nail a tricky section, it’s stupidly satisfying. And yeah, it’s got that ‘90s jank—sometimes the jumps feel a little floaty—but that’s part of the nostalgia. If you’ve got a soft spot for old-school platformers that don’t pull punches, this one’s a hidden gem.