Cosmic Wars is this weird little NES gem that mashes up turn-based strategy with the Gradius universe—yeah, the same one with the Vic Viper and those iconic power-up bars. At first glance, it feels like someone took a chessboard and slapped Gradius ships on it, but it’s way more interesting than that.

You start off picking your fleet (of course I went with the Vic Viper first) and then it’s all about positioning, flanking, and praying the enemy doesn’t snipe your heavy hitters from across the map. The battery save is a lifesaver because some of these battles take forever—in a good way, like when you’re sweating over whether to push forward or fall back and regroup.

That old Japanese tagline wasn’t kidding—this really does feel like the full-scale war Gradius was just teasing us with. If you’re into slow burns with a side of nostalgia, it’s surprisingly satisfying.