Okay, so Crystal Mines is one of those NES deep cuts that feels like a mix between digging through dirt and playing a weirdly intense game of survival. You're controlling this little robot in 2265 (because of course it's the future), blasting energy balls to carve tunnels and fend off alien critters. The goal? Grab enough glowing crystals to unlock the exit before rocks crush you or some creature decides you look tasty.

At first, it seems simple—just dig and collect, right? But then you realize the dirt collapses behind you, enemies respawn if you backtrack, and those falling boulders don’t mess around. I remember getting stuck on a level where the exit spawned under a pile of rocks I’d already dug through. Classic NES frustration, but in a way that makes you want to try again immediately.

It’s got that old-school charm where every mistake feels like your fault, not the game’s. You’ll hate those bouncing blobs by level 10, though.