Dark Castle on the Sega Genesis is one of those weird, moody platformers that sticks with you. The first thing you notice is how claustrophobic it feels—dim torchlight flickering on stone walls, creaky wooden floors, and these little bat enemies that dive at you out of nowhere. You’ve got this clunky jump arc at first, but once you get used to it, tossing rocks at guards and dodging spike traps becomes weirdly satisfying.

It’s not just running and jumping, though. Some rooms have puzzles where you’re moving blocks or timing switches, and the castle layout actually changes between attempts. Mess up, and you’re back at the start—no saves, just pure ’90s punishment. The music’s all ominous harpsichord stuff that somehow makes slipping into a pit even more dramatic.

Honestly, it’s janky in that old-school way where half the challenge is wrestling with the controls, but there’s something about the atmosphere that makes you keep coming back. If you’ve got patience for retro quirks, it’s a neat little time capsule.