Deadly Arts is one of those N64 fighters that flew under the radar but actually had some cool ideas. You start by building your own fighter from scratch—pick their stance, special moves, even their victory pose. I remember spending way too long tweaking my ninja’s shuriken throws before realizing I’d made them completely useless in actual fights.

The combat feels weighty, almost like a 3D take on Street Fighter with slower, more deliberate strikes. Some of the arenas have hazards (that lava stage still gives me flashbacks), and pulling off combos takes practice—button mashing won’t save you here. It’s janky in that classic N64 way, but there’s something satisfying about landing a perfectly timed spinning kick you customized yourself.

If you dig obscure fighting games with customization deeper than just costumes, this one’s a weird little time capsule worth dusting off.