Defender on the GBA is basically a portable version of that old arcade game where you're zipping around in a little spaceship, blasting aliens and rescuing stranded astronauts. It's got that same frantic energy—enemies swarm in from all sides, and you're constantly juggling between shooting them down and making sure they don't snatch up the humans below.

The controls take a second to get used to (that reverse button still throws me off sometimes), but once it clicks, it's pure arcade chaos. The graphics are cleaner than the original, but it still feels rough around the edges in that classic way. If you're into retro shooters that don't hold your hand, this one's a solid pick.