Dragon Ball: Shen Long no Nazo is one of those early NES games that’ll either charm you with its jank or drive you up a wall. You play as kid Goku running, jumping, and punching through side-scrolling stages based on the original Dragon Ball arcs—no Super Saiyans here, just classic martial arts chaos. The controls are stiff by today’s standards, and some of the enemy hitboxes feel downright unfair, but there’s something weirdly satisfying about landing a Kamehameha after farming enough power-ups.

First thing you’ll notice? The music. It’s got that classic 8-bit energy, especially the boss fight tunes. And yeah, the dialogue’s all in Japanese, but if you’ve seen the show, you’ll recognize the moments—meeting Bulma, taking on the Red Ribbon Army, all that. Just don’t expect a deep RPG or anything; it’s more of a straightforward action-platformer with Dragon Ball paint. If you’re into retro games or a hardcore DB fan, it’s a neat little time capsule. Otherwise, maybe watch a playthrough first.