Dragon Spirit - Aratanaru Densetsu is one of those NES shooters that looks simple at first—you're just a blue dragon blasting through waves of enemies—but gets wild fast. The power-up system is weirdly satisfying: grab eggs to upgrade your firepower, and suddenly you're spitting three-way flames or homing missiles. The music's got that classic 8-bit energy, and some of the later stages throw these brutal screen-filling bosses at you.

It's got that old-school arcade feel where you'll die a lot, but each run teaches you something new. The Japanese version's a little smoother than the US release, too. Definitely one of those hidden gems if you're into retro shooters.