Dragon Spirit: The New Legend is one of those NES shooters that looks simple at first—you're just a two-headed dragon blasting fireballs—but gets wild fast. The first level lulls you in with floating eyes and weird little mushroom guys, then suddenly you're dodging bullet-hell patterns from giant scorpions and plant monsters. Prince Lace's quest to save Olympis feels like someone took a fantasy novel and cranked it into a side-scrolling shooter with way more teeth than you'd expect.

What I love is how the dragon evolves. You start with basic shots, but grabbing power-ups changes everything—twin lasers, homing missiles, even this ridiculous screen-clearing bomb that makes you feel unstoppable for about three seconds before the next boss reminds you who's really in charge. The music's got that classic NES urgency too, all frantic synth horns that kick in right as some multi-stage monstrosity fills the screen.

It's tough, but not unfair—just the kind of game where you'll yell "BULLCRAP" at the screen, then immediately hit continue because you know you can dodge that attack next time. The final showdown with Zawel still gives me flashbacks.